From the first glimpse of the Sleeping Beauty Castle, to discovering your favourite rides and meeting the Disney characters, visiting Disneyland Paris for the first time is a magical experience.
For those of you planning your first trip, we wanted to share our 21 best Disneyland Paris tips for first-timers to help you have an amazing trip!
21 Invaluable Tips for Disneyland Paris First Timers!
From meeting Disney characters to sipping champagne in front of the Sleeping Beauty Castle and tips on where to get incredible photos, here are our 21 best tips for Disneyland Paris first-timers!
1 | There are 2 parks at Disneyland Paris
Disneyland Paris is actually 2 parks, Disneyland Park and Walt Disney Studios Park.
Disneyland Park is the original park but Walt Disney Studios Park is equally as wonderful – both parks have awesome rides, fantastic Disney character meet and greets and great dining options.
Walt Disney Studios Park is home to the Marvel Avengers Campus, World of Pixar and some incredible live theatre shows. Disneyland Park is home to the classic Disney rides, the spectacular parades and nighttime shows, Mickey and Minnie Mouse and the Disney Princesses.
Guests can purchase a single park ticket or a park hopper, which allows access to both parks on the same day. If you have reserved a hotel and tickets package with Disneyland Paris, then a park hopper ticket is included in your package from the day of check-in to the day of check-out – we often find that a hotel and ticket package is much better value and often costs the same or only slightly more than purchasing the tickets separately, especially when Disneyland Paris releases an offer.
2 | Stay in one of the Disney Hotels (they come with LOTS of guest perks!)
If you are a first-timer or a repeat visitor, we highly recommend staying in one of the Disney hotels at Disneyland Paris – check out the Disneyland Paris hotels on the official website here!
The biggest perk of staying in a Disney hotel is Extra Magic Time where guests can access the park one hour before the official opening time – it’s amazing to experience the park when it’s less crowded and wait times are low. We love having the chance to ride all our favourite attractions before the park even opens!
Other benefits include hotel meet and greets with Disney Characters, early access to dining reservations (including the highly coveted Disney Character and Princess Dining slots!), free parking and being within easy walking distance of the parks in the onsite hotels.
Onsite Disney Hotels:
There are 6 onsite hotels at Disneyland Paris which range from luxury to budget with a variety of Disney-inspired themes. All are within easy walking distance of the parks and offer free shuttle buses every 12 minutes:
Disney Hotel Cheyenne (3* Toy Story themed)
Disney Hotel Cheyenne is excellent value for money and is less than a 15-minute walk to the parks. Rooms are located in Wild West-style blocks surrounding the main reception building and Jessie and/or Woodie (Disney Pixar Toy Story) meet guests daily.
As mentioned, Cheyenne currently has some fantastic summer 2024 rates – check prices here!
Disneyland Hotel (5* Prince and Princess themed):
The ultimate regal escape! The royal residence is located at the entrance to Disneyland Park and offers guests a range of exclusive experiences including guest-only dining, Royal makeovers, a spa and swimming pool, and a Princess meet and greet. We stayed in February 2024 and have already made reservations to return! – find out more here!
Disney Hotel New York – The Art of Marvel (4* Marvel themed)
This luxury hotel is less than 10 minutes walk to the park and has a beautiful swimming pool. There are exclusive Marvel Character meet and greets for hotel guests and the hotel restaurant (Downtown) is one of the most sought-after dinner reservations – check prices here!
Disney Sequoia Lodge (3* US National Park style decor)
This Disney Hotel features a swimming pool with a slide! and is a 12-minute walk to the park. There are Disney character meet and greets daily and rooms are located in the main hotel and surrounding lodges. We love the cosy bar with its log fire – book your stay here!
Disney Newport Bay Club (4* Nautical style decor)
This hotel features a swimming pool with a small kids pool and is a 10-minute walk to parks. There are daily Mickey and Friends character greets and the hotel has a lovely bar/lounge area – book your stay here!
Disney Hotel Santa Fe (2* Cars themed)
Disney Hotel Santa Fe is a budget hotel with rooms located in Cars-themed blocks behind the main reception building. There are Mickey Mouse and Friends character greets and it is around a 15-minute walk to parks – check prices here!
Offsite Disney Accommodation:
There is also one offsite option, the Disney Davy Crockett Ranch:
Disney Davy Crockett Ranch
This self-catering option is located less than a 10-minute drive from the parks. The cabins are suitable for larger families/groups and it includes Extra Magic Hour – check availability and prices here!
3 | You can dine with the Disney Characters and the Princesses
If, like us, you love meeting the Disney Characters then Character Dining is amazing – imagine having a character stop by your table as you dine! We’ve shared a meal with so many of our favourites including Mickey and Minnie Mouse, Ariel, Belle and Aurora and their Princes, Cinderella, Goofy and Pluto and Donald and Daisy Duck!
There are four venues for character dining in Disneyland Paris: guests can have breakfast and dinner with Disney characters at the Plaza Gardens Restaurant, lunch with the Princesses at Auberge de Cendrillon, lunch and dinner with a Royally attired Mickey and Minnie at the Royal Banquet and dinner with the Royal Couples at La Table de Lumière, both at the Disneyland Hotel.
Disneyland Paris Tips for First Timers: Lunch at the Royal Banquet is exclusively for guests of Disney hotels and dinner is only for Disneyland Hotel guests. La Table de Lumière is exclusive to guests of the Disneyland Hotel. We’ve dined at both restaurants and the food and characters/Royal Disney characters are incredible!
4 | Download the Disneyland Paris App
All the magic happens on the Disneyland Paris app so make sure to download the app as soon as you reserve your Disney Hotel or purchase tickets.
Most of your Disneyland Paris planning will be done via the app – you can reserve dining, check wait times, see which Disney characters are hosting scheduled meet and greets, find out show times and see a list of every shop, restaurant and attraction in the parks!
5 | Mickey and Minnie often greet guests from the Railroad Station Balcony in the mornings
If you arrive at the park during Extra Magic Hour or soon after the regular opening, make sure to glance back at the the Railroad Station balcony as you walk through Town Square – most days Mickey and/or Minnie welcome guests to Disneyland Park and dance and wave on the balcony. It’s the perfect way to start your Disneyland Paris day!
6 | The daily parades are spectacular
One of the highlights of Disneyland Paris is its magnificent parades. The parades are a spectacular mix of colourful floats, catchy music, dancing and the most amazing character lineup.
There are two daytime shows at the moment: Disney Stars on Parade and, a recent new addition, A Million Splashes of Colour. Make sure to catch each show at least once during your visit!
7 | A nighttime extravaganza of fireworks, illuminations and drones closes the Disneyland Park every night
Every evening a spectacular fireworks and illuminations show, Disney Dreams, wraps up the day at Disneyland Paris. The show features projections on the castle, fireworks and music and is an amazing finale to a day at the parks.
Until September 30 2024 Disney Dreams is preceded by an incredible drone show, the Electrical Sky Parade. The show combines synchronised drones, projections, lights and fountains. We were mesmerized when we watched it for the first time on a recent visit!
8 | Some dining options need to be reserved in advance
If you want a table service restaurant meal then you will likely need to reserve in advance. Restaurants like Downtown (in the Marvel Hotel), Walt’s on Main Street U.S.A., Captain Jack’s by Pirates of the Caribbean and Chez Remy’s all book up months in advance.
Character dining and Princess Dining are also extremely popular.
And because Disney hotel guests have access to dining reservations from the time of booking, reservations can be even harder to come by for other guests when they are released on the app.
Disneyland Paris Tips for First Timers: the hotel dinner buffets usually have good availability and the food is excellent. We love dining at all the hotels and the buffet-style meals really work for our family of 5, all with very different preferences!
9 | Sip champagne in front of the Castle
In the afternoons, a Champagne cart can usually be found at the end of Main Street U.S.A. It’s such a treat sipping champagne while admiring the Castle and taking in the Disneyland Paris vibes!
10 | Wear comfortable shoes!
There is lots of ground to cover at Disneyland Paris and we zig-zag across the parks from opening to close, easily racking up over 20,000 steps!
Make sure to wear comfortable shoes and break them in well before you travel!
11 | You can meet some amazing Disney Characters!
There are Disney character meet and greet scheduled every day at Disneyland Paris – you can find the times of each Meet and Greet listed on the App.
Meeting the Disney characters is one of our most popular things to do at Disneyland Paris and the line up changes regularly so you never know when you might meet one of your favourites!
Many of the characters sign so you can collect autographs if you wish – there are autograph books available in some of the shops.
12 | 6 incredible live shows are included in your ticket!
This was a surprise to us the first time we visited! There are 6 amazing live shows between the two parks and they are amazing! They’re also a great opportunity to see some favourite Disney characters on stage – Belle and Beast, Anna and Elsa, Woodie and Jessie, and Mickey and Minnie all feature alongside a host of other characters.
The Shows
Mickey and the Magician, The Lion King: Rhytms of the Pride Lands and Together: A Pixar Musical Adventure are three all-singing, all-dancing Broadway theatre-style shows and they are spectacular.
Frozen Fans will love Frozen: A Musical Invitation which features Anna, Elsa, Sven and Kirstoff.
Disney Junior Dream Factory is a real treat, especially for younger guests. Mickey and Minnie star alongside Fancy Nancy Clancy, Vampirina and Timon as they try and fix the dream-making machines in the factory.
For Stitch fans, there is a satellite link up with Stitch who entertains with his jokes in Stitch Live.
13 | Keep an eye out for surprise Disney Character meet and greets
Not all meet and greets are listed on the Disneyland Paris app. In fact, you can meet some of the most popular characters at the surprise meet and greets.
We’ve met Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Donald, Daisy and Stitch recently at pop-up meet-and-greets. Some happen pretty regularly. For example, Mickey Mouse typically meets with guests just outside Phantom Manor while Minnie and Goofy are often seen close to Cowboy Cookout.
Keep an eye out for green umbrellas and, if you have a specific character you would like to meet, you can check with a Cast Member at any meet and greet if that character is in the parks.
14 | Even if the park is busy, there’s a spot where you can get a Castle Photo without anyone in it!
We all want a Castle photo as a memento of the trip.
Sometimes it’s possible to get the shot during Extra Magic Hour but, for the rest of the day you need to work with the crowds!
If you follow the path to the left of the Castle, you can get some beautiful Castle shots without anyone in them at any time of the day!
15 | Snack, snack, snack!
Try some of the delicious Disneyland Paris snacks.
From Mickey-shaped everything to Darth Vader waffles, popcorn, ice cream and hot dogs, there are endless snack options at Disneyland Paris!
16 | A Dragon is hiding under the Castle!
The spectacular Sleeping Beauty Castle is the icon of Disneyland Paris.
On a first visit, it’s easy to miss the 90-foot-long dragon in the dungeon and the beautiful La Galerie de la Belle au Bois Dormant (Sleeping Beauty Gallery) on the upper floor.
Keep your eyes peeled for hidden gems!
17 | Skip the queue with Premier Access and Mobile Ordering!
If you want to skip the line for attractions you can purchase Disney Premier Access.
Disney Premier Access Passes allow guests to enter a Premier Line for a selection of rides in Disneyland Paris. On busy days, the Premier Line will allow guests to benefit from a much shorter wait time and, hopefully, ride way more rides than they could otherwise! Read more about Disney Premier Access on the official website.
There are two types of Disney Premier Access:
- Disney Premier Access Ultimate
- Disney Premier Access One
The Disney Premier Ultimate Pass covers one-time premier entry to 16 rides across the two parks (Disneyland Park and Walt Disney Studios Park).
The Disney Premier Access One is a single-ride equivalent of the Premier Pass Ultimate. with 17 rides available to purchase individually. A Premier Access One Pass starts at €5 and the most expensive ride is usually Crush’s Coaster at around €18.
You can also use mobile ordering at some of the quick-service restaurants at Disneyland Paris. You place your order, select a time slot and your food is prepared when you arrive at the restaurant.
18 | Bring a Portable Charger
Between capturing hundreds of photos, checking wait times, show times and parade times and mobile ordering, your phone battery might not last the day at Disneyland Paris!
Make sure to bring a portable charger so you don’t miss out on the late-night fireworks pics!
19 | Dress Up in Disney Attire and wear the Ears!
If you want to dress up in Disney attire then you’re going to the right place!
Children ages 11 and under can go all out and many dress as Princesses or wear character costumes.
As adults, we love to wear Disney t-shirts and sweatshirts and complete our look with some Disney ears!
20 | Don’t worry about the weather
We’ve been in the parks for rain, wind, peak summer sunshine and cold winter days. And you know what? We’ve had an absolutely brilliant time every single visit!
If the weather forecast gives rain, pack a poncho and, if it gets too wet, there are endless things to do indoors. Bring sunscreen during the summer months and pack layers for the cold temperatures.
And remember, a day spent at Disney in the rain is still a million times more fun than a day not spent at Disney – that’s our motto anyway!
21 | Have a loose plan but be flexible
We always like to have a loose plan for our Disneyland Paris trips.
We pick the shows we’d like to see and the characters we want to meet, reserve our sit-down meals, choose some snacks we want to try and make a note of the parade times and our favourite rides.
Then we make sure we leave lots of time to be spontaneous – to jump in a ride line when the wait time is short, to meet a character that we didn’t know was in the park, to grab a hot dog at Casey’s and eat cakes at Victoria’s, to shop, to dance, to ride our favourite attraction twice, to take a nap or to swim at our hotel.
Have fun!
Our most important tip is to have fun! Disneyland Paris is a truly wonderful place to visit so soak up that magic and enjoy every second!
