First time trip to Paris Disneyland - need planning help and advice please

[T2Mum]

First (and probably last) trip to Paris Disneyland for one day only (staying off site, so no EMT) in June 2023. It's a Friday, but is one of the Fridays where the tickets are the cheapest price (June 23), so I am guessing it is not likely to be super busy.

2 adults and 4 kids aged between 10-15.

We are travelling from very far away, and this will almost certainly be the last ever trip we take as a family to a Disneyland, so want to have a really fun and memorable day. Happy to be there from opening to close and fit in as much as possible.

Mainly interested in rides and shows (not thinking that we would use time on dining experiences).

Considering buying Premium Ultimate Passes so that we can maximise what we do in a day (but the cost of those will be more expensive than our tickets!).

Any tips or advice? Particularly interested to know if people recommend we get the Premium Ultimate Passes.

Is there a suggested itinerary that we should follow? Any things we must see or do?

 

[Karin1984]

With your plan, I would say: if you have the money buy the Premier Access passes.
Also something to look into if you have the money The Lion King Show and Mickey & the Magician have guaranteed access for 15EUR p/p, that would safe you a lot of time waiting and getting good seats.

As you have only one day and you are a big(ger) group, ask everyone for their one MUST DO ride or show. Then at least everyone will have accomplished something.

 

[T2Mum]

Thank you - this is very helpful!

Particularly like the suggestion of asking everyone for their one MUST DO so everyone comes away feeling that they got to do what they wanted.

 

[SuperMuscleMan]

Don't miss the 30th show, if you rope drop to park close you should do everything you need. Are you doing the studios too? If so how late afternoon to do that as it's usually quieter.

 

[Karin1984]

If you decide to only use Premier Access for 1 ride, make it Crush Coaster. That is the best value for the amount of time you save.

Try to eat outside rush hour for lunch. Like something at 11 and then a snack at 3 (or something like that) to save time.

 

[zavandor]

Do you know any of the other parks? Because a lot of rides are clone of similar attractions in the USA parks so those might be skipped. If it's you first ever Disney Park then some form of line skipping will be useful.

First of all: an enjoyable day is different from "doing all attractions". If you stress out about having to do everything you'll enjoy your day less than if you savour your moments and also the little things. One of my favorite attraction is Alice's labirinth, go on top the Queen of hearths's castle and look back at Fantasyland, but it's far from a blockbuster. Disneyland Paris is a charming park just to walk around, smell the roses and enjoy your day.

That said, have a look at the attractions and understand what is a must do for your family. Do you like Roller coasters? Are the children tall enough for the thrill rides?
The longest lines are for Crush and Coaster, Ratatuille and Web at the Studios, Big Thunder Mountains and Peter Pan at the main park. You might consider buying the Premier Pass for those. The whole package is expensive and includes some attractions that you can find with short lines at the beginning of the day (or at the end, but you don't want to miss the nighttime spectacular, it's really worth it). Phantom Manor and Pirates of the Caribbean, for example, are not to be missed and often have 5 minutes queue at the beginning of the day.

 

[villavic]

With your plan, I would say: if you have the money buy the Premier Access passes.
Also something to look into if you have the money The Lion King Show and Mickey & the Magician have guaranteed access for 15EUR p/p, that would safe you a lot of time waiting and getting good seats.

As you have only one day and you are a big(ger) group, ask everyone for their one MUST DO ride or show. Then at least everyone will have accomplished something.

I bought the guaranteed access for the Mickey show, but it didn't offer a seat selection. Is it a guareented good area (front I suppose) ?

 

[Karin1984]

I bought the guaranteed access for the Mickey show, but it didn't offer a seat selection. Is it a guareented good area (front I suppose) ?

It's not front row, I believe, but it's somewhere in the middle section. I think it's right behind where the VIP tours sit.

 

[Calidisneyfam]

I was just there during a busy time, and only bought Premier Access for Crush and Big Thunder; they both had 60-90 minute wait. All the other rides were 30 or less, so I didn't pay for it. We also stayed offsite, so entered at 9:30.

 

[T2Mum]

Don't miss the 30th show, if you rope drop to park close you should do everything you need. Are you doing the studios too? If so how late afternoon to do that as it's usually quieter.

Which show is the 30th show? Is that the Disney D-Light show, or the Dream and Shine Brighter Show, or both?

 

[T2Mum]

Don't miss the 30th show, if you rope drop to park close you should do everything you need. Are you doing the studios too? If so how late afternoon to do that as it's usually quieter.

Yes we plan to do the studios too.

 

[Micca]

We went for the first time last summer--The Mickey Magic Show (not the actual name) and The Lion King show were phenomenal. The park is so pretty, it's probably the best one from an aesthetic standpoint. We're big TOT and HM fans and really enjoyed both of the DLP versions.

 

[Woodview]

First (and probably last) trip to Paris Disneyland for one day only (staying off site, so no EMT) in June 2023. It's a Friday, but is one of the Fridays where the tickets are the cheapest price (June 23), so I am guessing it is not likely to be super busy.

2 adults and 4 kids aged between 10-15.

We are travelling from very far away, and this will almost certainly be the last ever trip we take as a family to a Disneyland, so want to have a really fun and memorable day. Happy to be there from opening to close and fit in as much as possible.

Mainly interested in rides and shows (not thinking that we would use time on dining experiences).

Considering buying Premium Ultimate Passes so that we can maximise what we do in a day (but the cost of those will be more expensive than our tickets!).

Any tips or advice? Particularly interested to know if people recommend we get the Premium Ultimate Passes.

Is there a suggested itinerary that we should follow? Any things we must see or do?

Your party is travelling from very far away ? From Where ? And why only 1 day ?

I ask as as the ideas given would take a lot more than one day If you are staying Off site


AND with teenagers

 

[T2Mum]

We went for the first time last summer--The Mickey Magic Show (not the actual name) and The Lion King show were phenomenal. The park is so pretty, it's probably the best one from an aesthetic standpoint. We're big TOT and HM fans and really enjoyed both of the DLP versions.

Thank you - good to know. I'm keen on both these shows so we will build those into the must-do's.

 

[T2Mum]

Your party is travelling from very far away ? From Where ? And why only 1 day ?

I ask as as the ideas given would take a lot more than one day If you are staying Off site


AND with teenagers

We are travelling from Australia. The day in Paris Disneyland is part of a bigger five week holiday to Europe. The priority was other sightseeing in Europe. The day in Paris Disneyland was a nice to do for the kids, but I didn't want to spend two days there. However if we are going for one day then I want to make the most of it!

We have been to Disneyland in LA twice and while we enjoyed it we think one day at Paris Disneyland will be plenty.

The reason for not staying onsite is that we already have accommodation booked in Paris for the week and are leaving Paris the next morning (with an early departure). I did not want to have to travel on site from a Disney Hotel back into Paris the next morning.

 

[T2Mum]

If you decide to only use Premier Access for 1 ride, make it Crush Coaster. That is the best value for the amount of time you save.

Try to eat outside rush hour for lunch. Like something at 11 and then a snack at 3 (or something like that) to save time.

Thanks for the tip about eating outside at rush hour. I will build that into our plan. Any tips for where I best to eat (and relatively quick?).

 

[SuperMuscleMan]

Which show is the 30th show? Is that the Disney D-Light show, or the Dream and Shine Brighter Show, or both?

Both but I prefer dream bigger shine brighter!

 

[zavandor]

Thanks for the tip about eating outside at rush hour. I will build that into our plan. Any tips for where I best to eat (and relatively quick?).

Bring a sandwich
Eat and Fast cannot be used in the same sentence when speaking about DLP.

 

[steve_rob]

Won't recommend anywhere, but rather will steer you away from somewhere slow.

I've never seen a queue of less than six deep at Cafe Hyperion/Videopolis and despite having about eight registers they could have open, there's rarely more than two of them staffed (maybe three during the lunch rush), so it's a long queue no matter what time you go there. And when you do finally get served, the burgers are mediocre at best and it can be hard to find a table - mainly because they're occupied by other families who have also been waiting ages for their person in the queue!

 

[Karin1984]

Hakuna Matata is usually a good one. If you are there at opening time, 11.30 there are usually no to little people in line.

Cowboy Cookout is good value for money. And usually quieter as it is in a quiet corner.

Pinocchios and Toad Hall can be incredibly slow.

Hyperion can be hit or miss indeed.