You see it on all the adverts: Disneyland Paris is the dream family holiday, where mums and dads can bask in the glow of their precious offspring while little kiddies and older siblings are enjoying themselves in perfect harmony.
Sounds great, but it doesn’t always work out like that!
While teething babies and toddler tantrums are just an accepted part of parenting life, it can be trickier to know what to do when it comes to the terrible teens. They’re not quite old enough to be left at home yet, so you drag them along on the family hols to Disneyland Paris and think, surely, you can’t go wrong. It’s the happiest place on earth, right?!
Many teenagers and adults love Disneyland Paris, but there are many elements that are, obviously, aimed at little’uns. Your teenager is probably more interested in their phone screen than anything else and would rather be watching YouTube than posing with Mickey Mouse and sailing through It’s A Small World.
But there are plenty of ways to keep teenagers entertained at Disneyland Paris without making them suffer through things that they’re simply “too old for” these days. Check out some of my top tips!
1. Bigger rides = bigger thrills
So, they might dig their heels in and refuse to be seen on the Mad Hatter’s Teacups, but I’m pretty sure most teenagers can be tempted into cracking a smile on some of the bigger attractions in the park.
Let them prove just how big and brave they are by daring them to ride The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, Big Thunder Mountain, RC Racer and Star Wars Hyperspace Mountain while the “wimps” wait on the sidelines.
RC Racer in Toy Story Playland
2. It’s a family show
The shows put on by Disneyland Paris are, of course, suitable for children. However, just because younger audiences can enjoy them doesn’t mean they isolate the older generations.
We’ve seen some incredible shows at Disneyland Paris that, while family-friendly, aren’t at all childish. The Lion King: Rhythms of the Pride Lands during the Lion King & Jungle Festival earlier this year was simply spectacular and performed in very cool, sophisticated way that wasn’t cheesy or hammed up for the kids. The Jungle Book Jive was a highlight of this season, too. We’ve also seen seriously awesome Star Wars projections during Season of the Force, jaw-dropping stunt shows like Moteurs… Action! and, of course, the nighttime fireworks.
Jungle Book Jive
3. In a galaxy far, far away…
Alright, so we’re still waiting on Galaxy’s Edge here at Disneyland Paris (and probably will be for quite some time…) but there are some decent themes in the park that will appeal to teenagers, probably even more than they would other generations.
We’ve had Season of the Force (Star Wars, obviously) and Marvel Season of Super Heroes, which I would’ve loved as a teenager. These seasons celebrate characters and films that small children might not have even seen before, so it’s definitely something aimed at older audiences. You’ve also got rides like Star Wars Hyperspace Mountain and Star Tours The Adventures Continue, plus a whole new Marvel land with superhero attractions coming soon, to go along with these more adolescent themes.
The Incredible Hulk statue from Marvel Season of Super Heroes
4. Shop ’til you drop
There are loads, and loads, and loads, and LOADS of shops at Disneyland Paris – and they aren’t just full of stuffed Goofy toys and Elsa and Anna dressing up costumes!
You can find plenty of grown-up clothing that looks really cool, and some gorgeous women’s clothes too that would suit teenagers down to the ground. Not only clothes, but you can also pick up some great fun snacks, accessories like bags, wallets and jewellery and homeware like mugs and bedroom decorations – definitely not for kids!
Homeware merchandise
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The Lion King & Jungle Festival landed in Disneyland Paris on 30th June 2019 and I’ve pretty much been banging on about how excited I am for the park’s latest season ever since!
I’ve been really looking forward to this one; The Lion King is my favourite animated Disney movie ever, so I’ve been practically counting down the days until I could check it out for myself.
I must start by saying how impressed I am by the effort Disneyland Paris have gone to with this festival. We all know, when compared to Walt Disney World in Florida and Disneyland in California, Disneyland Paris sometimes lets us down. They’ve been known to skip over those extra magical details in the past and leave us desperately wanting more, especially when it comes to themed events.
But, this time, I think Disneyland Paris rose to the occasion.
Let’s start with the two main shows of the season – The Jungle Book Jive and The Lion King: Rhythms of the Pride Lands. Both shows are new to the park and proved a great way to divert crowds and provide entertainment for the whole family. The Jungle Book Jive takes place just in front of the castle and is one part musical, one part character parade, one part dance show. It’s bright, loud, colourful and very different to any other entertainment Disneyland Paris has to offer.
The Jungle Book Jive during The Lion King & Jungle Festival
But my favourite show of the festival is, hands down, The Lion King: Rhythms of the Pride Land. It’s a musical performance taking place in the newly renovated Frontierland Theatre based on – you guessed it – The Lion King. This show is plucked straight from Broadway, with top quality choreography, costumes and vocals without being kitschy or campy. It’s a must-see – but ARRIVE EARLY! The queue gets crazy long, we got there an hour before the show started and weren’t sure we’d even fit into the theatre!
The Lion King & Jungle Festival also offers a whole load of special themed snacks for the occasion, and they’re awesome! From chocolate paw prints to giant animal macaroons, new drinks like the tropical mango whip and character milkshakes at Victoria’s (if the machines are working!) and a signature character meal hosted at the Restaurant Hakuna Matata. We didn’t get round to eating every single snack in the park (we gave it our best shot, believe me!) but the ones we grabbed were pretty tasty and fun to try.
Choco-coco lollipaw in Frontierland
You can also pick up some cool merchandise themed to this season, like a limited edition Lion King & Jungle Book Festival t-shirt, souvenir cups and popcorn buckets, and some adorable Lion King ears. Your little ones are bound to beg you for something – c’mon, you’re at Disneyland!
There’s still time to visit during this incredible summer season at Disneyland Paris and I can’t recommend it highly enough – catch it while you can!
As you might already know, earlier this year I decided that writing about one of my great loves in life (food, of course) just wasn’t enough and threw another into the mix – the wonderful world of Disney!
I wanted to give myself the opportunity to chat about the parks, engage with other Disney fans and maybe even come up with some helpful advice about Disneyland Paris, my closest Disney park.
Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith at Disneyland Paris
I’m a total nerd when it comes to planning my Disney holidays – I want to know what rides to go on, how long the lines will be, where to eat and drink, which shows to catch and the absolute best way to make the most out of my trip!
I think there are some amazing videos out there chock-full of info on the American parks – Walt Disney World in Orlando and Disneyland in California – but the same helpful resources aren’t quite so readily available for Disneyland Paris. I know it’s not the most spectacular of the Disney parks but it’s still a hugely popular destination, especially for those of us who are much closer to Paris than the States!
Phantom Manor at Disneyland Paris
So… I decided to start making my own! We’re going to be filming during our trips to Disneyland Paris and creating some (hopefully!) useful, informative, interesting videos all about this park.
My first video is now LIVE (eek!) and I wanted to start off with an easy one. This first vid is a guide to my ten favourite rides at Disneyland Paris to give people a taste of what attractions to expect on their visit and because, well, it’s fun! Please be kind – I have literally ZERO experience in filming, voice overs, editing, YouTube, all that jazz. But I’m really excited to get the ball rolling on this new project and hope to improve with each video.
Check out ‘My Top 10 Rides at Disneyland Paris’ below. If you enjoy it then please, please, pretty please like, subscribe, follow, comment, anything and everything!
If you want to get ahead of the crowds during your time at Disneyland Paris and need a little help, this guide to using Fastpasses should come in handy.
What is a Fastpass?
Fastpasses are tickets available at Disneyland Paris that allow you to beat the queues on certain attractions. While you might still have to wait a few minutes to get onto the ride, the Fastpass entrance will cut out most of the queue and allow you to join at the very last minute, usually compared to much longer standby lines.
How do Fastpasses work at Disneyland Paris?
Fastpasses are free to all Disneyland Paris guests. I’ll say that again – FASTPASSES ARE FREE TO ALL DISNEYLAND PARIS GUESTS! You don’t have to be staying at a Disneyland resort hotel, you don’t have to have a multi-day ticket, you don’t have to be a special member or annual pass holder. Anyone visiting Disneyland Paris with a valid entry ticket can get their hands on a Fastpass.
All you need to do is take your park ticket to the attraction and look for the Fastpass machines – usually just to the side of the ride entrance. Scan the barcode of your park ticket at the self-service machine and it’ll print off a Fastpass ticket for you with an allotted 30 minute time slot for you to return to the ride. Show the ticket to the cast member at the Fastpass queue entrance during your time slot, they’ll let you through and you’ll join the standby line pretty much at the front of the queue.
You must return to the attraction during the time slot on your ticket. It’s also worth noting that you can only use one Fastpass at a time, so you can’t run straight to every ride and book your time slots for the day! You’ll be given a time on your Fastpass ticket from which you will be able to book your next Fastpass.
Fastpass tickets for Ratatouille: The Adventure
Which rides have Fastpass queues at Disneyland Paris?
Not every attraction at Disneyland Paris has a Fastpass queue available. The following rides are currently the only ones that allow Fastpass access:
Disneyland Park Big Thunder Mountain Buzz Lightyear Laser Blast Indiana Jones and the Temple of Peril Peter Pan’s Flight Star Tours: The Adventures Continue Star Wars Hyperspace Mountain
Walt Disney Studios Park Ratatouille: The Adventure Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith Twilight Zone Tower of Terror
What are Super and Ultimate Fastpasses?
These are paid upgrades which allow extra benefits with a Fastpass. The Super Fastpass is the cheaper option and allows one-time access to either three Family Attractions or three Big Thrill Attractions. The Ultimate Fastpass is more expensive and allows either one-time or unlimited access (depending on your budget!) to all the Fastpass rides.
While these do have their benefits, such as not being restricted by time slots or having to wait before you can get another Fastpass, they’re really pricey for what they are. With a little know-how you can easily navigate the parks and get on all these attractions using free Fastpasses.
Standing in front of Sleeping Beauty’s Castle
How to get the most out of Fastpasses
It depends what rides you want to get on and how important those attractions are to your day, but here are a few of my tips when it comes to making the most of those free Fastpasses.
Family rides The family attractions available on the Fastpass service – Buzz Lightyear Laser Blast, Peter Pan’s Flight and Ratatouille: The Adventure – are popular rides and all worth grabbing passes for if possible.
However, if you have to pick one, go for Peter Pan’s Flight. It regularly has one of the longest queues in the park and, although it’s a fantastic, classic attraction, the ride itself is so brief you’ll likely feel short-changed if you’ve stood in line for an hour.
Buzz Lightyear Laser Blast has a slow-moving queue, but towards the end of the day this will get shorter and you can probably jump in with a 15 minute wait time. As for Ratatouille: The Adventure, you’ll want to head over first thing during extra magic hours or rope drop to avoid long wait times. If you can’t get there early and do have to wait, don’t worry; this queue is fun, interactive and, basically, bearable.
Thrill rides – Disneyland Park The big thrill rides in the Disneyland Park can all experience long wait times throughout the day, but it’s not too difficult to make time for each of them.
You probably won’t be able to grab a Fastpass for all of these rides, simply because of the time you have to wait in between passes and the limited number of passes available for each ride. But the good news is, you probably won’t need them.
The first attraction I’d recommend getting a Fastpass for is Big Thunder Mountain. It’s one of the biggest rides in the park and the line is always long; on a good day you’re looking at 40 minutes, on a bad day you’re more likely to see wait times of 90 minutes. It’s definitely worth riding, but get a Fastpass early on for this one.
A view of Big Thunder Mountain from Frontierland in Disneyland Paris
The second attraction probably worth snatching a Fastpass for is Star Wars Hyperspace Mountain. It’s a really popular ride with both kids and adults, especially since its Star Wars overlay, and definitely one you won’t want to miss. You could get lucky with a short wait times cropping up occasionally but I wouldn’t count on it; there’s a good chance you could end up waiting 45 minutes in, frankly, a very boring queue. Get a Fastpass to avoid this.
Star Tours: The Adventures Continue is a tricky one; peak time (i.e. the middle of the day) can see long queues for this ride but, if you rope drop or hang around until the crowds die down, you’ll probably see wait times of 15 – 20 minutes. With this one, I’d actually suggest holding out for a shorter queue and getting in the standby line because the theming is excellent and worth checking out if you can jump in at a good time.
Do not waste a Fastpass on Indiana Jones and the Temple of Peril! It’s such a short coaster and honestly not that great, so you could end up throwing away a valuable time slot. It’s also not worth waiting in long lines for so, when you see a 45 minute queue time for this ride, don’t fall for it; wait until the end of the day and the line will shrink right down to around 5 – 10 minutes. At this point, it’s well worth jumping on for a fun coaster ride.
Thrill rides – Walt Disney Studios Park Fastpasses at the Walt Disney Studios Park are really easy to figure out (for now!) because there aren’t many rides in the park with the Fastpass option available.
The two big rides in this park that do offer Fastpasses – Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith (soon to close for refurbishment and reopen as an Iron Man coaster) and The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror – are both great attractions for any thrill seeker.
The frustrating thing with these rides is that both lines are actually themed really well and it’s a shame to miss out; however, the best parts of each queue are both still included if you join at the Fastpass entrance.
To be completely honest, there’s not much difference between these rides when it comes to a Fastpass strategy. On busy days wait times can creep up on both, with Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith sometimes hitting the 50 minute mark while The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror can reach wait times of 70 minutes; however, both rides are also known hover around 15 minutes all day sometimes.
If the wait times are short – anything less than 20 minutes – you might as well hop into the standby line because the theming really is worth checking out. However, if wait times are high, grab yourself some passes. Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith is a short ride so might not feel worthy of a long wait, whereas The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror feels like more of a complete ride experience. The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror also manages to load quite a lot of guests onto the three elevators so the queue moves along quite nicely. If you can only get a Fastpass for one I’d perhaps suggest Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith, but you can probably manage to grab both – and won’t struggle too much if you can’t get either.
The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror in the Walt Disney Studios Park at Disneyland Paris
I’ve just spent a weekend in one of my favourite places on earth (other than Pizza Express and my bed) – that’s right, Disneyland Paris!
It wasn’t my first trip and I’m lucky enough that it won’t be my last, but I’m always learning new things about the parks and the best way to navigate my way around them. From this most recent weekend visit, these are my six top Disneyland Paris tips (some of which I realised the hard way!) that I think are essential if you want a successful visit to the parks.
1) Wear comfy clothes
You want to look killer for insta, we get it. But honestly, wearing comfy clothes for a day in the Disneyland Paris parks is so, so important – TRUST ME, I speak from experience! Grab shoes you can rely on and clothes that are easy when climbing in and out of ride vehicles (believe me, on some of those roller coasters the struggle is real!).
Avoid anything that could cause physical discomfort like chafing or blisters because, although it might not bother you at first, after a few hours of walking around it becomes unbearable and you’re pretty much screwed for the rest of the day!
2) Take breaks – little and often
It’s tempting when you first get into the park, full of excitement and adrenaline, to smash out one thing after another. I’ve done it before; I’ll probably forget myself and do it again! But I’ve definitely learnt that a much better way to tackle Disneyland Paris it to take regular, short breaks right from the start of the day to prevent doing yourself damage later on.
I know you want to do it all, but these parks are small and those rides aren’t going anywhere. You’ve got time. Taking little breaks all day stops you burning out and are essential if you want to stick it out from rope drop to fireworks. So go ahead and sit your butt down!
3) Arrive early, stay late
If you want to make the most of your visit to Disneyland Paris, a real tip is to get there from when the parks open and stay until they close. It’s tough, especially in summer months when the parks are open later, but it is doable (if you refer to the previous two tips!).
The first hour of the day is when the queues are often shortest so if you’re ready at rope drop you can beat everyone else to the most popular attractions. If you manage to stick it out for the day you’ll also notice a lot of people, especially young families, will start to drop off in the last couple of hours and the crowds will die down.
4) Use and abuse the Fastpass queues
When it’s busy, your feet ache and the rides are so short you find yourself asking if it was really worth waiting in line for 90 minutes with screaming kids and pouring rain, this tip will come in handy – USE FASTPASSES!
So many visitors don’t use the Fastpass system at Disneyland Paris – or even know it exists! Fastpasses are free and available to everyone with a park ticket and can seriously cut down wait times. For example, we used a Fastpass on Peter Pan’s Flight, one of the most popular rides with a standby wait time of 60 minutes; it took us exactly five minutes, from handing our pass to the cast member to our boat taking off. We were on and off the ride in less than 10 minutes. They are really, truly worth taking advantage of.
I’ve got a full guide coming up on how to use Fastpasses and which rides you should prioritise so if you’re still not sure of the best way to benefit from Fastpasses keep an eye out for that!
5) BYOS (bring your own snacks)
If you’re planning to spend an entire day in the parks, you’ll definitely need to keep up your energy levels. One way to do this is take breaks (I’m just gonna keep saying it!), but another is snacking throughout the day.
Staying hydrated is important and super easy with free water fountains all over Disneyland Paris; however, if you buy any food or drink in the parks you’ll soon realise how it can add up. It’s not cheap, especially if you’re feeding a family, and the food isn’t even that great. But you’re allowed to bring food and drink into the park, so load up a backpack and save yourself plenty of money – we brought loads of food and drink from home with us and barely spent a penny once inside.
6) Find a space and stand your ground
If there are any shows that are really important to you on your Disneyland Paris trip – parades, fireworks, or indoor shows like ‘Mickey and the Magician’ – it’s definitely worth getting there early. Indoor shows only have a limited number of seats and fill up FAST so get in line in plenty of time if you want a good seat (or a seat at all – ‘Marvel: Super Heroes United’ filled up a good half hour before each showtime).
For the fireworks and parades people will start getting in position early so, for the best views, you need to find your spot in really good time and hold onto it. Another great tip for the fireworks show is to stand quite far back near the top of Main Street, just to the left or right – that way you still get a great view and, when the fireworks finish, you can shoot straight down the empty indoor arcades that run down the sides of Main Street and beat the crowds to the exit.
When it comes to planning a trip to Disneyland Paris there is a lot to think about!
We all want different things from our holiday, and it can be tough to make some of those key decisions. Do you want a resort hotel or budget accommodation? How many days should you book? Where should you eat and how much will it cost? Should you travel by plane, train or car? When is the best time to go?
I’ve tried to go over some of the most important things to think about before you go on holiday to Disneyland Paris. What are the big questions you ask before you visit the Disney parks? Leave a comment and let me know!
The Hotels
The hotels in Disneyland Paris aren’t really “resorts”, not in the same sense as those in Orlando’s Disney World. They’re much smaller and you won’t find anything that stands up to the likes of Art of Animation or Animal Kingdom Lodge when booking your visit to Disneyland Paris.
But there are still benefits of staying in an on-site Disney hotel, such as:
Most of them are within walking distance of the park
Extra Magic Time is included with your stay
Souvenirs bought in the parks can be sent straight to your hotel room
You have access to meal plans
You can share your breakfast with Disney characters in many of the hotel restaurants
All these extra touches give your trip that special sprinkle of magic and if they’re important to you then, of course, think about staying on-site.
Tinkerbell statue in the Magic Kingdom
But the Disney hotels themselves don’t really bring much to the table. If you’re not fussed about getting into the park an hour early, are happy to jump on a shuttle bus or drive to the parks and don’t mind carrying your souvenirs around with you, then I’d definitely recommend looking into partner hotels.
There’s a whole strip of Disney partner hotels just outside the resort area, all with their own themes and free shuttle buses to the parks, which are usually cheaper than even the budget on-site resorts.
If you’re driving then you could even venture a little further afield. You can find plenty of decent hotels – some of which are even Disney themed! – around 15 minutes in the car from the parks. These ones in particular are much better value for money.
It depends what you want from your holiday. If you’re desperate for a fuss-free stay then look into the Disney resorts but if you’d rather save some pennies it’s definitely worth searching for off-site deals.
The Length of Your Holiday
When us Brits plan for a stateside visit to Disney World we’d set aside around two weeks because there’s just SO MUCH to do. But with Disneyland Paris, prepare for a much shorter stay.
There are only two parks in Disneyland Paris. The Disneyland Park, where you’ll find Sleeping Beauty’s castle and classic attractions like Peter Pan’s Flight and Big Thunder Mountain, and Walt Disney Studios Park, a Hollywood backlot featuring the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror and the Toy Story Playland. This is compared to the four parks and two water parks in Orlando, plus Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure right next door.
Obviously if you’re coming in from outside of Europe you might want to spend a little longer here just to make the travelling worthwhile. But, in all honesty, one day in each park will cover an awful lot of ground.
Give yourself a long weekend and a multi-day ticket and you’ll have two days in each park, strolling between the two as you please. I promise you’ll have plenty of time to check out all the rides and attractions, browse the (limited!) range of shops in Disney Village and squeeze in regular mealtimes too.
The Food
Speaking of mealtimes, let’s move onto the food. Disneyland Paris is an amazing, immersive, magical holiday – but a great culinary experience, it is not.
It’s a real shame that Disneyland Paris has such a long way to go when it comes to providing visitors with exciting food and drink. The food inside the parks is limited, expensive and poor quality. Our own experiences when it comes to eating in the parks isn’t great; it certainly wasn’t good value for money, put it that way.
The restaurants in Disney Village are a little better. You’ve got more choice, from Planet Hollywood to Café Mickey, Annette’s Diner and the Rainforest Cafe, but they don’t come cheap and, truthfully, they still don’t guarantee the above-and-beyond dining experience we expect from Disney.
‘Mojo Bones’ from Disneyland’s Rainforest Cafe – caramelised pork ribs with BBQ sauce, fries, coleslaw and salad
You can bring food into the park for much more budget-friendly snacks during the day. Plus, it means you don’t have to set aside so much time to eat. We usually dig into our snacks while waiting in ride queues to kill some time! Most of the hotels, both on-site and partner, also have restaurants where you can fill up on breakfast (if it’s included) or feast on an all-you-can-eat buffet dinner.
Bottom line, if you’re going with small children who need a break and convenience is worth a few extra quid, research the food options in the park. But if you’d rather smash out as many rides and attractions as possible, are happy to snack on-the-go and want to keep your visit as cheap as possible, bring your own food.
The Travel
Obviously travelling to Disneyland Paris depends on where you’re coming from, but let’s focus on the different travel options from the UK for now.
The quickest way for most people to get to Disneyland Paris is by plane. You can fly to Charles De Gaulle from most major UK airports and there are plenty of comparison websites out there to help you find the best prices. However, you do have to consider getting from Charles De Gaulle to Disneyland Paris, which is a 45 – 60 minute drive or around 50 minutes via public transport.
You can also get the Eurostar, which is SUPER easy if you live in southern England. It’s really quick, minimal fuss and takes you right up to the park. Eurostar tickets can be pricey so watch out for that – but you can just get the Eurostar into Paris and change over to a domestic train, which is cheaper. The only problem with the Eurostar is it’s only reeeeally practical if you live close to the train.
My favourite way to get to Disneyland Paris is to drive. It’s the best way to travel on a budget, especially if you’re splitting everything between a full car. It also has no luggage weight restrictions or rules on bringing food and drink, things you’d have to consider otherwise. The Eurotunnel only takes 35 minutes and the drive from Calais to Disneyland Paris takes around three hours. However, like the Eurostar, you need to live kinda close to the Eurotunnel to make this a realistic option.
You can also catch ferries to France from several destinations including Dover, Portsmouth, Newhaven, Liverpool – but be careful, some crossings can take up to 23 hours!
The things you really need to consider when planning your travel for Disneyland Paris are convenience, time and budget. Flights are convenient, so is the Eurostar (if you’re close enough!) but driving can be a real money saver if it works in your favour.
The Weather
If you rely on good weather to enjoy your day, you really need to think about this before visiting Disneyland Paris.
In Paris, much like the UK, the weather can be very hit and miss. From November to February cold temperatures, rain showers and grey skies are expected – but they are some of the quietest times to visit (if you avoid the Christmas rush!) which could help beat the queues. Unfortunately it’s also when many attractions undertake refurbishment for this exact reason, so keep that in mind and check the website for any planned attraction closures.
If you visit from May to August, you’re much more likely to soak up the sunshine and bask in the warm weather, especially in the peak of summer. These more pleasant months obviously draw in bigger crowds, but I’d rather be queuing in the sun than the rain and it does make walking around the parks much more enjoyable.
If you go during the “in between months” – March, April, September, October – your guess is as good as mine! As we all know, in this part of the world the weather is never guaranteed!
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