Has anyone driven to Disneyland Paris?

[megan2021]

How was it? I am thinking of going in September, DD's will be 4 and nearly 2. P&O crossing or Eurotunnel?

Eldest DD has ASD so I am thinking it may be more comfortable for her.

Tunnel will be quicker... but you don't get out the car. (But can take seat belts off). Ferry gives you time to run off steam, but if travel sickness is an issue its a gamble.

We didn't need the cR once in Disney land S we were at a hotel with a shuttle bus. I know others you need to drive.

Motorwats in Europe are generally quite good.

We did when our eldest two were 3 and 5 and the way we planned it ended up working really well.

We went on the Ferry, only because I'm fairly claustrophobic and hate the tunnel.

We drove to Dover the day before (5 hours). Stayed overnight in the Dover Premier Inn then got the 7am ferry crossing. We enjoyed the crossing, we had breakfast on the ferry, took the dc for a wander etc. Then out at Calais and it was only about 3.5 hours to DLP...after the early start and excitement of the boat, the dc napped a good chunk of that which was a win!

By self driving you also get the additional benefit of being able to take a bag full of snacks and drinks. We saved an absolute fortune whilst in there because of that, we never bought lunch, just had a picky snack lunch every day that didn't need refrigerating.

I drove, it took 10 hours with 3 small children. We stopped over for a night in Kent there and back before/after crossing the euro tunnel.

Yes, but in the February right after it opened. So quite some time ago.

We stayed in a cheap hotel nearby and then drove into the site on the day. They had little page things and a big car park.

But like I say, this was in the early 90s so quite some time ago.

Parking at disney is £££££

I would suggest looking sy the cheapest annual pass that includes parking, as they also give the chancr to buy cheap tickets on the gate. You could just get a pass for one of you - i ended up with a spreadsheet to work out the most economical way to do it!

We did this. We had a 5 seater van and brought a slow cooker. We were on a massive budget and only ate in actual Disneyland once. We brought all our breakfasts, made a packed lunch every day and put dinner in the slow cooker in the morning so it was ready when we got back. We saved a fortune.

Tunnel over ferry every time. I'm not sure how you can be claustrophobic in there if you don't get claustrophobic in your car. It only takes 35 minutes and there are up to four crossings an hour - if you get there early they will often put you on an earlier shuttle.

We did a few months ago - with a one year old.

We drove to dover (4 hours) and stayed over at the premier inn. It was £38 for the night. Then we got the early morning ferry to calis, really easy, simple, no problems. Then 3 hours (maybe slightly more) from calis to centre Parcs nature village. We loved the park, it has a few negative reviews on trip advisor but we couldn't fault it. You get free parking at DLP if you're staying at the centre Parcs.

I'd do it again - the drive home was a bit of a slog but our LO wouldn't settle in the car back from dover to our home.

I'm not sure how you can be claustrophobic in there if you don't get claustrophobic in your car

Really? It's a tube buried under ground and water with absolutely no way to get out. Its totally different to driving around in a car above ground, which I do daily with no issue.

Totally appreciate that many people don't have an issue with it but it's not difficult to understand why those that tend towards claustrophobia would struggle with it.

Thanks all this is so useful! I'm looking at staying on site at Disney Newport Bay so presumably parking would be included?!

How long does the ferry take? I think this would be my preferred option just based on the DD's being able to get out of the car. We only live 1.5hr from Dover though so not far to go this side of the channel.

Doubt anyone would know this but if we took our VW transporter would that be a problem re any height restrictions at Disney?

Hi OP, we went to Disney in November and also stayed at Newport Bay - it's lovely and an easy walk to the parks (you also get hte added bonus of character meets inside the hotel each evening).

We went by Eurostar but would drive in future. I just wanted to recommend you join the FB group 'Disneyland Paris for Brits' if you're not already on it - it's a fantastic source of advice and tips, there are people on there who know the parks inside out and we got loads of great info for our trip there.

I always see lots of people saying how easy the drive is and that French roads are great, etc. Good luck!

We always take the tunnel to France but are only an hour from dover. If we had a long drive I'd probably take the ferry to let the kids get out of the car for a bit. The drive is easy from Calais to DLP.

Also make sure you apply for a priority pass for your DD - you'll be able to queue jump at rides and character meets which should make the trip much more enjoyable! I'm not sure how you go about it but as long as you have some official medical paperwork for your DD it should be fairly straightforward (there's lots of info on the FB group - Disney seems to be great for ND kids!)

Another tip for DLP is to book through a non UK site, especially if going in UK school holidays.

A friend of mine booked DLP through the German site and saved about £600 on the UK site prices - exact same holiday.

It's more awkward - Google translate etc to make sure you know what you're getting - but worth spending a couple of hours on.

We did it, really easy and you can load up with snacks and water.

We've been driving to Europe with 2 kids since first one was 6 months old and much much prefer tunnel to ferry. So much quicker, especially as you don't get caught up in traffic at Dover. Tunnel only 35 mins, I think ferry is 1.5 hours.

You can always stretch your legs at terminal, and on the train itself.

If you're staying at Newport Bay make sure you make the most of magic hours and get into parks at 8am. Have no idea of height restrictions for parking though.

We did it two weeks ago, literally just before Christmas, also staying at Newport Bay.

is SO SO easy. We stayed overnight at the Premier Inn Folkestone for £35 then got on the 6.20am tunnel crossing.

it’s motorway the whole way when you come off, you just pay €23 for the tolls (contactless). We came off tunnel at 8am, and pulled into Newport Bay car park at 11.45am. But you literally drive off the train straight onto the motorway

and yes, parking for hotel guests is free at DLP

Tunnel , we’ve been doing it for 30 yrs , it’s very straightforward .