EVERYTHING TO KNOW BEFORE YOU GO TO DISNEYLAND PARIS
Are you currently planning your first time in Disneyland Paris with kids under five and looking for some useful tips and inspiration? Or maybe you’re still considering it and wondering if it’s worth taking little kids to Disneyland. This guide will cover everything you need to know about making your first time in Disneyland Paris a success and a very special memory for the whole family.
In this guide, I’ll be telling you everything you need to know about Disneyland Paris, from booking your tickets to enjoying your day. I’ll also share some little kid-specific tips from a well-travelled mum who has learnt a lot along the way. Grab yourself a cup of tea with a sprinkle of magic and let’s go.
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OTHER PARIS GUIDES YOU MIGHT LIKE:
Complete Guide to Your First Time in Paris as a Family
Where to get the Best Views of the Eiffel Tower
Taking the Eurostar with Kids Under 5
IS IT WORTH VISITING DISNEYLAND PARIS WITH KIDS UNDER FIVE?
I’m going to talk about this first as Disneyland is not a budget-friendly experience and I know many people wonder, is it worth bothering when they won’t remember it? We’ve done a few theme parks with our kids and they’ve always been great days out. It truly is a magical experience for everyone and, in my opinion, it’s totally worth it.
We visited in September 2024, at this time, our boys were aged 4.5 and 1.5 years old. My kids aren’t really Disney fans, they just haven’t really got into watching movies but both of them had the best time. My eldest said it was better than Legoland Windsor (guide linked here) and he adores Lego!
WHEN TO VISIT DISNEYLAND PARIS WITH KIDS UNDER FIVE
The perfect thing about visiting Disneyland Paris with kids under five is that you can avoid school holidays. Term time will be much quieter and tickets were also cheaper. September was roughly half the price of August.
Visiting in spring or autumn (fall) is a great option because fingers crossed, you will get decent weather. Disney does go all out for holidays such as Halloween and Christmas so these are also great options.
HOW LONG TO SPEND IN DISNEYLAND PARIS
There are two parks at Disneyland Paris, Disneyland Park which is the one with the castle and Walt Disney Studios Park which is themed on Disney, Pixar and Marvel.
We only spent one day there, and we also only visited one park. We chose to do the main Disney Park as it is more iconic and is also more suited to little kids. One day was great and we did a lot on that day, however, we could have easily spent another day in the main park.
One of the reasons we only did one day is, that it’s a long day and can be quite overstimulating for small children. It wouldn’t be as fun if they were overtired and cranky. I think my 4-year-old would have handled a second day fine, but he might not have done it when he was 3. My younger one is very easygoing and happy with whatever so use your judgement on your own children’s needs.
TICKETS FOR DISNEYLAND PARIS
There are multiple places where you can buy Disneyland Paris tickets, and shop around as we found them to be cheaper on Viator than the official website. Just make sure you buy from a reputable source, I’ve listed some great options below:
- The Official Disneyland Paris Website – here you can easily shop for entry tickets, combined park and hotel tickets or even consider an annual pass if you plan to visit multiple times.
- Viator – this was the cheapest option when I looked. Again, you can choose day entry tickets (like we did) or multiple-day entry tickets if you plan to spend longer in the park.
- Get Your Guide – very similar to Viator’s options. They have day entry tickets or multiple-day entry tickets.
- Booking.com – you can also book the hotels through popular travel websites, although do note, park entry is not included with this booking.
It’s a little tedious but I would check all there’s options for the best price at the time of your trip.
GETTING TO DISNEYLAND PARIS
If you choose to stay in a Disney hotel, you’ll be just a short walk or free shuttle service away from the park.
If you’re visiting from Paris like we were, it’s incredibly easy! Conveniently, Disneyland Paris is located right next to a train station on the RER A (red coloured) line from the centre of Paris.
Disneyland’s station is called Marne-la-Vallée and is the end of the line, it also has Mickey Mouse-shaped ears next to the name on the map which is great to avoid any confusion. See the full metro map here to plan your route.
Tickets cost €6 each way for adults, and €3 each way for kids aged 4+. Under 4’s can travel for free. The trains run approximately every 15 minutes and depending where you get on, will take around an hour.
From the station, you’ll be able to see the entrance!
TIPS FOR ENJOYING DISNEYLAND PARIS AS A FAMILY
1. ARRIVE EARLY
I’d read on another blog that it opens at 9:30 but they’ll let you in at 9. This was not true! The park opens at 8:30 for hotel guests and 9:30 for everyone else and they were strict on this. However, I would still advise you to get there early.
Our kids are early risers anyway and were impatient to get out the door. We arrived in the rain at 8:30 but it was still so magical. You can wait on the grounds of the main Disney Hotel, which are just beautiful. They had fun playing music and the area was very quiet, which is the perfect opportunity to get some perfect photos for your family album!
We were also able to get close to the front of the entry line. We went on 3 rides in the first hour, barely having to queue!
2. DOWNLOAD THE DISNEYLAND PARIS APP
This app is great, it has a map of the park and tells you the queue length for each ride. It also shows resteraunts, bathrooms and other useful places.
This makes the park easy to navigate and you can pick activities close to you that have a short wait time. This is perfect for little ones!
3. PLAN YOUR PRIORITIES
As I mentioned, my boys aren’t Disney fans. So they had no interest in queuing up to meet any of the characters. My eldest didn’t even want to watch any of the shows (which was sad because I did!). He just wanted to go on rides and watch the parade. So we made that our priority and did as many rides as possible.
Before you go, look on the website and plan what you most want to do. If you want to see a show, people started to queue for them an hour before so plan that into your schedule (or you can purchase priority tickets.)
All I wanted to do was to get a photo by the Disney Castle. When we entered the park it was busy with everyone rushing in but a while later it had quietened down. There is a small circle to the left of the castle which is the perfect spot. People seemed to make an orderly queue here and it wasn’t long (possibly due to the rain).
4. RIDES AT DISNEYLAND PARIS WITH KIDS UNDER FIVE
One of the lovely things about Disneyland Paris is that there are so many rides that are suitable for all ages! This meant we could really enjoy the day as a family. Favourites were:
- It’s a Small World
- Dumbo the Flying Elephant
- Alice’s Curious Labyrinth
- Le Carousel
- Mad Hatter’s Tea Cups
- Pirates of the Caribbean (my 4-year-old did this with Daddy while our little one napped)
- Peter Pan’s Flight (this was closed but was my favourite as a child!)
- Swiss Family Treehouse
- The Disney Castle (not a ride but fun to explore and don’t forget to see the dragon underneath it!)
5. CHARACTER MEET AND GREETS
I remember when I was a child at Disney, the characters walked around and you could go up to them and get them to sign your autograph book. Now they have scheduled times and areas you can line up to meet them.
If its your little ones dream to meet their favourite Disney princess, make sure to check out where they’ll be and what time!
I believe they still do autographs, I got these cute Mickey Mouse notebooks for the boys at just £1.49 each on Amazon (you had to buy at least 2). We didnt end up using them at Disney but we did use them on the Eurostar journey!
6. FOOD AND BEVERAGES
Unfortunately, Disneyland Paris is known for having terrible food. This is such a shame, especially considering the prices.
If you stay in the hotel, you have the option to add a meal plan to your booking. There are various options to choose from, including special character dining visits.
If you’re there for the day, there are also plenty of places to eat around the park. Knowing the food was bad, we planned to mainly try the snacks, fries, sweet treats etc. However, due to the rain, we ended up eating in one of the resteraunts. We ran to the closest one, luckily it was pizza. It wasn’t amazing but the price was OK and the kid’s meal came shaped like Mickey Mouse!
There are also plenty of snacks you can purchase throughout the park, cookies, marshmallows, lollipops etc, all in the shape of Mickey Mouse. Most of these were around €5 or less and are a good way to give kids a little energy boost or help them manage a long queue.
You can also take in your own food and drinks. On previous theme park trips, we’ve eaten in the queues. This gives little kids something to do and also doesn’t waste time sitting down to eat in a restaurant.
There are also water fountains throughout the park so take a refillable bottle.
6. BE REALISTIC ABOUT TIMEINGS
Little kids can have big emotions, and that’s OK! However, you don’t want them to ruin your trip. I already mentioned not doing more days than you think your kids can handle but also consider the length of the day. The park is open from 9:30 am till 10pm. While we would have loved to stay and see the fireworks, it just wouldn’t be practical for us, especially as it was cold and wet.
We left at about 7:30 which is still late for my kids as they get up so early! Doing this avoided any overtired meltdowns and allowed us all to finish the day on a high. Keep this in mind when planning your trip to Disneyland Paris with kids under five.
7. DONT FORGET TO PACK:
You’re going to want to pack plenty of drinks, snacks and food. Also, the weather can be unpredictable. We had a perfect forecast but of course, it changed last minute and was raining. Take umbrellas and raincoats, and also spare clothes for children.
If you forget (like me) there is a shop in the train station that sells umbrellas and ponchos.
8. MEDICAL
Hopefully, you won’t need to visit the medical centre but it is still good to know they have one and that it is located just off the end of Main Street to the right.
Unfortunately, we did have to visit the nurse due to a mild allergic reaction. I’m pleased to say she was amazing and we were sorted very quickly. They did this as a complimentary service and we didnt have to show our insurance. I can’t confirm if everything is free of charge but it was in our experience.
9. OTHER SAFETY
Paris is known for pickpockets and sadly, I hear they often operate in Disneyland, especially around the entrance.
I have also seen multiple reports of mouse ears, rain covers and umbrellas being stolen while people are on rides. Please don’t leave anything valuable or essential under your pushchair (stroller), just in case!
10. THE GIFT SHOP
There are a lot of gift shops and things to buy in Disneyland Paris. They’re quite overpriced and you can buy almost identical products cheaper on Amazon. It’s completely your choice if you want to buy your kids a treat or not but if you’re trying to stick to a budget. There’s nothing stopping you from buying a small Disney-themed treat before you go and take it into the park with you!
Thank you for much for reading our post on your first time in Disneyland Paris with kids under five. I hope you’ve found our tips useful and you enjoy your trip!
DON’T FORGET TO READ OUR OTHER PARIS GUIDES:
Complete Guide to Your First Time in Paris as a Family
Where to get the Best Views of the Eiffel Tower
Taking the Eurostar with Kids Under 5
Happy Exploring,
