Guide to Disneyland Paris: What to Know Before You Go

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Planning Your Trip to Disneyland Paris

Planning a trip to Disneyland Paris can be both exciting and a bit overwhelming, especially if it’s your first visit. To ensure you capture all the Disney magic and make the most of your time at the Disney Parks, a bit of preparation goes a long way.

Disneyland Paris: It’s Far From Central Paris

Disneyland Paris is about one hour by car or 90 minutes by public transportation from Central Paris. Which isn’t bad, but it can add to an already long theme park day. I split my stay and spent two days at Disney Hotel New York – The Art of Marvel to do Disney, then moved to the Hyatt Regency Paris Étoile to spend time in Central Paris and would suggest doing something similar.

Take Two Days

This will largely depend on the time of year that you visit, but if you come in a slow season, I feel like you can see everything in two days. Since I live in Orlando and go to Walt Disney World frequently, I always prioritize my trips to other Disney parks so that I first see the unique rides and shows that we don’t have in Orlando. After that, I head for the attractions that we may have in Florida but are somewhat different at the park I’m visiting. Once I’ve done all those I’ll see any remaining attractions. I visited Disneyland Paris in January and was easily able to see the first two categories on my list and even a few in the third.

They also have Premier Pass, their version of Lightening Lane, which is simple to use and the benefit of the all-day access is that you don’t have to choose a return time, you simply show up at the attraction and scan in., which is rather convenient!

Visit Adventureland and Fantasyland Early at Disneyland Park

Both Adventureland and Fantasyland close about an hour before the park due to the drone show and fireworks. Individual ride closure times are noted in the app, but I didn’t realize that entire lands closed and I missed out on a few things I’d hoped to do because of this. It makes sense as far as safety measures go, but it was definitely something I wish I’d been aware of.

The food is…fine

You think Paris and you typically think incredible food. And that’s not necessarily the case at Disneyland Paris. In my opinion, it’s truly nothing special. Let’s start with breakfast. You won’t get anything quick service before 8 AM and to find that option, you’ll have to leave your hotel and head to Disney Village (Disneyland Paris’ version of Disney Springs or Downtown Disney). Many of the hotel buffets open at 7 AM, so you can do one of those, but you’re looking at somewhere around 45-55 Euro for breakfast.

In general, the sit-down restaurants are buffets or have prix fixe menus, which means if you want a relaxing meal, you’re looking at somewhere in the 45-55 Euro range per person. Disney Village has heaps of restaurants, but most of them are American chains (think McDonald’s, Earl of Sandwich, and Rainforest Cafe) or an odd French ideal of an American restaurant like Billy Bob’s Buffet, which is billed as “Tex-Mex dishes straight from the Wild West at this delicious all-you-can-eat buffet located inside a typical cowboy saloon”.

It’s Convenient

If you’re familiar with the Disney parks set up in California, the setup of Disneyland Paris will feel pretty familiar. Disneyland Park and Walt Disney Studios Park are set up across from each other just a 2-3 minute walk apart. Their version of Downtown Disney, known as Disney Village, is right nearby, also just another 2-3 minute walk away. Many of the Disney hotels are within walking distance from the parks and Disney Village. I stayed at Disney Hotel New York – The Art of Marvel and it was a 5-6 minute walk to the parks.

Face Characters Don’t Give Good Face

I’m going to sound picky here and I realize it’s challenging to cast face characters that look like the celebrity actors that play them, however, the two cast members I met were not even close. In a group chat, my friends dubbed them: Low Budget Loki and Dollar Store Star-Lord.

That being said, my interaction with Loki was excellent. He asked what I had done that day and when I told him I had lunch prepared by a rat (aka I had eaten at Bistro Chez Remy) he joked that there was a reason he didn’t come to this planet often. As for Star-Lord, he tried his best, but I really didn’t feel like he captured the essence of the character and the interaction fell flat.

Smoking

I am not a smoker and I loathe cigarette smoke, so I was a little worried when heading to Disneyland Paris. I was happy to see that there are smoking areas, though I rarely saw them being utilized. I did occasionally encounter somebody smoking outside of those areas, but it was minimal and didn’t disrupt the experience.

Tickets and Packages

Disneyland Paris offers a variety of ticket options and packages to cater to different needs and budgets, ensuring everyone can experience the Disney magic. I booked a two-night hotel stay with three days of park tickets and added on a one-way Magical Shuttle (think Disney World’s Magic Express) and thought the overall pricing was quite reasonable and comparable to the US parks. Things like seasonality will affect pricing, so visit the official website to price out packages for your travel dates.

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