Disneyland Paris is one of the most magical experience for parents and children alike. This is a dream place for every child where parents will also fulfill their childhood fantasies. Just after the entrance there is a traditional Disney Castle. Disneyland park is more than this castle, so you can skip this castle and let your child visit them any time of the day when other rides are very crowded.
Here I will share with you some tips for planning a trip to Disneyland Paris, which I consider to be very useful for anyone who wants to make his visit a little more magical and spend an amazing time at Disneyland Paris.
Tips for Disneyland
If you have made your mind to visit Disneyland there are many things you should plan before going to the park and few more once you are inside the park.
Planning the best time to go to Disneyland
Before going to Disneyland find out the busiest and lightest days and pick the days that should have the lightest crowds. Check the crowd forecast calendar. If you can, avoid going to Disneyland during the school holidays, special events and during the peak summer season. Mid-January to mid-April is the quietest season at Disneyland Paris.
If you don’t mind missing the parade then go for a ride/ attraction at that time.
Accommodation
If you are visiting Disneyland for more than one day, or this is the main activity of your trip to Paris then you can consider staying at the Disneyland hotel. If you have allocated only one day for Disneyland then it’s better to stay in Paris. Transportation from Paris is convenient and frequent. It takes 45 minutes to reach from Paris City Centre to Disneyland. The Disneyland hotel is very costly but it gives 1-hour earlier access to its guest. Staying at the hotel is also an experience. Still staying near the Disneyland is your priority, you can stay near to next station which will take hardly few minutes to reach the Disneyland.
Tickets
There are many re sellers of Disneyland ticket. Even the Disneyland website for different countries have different rate, so before purchasing any ticket check the Disneyland website for France, which is generally cheaper, and compare with elsewhere. There are few website selling tickets along with offering great freebies, including discounts on food & shopping at the parks. Some European railway companies also provide Ride and Park ticket, which is value for money. Make sure to check all the deals before buying your ticket.
Anyone above 12 years are considered as adult for tickets to Disneyland. From 3 to 12 year there is a reduced pride and kids under 3 go free.
Avoid the 2 for 1 park pass
If you are visiting Disneyland for one day only, avoid the 2 for 1 park pass. During peak season or school holidays it is difficult to get more than four rides in Disneyland Park. Some attractions have very long queues. It is difficult to cover one park in one day so it’s pointless to hop between parks.
If you are going only for one day then go for Disneyland Park, not the studio.
Come early at the gate
You should plan to come at the Disneyland gate at least 30 minutes before the park opening time. With online ticket you can went inside directly instead of buying at the gate. Create an itinerary of the most popular attractions you wish to visit and head straight to them and do a few attractions in the first couple of hours.
Buy a Fast pass
If you are planning your Disneyland trip during peak summer season, holidays or school vacation then consider a Fast pass. It is the most important tool in seeing most of the key attractions efficiently without wasting time waiting in queue.
Download the Disneyland Paris app
Disneyland Paris have created an app which allows you to check waiting times on each attraction. This app also includes park attraction maps, daily schedules for parades and other non-routine events. If you find any offer on tickets, you can buy ticket directly from the app.
Check the weather forecast
We visited the Disneyland park in summer on a clear sunny day. If you are visiting any time of the year when its rain, check the weather forecast before going there and prepare yourself with rain poncho.
How to get to Disneyland from Paris city center
Disneyland Paris, or Euro Disney, is about 32km from the Paris city center. The best and most popular way to travel between Paris city center and the Disneyland is on the suburban commuter trains called the RER (Regional Express Network). RER trains to Disneyland run at 15-minute intervals from 5.30 AM to midnight.
For going to Disneyland, you are to catch the RER A line mark red color from Paris City Centre to direction Marne-la-Vallée – Chessy. Make sure you take the RER A toward Marne-la-Vallée – Chessy, as the RER A splits and has a second termination point Boissy-St-Léger. The direction of travel is always displayed by the last station name on that line. From Paris to Disneyland catch the train with direction Marne-la-Vallée – Chessy.
You can buy your ticket from the ticket vending machine or manned ticket office. Disneyland (Marne-la-Valee – Chessy) station is in zone 5. If you have a pass (Mobilis, Visite Paris or Pass Navigo or Pass Navigo Decouverte) covering Zone 5, it can be used for going to Disneyland. Buy your Disneyland return ticket from the ticket office. This ticket also includes travelling in the metro inside the City Centre (zone 1) to catch the RER train. Chatelet, Auber and Etoile are the key stations you will interchange with using the Metro or other RER services in the center of Paris.
RER train takes about 45 minutes to reach Disneyland. Keep your ticket safely till the end of the journey when you exit through the turnstiles at Marne La Vallée station.