Days 117 and 118: Disneyland Paris – Our Best Tips for a double Magical Time✨

As part of our plan to make this year of traveling a reality, we came up with a little hack: whenever friends and family asked what to get us—or the twins—for birthdays or even Christmas, we kindly suggested they give a little towards experiences instead of physical gifts.

We explained our idea, and everyone loved it! (Twins included!) Thanks to their contributions—and a bit from our own savings—we turned those “gifts” into two magical days at Disneyland Paris and two epic days at Legoland in Germany. And honestly? It was so worth it. I’ll never forget the pure joy on my kids’ faces… and I may or may not have been grinning just as wide the whole time.

I slowly started planning and researching Disneyland Paris since April and it finally became a reality at the end of July. By the time we went, I had a whole arsenal of ideas to make the experience magical, memorable, and—believe it or not—with relaxing moments.

So, grab a coffee (or a Mickey-shaped snack) and let me share my best tips:

Day 1:

Warm-Up in Disney Studios

Disneyland Paris has two parks: Disneyland Park (the big, famous one with the castle) and Walt Disney Studios Park (smaller, easier, and a lot less overwhelming). My advice? Start with Studios. Think of it as the “practice round” before the main event.

The best part? There’s no nighttime show here, so you can leave early, tuck the kids into bed, and rest up for the big day ahead. It’s like stretching before a marathon.

The Shows Are A W E S O M E

One of my biggest surprises? How much me and the kids loved the shows. We thought they’d get a bit restless but nope. They were SO good and fun!, kids were mesmerized. Frozen, Mickey and the magician, Toy Story and Pixar… we saw almost all, and honestly, I think I enjoyed them just as much as the little ones (maybe more).

Extra tip: Queuing for these shows was great too! not too much time (Definelty less than 30 minutes) perfect shady spots to enjoy some snacks, rest time, planning time and you can get out of the line if one persons stays behind, you just need to get tickets from the entrance staff, perfect for taking the kids for a toilet break too!

Your New Best Friend: The Disneyland Paris App

This app is your magic wand 🪄. You can:

• Check live queue times.

• Join virtual queues.

• Reserve character meet-and-greets.

• Book restaurants.

• Navigate the park without doing circles like a lost stroller.

• Get reminders so you don’t miss a thing.

Trust me — download it before you even think about packing the snacks.

The Character Meet-and-Greet Trick

Character meet spots fill up fast. The virtual queues usually open at 9:45 AM and 2:00 PM (best double check on the day), and you can only join from inside the park. Do set an alarm for this!. Twins had the best time meeting Black Panther, Princess Tiana and Darth Vader.

Premier Access: Worth It?

There are two types:

• Ultimate Access – Skip the line on most rides anytime (once per ride).

• One Access – Pay per ride with a set time slot (price varies).

We used One Access a couple of times and with little kids, it was worth every euro.

Extra tip: I guess we were lucky but we only did one very long queue in the 2 days we were at the parks, I was also prepared for this and had brought some entertainment, the best one... balloons! (Regular ones) we tied a paper string so they wont go away. And there were no complains for a big chunk of the queue time.

Day 2: The Main Park Adventure

The Secret Entrance Hack

Most people queue in front of the Disney hotel, but here’s the insider trick: head to the right-hand entrance. It’s marked “Hotel Guests Only,” but after 9:30 AM, they let anyone in. We walked right in — no stress.

Start at the Back

Yes, the castle is beautiful, but so is skipping long queue times. Go to the far end of the park first, ride while it’s quiet, and leave the castle photos for later.

Evening Magic

From 8–9 PM, some rides were almost empty. We did Three rides in a row with almost no queue.

Parade Perfection

Ask park staff where to stand. They know the parade routes like the back of their hands. Thanks to this trick, we got front row.

Extra tip: I don't think is necesary to get reserved viewing for the parade as it goes by a large part of the park and there are plenty of spots to see it with no issues. However...

Fireworks & Drones Finale

This is the one moment where I’d recommend booking reserved access. Most of the action happens at the castle, and it’s worth being close for the full “goosebumps” effect.

Bonus for Fellow Motorhomers 🚐

Yes, you can sleep at Disneyland Paris! For €40, you can park overnight, enjoy a shaded motorhome area, and you can leave the next day by 10 AM. We did this on day 2, after the firewors show, we went straight to bed — no transfers, no meltdowns, pure bliss.

Final Thoughts

Disneyland Paris with young kids can be magical and manageable if you go in with a plan (and a good sense of humor). Our twins still talk about it, and it will always live in our memories, if not the twins, in mine, I will never forget the amazing time we had.

So, young parents — pack the snacks, download the app, and keep these tricks up your sleeve. Here’s to making magical memories!

Good Night ✨