It can be overwhelming planning a Disneyland Paris trip. If it’s your first time, or some time since you’ve been, you’ll probably be looking elsewhere for help and advice. And there’ll be a lot of people saying what you must do to have the perfect trip. And as a result you can end up feeling stressed over what’s supposed to be a magical holiday! But there’s some secrets to Disneyland Paris trip planning that we think you should know, so read on while we spill the tea!

Secret 1: You don’t have to do everything

If you ask someone for advice about Disneyland Paris, chances are there’ll be a few things that they say you have to do. But lots of people have different opinions about what these things are, and that can leave you feeling like you really need to do everything to have a great time. And you know what? It isn’t true.

Disneyland Paris has dozens of attractions, a multitude of shops and restaurants, characters to meet, parades to see, snacks galore and more. Folks on Instagram and Tik Tok share the latest and greatest things and it’s easy to feel influenced that you need to do that too! (I guess there’s a reason they’re called influencers). But in all honesty – trying to do everything is going to be unrealistic. A big factor is time – how much time you have for your trip will inevitably dictate how much you can do. Also, the ride refurbishment schedule can mean top attractions go down for months – inevitably making a ‘must-do’ unavailable! And then there’s crowds – the longer the waits for things, the less you’ll be able to do. So if you go in feeling like you must do everything, then you’re heading for disappointment.

Alongside this, there might also be things in the parks you simply don’t want to do – despite what everyone might tell you is a must do! Some of the biggest and most popular rides are the rollercoasters, but if you’re not a coaster fan you might be understandably nervous. So if you don’t want to ride them, don’t ride them! There’s things in Disneyland Paris that I don’t do due to my health differences, or simply because I don’t really want to (looking at you, Autopia and Cars Quatre Roue Rallye). So I don’t do them. And funnily enough, the world didn’t end. (At least, not that I noticed).

At the end of the day this is your Disneyland Paris trip – so this is us giving you permission to not feel you have to do it all. Do what you want instead. Set priorities that suit you and aim for those – everything else in a bonus. At the end of the day you’re there to have fun – so don’t turn yourself into a frazzled mess trying to achieve the impossible.

Secret 2: You can do Disneyland Paris on more of a budget

There’s no doubt about it, a Disneyland Paris trip can be super pricey. And there’s so many add ons that its easy to succumb to impulse, feel overwhelmed, and add extras that you don’t really need. And when that happens, the cost soon racks up.

While there will always be expensive parts of a Disneyland Paris trip (at the very least the park tickets), you can budget for a trip. It might just take a bit more research. Think about what method of travel is most cost effective for you, and try that if it works. Weigh up the pros and cons of staying on and off site (on site do get some great perks but the Disney hotels are more expensive than some others in the area). Think about those package extras before you add them to basket. If you’ve got limited time, do you really want a meal plan that will have you sitting in table service restaurants, when you could be focusing on the parks? Quick service might suit you better (and may be cheaper). Not planning on meeting a lot of characters or going on rides with ride photos? Then the Photopass + may not be worth it for you. Not bothered about characters at all? Then spending the money on a character meal may not be worth it!

We have an entire blog with tips on budgeting so give that a read here if you’d like to learn more. And we’ve also got a post breaking down the package extras you can add to a Disneyland Paris trip. They’re all right for someone, but are they right for you?

The simple truth is: Disney trips are amazing, but you shouldn’t be massively stretching yourself financially to have one. But with a bit of planning and budgeting you might be surprised at what’s possible.

Secret 3: Sometimes, things can wrong. And that’s okay.

It doesn’t matter how carefully you’ve planned a Disneyland Paris trip, sometimes things can and do go wrong. Thankfully for the most part these are relatively minor inconveniences, but with so much time and money spent to get the perfect trip it can be hard to stomach even a slight bump in the road.

One we see a lot of complaints about is rides or attractions going down during the day. If it’s an attraction that you really wanted to do and that was going to be your only opportunity to ride it, then this can feel very upsetting. Sadly we’ve seen people having a go at cast members or complaining online as a result. But here’s the thing – those attractions are running multiple hours a day, every day of the year. Just think how many times your computer throws a hissy fit and you have to restart it for no apparent reason – and then multiply that up by a massive factor. Tech glitches. It happens. Also sadly other guests happen, because ride closures can also sometimes be caused by other guests doing something they shouldn’t. Frustrating, sure. But the good news is, there’ll be plenty of other things around for you to do!

And the same goes for if a much-wanted snack is out of stock. Or a character isn’t available that day for whatever reason. Or the Paris weather is, well, Paris weather – potentially rainy, windy, freezing, or boiling hot! Annoying? Yup. But it shouldn’t ruin your entire trip!

Of course these are relatively minor things in the scale of things that could go wrong. If you’re in one of these situations and feeling overwhelmed my advice is to pause for a few minutes. Pull over. Take a deep breath and look around – you’re still at Disney and chances are you’ll be able to see a load of cool things to do in that one glance. And then take stock what you would like to do – try something else? Head back to the hotel for a break and decompress? Either is fine – go with what works for you. But don’t let it wreck your day.

Of course more major things can derail a trip – injury, illness and so forth. And it’s always horrible when these happen. Our best advice is to make sure you have trip insurance to cover these sorts of eventualities. And if something major happens in one of the theme parks reach out to the cast members for help.

Above all though – if something goes wrong, you aren’t a failure. Nor is Disney out to ‘spite you’ or ruin your trip. Crud happens. But Disneyland Paris can still be magical despite its potential pitfalls – just let yourself process what happens, and then try to get on with your day.

Secret 4: Some of your best memories might not be on the attractions!

A lot of the focus of a Disneyland Paris trip is round the attractions. And that’s with good reason – they’re wonderful experiences and well worth the time and effort to see. But what if I told you that some of your best park memories might not be of them?

I have a lot of really great memories from Disneyland Paris that don’t involve the attractions. Getting engaged is obviously, for us, a core one! But I have other memories too – walking in to the park on my very first visit to come face to face with the parade coming down Main Street. Heading through a deserted Disney Village in the pitch black at like 7am in freezing fog to head to a character breakfast (with the only other folks also up also Brits! Only Mad Dogs and Englishman may go out in the midday sun, but it seems only Mad Brits used to brave the super early character breakfast sitting). Debating how that family across from us at breakfast were going to keep their white Armani tracksuits clean all day in the park. Giggling madly when what we thought was Howard the Duck looking over a construction wall was only a street light with a protective cover all. (I mean it wasn’t exactly likely it was Howard the Duck but still…) Bopping to the music on Main Street while the after fireworks crowds cleared out. And loads more!

Here’s the thing, while you should prioritise the attractions, also prioritise just spending some time in the parks with those you’re with (or by yourself if you’re a solo traveller) and seeing where the day takes you. Your favourite memories could be the result.

Secret 5: A Disneyland Paris trip can really be for everyone

There’s a lot of folks who aren’t sure whether they want a Disneyland Paris trip. Maybe they don’t like theme parks. Or rides. Or Disney. (If the last is you, are you okay?! Is there someone I should call?) But they also may be worried because they or someone in their group is differently-abled, or neurodivergent, and that a trip might simply be too much for them, or that they wouldn’t be able to do enough to get the most out of it.

But this doesn’t have to be true! For those who a Disneyland Paris trip doesn’t appeal to, chances are there’s something they’ll enjoy. After all, Disney isn’t just your average theme park. If they don’t want to do rides, maybe they’d like shows, or characters. Or just appreciating the historical and theming details (honestly you could spend a day just appreciating all the amazing detail in Disney. Well at least I could. Maybe I’m just a nerd.) Or just trying some great snacks and enjoying sipping champagne while staring at a castle. And while they may not like Disney’s animated films, maybe Star Wars or the Avengers might appeal? There’s things for all sorts of tastes!

As someone who is differently-abled, and who has a differently-abled husband, I’m also here to put minds at rest. Disneyland Paris go above and beyond to ensure everyone is able to enjoy the parks through their Disability Service and MagicALL programme. The Priority Pass they offer is way ahead of anything in the US Disney parks, and the best service we’ve actually encountered in any theme park. You might need to make some adaptations to get the most out of your Disney trip – and that’s okay. Do what you need to make it work for you, and go and have fun! We actually have a blog post with top planning tips for the differently-abled so click here to read it, and also recently did a post breaking down everything you need to know about Priority Pass. We even have advice for tackling sensory overload! But above all, don’t be afraid that your health differences or neurodivergence may hold you back from having a wonderful time, because it’s not the case.

Secret 6: It’s not just about you

Our secrets so far have all been about helping you to have a great time at Disneyland Paris. And so you should! But to quote the Ancient One from Doctor Strange, “It’s not about you”. So what do I mean by that?

Partly it’s that if you’re travelling with other folks, chances are you’re going to have competing ideas about what you should be doing at Disneyland Paris – and not everyone is going to agree. So here’s where you need to learn to compromise. Allow everyone involved in the trip to pick some top priorities you all want to get done, and don’t belittle someone if their choice doesn’t agree with yours. For me, It’s a Small World is a must-do. Some other folks would probably rather bang their head on a wall than sit on that ride. And that’s fair enough – the world would be a very boring place if we all liked the same thing! But you need to work with everyone in your group to ensure that you’re doing things that they want to do, as well as you. And if that means splitting your group up and you’re able to do it, then do it! It’s much better that everyone has a great time than someone you’re with feeling resentful because you had your perfect trip, but they didn’t.

But also with this, we see a frightening amount of entitlement and privilege among guests at the Disney parks. They feel that because they’ve paid to be there then Disney and the rest of the universe should just do what they need and everyone else can go to hell as far as they’re concerned. And that has led to some not so very magical behaviour by some of them – pushing and shoving to get spots for fireworks and parades regardless of other people around them who have been their longer. Trying to skip ride queues. Pushing their stroller or buggy without looking where they’re going or caring if they hit someone, or walking along so lost in their phone they cut up or walk straight into a buggy or wheelchair and then blame the other person! Sneering or shouting at people with Priority Passes who get to move ahead in the line at them. Not cleaning up after themselves, or damaging or letting other people in their group damage bits of the park and not caring about it. And yelling at other guests, and often the poor Disney cast members if the slightest thing goes awry.

Here’s the thing – Disney want you to have a great time. But they also want the other thousands of guests in the park to have a great time too – and that may mean making decisions or doing things that you don’t like. Like issuing Priority Passes to folks who qualify for them. Changing show times or restaurant hours for operational need. Shutting a section of the park to prepare for fireworks crowds. Directing people a certain direction to ensure everyone’s safety. Dealing with potentially long queues in shops and restaurants as quickly as possible, but maybe not quick enough for some folks. Sharing the news that rides have gone down or characters aren’t available, to get abuse as a result.

The basic is – Disney can’t arrange everything in the parks to perfectly suit you – and you shouldn’t expect it. And you shouldn’t ruin other folk’s days either by taking it out on them, or just acting ignorant or like they don’t exist, or that you’re more important. Other people do exist – and their Disneyland Paris trip is just as precious to them as the trip is to the person throwing a hissy fit because of a slight glitch. Yes you paid a lot to be there. So did everyone else. Thankfully most guests at Disneyland Paris are decent folks. But at the end of the day, people need to remember that a day in Disneyland Paris is not just about you – and everyone in the parks should be treating other guests and cast members with courtesy and respect.

So there we are – 6 secrets that we hope will help with your Disneyland Paris trip planning, and reassure you that you can have a magical time with the trip you want!