Planning a trip to Disneyland Paris is a magical experience. It can also be overwhelming!
In this article, we’re sharing 9 tips for Disneyland Paris to help you get the best out of your once-in-a-lifetime trip!
Some of these tips are great for other Disney parks too like Disneyland and Walt Disney World, but they are specifically to help you plan your Disneyland Paris trip.
Disneyland Paris has 2 theme parks, multiple hotels, and Disney Village. Disney Village is a shopping area that is similar to Disney Springs or Downtown Disney.
If you’re going to Paris, Disneyland Paris is a great place to go. It’s a quick train ride away from Paris, so you could stay a night near the theme park, or return back to Paris after your day at Walt Disney Company park.
There are a lot of fun things to do and see here, including the beautiful Sleeping Beauty Castle.
Let this post be your Disneyland Paris guide!
1. Book Your Tickets Before Getting There
Buying Disneyland Paris tickets on arrival tends to be more expensive with drastically long waiting queues. You don’t want this to be your first encounter with the Disneyland Paris Resort.
To save your money, book your ticket online before arrival. The sooner you can, the better. Ticket prices are almost doubled if you get them on the same day of arrival whether online or on-site.
Related Content: 15 Amazing Facts About Disneyland Paris
1-Day Ticket
This one day Disneyland Paris ticket gives you access to both parks, Disneyland Park and Walt Disney Studios Park, for one day. You can choose either to spend the day in one of them or both. Out of experience, we’d say the day will only suffice for one of them.
Multi-Day Entrance Ticket
If you’re planning to do a thorough Disneyland trip, we recommend this option. The Multi-Day entrance ticket gives you the option to visit Disneyland Park and Walt Disney Studios for two, three, or four consecutive days.
1-Day Flexible Ticket
As the name suggests, a one-day flexible ticket gives you one-day access to Disneyland Park and Walt Disney Studios with no fixed day. The ticket is valid for a year from the date of purchase, which gives you the freedom of planning your Paris trip without sticking to a specific date.
2. Take Advantage of the Extra Magic Hour
Disney’s Extra Magic Hour (EMH) is an hour that precedes the standard park opening time. The park and Walt Disney Studios park allow guests staying at a Disneyland Paris Hotel and holders of the Infinity Annual Pass to enjoy an extra hour before being open to guests.
Parks open at 9:30 am, so you’re expected to be there one hour before. There are also 30 minutes of extra magic time at the end of the day, where you can enjoy popular attractions after their closing time.
If you don’t have the annual pass, you can stay a night at the Disneyland Paris Hotels to access the Extra Magic Hours.
3. Arrive As Early As Possible
When it comes to Disney parks, you’ve got to seize the day.
If you don’t have the EMH pass, which we strongly recommend, make sure to arrive as early as possible. This would be somewhere between 8:30 am and 9:00 am because both parks open at 9:30 am.
4. Try Disney Premier Access
It’s no secret that Disney’s best rides have the longest queues. While they might be worth the wait, no ride is worth dedicating your whole day.
Rides with heavy traffic like the Big Thunder Mountain roller coasters and Indiana Jones, used to offer a FastPass service, where you pick a half-hour slot for your ride in advance. As of 2023, FastPass has retired and is being replaced with Disney’s Premier Access, which allows fast entry in queues with an extra fee.
There are two types of Premier Access:
Disney Premier Access Ultimate
You can purchase it through the app any day prior to your visit. It allows you to ride all available attractions for one time each. You go through the fast lane without booking beforehand.
Disney Premier Access One
You choose one attraction only and pre-book a time slot to access it through the fast lane. This is only available for purchase on the same day of your visit through the app.
5. Prioritize Single Rider Queues
In a setting like Disneyland, most of the people waiting in line will be groups or families, which slows down the movement of the queue. Single Rider queues are a clever workaround to get over this issue.
The single queue moves faster because it’s used to fill in extra seats of other groups. For example, if a group of three is boarding for a four-seat ride, they’ll take one person from the Single Rider queue to fill in this place.
Not all rides have this option, but it’d be nice to use it when available. You can use the app to check which rides allow single riders.
It’s usually available for Ratatouille, Star Wars Hyperspace Mountain, RC Racer, Crush’s Coaster, and Toy Soldiers Parachute Drop.
If you ever can’t figure out which rides have single rider, you can ask the cast members.
6. Use the Disneyland Paris Mobile App
The Official Disneyland Paris app allows you to access some valuable information about waiting times, available rides, and parade times.
The app lists all rides currently in operation and shows a map of rides that allow single riders alongside their waiting queues. Besides, it tells you the walking times between attractions.
You can make your reservations for restaurants through the app, as well.
7. Sneak In at Lunch Hour
Every day between 12:00 pm and 2:00 pm, the intensity of crowds will take a dip because of lunch hour. This is another golden opportunity for you to attempt some of the most popular rides.
Instead of heading to the restaurant for lunch, stand out against the crowds, and go for a half-empty queue for your favorite ride. You can eat later!
8. Plan Your Rides
If you’ll be in Disneyland Paris for only one day, especially if you’re planning to visit the two parks, you won’t be able to go on all rides.
For this reason, you should plan which rides you’d like to go on. Do your research, use the app, and make a list. Even better, prioritize the list.
One of the worst mistakes you can make when you go to Disneyland Paris is to go unprepared. Wandering around will waste your time. Don’t fall into that trap.
9. Bring Your Own Food
As you might expect, the food at Disneyland Paris is expensive. Luckily, you can bring your own food and eat it in the picnic area located between the car park and the entrance.
The only restriction is for ice boxes or big containers.
Wrapping Up
When it comes to visiting Disneyland Paris, preparation is the key. Planning your trip carefully using these tips and tricks will help you save time and get the best out of this magical experience.
No matter how much you stick to these Disneyland Paris tips, you’re in for a treat. It’s Disneyland Paris!
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