10 Quick Tips for Disneyland Paris
Hey Everyone!
The sun is finally showing its beautiful face again - hooray! Bring on the start of Spring!
The sunshine has got me in the Holiday mood so I wanted to put together a little Quick Tips post for those of you that are about to embark on a trip to Disneyland Paris...
Perhaps your first trip!
I appreciate that sometimes my blog posts can go on and on, and on a bit so hopefully, you can skim read through this list and leave feeling that your head is a little fuller with some extra Disney knowledge!
If you have any questions for me, please let me know in the comments section below.
Enjoy, Mercedes x
Getting to Disneyland Paris doesn't need to be a stressful experience. Driving via Eurotunnel Le Shuttle is really simple and cost effective. From Brighton, where I live, the entire trip took around 6 hours door to door, which isn't that bad when you consider how much money we saved! For little ones, stick a couple of DVDs on and they will be with Mickey before they know it...
The sun is finally showing its beautiful face again - hooray! Bring on the start of Spring!
The sunshine has got me in the Holiday mood so I wanted to put together a little Quick Tips post for those of you that are about to embark on a trip to Disneyland Paris...
Perhaps your first trip!
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| Photo by Alexandre Godreau |
If you have any questions for me, please let me know in the comments section below.
Enjoy, Mercedes x
1. Consider a road trip...
Getting to Disneyland Paris doesn't need to be a stressful experience. Driving via Eurotunnel Le Shuttle is really simple and cost effective. From Brighton, where I live, the entire trip took around 6 hours door to door, which isn't that bad when you consider how much money we saved! For little ones, stick a couple of DVDs on and they will be with Mickey before they know it...
2. Bring snacks!
It's not hugely surprising that Disneyland is expensive yet many families get stung by overpriced essentials such as soft drinks, lunches and snacks on site. It's a good idea to pop to your local Supermarket before travelling to Disneyland to stock up on bags of crisps, cereal bars, raisins and of course, chocolatey snacks! These items not only save you money, but also make ride queues a lot more bearable!
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| Disneyland treats can be expensive! |
3. Don't queue for Characters, dine with them!
Characters often have very long queues at Disney Parks. I recently queued for almost 2 hours to meet with Moana at Disneyland Paris! In order to beat the queues but still Meet 'n' Greet with the Stars, I highly recommend Character Dining as it can be a great alternative to waiting in long queue lines! Character Meals can be expensive, especially for large families, so why not consider a Character Breakfast at Plaza Gardens which is a cheaper alternative to Lunch or Dinner.
4. Extra Magic Hours...
If you're staying on site at Disneyland Paris, especially during peak times, make use of your Extra Magic Hours. These are exclusively for Disneyland Resort Guests and mean that you are able to board a selection of attractions before the park opens to the general public. I highly recommend that you make use of this benefit, especially in the summer months when the park can be very busy and wait times may be excessive...
5. Enjoy the walk...
If you're staying at a Disneyland Paris Hotel and are able bodied, I encourage you to walk to the Disney parks rather than take the free transportation provided. The furthest Hotel from the parks is Santa Fe and I can easily walk from there to the parks in 10-15 minutes... and I walk quite slowly! The walk is very enjoyable as you pass through Disney Village and Lake Disney. The transportation to the Parks can be quite slow as you have to wait for a bus to arrive and when it eventually does, they are often crowded which is uncomfortable. I appreciate that not everybody is able to walk for a wide range of reasons but if you are, definitely go with this option!
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| En route to Disneyland from Santa Fe via Sequoia Lodge |
6. Bring a backpack...
I find that I often end up carrying lots around Disneyland and wearing a rucksack is the best way to do this! I get very sore shoulders from shoulder bags so rucksacks are my accessory of choice. Luckily, on my last trip to Disney, my Boyfriend Grumpy volunteered to wear the rucksack filled with our lunch and snacks for the day, and I wore my beautiful DisneyXCoach crossbody which was pretty empty, haha! Make sure at least one person in your group is the designated backpack wearer!
7. Be prepared!
Paris, much like England, has a lot of rain and bad weather. Whenever you are travelling, pack for rain and cold temperatures, just in case! I have been to Disneyland Paris in February and had glorious sunshine and also in June, with clouds, rain and clothes that are wet through as a result! Treat the weather just as you would in England and be prepared... bring your waterproofs, close toe shoes and long trousers!
8. Find the perfect parade viewing spot...
This next tip is a pretty controversial one as everybody thinks that their parade viewing spot is the best but trust me, mine is! I highly recommend that you watch the parade in the main park from outside the gelato shop in Fantasyland! It's near 'It's a Small World' and to the right hand side of the Castle, if you are facing it. The reason that this is the best spot is because this is where the parade starts so when it finishes, you will be the first to 'escape' the crowds and therefore, the first to quickly get queuing for those rides again! Also, as this is the beginning of the route, I feel that the performers and characters have a lot more energy at this point and you can capture a lot more magical moments! As a slightly less popular spot than Main Street, you only need to show up here around 30/45 minutes before the parade begins, depending on the Season.
9. Enjoy the Disneyland Hotel!
As you may have seen in my most recent post, I've sadly never stayed at The Disneyland Hotel due to a little thing called MONEY! However, just because you can't afford to stay at this gorgeous Hotel, does not mean that you shouldn't be able to enjoy the luxury! On my most recent trip, Grumpy and I had a really lovely evening after Park closing at Café Fantasia. We ordered cocktails and enjoyed the beautiful ambience and pianist who was playing classic jazz as well as a few old Disney favourites! There is also a boutique on site and of course, character dining at Inventions - or you could simply just roam the halls - there is nothing stopping you! The entrance is to the left of the hotel as you exit the park...
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| Café Fantasia Image Credit: Paradise Found Around |
10. Don't follow the crowd...
And finally, my final tip: when visiting the main park at Disneyland Paris, it is always a good idea to do the park in an anti-clockwise motion, starting in Discoveryland and finishing in Frontierland. This is because the majority of people make their way around the park from left to right (clockwise) or simply head straight to Fantasyland because it's a lot of people's favourite! This way, you should be able to steer clear of the large crowds yet still fit everything in!
What other tips do you have? Let me know in the comments below.