For many, a day trip to Disneyland Paris is a big ticket affair. Because let’s face it, it is not a cheap day out. When we stayed at Les Villages Nature Paris we knew we wanted to have a day visit to Disneyland Paris and Walt Disney Studios Park. We only planned to visit for one day so really wanted to make the most of our time. The resort is close by but not part of the Disney Paris Village. Having visited before when the boys were much younger and stayed for three nights. I doubted whether we would be able to fit in everything we wanted to do to just one day. But I was wrong, we arrived when it opened and left when it shut and had the most amazing visit. I wanted to share with you our Disneyland Paris tips and the things that we did that really helped us when planning a day trip to Disneyland Paris when you are not staying on site. Hopefully, this post is especially useful if you are visiting Disneyland Paris for the first time.
Planning a day trip to Disneyland Paris – before you go
When planning Disneyland Paris there are things you can do in advance of going. Either the night before or several months in advance. Disneyland Paris tips before you go are:
Buy your tickets in advance
In theory, you can buy your day ticket for Disney Paris on the day. But on the day we visited there were signs up everywhere saying they were sold out of Disneyland Paris tickets. So to make sure that you can go on the day you plan to I would buy tickets online in advance. Buying tickets online can also work out cheaper as you will get the best price. Plus you will have the added benefit of being able to print them at home. This means you will be able to head straight to the entrance when you arrive rather than the ticket office.
Conserve the kid’s energy
I know this may sound obvious but the day before we went, we made sure the boys had plenty of sleep. It is so easy especially on holiday for bedtimes to slip and for them (and you) to get worn out by lots of activities. We had a particularly busy start to our holiday and so we all needed an early night. Having self-catering accommodation really helped as we ate in and had a quiet restful evening. The boys brought into this plan on the basis that they really wanted to see the fireworks. But would only be allowed if they were not too tired or grumpy.
Download the Disneyland Paris app
This is a great way to see what is planned for the day you visit. Such as when the parades are due to run and any shows you may want to pre-book on your day trip to Disneyland Paris. This will help you plan your day. If there is a particular parade you want to see then you will want to be closer to Main Street for when that happens. You do need to be mindful of the fact that people will start lining the route well in advance of the parade. So bear this in mind when you plan your day. The app will also show you the wait times for the various rides and the different ways to get to rides. Having the app will also help with the next bit.
Be mindful of opening times
My biggest Disneyland Paris tip is to check when the Disney Paris rides open and close before you go (this will help with the tip below). Not all rides are open late. We found that some of the larger rides were open all the way up to the fireworks. With some of the smaller rides stopping earlier. We did not realise this until we were actually in the park, so my advice would be to build this into your plan. You can find the ride opening times on the app.
Make a plan and cluster rides
Although Disneyland Paris is quite compact in as far as there is a lot squeezed into it. It is a large area to cover. Plus there is also Walt Disney Studios. You all waste time running from one ride to another if they are on the opposite side of the Disney Paris theme parks. It is difficult as there will be a number of ‘big’ rides that you want to go on and they will not all be located together. But working out exactly what you want to go on and having a plan will reduce the time you spend running from one queue to the next and also hopefully any overwhelm you may feel.
I would suggest writing the list down of the best rides and getting buy-in from the kids as it will also help with the ‘it’s my turn to choose’ conversations which inevitably happen when you have an age gap as we do. If you are not sure which rides you want to go on first then I have written a blog post about all the rides below.
READ MORE – The Ultimate Guide to Disneyland Paris rides
Bring extra batteries
You will run out of battery power for your phone and camera. There is so much to take pictures of and you will want to capture it all. So make sure you come prepared with extra batteries or power packs. You will need them. We went through two phones and a battery pack and still had to conserve power to get pictures of the fireworks at the end of our trip to Disney Paris.
Think about your bags
When we visited this time around we found that we took all our bags on the rides with us. I do not remember the last time we visited if I am honest. But then we did have a buggy at that point. I had a small cross-body handbag which worked well and we had a reasonable-sized Backpack. Holding coats, jumpers and drinks. Disneyland Paris tips – you really need to consider how many and how big your bags are (aka what you take with you) as you will be taking them on your rides with you.
Book your restaurant
If you want to eat at one of the various restaurants then you need to book in advance. Most offer some sort of advanced online booking via the website. Although the Rainforest Cafe in the Disney Village only allows walk-ins. Those that do offer advanced booking can be full weeks and months in advance. We did book a restaurant although in hindsight I wish we had not bothered. I anticipated that we would all want a break by 6 pm but actually, the boys were quite happy still going on rides. There are also plenty of places to pick up fast food without the need to book. If we are only planning a day trip again in the future I would forgo the restaurant booking.
READ MORE – Disneyland Paris Silver Spur Steakhouse
Book your shows and character meals in advance
In the same vein as the restaurant’s character meals such as breakfast and dinner sell out quickly so book these well in advance. As soon as you know you are going. Likewise, if you are planning on doing any of the shows.
Snacks & Water
There is a lot of queuing involved in a day trip to Disneyland. So make sure you pack extra snacks and take your own food to keep the kids hangry-free. Plus it is also a more economical way of doing things. I would also suggest taking your reuseable water bottles as water is expensive in the park.
Clothing – layers & waterproof coats
The boys had trainers and layers as even though we were visiting in May I knew it would get cool towards the evening at Disney Paris. I had brought them both a new Disney T-shirt before we arrived from high street chains. This works out a lot cheaper way of doing things. We specifically packed our lightweight waterproof coats for the evening so they would keep the wind out. Even in May, it can be so much cooler by midnight! I did still see some ladies in heels but most people dress to be comfortable. If you want to wear ears then you can buy them in advance online, as I was shocked to find some of the ones in the park were 30€.
Bring a baby sling or carrier
You are not allowed to take buggies into the ride queues at Disney Paris. So if you have a little one then take a sling or carrier if they are too young to stand in the queue on their own. Believe me, your arms will be grateful by the end of it!
Planning your trip to Disneyland Paris – on the day
There are also a few things thank you can plan to do on the actual day of your trip to Disneyland Paris which will make your day easier and more enjoyable. Disneyland Paris tips for the day you go:
Arrive early
As we were staying in Les Villages Nature Paris we could use our extra magic time which meant that we could get into the park before the normal day tickets. But even if this is not possible make sure you arrive early and arrive in plenty of time before the gates open. As you will need to go through security and then wait to scan your tickets at the park entrance. Our first stop was the castle so that we could get a picture before it got very busy before we went to our first ride. Reminder – check opening times of rides as they are not all the same.
Use the car park & take a picture of your space.
If you are driving then use the Disneyland carpark. Yes, it is an additional 30€ for the day but it is only a short walk to the park. You pay on the way in and when we visited there was not a queue to enter and we were right at the front of the car park nearest to the theme park. We arrived around 8.30 am. If you are staying in a Disney hotel then you can park in the car park for free. Just remember to take a picture of your car park spot so its easy to find when you leave
Pick up a paper map
The app is great but I do find that I need a paper map as a plan of Disneyland Paris when moving from one area to another. As it means you can see the whole Disney Paris theme park in one place. If you did not get one at the entrance then there are normally stands of them down Main Street we picked ours up at the entrance to the Liberty Arcade.
Hire a buggy
If you are planning on staying until the fireworks and having children then do not normally have a buggy anymore but are still quite young. You may want to think about hiring one from Disney Paris itself. They cost 25€ for the day. When we visited with the boys aged 9 and 6 we didn’t. But I do think that Harry may have benefited from one in hindsight as we walked and ran around the Disney parks.
Use the baby swap facility
If you are travelling with young kids but still want to go on the big rides then you can use the baby swap facility in Disneyland Park. Where you both queue but then each ride independently. It is to stop you from having to queue more than once. There are also single rider line if only one of you wants to go on the rides. Although we did notice that some of these were just as long queue times which would suggest some people are abusing this idea.
Consider buying direct access to the big rides
Disneyland Paris fast pass is no more but it is possible to buy direct access to some of the rides. Not all rides offer direct access it tends to be the most popular attractions with long queues. I have listed the rides below. You can use the app to buy a Disney Premier Access One which allows you to use it once for one attraction in an allocated time slot. Joining the queue when your time slot comes up and avoid long waits. You buy and pay for the pass through the app and then scan the QR code to join the queue. Prices vary on the attraction you want to fast track and cost between 5€ up to 15€. Obviously, for a large family, this can add an extra cost and a lot of money to the overall price, according to the Disneyland Paris website children under three do not need one but most be accompanied by an adult that does have a pass.
There is a Disney Premier Access Ultimate Pass available but only if you buy combined park tickets with a hotel stay. Prices start at an extra 90€ per person at the time of writing.
- Crush’s Coaster
- Big Thunder Mountain
- Peter Pan’s Fight
- Ratatouille
- Star Wars Hyperspace Mountain
- Buzz Lightyear Laser Blast
- Tower of Terror
- Autopia
- Indiana Jones & the Temple of Peril
- Star Tours
- Phantom Manor (haunted mansion)
- Cars Road Trip
Too many queues?
There are lots of things to see and do within Disneyland Paris that are not ‘rides’ and so do not need to spend time queuing for rides if the kids have a bit of queue fatigue. Then try these Disneyland Paris tips out:
- Dotted around the park, particularly in Frontierland and Adventureland are various old-style games for a couple of euros
- The arcades that run down the side of Main Street are worth exploring – Liberty Arcade and Discovery Arcade
- Visit underneath the castle and the dragon’s lair
- Alice’s Curious Labyrinth is a maze based on Alice through the looking glass and normally you can just walk through
- Le Passage Enchante Aladdin is a walk-through interactive exhibit
- There is also various character meet opportunities, although likely you will have to queue to see the popular Disney characters too, especially the princesses.
- The Parades that are on throughout the day
- Souvenir shopping in Disney Village or up Main Street
- Yummy Disney-inspired sweet treats are normally in the shape of a mouse!
Leave your souvenir shopping until the end of your visit
If you are planning on buying some souvenirs at Disney Paris then I would suggest leaving this until almost the end of your day. We fitted it in before the fireworks which we found to be the best time. Otherwise, you will need to carry your purchases around with you. As its a day trip and not a hotel stay. Otherwise, you can arrange for them to be delivered to your hotel room. Don’t forget the shops in the Disney Village and also the Christmas Decoration shop which is next to the Dragons Lair under the castle.
Stay for the fireworks & illuminations
If you are planning Disneyland Paris and intend on staying for the fireworks with kids then when we visited in May they were not on until 11 pm. But it is totally worth seeing and leaves a warm fuzzy feeling when you eventually leave the theme park. The fireworks will last about half an hour or so. It gets busy in anticipation if you want a good spot then we noticed people starting to get into position about an hour before they were due to start. Many people will also put their kids on their shoulders so bear this in mind if you a shortie like me. We ended up moving around a bit to avoid this. If you have not driven and used public transport then remember that everyone will leave the park at the same time when the fireworks finish. Buses and trains will be crowded after a full day. So you may want to consider booking a taxi if you are close by.
We had such a great time and are huge Disney fan. I hope these tips help you have an amazing time and with your planning Disneyland Paris.
Have you been on a day trip to Disneyland Paris? Let me know your top tips in the comments below.
Related Blog Posts
If you have enjoyed this blog post on planning Disneyland Paris tips. And thinking of going on your own day trip to Disneyland Paris then you may also be interested in the following articles.
Les Villages Nature Paris by Center Parcs – Everything you need to know before visiting
16 Free Center Parcs Activities at Villages Nature & the Aqualagon
2 night Paris itinerary with kids
Paris with kids 13 of the best tips to make your trip great
The Ultimate Guide to Disneyland Paris rides
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