What to know about visiting Disneyland Paris?

[Liberator]

I have been to Disney World and Disneyland Resort several times, but it has been 12 years since I was in Disneyland Paris, so I have lots of questions.

I was under the impression that for suites there is a VIP Fast Pass, so I booked one. Just to be informed that this is not the case anymore, so I re-booked a to a regular club room and added a day (and even saved some money that way..). Lesson learned.

Anyway, the Disney suites department is providing exceptional service! So helpful and knowledgeable.

As said above I have some questions, I guess many things changed since my last visit

1. What is a typical snack in the afternoon in the club lounge? And do they provide soft drinks in cans?

2. Do the queues of the main attractions move faster because maybe less people make use of the €€€ premier access (rather than having a free fast pass)?

3. We expect high crowds, what is a good strategy? Which attractions to do first?

4. What restaurants can be recommended? We do not want to feed the kids burgers and french fries for 3 days, but we do not need fine dining this trip either.

5. Are there less-frequented spots in the parks for having a short break? Can you take your food into the parks?

6. Can you already check-in in the morning and leave the luggage at the hotel?

Very thankful for some input

 

[Karin1984]

1. Think fingerfood, some sweet, like macarons type stuff, and some savory mini sandwiches.

2. That is currently the thought. Although DLP is not back to 100% capacity due to the pandemic there are still limitations to the crowds.

3. When are you going?
You have access to EMH, most headliners are available during this period. My main advice is always: Big Thunder Mountain in the park, Crush in the Studios as your first ride.

4 Hakuna Matata is a favourite with us. And in the Village Rainforest café, king Ludwig's Castle and Annette's.

5. Bringing food to parks and attractions is common in Europe. For quiet places, go to the end of Frontierland near the playground and the right handige of the Cowboy Cookout. In Fantasyland go to Casey Junior. A little past the entrance are a few benches.

6. Yes, each hotel has a luggage storage.
Sometimes there can be lines, dont leave it to the last moment to pick up your luggage.

 

[Liberator]

Thank you for your tips

3. When are you going?

We are booked for whole long weekend of Ascension du Christ in May.

We hope that the parks are open late so that we can make use of the swimming pools and getting some rest mid-day.

I made the decision to let the children pick 2 Premier Access Passes daily. They shall remember the fun, not the queues.

Does the regular standby-pass system via App work well or is it rather like winning the lottery to find an open slot?

 

[Karin1984]

That is a holiday weekend for most of Europe, so that is indeed going to be busy. Use EMH as much as you can. If you have done headliners like Big Thunder Mountain, Space Mountain, Buzz Lightyear and Peter Pan, then I would move to Pirates or Phantom Manor at park opening. Check the list of what is open during EMH and where you can buy Premier Access for, if you plan to do this anyway.

The standby pass system via the app was a test that they only did at Crush coaster. They stopped half way through, because it caused congestion problems near the entrance. As far as I am aware no new tests have resumed.

 

[jina]

We are planning to visit for the first time this June and have been to California DL many times and Florida WDW several times. BTMR has always been one of our favorites but we only have 1.5 days total to see both parks (staying at hotel NY since DL hotel is closed). Is BTMR significantly different than the US parks? Just trying to prioritize. We want to definitely see everything which is unique to DL Paris. We will take advantage of EMH although it sounds like in DL Paris "early" is much later than the 7am we are used to during peak times in the US parks.

 

[Karin1984]

We are planning to visit for the first time this June and have been to California DL many times and Florida WDW several times. BTMR has always been one of our favorites but we only have 1.5 days total to see both parks (staying at hotel NY since DL hotel is closed). Is BTMR significantly different than the US parks? Just trying to prioritize. We want to definitely see everything which is unique to DL Paris. We will take advantage of EMH although it sounds like in DL Paris "early" is much later than the 7am we are used to during peak times in the US parks.

There is no contest, Big Thunder Mountain in Paris is the best of all the Big Thunder Mountain in the world. You go under grond to the island, it is more a thrill ride than in the US. To me BTM is a kiddie coaster in wdw.

Missing this would be a mistake. In my opinion. if you have the money, buy a fp.

Skipping Peter Pan or Buzz Lightyear is a better option if you have to chose for time reasons.

 

[jina]

Thanks/ in that case BTMR is now on the must do list!

 

[SuperMuscleMan]

We are planning to visit for the first time this June and have been to California DL many times and Florida WDW several times. BTMR has always been one of our favorites but we only have 1.5 days total to see both parks (staying at hotel NY since DL hotel is closed). Is BTMR significantly different than the US parks? Just trying to prioritize. We want to definitely see everything which is unique to DL Paris. We will take advantage of EMH although it sounds like in DL Paris "early" is much later than the 7am we are used to during peak times in the US parks.

Head straight to BTMR. Your love it, Haunted mansion is odd to me it can get huge ques then they just dissapear. Try not go in it if it's huge and watch it as the day goes on. I tend to head to BTMR then pirate's but as a first timer it's not the easiest to navigate if you decide to take a 'short cut' through the rope bridges etc. Have a great time. Don't get excited about the food though and the French are not great at speed of service. Try and avoid snacks if you don't want to waste time. Oh and the app is rubbish for internationals when it comes to food ordering so don't try!