Skip the queues, Get Discounts and Travel in Style! 7 Smartest Disneyland Paris Hacks Families Will Love (Save Time and Money!)
It is no secret that travelling to Disneyland Paris takes a bit of extra thought. Hotels, travel, dining, shows and characters all come together to give you memories that will last a lifetime. So how do you do that without breaking the bank or getting stressed and overwhelmed? Don’t worry, I got you. I have here your 7 smartest Disneyland Paris hacks for families to save time and money.
Now is the perfect time to meet Mickey Mouse, swirl with Alice on the teacups, savour speciality treats, and say ‘ahh’ to some of the best fireworks in the world. You will love these top tips for your first Disneyland Paris trip:
- Booking the best hotel
- Saving money on Disneyland park tickets
- Skipping the queues
- Getting discounts on food and souvenirs.
*Crepes and Castles is supported by lovely readers like you. Some links are affiliate links, meaning I may earn a small commission which helps this free website, at no cost to you. Learn more
How I Planned (and Saved Money!) on our Family’s Fantastic Trip to Disneyland Paris – 7 Top Tips for Discounts on Hotels, Food, and Tickets in 2024
Disneyland Paris Hack 1: Know the best way to travel to Disneyland Paris from the UK
If you are London-based, there is no easier way to travel than by Eurostar. A train from Kings Cross St Pancras to the parks takes under 5 hours. Best of all, the station is steps away from the Disneyland Paris park entrance, so you won’t have to worry about getting lost.
And, for a fee, you can even have your luggage transferred straight to your Disney hotel by using the Magic Express service. Perfect for skipping straight from your train to the castle!
For our recent trip, it was nearly the same price to book the Eurostar as it was for a ‘cheap’ flight. This is because of the hidden extras like checked-in luggage, parking at the airport, and transfers between Charles de Gaulle Airport and Disneyland Paris.
✏️ PRO TIP It’s easy to book travel, tickets and hotel separately. It can often save you money, too. Check out my full guide to planning and budgeting for Disneyland Paris.
Not near enough for the Eurostar but have a car? We have also enjoyed taking our car to Disneyland Paris. If you are interested in making the easy drive to Disney, check out my post on how to use the Eurotunnel and what to expect when driving to Disneyland Paris. It has everything you need to know about taking your own car to France.
OR, if you are considering taking a flight to Disneyland Paris, the nearest airports are Charles de Gaulle and Paris Orly. A transfer from the airport to the parks can be booked through Disney or via Trainline.
Disneyland Paris Hack 2: To Save Money, Try a Disney Value Hotel, Partner Hotel or Val d’Europe Hotel
Your Disneyland Paris hotel choice will largely depend on how important the price and proximity to the park are to you. As a general rule, the closer the hotel, the more luxurious the accommodation and the higher the price.
On a recent trip, we stayed at the Hotel Cheyenne. Disney Hotel Cheyenne is considered one of the cheapest of the official Disneyland Paris hotels, but it is one of my favourites. Themed around the American Wild West, this hotel has everything you could want for a short stay. The staff are really helpful, the buffet breakfast is delicious, and the rooms are clean and decorated in Toy Story style. They have an on-site Starbucks and a lovely gift shop, and it is only a 12-minute walk to the park. The Hotel Cheyenne even has free character meets with Jesse and Woody.
A more budget-friendly option would be the nearby partner hotels Kyriad, Dream Castle and Magic Circus. We have stayed at Grand Magic numerous times and you can read more about our last-minute stay. GRand Magic offers a free hotel shuttle to the parks.
A third option (and my favourite on a small budget!) is the Residhome Val d’Europe. It is one stop on the RER train and you get a mini-suite for less than you would pay for a small hotel room at Disney.
Disneyland Paris Hack 3: Get a Discount on Disneyland Tickets and Hotel Rooms
Use Topcashback.com
Your first stop for discount hunting should always be to first click on Topcashback. (If you haven’t yet signed up, use my referral code and get a special bonus!)
Topcashback is a totally free money-back-on-purchases website that simply pays you when you click to purchase something through their website links.
Once on the Topcashback site, use the search bar to find Disneyland Paris, and you’ll see the offers they have available. Click on any of those and it will take you to the official Disney site. That way, even when you book through Disney, you might also get a little bonus from Topcashback. Currently, they are offering £108 cashback on deluxe hotels. So it’s always worth a look!
Now that you’re on the Disneyland Paris website, navigate and have a look at their current offers. If you see anything there, just go ahead and make your booking. Topcashback will track your purchase as long as you do it in that session. If you come back later, just click back on Topcashback again. It literally takes seconds.
You can also use Topcashback to earn money from loads of other travel companies like Expedia, Hotels.com, Booking.com, TUI and many more.
Take Advantage of Discounts with the Disneyland Annual Pass
Are you planning on making more than one trip to Disneyland Paris in 12 months? Or travelling with your entire family and planning to eat at the park or in the Disney Village? Do you do souvenir shopping? You should check out the Disneyland Annual Pass program because it can give great discounts.
We have made good savings by purchasing just one adult annual pass at the Gold level. This means we get a free Disney PhotoPass for the entire year, free car parking, and 15% off food, drink, and just about everything at the gift shops. That discount applies to the meals for the whole party dining together and everything we buy at the gift shops.
The annual pass discount can make dining at Disneyland cheaper than buying a meal plan (more on meal plans later in this post).
Check out AttractionTickets.com
If an annual pass is not for you, there are still discounts to be had! Check out the UK company Attraction Tickets for offers on Disneyland park tickets. At the time of writing,
their 3-day hopper pass includes free photos and cancellation insurance.
Disneyland Paris Hack 4: Don’t Forget to Make Disneyland Park Reservations if You Have Undated Tickets
There are some situations where you will need to book your Disneyland Paris park reservation in advance. This would apply if you have bought undated (open-dated) tickets. Note: If you are going for more than one day, you must make a park reservation for each day of your visit, not just the first day.
Or, if you are using an annual pass, then you will need to go through the Disneyland Paris Annual Pass portal to book your park dates ahead of time. I have a post here on how to make your park reservations with your new annual pass, as it can be a little tricky the first time.
Availability is limited, so try and make your park reservation as soon as you can if you need one.
Who does not need to make a Disneyland Park reservation?
If you are staying at any official Disney Hotel (such as Disney’s Cheyenne, Santa Fe, Newport Bay, Art of Marvel, Sequoia or Disneyland Hotel), you do not need to make a park reservation.
Also, if, when you bought your tickets, they had a specific date on them, you will not need to make a park reservation. For example, if you purchased a ticket and it says September 1st, then you do not need to make a reservation for September 1st. Reservations are only for open-dated tickets.
I’m confused. How do I check if I need a Disney park reservation?
Check out this Disney park reservation site for exact details of what guests need to book ahead of time. Making a reservation is easy to do, but also easy to forget to do! Don’t get caught out – check ahead of time, and make a reservation if you need to.
Disneyland Paris Hack 5: Use Extra Magic Time for Popular Rides
A great advantage of staying at a Disneyland Paris hotel or having a Gold Annual Pass, is that you can enjoy Extra Magic Time and beat the queues.
Extra Magic Time (or Extra Magic Hour) means that you may enter the park 1 hour early to ride the attractions (and before it starts to get busy!).
Typically, Extra Magic Time is from 8:30 am to 9:30 am. It may be for one or both parks depending on the season you visit, so check the Disneyland Park Hours page for the schedule before you go.
✏️ PRO TIP FOR EXTRA MAGIC TIME The rides to prioritise during Extra Magic Time are Crush’s Coaster, Ratatouille and RC Racers in the Walt Disney Studios Park. Alternatively, prioritise Hyperspace Mountain, Peter Pan, Buzz Lightyear and Big Thunder Mountain in Disneyland park. Doing these popular rides first will save you a lot of time later.
BUT, if you really want to meet the characters, then use Extra Magic Time for them instead. Queues for Mickey Mouse and the Princess Pavilion will not open until the park opens, so don’t bother with those. But it is a good idea to meet other popular characters that are out near Main Street. If you want to meet Stitch, this is the time to do it!
?! FAQ Is it Worth Staying at a Disney Hotel Just For Extra Magic Time?
Hotels on Disney property are more expensive than in the surrounding areas. There’s no doubt about that. Should you stay at Disney just to get an Extra Magic Hour? That kind of depends.
Keep in mind that France is one hour ahead of British time. That means you are waking up one hour earlier to get dressed, eat breakfast and rush to the parks for 8:30 am. Just when your sleepy little self thinks it’s still only 7:30 am!
If you’re an early riser, then the Extra Magic hour is worth the effort. You will potentially save yourself 2 hours later on by beating the crowds first thing in the morning. Plus, you can take beautiful pictures without lots of other people in front of the castle. Main Street feels extra magical when you practically have it all to yourself.
BUT, if you and your family are not early risers, then it’s better to stay in bed than to rush around. Don’t pay extra for a Disney Hotel just for Extra Magic Time if there’s any chance that you are going to be late. You will only be saving a very minimal amount of time for later on. And family holidays are not for being stressed.
Disneyland Paris Hack 6: Maximise Premier Access for Skipping the Queues
Another way to avoid the queues, if your budget will allow it, is to purchase Premier Access One or Premier Access Ultimate.
A Premier Access One pass will allow you to book one ride at a specific time with very little waiting. For example, you could potentially choose to ride the Peter Pan attraction at 3 pm (almost all the rides will be available for you to choose). You will use the special ‘Premier Access’ lane for that attraction and hop right on.
Or, you can purchase a Premier Access Ultimate which allows you to ride almost all of the rides one time for one day.
How to Buy Premier Pass
- You can buy the Premier Access Pass online with your park tickets directly from Disneyland Paris.
- Alternatively, you can buy it once you are inside the park. Go to City Hall and book it with a cast member.
- Or, on the day, simply login to the Disneyland Paris app with your Disney account (or set one up if you don’t have one). And make your purchase there.
?! FAQ Is Premier Access Worth It? How Much is It?
Opinions are divided as to the value of Premier Access. The fee for Premier Access One (single ride pass) can range from €5 to €18. To be clear, that’s per person, per ride. The fee will be the highest for the longest queues, saving you from the longest waits.
The fee for Premier Access Ultimate varies per season but is generally around €130-170 per person for one day. If you are only visiting for one day, or if you are only buying for one or two people, Premier Access Ultimate can be like a VIP way to tour the park.
But you don’t need Premier Access if you are budget-conscious or visiting the two parks for at least 2 to 3 days. You will be able to see everything in the park without paying anything extra.
➡️ Check out the full Guide to Premier Pass.
Disneyland Paris Hack 7: Plan to Maximise the Meal Plan (And, If Not, Don’t Get It!)
If you are booking a Disneyland Paris Hotel, you will have the opportunity to purchase a Disney dining plan.
In a sense, a dining plan is a way of purchasing your meals ahead of time. It is only for Disney hotel guests.
There are currently many variations of dining plans at Disneyland Paris, but ultimately they boil down to these three:
- The breakfast plan includes a buffet breakfast at your hotel for each person for each morning of your stay (ie, 2 breakfasts if you’re staying for 2 nights)
- The half-board plan will give you one breakfast and one other meal per person per night of your stay
- The full-board plan will be for one breakfast, one lunch and one dinner per person, per night.
Then, if you wish, you can choose to pay on top of your chosen meal plan for the posher restaurants if you are at a value hotel.
For all the information on meal plans and pricing, check out the Disneyland Paris meal plan page.
?! FAQ Is the Disneyland Paris Meal Plan Really Worth It?
Having a meal plan will almost always save you money if Disney is running a special offer at the time you book your Disney hotel room. Look out for any ‘free’ dining offers especially because breakfast at the Disney hotels is not included in the room price.
But be aware that the paid-for meal plan won’t always save you money at its full price unless you are planning to maximise its potential at every meal. You will have to make sure everyone in your party uses all their vouchers to their full value. Meal plans are not usually the best value if you end up choosing the cheaper things off the menus or catering to smaller appetites or eating in the less expensive establishments.
Let’s take a look at two ways someone might dine at Disneyland Paris
SCENARIO 1: You are staying at Hotel Cheyenne. For your first evening meal, you try the Italian at Vapiano’s in the Village. In the morning, you are running a little late and want to make it to Extra Magic Hour. You make coffee in your hotel room and buy breakfast from the on-site Starbucks or McDonald’s to-go. Later that day, you buy ice cream, crepes, and chips around the park.
For dinner, you end up staying till the end of the fireworks and you eat burgers at Annette’s Diner in the Village. On the last day of your trip, you enjoy the buffet breakfast at the hotel, but end up in Earl of Sandwich for pizza and sandwiches at dinner before catching the train home.
💶 RESULT In this case, the half-board or full-board meal plan would have been more expensive than paying out of pocket because it’s a mix of casual service and sit-down meals.
SCENARIO 2: You are also staying at Hotel Cheyenne. You have a buffet dinner at Plaza Gardens on the first evening. The next morning, you have a leisurely buffet breakfast at the hotel. You have Chez Remy’s booked for your evening meal, ordering from the more expensive set menu. You do the same thing every day of your trip, enjoying the hotel buffet in the morning and eating at a higher level sit-down restaurant for lunch or dinner.
💶 RESULT In this case, you will likely save money getting the Half-Board Premium meal plan.
👱🏻♀️ My honest advice if you are on a budget is to pay for your meals the regular way. Then, you can make a real-time judgement about where you want to dine. And you’re not locked into pricier restaurants and making lots of reservations ahead of time (although the concierge at your hotel can usually find reservations for you if you’re struggling). Perhaps you even bring pastries and things to eat in your hotel in the morning and get a little extra sleep before dashing out to the parks.
On the other hand, if your trip is more about the luxurious Disney food experiences, and you’re enjoying table-service meals every day, then getting the Disney dining plan would definitely be the more sensible choice.
In any case, have a look at the Disneyland Paris menus for the restaurants you’re thinking about before you purchase the meal plan. Food in France is a little different, so you want to be sure you and your family are going to like everything they have on offer, before shelling out hundreds of pounds on a dining plan.
✏️ BONUS MONEY-SAVING TIP FOR DINING: If you want the same flexibility as paying cash, but still want to enjoy a discount, you might consider buying an annual pass. Then you can save 15% on every meal.
Saving Money and Time at Disneyland Paris is Simple With These 7 Disneyland Paris Hacks
From using cashback sites to making the most out of Extra Magic time, these are all the ways that first-time visitors can save money and make the most out of their EuroDisney trip with their families.
Did you find these 7 Disneyland Paris tips helpful? Leave a comment below. You should also check out our last-minute trip to Disneyland Paris and how to pack for Disneyland Paris like a pro!
📌 PIN FOR LATER: Save money and skip the queues at Disneyland Paris
