READ THIS BEFORE VISITING DISNEYLAND PARIS!
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Oh Disney Land, how I LOVE you... *day dreams intensely*
So guys, as many of you may already know, I re-lived my childhood dreams this summer when I visited Disnleyland Paris! It was EVERYTHING. No doubt, one of Paris’ most popular tourist attractions and probably the best place to take the kiddies whilst they’re still young!
I’ve put together a few do’s and don’ts for anyone who is considering going for the first time or even re-visiting, like me. Enjoy :)
THE DO’S
DO Get Fast Pass Tickets If You Can
I would strongly recommend purchasing fast pass ticket if they aren’t already induced in your package. This is mainly due to the long queues - some as long as 90 minutes during busier times!! Imagine how many things you can get done in 90 minutes! In my opinion, it’s TOTALLY worth it..
DO Check Out The Parade(s)
Disneyland Paris is not only famous for it’s amazing life-like rides, but for this Disney Parade too! If you’re travelling with little kids (or describe yourself as a big kid at heart) I would recommend pitching up early at one of the daily parades! During my visit, I was lucky enough to see both parades in one day! The first was a smaller parade with a few Disney character and music, the second was the ‘real deal’ if you will with more characters, floats, dancing, music and security! The staff are very strict about not disrupting the parades so please so stay within the designated areas and take their instructions on board!
DO Visit All 5 Sections Of The Park
There are 5 main sections of the park:
MAIN STREET: “A Typical American Town” Here you will find the Central Plaza, shops, The Disney Hotel & arcades.
FRONTIERLAND: “The conquest of the west” Here you can take the riverboat or train rides around the island, play shoot ‘em up games and more.
ADVENTURELAND: “The world of explorers and adventurers” The home of the Robinson’s Family Tree, Pirates (of the Caribbean) Beach and Aladdin.
FANTASYLAND: “The magic if great Disney classics” The home of the Disney Princesses, Sleeping Beauty’s Castle, Peter Pan, Pinnochio, Alice in Wonderland and many more.
DISCOVERYLAND: “Dreams of the future, from the past and present” Home to Buzz Lightyear and Star Wars characters
DO Try All 4 Types Of Ride/Attraction
BIG THRILLS: Rides for the big kids, with height restrictions
FAMILY ADVENTURES: Rides for the whole family to enjoy
FUN WITH LITTLE ONES: Rides especially for little princess and princesses
NOT TO BE MISSED: Disneyland’s very own recommended rides and attractions
DO Bring Extra Cash With You
Meals. Drinks. Snacks. Souvenirs. Toys. Disney outfits. Games. Gambling. Shoot ‘em up activities.. These are just a handful of this that are not included in the cost of your park ticket so you may want to bring some spare change (or wad of notes) with you. Thankfully, most places within the park take card payments but the stalls and vending machine’s don’t so it’s always best to have some cash to hand. Literally!
DO Make The Most of Your Tickets
Many people don’t realise but depending on what company you have booked your ticket from, you may be entitled to FREE extras such as fast passes on rides and money off of your meals! Since most of the prices were the same when booking my ticket (give or take a few pennies), I chose the option that allowed us to have 10% off of food at Planet Hollywood (restaurant) and fast pass access on participating rides – result!
DO Keep An Eye On Your Little Ones
This one seems like a given but you would be amazed at the amount of lost children we came across! True story – half way through our day, I noticed a little boy wandering around on his own, pinching toys from the stalls and chucking them in to the flower beds. We spent quite a wall wondering the park with him before we found his family who hadn’t even noticed he was gone!
THE DON’TS
DON’T Book Half Day Tickets
I would strongly advise AGAINST booking tickets which allow you to only spend half a day in each/either park. The reason for this is because Disneyland is bigger than most theme parks we have all been to and whilst it may be possible to do everything in somewhere such as Thorpe Park in a day, it’s almost impossible to do the same here without feeling like you have rushed your whole day. The park is simply too big to factor in time for rides, one or two meals, snacks, queuing, attractions, shows, parades and shopping in half a day!! Your best bet would be to spend a whole day in the main park and a half or whole day in the other.
DON’T Rely Entirely On The Park’s Restaurants
Whilst’' it’s great fun to eat as a Disney themed restaurant, I would bare the prices in mind. For a single or couple, you may want to have all of your meals at the park’s restaurants but if you’re travelling as a family or group, I would recommend bringing some drinks and snacks in your bags at the very least. The food and drink prices in the park are unfortunately not cheap and this can rack up in bigger groups! Seating is also limited so you may find it easier to find a little picnic spot to enjoy your grub, rather than the restaurant seating (which you may have to battle for!).
DON’T Visit During Peak Times (If You Can Help It)
Although the park is open from (verrryy) early in the morning until around midnight, it’s always best to travel outside of peak times for the following reasons:
- Summer/Winter holidays = less kids = less queues = more time for fun!! Of you’re travelling with kiddies then of course, you would not be able to visit during school/term time but if not, you’re in!
- The park gets extra busy between lunch time and the early evening. I would attempt to get on all of the most popular rides or rides with typically longer queues first thing in the morning or just before closing as there should be less people during these times.
- If eating in the park’s restaurants, try to avoid typical meal times such as 12-2pm as most people will also be looking to eat around these times too!
- The best time enjoy your favourite rides is probably whilst the parade is happening! In the evening, 1000’s of people gather to watch the parade which means 1000’s of people are not riding!
DON’T Smoke Outside of the Smoking Areas
Let’s face it, the long days and even longer queues are enough to make a smoker want to grab a fag but Disneyland Paris have strict rules about where you can and cannot smoke within the park. There are designated smoking areas in each area so don’t forget to look for the little smoking signs before lighting one up!
And voila! Your quick and easy do’s and don’ts guide to Disneyland Paris – complete with plenty of imagery of course! If you're visiting this year, have a safe and wonderful trip!
JV
xox
PSSTTT... I’ll be visiting Amsterdam again in November guys (woohoo!!!), let me know if there are any places you think are blog-worthy near Amsterdam Centraal!
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