Updated March 2020
Information
Disneyland Paris is separated into three parts: Walt Disney Studios (which has a Ratatouille and a Finding Nemo ride), Disney Village, and Disneyland—separated into different lands like Frontierland, Discoveryland, Adventureland. It is easy to go in-between the different parks.
Buying Tickets
Ticket prices vary depending on the month and the day. During the off-season (not summer), tickets are cheaper on weekdays, but one can buy a ticket for 60-80€. However, the park has limited options for dining, which I mention in the next section. In either case, buy the tickets in advance. They are usually 20€ cheaper.
During the summer, tickets can shoot up to 90-110€, but nicer weather and more food options could be worth it.
Generally, Disney has an awful currency conversion rate, so I highly recommend buying the tickets in Euros (you can do this by changing the language to French). If you buy it online, you will need to print out the ticket ahead of time, which can be a pain.
A digital ticket can only be bought if you download the Disneyland Paris application and buy your tickets directly there. Unfortunately, this method usually removes special discounts on tickets.
During the summer, tickets can shoot up to 90-110€, but nicer weather and more food options could be worth it.
Generally, Disney has an awful currency conversion rate, so I highly recommend buying the tickets in Euros (you can do this by changing the language to French). If you buy it online, you will need to print out the ticket ahead of time, which can be a pain.
A digital ticket can only be bought if you download the Disneyland Paris application and buy your tickets directly there. Unfortunately, this method usually removes special discounts on tickets.
Getting Here
To get to Disneyland Paris, take the RER A from Paris, get off at Marne-la-Vallée Chessy. Make sure you take the train to Marne-la-Vallée, which has a silhouette of Mickey Mouse next to the name. It is relatively easy to get to Disneyland Paris, since it is at the end of the RER A line from Paris.
Note that a specific ticket will need to be purchased since Disneyland Paris is located in Zone 5.
The park “officially” opens at 10 AM in the spring, but they do let people in earlier, so you can aim to get there at 9:30 AM to attempt to beat the crowds.
Note that a specific ticket will need to be purchased since Disneyland Paris is located in Zone 5.
The park “officially” opens at 10 AM in the spring, but they do let people in earlier, so you can aim to get there at 9:30 AM to attempt to beat the crowds.
Disneyland Paris App
Highy recommend downloading the application on your phone, so you’re not holding a map while exploring the park. It tells you where all the restrooms are, the wait times for rides, and all the different shows that go on around the park.
There’s even free Wifi in the park, so don’t worry if you forget to download the app beforehand!
There’s even free Wifi in the park, so don’t worry if you forget to download the app beforehand!
Rides
The rides at Disneyland Paris are similar to the Anaheim Disneyland and Disneyworld. They have thrill rides such as Hyperspace Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain, and Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.
They have the Pirates of Caribbean ride, which has multiple drops, Star Tours, the Ratatouille ride, the Finding Nemo ride, Tower of Terror, Phantom Manor (which is much larger than Disneyland’s) and It’s a Small World, which has a very interesting section dedicated to North America with the Wild, Wild West, a Canadian section, a farm, a section for San Francisco with the iconic skyline and Golden Gate Bridge, the Statue of Liberty, and Hollywood sign.
I’m not sure if this is an “off-season” thing, but the storybook rides went at 1.5x the speed. I barely had time to register the different scenes before the cart was whisked away into the next scene. This led to very jerky rides as the turns were taken much faster than normal and at the end of the ride, there was usually a back-up of carts as everyone ended much faster than intended.
Another complaint that’s probably due to the “off-season” is that sometimes the carts for the rides were not filled up. For instance, a cart that could hold 6 people might only hold 3 people because there was a family of 3 and following them was a family of 4. Instead of asking for another party of 3 to join them, that family is sent on its way and thus, the waiting time increases.
Thankfully, we never waited longer than an hour, because of the FastPass system and it was the “off-season”.
They have the Pirates of Caribbean ride, which has multiple drops, Star Tours, the Ratatouille ride, the Finding Nemo ride, Tower of Terror, Phantom Manor (which is much larger than Disneyland’s) and It’s a Small World, which has a very interesting section dedicated to North America with the Wild, Wild West, a Canadian section, a farm, a section for San Francisco with the iconic skyline and Golden Gate Bridge, the Statue of Liberty, and Hollywood sign.
I’m not sure if this is an “off-season” thing, but the storybook rides went at 1.5x the speed. I barely had time to register the different scenes before the cart was whisked away into the next scene. This led to very jerky rides as the turns were taken much faster than normal and at the end of the ride, there was usually a back-up of carts as everyone ended much faster than intended.
Another complaint that’s probably due to the “off-season” is that sometimes the carts for the rides were not filled up. For instance, a cart that could hold 6 people might only hold 3 people because there was a family of 3 and following them was a family of 4. Instead of asking for another party of 3 to join them, that family is sent on its way and thus, the waiting time increases.
Thankfully, we never waited longer than an hour, because of the FastPass system and it was the “off-season”.
Fastpass
Similar to other parks, there is a FastPass system that allows you to not have to wait as long for rides. How does it work?
Well, there are small ticket dispensing booths near the entrance to each line. You simply need to scan your ticket’s barcode and you will receive a small slip of paper that gives you a time frame for when you can come back and get in the FastPass line.
Like in the Anaheim Disneyland, you can have multiple FastPass tickets at one time, as long as the time slots on your tickets do not overlap. Another thing to remember is that the FastPass machines may stop distributing tickets past 6:00 PM, so plan accordingly.
The Disneyland Paris app will tell you which rides have FastPass tickets, so plan ahead!
Well, there are small ticket dispensing booths near the entrance to each line. You simply need to scan your ticket’s barcode and you will receive a small slip of paper that gives you a time frame for when you can come back and get in the FastPass line.
Like in the Anaheim Disneyland, you can have multiple FastPass tickets at one time, as long as the time slots on your tickets do not overlap. Another thing to remember is that the FastPass machines may stop distributing tickets past 6:00 PM, so plan accordingly.
The Disneyland Paris app will tell you which rides have FastPass tickets, so plan ahead!
My Plan of Action:
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Since there are two Disney parks, it is difficult to see everything in one day (unless you have specific rides in mind and plan very well).
My first time, I only went to the main Disney park, but after the sped up version of the storybook rides, besides the Peter Pan ride, I don’t think these are worth the wait, so I recommend spending half the day in the main Disney park and maybe the other at Walt Disney Studios.
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Jerempins, a blogger, created a beautiful image of what he did to ensure he went to both parks and mainly went on the action rides. Here is his schedule:
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Highly recommend staying in the park until the end of the day, because the Illuminations show is fantastic and well-executed.
Food
Probably the worst part about Disnyeland Paris is the lack of affordable food. When it’s not summer in Disneyland Paris, it is almost impossible to find any food stands open and if you do, you will be paying 7€ for a soft drink and a food item like popcorn costs 10€!
For meals, all the dishes are over 30€ and the food is subpar. For 30€ in Paris, you can get some amazing, authentic French cuisine!
Therefore, I highly recommend you stop by a Boulangerie to pick up a sandwich and just store it in your backpack to eat for lunch. There is also an affordable (under 10€) Croque-Monsieur place on Main St. USA and the Hakuna Salad with Chicken (7.50€) at the Hakuna Matata restaurant. These can be alternative options if you forget to pack a lunch.
Interestingly, there isn't Dole Whip here (at least when I was there), instead, there are Dole Floats, which is vanilla soft serve in pineapple juice.
For meals, all the dishes are over 30€ and the food is subpar. For 30€ in Paris, you can get some amazing, authentic French cuisine!
Therefore, I highly recommend you stop by a Boulangerie to pick up a sandwich and just store it in your backpack to eat for lunch. There is also an affordable (under 10€) Croque-Monsieur place on Main St. USA and the Hakuna Salad with Chicken (7.50€) at the Hakuna Matata restaurant. These can be alternative options if you forget to pack a lunch.
Interestingly, there isn't Dole Whip here (at least when I was there), instead, there are Dole Floats, which is vanilla soft serve in pineapple juice.
