*This post contains my referral codes should you wish to use them and save money*

The last time we visited Disneyland Paris was in 2017 when the kids were 7 years younger. We have just returned from our holiday which was July 29th – August 1st 2024 and their ages now are 10,11 and 18.

I thought Disneyland was going to be heaving being the summer holidays but was pleasantly surprised to find that in fact it wasn’t busy at all. This was because most people had avoided booking thinking it was going to hectic due to the Olympics.

The heat was so hot with one of the days hitting 38 degrees, good job as well because none of us packed a jacket or a coat. We made sure to pack plenty of sun screen and none of us got burnt considering just how hot it was.

Before you start reading, this is a short YouTube video which my 11year old daughter made.

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Musts for Disneyland Paris

I know it’s hard to rely on weather apps but it is a good idea to check so you can plan. It did say we was due a thunderstorm whilst we were there so I brought cheap rain jackets anyway before hand from Temu, we didn’t need them in the end. I would suggest you buy some just in case because buying ponchos in the park can get pricey if you have to buy a few of them.

Power banks are an absolute must. I saw many people carrying their mobile phones around their neck on a lanyard in a see through case. I wish I had done this as it was a pain to keep going in and out of my bag as there are lots of photo opportunities where you will want to grab your phone quickly.

I brought two telescopic stools from Amazon before we left just in case and to be honest we only used one for Leo on the last day because we had to pack the wheelchair in the car early in order to pack the cases around it. They have a carry handle on them so you could either pop them in a rucksack or just carry them over your shoulder. If taking a wheelchair you can hang the strap over the handles. These are very handy when queuing for rides and you want to sit down especially if your watching the parade/ fireworks and they want to be taller to see.

We brought all of our Disney ears from Ali express, we took two pairs each and because I paid less than £2 per headband I wasn’t upset when we lost one in the park. Buying them in the park will cost you around €20-€30 each however they are stunning.

Lounge fly bags are extremely popular at Disneyland, we saw them EVERYWHERE. I have seen replicas on Ali Express if your looking for a cheaper alternative and I have heard the quality is very good. If you want to buy one in the park the bags cost between €80-€100.

Hand held fans we brought from Home bargains for £1 each and these came in handy ( excuse the pun), This was a very good purchase with how hot it was.

Autograph book and pen for the meet and greets.

My kids wore bum bags (fanny packs) the whole time we was there as they carried their own spending money, they also kept their hand held fans and sunglasses with them.

I took a rucksack with me that contained our sun lotion, rain jackets which come in small baubles, power bank with lead, the kids snack packs and for myself I used a cross over bag where I kept our main money inside with my sunglasses and my phone.

COMFY SHOES- You will be walking anywhere from 15-30k steps a day.

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Medication

We took a range of medication with us to Disney just in case, the only thing we had to use was Germolene, antihistamine and Paracetamol because David got stung by a wasp on the last day. Typical.

This is what we packed;

• sturgeon motion sickness tablets
• Paracetamol & Ibuprofen
• Calpol
• Germolene
• Plasters
• Antihistamine
• Plasters
• Baby wipes
• Antiseptic wipes
• Hand gel

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Park etiquette at Disneyland Paris

Disneyland Paris is a busy place and we found even with having a wheelchair people didn’t care and would cut us up, after a while I stopped caring myself and just walked in the direction I was going as it was much easier for them to move then for me to move with the wheelchair, they moved quickly. This will be the same with pushchairs and wagons.

On the other hand there was lots of lovely people who saw us coming and moved out of our way and held doors open for us.

We struggled taking photos ourself to include all five of us, taking a selfie just didn’t work. We decided to just ask people if they would mind taking our picture and they were always happy to oblige, we would then offer to do the same for them.

Whilst walking around the park we noticed families taking photos where one of them would be left out of the photo, we offered to take it for them. We did this a lot. It felt good and they were very grateful.

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Driving to Disneyland

We decided that the best option for us was to travel to Disney by car because for me, it would be less stressful and we could drive directly to the hotel. The drive went very well, we didn’t hit any traffic there or back and arrived in plenty of time to Le Shuttle. You need to arrive an hour before your train departs.

From where we live to Disneyland Paris costs £60 for a full tank of fuel in our car and the toll roads were free in the UK because we have a Motability car. We had to refuel on the way back from Paris which cost €60 Euro for 3/4 of a tank. We paid in cash as we had read if you use a card it would take a holding fee which would then be refunded later and we couldn’t be bothered with that.

My Daughter gets travel sickness when in the car so I brought disposable vomit bags from Temu and sturgeon anti sickness tablets for her. Thankfully she didn’t need to use the bags.

We got bought a 45litre car fridge which we stocked up with bottles of water, cans of pop, savoury snacks and fruit. This was an absolute godsend when we got to the hotel because it had an extendable handle and a mains plug so we could keep our food cool the entire time.

The day before leaving we brought so many snacky bits to make snack bags for the kids to eat in the car and whilst in the parks, we brought far too much took most of it home.

Here is some of the snacks we took;

• Individually wrapped chocolate crepes
• Iced gems
• Individually packed Jammie dodgers
• Fruit stars
• Popcorn
• Fruit winders
• Mini Cheddars
• Marshmallows
• Crisps
• Freezer bags to pack them into

When you arrive in Calais there is a toll fee of €24.60 on the way to Disney and again on the way back so make sure you budget for this if your driving. We kept the cash in a separate envelope especially for this. You will be given a ticket as you enter the toll road to then insert at the end so you can pay.

We used Le Shuttle to transport us over from Folkstone to Calais, I have written an informative guide and our experience on another post if you would like to read it. Just click the photo below and it will take you directly to the post.

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Our Hotel at Disneyland Paris

We stayed at sequoi lodge which is a Disney hotel and when you stay in a Disney hotel you can enter the park an hour before everyone else. The hotel has a free shuttle service you can use to take you directly to the park or it’s a short 8-10 minute walk depending on how fast you walk. The walk is actually really nice as you go by a stunning lake with the other Disney hotels surrounding it.

All of the disabled parking was taken in the carpark and I remembered from our last trip in 2017 that there was more parking behind a coded gate at the front of the hotel so we asked for the code and parked there again for the duration.

As there was five of us, we had to book two bedrooms, we requested connecting rooms close to facilities which was granted. The rooms were clean and spacious and the beds were extremely comfy. We had access to a safe which we used to store our passports.

Emily really wanted to use the swimming pool whilst we was there so we made sure to take the time to use it on the first night. It’s a lovely indoor/outdoor pool with a slide and a separate Jacuzzi. I did find the water cold in the main pool so spent my time in the Jacuzzi, David took the girls back on the last night whilst me and Leo stayed behind in the room to enjoy a cold cider.

Swimming towels are supplied in the hotel so you do not need to bring them with you.

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Celebrating a Birthday at Disneyland

Our youngest turned 10 whilst we was there and I wanted to make it even more special than it already was for her. I ordered large air filled digit balloons from Amazon and brought multi coloured balloons to blow up the night and 10th birthday banners to surprise her when she woke up. I did forget the tape so ended up using the tape from the first aid kit. I ordered her Birthday girl Disney ears from Ali Express and she wore a pink glittery birthday sash. She was given a birthday badge with her name on by the hotel staff and every cast member we saw that day wished her a magical birthday.

At breakfast she received a special Happy birthday phone call from Mickey mouse which was a wonderful touch.

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Security at Disneyland

We felt very secure the whole time we was there. Upon arriving to our hotel we had to pass our bags through a security Xray machine so they could see we didn’t have any anything dangerous on us. They didn’t bat an eyelid at our fridge which I thought they might have done.

When you go to the parks you have to pass through one of these again before you enter Disney Village. All bags must be removed and put through the Xray machine and you will need to pass through a walk through metal detector, they will also do random checks with a hand held metal detector. Leo had to go through separately in his chair which was scanned and checked by a security officer.

You will have to do this again before entering the park so get prepared to take your bags off again. This will happen every single day and each time you need to pass through. You may also see military and sniffer dogs, its for your safety.

Whilst on the subject of security, I hid a tracking tile in my bag in case it went missing and Lydia made Emily an ICE bracelet with my mobile number in case she got lost and at one point she did get lost but not for long. This is a good idea if you have little children who don’t know your mobile number.

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Magic Pass at Disneyland

You can start checking in on the Disneyland Paris app 7 days before you leave. I started to do this but then came out of it and couldn’t go back in again so I did it again at the desk when we arrived. We was given 5 magic passes, one for each of us. The magic passes are also on your Disneyland Paris app, you can use your physical cards or I took screenshots of each pass so they were in my gallery and I could scroll through in the park instead of having to keep logging on. If you have a meal plan you will need to keep a card on you as they will need to scan this.

Your magic pass is also your room key so it’s ideal to keep at least one of them on you.

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Meal plans at Disneyland Paris

I paid for the half board plus option so that we could have a decent breakfast in the mornings as well as either lunch or dinner. We chose to have the dinner option and had pre booked Walts restaurant which is located within the park on main street. We really enjoyed the food here and the kids got to watch the parade close up from outside the window.

On the second night we booked in for Manhattan restaurant which is in the Marvel hotel and on the last night we stayed in our own hotel and had a buffet. We loved fine dining, the food was exquisite and I tried Veal for the first time. All three kids ate their meals. If you have fussy children then I recommend you stick to buffets for more of an option.

No one told us that on the half board plus plan included a free soft drink for adults so we missed out on that which really annoyed me. The kids get a drink included with their meals.

I would say that if your are traveling with a big family then this is worth it in my opinion. I kept the receipts so that I could tally up how much is all included and it was well over what we paid for the plan.

Booking restaurants was easy to do through the app however I would suggest booking them well in advanced. The booking is under your name, not the booking reference so if like me you cancelled your original Disney booking because you found it cheaper your reservation is not lost. If you find you cant book anywhere because it’s full it’s advisable to go to your hotel concierge or city hall as sometimes they can slot you in.

You have many, many restaurants to choose to dine from on the meal plans from all around both of the parks, Disney village or inside the other Disney hotels.

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Snacks in Disneyland Park

There are snack huts absolutely everywhere in both the Disney park and Disney studios selling anything from crepes, waffles, hot dogs, popcorn, corn dogs, ice creams, bakeries, chips and burgers, alcohol and although we was not on a budget, I still didn’t want to splurge just for the sake of it. The snack packs we took was enough to satisfy the kids. We did treat ourselves to a themed ice cream and a Nutella Waffle, the themed ice creams were €7 each and looked exactly like the photo, I don’t think any of us could finish them. Magnums, twisters etc are €4 each. The Nutella waffles were €5 each and was so good!

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Drinks in the Disneyland park

They are sold at both the parks for around €4 each. We took water bottles with us and kept refilling them up at the water fountains. I also took a squishy juice thing so that the kids could have orange but we never used it. We all stayed well hydrated, and it didn’t cost a thing.

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Priority Pass for disabled guests at Disney

This was pure gold for us. You have to apply for it online before you arrive. I am sure you can do it once you are there but the option to do it early is also available and is what we did. You will need to take your letter of eligibility to either concierge or city hall along with Identification of the person who it is fore and they will issue the pass and explain how it works. The person who the pass is for will need to be present when doing this and you will need to show your code from the app alongside your original document, we took his pip letter.

The pass allows the main person plus 4 others to use priority queuing on rides, I am not sure if it was 4 because we had a booking of 5 or if it it was just what it is, you would need to check. The main person plus two others can use the reserved space for the parade and fireworks and for the character meets it allows you to approach the cast member and get an appt time to return back for a meet and greet.

Each ride has a priority access entrace which is usually located near the exit of the ride, there are wheelchair signs located on where you need to go, if you are unsure just ask someone and they will help you. We never queued longer than five minutes which was great for us as Leo’s legs would not allow him to stand for long periods. On most rides they allowed the wheelchair through the gates and then brought it to you when the ride finished so he could remain seated until he needed to transfer to the ride.

With the pass and the fact the park was not busy due to the Olympics, we managed to go on all the rides we wanted to go on bar a few that they were not interested in or was closed due to maintenance.

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The rides at Disneyland

Hollywood tower or terror remained the firm favourite with us, we went on it 5 times and it would have been more had we not run out of time on our last day.

Avengers ride took me and Emily by surprise, it was so fast, faster than Rita as Alton Towers in my opinion and did 360 loops, It also throws you about a bit so you need to be in good shape as the safety bars can only do so much. The photos afterwards had me laughing with tears streaming down my face from Leo’s eyeballs nearly coming out of his face and the sheer look of terror on our faces. We still went back and did this ride a further two more times.

Big thunder mountain was so much fun, we went on this ride twice.

Indiana jones was fantastic but Emily was just a tiny bit to short to ride this one so me and Dave took it in turns and Leo and Lydia got to ride it twice.

Spider slingers was fun. We did this one three times, I won twice and then David beat me on the third hurdle. You wear 3D glasses which are cleaned and sterilised after each use. You have to help Spiderman eradicate the spider bots which have multiplied and taken over. You have to use your hands to sling them away, its so much fun but boy do your arms ache afterwards.

Hyper space mountain I only went on once as it was in the dark and made me feel sick. David and the kids went on this a second time.

I could go on and on but would be here for ages!

There are Purell hand gel dispensers scattered around the park and on the exits of every ride.

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Shopping at Disneyland Paris

Shopping in the park was fun, we saved this for the last day so that we didn’t have to leave our goods on the rides. Each of my kids had saved pocket and birthday money for our trip so they could buy what they wanted without asking.

I found the prices were the same no matter what shop you went into however each land within the Disney park had items specific to them for example, in Adventureland you could buy Indiana jones hats and I never saw these anywhere else in the park. The shop in fantasy land is where all the pretty dresses are and the princess merchandise was located.

As I said above, it was extremely hot whilst we was there and we did take our sun hats but the kids wanted to buy the character hats which in fairness are extremely cute. They cost €25 each.

Emily brought her self a Chip bubble wand for €25 and a refill for €3. I knew the price of these before we left and was meant to pack my own bubble refill but I forgot.

You will also see adorable shoulder buddies everywhere, we was going to buy one from Primark before we left but they were limited in characters and Emily wanted Remy from ratatouille. These are €20 each and we saw Chip, Sebastian, Remy, Baby Groot, Abu, Pascal, Stitch, Mushu, Spider bot, Star, Angel, Grogu, Tinkerbell.

You can also buy a wide selection of Shoulder buddies on AliExpress for under £10 if you are on a budget.

Make sure to keep your receipts on purchases though because you can claim your tax back in France using Skip tax, if you want to learn more about it then go to my blog post linked HERE.

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Pixie Dust Pick ups

As I said above, I left our Disney shopping till the last day so that we didn’t have to carry extra bags around the park. In hindsight, this was a great idea but it also meant that because I was so focused on making sure the kids got what they wanted, I forgot about myself.

Scrolling through the Disney Facebook groups I saw a post recommending a lovely couple who do Disney Picks ups so I followed her page and sent her a message. She was extremely helpful and said that on her next trip over which was imminent that she would do her best to pick up the bits that I had forgotten to buy myself whilst I was there.

Upon her return she sent me a message to say she had picked up everything for me that I had asked for, which I was so thrilled about because I was gutted that I didn’t get it when I was there a few weeks prior.

I wasn’t in a rush for my order so I waited for Shreena to send me the invoice when she was ready as I knew she had a lot to get through. I paid straight away because I didn’t want to keep her waiting as she doesn’t take a deposit so all of this comes out of her personal money. I do however, think she should take a deposit to protect herself from time wasters.

Not long after, my Disney items arrived very well packaged and it feels like Christmas has come early. I cant thank Shreena, her husband and her kids enough who go out of their way to do this for people.

For their time, they do have a shoppers pick up fee which is currently at £7 per order and not per item ( will need to increase slightly at some point this year due to normal inflation) which I think is an absolute bargain, the postage is based on size and weight and all of this will be in your invoice.

Join Pixie Dust Pick ups on Facebook where you can find Disney deals and all the Disney merchandise that she can pick up for you, If the photo is not on there then don’t worry, she can tell you if she can still collect it for you.

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Photo Pass at Disneyland

Photo passes are fantastic especially if you want all of the photos from the rides, you just take your card (or temporary pass) to the tills after the ride with the code on the photo and the cast member will scan it directly on to your card.

On meet and greets with characters there are Disney photographers who take photos for you, you can take your own photos alongside them if you don’t want to buy the pass.

If you are unsure if the photo pass will be worth it before buying you can pick up a temporary photo pass card from a shop or a photographer will you give you one after a greet. They all carry a scanner on them so the photos can go directly on to your card.

Then when you get back to the hotel or when you get home, make an account on the Photo pass website where you can view and either buy the entire package or individual photos if you felt it was then worth it.

Look out for offers when booking Disneyland as some might have a free photo pass included.

If a family member or friend already has a photo pass, they can let you use theirs as a guest. This is what my friend did for me and I really appreciated it. I simply just sent her the code on the back of my temporary pass and she downloaded them for me. Thank you, Tilly x

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Skip Tax at Disneyland Paris

I have a whole blog post dedicated to how to use Skip tax. Click the photo below and it will take you directly there.

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Saving money where you can before you go

Top cash back is your best friend for Disney merch before you go and if you do decide to shop through Ali express there is currently a 5% cashback when you go through them but make sure you USE the desktop and NOT the app.

Temu also offer up to 23.8% Cashback when going through Top cash back and again USE the desktop version, NOT the app.

If you found this post helpful and do decide to use Top cash back, I would love it if you could use my referral code where we would both receive £30 reward once you have earnt your first £10

MY REFERRAL LINK