Lone parent, 4 kids, disneyland Paris doable?

[Fossie]

Hi. Has anyone tried disneyland Paris on their own with several kids in tow? My children are aged 4 to 10. Any advice gratefully received.

For example, will I need to accompany them on rides? Also would you choose Eurostar or driving and Eurotunnel? I can stay in a room with all 4 kids at the Davy Crocket hotel but would I be able to get to the sites easily? Is it all too hard work! Hoping there is a seasoned traveller out there!

The drive from Davy Crockett to the park is very easy and straightforward - 1 junction down the motorway, basically. However, if you stay at DC you will have to eurotunnel and drive it as there is no Disney transport from there.

The 2 parks are on the same site, they just have different entrances off the central arrival area so once you've parked (which is free if you stay at DC) you don't need the car again until you leave at the end of the day.

Whether or not they can go on rides depends on their heights. The majority of them the older ones especially will be able to do by themselves but the bigger stuff, particularly in Disney Studios, they may need an adult with them.

My tall 7yo was able to go on most things in his own carriage with me and one of the younger ones in the carriage/seat behind.

I didn't do it by myself though, it was DH, me and 3 dcs but I would say it's doable on your own although you will be knackered .

Many thanks for the advice. Is DC def not walkable? The closer hotels don't allow 5 in a room. All but youngest is at least 110cm tall but youngest not yet 1m tall. Did it feel safe there? If I allowed the oldest 2 off on their own would they get lost? Thanks again.

Disneyland Paris is suprisingly small and felt very safe to me. I would let a sensible 10yo go with another similar aged kid on their own once inside the park.

Its a lot smaller than Alton Towers and I reckon you could walk from anywhere in the park to the central area by the castle in 5 minutes.

And you can see the castle from just about everyhwere in the park, so if you make that a meeting point and the eldest can tell the time you'll be fine. Maybe give them a cheap PAYG phone as backup?

Many thanks for the advice. I like the idea of staying in a disney hotel because of the extra time in the morning. Assuming I could get any hotel and DC is too far away. Any tips for choice of hotel? Thanks.

Don't know if this is too late for you but we've just come back from Disney Paris. TBH having been to Florida we weren't impressed with it at all. Staff were surly and very very slow, queue-jumping was endemic, and people were smoking everywhere- even in the ride queues.

Our 4 yo is slightly over 1.02 m so was just big enough to go on some of the bigger rides (Runaway Mine Train and Terror Tower). With a child under that size you can only go on the kiddie rides.

We went by Le Shuttle and hadn't realised it's a 3 hour drive the other side, on a Toll road that was ?20 each way. The journey itself wasn't too bad.

We stayed at the Hotel l'Elysee at Val d'Europe, which was nice. The free shuttle bus was a scrum to get on, and didn't bother turning up most afternoons/ evenings so we ended up using the tube which cost ?3.30 one way for 2 of us, and was really quick. Taxi one night was ?11.

Had to park at Disney on the last day and it cost ?15!

Also be prepared that food is really really expensive. There is a big supermarket at Val d'Europe and several restaurants, but we also ate in the park and a normal sort of dinner (nothing special) for 2 adults and a 4 yr old with pudding and drinking just juice/ coke was ?79!!!! (bearing in mind it is pretty much still £1=?1)