Many people often wonder whether Disneyland Paris is doable as a day trip, and the answer is absolutely!
If you’ve already read my 3 Days in Paris including Disneyland Paris tried and tested guide, then you’ll see exactly how we saw Disneyland Paris in just one day.
But looking back, we made soo many mistakes and if we had done things differently, we could have really maximised our time at Disneyland Paris.
So to make sure you don’t make the same mistakes as we did, here are 25 tips on how to see Disneyland Paris in just one day!
Booking Tickets for Disneyland Paris
1. Book Tickets in Advance
There is nothing worse than having to line up for hours just to get your tickets to get into the Parks.
You’ll be wasting precious park time and when in Disneyland, that’s just something we do not want to miss out on!
In order to maximise your time in the parks, opt for buying your Disneyland Paris tickets in advance, even if it is a day before!
2. Book tickets that include Fast Passes
Similar to the above tip, make sure your tickets include Fast Passes! Some of the best attractions offer these such as Big Thunder a mountain, HyperSpace Mountain and Buzz Lightyear Laser Blast.
Although only a selected few rides have FastPasses, you’ll want to grab them so that you don’t waste time queuing up when you can be spending that time doing other things!
3. Buy tickets for both parks
Lots of people say Walt Disney Studios in Disneyland Paris is not worth it. Whilst it certainly doesn’t have the ‘magic’ that the Disneyland park offers, it is still a must see park and best of all, you don’t need much time to cover it. Plus it has the Tower of Terror ride!
For that reason, make sure you grab tickets that provides you access into both parks.
This post is not sponsored in any way, but at the time of booking I found Picniq to be the cheapest for providing day trip tickets to Disneyland Paris that also included Fast Passes.
4. Visit off peak and during the weekdays
Having read my 3 days in Paris including Disneyland guide, you’ll see that we visited Disneyland Paris on a Saturday in early August. Whilst we managed to see everything we wanted to, it was honestly down to pure luck.
Personally, I wouldn’t recommend this. Instead, go on weekdays and during the off peak season, it’ll be quieter, the queues will be smaller and you can really maximise your time in the Parks!
Before your visit to Disneyland Paris
5. Book a restaurant way in advance
If you’ve read my 3 Days in Paris including Disneyland post, you’ll see how my friends and I were walking around everywhere in Disneyland trying to get into a restaurant.
If you want to eat at a restaurant, especially if you are visiting during the peak times, then book your restaurant in advance!
6. Bring some cash
I know it can be a real pain to be carrying around cash at Disneyland Paris, but – always bring some cash because you just never know when you may need it!
In fact, on my trip, I didn’t pay with my card once. It helped me stick to a budget and not go off on a spending spree (as tempting as it was).
7. Plan a rough guide
Okay so don’t go all out with an exact plan (because of tip 8!). But have a rough guide as to what you want to see and where you plan on going first. This will really help you feel organised and less stressed on the day!
8. Don’t have your heart set on anything
Disneyland Paris is notorious for rides being closed. When going for a day trip, don’t have your heart set on a certain attraction, as it may be closed!
For example, I had my heart set on Haunted Mansion and didn’t release it was being refurbished (tbh, this was completely my fault, as I didn’t check the website or apps to see which rides were being refurbished!).
I also had my heart set on meeting Mulan (I mean who wouldn’t?!), but she was nowhere to be seen. And the worst part? We saw literally ever other character! Even Jafar. I mean yeah, he’s okay but he’s no Mulan.
9. Download the Disneyland Apps
There are loads of Disneyland Paris Apps to download, but for a day trip, I recommend the Disneyland Paris App.
This will give you a rough idea of queue times so you can plan which attractions you want to see. It also gives you a list of shows that will be showing on the day you visit.
10. Check and Dress for the Weather
When visiting the parks, you want to keep an eye out for the weather and for unexpected weather change.
We visited in August and it was so hot so I didn’t bother to bring a jacket. However, It ended up being really cool in the evening and I wish I packed a cardigan! I visited France the exact same time a year later and the weather was the complete opposite, wet and cold!
I recommend checking the weather every day the week before you visit so you get some sort of an idea of how to dress for the day.
What to Bring to Disneyland Paris
11. Wear comfortable shoes
For your day trip to Disneyland Paris, please don’t wear flip flops (as tempting as it may be). Opt for some comfy trainers and socks that you know and trust will keep your feet cosy and ache free!
Also, don’t test new shoes either, trust me, Disney is not the place to break into any new shoes. If I could also give an extra tip, it would be to bring some spare socks!
12. Bring different pairs of masks
Bearing in mind the current situation, masks are a must when visiting the Disneyland Paris. I would bring a few masks so that you can keep changing these throughout the day.
Etsy offers some great Disney masks which will really get you into the spirit of Disney!
13. Packs some snacks
Disneyland Paris snacks are EXPENSIVE! Make sure you take a few snacks in your park bag so that you can save some coin and have a quick power snack when you need it!
14. Bring a bag and a lanyard
My friends and I all took ‘bum bags’ and whilst these was great (as we didn’t have to hold anything) we couldn’t fit much in them, such as snacks, a bottle of water etc.
In the UK, when you visit other theme parks such Thorpe Park and Alton Towers, you’ll have to put your bags away before going on the ride. I assumed Disneyland was the same, but noticed loads of people taking their bags with them on the rides.
Looking back, I wish I had taken a backpack, this would fit everything, including that darn cardigan I was really needing towards the end of the day!
I also saw loads of people carrying lanyards holding their Disneyland Paris tickets and FastPasses, which I thought was a great idea!
15. Carry a battery pack
Invest in a great power battery pack so that you’re able to re-charge your phone whenever you need to!
Especially since you’ll be taking so many amazing photos!
Whilst at the Disneyland Paris
16. Arrive Early
We arrived so late on our day trip to Disneyland. Can you believe we arrived around 11.30. am and it was about 1.00. pm before we started going on rides!
To this day, I honestly do not know how we managed to fit everything in that day!
Learn from our mistake! Wake up early and get there before the park opens. You really want to maximise your time at Disneyland so get there super early so you get a head start on exploring.
17. Collect a button at City Hall
If it is your first time visiting Disneyland Paris, or you have arrived to celebrate a special occasion, head to City Hall to pick up a button!
This will let the cast members know that you’re celebrating a special occasion too! I can’t guarantee that they’ll give you anything special, but either way, it’ll be nice to have a badge for memories.
18. Eat at Weird Times
Many people in the parks flock to eat around the same time, so to avoid the queues for the food (yup, there are queues for those too!) eat at non peak times.
Plus, whilst everyone is eating, you’ll get to make the most of the quiet queues on the rides, wooohoo!
19. Consider eating at Disney Village
Had I known Disney Village has well known places to eat, such as McDonald’s, Rainforest Cafe and Vapiano (which Is like my all time favourite place to eat in London!), I would have gone straight there to eat after finding all restaurants were booked in the Parks.
So if you are not fussed about where to eat, and McDonald’s sounds good to you, Disney Village is the place to be.
20. Visit the dragon under the castle
Many people miss out on seeing this hidden gem, but it is a must see and doesn’t take up much time at all!
When you enter the Disneyland Park, I recommend visiting the dragon under the castle first and exploring the castle first before moving through the different lands!
21. Reuse your water bottles
Save your coins people and take reusable bottle to fill up at the fountains dotted around the parks, it’s free and you’ll save the environment, it’s a win win!
22. If you can only watch one show…
Watch the Disney Illuminations Show which is the spectacular firework display shown at the Disneyland Park at the end of the day in front of Sleeping Beauty’s gorgeous castle.
Keep an eye out on the app for when the show starts on the day you visit and make sure you go, because trust me, you do not want to miss it!
23. Find a spot early for shows
If you do see the shows, make sure you find a spot at least half an hour earlier before the show starts! In fact, we found a spot in front of the castle about an hour and a half before Disney Illuminations.
If you watch the Disneyland Paris Parade (which is usually on around 5.00.pm), aim to watch this at Fantasyland. The show begins at Fantasyland, so once the show passes through into the next land, you can go about the rest of you day whilst everyone else is still watching the show!
24. Buy souvenirs last
When you’ve finished on the attractions and rides, then it’s time to shop till you drop! If you buy anything delicate (like another mug for the collection!), you’ll want to buy it towards the end of the day so that you don’t run the risk of damaging it on a ride!
25. Take a Break
It can be really overwhelming to see everything in one day. Just as a gentle reminder, make sure you take a break! We were really lucky on our trip to have sat on some benches facing the beautiful castle when the princesses all came out to perform a show!
But make sure you do take that time out to refresh yourselves, before heading back out to explore the Parks.
There you have it, 25 magical tips to help you maximise you day trip to Disneyland Paris! Do you have any tips to share? Leave them in the comments below!
Really good post!
Thank you Lisa!