Disneyland Paris, Everything You Need to Know Before Visiting
This post is everything you need to know about Disneyland Paris for planning your trip
Disneyland Paris is such a magical place to visit for all ages. With two parks the Disneyland Park and Walt Disney studios there is so much to do and see. Disneyland Paris has such a special place in my heart and I have so many magical memories from my visits.
As you walk through the gates of the Disneyland Park you will enter Town square, which has places to meet characters and explore the shops.
From here as you walk around the square and on to Main Street you will get your first view of the beautiful the Sleeping Beauty Castle. The Disneyland Park has five lands Discovery Land, Fantasy Land, Adventure Land, Frontierland and Main Street. At the end of each night there is a stunning light projection on the castle with fireworks.
Walt Disney Studios park is similar to Hollywood Studios in Walt Disney World. This park has themed attractions from Disney, Pixar and now has the Marvel Avengers Campus that opened in 2022.
The Disney Village is a separate area of Disneyland Paris that has lots of shops, restaurants and other entertainment. If you are looking for somewhere to shop for Disney merchandise this is the place for you. The Disney Village is similar to Disney Springs in Walt Disney World.
Planning your visit To Disneyland Paris
The first thing to consider when booking a trip to Disneyland Paris is how long you are going to stay. I recommend 2 nights 3 days, this will give you enough time to spend a day in each park and some time to spend either visiting the Disney village to explore the shops and restaurants or extra time in either of the parks.
Hotels in Disneyland Paris
There are a number of different options to choose from when deciding where you want to stay when planning your trip to Disneyland Paris. The first decision is whether want to you stay on or off site. Disneyland Paris has eight different hotels, varying in price and themes.
The benefits to staying on site is that your park tickets are included with your package, there is free shuttle buses to and from the parks and you can add the dining plan for an extra cost.
When staying at a Disney hotel you also get free extra magic time in the parks, which allows you to enter the parks early before non hotel guests so that you can meet characters and ride some of the rides.
The Hotels at Disneyland Paris are Disneyland Hotel, Disney Hotel New York, Disney Newport Bay Club, Disney Sequoia Lodge, Villages Nature Paris by Centre Pacs, Hotel Cheyenne, Disney Hotel Santa Fe and Disney Davy Crockett Ranch.
Disneyland Hotel
I have stayed at a few of these hotels and really enjoyed it. The Disneyland Hotel is a beautiful hotel, it is located right at the Disneyland Park entrance and has amazing views of the park.
The Disneyland Hotel has been recently renovated I am looking forward to staying there as it looks beautiful and I would love to stay here again. The new themes for the hotel are from classic Disney Princess films, Tangled, Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast and Frozen.
The Hotel New York
The Hotel New York has been recently renovated and has a Marvel theme, although I have never stayed there it is high on my hotel stays list. The Disney Hotel New York has the worlds largest collections of Marvel artwork in the world. A must for all Marvel fans! It is 10 minute walk to the park and is situated right outside the Disney Village.
The Disney Newport Bay Club
The Disney Newport Bay Club has a nautical New England theme and is a short walk around the lake to the parks. I have stayed here about 6 years ago and found it very pleasant.
The Sequoia Lodge
The Sequoia Lodge again is a short walk around the lake from the park and has a forest retreat theme, this hotel is set amongst pine trees and gives it an American National Park vibe. It also has Bambi themed rooms.
Another reason I chose to stay at the Sequoia Lodge is that they have an indoor/outdoor swimming pool and hot tub. I really enjoyed spending time here relaxing after a long day in the parks.
Disney Hotel Cheyenne
Disney Hotel Cheyenne has a Wild West theme with Toy Story themed rooms, this hotel has also been recently renovated. I stayed here with my daughter at Christmas last year and absolutely loved it. It is a bit futher out from the parks, (15 minute walk) but we were very impressed with the free shuttle service that was included, the buses ran every 5 minted and we never waited once.
On site at the hotel Cheyenne there is a Starbucks that was great for picking up a quick snack for breakfast or a hot drink on the way back to our room after a long day in the parks. I would highly recommend this hotel as it was reasonably priced and in a great location.
The Disney Hotel Santa Fe
The Disney Hotel Santa Fe is an American South West style it has lots of Route 66 decorations with Cars themed rooms. it is a 20 minute walk from the parks.
There are also five associated hotels that are close to Disneyland Paris and also have shuttle buses. They are Hotel’Elyee Val d’Europe, B&B Hotel, Adagio Marne-la-Vallee Val d’Europe, Explorers Fabulous Hotels Group and Campanile Val de France.
Transport to Disneyland Paris
If you are travelling from the UK like I did there are a number of options. You can drive, fly or take he Eurostar. Usually I take the Eurostar as it is so easy.
On my last trip I took the Eurostar from St Pancras to Paris Gare Du Nord and the took the REN train directly to Disneyland Paris as they have a station there.
The Ren to Disneyland Paris takes around 40 minutes and was a lot easier than I thought it would be. Up until this year they used to have a direct train to Disneyland Paris but now you have to change. If you don’t want to go directly into Paris Gare Du Nord there is an option to change at Lille.
I have recently returned from a trip to Disneyland Paris, this time I flew from London Gatwick to Paris Charles de Gaulle. I then took the Magic shuttle directly to the Disneyland Paris resort. It took around 45 minutes. I prebooked through their website and it made getting from the airport to the resort really easy.
Disneyland Paris Park Tickets
When it comes to park tickets there are a number of different options to choose from. Make sure you get your Park tickets before you go as you are unable to buy tickets at the gate. The first ticket option is an undated ticket. This allows you to choose which date you want to visit the park depending on availability. You will need to register your ticket before you go on the date for the date you have chosen.
The second option is a dated ticket. You can purchase tickets from 1 to 4 days. This is the best value as you can save money when booking your ticket. You also have the option to cancel up to 3 days before you arrive. If you are staying at one of the Disney hotels usually your park tickets are included in your package for your entire stay.
Meal Plan and Dining Reservations
When it comes to dining in Disneyland Paris there are some great places to eat. You can choose from quick service to fine dinning. But it can be expensive. if you prefer to pay for your meals before you arrive then the meal plan maybe a good option for you. There are three options to choose from. The first option is breakfast only, this enables you to enjoy breakfast each morning in your hotel.
Half-board Dining
The second option is half-board, with this option you can enjoy breakfast in your hotel plus either lunch or dinner at a restaurant of your choice. the final option is full board, with this option you will get breakfast in your hotel, lunch and dinner.
Table Bookings
If you would like to eat at one of the restaurants at Disneyland Paris, it is recommended that you book a table as soon as possible if there is a specific restaurant you would like to eat at.
When you are staying at one of the Disney hotels you can book your reservations a year out from your booking. If staying offsite or visiting for the day you can book 60 days from when you are visiting.
For a little extra magic you can book to dine with the characters. There are a few locations for this but there do get booked very fast so I recommend booking early. On my last visit we eat at Plaza Gardens, which is in the Disneyland Park, for a character dinner and the food was a buffet which was delicious. We got to meet lots of characters including Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Rabbit from Winnie the Pooh and Captain Hook.
Another great place to dine with characters, especially if you or your little ones are Prince and Princess fans, is Auberge de Cendrillon. This restaurant has a set menu for lunch or dinner. I have eaten here a few times and the character interaction was really good.
On my last trip to Disneyland Paris I eat at the Disney New York Hotel, The Downtown restaurant. This is now my new favourite place to eat. The food is a self serve buffet with three different styles of dishes, from Italian, Chinese and Indian. The deserts here were incredible! I loved the Marvel them. There was a mini Groot chocolate moose flower pot which was adorable and delicious. I also loved the macaroons.
Disney’s Premier Access
There are two to options if you are thinking of using the Disney’s Premier Access, (the equivalent of the genie system in Walt Disney World).
The first option is Disney Premier Access Ultimate, this allows you to the fast lane once on each attraction in the parks, you can buy it in advance or on the day you want to use it. You will pay for each member of your group. Then head to the attraction you would like and go to the fast lane without prebooking.
The second option is Disney’s Premier Access one, This is a pay as you go for attractions, this enables you to book a single attraction and be you will be given a time slot for the given attraction. If you chose to use either of these options you will still need a ticket to enter the park.
UK Tax Refund
If you are traveling from the UK, as the UK is no longer in the EU. Guests from the UK are now entitled to a tax refund. As the UK have to pay 7% tax, you can claim back 13% on some of your items.
The requirements for this is that you spend over 100 euros across the Disneyland Paris resort. That includes both parks and the Disney Village can only claim back receipts that are up to two days old, if you are staying longer than two days I recommend you do this process every couple of day so that your receipts are not out of date.
A tip is take an envelope with you and you can put all your receipts in it to claim on your last day. After you have collected all your receipts you need to go to Town Hall in the Disneyland Park or Disney Fashion in the Disney Village. Hand your receipts to the cast member in either of these locations, they will then itemise them. Then they will send you to another cast member where you will show your passport as proof of identification, they will then give you a document with your itemised purchases and how much tax refund you will receive. then take the document to the station, there are self serve machines where you scan the bar code on your documents it will then be refunded to you into your bank account and can take a couple of weeks.
Please let me know if you are planning a trip to Disneyland Paris and if you have any tips when planning.
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