Visiting Disneyland Paris with Physical Disability and Autism

[shaggyrogersmademedoit]

I am a huge Disney fan and want nothing more than to one day go to Disneyland Paris. As an adult living with autism, there are already some challenges I will face when visiting somewhere as popular as this - huge crowds are overwhelming, sudden loud noises can make me anxious, and overstimulation will have to be countered with frequent breaks. Despite these difficulties, it's still something I want to do. Does anyone have any advice on the best time of year to visit Disneyland Paris so that it is the least busy time of year? I also find that rollercoasters with long drops or upsidedown sections are not suitable for me with my autism - will there be enough rides I can go on if I skip these kinds of rides?
Second of all, this last year has been very difficult for me with my mobility as I have developed knee pain that is bad enough to require crutches for inside the house and a wheelchair for out of the house. Will this add further limits to the kinds of rides I can go on, or is Disneyland Paris still accessable in many ways? My concern is that I save up for a ticket for myself (and also pay for a carer to come too) and then I don't get to go on many rides or enjoy many attractions, therefore wasting my money on entry tickets and plane tickets too.
Any advice would be appreciated, especially from people with (or family/friends of people with) physical disabilities and/or learning disabilities. Thank you all!

 

[Karin1984]

Hey there!
- Disneyland Paris very much still has a high and low season. There are quiet periods between French national holidays and school vacations. If you can travel between these times.
- Keep an eye on https://publicholidays.fr/ and https://publicholidays.fr/school-holidays/
- If you can only travel during a school holiday, make sure to avoid when zone C is having holidays. This is the region that includes Paris.
- For next year, I would go somewhere between 6 March and 10 April. This is between school holidays, the weather starts to get better. September is also a good month weatherwise. November is less good for weather, but it is good for Christmas decorations.
January is the quietest and cheapest (after Christmas break ends), but the weather is definitely going to suck.
- Definitely go during the week.
- Stay on site, the magical hours have almost all headliners open and you can do them with little to no wait.
Disneyland Paris only sells room/hotel packages with as many days you are on site, 1 night = 2 days entrance. A longer stay makes sure that you can take a more relaxed pace and take a break if needed.

Rides
- You probably want to avoid Crush Coaster, Tower of Terror, Indiana Jones and Space Mountain. Not all drops are long, but they are sudden. I would suggest to watch onride videos to see what you think you can handle. Keep in mind, our Pirates of the Caribbean has 2 drops, not 1 as the US counter parts.
- I think almost all rides are accessible as long as you can transfer and evacuate in case needed. I think Peter Pan might be out because of the evacuation.
- For parades, stand at the beginning of the ride near It's a small world, the crowds are lower there, if you do not want to use the designated wheelchair spot (I do not remember where it is at the moment)

Also read the page on the DLP website: https://www.disneylandparis.com/en-gb/guest-services/accessibility-at-disneylandparis/
It tells you about the different kind of passes (Priority or Easy Access), how to requested. Also you and your carer are entitled to a 25% discount on tickets.

 

[shaggyrogersmademedoit]

Hi Karin1984,

That is very helpful information! I really appreciate the time you have put into writing that response for me, I'm going to take a screenshot so I don't ever lose the information especially the hyperlinks and the tips about which rides have the sudden drops. And a much appreciated safety tip about the evacuation if needed, I hadn't considered this, so I'm glad you mentioned about the Peter Pan ride probably being out of the question.
I will definitely look into the types of passes, it sounds like they have good options to include Easy Access, and that's wonderful they have 25% discount for me and my carer because that means it will take less time for me to save up for my carer to come too.
Thanks once again Karin1984, you've been incredibly helpful

All the best,
shaggyrogersmademedoit

 

[Karin1984]

You're welcome!
One more thing, when you look up information, make sure it's recent information. As per the 3rd of December 2021, DLP made some changes to their disability pass program.
This article will tell you more about it: https://www.ed92.org/en/new-accessibility-and-disability-programme-at-disneyland-paris/

 

[shaggyrogersmademedoit]

Brilliant, thanks for the additional advice, that's another thing I wasn't aware of. Much appreciated!!

 

[Woodview]

One thing that you ( shaggyrogersma) have not said is Where are you from & which city ?

 

[Maryive]

Hello. Myself and a friend (we are both carers) want to visit Disneyland Paris next year (2023) with my 19-year-old twin boys who have autism, learning disabilities and are non-verbal. They have a “yellow card” from the our local authority which stipulates that they are disabled and they both receive the highest awards for Personal Independence Payment (PIP). Will this be sufficient evidence to receive the ride access passes?
Also, when looking at the Disneyland Paris website, there only seems to be a 25% discount for carers on condition that they buy a 1-day pass - we would like to visit for 3 days - is there a means to buy tickets in advance for 3 days for both parks and still receive the 25% discount? We want to be able to buy our tickets in advance, as my boys cannot cope with disappointment and will become very distressed if we are not able to enter the parks.
I have looked at the accommodation on site and it isn’t suitable for my boys needs, as my boys require a separate bedroom, for they are bad sleepers and require quietness in order to gain a good nights rest. We are looking at staying off site, but nearby.
Can you please advise? @Karin1984
Many thanks and kind regards.

 

[Karin1984]

Hi @Maryive ,

I am no expert on Easy Access and Priority Cards Disneyland Paris has. I would advise you to read this page, scroll down to the bottom. https://www.disneylandparis.com/en-gb/guest-services/accessibility-at-disneylandparis/

Easy Access you make an appointment to return at a ride at a certain time slot and is for this diseases,. Autism would be #9 on this list, I would say as it is a neurological disorder. https://media.disneylandparis.com/d4th/en-gb/images/ALD 30 - EN_tcm752-231033.pdf
For this you need a doctor's note, less than 3 months old, stamped, in English.

Priority cards are mainly used by wheelchair users. For this you could probably use the yellow card, but I'm not expert enough to be sure. This card can be requested a month in advance via the website. I think it's best you contact Disney to ask for the details. Same for the discount of 25% by the looks of it, it's only on day tickets. I don't see anything about multiple day tickets.

About the hotel, are you looking for suites with multiple bedrooms, or would two rooms with a connecting door also work?