Disneyland Paris Tips

With only a few days away until our next Disney trip I thought a little blog on tips might be useful for people. Here you will find some information that frankly I wish I had known about when visiting for the first time.

We aren’t new to Disneyland Paris and in fact this will be Ita’s third trip there! Each time we go we seem to pick up tips and new ideas.

The difference however with this trip is that ITA WILL BE 3!

This means that there will be a few more exciting things for her to experience!

Things to Do!

Princess for a Day Experience

This has been something that Ita has looked forward to for a few months now. The minimum age is 3 years.

Booking is between €55-€180 depending on what package option you go for. There is package that is thousands of Euros but you do get to meet an actual real life princess!

To book the Princess for a Day Experience it must be done in person at the ‘Galerie Micket’ Shop located on the second floor of the Disneyland Hotel. It is advisable to book as soon as you can on the day you wish to receive the package.

There are limited times and places each day. For that reason we will make this a priority!

(Tip: About €55 for hair and make-up and you bring your own dress. This is especially helpful as the dresses in Disneyland Paris are about €60)

If this is a bit expensive (I hold no secrets about Disney not being so) then just inside the castle by The Sword in the Stone, there is a mini makeover bit where you can have face painting, etc! its only about €8-€15. Again, you need to be 3 years old at least.

Extra Magic Hours

If you are staying at a Disney Hotel, your park tickets will include extra magic hours. Basically you can access the park earlier than others.

You can meet some of the princesses at the Princess Pavilion and if you have extra magic hours then this is the place I would say to head to first

(The Princesses are: Belle, Aurora, Ariel and Snow White)

Usually the wait time to meet one princess is about an hour plus, however if you access the park early you can usually meet a princess within 30 minutes.

The same applies to meeting Mickey Mouse. He has his own little area inside too and the queues to meet this famous mouse are usually about an hour long. However, we have used magic hours to meet Mickey immediately. No waiting whatsoever.

Free Things That Are a Must:

Disney Main Street, Next Stop: Memory Lane

Catch a nostalgic ride to and from the Town Square aboard a vintage vehicle. Board a classic Mercer, Paddy Wagon, Omnibus, Fire Engine or Limousine and sit back as you are ushered from one end of Main Street, USA to the other. Along the way, behold a bevy or 2 and 3 storey high Victorian themed shop and restaurant from a time and place long since passed.

 Pick -Up Points

One-way trips pick up at the transportation stops in Town Square and Central Plaza.

 Horse-Drawn Streetcars: A Grand Way to Travel

If you want to avoid the hustle and bustle of the sidewalks between Town Square and Central Plaza, then why not travel in style? Just climb aboard one of the Main Street’s ornate horse-drawn streetcars and let your majestic Percheron clip clop along the brick-paved streets while you relax in ultimate splendour and comfort.

Pick-Up Point

Outside City Hall

Disneyland Rail Road

 This is just as you walk under the hotel of the City Hall area (before Main Street)

Embark on a relaxing 20-minute Grand Circle Tour onboard an authentic steam-powered train.

Listen to the clamour of the engine, the chug of the wheels and the call of the whistle as you travel aboard the Disneyland Railroad. Offering convenient stops at Frontierland, Fantasyland and Discoveryland, it’s a perfect way to preview the magic of the Disneyland Park and take in the picturesque scenery, such as the Grand Diorama, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Peril and Pirates of the Caribbean.

Meals with Disney Characters

There are actually a good few options and it is without a doubt the best way to meet as many characters as possible.

Auberge de Cendrillon

Here you can have breakfast, lunch and dinner and it is the most popular dining experience.

Whisk your young royalty to Cinderella’s Banquet Hall for some fine French cuisine amongst enchanting stone archways and medieval stained glass windows. Here, princesses glide past and stop for a chat and photo opportunity in what is a fairy tale dining experience.

It can be a bit ‘hit and miss’ with the princesses as despite having eaten there numerous times, we are yet to have met Ariel there.

You will have to book this restaurant well in advance as it is always busy.

Cafe Mickey

a 3 Course Meal with Mickey and his friends. This restaurant is right at the end of the Disney Village and is really underrated. Our experience here was really good. We deliberately booked a 6pm sitting and the restaurant was more of less empty.

As with all sit down meals at Disney, it is not cheap. My understanding is that as this used to be a buffet style restaurant, that has now switched to a sit down meal, people expect the same elegance as Auberge de Cendrillon.

I think you can only have dinner here, but I will check this out.

Inventions

Based inside the Disneyland Paris Hotel up on the second floor, this restaurant does the best brunches.

Marvel at the time of a great technological imagination in this open-kitchen buffet restaurant overlooking Main Street, USA.

This restaurant is best known for its Sunday brunches where you get to meet more unusual characters like Lilo and Stitch.

Plaza Gardens Restaurant

Lap up a lavish buffet amid the Victorian splendour of this opulent leisure pavilion.

This restaurant is just inside the park situated at the end of Main Street, USA. This is usually where you are able to have your character breakfasts. It is an added bonus that you can access the park early if you book the earliest slot!

Again, these restaurant can all be booked on your dining meal plan so if you booked one, I’d recommend booking these. I think there is a small extra charge.

Rides for Under 5’s

This is possibly the most useful bit of information because when we first took Ita it was for her 1st birthday.

Fantasyland

• Peter Pans Flight
• It’s a Small World
• Mad Hatters Tea Cups
• Carrousel de Lancelot
• Blanche-Neige et les Sept Nains (Snow White)
• Les Voyages de Pinocchio
• Dumbo

 Discoveryland

• Buzz Lightyear Lazer Blast
• Orbitron
• Star Tours
• Autopia

Frontierland

• Big Thunder Mountain

Disneyland Studios

• Ratatouille: The Adventure
• Slinky Dog Zig-Zag Spin
• Genie Carpet Ride

 Secrets to Sleeping Beauty’s Castle

If you go upstairs within the castle you will be able to see Sleeping Beauty’s story and keep a look out for the beautiful sparking tapestries, the knights that snore and the changing rose in the magic window.

Another little known part of the castle is that there is a dragon that you can see under the castle. When facing the castle, take the side way to your left and you’ll enter its cave!

Fireworks 

Are every night!

Frontierland entry is a good spot to see them. This is where we have had the best photos and videos.