Disneyland Paris Holiday Tips: Hotels, Tickets, Deals and Travel!
Disneyland Paris is such a magical place to visit as a family, a couple, with friends, or even by your self. There’s something for everybody to enjoy at all ages. I was lucky enough to visit twice last year so I thought I’d share my experience of looking for the best Disneyland Paris deals and packages.
Booking your Disneyland Paris trip
If you’re planning on staying at one of the Disneyland Paris hotels, I’d highly recommend booking through the official Disneyland Paris website. I searched through many different travel agent websites, but the prices mostly stayed the same.
The official DLP website often has deals such as free half board and 20% off hotels or up to 2 nights free. I was able to take advantage of the free half board and discounted hotel both times I visited with my boyfriend.
This meant we were given vouchers for our breakfast and lunch/dinner. This saved us so much money because we only had to buy one meal a day. At breakfast you were also given a hot drink and a bottled drink, which lasted me through till my next meal.
The added bonus is, your tickets are included in the price! Plus you are also entitled to extra magic hours that get you into the park earlier.
Best Disneyland Paris hotels
I’ve stayed at two of the hotels at Disneyland Paris and my favourite is most definitely the Sequoia Lodge hotel. It is woodland themed throughout the hotel and Bambi-themed in the hotel rooms.
If you’re looking for value for money or visiting as a large family, the Route 66/ Cars themed Hotel Santa Fe and western-themed Hotel Cheyenne are very family-orientated and considered the more budget Disney hotels.
I’ve stayed at Hotel Santa Fe twice, and had a very pleasant stay. These hotels are perhaps the furthest from the Disney parks but the regular shuttle bus service gets you to them very quickly.
You can also get some great deals during the off-peak season between January-March on the usually more expensive hotels such as: Sequoia Lodge, Newport Bay, New York and the dreamy Disneyland Paris hotel. Expect to pay more if you are travelling during school holidays.
If you book your hotel through the Disneyland Paris website, they offer you Disney Express Luggage Service for 30 Euro. This allows you to drop off your suitcases at the train station just outside the park. You can then head straight to the parks, and Disney cast members will transfer your luggage to your hotel for when you check in.
If you’re not fussed about staying in a Disney hotel, there are some really nice hotels that are still situated on the Disneyland Paris resort, these also can take advantage of the shuttle bus service. I haven’t looked into these too much, but I’ve read great things about Hotel Kyriad and The Explorers Hotel.
How long to stay at Disneyland Paris
This really depends on how much you love Disney! If you are visiting Disneyland Paris for the first time and want to see absolutely everything, I’d suggest staying for at least 5 days to one week. My boyfriend and I stayed for four nights and 5 days on our trip in September, and this allowed us to go on all the rides we wanted, plus gave us time to explore the shops at our own leisure. However we felt it would have been nice to have a couple more extra days to see more of Disney Studios and re-ride our favourites.
We stayed for two nights and three days during our trip in December, and although we were able to go on all the rides we wanted, it was a squeeze to fit in all the shows we wanted to see. It did feel rushed.
If you are not fussed on rides and want to simply go for the experience, then 2 or 3 days will probably be completely fine.
Disneyland Paris Tickets
As I mentioned above, the Disneyland Paris website includes your tickets as part of your hotel package which I find is the best deal if you’re staying a few days.
However, if you’re going for perhaps just the one day there are some really cheap single Disneyland Paris tickets on 365.co.uk starting at £30!
If you’re planning on making a few trips to Disneyland Paris throughout the year, than I would recommend getting an annual pass. From what I’ve read, you pay a 55 euro deposit, and then make small monthly payments.
There are different tiers of the AP, which specifies what days you can visit the Disney park, plus you also receive discount on merchandise and the Disney hotels. You can also get cheaper tickets through your annual pass for friends and family that are on the trip with you.
Best ways to travel to Disneyland Paris
I live in London, so my preferred travel option will most likely vary to those living in other parts of the UK. But I will do my best to cover all means of travel.
Personally I’ve always found the Eurostar from St Pancras to be a stress-free way to travel to and from the Disney Paris resort. The Eurostar station is also right next to the park that makes it super convenient.
You can book your Eurostar tickets through the Disneyland Paris website, but I found this was a bit more expensive. It was cheaper to book directly through the Eurostar website.
Eurostar tend to list their fares, times and dates up to 3 months in advance. I’d always recommend getting them as soon as you can, because the prices will jump up drastically closer to your travel date.
When researching Eurostar tickets to and from the park, there appears to be quite limited travel times. The earliest train would get you there around 2pm and the latest train to leave is just before 5pm. For many of these travel times, you also have to change at Lille. This is probably the easier option if you are travelling with young children and want to get back to the UK at a reasonable time.
But if you want to get the absolute most time at the Disney parks, then I’d recommend travelling to Paris Gare Du Nord, take the RER B to Châtelet - Les Halles and then the RER A train to Disneyland Paris. It takes one extra change on the Paris Metro and you pay 7 Euros for the ticket, but it is cheaper than having to change at Lille and takes the same amount of time, if not quicker. I also recommend doing the same when travelling back to London St Pancras.
If you live closer to an airport than the Eurostar station in London or Kent, than a flight to either the Charles de Gaulle airport or Orly airports are perhaps cheaper and faster options. You can also book to travel from the airport to the Disneyland Paris parks via the Magical shuttle bus.
If you prefer to drive, the Eurotunnel in Folkestone or the Ferry are both great options. If you book in advance and travel at certain times you can also get some great deals from as little as £70 each way on the Eurotunnel or £80 return trip on the ferry.
Going by car will save a lot of money if you are going to Disneyland Paris as a family or with a large group of friends, because you can always split the cost of petrol too.
I hope my advice will help you when booking your Disneyland Paris trip!
I’m sure I have forgotten to mention lots more so if you have any questions or want to add your own tips and advice, please leave a comment below!
Renabelle xx
Booking your Disneyland Paris trip
If you’re planning on staying at one of the Disneyland Paris hotels, I’d highly recommend booking through the official Disneyland Paris website. I searched through many different travel agent websites, but the prices mostly stayed the same.
The official DLP website often has deals such as free half board and 20% off hotels or up to 2 nights free. I was able to take advantage of the free half board and discounted hotel both times I visited with my boyfriend.
This meant we were given vouchers for our breakfast and lunch/dinner. This saved us so much money because we only had to buy one meal a day. At breakfast you were also given a hot drink and a bottled drink, which lasted me through till my next meal.
The added bonus is, your tickets are included in the price! Plus you are also entitled to extra magic hours that get you into the park earlier.
Best Disneyland Paris hotels
I’ve stayed at two of the hotels at Disneyland Paris and my favourite is most definitely the Sequoia Lodge hotel. It is woodland themed throughout the hotel and Bambi-themed in the hotel rooms.
If you’re looking for value for money or visiting as a large family, the Route 66/ Cars themed Hotel Santa Fe and western-themed Hotel Cheyenne are very family-orientated and considered the more budget Disney hotels.
I’ve stayed at Hotel Santa Fe twice, and had a very pleasant stay. These hotels are perhaps the furthest from the Disney parks but the regular shuttle bus service gets you to them very quickly.
You can also get some great deals during the off-peak season between January-March on the usually more expensive hotels such as: Sequoia Lodge, Newport Bay, New York and the dreamy Disneyland Paris hotel. Expect to pay more if you are travelling during school holidays.
If you book your hotel through the Disneyland Paris website, they offer you Disney Express Luggage Service for 30 Euro. This allows you to drop off your suitcases at the train station just outside the park. You can then head straight to the parks, and Disney cast members will transfer your luggage to your hotel for when you check in.
If you’re not fussed about staying in a Disney hotel, there are some really nice hotels that are still situated on the Disneyland Paris resort, these also can take advantage of the shuttle bus service. I haven’t looked into these too much, but I’ve read great things about Hotel Kyriad and The Explorers Hotel.
How long to stay at Disneyland Paris
This really depends on how much you love Disney! If you are visiting Disneyland Paris for the first time and want to see absolutely everything, I’d suggest staying for at least 5 days to one week. My boyfriend and I stayed for four nights and 5 days on our trip in September, and this allowed us to go on all the rides we wanted, plus gave us time to explore the shops at our own leisure. However we felt it would have been nice to have a couple more extra days to see more of Disney Studios and re-ride our favourites.
We stayed for two nights and three days during our trip in December, and although we were able to go on all the rides we wanted, it was a squeeze to fit in all the shows we wanted to see. It did feel rushed.
If you are not fussed on rides and want to simply go for the experience, then 2 or 3 days will probably be completely fine.
Disneyland Paris Tickets
As I mentioned above, the Disneyland Paris website includes your tickets as part of your hotel package which I find is the best deal if you’re staying a few days.
However, if you’re going for perhaps just the one day there are some really cheap single Disneyland Paris tickets on 365.co.uk starting at £30!
If you’re planning on making a few trips to Disneyland Paris throughout the year, than I would recommend getting an annual pass. From what I’ve read, you pay a 55 euro deposit, and then make small monthly payments.
There are different tiers of the AP, which specifies what days you can visit the Disney park, plus you also receive discount on merchandise and the Disney hotels. You can also get cheaper tickets through your annual pass for friends and family that are on the trip with you.
Best ways to travel to Disneyland Paris
I live in London, so my preferred travel option will most likely vary to those living in other parts of the UK. But I will do my best to cover all means of travel.
Personally I’ve always found the Eurostar from St Pancras to be a stress-free way to travel to and from the Disney Paris resort. The Eurostar station is also right next to the park that makes it super convenient.
You can book your Eurostar tickets through the Disneyland Paris website, but I found this was a bit more expensive. It was cheaper to book directly through the Eurostar website.
Eurostar tend to list their fares, times and dates up to 3 months in advance. I’d always recommend getting them as soon as you can, because the prices will jump up drastically closer to your travel date.
When researching Eurostar tickets to and from the park, there appears to be quite limited travel times. The earliest train would get you there around 2pm and the latest train to leave is just before 5pm. For many of these travel times, you also have to change at Lille. This is probably the easier option if you are travelling with young children and want to get back to the UK at a reasonable time.
But if you want to get the absolute most time at the Disney parks, then I’d recommend travelling to Paris Gare Du Nord, take the RER B to Châtelet - Les Halles and then the RER A train to Disneyland Paris. It takes one extra change on the Paris Metro and you pay 7 Euros for the ticket, but it is cheaper than having to change at Lille and takes the same amount of time, if not quicker. I also recommend doing the same when travelling back to London St Pancras.
If you live closer to an airport than the Eurostar station in London or Kent, than a flight to either the Charles de Gaulle airport or Orly airports are perhaps cheaper and faster options. You can also book to travel from the airport to the Disneyland Paris parks via the Magical shuttle bus.
If you prefer to drive, the Eurotunnel in Folkestone or the Ferry are both great options. If you book in advance and travel at certain times you can also get some great deals from as little as £70 each way on the Eurotunnel or £80 return trip on the ferry.
Going by car will save a lot of money if you are going to Disneyland Paris as a family or with a large group of friends, because you can always split the cost of petrol too.
I hope my advice will help you when booking your Disneyland Paris trip!
I’m sure I have forgotten to mention lots more so if you have any questions or want to add your own tips and advice, please leave a comment below!
Renabelle xx
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