Disneyland Paris Trip Review from a DVC Owner & Disneyworld Fan

[ameliahyde]

Hi there! I felt compelled to write a post about our trip to Disneyland Paris this past July. First, just a bit of background! I’m a pretty huge Disney World Fan! We own at Beach Club and go to Disney World often. I’ve never been to Disneyland or any other Disney park. I have done Disney Cruise Line once but most of my Disney experiences are down at Disney World! All that said, I ADORED Disneyland Paris and 100% recommend it to any Disney fan who has the day to spare in Paris!

Our trip to Disneyland Paris was not planned. We had an 11 night trip planned for London and Paris between June 30-July 11 of 2022. We decided very last minute to go and this was mainly because our 10 and 12 year old were “museumed-out” and tbh, I was also looking for a change. I didn’t realize how easy it would really be to get there. We found out after inquiring at the front desk of our hotel that we just needed to take the subway in Paris one stop and then switch over to the “metro” train which literally drops you off at the front gate. All in all it was an hour each way and the trains ran quite often. It was VERY easy!

After arriving at the park, we first noticed how CLEAN it was! It was well kept and just as pretty as the American counterpart we have grown to love. It was not nearly as packed at rope drop (which we basically made). Once we got in, we enjoyed so much of the park in such a short amount of time! We got a bit turned around a time or two, but that is expected in any theme park where you are not familiar. The staff was helpful, but overall we felt like we saw less employees there. It didn’t make our trip any less enjoyable though.

Many of the rides were “similar” but not identical to the ones at Disney World. We enjoyed them all! As the day wore on, it did get busier but with the exception of riding the Snow White ride at the very end, I felt like the lines went quickly. We arrived at the park when it opened and left about 6pm. It was a full day and after 10 days of touring Europe, we were tired! The food was also very nice - some similar and some different. We did do the Princess lunch and I have to say the food was downright gourmet! it was impressed!

Here are the rides we did in our 9 hour park day:

Big Thunder Mountain
Indiana Jones
The Lancelot Carrousel
Peter Pan’s Flight
Phantom Manor
Pirate of the Caribbean
Ratatouille
HyperSpace Mountain

We walked into the castle and saw the dragon living in the basement (so cool)! We walked through the Arcade and did some shopping, and also enjoyed the lovely Garden of Wonder.

For lunch, we did the princess dining at Auberge de Cendriollion, booked very last minute. I’ll be candid. it was a lovely meal and the princesses were sweet, but they can’t hold a candle to our American versions - who I find to be wonderfully engaged. We did have a language barrier so I want to be fair. If we spoke French, it may have been much more fun and interesting. I did love that the mice from Cinderella visited - that was just ADORABLE!

At the end of our day, we picked up some wonderful tshirts and things from the shops, and high tailed it back to the train! It was the PERFECT way to spend our last day in Paris. We stayed in the Rue de Cler area of Paris, and I’m happy to help anyone I can with train or park information, where we stayed etc. we LOVED our hotel and neighborhood as well!

 

[KCanuck]

We were there last week for the first time for one day. We loved it too.
I agree with so much of what you said. It is so clean and the train was so easy.
I never thought we would ”waste“ a day in France at DL, but we love WDW and we had to leave WDW early in March 2020 so we thought we would do it while we were in Paris. We watched the Disneyplus shows about the building of the different parks which also made us want to visit.
I love the photo of your girls looking at the castle : )

 

[ameliahyde]

We were there last week for the first time for one day. We loved it too.
I agree with so much of what you said. It is so clean and the train was so easy.
I never thought we would ”waste“ a day in France at DL, but we love WDW and we had to leave WDW early in March 2020 so we thought we would do it while we were in Paris. We watched the Disneyplus shows about the building of the different parks which also made us want to visit.
I love the photo of your girls looking at the castle : )

Thank you! I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed it like I did ! I need to watch that show on Disney Plus - sounds fascinating

 

[JAM9842]

Thank you for this! We are going to DLP for the first time next month and are super excited.

 

[juxtapose]

Thanks for the review! We are doing a nearly identical trip next summer and are thinking about ending in at DL also. Do you think the princess lunch is worth it for kids who aren't super into princesses anymore (11yo girl and 8 yo boy)?

 

[tink2424]

I love DLP!! I went in 1998 for a day and then in 2019 I went back with my Mom and sister and we spent 2 nights at the Disneyland Hotel. We got a great deal (half board free) and we really enjoyed the food and the parks. I definitely feel like it is worth at least a 1 day trip from Paris and as you mentioned it is very easy to get there via the metro. Glad you had a good time! It truly is the most beautiful park.

 

[amw]

We stayed in the Rue de Cler area of Paris, and I’m happy to help anyone I can with train or park information, where we stayed etc. we LOVED our hotel and neighborhood as well!

Planning for next year — would love to know where you stayed.

 

[ameliahyde]

Thank you for this! We are going to DLP for the first time next month and are super excited.

Have the BEST time!!

 

[ameliahyde]

Thanks for the review! We are doing a nearly identical trip next summer and are thinking about ending in at DL also. Do you think the princess lunch is worth it for kids who aren't super into princesses anymore (11yo girl and 8 yo boy)?

Unless you’d really like a super lovely sit down meal, then I’d weigh if it is worth the expense. It was expensive … maybe $450 USD which is a lot for us. It was a very special experience and I enjoyed the comparison but I felt it was too much money. Seeing the mice was really cute! If I did it again, I think I’d skip it and do more rides!

 

[ameliahyde]

I love DLP!! I went in 1998 for a day and then in 2019 I went back with my Mom and sister and we spent 2 nights at the Disneyland Hotel. We got a great deal (half board free) and we really enjoyed the food and the parks. I definitely feel like it is worth at least a 1 day trip from Paris and as you mentioned it is very easy to get there via the metro. Glad you had a good time! It truly is the most beautiful park.

I’d love to do that and stay a night! How fun!

 

[ameliahyde]

Planning for next year — would love to know where you stayed.

We stayed at the Hotel Cadran on the Champ Du Mars. It was really lovely, just off Rue de Cler. There are a lot of hotels in that neighborhood but this one has a fabulous breakfast, coffee bar, and seating area on the Champ du Mars. It is also right across from a FranPrix grocery and 2 cafes are on the same block, visible to the hotel room windows. I mention this because we got a glass of wine a couple night looking towards the hotel and felt comfortable leaving our kids for a hour with a cell (and we also did the same sitting in the hotel seating area down front). I’m happy to share our itinerary or any information that can help you!

 

[amw]

We stayed at the Hotel Cadran on the Champ Du Mars. It was really lovely, just off Rue de Cler. There are a lot of hotels in that neighborhood but this one has a fabulous breakfast, coffee bar, and seating area on the Champ du Mars. It is also right across from a FranPrix grocery and 2 cafes are on the same block, visible to the hotel room windows. I mention this because we got a glass of wine a couple night looking towards the hotel and felt comfortable leaving our kids for a hour with a cell (and we also did the same sitting in the hotel seating area down front). I’m happy to share our itinerary or any information that can help you!

Thank you! My daughters are older. They’ll be in their early 20s. But it’s hard to find a “family” room for the three of us. I like getting recommendations of safe areas, and my youngest is a bit of a foodie so this area intrigues me.

 

[tink2424]

I’d love to do that and stay a night! How fun!

It was really nice. The hotels there truly are just hotels but it was great to be right at the entrance to DLP and so close to the studios park. The food can be very expensive (it was 200 Euro for 3 of us to eat at the sit down restaurants) but we had half-board free with our reservation so we didn't pay out of pocket. Also, I thought the food was very good.

If you are going to book to stay on-site try all the different country websites (UK, Germany, etc) for the best deal. You can book them even if you live in the US. That is what we did to get the best deal and the free half-board. I think I ended up booking on Expedia and still got the half-board as well.

 

[kathy884]

Thank you for posting. We are going to Paris and Belfast next September 2023 and I recently decided to extend my trip by three nights (onsite for early entry) and do three nights / two days at DLP (have never been and DS 27 and I are HUGE Disney fans). Packages for three nights with four days, so we'll do in the night before too. We mostly go to WDW as that's the easiest for us to get too and we have relatives who live in Orlando and Tampa.

Loved your report and I'm super excited to be visiting Paris and Disneyland Paris next year.

 

[chicklet2]

We too went to DLP for the first time last week and can say we are glad we went. We are DVC members and frequent WDW at least 4-5 times a year,been to California a few times as well,so we consider ourselves avid Disney lovers.
We stayed at the Marvel hotel due to proximity to the parks. Very clean hotel and beds were decent,if you love the Marvel universe this so the place for you with all the decor.Tastefully done.
We stayed two nights,primarily to be able to see the D light and Illumination show,first night was arrival day from the states and we knew we would be too tired to make it till 11pm.
I’m just going to point out what we didn’t care for,again from a Disney goers perspective.

-The food is not high quality or variety. We even had to send a meal back due to the fact we could not even cut the meat. While I know food is all personal opinion,I’ve never been so surprised to disappointed with Disney food and snacks.
If you have a wheelchair member,which we do,make sure to sign up ahead of time to get the disability pass.Very helpful. But as a heads up,many of the curbs in the parks are not level enough to roll off and on and some we needed to lift the chair physically or help member to stand so we could move. So be aware of curbing. Also there are no automatic doors anywhere so if you again are pushing someone,it is quite difficult to maneuver opening a door and getting person in.
-I know it’s Europe but also had no idea to how many people smoked everywhere and even though not supposed to smoke in parks people are walking around with cigarettes right in front of cast members.
-Merchandise is also not as big at DLP as I would have thought.
-Photopass photographers are very hard to come by.Used to walking around WDW and having them available to walking to DLP and seeing none down Main Street was surprising. Fortunately we did find one to right hand side of castle very close. That was only one.

Loved the Illuminations show the best,the combo of the castle show and water was great. If we had that and the states fireworks it would be the best ever. It’s late but worth it.We went back to hotel and rested for a bit to go back out. Get there early and get a spot to see the castle directly and be prepared for super crowds.

Again these are just personal options from a Disney veteran. Some will disagree and that’s fine. I would never travel just to DLP but we were going to Paris and than Alonso so worked it in because we love Disney and that’s what I would tell someone who asks me.If your going anyway,take one day and see it.

 

[Karin1984]

-Photopass photographers are very hard to come by.Used to walking around WDW and having them available to walking to DLP and seeing none down Main Street was surprising. Fortunately we did find one to right hand side of castle very close. That was only one.

Yes, we don't have Photopass photographers, unless some special occasions or seasons for magic shots. It is not something most Europeans are willing to pay for. I only have it because it comes with my AP.

 

[tink2424]

-The food is not high quality or variety. We even had to send a meal back due to the fact we could not even cut the meat. While I know food is all personal opinion,I’ve never been so surprised to disappointed with Disney food and snacks.
If you have a wheelchair member,which we do,make sure to sign up ahead of time to get the disability pass.Very helpful. But as a heads up,many of the curbs in the parks are not level enough to roll off and on and some we needed to lift the chair physically or help member to stand so we could move. So be aware of curbing. Also there are no automatic doors anywhere so if you again are pushing someone,it is quite difficult to maneuver opening a door and getting person in.

I see people complain about the food all the time in DLP but it surprises me as my group had fantastic food at all the places we ate at. Maybe it was where we ate (Annette's in downtown Disney, Walt's in Disneyland & Chez Remy in the Studio Park & Toad's counter service in Disneyland) but it was much better than I have gotten in the states. Our biggest gripe with the food was the cost (luckily we had free half board so our three most expensive meals were covered) & the time it takes (the french are very slow with meal service or the lines for counter service) to get food.

When I went I was with my sister and my Mom and my Mom had an electric wheelchair that we brought. I wrote a post on here about having to get the wheelchair pass as we didn't at first and had to go back to guest services to get one which was very annoying. Other than that we didn't have any problems but it was easier for us as her chair is motorized and there were 2 of us that could open and hold doors for her. But you make really good points that others should know as well.

Glad that you had a good time! I definitely want to make another trip back to DLP at some point in the future.

 

[ameliahyde]

Thank you for posting. We are going to Paris and Belfast next September 2023 and I recently decided to extend my trip by three nights (onsite for early entry) and do three nights / two days at DLP (have never been and DS 27 and I are HUGE Disney fans). Packages for three nights with four days, so we'll do in the night before too. We mostly go to WDW as that's the easiest for us to get too and we have relatives who live in Orlando and Tampa.

Loved your report and I'm super excited to be visiting Paris and Disneyland Paris next year.

I'm glad you enjoyed the review! Belfast and Disney - what an awesome trip! It wonderful you get to go with your daughter. I went to WDW with my 80 yo Mom in May and we had so many good memories! I have a 10 & 12 yo daughter too and I sure hope we will do these trips when they are older as well!

 

[ameliahyde]

We too went to DLP for the first time last week and can say we are glad we went. We are DVC members and frequent WDW at least 4-5 times a year,been to California a few times as well,so we consider ourselves avid Disney lovers.
We stayed at the Marvel hotel due to proximity to the parks. Very clean hotel and beds were decent,if you love the Marvel universe this so the place for you with all the decor.Tastefully done.
We stayed two nights,primarily to be able to see the D light and Illumination show,first night was arrival day from the states and we knew we would be too tired to make it till 11pm.
I’m just going to point out what we didn’t care for,again from a Disney goers perspective.

-The food is not high quality or variety. We even had to send a meal back due to the fact we could not even cut the meat. While I know food is all personal opinion,I’ve never been so surprised to disappointed with Disney food and snacks.
If you have a wheelchair member,which we do,make sure to sign up ahead of time to get the disability pass.Very helpful. But as a heads up,many of the curbs in the parks are not level enough to roll off and on and some we needed to lift the chair physically or help member to stand so we could move. So be aware of curbing. Also there are no automatic doors anywhere so if you again are pushing someone,it is quite difficult to maneuver opening a door and getting person in.
-I know it’s Europe but also had no idea to how many people smoked everywhere and even though not supposed to smoke in parks people are walking around with cigarettes right in front of cast members.
-Merchandise is also not as big at DLP as I would have thought.
-Photopass photographers are very hard to come by.Used to walking around WDW and having them available to walking to DLP and seeing none down Main Street was surprising. Fortunately we did find one to right hand side of castle very close. That was only one.

Loved the Illuminations show the best,the combo of the castle show and water was great. If we had that and the states fireworks it would be the best ever. It’s late but worth it.We went back to hotel and rested for a bit to go back out. Get there early and get a spot to see the castle directly and be prepared for super crowds.

Again these are just personal options from a Disney veteran. Some will disagree and that’s fine. I would never travel just to DLP but we were going to Paris and than Alonso so worked it in because we love Disney and that’s what I would tell someone who asks me.If your going anyway,take one day and see it.

Oh we missed illuminations! We had to get on the train early (we got there from Paris via the commuter train) in the morning and couldn't do another 4 hours in the park - kudos to you for spending the whole day! Hopefully another time We had a different experience with food but we may have ate at different places. I did notice their Mickey Bars were different - the ice cream was not the same (and this could disappoint some people)!

 

[ameliahyde]

I see people complain about the food all the time in DLP but it surprises me as my group had fantastic food at all the places we ate at. Maybe it was where we ate (Annette's in downtown Disney, Walt's in Disneyland & Chez Remy in the Studio Park & Toad's counter service in Disneyland) but it was much better than I have gotten in the states. Our biggest gripe with the food was the cost (luckily we had free half board so our three most expensive meals were covered) & the time it takes (the french are very slow with meal service or the lines for counter service) to get food.

When I went I was with my sister and my Mom and my Mom had an electric wheelchair that we brought. I wrote a post on here about having to get the wheelchair pass as we didn't at first and had to go back to guest services to get one which was very annoying. Other than that we didn't have any problems but it was easier for us as her chair is motorized and there were 2 of us that could open and hold doors for her. But you make really good points that others should know aI s well.

Glad that you had a good time! I definitely want to make another trip back to DLP at some point in the future.

I agree the food was EXPENSIVE but Europe was so expensive this summer (I came home penniless hahaha)! I would love to return soon too!