A Parent’s Guide to Disneyland Paris
- BusyBrainsActivityPacks
- Jun 6
- 12 min read
Planning a trip to Disneyland Paris can feel overwhelming, especially when you're trying to juggle the magic with the logistics of travelling with kids.
Having just returned from our trip, I wanted to share a down-to-earth guide for parents who are thinking about booking. We visited during May half term 2025, so the details I share here were accurate at that time – but of course, things can and do change. This isn’t a definitive guide, just a collection of helpful things we learned along the way, based on our own experiences.
Before You Book
Accommodation There are lots of hotel options to choose from, both on-site and off-site. Staying onsite (in one of the official Disney hotels) gives you perks like early park access (Magic Hour), character encounters, and the ease of walking to and from the parks. But these hotels do come at a premium. Off-site hotels are generally more affordable, and many offer shuttle buses to the parks – just bear in mind you’ll need to allow extra time for travel and to get through security, which can be busy in the mornings.
We stayed in three different hotels throughout our trip – not essential, but it worked well for us and helped us make the most of our park tickets. By booking three nights at the Disneyland Hotel, we were given four days of park access, so we didn’t want to waste any of that park time by travelling.
Our first night was at StayCity Aparthotels, near Disneyland Paris – about a 7-minute drive away. We chose this so we could arrive the day before, explore the Disney Village (which is free to enter) and then head into the theme park early the next day. StayCity was a brilliant base. Although we had our own car, I spotted a shuttle bus outside, so it looks like they offer park transport too.
The setup is ideal for families – apartments within a hotel setting – and there’s a shared pool, small supermarket, Starbucks, pizza restaurant, takeaway counter, and a mini arcade. The apartment itself was very clean and functional, with a small kitchen and a table. We stopped at a local hypermarket and picked up bits for a sandwich tea, breakfast the next morning, and a packed lunch to take into the park.
The main bed was really comfortable (very welcome after a 2.30 am start for the ferry!), but our three children, who were sleeping on single sofa beds, all said their beds were quite uncomfortable.
We then moved to the Disneyland Hotel, which was a huge treat – and yes, very expensive – but for us, it was worth the splurge (and it was my big birthday!). The benefits were brilliant: being right at the park entrance (a game changer when little legs are tired), much larger room sizes (we’re a family of 5, so this was important), daily character encounters, and Premium Meal Plan perks. It felt special and luxurious – something we’ll probably only do once, but I’m so glad we did. If it’s within your budget, I’d absolutely recommend it.
The other Disney hotels are still close, but all involve a walk-through Disney Village. The Marvel Hotel is the next nearest and takes around 10 minutes on foot. One of the biggest perks of staying at the Disneyland Hotel is that you don’t have to go through security every morning. You're checked once on arrival at the hotel, and that’s it – saving a huge amount of time each day. It also means no shuttle buses, no waiting for trains, and no slow-moving crowds to navigate after the fireworks – you’re simply right there.
For our final night, we stayed at the Ki Space Hotel & Spa, about a five-minute drive from the park. The hotel is large and has a lovely pool, and our beds were very comfortable, which we really appreciated after a busy few days. However, we had several disappointing experiences that let the stay down:
We were overcharged for parking (refunded later).
The soap dispenser in our room didn’t work.
The sofa bed hadn’t been made up when we arrived.
Spilt food in the lift and rubbish in the corridors weren’t cleaned up for hours.
They had no dairy-free breakfast options (or allergy folder, so we had no confirmation of what foods contained which allergen).
Communication when we raised concerns was poor.
For these reasons, I wouldn’t personally recommend Ki Space to other families, particularly those with allergies.
Booking Tips:
You can book your trip directly through the official Disneyland Paris website or via third-party travel agents. We booked direct, which meant we had our park tickets, accommodation and some meals included, but third-party sites are worth checking too to see if there are any deals on.
One tip that saved us a lot: check prices across different country versions of the Disney website. We booked through the Swiss Disneyland site and saved around £600 compared to the price quoted on the UK site. We had to pay in Swiss Francs, and our confirmation letter was in French, but Google Translate made everything easy to understand, and we had no issues at check-in.
The Photopass is an extra you can add on when you’re booking. It’s essentially a plastic card that you can hand over after rides and at meet-and-greets so that you get digital copies of all photos that are taken. It is well worth it if you’re the sort of family who likes to have a memento photo from the rides – I think I paid about £70 for mine and we got some lovely family photos and some hilarious ride shots that we otherwise wouldn’t have paid for!
Travel:
We drove to Dover and took the ferry to Calais. From there, it’s about a three-hour drive to Disneyland Paris – all on the motorway and incredibly straightforward. We used the toll road, which cost around £25 each way.
Our Disney package included parking at the Disneyland Hotel, and the car park is directly outside the hotel entrance, so we didn’t have to carry our bags far – a real bonus when travelling with kids!
You can also fly or take the Eurostar. Each option has its pros, so it’s worth weighing up cost, convenience, and how well your children tend to cope with travel.
Meal Plans:
If you’re staying at a Disney hotel, you can add a pre-paid Meal Plan to your booking. You’ll choose between Half Board (breakfast at your hotel plus one main meal per day) or Full Board (three meals a day, plus an extra meal voucher on your final day). Within each of these, there are different tiers – Standard, Plus, Extra Plus, and Premium – depending on your hotel and how indulgent you want to be.
The tiers are all detailed on the Disneyland Paris website, but in short, the higher the tier, the more flexibility and choice you get:
Extra Plus (available at all Disney hotels except the Disneyland Hotel) includes buffet and table-service meals, snacks, drinks, and one character dining experience during your stay.
Premium (exclusive to Disneyland Hotel guests) gives you ultimate flexibility, with access to any eligible restaurant, unlimited character dining, and a wide choice across quick service, buffet, and fine dining options. You also get a hot hotel breakfast each morning.
We chose the Half Board Premium plan. I’m a big foodie, and with it being my big birthday, I wanted to experience the fanciest restaurants Disneyland Paris had to offer. For us, the meal plan worked out far better value than paying as we went.
During our stay, we ate at a mix of restaurants – some included in our meal plan and a couple we paid extra for.
On the day we arrived, we went to The Rainforest Café in Disney Village. This one’s outside of the meal plan, but our kids loved the immersive setting with its animal animatronics and rainforest effects. The food was fine – nothing particularly special – but it’s the theming that makes it worth a visit.
Our standout favourite was La Table de Lumière – the food was genuinely delicious, and there were plenty of character interactions, which made the whole meal feel extra special. We also ate at Auberge de Cendrillon. It’s a beautiful, princess-filled setting, but we were disappointed with the food – I had to send my main course back because it arrived cold.
At Walt’s – an American Restaurant, the food was okay, but we were really disappointed by the way our son’s dairy allergy was handled. There were no suitable starters or mains on the menu, and the staff’s response felt quite blasé – we were made to feel awkward for even asking if something could be adapted. In the end, he was given a plate of lettuce as a starter (not exactly ideal for a 3-year-old), followed by plain chicken and a bowl of rice. For the price we paid, it felt incredibly poor, and understandably, it took the shine off what should have been a special meal.
Finally, we visited Chez Rémy, which we really enjoyed – the theming is brilliant and the food was good too. We paid separately for this meal, as our Half Board Premium plan only covered dinner for the three nights of our stay, and this was on our fourth park day.
Once You’ve Booked
Restaurant Reservations:
Restaurants get booked up months in advance, especially the character dining ones. If you’re staying at a Disney hotel, you get early access to reservations. I booked all our meals as soon as we had our hotel confirmation, and I was really glad I did. You do all the booking through the Disney App.
Priority Pass:
If you or your child has a disability or additional need, you may be eligible for a Priority Pass at Disneyland Paris. This allows you to access rides via the disabled or Premier Access entrance, meaning shorter wait times and a more manageable queuing experience. You’ll still queue in most cases, but it’s usually in a quieter area and for far less time.
We applied online and collected our pass from the hotel when we arrived. The system uses a colour code, which is assigned based on the answers you give during the application – you don’t find out which colour you’ve been allocated until you collect the pass.
To apply, you’ll need to provide original proof of disability. The Disneyland Paris website lists the accepted documents, as well as the types of conditions that are eligible. I highly recommend joining the “Disneyland Paris – Special Needs or Disabilities” Facebook group – it’s packed with up-to-date information and helpful tips from other families.
This pass made a huge difference to our experience, and I’d absolutely recommend looking into it if it applies to your family.
Disney Encounter Booking & Room Theme (specific to the Disneyland Hotel)
Seven days before our stay, we were able to select our child’s favourite Disney film via the app. This helps the hotel team try to match your room theme to that story. While it’s not guaranteed, we got lucky—and it was such a lovely surprise to walk into a Beauty and the Beast-themed room.
The Disney Encounter is also booked via the app. It’s a private meet and greet with a character inside the Disneyland Hotel. You choose a time slot that suits you, then go and meet a character, have your photo taken, and get autographs if you ask. You can book a slot for each day of your stay, but you can’t choose which character you’ll meet—it’s a bit of pot luck. These special moments made our stay feel extra magical and meant we didn’t have to spend time queuing to meet characters in the park.
Pre-Trip Planning:
We watched YouTube videos, looked at park maps, and made a loose plan for each day. This helped us avoid zigzagging across the park and wasting time. We also planned costumes and outfits in advance—Mickey ears, fancy dress, and comfy layers. These things are very expensive to buy once you’re there, so a bit of prep really helped.
I know some people like to surprise their children with a Disney trip, but for us, half the fun was in the build-up. We all got so much enjoyment from planning, researching, and watching as many Disney films as we could!
While You're There
Parent Swap Scheme:
This was such a great scheme—one we didn’t fully understand until our last day! Essentially, the Parent Swap system allows both adults to ride without having to queue twice. If one of you is staying with a child who can’t or doesn’t want to go on the ride, one adult queues and rides as normal while the other stays with the child (and can move around the park in the meantime). After the first ride has finished, just ask a cast member for a Parent Swap pass—they’ll give you a password or ticket that the second adult can use to ride without queuing again. Ours even allowed a second person to join, so I got to ride again with my thrill-seeking daughter!
Magic Hour:
Hotel guests can enter the park earlier than the general public thanks to Extra Magic Time. It’s a brilliant opportunity to ride the more popular attractions with minimal queues or take a photo in front of the castle without the crowds. Just be aware that not all rides open at the start of this hour; some open partway through, so it’s worth checking the app for up-to-date timings. When we visited, everyone seemed to make a beeline for Crusher’s Coaster. We got there at 8:35 am and the queue was already 90 minutes long! The next day, we arrived at the entrance gates for 8:20 am, were among the first in the park, and rode it within minutes of it opening.
Parade and Fireworks:
To get a good spot for the fireworks, you’ll need to arrive at least 45 minutes early. The best views are from Main Street or directly in front of the castle—but be prepared for big crowds and the frustration of people lifting their children onto their shoulders at the last minute, which can leave little ones behind struggling to see.
During our visit in May half term, the fireworks started at 22:40—very late for our boys. I’d been keeping an eye on the weather forecast, as I knew that the drones don’t fly in the rain. Sadly, just five minutes before the show began, it was announced that we’d be seeing an adapted performance: fewer fireworks and no drones, presumably because it was a little windy. It was still spectacular, but I’d really wanted to see the drones, so my daughter and I returned to watch it again a couple of nights later (it was too late for the boys).
Second time around, we found a brilliant spot on the bridge leading from Main Street into Discoveryland. It gave us an unobstructed view of the castle, though it was slightly to the side for the projections. As we’d already seen them, that didn’t matter—and this view was perfect for both the fireworks and the full drone display. It was absolutely magical and definitely worth staying up for if you can.
For the parade, we found a great viewing spot with our backs to Bella Notte. From there, you can see the floats as they come out and head down Main Street, but be aware, you need to claim your spot early or it’ll be full in that location.
Food & Character Meetings:
There are grab-and-go snack stands, quick service, and table service restaurants. Mobile ordering is available at some places and really helped to avoid wasting time queuing – you could pre-order and then go and collect.
Character meet-and-greets can be booked in the app – the virtual queues for some characters are released at specific times in the day. Set an alarm so you don’t miss these times, or you won’t get a time slot.
Other character meet-and-greets occur around the park at different times of the day, you can just turn up and wait in line for these. Details are in the app. The Princess Pavilion had wait times of up to three hours when we were there – we didn’t wait as we were able to see many of these characters at the hotel or during character dining, but it’s worth factoring in if this is important to you.
Points to Note
Allergy Awareness:
This was a weak point. Despite advance notice, we had a few issues with our son’s dairy allergy. Always double check with staff and be prepared to advocate for your child – don’t assume they’ll get it right. There were rarely alternatives freely offered, we had to insist that alternatives be made. I was really shocked by how few vegan options were available.
Ride Closures & App Use:
Check the app for ride closures. There are scheduled closures of various rides that you can see in advance on the app, and also short-term closures on any given day. The app is also useful for queue times and show schedules.
Final Tips
Bring snacks, sun cream and refillable water bottles. There are water fountains throughout the parks.
Use the app’s map and filters to search for ride height restrictions, meet-and-greets, toilets, restaurants, and more.
Download your Photopass photos before it expires (they don’t stay on your account forever).
Expect to queue, even with all the hacks. Go in with realistic expectations and flexible plans.
Don't forget to rotate the person who is taking the pictures - I got home and realised there isn't a single one of me in front of the iconic castle!
I hope this article helps you feel a bit more prepared. Disneyland Paris is magical – but it's also busy, expensive and sometimes overwhelming. With a little planning, you really can make the most of it and create unforgettable memories. We were in the park for four days and managed to do and see everything we wanted to see with some repeats. I’m so glad we did it, it was an unforgettable holiday and a great way to celebrate turning 40! Now to start saving for Florida!
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