Disneyland Paris planning guide for first time visitors
Just so you know: This post contains affiliate links. If you click through and make a booking or purchase, I may earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you.
We visited Disneyland Paris in February 2024. Three adults and a nearly three year old travelled, and I booked the whole thing directly through the Disneyland Paris website. Hotel, tickets and meal plan all in one place, which made a very easy booking process.
I’d been to Disney World in Orlando as a child in 1998, so I had some idea of what to expect, though Disneyland Paris is a completely different proposition. Disney World is so vast that half a day can disappear just getting between areas; Disneyland Paris, you can actually get around fairly quickly, which, with a nearly three year old made all the difference. The characters were completely real to her, and every parade float was the most exciting thing she’d ever seen.
We stayed at Hotel Cheyenne, which is one of the more budget friendly on-site options. I’d looked at Dream Castle before booking since it has a pool and a free shuttle bus, and I’d look into it again for a future trip, but this time we wanted the meal plan. The meal plan ties you to an official Disney hotel, and so that made the decision for us.
This guide covers what I actually wish I’d known before we went: when to go, how long to book, where to stay, what it costs, and how to make it work with young children. For all of our Disneyland Paris guides, head over to our Disneyland Paris Travel Guide.
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Is Disneyland Paris good for first time visitors?
Yes. My first impression walking through was that the whole place felt more chic than I’d expected, in a good way. Main Street alone is a row of shops alongside a boulevard. It all has a French Victorian type theming throughout.
For a first visit with young children, it’s close to perfect. You don’t need a military style itinerary here. You can easily cover a lot of ground each day and can afford to slow down and repeat the things your kids love. We went on the It’s a Small World ride multiple times.
When is the best time to visit Disneyland Paris?
We went to Disneyland Paris in February because our daughter’s birthday falls in early March, and it ended up the perfect timing. Rides I’d read about having a 90-minute queue were running at around 30 minutes, and the park never felt overcrowded. For a nearly three year old with limited tolerance for queuing, it worked out well.
From what I’ve read since, early February is consistently one of the quietest and cheapest times to go, but timing matters within the month itself. French half-term falls in the second half of February, and so that’s when the crowds start to climb. If you’re planning a February trip, I’d aim for the first two weeks. That said, we went late February and didn’t find it too busy at all.
👉 Read our visiting Disneyland Paris in February guide
Beyond February, late January and early-to-mid March can also work well for quieter parks and lower prices. The periods most worth avoiding if crowds are a concern are French and UK school holidays, Easter, summer and Christmas. One thing also worth knowing for 2026 onwards: World of Frozen opened in Disney Adventure World in late March 2026, and so crowd levels are expected to be higher than usual from spring through to summer as a result.
For a live view of crowd levels throughout the year, this crowd calendar is worth bookmarking: 👉 Queue Times crowd calendar
How many days do you need at Disneyland Paris?
For most families, two to three days is the right amount of time. We did three days, and it felt just right. We arrived at lunchtime on our first day, plus two full days after that, and still had plenty of time to go on her favourite rides more than once. Two days is doable, but you’ll feel a little rushed.
Disneyland Paris 2-day itinerary
A 2-day Disneyland Paris itinerary works best if you go in with a bit of an idea of what you want to do.
I’d spend your first day at Disneyland Park. If you’re staying on site in a Disney Hotel, use your Extra Magic Hour to get into the park an hour before the general opening. The queues at that point are minimal, and it’s the best time to get popular rides like Peter Pan’s Flight and It’s a Small World done before the crowds build. I’d also secure your parade spot around an hour before it starts and build your afternoon around it. Character dining in the evening if you’ve booked it.
Then, on day two, I’d recommend splitting across both parks. Start in Disneyland Park for anything you missed or want to repeat, then go across to Disney Adventure World in the afternoon. Ratatouille and the Toy Story Playland rides are the best options for young children over there. Check the fireworks time on the app before you go and make a decision on whether your children will last that late.
Disneyland Paris 3-day itinerary
A 3-day Disneyland Paris itinerary is the one I’d recommend for families with toddlers. The extra day takes the pressure off completely.
Day one, even if you arrive at lunchtime, go straight to the park. Get your bearings, do a few rides and find where everything is. Don’t try to do everything at once since you have two more days.
Day two is your main day. Extra Magic Hour in the morning, work through Fantasyland, character dining if booked, parade in the afternoon. Watch the fireworks in the evening if you’re able to stay until that late. In February, they run around 9pm, but definitely worth it for one night.
On day three, you can split between Disney Adventure World and Disneyland Park. Make sure you use the app to check live queue times and move between parks based on what’s quietest. If you have a late flight home, you can fit a full day in before heading to the airport.
If you’re planning to extend your trip beyond the resort, Paris itself is only 35 minutes away by RER train. Many families add a day in the city, and so if that’s something you plan to do, this 15 best things to do in Paris by Blitz Travels is worth a read before you go.
Choosing a hotel for your first Disneyland Paris trip
Where you decide to stay a difference when you’re with young children. I’d say the main decision is whether to stay on site at a Disney hotel, at one of the partner or local hotels just outside the resort, or book a private rental.
On-site: Disney Hotel
We stayed at Hotel Cheyenne, and it was perfect for our first visit with a toddler. It’s one of the two most budget-friendly on-site Disney hotels (the other is Hotel Santa Fe, with its Cars theming). The theming is impressive. It’s built to look like a frontier town, with 14 Wild West-themed buildings lining a central street. The rooms carry the theming through too, with Woody and Jessie on everything from the curtains to the coffee cups, cowboy boot lamps, horseshoe mirrors and bucking bronco tiles in the bathroom. Our daughter was in her element before we’d even unpacked and instantly recognised it was Woody.
When you book, you’re asked whether you want a room closer to the hotel facilities or closer to the park. We picked closer to the park, which meant our room was at the back, near the Rio Grande River. It meant we could cut along the canal path past the Marvel Hotel and Newport Bay Club and reach the parks in around 15 minutes, which was quicker than waiting for the shuttle.
Breakfast at the Chuck Wagon Cafe is a standard hotel buffet. We were on the meal plan, and used one of our breakfasts on character dining at Plaza Gardens instead. Our daughter loved the Mickey-shaped pancakes in Chuck Wagon.
One thing worth knowing is that Hotel Cheyenne has no pool. If that matters to your family, factor it in before you book.
Off-site: partner and local hotels
There are several partner and local hotels within a few kilometres of the parks, most of which run a free shuttle. I’d looked at Dream Castle before booking, which, as the name suggests, has castle theming, and also a pool with slides, and spacious family rooms. The price tends to come in lower than the equivalent on-site tier. We decided on Hotel Cheyenne so we could have the meal plan, which only comes with an official Disney hotel.
Private rentals
If you’re travelling as a larger group, it’s worth checking Airbnb and similar before defaulting to a hotel. There are properties available near the resort that can work out considerably cheaper per head, particularly if you’re happy to be a little further out and sort your own transport.
👉 For a full breakdown of Hotel Cheyenne, read our full review
Tickets and planning your park days
We booked everything directly through the Disneyland Paris website: hotel, tickets, meal plan and the photo pass all in one go. The add-ons were very easy to add at the point of booking. On the photo pass: I didn’t find it a great value if I’m being completely honest, I didn’t think there were enough opportunities to use it. But seeing as it’s the only way to get the on-ride photos, I’d probably add it again anyway. Park tickets are date-specific and priced dynamically, so booking early tends to get you a better price. Both parks are included in a standard ticket, and so you don’t need to choose between Disneyland Park and Disney Adventure World.
For planning the actual days, we kept it relaxed. Character dining was booked in advance, and we’d committed to securing a parade spot each afternoon, but everything else we called on the day based on live queue times in the app. Check what’s shortest, head there and adjust as you go. Over-planning a day-by-day itinerary when you have a nearly three year old is pointless anyway. We had a nasty fall and a quick trip back to our room on our first day, and she slept for way longer than usual in the pram on the second day.
Premier Access
Premier Access is Disneyland Paris’s paid queue-skip system.
Premier Access covers a single ride per purchase, and Premier Access Ultimate covers all 16 major rides across both parks for one day. Both are bought through the app once you’re in the park.
It wasn’t in our budget, and in February, with short queues, we didn’t miss it anyway. In peak season, when popular rides can hit 60 to 90-minute waits, it’s worth considering. But for off-peak, I’d say save your money.
Is the Disneyland Paris meal plan worth it?
For us, it was yes. I’d recommend it without hesitation. We booked the half board meal plan, and it was one of the best decisions we made for the trip. With it covering breakfast, character dining and our main meals, we spent almost nothing inside the parks beyond gifts and the odd treat. Plus, seeing as our daughter was under three, it meant she ate for free in the buffet restaurants.
But the financial value isn’t even the main reason I’d recommend it. Disneyland Paris is exhausting. You’re on your feet all day, you’re managing a toddler, you’re covering more ground than you realise. You need those sit-down meals to rest. Without the meal plan, there’s a temptation to grab something quick and keep moving, and after two days of that, you’ll feel it.
As I’ve mentioned, under 3s don’t need a meal plan and can eat from your plate at buffet restaurants, which means if your trip falls before your child’s third birthday, they eat for free. We timed our trip deliberately to take advantage of this.
The meal plan isn’t right for every family, especially if you want complete flexibility. The restaurants need booking far in advance, and so you’re tied to a time. But for a family doing a full multi-day trip with young children, I’d recommend adding it on.
Visiting Disneyland Paris with a toddler
Disneyland Paris is more than well suited to toddlers. The size of the park works in their favour, the parade is worth building your whole day around, and at the age when they still completely believe in it all, the character meets are an absolute must in my opinion.
We visited just before our daughter turned three, and it was one of the best trips we’ve taken as a family, fall and all.
For everything you need to know about Disneyland Paris with a toddler, whether that’s packing, eating, what to book in advance, and what to skip, is in our toddler guide.
👉 Disneyland Paris with a toddler
For rides specifically, we’ve put together a dedicated guide covering the best options for young children, including which ones to avoid if your toddler is sensitive to dark or loud attractions.
What to pack for your first Disneyland Paris trip
Packing for Disneyland Paris doesn’t need to be too complicated, but a few things made a real difference for us.
The tip I’d pass on first is the suitcase inside a suitcase trick. Pack a small empty case inside your main luggage on the way out, with clothes in and around it to fill the space. On the way home, you have a dedicated bag for everything you’ve bought at the park and only pay the airline fee for the case coming home. Disney merchandise is genuinely good, and so you will want to buy things. The shops are everywhere, and several rides exit directly through them. We went for our daughter’s birthday, so we had extra reason to spend, but even without that occasion, it’s hard to leave empty handed. Budget for it before you go, rather than being caught out at the ride exit points.
Beyond that, comfortable shoes are non-negotiable, layers are essential if you’re visiting outside of summer, and a small backpack for park days, which you can leave in the designated points. Pack your medicine before anything else, there is no chemist on site, and you never know if you will need it, like we did.
For the full packing list, including everything we brought for a toddler in February, 👉 Disneyland Paris with a toddler
Common first time Disneyland Paris mistakes
Trying to do too much
The most common mistake and the easiest one to make. It’s tempting to plan every hour and feel like you need to see everything, but Disneyland Paris is far more enjoyable when you leave room to slow down and repeat the things your children love. Our daughter rode It’s a Small World multiple times, and we booked shows at the last minute for when it was forecast to rain.
Leaving restaurant bookings too late
If you’re staying at a Disney hotel, you can book restaurants up to 12 months in advance, and for the popular ones, people do exactly that. Off-site guests only get a 60-day booking window, by which point the best spots are often already gone. We booked our restaurants as soon as our hotel stay was confirmed, and still had to be deliberate about which ones we wanted. Leave it until a few weeks before, and you may find that character dining and the most popular restaurants are fully booked. Book early, and add character dining to your package at the time of booking rather than trying to sort it afterwards.
Not prioritising shows
There were a couple of shows we didn’t get to because we hadn’t planned around them properly. Shows run at set times, so check the schedule on the app when you arrive and decide early which ones you want to see.
Underestimating post-parade crowds
After the parade finishes, the crowds that have been lining the route all move at once. If you have a restaurant reservation or a ride you want to get to straight after the parade, build in significantly more time than you think you need. We were late for a restaurant booking because we were stuck in the crowd and couldn’t move quickly with the pram. It’s not something that gets written about much, but it’s a real practical issue, especially with young children.
Not downloading the app before you arrive
Download the Disneyland Paris app before you leave home and link your tickets to it. Setting it up inside the park when queues are already building wastes time. The app shows live queue times, parade and show schedules and handles restaurant bookings. We used it constantly.
Buying ears and merchandise in the park
Disney ears and costumes are significantly more expensive inside the park than buying online beforehand. We all wore ears for the whole trip and bought them in advance. If you’re planning to buy anything specific, research it before you go. I bought myself a couple of hoodies from Vinted, and we found Mickey ears on Amazon.
Not visiting Disney Village the evening before
If you’re arriving the night before your first park day, walk around Disney Village in the evening. It’s free to enter, has shops, restaurants and bars, and gives you the Disney atmosphere without using a park ticket. It’s a nice way to arrive rather than going straight to the hotel and waiting for the next morning.
Not checking ride closures in advance
Something will always be closed. Disneyland Paris is open 365 days a year, so maintenance runs year round. Closures are published around three months in advance on the website and app. If there’s a specific ride your child is set on, check before you go rather than finding out at the entrance. For us, the main one closed was Thunder Mountain, which was too big for our daughter anyway, so it didn’t affect us.
Is Disneyland Paris worth it for first time visitors?
Absolutely, and I’d say that regardless of whether you’re going with children or not. There’s something about Disneyland Paris that works on everyone. Adults who haven’t been since childhood, couples without kids, grandparents who haven’t thought about Disney in decades. We saw every type of person there.
It’s convenient for UK families specifically. It’s a short flight from most airports, it’s significantly more compact than Disney World, and it doesn’t require two weeks and a remortgage to do properly. We did it in three days for under £1,700 for three adults and a toddler, flights and transfers included, with the meal plan covering almost everything we ate.
The first time you see your child spot a character they love on a parade float, or walk down Main Street staring at the castle with their mouth open, you’ll stop wondering whether it was worth it.
Final thoughts
Disneyland Paris doesn’t need military level planning. You need a hotel booked early, restaurants sorted as soon as your stay is confirmed, the app downloaded before you arrive and a rough sense of what your children will actually care about and enjoy. Beyond that, leave room to be flexible.
We went in February 2024 with a nearly-three year old, spent under £1,700 for the whole trip and came home with memories that will last considerably longer than that. The fall on the first day, the parade that evening, the character dining breakfast, and the afternoon, my partner’s mum sat with the pram while we went on Hyperspace Mountain. None of that was in the plan. That’s the point.
If you’re still on the fence, just book it.
FAQs – Disneyland Paris for first time visitors
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