Your FREE Custom Disneyland Paris Itinerary Template (for ANY Number of Days)
Let’s be honest. After you have booked your Disneyland Paris travel, hotels and tickets, the hardest thing to do is plan your complicated itinerary. Wouldn’t it be great to know all the must-dos for each day to maximise your time..? I really struggled with this as a first-timer; there are so many things to consider. So that’s why I want to help you create your own itinerary, without the stress! In 7 easy steps, I will show you how to make a custom FREE Disneyland Paris itinerary template pdf.
Why Make A Custom Disneyland Paris Itinerary Template?
An argument I often hear is that a plan will ruin your spontaneity. I disagree! A well-thought-out Disneyland Paris itinerary does not mean you are tied to a strict schedule. It means: (1) You know when the parades and shows are happening, (2) You can allow time for wandering around soaking up the magic or meeting characters, and (3) You don’t miss a meal – leaving everyone in your group starving and grumpy. Instead, you will enjoy a perfect day! This Disneyland Paris itinerary planner is going to be custom-made FOR YOU. So, let’s get started, step by step.
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STEP 1: Make a Note of Your Group’s Preferences
First things first. Your Disneyland Paris itinerary template will be unique to you and your travelling party. (Of course, if you’re travelling solo, just make some notes for yourself.)
What I mean by preferences is this: What will be important to that person? For example, is meeting characters the highlight for your little one? Is anyone sensitive to dark places or loud noises? Are Mum and Grandad able (and willing) to do upside-down rollercoasters? Is anyone pregnant in your party, or does someone have a disability? Who gets motion sickness? Answer these questions before choosing the best Disneyland Paris attractions for your group.
Help! I’m Worried About My Itinerary
If your group has lots of different preferences, conflicts or restrictions, you might be worried about making your Disneyland Paris itinerary work for everyone.
👱🏻♀️ MY EXPERIENCE If you are like me, and doing all the planning for your family or group, it is easy to feel overwhelmed by making a Disneyland Paris itinerary template. Of course, you cannot make everyone 100% happy 100% of the time. Just manage the best you can. Read on for some helpful tips.
Solutions to Common Problems
You will be happy to know there are workarounds for most Disneyland Paris itinerary challenges. For example:
- If one child is too small for thrilling rollercoasters, and another is an adrenaline junkie, you can do Rider Switch. This means one parent waits in the queue (by themself or with a child), while the other waits outside with/without the other kid/s. The first parent (with/without a child) enjoys the attraction and collects a Rider Switch pass. The second parent then uses the Rider Switch pass to skip the queue and ride the attraction. They can even bring the same/another child back with them (in effect, a child could even ride twice!)
- Priority Access passes are available to those who qualify to minimise standing in a queue. Apply for a Priority Access Pass before your trip on the Disneyland Paris website. This can be a lifesaver for pregnant women, older guests or anyone with special needs.
- Do certain people in your party want to do very different things? Strategies like occasionally splitting up your group for a couple of hours can enable everyone to do what they like best. Perhaps Grandma and the toddler might enjoy the parade and the Dumbo ride, while Mom and the teenager tackle Hyperspace and Big Thunder Mountain. Teens might want to explore the shops, and couples might prefer a little time alone. Just be sure to pick an obvious place to meet back later.
- If you are in a situation where only one person wants to ride a popular attraction, many of these have shorter Single Rider lines. If you have older children or your party doesn’t mind being separated, this can be a great way to save time.
Be aware of your group’s preferences, and your Disneyland Paris trip will go much more smoothly.
STEP 2: Get to Know the Disneyland Paris Attractions
Now that you have noted your group’s preferences, we will look at all the wonderful Disneyland Paris attractions.
🤓 GOOD TO KNOW Disneyland Paris has two parks, so if you have park hopper tickets or tickets for both parks, look at the shows and attractions available in Disneyland Park AND Walt Disney Studios. If you need help getting tickets, check out my tips for buying the Cheapest Tickets.
a) Find the Disneyland Paris Attractions
Find a complete list of attractions on the Disneyland Paris app or website. I also have a Printable Attractions Checklist in my Disneyland Paris Planning Bundle that is handy for highlighting all of your favourites.
This is a good time to note height restrictions or mobility warnings for all the rides that sound the most exciting for you, your family or the travel group. The last thing you want is a disappointed child unable to ride what they have been promised because they are too short!
b) Find the Disneyland Paris Shows
Once you have an idea of the rides you want to experience (or not experience!), choose the exciting shows you want to see.
Look through these 9 Free Disneyland Paris Shows. And then check out my recommendations for Best Disneyland Paris Shows, including Best for Families, Best for Adults, and Best for Teenagers. Make a note of all your favourites.
c) Find Out About the Scheduled Characters in Disneyland Paris
Now look through the Disneyland Paris app to make a note of any scheduled characters you want to meet.
Some characters like Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse and the Disney Princesses are a permanent meet-and-greet attraction. These have a scheduled time you can find in the Disneyland Paris app. And they all meet in their designated buildings. Other characters are dotted throughout both parks and are signposted, so look out while you are there.
d) Highlight Your Must-Dos With This System
✏️ PRO TIP Try not to get too excited and set unrealistic expectations for your trip. (I make this mistake all the time!) Instead, think about the minimum amount of attractions you want to do, and everything else is icing on top.
STEP 3: Sketch Out a Daily Schedule
Now is your opportunity to start thinking about the practicalities of your days in Disneyland Paris.
a) Outline the Days of Your Trip
This is an easy way to organise your Disneyland Paris itinerary template – you can customise it for 1-day, 2-days, 4-days or ANY number of days.
EXAMPLE
YOUR NAME’s Custom Disneyland Paris Itinerary
DAY 1 – TRAVEL + HOTEL DAY
DAY 2 – PARK DAY
DAY 3 – PARK DAY
DAY 4 – PARK DAY + TRAVEL HOME
b) Match Each Day to a Park (or Parks)
Next, consider the right Disneyland Paris park(s) for each day. If you don’t know how many days to spend in the parks, check out: How Many Days Do I Need at Disneyland Paris.
👱🏻♀️ MY EXPERIENCE If you are struggling with this part, remember to keep it simple. I like to plan the shortest days for Walt Disney Studios and the longest days for the main park. Fireworks are something we try to do the first night in case they get cancelled on the later nights. I also bookend my stay with some time at Sleeping Beauty Castle at the beginning and end of our trip (I still cry both times!).
3 Things To Know About Walt Disney Studios Before You Make Your Itinerary
- Walt Disney Studios is smaller, has fewer rides and has more shows than Disneyland Park.
- As you are planning your days, leave more time for Disneyland Park, unless you really want to see all the shows in Walt Disney Studios.
- If you have tickets for both parks, double-check if they are 1-day/1-park tickets or 2-park hopper tickets. Then you know if you are spending the whole day in 1 park or splitting your time between 2 parks.
EXAMPLE
DAY 1 – Travel day. Check-in at the hotel, relax in the pool and visit Disney Village for dinner.
DAY 2 – Disneyland Park (all day)
DAY 3 – Walt Disney Studios for morning and afternoon. Hotel for a break. Disneyland Park for the evening entertainment.
DAY 4 – Departure from the hotel + Disneyland Park + Travel home
c) Congrats – You Already Have a Rough Plan!
As you can see, your plans are taking shape. Now we can see what kind of park itineraries you need. So, in this example, we have a whole day in Disneyland Park, one day hopping between both parks, and one shorter day in the main park. So, we will need a 1-day Disneyland Park itinerary, a 1-day/2-park Disneyland Paris itinerary and a mix of our favourite attractions at Disneyland Park for our last day. Your plans will, of course, be unique to you, so adjust as necessary.
STEP 4: Fill Out Your Custom Disneyland Paris Itinerary For Each Day
You are doing great work!
The next step is to make a loose plan of which specific attractions you are doing each day. This will form our custom park itinerary.
As I said before, we do not want a strict schedule because this is supposed to be fun. We want to leave room for spontaneity, but not forget our priorities. This park plan will be more of a helpful guideline for our must-dos.
a) ⭐ Add Your STAR Items to Your Itinerary
Let’s tackle those must-dos first!
b) ✔️Mark Scheduled Shows and Character Meets
Remember those tick marks (✔️) from earlier? Be careful with these items because they occur at specific times. In other words, if you have chosen any entertainment in the two parks, try to get an idea of what time it is scheduled. ✏️ PRO TIP If you need help getting show times and schedules for character meets check out How to Find Your Disneyland Paris Entertainment Schedule.
c) ✨Optional Extra For More Favourites
At this point, you could leave your plan as it is, and go with the flow for all the other rides, shows, and character meets you want to do. You have already put in your priorities.
OR, you could be a little more organised and add the rest of your favourite items from STEP 2 (above). These are the extra things you will try to do when you have done all your STAR (⭐) items. *Just be sure to add estimated schedule times for anything with a tick (✔️) on it.
STEP 5: Consider Your Dining Options
By now, you have created a fabulous custom Disneyland Paris Itinerary with all the rides and shows you want to see, in priority order.
Your next step is to consider your dining options.
There are quick service, table service and buffet options in each park and in the Disney Village. Some restaurants even have characters, like Auberge de Cendrillon/Cinderella’s Inn or Plaza Gardens. You can also book a meal at the Disney hotel restaurants, even if you are not a guest. (Except La Table Lumiere and Royal Banquet, which have special rules and are only for Disney hotel guests or guests of the Disneyland Hotel.)
Have a look through your custom park day itinerary, and see where it makes sense to book a meal. If time allows, you may wish to book a restaurant for one or more days on your trip. Check out my handy Disneyland Paris Dining Planner in my Planning Bundle to keep track of all your restaurant bookings and meal vouchers.
WHAT IF I DON’T WANT TO BOOK A RESERVATION?
Let’s say you are looking at your custom itinerary for Disneyland Paris, and you don’t want to be tied down to a particular time for a table reservation.
Instead, you could either try for a reservation on the day or use any of the quick-service restaurants throughout the two parks.
But, if you are having trouble getting the table you want, check out 9 Ways to Get A Disney Dining Reservation for help.
STEP 6: Fine-Tuning Your Itinerary: Check for Problems
🥰 You are nearing the end, and I hope you are feeling more confident about your custom Disneyland Paris Itinerary.
Now take a moment to read over your day-by-day Disneyland Paris plan. Does it sound like too much to do in one day? Do any of the scheduled shows or character meets conflict with your plans? Bear in mind wait times. For example, you need to queue up for shows about an hour before (for specifics check out Show Wait Times). Attractions will also have average wait times of 30-60 minutes.
When I looked over my first plan, I noticed that my favourite shows were at similar times, and I even put fireworks down for the day we were leaving early. A second look over your plan will help you avoid costly mistakes like these while in the parks.
🤓 GOOD TO KNOW Remember that your itinerary will be subject to weather conditions and crowds. So try to leave extra time where you can, and have a flexible attitude towards your schedule when you visit the parks.
STEP 7: Dos and Don’ts for Your Custom Disneyland Paris Itinerary Template
In summary, here are my 13 favourite dos and don’ts for creating the perfect custom Disneyland Paris itinerary.
👍 Dos
1. DO prioritise must-see rides, attractions, shows and characters for your group. Use my STAR (⭐) system to make sure you do those things first.
2. DO make use of Single Rider Lines, Rider Switch, and Priority Pass if they apply to you.
3. DO take advantage of Mobile Dining to avoid long wait times at the quick service eateries. You can do this by placing your food order on the Disneyland Paris app.
4. DO aim for a balance between attractions, shows, and relaxation time. A magical Disney experience is a mix of everything.
5. DO check park opening and park closing times before your trip. Also check the parade, fireworks, show and scheduled character meet times. Use the tick system (✔️) to remind yourself to verify these timeson the day of your visit.
6. DO factor in rainy weather and crowds during busier seasons. Also consider Premier Pass One, Premier Pass Ultimate, or Guaranteed Access when it is very crowded if your budget allows. I also have a full post on the PROs and CONs of Premier Pass (Is It Worth It?).
7. DO share your itinerary with your partner, family or group. You don’t need to reveal every surprise in-store, but make them aware of your general plan in case you have missed anything they desperately want to do.
8. DO give yourself credit. You made an awesome itinerary; it does not need to be perfect!
👎 Don’ts
1. DON’T overschedule; leave room for flexibility and spontaneity. This is your holiday; don’t design it to be totally exhausting.
2. DON’T overlook the importance of comfort and hydration during your trip. Trust me, if you are comfortable, you can do more! Check out my amazing packing lists.
3. DON’T be surprised by Disneyland Paris ride closures or special events that may limit your time in the parks. Annual Pass parties, for example, will cause the main park to shut early, so check the park opening times on the Disneyland Paris app. Also, bear in mind Fantasyland closes early every night to prepare for the fireworks.
4. DON’T forget to save your custom Disneyland Paris itinerary as a PDF and print it off. Maybe make a copy or two in case it gets lost or wet.
5. DON’T expect to do EVERYTHING. Trust me, it’s impossible. Disneyland parks are designed to make you always want to come back for more.
Best of All…
Your custom Disneyland Paris itinerary template PDF is now done! You are all organised and prepared for your big adventure. Now you can relax and just dream about the wonderful Disney memories you are going to make.
Make sure to take lots of photos and breathe it all in. That’s the best itinerary item of all.
Over to You!
What do you think of this idea for a custom Disneyland Paris itinerary template? Did it work for you? Do you still have questions? Leave me a comment below ⬇️ I would love to know what you think.
➡️ READ NEXT
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🤓 GOOD TO KNOW Don’t forget to make table reservations for buffet and sit-down restaurants at the parks, Disney Village and Disney Hotels. Check out 9 Awesome Ways to Get A Disney Dining Reservation for help.
🚄 Are you taking the train to Disneyland Paris? You will love the tips and tricks in this First-Timer’s Guide to the Eurostar. There are lots of tips here to make the most of it.