Oh what a magical Christmas we spent at Disneyland, Paris. Are you thinking of making your little ones dreams come true and taking a visit? We felt that we struggled to plan our trip in terms of hotels/restaurants (there is so much choice!) so we have created a little guide to help you plan your perfect Disney trip.
There is something beautifully enchanting about Parc Disneyland, the details and stunning Christmas decor were truly breathtaking. We would definitely recommend a visit, especially during the festive period, they literally make a song and dance about it! First things first, where should you stay?
The resort consists of 6 Disney themed hotels. There are also several other partner hotels situated near the resort, however, we felt that we wanted to get the full experience and stay in an official Disney hotel. We decided on Newport Bay, a 4 star, nautical themed coastal mansion. The hotel was very impressive, pristine and themed throughout, it really felt like part of the Disney park. It was a 15 minute walk to the Disney Village, which can get quite tiring when walking back and forth a couple of times a day. Prepare for lots of walking; no matter what hotel you stay at, pushchairs for toddlers are a must!
The hotels vary in price, ranging from £200 per night up to over £1,000 per night. The closer you want to be to the parks, the more you need to be prepared to pay. At the top of the price list, The Disneyland Hotel (next on our bucket list) is situated right in the center of the park, between the Disney Village (shopping district) and the 2 theme parks. We did enjoy some lovely hot chocolates and cakes in the Disneyland Hotel and we can say it is absolutely stunning inside, the real 5 star treatment! Just outside of the Disney Village is the New York themed hotel, we have heard some great reviews and would love to try this hotel out too! Across the lake from the Hotel New York, Newport Bay where we stayed. The hotel is beautifully presented with stunning views across the lake. The in hotel restaurant served delicious food but we’ll talk about where to eat later. Adjacent to the two lake-view hotels is Sequoia Lodge hotel, a Bambi inspired ranch themed hotel. Slightly further afield are the Hotel Cheyenne and Hotel Santa Fe, Woody’s Wild West and Cars themed respectively. These two hotels are about 20 minutes walk away from the parks and provide the most affordable options. Remember – When deciding on which hotel to stay at, bear in mind that you will be spending most of your time at the parks and exploring everything Disneyland has to offer… not staying in your room!
One thing we should mention…security. There is a lot of security to get through in to the parks – which is great as you feel safe with the little ones. Just be prepared for the queues and make sure you don’t take in a selfie stick – these are NOT allowed. Make sure to check the security measures on the boards if you are concerned but there are a few restrictions such as: no outside alcohol or wrapped presents to be taken in.
So… let’s talk food and restaurants. There is an abundance of diners and themed restaurants around the resort and it can feel a little overwhelming if you have not visited before. You can make reservations up to 6 months prior to arrival, and we would recommend getting booked in as soon as you can.
One thing that we did find a bit of a nightmare, and it could have been due to the busy festive period, was the breakfast! We didn’t manage to get booked in for breakfast at the hotel and finding somewhere on the resort also seemed hard work. We ended up sitting at the Starbucks in the Disney village with a coffee and a croissant which was more than fine. My advice would be to keep it simple like this – maybe take some breakfast bars and snacks with you for the kids and try hold off until lunch.
In terms of restaurants we did try quite a few and we will give you our honest reviews;
Captain Jack’s – Pirates of the Caribbean themed – I would avoid this restaurant! The setting is amazing and it features the ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ ride going past the tables but the menu, the service and the food was unimpressive. If you want to see the inside of the restaurant, queue for the ride, not a table!
Bistrot Chez Remy – Ratatouille themed, French cuisine – The decor is brilliant, designed to make you feel the size of a mouse with champagne cork seats and jam jar tables. The food was delicious and the staff were very attentive. We would highly recommend booking a table on your next visit to Disneyland.
Rainforest Cafe – Amazon themed – Incredibly decorated like a tropical jungle with animatronic animals surrounding your table. This is definitely one to visit with the kids. Situated in the Disney village we had a light lunch and then straight back in to the park. One thing to note – The Rainforest Cafe is not included in the food plan.
The Steakhouse – We loved it here. It is not Disney themed but it was nice to have a night off from the themed restaurants. On this occasion, we used our meal plan as a voucher towards the price of the meal. The speciality steaks were much more flavoursome and tender than the meal plan menu steaks.
Annette’s Diner – An American, 1950’s themed diner – Classic American diner with burgers, fries and milkshakes on the menu! If you’re looking for a meal that will fill you up, look no further. American style food and American style portions! The staff wait on you in roller skates whilst Elvis plays in the background, a great place to take the kids.
Yacht Club – The hotel restaurant at Newport Bay. This was a wonderful meal. It was our first night at the hotel and it set the tone for the rest of the stay. If you stay at Newport Bay, it is certainly worth eating in the hotel restaurant.
These are just the table-service restaurants that we visited but there are many more, some that you can reserve and some that you can’t, the best way to check is through this link. There are many little stalls, buffet restaurants and coffee stops dotted around the parks if you don’t fancy a sit down meal. I think if we go back I will definitely be packing more snacks and picnic bits to avoid the stress of finding somewhere for lunch every day.
If you stay in one of the 6 hotels mentioned above, you are invited to enter the park during ‘extra magic time’. It basically means you can enter the park an hour or two, depending on the time of year, before the gates are opened to the general public. A lot of hotel guests will be using this time to get some breakfast, our advice is to use this time to queue to meet the characters! We queued up for 75 minutes to meet Sleeping Beauty one afternoon but only 20 minutes to see Snow White during ‘Extra Magic Hours’. The further into the day, the bigger the queues, start your day early to make the most of it… or pack a fully charged tablet and try and wait it out in the queues.
Disneyland Park is the heart of the magic. You walk through the gates onto Main St, a bustling road of souvenir shops, marching bands and character parades; with the enchanting Sleeping Beauty Castle towering over the promenade in the distance. Welcome to Disneyland. The childhood nostalgia of watching your favourite Disney films fills your heart whilst the faint sounds of their songs pour out of the shops. Disneyland never stays the same, whether it is decorated in Halloween pumpkins, fake snow at Christmas or preparing to celebrate for the latest film, it is almost guaranteed to be a different experience each time you visit.
The other park is Walt Disney Studios, equally as brilliant, but targeted maybe towards a slightly older audience. The Walt Disney Studio Park encompasses the other brands that Disney owns: Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars etc. This park has some amazing rides but focuses more on interactive shows and tours. There is plenty to get stuck in to! It is home to Harry’s favourite ride too, Ratatouille: The Adventure, a 4D experience that sees you race around a restaurant kitchen with Remy and friends. Careful when walking this park though, it is guarded by Stormtroopers, Darth Vader and the evil Kylo Ren!
Disneyland is amazing no matter what time of year you go, but there is something in the air at Christmas time. The parks are decorated with snowmen, Christmas trees and artificial snow floating through the air. The characters are dressed in their Christmas outfits and there are shows all over the park celebrating the festive period, it really is magical! We would go every year if we could afford it! The Christmas parades are absolutely out of this world and make sure not to miss the fireworks! We stayed over Christmas Eve & Christmas Day so the decorations in the hotel and the parks made it so magical for Harry, it did not do our little tree at home any justice at all!
I don’t think we actually had time to really get round absolutely everything we would have liked to so we would recommend a trip of at least 4 days. We have also visited Disneyworld Florida which was equally out of this world but for us there is something extra magical about Disneyland Paris; it has that certain Je ne sais quoi.
We hope these tips help make your Disney experience as enjoyable and magical as possible, we are always happy to answer any questions you have, just leave us a comment or pop us a message on our contact page.
Lots of love,
The Big Dreams Family x