American in Paris

[Hhalfacre1991]

Hello everyone,

We are planning a spring 2026 trip to Disneyland Paris. We are planning it around the opening of the new Frozen land. From the research I’ve been doing we will definitely be staying onsite and doing a vacation package for 3 nights/4 days. We are looking at early May before summer crowds and when it gets hot. I’ve heard Paris doesn’t really have AC like the US does so we get uncomfortable when too hot. We will be flying into CDG and then taking the magical express to our hotel. we are still thinking about which hotel to pick. Leaning towards the Disneyland Hotel since this will probably be a once in a lifetime trip. After Disneyland Paris we will head into the city and stay there while doing museums and tours before flying back to the US. (If there are any hotel recommendations) Are there any tips? Any cultural differences I need to be aware of?

 

[Bad Pink Tink 2.0]

I would save the money and book a different hotel. Disneyland Hotel was over priced before it shut and not really worth the money. You get the same onsite perks at the budget Santa Fe Hotel as you do with the high end Disneyland Hotel and Art of Marvel Hotel. You can eat at any hotel even if you are not staying there. Theres really no need for a hotel pool which is basically the only real advantage. All of the hotels , even the budget Santa Fe are walking distance. My 70 year mum and 8 year old niece had no issues with the walk from SantaFe Hotel to the parks.

 

[Karin1984]

2026 is far far away, but let's give some tips.

First week of May is a holiday week for most of Europe. It won't be Summer busy, but it'll be busy.

We don't know everything about the Disneyland Hotel yet after the reopening, but to justify the price, look into taking time out of the park to make use of everything the hotel offers. There are restaurants only to be booked for hotel guests and I think the same for some of the activities. Or Disneyland Hotel guests get priority when booking.

My main advice when it comes to hotels: If you do plan to spend time in the parks from opening to close, do you need an expensive hotel or do you just need a clean room with a bed and a shower?

Cultural differences:
- For CMs in the US and especially WDW, working for Disney is a dream. In France it is a job like any other and Europeans are less extravagant and outgoing to begin with.
- Table service takes longer in France, waiters will not be by your table constantly. You might need to ask for the bill yourself as it can be considered rude to rush you.
- No free refills (by law)
- Smoking. It is a lot less than it was 10 years ago, but to Americans it is very noticeable. Smoking is part of French culture.
- Be prepared for less clothing merchandise than in the US. Keep in mind French sizes are smaller than in the US.

There are plenty of tips in threads on this board, have a look around.

 

[kathy884]

On cultural differences
-- This might be something you already do in dealing with people in the US, but in France it's even more important -- Always say bonjour first (friendly greeting) before asking any question or request of anyone. Not doing this is considered rude.
-- As noted by the previous poster note that you will need to ask for your check at any restaurant. The waiter / waitress (cultural difference) won't just bring this to you -- they don't want to appear to be rude and rush you.

We found having the extra hour before the general crowds get in by staying on property to be super beneficial, so are glad we stayed at a Disney hotel. We could get three or four headliner rides in prior to the general public arriving. We stayed at the Sequoia Lodge (We got a kick out of the US national park theming.). We were there last September and thought the air conditioning worked just great -- but it was not super hot to start with. Still being someone who is used to central air, we specifically booked a property with A/C.

The Disneyland hotel was under construction when we were there. From the outside it looked beautiful and the location looked amazing.

Have fun. Our trip to Disneyland Paris and Paris was a once in a lifetime trip for us more or less too and we really enjoyed it. We started in Paris for four nights, then did three nights in Disneyland Paris, and then did three nights in Belfast. Whatever way you do it, it will be amazing, but we kind of liked staying in Paris first as Disneyland being a more self contained place was sort of more rest / chill out after having explored that amazing city. (I had been in Paris once before too -- but that was back in 1976 -- 10 week stint as a summer exchange student (lived with a French family).

 

[Bad Pink Tink 2.0]

On the cultural difference, specifically crowd patterns and touring styles. I regularly go to Disneyland California and have been 4 times to Disneyland Paris.

On my October family trip I really noticed a difference as I was using the App to check wait times all day. Phantom Manor / Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Caribbean and Star Tours all had consistently low wait times all day on each day of my trip. European people dont have the same nostalgia for these classic Disney park rides as Americans, so they dont get the high demand I am used to in Disneyland California. Every time I went on Pirates it was a walk on, no matter the time of day and the CMs at the entrance were explaining to people about the ride, that its a boat ride etc etc.

The thrill rides, Big Thunder Mountain, Indiana Jones, Space Mountain, the Marvel retheme of RocknRoller Coaster , Crushs Coaster all were high demand, long wait times.

Fantasyland is just as popular BUT the big difference I noticed was stroller parking. In Disneyland California, Fantasyland especially gets very crowded with the big stroller parking sections taking up so much room. I didnt see any specific area for stroller parking in Disneyland Paris.

Character meet and greets are VERY popular. We only did one, Stitch and we waited in line 90 minutes!! Again checking the App all day, most character meets were 1 hour plus all day every day. Meet Mickey Mouse in his House opened at 10am and went straight to 90 minutes as people starting waiting in line from 9am. The same with the Princess Pavilion.

 

[Karin1984]

Fantasyland is just as popular BUT the big difference I noticed was stroller parking. In Disneyland California, Fantasyland especially gets very crowded with the big stroller parking sections taking up so much room. I didnt see any specific area for stroller parking in Disneyland Paris.

I think in Europe less people take stroller-bound children to themeparks. I think most of them wait till the children are older.

 

[Karin1984]

We are planning it around the opening of the new Frozen land.

I just noticed this in your first message. Do you mean you want to be there when it opens, or just make sure it is open when you are in Paris?

Latest news is from September and they seem to aim for 2025 to open Arendelle in Paris.

Forgot another important (cultural) difference: -Disneyland Paris is not a food destination. Food should not be your priority. It is not a priority to this park, as they didn't want to compete with all the great places in Paris. It is perfectly fine themepark food, and there are some better places, but it is not the same level as the US parks.

Another thing to keep in mind, especially if you are used to the resorts in WDW, DLP has hotels not resorts, that means less amenities. And rooms are more basic. In Europe hotel rooms are smaller than in the US and we like a firm mattras.

For France/Europe in general:
We have stricter food laws when it come to sugar and additives in food. A while ago someone reported a Mickey bar tasting different. Probably made according to European regulations.

 

[kathy884]

Forgot another important (cultural) difference: -Disneyland Paris is not a food destination. Food should not be your priority. It is not a priority to this park, as they didn't want to compete with all the great places in Paris. It is perfectly fine themepark food, and there are some better places, but it is not the same level as the US parks.

What Karin said about the food was our experience. We just ate at quick service / moderate price places. I like the food at WDW, but Disneyland Paris, not so much (It was pretty bad). I had no problem with Annette's Diner and the Royal Pub in the Village (we liked those), but other than those I was pretty disappointed. There is always Earl of Sandwich and McDonalds too. Please note that we didn't do any of the higher end dining that I hear that many enjoy. All that said I loved everything about the experience except the food. I loved that there are fewer onsite resorts and you get a full hour before the general public comes in if staying in their hotels (You can get so much done in that hour). And I loved it that the fastpasses are not that popular, so if you come to a line that's an hour and don't really want to wait if you are willing to cough up the dollars you can pay $10-$15 or so pp and go the front of the line. We only did this twice in our three days, but it was sure nice that we had the option. The Disneyland park was beautiful and the live entertainment shows at Disney Studios were exceptional. If you love Disney and are going to go to Paris, I think it's a no-brainer to spend some time here if it works timing wise and budget wise.