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Original poster

Taken DC 2 + 4 to Disneyland Paris and they’re being nightmares

258 replies

Cheepcheepcheep · 04/02/2025 19:11

Probably should have NC but sod it.

For Christmas we booked for DH, me, and DC 2 + 4 to go to Disneyland Paris. We don’t have stacks of spare cash and really prioritised this as they’re both in love with all things Disney. They’ve been talking about it all of Jan.

It’s been a bit of a disaster of a trip…

Arrived on the ferry lunchtime Monday, the kids were so good and loved the ferry. A smooth drive to an Airbnb near the park. Due to a few logistical issues with getting into the Airbnb they were late to bed (by an hour, adjusting for the time changes) but god. They were up for a further 2 hours, awful but put it down to holiday and over excitement.

Today, wake up, super excited for Disney. We get to the park and within 10m 2yo has a meltdown. Not unusual, I’ve had some concerns about ND but he was inconsolable. Then 4yo has one too. Very unusual for her. Screaming, crying, corpsing “I want to go home I don’t want to be here”. No amount of lovely chatting about Disney castle and meeting Mickey and Minnie could help. So we admitted defeat after all of 30m and went back to the Airbnb, have been here all day bar a quick trip to the supermarket for dinner (had planned to eat at the park).

They’re now “in bed” (8pm here) with a view to them sleeping nicely ready for an attempt to go back to the park tomorrow but up and down and shouting. They have their moments (which 4yo and 2yo don’t, potential ND issues aside) but I feel so defeated that we didn’t even manage to do anything, we literally walked two screaming kids up to the castle and back again. No rides, shows or even a meet with characters.

For the record I’m not a Disney adult, far from it. Frankly if they told me they wanted to go do a cultural city break I’d be delighted. I’m just gutted we’ve spent the best part of £1k (when costs are very tight) on something I know they’d love but tantrums and screaming have me on the RER in tears. DH and I being snappy with each other (albeit with appropriate apologies when it’s calmer) because we’re just so deflated and yelled out by the two kids.

4yo was apologetic about tantrum and appears to be trying to be better. 2yo doesn’t have a huge amount of language but accepts he needed to be kinder today.

Am I over optimistic? I’ve never bought into instagram parenting and accept there may be lows but god, I’d like to be one of the parents we saw today with kids of the same age who weren’t screaming so hard they had to leave.

Hiding in the Airbnb bedroom drinking a glass of wine while DH tries to settle them…

OP posts:
Mamatolittlemonsters · 04/02/2025 21:17

Ahh this is oh so familiar!

We did Disney last year with my almost 6 year old and my 2.5 year old drama llama child

After 12 hours in the car it’s safe to say they were bouncing off the walls when we arrived, made worse by drama llama falling asleep for 2 hours before we arrived

Got to the park the next day and drama llama had the biggest meltdown because my mum hired a pram and he didn’t want to go in it

No real advice but I took a ton of snacks with us and also priorised what the kids wanted to do and tried to find out what rides they’d want to go on had the shortest wait time. I also took the drama llama on my own for a bit and we went and got snacks and he watched some things on my phone while his older brother went on bigger rides. Let him walk for as much as we could so it tired him out a bit too!

We went with family and we sort of stuck to our kids routine a bit with regards to meal times and letting the drama llama have some time out too!

Hope tomorrow is better for you!

5128gap · 04/02/2025 21:14

Try to avoid leaving the park to-morrow if it hapoens again. Because once you've done that it's game over with no way of salvaging the day. There will be something in that park that will calm, pacify or distract at least as well as a return to the hotel room and you can ride it out with the rest of the day ahead of you. Maybe seperate, take one DC each for an hour and tailor to that child's needs. So for one it might be an ice cream in a quiet spot, while the other might rally when they got on a ride.

Original poster
Cheepcheepcheep · 04/02/2025 21:14

goodkidsmaadhouse · 04/02/2025 21:12

We took ours at similar ages with friends. Honestly all the kids wanted to do was splash in puddles. They couldn’t have cared less about the rides, one little boy (not mine) was interested in the characters. They did enjoy the fireworks which we did on the last night once they were in the holiday routine… I think we might’ve taken them for a nap that afternoon. So anyway as others have said, just find whatever little bits and pieces they enjoy, whether that’s a play park or a puddle. I hope it all gets better tomorrow.

PS DD now 11 has always been a dream to travel with but I will never forget carrying her age 2, tantrumming, out of the Boston museum of childhood and walking about 20 blocks back to our air bnb with her screaming in my arms the whole way. We never had anything like it before or after. DH and I both had a large cocktail that evening!

Thank you!

OP posts:
Original poster
Cheepcheepcheep · 04/02/2025 21:13

(FWIW and anyone who doubts, I adore my kids and I promise I did this and save for it and put myself through it because I thought it would make them happy. Because that’s my motivator every minute, hour and day).

OP posts:
Original poster
Cheepcheepcheep · 04/02/2025 21:12

Thank you everyone for the lovely suggestions and help. It’s making me feel miles better after a day of screaming!

We really didn’t give up easy taking them back after 30m in the park, I promise. They were totally losing it.

I can’t work out whether I was over optimistic and ducked out too easy, or had my bar too low and should have persevered against what the kids were saying. It’s too hard this parenting shit. I’d be doing the museums in Paris tomorrow if up to me!

OP posts:
goodkidsmaadhouse · 04/02/2025 21:12

We took ours at similar ages with friends. Honestly all the kids wanted to do was splash in puddles. They couldn’t have cared less about the rides, one little boy (not mine) was interested in the characters. They did enjoy the fireworks which we did on the last night once they were in the holiday routine… I think we might’ve taken them for a nap that afternoon. So anyway as others have said, just find whatever little bits and pieces they enjoy, whether that’s a play park or a puddle. I hope it all gets better tomorrow.

PS DD now 11 has always been a dream to travel with but I will never forget carrying her age 2, tantrumming, out of the Boston museum of childhood and walking about 20 blocks back to our air bnb with her screaming in my arms the whole way. We never had anything like it before or after. DH and I both had a large cocktail that evening!

Bagpuss2022 · 04/02/2025 21:12

Disney is fantastic but kids are too little but understandable you want to get as much in before school my advice save for Florida and when youngest is no younger than 6 and even then still take a buggy!
we are a Disney family but did cheap sunshine pool/butlins type places till they were older
hope tomorrow goes better and you will probably laugh at this in years to come

Gremlins101 · 04/02/2025 21:10

Sorry you feel like you wasted your money OP. Put it down to experience and try again tomorrow. Or in 6 years!

Fwiw, Mine are 2 and 4 and I'd be very slow spend big money on a holiday for them. But rather a relaxed and cheap holiday (off season eurocamp) that we can all enjoy, and it wont matter if they are tantruming

iggleoggle · 04/02/2025 21:09

First family holiday with three children. Hideous journey (ferry to a eurocamp place we’d been to before). The two who could speak just said they wanted to go home. None of them slept. It was hideous.

top tip… Efteling when they’re a bit older…

Original poster
Cheepcheepcheep · 04/02/2025 21:09

To the PP who said I’d stressed the price element - its not that I resent spending the money - but I’m sad I got it wrong to an expensive degree when we are paying £2.5k a month on nursery. Live and learn but they’re been so good with Butlin’s and Peppa Pig World I’m sad to have made the wrong call.

OP posts:
Jellyslothbridge · 04/02/2025 21:08

Choose something you think you will all enjoy to do first (train, playground, small small world?) I might be wary of taking them immediately on a more immersive ride like Peter pan in case they find it too impressive. Dumbo is perhaps more like something they have been on before and you can see what it is in the que.
Hope tomorrow is fun for you all.

Wibblywobblybobbly · 04/02/2025 21:06

I appreciate this isn't much help now, but I think your big mistake was to make a big deal about it with them and get them really excited about it. I've found over the years that small children just can't handle that level of excitement and hype and it all goes horribly wrong as they don't know how to handle all the big feelings. I've taken to not making a big deal about these things at all in advance, and then they seem much more able to enjoy themselves.

Tomorrow I'd keep it low key. Quiet and relaxed breakfast, don't make a big thing about where you're going at all. Treat it like a trip to a normal park. Breezy enthusiasm but not full on excitement and going on about how much fun it will be or how exciting it is. Then take it one step at a time.

I'm sorry, it sucks.

Mirabai · 04/02/2025 21:06

lI want to go home I don’t want to be here”

She may be overtired but I’d feel the same, so maybe she just has taste?

JenniferAnistonForReals · 04/02/2025 21:04

I hope you have a much better day tomorrow. It’s horrible when nice plans go awry and no wonder you’re feeling frustrated and annoyed.

(Fwiw, I have a photo of me and my then three year old DD who had insisted loudly and insistently that she wanted to meet Mickey. In the photo, after lining up for 30 minutes, I am grinning stoically, while she looks like I have introduced her to Beelzebub himself…)

HausofHolbein · 04/02/2025 21:04

Ignore all of the unhelpful advice.

Ignore the price vultures.

Ignore the people who would NEVER take their DC to DL

Ignore all those whose children would NEVER have a meltdown.

It comes to this. You are there. You need to work out the best way to navigate the holiday. Take it one step at a time. There are no expectations. Go at the pace which suits you all. If you need to stop, eat, whatever, do that. The world continues to turn.

Best of luck x

Cranberryjaffacakes · 04/02/2025 21:02

I’m a Disney adult (hate that term) and I don’t think they are too young especially if they have enjoyed Butlins etc. But like anything it depends on the child.

There is a small play area in Frontierland up by the Cowboy Cookout as well as the Pirates one. I would avoid Snow White and Pinocchio rides. Small World is usually a winner. There were lots of ducks by the Alice in Wonderful Teacups / Old Windmill when I was there a few weeks ago which most kids seem to like as much as the rides!

AnotherDayAnotherIdea · 04/02/2025 20:58

I sympethise! The price seems to have skyrocketed though. I used to work there and I would love to take my DC but tickets to the park would cost as much as I earned that entire summer 😔

TENSsion · 04/02/2025 20:58

Oh OP 😢 I’d be gutted too

But, in 20 years time, you WILL laugh about it. I promise x

katepilar · 04/02/2025 20:57

Poor little munchkins.
You had distorted expectations, sorry, it is a tough realisation.

LoudSnoringDog · 04/02/2025 20:55

I think that's too young for Disney parks

I remember taking both my boys when they were 6 and 3 and distinctly remember thinking that the 3 year old wax just far too young for it all. The 6 year old perfect

PennyApril54 · 04/02/2025 20:54

Tiredness can affect everyone's feelings and mood, all ages. Get a good sleep and hopefully things will turn around tomorrow! Good luck

MumWifeOther · 04/02/2025 20:52

I’m probably in the minority but I really think there’s no point spending money on trips like this with little kids.. they often get over stimulated and out of sorts, and the 2 year old won’t even remember it! I would have waited until 4 and 6.

distinctpossibility · 04/02/2025 20:52

😂I think with kids you genuinely can't have it all so if you have routine-loving kids they'll struggle with stuff like this but be easy to parent in other ways. My kids sleep very little - our six year old has never slept more than 9 hours in a night and still comes into our bed at 5am - but are really adaptable with food, late nights etc.

It sounds rough OP and I'm sorry. Crossing fingers for tomorrow.

We had a great time at DLP when ours were that sort of age but it wasn't without it's moments. 4-year-old DD doing a giant emergency shit into her littlest brother's (spare, clean) newborn nappy as we'd waited for 90 minutes for the Nemo ride and she refused to leave the queue being one of them....

Renovationhell · 04/02/2025 20:47

Cheepcheepcheep · 04/02/2025 20:22

This makes me feel so much better, thank you, I feel like a proper idiot so glad I’m not the only one who was optimistic in this way!

Show quote history

I had dreams of sitting by the beach watching them play and having nice meals out. Ha!
The reality was a lot of screaming, running away and spending far too much time in a hotel room watching rubbish TV. My poor oldest child pretty much got ignored as DH and I tacked a small child each so even he didn’t enjoy it.

Whenever someone asks if I’ll take them again the answer is absolutely not. Not until they are a fair bit older anyway 😄 I don’t know how people do it and enjoy it with small children but for me it was one of the most stressful and disappointing (and stupidly expensive!) experiences I’ve had as a parent so far. I now take all the Instagram and Facebook posts from others with a pinch of salt. Honestly a day out and home is much cheaper and easier!

LuluBlakey1 · 04/02/2025 20:47

I think they are too young. So sorry it hasn't worked .

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