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Planning Disneyland Paris, whether you plan to go for a one-day trip or a multi-day trip, will result in a better experience. I went on a whim one day in early May to fulfil the birthday wishes of a friend who had never been. I know we could have used our time and energy much more effectively with some of these planning tips.
Our lack of planning didn’t take away from the Disney magic of purchasing Mickey Mouse ears, watching dynamic shows, lining up for thrilling rides and being in awe seeing Cinderella and Mary Poppins strolling down the street. I mean, who doesn’t like a little Disney pixie dust every now and then?
We took our time, finally got the app and laughed. A lot. Three ladies. If there was a Disney prize for a combination of age and having a great time, we would have won!
1. Disneyland Paris Tips: Buy Your Tickets In Advance
The number one planning Disneyland Paris tip is to buy your entry tickets in advance. Even with a ticket, it takes a while to get into the park before the Disneyland magic begins!
Buy Your Disneyland Tickets: Disneyland Paris- One Day Ticket or Disneyland Paris-Multi-Day Entry Ticket. Both of these tickets have the option to purchase a 2-park visit, including Disneyland Park and Walt Disney Studios Park.
Pro Travel Tips:
- If you have a non-dated Ticket or Pass, you must register to ensure admission to the Disney Parks.
- Disneyland Park is the classic Disney experience. You can expect to find the Sleeping Beauty Castle, meet Disney princesses, see the outstanding parade, and a multitude of shows. And of course, there are classic Disney rides such as Big Thunder Mountain, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Peter Pan’s Flight.
- Walt Disney Studios Park is the second theme park and is dedicated show business, production, and behind-the-scenes. It has rides centred around the Pixar stars like Finding Nemo and Ratatouille.
- For this article, I only visited Disneyland Paris.
2. Planning Disneyland Paris: How To Get There
Getting to Disneyland Paris by Train:
From central Paris, take the RER A (regional train) to Disneyland Paris. The best stations to find the RER A are Chatelet-Les-Halles and Nation. No matter which station you begin your trip to Disneyland Paris, purchase your ticket at the machine in the Metro. The destination “Disneyland Paris” is an option, making it easy to buy the correct ticket. Do not travel to Disneyland Paris with a regular Metro ticket for central Paris.
The journey on the RER A is about 35 minutes long. The destination station is Marne-la-Vallée/ Chessy
Getting to Disneyland Paris by Shuttle Bus From Paris Airports:
Are you flying into Paris Orly Airport or Roissy Charles de Gaulle Airport and planning to go directly to Disneyland Paris? Why not take this Disneyland shuttle from Roissy Charles de Gaulle or Orly? Or, if you prefer, a private transfer is also available from Roissy Charles de Gaulle Airport.
Getting to Disneyland Paris by Eurostar:
The Eurostar runs directly from London St Pancras International to Marne-la-Vallée station taking just 2 hours and 49 minutes. This service runs on school holidays and bank holidays.
Getting to Disneyland Paris by Car:
The route to Disneyland Paris is very well marked. Follow the A4 to Marne-la-Vallée and watch for the Disneyland signs. Mickey Mouse might even make an appearance to lead you in the right direction!
Exit 14 will take you to Disneyland Park, Walt Disney Studios Park and select hotels.
There is a flat day rate to park at Disneyland Paris or, if you are staying at one of the hotels, the parking is free.
3. Disneyland Paris: How Much Time?
Should you plan a one-day trip or multi-day trip to Disneyland Paris?
Day Trip to Disneyland: If you’re visiting Paris and going to Disneyland Paris on a day trip, then one day is enough! There are two theme parks at Disneyland Paris: Disneyland Park and Walt Disney Studios Paris. Decide if you want to go between both parks or stay at the main one, Disneyland Park.
Multi-Day Trip to Disneyland: If the sole purpose of your visit is to see Disneyland Paris then plan on longer than one day. Book a hotel at Disneyland Paris and plan your vacation with plenty of time to go between both parks.
4. Download The Disneyland App
Planning your Disneyland Paris trip? You must download the Disney app. The app is the best way to orient and organize yourself to make the most out of the day. The map shows where all the rides and restaurants are located and also gives the current wait time for rides, a schedule for all the shows, and allows you to make reservations for the restaurants.
Pro Travel Tip: There are no paper maps of Disneyland Paris available so downloading the app is essential.
5. Purchase Disney Premier Access
The Disney Premier Access (formerly FastPass) is a great tool for planning Disneyland Paris. It allows you to book a time slot for a ride and get into the express lane for your ride time. You can only book one ride in advance at a time. It isn’t cheap. Depending on the ride, the cost ranges from €7 to €14 for Peter Pan’s Flight, and €16 for Star Wars Hyper Space Mountain.
Pro Travel Tip:
Another way to speed up your wait time is to use the “Single Rider” lineup. You won’t be sitting with your friends on the rides but you also won’t be waiting in line so long.
6. Plan Your Itinerary
One of the top tips for planning Disneyland Paris is to get the app and decide beforehand which rides and shows will make your day! Planning out the day? Be sure to add in wait times for rides.
You never know when a ride is going to be closed. I had my heart set on “It’s a Small World” but it was closed at the time of our visit. Luckily there are 50 rides to choose from at Disneyland Paris
I can say from experience that I wish I had had the app in advance for planning Disneyland Paris. We wasted quite a bit of time walking around trying to figure out what we wanted to do.
7. Planning Disneyland Paris: Which Rides?
Part of planning Disneyland Paris is figuring out which rides you definitely want to go on. We headed first thing in the morning to Frontierland and lined up for Big Thunder Mountain. This rollercoaster gives great views over the park while speeding along the track and through a black tunnel. Yup. I screamed.
Somehow we decided on Star Wars Hyper Space Mountain. While in line, there are plenty of signs warning against taking the ride if you have health issues. One of my friend’s sons texted her and told her to avoid it at all costs. But we are an adventurous lot so climbed in and buckled up. The ride is at lightning speed, completely in the dark, with lots of inversions. I closed my eyes and screamed the entire time!
The three ladies climbed out and found the only bench to recuperate. We sat there for about 15 minutes. All super proud we had taken the ride. We laughed and swore we’d never do it again. This ride is for thrillseekers only!
I remembered Peter Pan’s Flight from Disneyland California as a magical ride. I convinced my two friends to line up and we lined up for well over 90 minutes. One of the most popular rides at Disneyland Paris, I would highly suggest getting Premier Access.
By the time we finally boarded the flying car, the magic was a little tainted by the wait time. The lights of London twinkling below and darling Nana were lovely but I needed a good dose of pixie dust to enjoy the super short ride.
8. Planning Disneyland Paris: What To Wear
The number one thing to wear to Disneyland Paris is comfortable shoes. You’ll be walking a lot of steps on your day in Disneyland!
Pay attention to the weather. It is often cooler at Disneyland Paris than in Paris. Pack layers especially if you go early and/or stay late.
Bring a backpack for your picnic and any Disney gifts you buy for your friends and family. There are a lot of tempting Disney Stores.
9. Pack Your Own Food For Disneyland Paris
The best idea for planning Disneyland Paris is to be organized with your water, snacks, and food. Luckily Disneyland Paris allows visitors to bring their own food so pack a picnic and share it with your friends or family in the magical world of Disneyland Paris.
If you are not organized with your food (like us) you’ll find that the food at Disneyland Paris is really expensive. Even a bottle of water is pricey. Think of popping into a restaurant for lunch? Join the queue and expect to wait a long time.
Pro Travel Tip: At the Marne-la-Vallée station, there is a Starbucks and a Pret à Manger. Grab a sandwich for your picnic here if you don’t have time beforehand to make something.
10. Planning Disneyland Paris: Go Mid-Week
When planning Disneyland Paris, it just makes sense to try to avoid weekends and holidays. We went on a Friday in May and I still found Disneyland Paris to be quite crowded with long wait times. Try a Wednesday. Go early. That might be your best bet!
11. Disney Stars On Parade
When you are planning Disneyland Paris, make sure to organize your day around the Disney Stars on Parade which begins at 5:30. The Parade runs for about 20 minutes down Main Street USA. Find a spot to watch well in advance as the Disney Stars on Parade is a very popular and essential thing to see at Disneyland Paris.
Disney Stars on Parade is truly magical. As the delightful floats pass by, wave to Elsa, watch Peter Pan and Captain Hook chase each other, and smile at the Lion King and Ariel. It’s a highlight of the day.
12. Planning Disneyland Paris: Stay For The Fireworks
With the long summer days in Paris, you’re going to have to wait until after 10 p.m. to see the magnificent fireworks. Plan accordingly.
I hope this article helps you to plan the best Disneyland Paris experience.
On the top of my list for the next visit? Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure, a 3-D and totally immersive experience, at Walt Disney Studios.
Until next time,
More Paris Info…
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Other Paris and France Travel Tips:
Travelling to Paris alone? This article on navigating Paris alone is full of tips and tricks for the solo traveller.
This page has all my articles on Paris that will help you plan out your trip, including day trips from Paris. I hope you subscribed to my newsletter to get my free download – An Amazing 2-day Itinerary in Paris.
If you are going further afield in France, make sure to check out my page on France.
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