When my boyfriend suggested going to Disneyland Paris with the kids (aged 2 and 9), the first thing I thought was; isn’t our 2 year old daughter too young for that? It's quite an expensive trip and she won't remember it later. Are there enough attractions for her? Can she wait in line? Now that we're back, I can tell you it was quite a challenge, but I'm glad we did it; she absolutely loved it!
We decided to leave the day before King's Day (Dutch holiday), which was on a weekday this year (Wednesday). The May holiday had already started for a few days and I thought to myself, then it must not be too busy in terms of crowds. Oh man, that was disappointing. It took us no less than 8 hours (!) by car from Amsterdam. After that miserable car ride we arrived at our Airbnb in the village of 'Esbly'. Great apartment, but there is ab-so-lute-ly nothing to do in Esbly.
The next day we drove to Disneyland early, because yes, with such expensive tickets you want to get everything out of it :). We parked our car for €30 and then the fun could begin!
Highlights⚡️
- Children up to 3 years old have free access to the park!
- She really loved the rides. I've seen her smile the whole time. She just didn't quite understand why she was only allowed in for such a short time. “Can we go again mommy?”
- There are enough attractions for toddlers and I really didn't expect that. We have been to quite a few amusement parks where you had a very small area for little ones, but in Disneyland she was actually allowed in a lot of attractions. Download the Disney app and filter on 'toddler', where you will immediately see an overview of the attractions that your child is allowed to use
- We were there from morning to late in the evening and saw three parades. That's great, because that's entertainment without having to queue for a long time
- There is a 'babycare center' where you can change your child, warm up some food or feed them quietly. You can also rent a stroller if you have not brought one with you
- The Disney shops are really nice to walk around. Go there with the mindset that you are going to spend money, because it isn’t cheap. I bought Sienna (my daughter) a princess dress (€40), a bracelet (€10), Mickey Mouse bubbles (€25) and a magnet for myself (€5) haha.
Lowlights 😔
- Biggest challenge with Sienna was waiting in line. We went on a weekday, so I thought it would be less busy, but I was wrong. The average waiting time for an attraction was 35-50 minutes which is a long time for a little one I can tell you. Waiting 45 minutes = 5 tantrums
- When I was little, there were also Disney characters that you could take a picture with, but that's different now. If you want your picture taken with Disney princesses, you have to stand in line. Average waiting time: 100 minutes
- The famous fireworks show at the end of the evening was not until 11 pm. That was really too late. This is almost impossible for those little ones. Sienna was already sleeping in the stroller at that time, but she woke up grumpy from the loud noise. Sigh.
- She found some attractions in the dark a bit intens, e.g. Pirates of the Caribbean and Snow White, but luckily she didn't have any bad dreams
- The "cheaper" restaurants serve junk food. If you want to eat healthy, you can make reservations in one of the more expensive restaurants via the app. Prices are about €50 pp. Do you have an admission ticket for several days and therefore the time? Walk to Disney Village. This is outside the park. Here you have several restaurants where you can eat affordable healthy food. You can also bring your own sandwiches and drinks! We had, unfortunately, forgotten this bag with food and drinks in our apartment..
Okay back to that queue. I hereby give you my 'queue tips'! 🙋🏽♀️
- The easiest and also the most expensive option; buy a fast pass “Disney Premier Access”. You can buy this per attraction (€7 - €16) or a day pass (€90)
- Download the Disney app to see how long the queues are and which attraction has short queues
- In the evening the park is less crowded than during the day and therefore there are shorter waiting times
- Go to an attraction during a parade or the fireworks show. Less fun of course, because then you miss the shows, but because everyone goes to the shows, you don't have queues!
Would I recommend Disneyland with a toddler? I think this really depends on your child. Can your child handle waiting in line? Then I would say, do it! It's a really nice experience for them.
I do know that I wouldn't do it so quickly anymore with little miss impatience. Like mother, like daughter right? ♥️