Any tips for Disneyland Paris?

[Florencenotflo]

It's a very hypothetical enquiry at the moment, obviously with Covid and Brexit we're not looking to book for a while. But I'm bored and doing some research.

A couple of questions:

Hotel Cheyenne? Ok or not? Dd1 is toy story mad so we'd probably go there because it's Toy story themed.

Are meal plans worth it? Dd1 would be 5 possibly 6 by the time we go, dd2 would be 2. Half board would add £300 for all of us for 3 nights/4days. Full board (3 meals a day) would be £450 for all of us.

Any other tips people have would be greatly appreciated!

We stayed in Hotel New York, which was great as was within walking distance. We did half board which was fine- though you need to be selective about where you went, as some restaurants are just crappy burgers. We used it to go to Cafe Mickey a couple of times, which was good because you got the characters coming round the tables. We also went to the Ratatouille restaurant which was pretty decent (vaguely remember getting fillet steak there). Don’t think there’s much point going full board as even on half board, you also get snacks.

I wouldn't go. We went with DCs of similar ages, neither remember it at all. Rides are very dated and break down frequently, fast pass system works erratically, massive queues, just not worth the money.

I went with extremely low expectations and it was even worse.

Some people say the big parks are worth going to though, maybe save until the DCs are bigger?

Thanks @MathsFiend I think the jump from half to full isn't worth it.

@CornedBeef451 😩 ah don't say that. I wasn't expecting too much but I'd hoped it was bearable enough for a few days. We'd love to do Florida but that's out of our budget for a good few years, we sort of think we'd be better off leaving that until the DD's are 12-13 and can do the big rides. We certainly couldn't afford Florida in the next couple of years without a lottery win!

In contrast with pp, we had fabulous time - though we stayed in Paris so did 2 days in park for the kids plus 2 days in Paris for us! We took eldest dc out of school (this was some time ago and school was fine about it) and went in mid Jan - and the place was really quiet. I remember thinking the food was truly terrible though - even the coffee!

It really depends.

I've been around 10 times with various groups, as a teen and as an adult taking an 8yo

Firstly,it doesn't matter if the kids don't remember it in ten years time. They'll enjoy it at the time. If we had that attitude for everything,we'd do fuck all with kids, because they won't remember it...

Be prepared to walk, and walk, and walk. You'll spend most of your day queuing. For rides. Some queue for AGES. You'll need stuff to keep them entertained, for possibly 90m+ queues.

The work and hotels do look tired though as PP said, not that your kids would notice.

Go half board.

We stayed at Cheyenne. Room was clean and in good nick, but a bit cramped with two double beds. We liked the grounds... Plenty of room for the kids to let off steam. It wasn't OTT themed, just the decor. Restaurant for breakfast and dinner (buffet) was decent. Bus service to the park was regular.

Meal plan... We had the breakfast plus one meal plan, for the buffet restaurants. That, plus snacks and the odd ice cream did us. Our kids are used to a meal pattern of big breakfast then a big meal around 5pm on holiday, with snacks in between, so we didn't spend a fortune on food. We did book lunch with the Princesses one day.
I'd wait until DD2 was 4 at least if it's a one time trip. If you go again when older, that's different. It can be tiring

Word of warning... My kids were terrified of dressed up characters until they were 4/5! We did Disneyland at 5&7.

We stayed in Santa Fe which is the same level as Cheyenne. We honestly were just in the hotel for sleeping, it's takes about 5 mins in the free shuttle to the park, if you want to walk it's a bit longer. The rooms were fine, 2 double beds, clean. For us the meal plan (half board) was well worth it. We had a big breakfast, you see a lot of people making rolls and taking fruit etc in the morning for the day I assume. We took lots of snacks from home for around the park throughout the day and then used our meal voucher at the end of the day for a big buffet meal in the hotel, it worked for us because there was something for everyone. MagicBreaks and DLP sometimes do a free meal plan deal, I would wait see if any come up.
We loved DLP, although DD was 8 by the time we went so she could really appreciate it all, waiting for parades, fireworks and rides wasn't an issue. It's also a long and exhausting day, on your feet. But we found it so special and magical. We've been a few times since!

My tip would be don't go

I hated it
Queues everywhere. Overpriced shite for sale everywhere you look. Crap food. Grumpy staff.

@CornedBeef451

I wouldn't go. We went with DCs of similar ages, neither remember it at all. Rides are very dated and break down frequently, fast pass system works erratically, massive queues, just not worth the money.

I went with extremely low expectations and it was even worse.

Some people say the big parks are worth going to though, maybe save until the DCs are bigger?

Disagree with this completely. Yes one of the parks is being updated but there is still plenty in main park. A lot of the rides are better than their Florida counterpart and I can say that as I’ve been to both. As long as you don’t expect it to be on the same level as Disney World and keep an open mind I’m sure you will have a great time.

@Swingometer

My tip would be don't go

I hated it
Queues everywhere. Overpriced shite for sale everywhere you look. Crap food. Grumpy staff.

Not my experience at all. Maybe it was you that was the problem. These threads always end up with Disney haters giving unwanted opinions. The op asked for tips not personal opinion on whether it’s good or not.

My suggestion is stay somewhere in Paris and just go for the day.

Such misery guts here.

I'm a Disney nut and have been to most of the world's Disney parks. Paris is my least favourite but we are also considering going at the best possible opportunity simply due to Covid.

Your kids will be very happy with it - it's you who will likely notice it's not very clean, needs a lick of paint etc. they'll have a fab time. Having said that, I've heard Disney have made an effort to invest in the place in recent years.

The Ratatouille restaurant is probably the best food in the place. Be warned it's bloody freezing even in Spring and obviously rain always a possibility so dress appropriately (I learned my lesson there - shouldn't have dressed for the 'gram ). You can bring your own food and snacks in to make things a bit cheaper.

I stayed at Cheyenne. It was ok, nothing to write home about. Clean but small. Basic really.

We went in March and it was bloody freezing, being all happed up because of the cold spoiled a lot of enjoyment for me, but I am autistic and have sensory issues surrounding wearing coats etc. We have to queue for hours, literally hours, for everything. 2 hours in the freezing cold so my DS could get a picture with Mickey Mouse. I was losing the will to live.

We went for 4 nights last Feb. DDs were 4 and 6. Honestly I'm not sure it's worth going any younger, the days are long and our two slept for a week afterwards!

Cheyenne is great, we loved it. Walkable if the bus is full. And I think it's worth staying in a Disney hotel for the early magic hour. You can always go to the park for 8am, have the shorter queues and then go back for a late breakfast.

Meal plan I think is worth it because you can just go and get breakfast/dinner at the hotel if you don't get organised and book anywhere else. There's a few places in the park which are rarely full as well. Half board is sufficient with small children though, just take rolls from breakfast to keep them going until teatime!

We did 20k steps a day and although dd1 walked the first couple of days by the end they were both sitting in the pushchair all day, they were so tired.

We had a fabulous time when our kids were 7, 3 and 18m.

I would caution thought that if you are looking at 2021 they are planning to refurb the castle so it will be under some kind of cover for some of the year. Th we I seem to be doing a lot of work at the moment, some delayed from this year.

The Disneyland Paris for Brits Facebook page is worth a follow.

We stayed at the Magic Circus Hotel which was a free 3 minute shuttle from the Park gates. It wasn’t a Disney hotel, but the theming for the kids was fantastic, it was very modern, clean and comfortable and WAY cheaper than the park hotels.

The food in the Parks themselves is a bit shit- you’ll be disappointed if you’ve been to the US Parks as they take the catering side of things way more seriously. The food in Paris is very much just to fill a hole rather than tasty.

@Aroundtheworldin80moves that made me remember DD age 12 still has a lingering fear of Mickey Mouse after seeing the larger than human sized version as a 5 yo!

We did enjoy the toy story ride and the car driving one opposite but that was about it. 40 mins wait for a carousel was a bad start though and the trip ended early when the fast pass system went down, Ratatouille ride broke down and there was a 4 hour wait for it.

I ended up throwing a bit of a strop in the queue for the slinky dog ride and brought forward our euro tunnel time slot so we could leave earlier. We were all tired, damp and disappointed.

Photos are hilarious though, you can really see the Disney magic in our tired, sad faces!

On the other hand my sister loved it and had a great time, it might depend on your personality.

Paris with the DCs was great though, there's a playground at the base of the Eiffel Tower and they remember that more than anything else that whole holiday.

The other option you could look at is the caravan park- Davy Crockett. The first time we went, DD was 4 and we stayed here. Our approach was to go to the parks during the day and then go back to the park in the evening. Meant we could put DD to bed at a reasonable time, and then we could sit with a glass of wine in the evening. Because you are in a caravan, you have separate bedrooms and living area. It does mean you would need a car though. The other thing this meant was that we could just make our own food if we wanted- we tended to make up ham baguettes and bring them with us.

When we stayed in Hotel New York, DD was older (7, I think) so was better able to cope with the long days & evenings.

Take in water bottles and refill them in the water fountains. We took a few of those tiny bottles of squash that you add to water (in the hold luggage) as drinks e.g. pop are about £5 each if my memory serves me and a burger meal for one from about £16 (this was Easter 2019).

Also, I know a few posters have said the rides aren’t the best..... however, my experience with DD at 4 was that she was most interested in seeing the characters and the parade. Many rides won’t be suitable for younger kids anyway.

We love DLP!! I’ve been alone, as a couple, as a family with 4/5 year olds and as a family with 10/8/7/1 year olds! Loved it each and every time, know it like the e back of my hand (which helps) have never done a meal plan, it’s not worth it for us! In fact, the last time we went as a family of 6 we stayed in Davy Crockett which I loved (have also stayed in sequoia lodge and the Disneyland hotel) DLH is my least favourite. I like the look of the Cheyenne! We pretty much lived off McDonald’s, we had such long days and kids loved it and we just chilled with a drink or two in the sports bar in the village of a evening then grabbed masses of McDonald’s before going back to DCR, worked for us! We wasn’t there for fancy meals! If you get the chance to go to buffalo bills Wild West show I’d recommend but sadly I’m sure I read the other day it is no more but I hope that info is incorrect as we didn’t get to go last time!

Also we always go during the Christmas season and have never had to put up with ridiculous queues ever!

We stayed in hotel Cheyenne when DC were 4 and 5 just over 10 years ago. Rooms were fine cheap and cheerful room perfectly adequate, bit of a play area, lovely walk to the park and back by the river easily walkable. Both kids very tall so were able to go on almost every ride. Weather was bitterly cold, colder than the UK day 1, similar to the UK and gorgeously sunny on our last day.

I wasn’t really looking forward to it but absolutely loved it. We went in April just after Easter on a Monday or Tuesday which was the cheapest time to go. Think we did half board big breakfast (I took plenty of snacks in our luggage). Had food in the hotel (a bit like wacky races at meal times but ok). One night we upgraded to a character meal and paid the extra which was lovely.

Top tips is you have girls take along Disney princess dresses if they like them and you have one as they cost a fortune in the parks. Take some snacks in your luggage to help keep you going food is expensive in the parks. Buy a couple of autograph books and a bright or a disney pen for autographs as the children get the characters to sign the books. DH was lucky enough to be given a guide book from someone from work about how to make the most of your visit and how to skip queues etc. We didn’t find the queues too bad on our visit but the tips in the book and ensuring we got up organised and out early every day to make the most of the first hour of the park really helped us make the most of our visit.

The ages of our children when we visited worked really well but I would think maybe planning for a spring 2022 trip for you would be perfect. We booked the hotel with Disney, booked our own cheapo flights, and booked our own transfer in advance which worked out a lot cheaper than the Disney package. Enjoy.

We did Cheyenne In Feb lad year had a great time. Not luxurious but nice enough, breakfasts were good and Woody was in reception in the mornings. It was also walkable if you missed the bus. My tips would be get a dinning plan if reduced and book restaurants well in advance. We didn't do it far enough in advance and didn't have much choice. Also take snacks, drinks bottles etc as food in their is extortionate. We had a fab time though despite having mixed reports before hand.