There’s an awful lot of content out there sharing what you should pack for Disneyland Paris – we’ve written such a post ourselves! But have you ever stopped to think what you shouldn’t bring into the parks? There are a number of things that Disneyland Paris do not permit in their parks, or that could make your life more difficult if you do have them. So in this blog we’re sharing what you should avoid bringing with you, and advice on what you can do instead!

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Selfie Sticks

I wanted to start this blog with something that I see has caught out a lot of people in the past – and that’s selfie sticks! Disney do not allow these in the parks, or anything that can greatly extend the reach of your mobile phone, camera or other electrical advice.

Why? As with most Disney rules – safety! Sadly when the selfie stick craze took off a few years back several people made some very questionable choices about using them in the theme parks, notably trying to use them on rollercoasters (there was an incident when someone trying to use it on Disney’s California Adventure’s Incredicoaster (then California Screamin’ I think) which caused the ride to be emergency shut down). Phones on selfie sticks also have a habit of blocking views for other guests for shows and rides. So Disney has banned them across their parks.

You might be able to attach a very short handle to a camera or mobile – but if that’s the case it can’t be anything that extends or telescopes out, and I’ve heard whether cast members permit them is very hit or miss. So in general they’re best avoided.

What to do instead? Thankfully most mobile phones nowadays have good enough cameras that you can take a decent photo at arm’s reach without needing a selfie stick. When meeting characters you can ask the cast member with them to take a photo for you – they’ll normally be happy to help. Of course you can also get pictures taken by the Photopass cast members around the parks. (You will need to pay for them though!). And you’ll find some other members of the public will be happy to take a photo for you if you ask. One thing we would recommend though is a battery pack for your phone so the battery doesn’t die from using the camera so much – we’ve found Anker ones like this really good in the past: https://amzn.to/3RJM4dL If you want to hold on to your phone more easily too you might want to consider a handle for the back like a Popsocket. You can get a number of cute Disney designs too, like this one: https://amzn.to/4ifmfgB

Weapons and fireworks

I’ve lumped these together because frankly I think they both come into the category of ‘why the heck did you have them with you anyway?!’

France has some very strict rules for the carrying of weapons so it’s not something you should be walking round with. So if you try to come into Disneyland Paris with a weapon, explosive or fireworks, you won’t just be turned away – you’ll probably have the French police to deal with!

Worth noting that the Disneyland Paris rules also cover anything that could be mistaken for a weapon – so realistic toy guns, knives etc are a no no. Leave the gun-toting in the audio-animatronics in Phantom Manor and Pirates of the Caribbean! It might be worth giving a warning word to any little ones who like playing soldier or something though that they won’t be able to take any toy weapons with them.

What should you do instead? Weapons and fireworks don’t have a place on guests in Disney parks. You can enjoy the nightly fireworks shows instead. And to practise aiming at targets aim try out the Frontierland Shootin’ Arcade, Buzz Lightyear ride, and WEB Slingers – all competitions done in a very safe way! And for little ones, any other sort of toy should be fine so maybe take something else they’d enjoy instead.

Portable seating

As someone who is differently-abled and who finds standing for long times very painful, this one isn’t great for me – but Disney don’t allow you to bring any fold-out seating into or use within the parks.

Why? Safety again! If they need to quickly evacuate a queue or area of the park, your temporary seat goes from a bit of handy comfort for you to a massive trip hazard that could cause injury, or at worse put lives in danger. I suspect they also don’t want people camping out in the same area of the park on their own seat for hours simply to improve crowd flow and to stop people trying to snag spots for the parades and fireworks even earlier than they do already!

What to do instead? If you qualify for them, both the Priority Pass and the Easy Access Pass can cut down on the time standing in queues for the differently-abled. Of course not everyone qualifies! There are also quite a few benches around the parks (although the Studios is currently a bit lacking in this area to be honest), and in queues there are often railing you can at least lean against (don’t try to fully sit on them though – it could lead to injury!) And you can plan in breaks to have a rest – take a look at our tips for the differently-abled blog for more on this.

There is one form of seating allowed in the parks, but that’s if it forms part of a mobility device – so a wheelchair, or mobility scooter / ECV. I also think rollators / walking frames with in built seats will be allowed – just don’t park yourself on it in the middle of a moving queue or walkway in the park! For little ones who might struggle to walk you might also want to think about using a buggy / stroller – but there are size limits (92cm x 132cm footprint in case you’re wondering).

Large picnics and picnic supplies

Let me be absolutely clear here: You can bring your own food into the parks. That’s allowed. What isn’t allowed is, to quote, “group picnics which require specific equipment (cool box, stove, folding tables, and containers)“. In other words, you can’t bring in a massive cooler and full picnic set up and camp down in the middle of Frontierland – Disney will take a dim view.

So why in this case? Partly I suspect it’s safety – again people sat in one spot could cause blockages or trip hazards in an emergency, and are just generally incovenient to everyone else around them. I also suspect this could be to encourage people to buy more food and drink within the parks – for all their magic and pixie dust, Disney is a business.

What should you do instead? Well as I noted, you can bring in your own food and drink, but don’t come in with a massive cooler and full blown mutli-course picnic. What you can do is bring food in tupperwares – we like the sistema stuff because it seals well and is light weight, such as this set: https://amzn.to/42wuyyM Another good thing to have is some ziploc bags – they’re also handy for hanging on to left-over snacks you may have bought in the parks: https://amzn.to/3RfOW1Y And if you are bringing in food, a light cooler bag might also be handy, like this one: https://amzn.to/4crOVSl Just don’t make it too large! And speaking of too large…

Large luggage and bags

Of course when you’re travelling to Disneyland Paris you’ll probably need some luggage! But don’t think you can take it all into the parks with you.

Disney specify that they do not allow any bags in the park over 55cm x 40cm x 25cm – which isn’t much when you think about it! Probably an average size backpack. They actually specifically ask that you don’t bring large bags to the parks. If you do there’s limited luggage storage, and they take no responsibility for items left with them.

Why is this? It’s safety again – larger bags take longer to check at security, could cause blocks in the park, or someone could knock into someone else or trip them up with a large bag.

So what should you do instead? Bring a smaller bag into the parks with you! Honestly you don’t want to be carting around anything to large anyway, your back and shoulders won’t thank you for it 20,000 steps later. If you’re someone who needs to carrying a lot of bits (say for young children) then perhaps try and split them up between bags. And consider what you actually need in the park – we have a guide on what we think should go in a park bag on the blog. Packing lighter is the way to go if possible, it’s why the Disney Loungefly bags are so popular! If you’re not sure what these are, check out the selection of Loungefly bags on Amazon!: https://amzn.to/3E4YbiB

If you do have large luggage in tow, you have options. If you’re staying at a Disney resort you can leave luggage in their luggage room to collect later, even if your room won’t be ready until much later, or you’ve already checked out. If you’re travelling by train, the Disney Express service allows you to leave your luggage at the desk in the station when you arrive to be transported to your resort, and you can get your luggage transferred back to the station from your resort on your departure day. And if push comes to shove, there are luggage lockers in the station!

Disney costumes and masks for adults

Some people have a dream of being able to stroll down Main Street USA, or float around Fantasyland, fully decked out as a Disney Princess. (That’s me, I’m some people). But if you’re over the age of 12 you’re not allowed to dress up as a Disney character in the parks.

Again the reason why partly boils down to safety – they don’t want people pretending to be a Disney character and interacting with out guests when they really shouldn’t be (especially children). They also want to preserve the strength of their product – when people see Cinderella in the Parks, it should be ‘the’ Cinderella, not a guest dressed as them.

What can you do instead? While it’s a bummer you can’t live your dreams as Belle or Kylo Ren (okay, is that anyone’s dream really?!), it doesn’t mean you can’t represent your Disney love in your outfit. We’ve already mentioned Loungefly bags, they’re a great way to pay tribute to your favourite Disney film or character. But just a search for Disney t-shirt on Amazon will bring up a multitude of options: https://amzn.to/44kKDda You can also Disney-bound – for the uninitiated this is wearing clothes that nod to a character but without you fully dressing up as them – so a pale blue summer dress and black choker could be a nod to Cinderella. Perhaps we’ll write a full post on this at some point. Also it’s worth noting that for some special events (like Halloween events) adults can dress in costume – check the rules beforehand though!

Whatever you do wear though you should bear in mind Disney’s other clothing rules. Speaking of which…

Inappropriate clothing

It isn’t only dressing as a Disney character that could get you in trouble clothing-wise! Here’s the official Disney wording: “Proper dress is required at all times, and top and bottom garments, as well as footwear, are to be worn. We also reserve the right, at our own discretion and at any given time, to refuse a visitor the right to wear any type of costume, makeup or tattoo, especially if it is likely to offend, shock or scare children and a family-orientated public, that Euro Disney Associés S.A.S would consider as inappropriate or if it would impede operations while posing as or portraying any character in costume.“

While this is suitably vague, what it does boil down to is that you can’t wear anything too revealing in the parks, or anything offensive. So think no clothing with swear words, or any graphics with anything too sexual or violent. Also anything that poorly depicts a Disney character in a ‘non-Disney’ way wouldn’t be permitted (so Winnie the Pooh wielding a bazooka is probably out). Disney also note that no clothing should drag along the floor – obviously this could be trip hazard both to the wearer and other guests.

So what should you do instead? Copy and paste my answer above to instead of dressing as a Disney character – but essentially most everyday clothes are fine! And stay fully clothed while you’re in the parks. Period.

Alcohol

You’re not permitted to bring alcohol into the parks, at all. Disney groups this under ‘illicit and dangerous products’ on their website. Of course a lot of alcohol is stored in glass bottles, and they’re not allowed either so that’s probably part of the reason why! (Just think the dangers it could cause if it smashes in the parks). But also Disney really don’t want very drunk people in the parks, they’re trying to have a family friendly environment after all.

So what should you do instead? Well, you can buy alcohol at both counter and table-service restaurants in the parks. The counter-service options are limited, but they exist. And table services tend to have full menus with cocktails and everything. Obviously don’t get too drunk – if you become disorderly you’ll be escorted from the parks (and probably mess up your own and other guest’s Disney day). Disney Village offers plenty more opportunities to grab a drink, particularly the Billy Bob’s Country and Western Saloon, and the Sports Bar when it reopens. And each of the hotels has a bar as well.

Scooters, skateboards, rollerblades and other wheeled items

I’ve already mentioned that wheelchairs and wheeled walkers are allowed in the parks for those that need them. But other items with wheels on like toy scooters, hoverboards, skateboards and the like are not allowed. Also while they’re not specified in the park rules, I’ve heard folks having troubles with Heelies (shoes with wheels built into the heel).

Again this boils down to a safety issue, Disney don’t want guests driving them into other guests or cast members in the park, losing control during a parade, tripping others over or falling off themselves, or more.

What should you do instead? If any kiddos are firmly attached to any of the above items it’s probably worth giving them a warning before hand that they won’t be able to use them in the parks. If they expect this then hopefully they’ll be less grumpy when there! (I said hopefully…) Other toys to distract them are a good idea – bubble wands seem to be a big hit! Disney sell them, or you could get them one in advance and save a bit of money! For example on Amazon you can find this snowflake one https://amzn.to/4jyJqDL and this ghost one https://amzn.to/3RduSgx (could be perfect for Halloween trips!) They’re available in lots of shops!

Pets (except in particular circumstances!)

As an avid pet-lover, one of the hardest things about going on holiday is leaving my beloved pets behind (despite having an excellent pet-sitter). But even if I thought they’d enjoy a Disneyland Paris trip, I wouldn’t be able to bring them anyway because they wouldn’t be allowed!

Only a few types of animals are allowed in the parks. One is of course Assistance Dogs – Disney do note that they reserve the right to ask for ‘proof of medical need’ if necessary; I don’t know how often that happens though. If you have an Assistance Dog bear in mind they’ll need to stay with you the whole day, except for certain rides where they won’t be allowed and will have to be handed to a cast member. You’ll also need to use specific areas to allow them to go to the toilet.

Disneyland Paris also note that they allow emotional support animals – but only cats and dogs. Like for the Assistance Dogs they need to be with their person the entire day, and kept under control. They need to be on a lead at all times. Yes, that goes for the cats too!

Apart from these two specific circumstances, I’m afraid your furry friends will need to stay at home.

What should you do instead? Our best advice on this is to make sure you’ve arranged someone to look after your pets for you well before you go away – especially if it’s a peak period when folks are likely to be busy! We love our pet sitter. If you are looking to hire someone though, check reviews and ask friends for recommendations – don’t leave your pets with just anyone.

So there you are – 10 things you shouldn’t pack for Disneyland Paris! Anything we missed? Let us know!