Shell’s First Disneyland Paris Trip Report (Family Review, Hotel Cheyenne & Birthday Tips)

Trip Report: First Family Adventure at Disneyland Paris ✨🏰

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• 🏨 Disney’s Hotel Cheyenne review
• 🍽️ Character dining at Disneyland Paris
• 📅 Best dates & crowd calendar
• 💸 Budget tips for Disneyland Paris
• 📖 More Disneyland Paris trip reports

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💡 Planning your own first trip? Checking the best dates first can make a huge difference 👉 see crowd levels here

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Just on our drive home from a fabulous 3-day break—our very first time at Disneyland Paris!

Honestly, I feel like I’ve never given DLP the attention it deserves… please forgive me, Disneyland! 😄

We did Walt Disney World five years ago and couldn’t wait to go back, but with Covid and life getting in the way, that just wasn’t possible. So this year, we celebrated our daughter’s 11th birthday at Disneyland Paris instead.

She dreams of seeing all the castles, so it seemed the perfect way to help with that dream—and give us a much-needed Disney fix!

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Hotel & First Impressions 🏨

We stayed at Hotel Cheyenne in a Woody’s Roundup Room, and it was perfect for us.

• Decent-sized rooms
• Really comfy beds
• Fab shower
• Brilliant theming—especially for my Toy Story-mad hubby!

I’d definitely book here again. It was about a 10-minute walk to Disney Village, which made for a lovely start to each day.

The lack of a pool didn’t bother us at all—we were far too busy in the parks anyway!

💡 Choosing the right hotel makes a big difference 👉 compare Disneyland Paris hotels here

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Birthday Magic & Character Breakfast 🎂✨

We did the character breakfast on our daughter’s birthday and had a cake brought out to her—an absolutely magical moment.

The cake was huge (definitely too big for the four of us!), with interesting textures and a tangy orange bit, but still so worth it.

Meeting different characters was a highlight—Pinocchio especially was a huge treat for me. Yes, I’m 35 and got teary when Pinocchio sat with me for a hug and a kiss… but hey, that’s Disney magic for you!

It’s not the cheapest breakfast, but the character interaction was brilliant. I’d absolutely book character dining again on a future visit.

💡 If you’re celebrating something special, this is worth a look 👉 birthday planning at Disneyland Paris

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Dining Highlights 🍽️

We ate at Rainforest Café on Poppy’s birthday eve—amazing atmosphere, lovely food, and fantastic service from our waiter, Matty.

Yes, it was a pricey treat. My son saw the bill and said, “Have we even got that much?!” 🤣

But honestly, we felt it was worth it for a relaxed meal.

Our little boy is vegetarian and, while there wasn’t loads of choice everywhere, he didn’t go hungry:

• Mickey pizza
• A veggie burrito ordered while in the queue for Big Thunder Mountain
• Vegetable pasta at Rainforest Café
• Beans, scrambled eggs, vegan sausage, waffles, syrup and croissants at breakfast

Safe to say… we were all absolutely stuffed.

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Tips, Tricks & Lasting Memories 💡

There’s so much I could say about our trip, but I’ll keep it (sort of) short!

My biggest advice: do what you want, enjoy every moment, and be prepared to wait.

• Ride queues weren’t too bad
• Character meets took longer
• We waited 2 hours 10 minutes to meet Stitch—and it was totally worth it for my daughter’s smile

If characters are high on your list, get there early if you can.

💡 Want to make the most of your park time? This helps 👉 ride planning guide to avoid the worst queues

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PhotoPass & Souvenir Thoughts 📸

One little disappointment: there wasn’t as much memorabilia in the shops as we expected. We couldn’t even find a photo frame for our family Mickey meet!

But… we got the PhotoPass (€75) and found it excellent value for the number of great pictures we got, especially from our Mickey meet.

We collected temporary passes and transferred all our photos onto the main pass—super easy.

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Final Thoughts ❤️

For anyone still there: enjoy every second.

For anyone going soon: you’re in for a real treat!

And for anyone on the way home—trust me, I feel your pain. Time to start planning the next trip already!

Thank you to this group for all the help and advice. xx

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Thank you, Shell, for sharing your magical trip report! ✨

If you have a question or want to share your own experience, leave a comment below or join our Facebook group.