Ahh, Disneyland! The happiest place on earth! A child’s wildest dream meeting all their favorite characters. Disneyland Paris is a magical destination suitable for guests of all ages. We traveled to Disneyland over a weekend with 4 adults, a 3-year-old and a 6 month old. We had one day to spend at both parks so we decided to get there when they opened and stay until the kids were ready to go home! Disneyland Park and Walt Disney Studios Park are doable on a one-day ticket. If you have time, I would recommend splitting it up between two or even three days so you can get your money’s worth and see everything there is without having time any restraints.
How to get there: Plane, trains or automobiles! So many ways to get to and from Disneyland Paris!
Plane: The fastest way to Disneyland! You can fly direct from Stuttgart to Paris-Charles de Gaulle or Orly International Airport. It is about an hour and a half flight to either airport. According to Disney’s website, they have a shuttle (for a fee of 20€ for adults and 16€ for children, kids 3 and under are free, per trip) from the airport to any of the Disney hotels. Although pricey, depending how many you have traveling, this might be the quickest and easiest form of transportation to your hotel. You can also check your hotel’s website and see which train station is closest to your hotel and train it from the airport to the hotel, which may be cheaper than the Disney shuttle.
Train: If you decide to take the train to Disney, you need to book ahead of time for a decent deal. Although it takes about the same time traveling by train (about 5 hours) as it does by car, you save on tolls. You can take the train directly to Disneyland Paris (Marne-la-Vallée/Chessy train station). The gates of both parks are a 2-minute walk from the train station. For more information on train times and prices visit Bahn.de.
Car: This was our form of transportation. We chose to drive to have more room for all of our belongings and come and go as wanted. Although you will pay about 80€ in tolls, 40€ each way, split between two families made it cheaper for us to drive then take the train or fly! This route does take about 5 hours, give or take a stau!
Where to stay: There are many places to stay near Disneyland Paris, but being a sucker for Marriott we secured a room at the Marriott’s Vacation Club. Perfectly located just a few kilometers from Disneyland, Marriott’s d’lle de France Villa Village is a wonderful vacation spot. This Marriott offers 1-3 bedroom townhouses for their guest rooms. Each booking gets their own private villa, equipped with a full kitchen (to save on meals), a washer and dryer and separate living and dining spaces. This is ideal for a big family or friends traveling together. The hotel also has an indoor and outdoor pool, hot tub, sauna, steam room and daily activities for children and adults. They have a market on the property so you are able to buy food and cook your own meals, if you wish. No time to cook? Then grab breakfast, lunch or dinner at the restaurant in the lobby! The Marriott offers a shuttle to and from Disneyland for their guest multiple times a day. Reasonably priced at 4.50€ round trip, for ages 2 and up. Other transportation methods to and from the park include: a taxi for 11€ one-way for up to 6 people and the local bus for 2€ one-way, per person. The front desk is very eager and willing to help you with all your needs and questions. Upon arrival you will receive times and prices for the daily activities the hotel offers along with day trips all over Paris, such as wine tasting and city tours.
Don’t want to stay here? Here is a list of other Disney hotels within walking distance to the park!
Tickets:
You can buy your tickets directly from the Disneyland website or you can wait until you arrive and purchase your tickets at the gate. We bought our tickets at the gate the day of and we were given a military discount when we showed our ID. Military with a valid ID, is given 50% off the ticket price! Our tickets, with the military discount were 70€, per adult, for a 2-day/2-park entrance. With this ticket we were able to ride all the rides and see all the shows! Depending on what you want to do and see while you and your family are there, depends on the type of ticket you should buy. The website offers everything from one day tickets with a shuttle included to multi-day tickets with entrance to the park for 2-4 consecutive days. If you are a Disney enthusiast, you can even buy an annual pass! Note that children three and under are free!
Also, check with your SATO office as they may have a better rate for military personnel!
For more information on tickets and prices, you can either visit the website above or call Disney’s ticket office directly (+33 1 60 30 60 53) and see what specials they have going on!
Tips and tricks:
*Contrary to popular belief, you CAN take food and drinks into the park. Alcoholic drinks are prohibited but water, juice, and soda are allowed. We packed snacks and lunch in backpacks and were just asked to open our bags as we walked through the security gate. This is a great save a few bucks, okay, let’s be real, a lot of bucks. One meal at Disney costs roughly 15€ per person!
*FASTPASS: Go on more rides without wasting time waiting in line! FASTPASS is ticket available on most rides. How it works: Go to your desired attraction. Scan one Disney Park admission ticket on the FASTPASS machine at the entrance to the ride. You will receive a FASTPASS ticket with your return time. While waiting for your FASTPASS ticket to be valid, enjoy shows or collect additional FASTPASS tickets for other rides! You can use one admission ticket per ride for a FASTPASS ticket.
*Strollers: You can take a stroller into the park. You are also able to rent them for a fee if you don’t wish to haul a stroller with you as you travel.
What a magical weekend it was. Seeing the kids’ faces light up with excitement was more than we could have asked for. So grab your king or queen and your little prince and princess and give them the trip of a lifetime!
Have you recently visited Disneyland? Add some more tips and tricks you may have!
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