Disneyland Paris – First Timer Tips!

What Is There to Do at Disneyland Paris and Who Is It For?

Disneyland Paris is made up of two parks:

• Disneyland Park – The biggest of the two parks, with sleeping beauty’s castle at it’s heart, the charming Main Street and lots of areas and attractions to explore.
• Walt Disney Studios Park – Currently smaller, but there are lots of shows, attractions and film-themed areas. In Spring 2026 it will be renamed Disney Adventure World when the highly anticipated World of Frozen opens.

Each park has its own entrance, but they are next to each other so it is easy to hop between them in one day. Just outside the parks you’ll find the Disney Village with a number of shops and restaurants.

Across both parks there are a huge variety of things to do: rides for all ages, shows, parades, character meet and greets, restaurants, shops, seasonal events, the fantastic nighttime show! We spent three full days and two half days at Disneyland Paris, and we managed to do everything on our list, with time to repeat a few favourites.

Disneyland Paris has something for all ages. Children will love the magic, and adults will find it nostalgic! It is a totally immersive experience and we felt like we were in a Disney bubble whilst we were there. Our children were 5 and 3 when we visited (though both had birthdays soon after). These were great ages for a first visit, but I would not hesitate to go again when they are older!

Where to Stay?

When planning a visit to Disneyland, one of the first decisions you need to make is where to stay. I would recommend staying in one of the Disneyland Hotels. These are close to the parks, and they come with a number of exclusive benefits that can make your first visit even more magical:

Benefits of Staying in a Disneyland Hotel

Early Magic Time

Disneyland Hotel guests enjoy Early Magic Time (EMT), allowing you to enter the parks an hour before the general public. Whilst not all rides are open at this time, you’ll find shorter lines for some popular rides, so you can get around a number of rides without the usual wait times.

Advanced Reservations for Character Dining & Restaurants

Disneyland Hotel guests can book character dining and restaurants up to 12 months in advance. For non-Disneyland Hotel guests booking opens 60 days in advance. Certain experiences and restaurants can book up far in advance.

Fireworks Reserved Viewing Area

You can book the fireworks reserved viewing area in advance. The reservation window date can vary, but they have recently been releasing them a month at a time. Once you have booked you hotel/tickets package, I recommend asking on the Disneyland Paris website chat when it will be available for your stay and keep checking. For non-Disneyland Hotel guests booking open for this 7 days prior.

My Royal Dream Makeover

Disneyland Hotel guests can book the My Royal Dream makeover experience up to 12 months in advance. For other visitors, this opens 60 days in advance.

Which Disneyland Hotel Should You Choose?

There are different Disneyland Hotels for varying budgets. The most prestigious is the Disneyland Hotel where you have access to exclusive Disney Princess meetings. This is a luxury hotel at the entrance to Disneyland. There are three hotels located around the lake next to Disney Village – Marvel Hotel (8 minutes walk), Newport Bay Club (14 minutes walk) and Sequoia Lodge (12 minutes walk). Hotels Cheyenne and Santa Fe are located around 20 minutes walk, and have a shuttle service. Davy Crocketts Ranch is an off-site option where you need a car (10-15 minutes drive).

Next door to Davy Crocketts is Les Villages Nature (Center Parcs) which is a partnership hotel and has some (not all) of the benefits of the other Disney hotels. You need to book it via Disneyland direct, and you can get park passes for 2 days regardless of the duration of your stay. If you were to book directly with Center Parcs you will not get any park tickets. You get access to EMT, but you don’t get the benefit of booking character dining and fireworks earlier. I wouldn’t recommend this option unless you wanted to go to Center Parcs as your main holiday with a couple of days at Disney.

We stayed at Davy Crocketts Ranch as it was the cheapest accommodation for our dates. It has a woodchuck theme and the accommodation comprises wooden lodges in a woodland setting. We liked our accommodation and it was an easy drive to Disneyland. This hotel has a pool that looks great, but we didn’t have time to visit! There is a playground, restaurant and shop on-site. We would recommend, however if we were booking again, I would be tempted by a hotel within walking distance. We drove back to our hotel for a nap on the day we kept our children up late for fireworks, but it would have been more convenient to walk. However, if you have a car we thought it was a great option (and for our dates it was quite a bit cheaper than any other hotel so I could justify spending more on other things e,g, character dining!)

If you’re flexible, try playing around with dates and different durations to compare prices between hotels. It is also a good idea to check UK, French and Belgian school holidays, and avoid weekends and public holidays if possible as they are typically busier days. Use a crowd calculator to help find the best day to visit.

For our holiday we did 5 days/4 nights at Davy Crockett, and then went to La Croix du Vieux Pont Eurocamp for a week which was a great combination of Disney excitement and then a more chilled out week but with plenty for the kids to do. Read our blog post about this Eurocamp. We also visited Paris and a chateau whilst staying there!

Staying Off-Site

Alternatively, there are off-site options where you can book your accommodation and tickets separately. If you are not fussed for the benefits of Disneyland Hotels this might be worth comparing the cost. There are a number of self-catering accommodation options at Val d’Europe which is only 1 stop on the RER to Disneyland.

If buying park tickets separately, these need to be booked in advance. Ensure you have secured your dates as some dates sell out and you cannot buy tickets on the door.

What Do You Need to Book in Advance?

Whilst most things can be planned close to arrival, there are a few experiences that need booking in advance. If you are staying at a Disneyland Hotel, you can book these further in advance than other guests:

Character Dining

There are a number of character dining options and we did two of them!:

1. Dining at Plaza Gardens – Dine with a selection of Disney characters. You might meet Captain Hook, Mr Smee, Winnie the Pooh & friends, Pinocchio, Geppetto, or even Mickey and friends. We decided not to book this as we wanted to meet some princesses and Mickey & Minnie, so the other options were better for us.

Recently, Disneyland Paris have introduced virtual queues for a number of character meet and greets, which you can book on the app. These are completely FREE and include Mickey Mouse, the Princess Pavilion, Stitch, Spider-Man, Darth Vader and others. When we visited, we had no trouble booking some of these, but there is a chance you can miss out if you are not quick enough on the day. This system was introduced after we had already booked our dining experiences. At the time, the Princess Pavilion was still a traditional (and long!) queue. One of the main reasons we booked character dining was to avoid 1-2 hours of queuing to meet one character. We got to have lunch and meet a few at once! The new virtual queuing system means much shorter queues for character meet and greets now, so you should weigh up whether the character dining is worth it for you. Overall, I would say character dining is a special experience and worth it if you are keen to meet a number of characters. However, if you want to keep costs down and just want to meet a few characters, joining the virtual queue may be all you need! Stitch was our favourite meet and greet – he was such a cheeky character and had our kids laughing lots!

Reserved Viewing Area for Fireworks

My Royal Dream Makeover

My Royal Dream is a fairytale makeover that gives your child the opportunity to turn into a princess or prince for the day! Packages range from €95-440 and can include hair, makeup and a new disney outfit. We did not try this ourselves as we had already splurged on the character dining, but it looks fabulous!

Restaurant Reservations

Some of the popular restaurants book up quickly! You can browse options and make bookings on the app. Booking open 12 months in advance for Disneyland Hotels guests, and 60 days for other guests. We only booked our character dining experiences as we didn’t want to be tied down to lots of fixed times. We went to some amazing quick serve restaurants – read about those here.

Top Tips for Visiting Disneyland Paris

• Before you go, you should download the app to figure out your must dos! We made a list of things we definitely wanted to see and do, but we didn’t make a detailed itinerary. We aimed for a couple of the busier rides in magic hour, and after that, we kept an eye on the app queue times and usually chose rides with 30 mins or less wait time. We did do a lot of walking and sometimes across areas rather than doing one area at a time, but this worked well for us and we did all the rides we wanted to without too much queuing.
• Bring dressing up clothes, Disney ears and bubble wands with you – it is cheaper than buying at the parks! We took our own bubble wands but actually my two weren’t as fussed for these as I thought they would be. We did buy the shoulder pals there though – they are magnetic so you can have some cute characters sat on your shoulder!
• World of Frozen is currently being built and will open sometime in spring 2026! If you have a Frozen obsessed little one you might want to keep an eye on updates for this.
• The virtual queue for meet-and-greets are on twice a day. Set alarms and be on the app ready to press at the exact time it opens. You must already be scanned in to the park before you can book. I would go for your most desirable character meet first as some are more popular than others. Stitch was excellent!
• Take snacks (but we also loved buying the Disney themed snacks!)
• A buggy is essential for younger children as there is a lot of walking. Even children a bit older than normal buggy age can definitely benefit. I bought a buggy from Facebook marketplace for my nearly 6 and 4 year old, then we sold it when we got back home. It gave them somewhere to sit and rest, and we could get around quicker!
• If you are meeting lots of characters a lovely souvenir is getting them to sign the border of a photo frame. We bought two frames, multi-coloured sharpies and it is going to be a treasured keepsake! I kept this flat in some carboard under the buggy.

• We watched the parade twice outside Bella Notte. It is close to where the parade starts so not very much waiting around and close to a toilet. It’s a good view so we would recommend!
• Birthday badge – if it is your birthday within the last month, or month ahead you can get a free birthday badge at city hall! Just take ID. We got one for Ada!
• Check ride height restrictions beforehand on the app to avoid disappointment
• Join Disneyland Paris First-Timer Tips on Facebook – a super helpful group where you can ask questions!

Our Foodie Favourites (Quick Serve!)

We only pre-booked two meals which were our character dining experiences (Auberge Princess Lunch and the Royal Banquet). Every other meal we had was at quick serve restaurants, which don’t require reservations. I loved the flexibility and being able to eat whenever we wanted for the most part. I had a few things I definitely wanted to get e.g. Mickey Pizza, and we really enjoyed all the Disney themed snacks. Our top novelty picks would be Mickey Pizza, Mickey cookie or beignets and champagne in front of the castle!

Tip: try eating meals at slightly unusual times of the day for less queues and a quieter experience!

Mickey Pizza at Colonel Hathi’s Outpost or Bella Notte

The classic Mickey Pizza is available at two restaurants: Colonel Hathi’s Outpost or Bella Notte. Bella Notte was too busy when we tried to visit. Instead, we went to Colonel Hathi’s Outpost which was perfect with lots of outdoor seating set among the trees, and a calm atmosphere. I really recommend this spot for a relaxed meal.

Rainforest Cafe

This restaurant looks like you are stepping into an actual rainforest, with animatronic animals, sound effects and real fish tanks! This is located in the Disney Village, outside of the parks. We went at 3pm in the afternoon and it was really quiet and a nice break.

Hakuna Matata

Hakuna Matata is a Lion King themed quick-serve restaurant. We had to get the Simba paw ice cream! There was a number of healthy options for food. We had a wrap with salad and sweet potato fries, and we really enjoyed this lunch!

Casey’s Corner

You can’t go wrong with a classic hot dog!. It is just on main street so an easy meal to sit in or get on the go.

Champagne Cart

For grown ups, there is a champagne cart at the top of main street, near the castle. It was €20 and comes with a souvenir flute! Definitely a treat, but we loved this!

The Earl of Sandwich

The Earl of Sandwich in the Disney Village was probably the most affordable spot for lunch that we found. There is a selection of sandwiches, salads, soups, etc! Tasty and affordable.

Other Themed Snacks

We loved the Mickey cookies, Mickey beignets (similar to doughnuts) and macarons! Keep an eye out for the food carts as you walk around the parks for other fun themed food. There are all sorts of sweet treats in the shops on main street too!

Queuing: Disney Premier Access, Single Rider & Parent Swap

If you want to save time in queues there are a few options worth knowing about:

Premier Access

You can purchase Disney Premier Access to get access to the priority queuing lane and seriously reduce queuing times whilst at Disneyland Paris. We didn’t buy the whole package because it is pricey. However, if you have the budget or are short on time, it can help you fit a lot more in.

You can also purchase premier access for individual rides, which we did twice on our last morning. The queues were quite long and it was worth it!

Single Rider Queues

Some rides have a single rider line, which is often a quicker queue. We used this a few times when my partner went on the bigger rides and I took the children on something smaller.

Parent Swap

This is a brilliant option for families with young children! One parent takes a child on a ride, then before leaving you can ask for parent swap. You will usually be given a password or similar. The other parent can then take the same child on again via the priority queue! This is great so you don’t miss out.

Getting There & Transport

We drove from the UK to Disneyland Paris, and took a ferry via Dover – Calais which worked really well for us. There are other options such as the Eurotunnel or flying. Find out more about our journey in this blog post.

Our Budget

We went for the cheapest hotel but splurged a bit on character dining, and ate as cheaply as we could whilst enjoying some fun meals! This was our budget for a family of four (2x young children) for 4 nights/5 days in May 2025, the Weds-Sun before May half term:

*We had 2x character dining meals on two days. As an example it cost approx £42 for a family of four meal at Hakuna Matata. We tended to have one big meal a day, and then some snacks and smaller food e.g. crepes. We even had a pot noodle back at our accommodation one night! I would estimate £100 a day for food for a family of our size with some snacks if you stick to the cheaper quick serve restaurants (you could spend A LOT more at some restaurants). I would estimate we spent £400 on food whilst we were there for 3 full days and 2 half days.

Thanks for Reading!

We had the most magical time at Disneyland Paris, and I hope this guide helps you get the most out of your visit too!

After visiting Disneyland Paris, we extended our holiday with a visit to La Croix Du Vieux Pont Eurocamp (ad partnership). This was a perfect way to balance the excitement and business of Disneyland, with a more relaxed week of swimming, and other on-site activities. Plus, we squeezed in a day visit to Paris and a beautiful chateau! You can read our full review of La Croix Du Vieux Pont here.

Happy travels and have the best time on your Disney adventure! ✨