Postcard 003 : a love letter to the magical world of Disneyland Paris
Ever since a child, I've loved all things Disney, and Disneyland Paris holds so many magical memories. Here's a little love noter to the most magical place, plus some top tips for saving on your trip!
When most people turn 18, their group of friends will head on a group holiday to places like Magaluf, Zante or Ibiza. Me and my mates booked a trip to Disneyland Paris, and let me tell you it was one of the best weeks of my life. We had 5 days of being big kids, running around the parks, going on all of the rides as many times as possible, and making memories that we still reminisce about 10 years later.
My love of Disney started way before my 18th birthday though. I can’t remember a time I didn’t love Mickey Mouse and his pals, and the wonderful world of Disney.
I was 7 the first time I went to Disneyland Paris, and I can still remember the feeling I first felt as I walked through Main Street for the first time. In fact, I still get that feeling 20 years later, and 14 trips later!
The magical music, the buzz of excitement of the holiday to come, the sweet smell coming from the bakery as you walk down the picture-perfect street, down to Cinderella’s castle. There is no better feeling!
Whether you visit during the magic of Christmas, where it snows three times a day, at Halloween where pumpkin men roam the streets, or easter, when there’s the giant easter eggs to find, it’s magical all year around.
A popular time to go is during the summer holidays, and Disney have just launched some new summer 2024 packages to save on your summer trip to the magical world. I’ve actually written a blog post all about it which you can check out ⬇️
Top tips for your next trip to Disneyland Paris
If you’re celebrating a birthday, make sure to head to the town hall and get your badge! I spent my 22nd birthday at Disneyland Paris, and the first thing I did was get my birthday badge from the Town Hall. I wore it proudly all day, and all of the cast members wish you a happy birthday, and you might even get a phone call from Mickey Mouse himself! It’s completely free to do this and it' just adds to the magic. (you can also do this to get your first trip to Disney, or if you’re celebrating a special occasion!)
Get a meal plan! Meal plans are an absolute game changer, and I wouldn’t go to Disney and not get one now. You can get half board or full board, and you can use them in most of the Disney restaurants. On our trip last Christmas, it saved us £30 per day which is mad! To get all the details, check out this blog post.
If you’re staying at a Disneyland Paris hotel, make use of the magic hours. The perk of staying on site is magic hours. You get to go in an hour early, and it means you can get your picture in front of the castle with less people around, and get on your favourite rides before it gets busy! The rides I go for during magic hours are Big Thunder Mountain (my favourite!), Crush’s Coaster, Tower of Terror and the new Spiderman WEB ride.
You can stay onsite at DLP, and not break the bank. I’ve stayed at nearly all of the on-site Disney hotels (and a lot of the off-site ones too!), and depending on what you’re looking for from your Disney holiday, you can save a lot of money. I would always opt to stay on-site, purely because it’s nice to be in walking distance and not have to get the shuttle bus (which gets busy).
If you plan to spend the whole day in the parks and not take breaks at your hotel, I’d stay at the cheapest on site hotel, Santa Fe. I’ve stayed here twice now and it’s great. There’s not much at the hotel, but the theming (Cars!) is insane and it’s a good nights sleep. Similarly Hotel Cheyenne (Toy Story themed!) is also perfect for this!
If you’re going to be spending time at the hotel as well as in the park, and would like to have a pool, then that’s when you’re going to want to spend extra and stay at either Sequila Lodge, Newport Bay and New York New York (Marvel Hotel).
Our go to at the moment is staying at Santa Fe, as I spend all my time in the parks, but stopping off at the Marvel Bar at New York New York on the way home because the theming there is incredible!
For full luxury, the dream is to stay at the Disneyland Hotel. I’ve never stayed there but it’s just reopened and the videos look insane!Don’t forget about the shows! Most people focus on the rides, the character meet and greets, where to stay and where to eat when they’re planning their trips. But don’t forget about the shows. The shows at Disneyland Paris are incredible - a stand out of our last trip was the Lion King show which was a West End level performance! Even though you’re in France, there is a mix of performances in French and English, and some shows are both with parts in both languages.
So they’re just some of my tips for having a magical time at Disneyland Paris. I’ve written a fair few blog posts on DLP which you can find below;
How to save money on your summer 2024 trip to Disneyland Paris
Are the Disneyland Paris meal plans worth it? Here’s how much it saved us…
How to do Disneyland Paris on a budget (but still have the full Disney experience
Have you been to Disneyland Paris before? I’d love to hear what your tips are and what your favourite part is!!
Have a magical weekend
Katie May x
Katie, this is a fantastic article. We've taken our three daughters to Paris Disney for Christmas several times when they were young, and it's a marvelous trip for children--and adults! Great work and info.