We were looking to book a family holiday to take the new member of our family on his first trip abroad, and to give Lucy one last hurrah before finishing her maternity leave and returning to work, so we decided that a trip to Disneyland Paris was in order. We’ve always enjoyed trips to Disney, and it is the earliest family holiday memory that I have too.
I was in charge of doing all the planning and booking, and I learned a few lessons along the way that may help you out when you go to book a trip to Disneyland Paris.
The first thing is to make use of any discounts or special offers that are running. There are nearly always special offers being run by Disneyland Paris which can seriously reduce the price of your visit. These can be discounted dates, free meal plans or extra spending money. They also often offer discounted rates if you do a self-drive trip, which we decided would be too tiring for the length of stay we had and going with an almost 10 month old.
The offer we made use of was discounted rates for stays in January. Because of the World of Frozen opening in March 2026, many people would have chosen to delay their stay so they could visit the new land. This meant that Disneyland Paris offered a fairly sizable discount on stays booked before this. We were a little worried how the weather would be in January but it was actually quite mild and pleasant. We made sure to pack lots of layers and rain-proof clothes just in case though!
We chose to visit during term time too, which we usually can’t do due to Lucy’s job. This also is a good way of saving money, but is just not feasible for the majority of people. I will say, it was still quite busy despite all of this, with queues for some rides being up to 140 minutes that we saw. We still managed to get on quite a few rides by making the most of quiet times around the fireworks and parade.
It’s important to plan for how you intend to queue when you’re going with a small child. Prams are not allowed in the queue lines so, for children who can’t stand on their own, this means holding them while you wait. It’s a good idea to take a baby carrier with you, but make sure you’ve fitted it properly and that it’s comfortable for extended periods of time before you travel.
We chose to get the Half Board meal plan which gave us breakfast at the hotel as well as one meal per day in the park. This took some stress out of planning when and where to eat and worrying about the cost of each food stop as we were going around the park. We tended not to buy too many snacks as the breakfast was all-you-can-eat, and several of the dining options in the park are too. We tried PYM Kitchen for an all-you-can-eat lunch. It offered a good variety of food but some of it was a bit bizarre. We would not be in a rush to go back there. For the second day we had a sit down meal at Walt’s which was very nice, although don’t bother with the mac and cheese, that was very disappointing.
A meal plan does save money if you’re intending on making use of the more expensive restaurants and breakfast options, but if you’re more a quick service and snacks group then they do work out worse. Similarly if you’re not big eaters, the all-you-can-eat are quite expensive if you’re not making the most of what’s on offer.
Whether you have a meal plan or not, you need to make sure that you book well in advance for your restaurant reservations. As soon as you you possibly can is the best bet. A lot of restaurants get fully booked or you’ll end up with really random meal times. We had wanted to try the Downtown Restaurant in the Art of Marvel hotel, but didn’t manage to score a reservation there.
It’s also a good idea to book early if you want a non-standard room layout. The standard hotel rooms include two double beds, but most hotels offer a room with a double bed and either two singles or a bunk bed. We had been aiming for a bunk bed room so Mum and I didn’t need to share a bed, however when we went to book, these were all sold out. Two double beds may work for you, but if you’re looking for a different layout then booking early will reduce the chance of disappointment. We made it work, but separate beds would have been better. We did request a cot bed for the baby, which was ready and assembled in the room when we arrived. They do say these are subject to availability, and we did request it when we made the booking, but they may just be luck of the draw, so this is something to be mindful of if you are travelling with a young child.
We wanted to make the most of our three days park tickets so we had an early morning flight on the first day. We flew from Manchester and booked a hotel airport for the night before so we didn’t have far to travel to get our flight. This, in my opinion, was definitely worth it. However, we were then all very tired for our first day, and we didn’t have access to our room at Disneyland Paris until the late afternoon. The baby happily slept in the pram, but us adults didn’t have that option.
Disney in general is a very tiring place, so getting good rest is essential to fully enjoy your time there. Ultimately, doing an early flight and late flight combination, meant that we had three full days in the park, but I think we would have enjoyed it a bit more if we had less time in the park and more sleep!
Disneyland Paris as a Grandparent
The last time I visited Disneyland Paris was in 2002 when my own children were 9, 7 and 6. Fast forward to 2026 and I was invited to go again by my two daughters now aged 32 and 29. Also on the trip was my new grandson aged almost 10 months. It was wonderful to visit again and so much had changed. The parks were both much bigger, the rides were more colourful than I remembered and it was so special to be able to enjoy it with my own children again after such a long gap. (They have visited several times since then and been to other Disney resorts too.)
The flight from Manchester was with EasyJet and I was pleasantly surprised by their efficiency and service. Flights both ways departed and landed on time. The staff were helpful and attentive to our needs travelling with a young child and I couldn’t fault them.
The transfers to and from the airport to the resort and back were booked through Prestige. We were left waiting for our driver quite a long time on arrival which was disappointing. But on the way back the driver was in good time and all went smoothly. Both vehicles were fitted with a baby car seat as requested, and in-car entertainment was provided too.
We stayed at the Santa Fe hotel which worked well for us. The breakfast buffet was great for us all and there was a huge range of food. There was definitely something for every age and taste. Quantities were unlimited as were hot and cold drinks, so we made full use of it each morning to fill up ready for the day.
We didn’t make use of our Magic Hour passes as we decided not to get up at the crack of dawn to eat breakfast early or to go into the park before breakfast. I think there is a bit of a balancing act between making the most of every second you have and pacing yourself so that you have the energy to get through the day. The temptation is to try to do everything because you only have 3 days, but we didn’t want to wear ourselves out in the process.
We tried to get on as many rides as we could. All 4 of us were able to get on lots together, and a few times Ollie and I walked around the park while the girls queued and went on bigger rides. That worked well as often Ollie would have a nap then or just enjoyed looking at the rides from his pushchair.
We had some Euro currency which we used for a few momentos to take home, and for any other expenditure I used my Chase card. Taking our own water bottles and a squirty concentrated juice we were able to refill our bottles regularly while we were in the parks. Comfy shoes and clothes are a must. We had lovely sunny weather considering it was January so it was good that we had dressed in layers that we could cast off when we were warm.
As we were there when it as Amy’s birthday, we included her in our holiday. Recreating some of the photos that had been taken with her on previous visits, and by carefully leaving some of her ashes on a local walk, as we knew that was not allowed in the actual Disney parks.
A very special, enjoyable and tiring holiday! A first Disney experience for Oliver, but almost definitely not his last. I was so pleased to be included in the trip.
