Top Disneyland Paris tips!

Disneyland Paris is a magical place, the happiest place on earth! It’s a place where children can be children; enjoying the things they love most! A place that's safe to let loose your inner pirate or princess and allow children to just be children!

The reason I love Disneyland Paris is yes don't get me wrong I would not turn down the chance to go to Walt Disney World, in fact, I may rip your arms off with the tickets before you finished asking me! But for first-time travelers, small children and big families it gives just as much magic for a fraction of the price!

So here are my top tips for getting the most out of your money!

Book deals!

Search around, do a little digging between sites and compare! I always book with Disney direct or companies such as Travel Magic, Euro Disney or Magic Breaks. I do this because there is always some form of an offer on, about to come on and it’s totally worth it! When we have booked in the past we booked with 2 night’s free and free half board meal, this gave us complete security in knowing any money we took with us was for spends and food, drinks and a bed was all taken care of! The last thing you want is in World of Disney feeling sad because you have 10 Euros short of that must have merch you spotted but you haven't put meal money aside! Now with the free HB plans you cannot upgrade to premium but you can use them towards certain restaurant payments and bookings, meaning you can go ahead and book mickeys cafe breakfast or dinner with the princesses for a smaller fee than if you didn't have the plan at all!

Magic Hours

Make the most of your magic hours! The Disney parks are open from 8.30 - 9.30 for Disney resort guests only. This gives you an hour of reduced queue's and access before the general public meaning the most popular rides such as Mad Hatters Teacups, Dumbo, and Peter Pans Flight are all accessible before the mad days rush! When we went we managed to squeeze all these in before half 9 along with a few photo opportunities and a wander around the castle with plenty of time to queue at the Princess Pavilion and be second in line to meet Ariel (princesses will vary) at 10.30 after the park was open!

Clothing

No clothes are not optional at Disneyland, I highly advise you never try to enter the parks without any but clothes can be a huge deal maker at Disneyland and can really help bring pixie dust and Mickey magic to your holiday. Disney bounding, themed clothing such as a Minnie mouse dress or Pluto jumper etc. can add a real focal point to character meets and makes them a little less awkward especially if you or your little ones are prone to shyness or becoming star struck! Primark has a huge range of different Disney pieces available and a very affordable prince or why not search the thousand small shops online social media such as Instagram and get a custom item like no other that is sure to get noticed! Hey if you’re crafty dabble yourself and make your own magic! Disney inspired ears, tops, shoes, bags and so much more can be found at a drop of a hat it's now easier than ever to find a statement piece that truly speaks to you and for the same if not a fraction of the price at the resorts so it’s really worth checking!

Remember to be practical and stay within Disney Parks rules with your clothing! These can be found on their website but is very reasonable requests such as no heels (who would want to walk all day in stilettos is beyond me!) and no adults to wear costume dresses other than to the Halloween soiree! Please Please, Please check you don't break any rules before you go through, it’s no fun to be sad and disappointed because the floor length gown is too similar to a certain princess and would confuse the guests!

Staying safe!

Before we left for Disneyland Paris I ordered a few safety essentials! This included some neon wristbands and some themed lanyards with plastic wallets off eBay. They were practically perfect in every way and using the lanyards meant we were able to keep our park tickets at hand to jump between Magic Kingdom, Disney Village, and Walt Disney Studios. The plastic wallets protected these cards and our fast passes too while being seen through so it was easy to check the times we had booked for. The wristband we used on our daughter, they are similar ones you find at festivals, on the outside I wrote Info inside, and then on the inside wrote our phone number and our daughters’ name. This gave me the piece of mind that if we were to become separated our daughter could find a cast member (we pointed out uniforms and explained who was safe to approach) that all the information to get in touch with us is there available and not up for interpretation by a scared 5-year-old! Fortunately we never needed it, but on the subject of becoming separated I also took precautions to take a photo every morning as we left the hotel room, this meant I could show CM exactly what clothes our daughter was wearing and what she looked like to make sure to process of being reunited was fast as could be!

Plan your Visit

There are many things you can plan when going to Disneyland Paris, there is a lot more flexibility towards Paris than Florida but the key to success is have a rough idea what you want to do. There are apps that you can get on your phone that inform you of waiting times, park traffic expectancy, performances/parades and character meet schedules, although they are subject to change. I spent weeks looking into the best viewing spots; quieter character meets as well as meal options (book or arrive early/late to avoid queues). Meal bookings open approximately 2 months before your visit and I highly advise you book to avoid disappointment at places such as Mickeys Cafe, Auberge de Cendrillon, gardens plaza, and Inventions at Disneyland Hotel. These are amazing opportunities to meet main characters in a relaxed environment, have quality interactions and spare park time for rides and parades! There are a number of shows that change throughout the seasons and with the latest expansions being released there will only be more to come as the park grows! Best to check your season's evens on the programs for times such as Disney Dreams, Star wars show over in the studios, midday waltz, teatime parades, stars in their cars, there is always something happening somewhere! I found using our snack tokens to grab a warm drink and a cake about 40 minutes before it starts means you can rest your feet and have some chill time and ready to roll after the show. There are obviously better viewing spots than others for the Disney Dreams nighttime show, I absolutely loved this and because the ground was dry as we were there everyone sat down meaning a lot more people had a good viewing spot no matter what age. On the picture below I have coded viewing spots and where I feel is best to see the show!

Be prepared!

If you’re traveling with a small child take or borrow a buggy! It’s a lot of steps for small feet and it will drastically reduce the tantrums of tired tots! It will also assist you as it’s a place to store your layers, water bottles, backpack and such. In my Disney backpack, there are a number of items that are a must for me!

- First aid kit, while first aid cast members are available at DLP I like to keep plasters, tissues and wet wipes at hand in case those pesky trainers rub and such. - Poncho/sun cream/layers, the weather is a fickle beast and is unpredictable at any time of year so it is always best to accommodate for as much change as possible -Purse and travel credit card, there are many travel agents and money companies that offer you to top up debit/credit cards to use so you’re not carrying Euros around the park and some of them are controlled by apps so if you do lose if you can remove the money from the card back into your bank before it can be stolen. Just do your research and find one that fits your needs -Glow sticks, these were a fun element while waiting for Disney Dreams and we took enough to share with other children our daughter 'made friends with' like she does everywhere she goes! It definitely brought some Mickey magic to the evening and a well needed second, third, fourth wind to the day when the tot was becoming too tired aftera long day! - Snacks, snacks and more snacks! While Disney does not allow you to take in picnics and such I have never been stopped taking small lunch bags with mini marshmallows, grapes, chocolate buttons to occupy small fingers in long ques! God send as the hands are busy and the mouth is full! Meaning no moans and a happy daughter happy mum! - Portable chargers, camera batteries and tech accessories. You do not want to miss a moment of the magic because your phone died just as you reach the end of the line to meet Cinderella or post that must have picture to Instagram! Just note selfie sticks, drones and tripods are not permitted within the parks - Autograph book and pens! Personalized books, matching characters with their favorite colored sharpie can really add another focus point and personalize your holiday!

Shopping

DLP is full to the brim with shops and stalls, cafes and restaurants! Disney Village is the main shopping area and home to the Disney store and World of Disney which is huge and well worth a visit! But keep in mind you may want to shop during the day, take an hour or two mid-afternoon or early morning if you’re not using magic hours to explore the shops because once teatime hits it is packed! Before and after Disney Dreams everyone congregates in the stores, arcades and McDonald's to grab a midnight snack! I am not one for huge crowds and I love my merch so take great joy in seeing everything and while you’re trying to navigate children and prams, bags it is a Boxing Day sales scene daily and I just can’t do that!

Disney Village has a Starbucks also which is great to grab a coffee on the way to the parks. There are stores throughout the Magic Kingdom and Disney Studios and I advise you look in each as not all stores stock the same product. I bought a photo frame that we only saw in the store outside Walt Disney Studios so check it out and have a magical time!

If you have any questions or would like me to go into further detail I would be happy to try my best and answer just a leave a comment in the section below and I will get back to you as quick as I can.