Anna’s Honest Disneyland Paris Trip Report – Family Surprises, Offsite Wins & Zero Pressure! 🎉
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Trip Highlights Gallery 📸
A few of our favourite family snaps—from the big surprise reveal to Halloween smiles and Mickey-shaped treats!
Our Family Disney Adventure – No-Stress, All-Snacks!
As we make our way home from a truly amazing Disneyland Paris trip, I wanted to jot down our memories and share a few tips. I’ve read so much advice in this group (thank you all!), but sometimes it can feel like info overload: “Which parade is best?” “Which rides are a must?” “Where’s the best spot to stand?” My main tip? Don’t let yourself get stressed by other people’s lists. Take what’s helpful, ignore the rest, and make your trip feel right for your family!
✨ Book Your Disneyland Paris Adventure!
- 📅 Book stays up to April 2026
- 💳 Pay in easy instalments
- 🔄 Flexible booking: change or cancel free up to 7 days before arrival
- 🎟️ Park tickets included with every package
We didn’t book Premier Access, character experiences, or meal packages. We just built our days around our kids (ages 2 and 5), kept things relaxed, had a bit of structure, and brought along a whole lot of snacks. It was the best thing we could have done—and honestly, we wouldn’t change a thing!
🙈 Keeping the Secret – The Big Reveal
This was my favourite part: We kept the trip a total secret from our girls. As we drove up to the gates on day one, we finally let them in on the surprise. Keeping it under wraps was hard, but their faces made it all worthwhile. They were buzzing with excitement!
👗 Saving on Disney Merch – Clever Mum Hacks
If you want to save a small fortune, buy some bits before you go. I picked up:
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Autograph book and pen
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Mickey ear glow sticks
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Cute clothes and budget-friendly princess dresses (thank you, Sainsbury’s—£15 vs €70 in the park!)
Packing these little treats made every day feel special—and saved us loads.
🛳 Why We Chose the Ferry – All About Flexibility
We travelled overnight from Hull to Rotterdam with P&O Ferries. Here’s why the ferry worked for us:
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It’s just 20 minutes from home, so the adventure started right away for our kids.
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With so many flight cancellations and train strikes, the ferry was the most reliable option.
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My mum uses a mobility scooter, and having the car made things so much easier—no hauling batteries and chargers through airports!
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The car meant we could pack whatever we wanted (and bring home a few extra souvenirs!).
🏠 Offsite Airbnb – A Hidden Gem
We stayed in an Airbnb just a minute’s walk from Val d’Europe. It had everything: fully equipped kitchen, parking, a great supermarket nearby, and loads of restaurants for evening meals. The free Disney shuttle bus literally stopped outside our door, which made it super easy to get to the parks. And the cost? Absolutely brilliant compared to onsite hotels.
🚗 Getting to the Parks – Parking Tips
We decided to drive each day (€30 per day for parking) because it was so much easier with the mobility scooter. No stressing about shuttle bus crowds or folding up the scooter—just park up, unload, and off you go.
🐭 Park Days – Queue Busting and Food Finds
Yes, the parks were busy (it’s Disney, after all!), but we never queued longer than an hour. We followed tips from this group and aimed for popular rides during parades or later in the evening. Crush Coaster was done in 50 minutes when it was nearly a two-hour queue earlier! We watched every parade and all the illuminations, and made a point to try Mickey-shaped food at every opportunity—pure happiness on a plate.
🎃 Character Magic – Meeting Jack Skellington
We’re a Halloween-mad family, and our daughter is obsessed with Jack Skellington. By total chance, we found his meet-and-greet (wasn’t even on the app!), queued up, and she got to meet her hero. Jack was absolutely brilliant—he chatted with her, admired her Halloween outfit, and made her day.
🙌 Accessibility & Disney Kindness
I’ve seen some comments about manners in the parks, but honestly, we experienced nothing but kindness from staff and fellow guests. The cast members were so helpful with my mum’s needs, always making sure she had space and a good view. One guest even moved without a fuss when we couldn’t see the illuminations.
🌞 Weather & Wet Weather Prep
We lucked out with gorgeous weather, only getting caught in one quick downpour—which was fine, because we had ponchos from Amazon in our bag. It cleared up before dessert!
📱 Disney App – Useful but Double-Check
The Disneyland Paris app is helpful for finding toilets, water fountains, and rough wait times—but don’t trust it completely. Cast members often had better info, and most rides ended up being quicker than the app said.
Final Thoughts – Make Your Own Magic
Honestly, my biggest tip: don’t feel pressured to do everything! Make your own must-do list, keep things flexible, and let your family set the pace. We made our own memories and would do it all again in a heartbeat.
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