For folks planning their first Disneyland Paris trip it can be (and should be!) and exciting time! But if you pop onto any social media or forums that discuss Disneyland Paris, there’s a lot of terms and abbreviations used that can confuse newcomers. Here we’re sharing a Disneyland Paris glossary of sorts, busting the jargon so you know what people mean when discussing Disneyland Paris online.

Adventure Isle – A large portion of Adventureland in Disneyland Park, Adventure Isle is an area with lots of walkthrough elements to explore including caves, bridges, landscaping and more. The Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse (a walkthrough treehouse attraction) is also on Adventure Isle, as is a Pirates themed scavenger hunt.

Attractions – A specific offering by Disneyland Paris to entertain guests. This can be rides, shows, character meet and greets, films, parades and nighttime spectaculars.

Backstage – Areas of Disneyland Paris not accessible to the general public. Trespassing here can get you in a lot of trouble!

Big Thunder – Common abbreviation used for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, a rollercoaster attraction in Frontierland in Disneyland Park.

Castle – Disneyland Paris has a few castles, but when folks are talking about ‘the castle’ at Disneyland Paris they typically mean Sleeping Beauty Castle, the centre icon of Disneyland Park.

Cast members – All employees of Disneyland Paris. See our recent blog on Cast Members for more information.

Champagne cart – A small cart on Main Street USA, typically next to the Gibson Girl Ice Cream Parlour, that sells glasses of champagne in souvenir glasses. You’ve probably seen them on social media!

Characters – Disney characters brought to life by performers that appear in shows, parades or can meet and greet with guests. These are split into face characters (typically human characters that don’t wear a face covering like the Disney Princesses), and fur characters (where the performer wears a suit that covers their head and body, used for the classic characters and often animal characters).

Character Dining – A meal where a number of Disney characters visit each table in turn for hugs, photos, autographs and more.

Character Meet and Greet – An opportunity to queue up to meet with, take photos with and get autographs from individual Disney characters. While some you can just queue up for the traditional way, others you’ll need to get a virtual queue for (see below).

CM – Sometimes used as an abbreviation for Cast Member (see above)

Counter-service dining – See quick-service dining below.

Croque Monsieur – Essentially a ham and cheese toastie (I’m sure French chefs are yelling at me for that and pointing out subtle differences but hey, we’re trying to make things clear here!). It’s a popular snack in Disneyland Paris and found in a few locations around the parks. There’s also character themed variations like the ‘Croque McQueen’ (has Lightning McQueen from the Cars films in the bread).

Dark rides – Rides that are exclusively inside and often rely on specialist lighting and effects to bring the attraction story to life. Dark rides are a bit of a Disney staple and Disneyland Paris has a number of them. Our top tip – if you want to take photos in the rides turn off the flash on your phone or camera, using it will ruin the effects!

Delayed opening – When an attraction doesn’t open at the time the theme park does. Typically this is due to a technical issue that Disney are trying to sort – they’ll get the ride open as soon as they can!

Disney Adventure World – The new name for the former Walt Disney Studios Park, the second theme park at Disneyland Paris. The Disney Adventure World name takes effect from the opening of World of Frozen on 29th March 2026.

Disney Express – A package add on for guests staying in one of the onsite Disney owned hotels. With the Disney Express service you can drop your luggage off at a desk in the on site train station, and collect your park tickets. Your luggage is then transferred to your hotel for collection later. On your last day you can drop the luggage at your hotel’s luggage room and collect it from the train station later. It’s a great option for those arriving earlier in the day and who want to head straight to the parks without having to divert via the hotel to drop off luggage, and saves time on your last day again returning to the hotel to pick your luggage up. We think it’s one of the better Disneyland Paris package add ons!

Disney Hotels – These are the resorts owned and run by Disney themselves, 6 on the Disneyland Paris site and one a short drive away. Those resorts are:

• Disneyland Hotel
• Hotel New York – the Art of Marvel
• Newport Bay Club
• Sequoia Lodge
• Hotel Cheyenne
• Hotel Santa Fe
• Davy Crockett Ranch

The Disney owned hotels come with specific perks that those not staying in a Disney owned resort don’t get.

Disney Village – A stretch of shops and restaurants that are placed between the two Disneyland Paris theme parks (and the Disneyland Hotel) at one end, and the other Disneyland Paris onsite hotels on the other end. Disney Village is also home to a Western themed bar, cinema and tethered balloon ride called Panoramagique.

Disneyland Paris app – The official app that can be downloaded onto a smart phone. This app is a great source of information including opening times, wait times for rides, times characters will be out in the park, show times, mobile order, virtual queues and more. We highly recommend at least one of your group has the app on their phone when you visit.

Disneyland Park – this is the original of the two Disneyland Paris theme parks, featuring Sleeping Beauty Castle and a number of themed rides and attractions. Often called the ‘main park’ by folks!

DLP – Common abbreviation for Disneyland Paris

DLRP – Abbreviation for Disneyland Resort Paris – the Disneyland Paris site was known as this for a while!

Dole Whip – A popular Disney snack from the USA Disney Parks with pineapple soft serve ice cream. Disneyland Paris kind of has a version called Pineapple Whip available at Cafe de la Brousse in Adventureland, but it’s not the same.

Easy Access Card / Easy Access Pass – This is a pass for folks with certain medical conditions to help them book return times for rides where then can then join a queue with a shorter wait. See our blog on services for the differently-abled for more information.

Eurodisney – the original name for Disneyland Paris. The site changed names quite a few years ago now but you’ll still hear people call Disneyland Paris Eurodisney from time to time!

Face character – A Disney character than can meet and talk with guests without a head covering. This is typically human characters like the Disney Princesses, Aladdin, Mary Poppins etc.

Fantasia Gardens – the decorative gardens outside of the Disneyland Park and Disneyland Hotel.

Fireworks – Common nickname used for the nighttime spectaculars – see below for more details. They’re actually a lot more than just fireworks!

Fur characters – A Disney character that wears a full costume with face covering to bring that character to life, often used to depict the classic Disney characters like Mickey and Minnie Mouse and any animal themed characters. The fur characters won’t speak to guests when they meet them, but with the help of their character handler and gestures they communicate pretty well anyway!

Guest – Members of the public visiting the Disneyland Paris site.

Guest services – locations in the two Disneyland Paris theme parks (and just outside the Disneyland Park) staffed by cast members who can help with detailed queries, complaints and compliments, and support with things like picking up the Priority or Easy Access cards.

Hidden Mickey – Where the shape of Mickey Mouse’s head is worked into parts of the decoration of Disney park elements. Hidden Mickey’s can be found on attractions, in building details, decorations, theming elements and more.

Hub – This is a term used for the circular area just in front of Sleeping Beauty Castle in Disneyland Park, from which you can find paths to all the other lands of the park. The Hub is a key spot for getting around the park, and is a very popular area for watching the parades and nighttime spectaculars.

Imagineering – This is the part of the Disney Company that designs and creates the attractions in the Disney Parks, including Disneyland Paris. Folks that work for Imagineering are called Imagineers. You’ll often see them referenced when creating new attractions or there are updates to classic ones.

Lake Disney – a large square lake at the end of Disney Village. Hotel New York, Newport Bay Club and Sequoia Lodge hotels all overlook Lake Disney, whereas Hotel Cheyenne and Hotel Santa Fe are accessed via a walkway off the lake next to Hotel New York.

Lion King land – commonly used nickname for the new Lion King themed area that is being added to Disney Adventure World.

Loungefly – Small backpacks and other bags heavily themed to Disney characters and attractions made by the company Loungefly. These are very popular among Disney guests! Check out our blog on where to buy popular souvenir items in Disneyland Paris for more information.

Magic Hour – This is a perk for Disneyland Paris resort guests (those staying in one of 7 Disney owned hotels). For Magic Hour both of the Disneyland Paris theme parks open one hour before their general opening time for hotel guests to access a certain number of attractions with a much shorter wait. Sometimes characters can meet and greet in this time too. Magic Hour gives the onsite hotel guests a big advantage in riding the most popular rides with shorter waits.

MagicALL – Disneyland Paris’ name for their service and support for folks who are differently-abled. Read our blog on services for the differently-abled for more information.

MagicPass – the card guests receive that acts as their hotel room key (if they’re staying in a Disney hotel), park tickets, and keeps track of meal plans if they have been purchased. You can also keep the card after the trip as a souvenir!

Main park – How quite a few people refer to the Disneyland Park at Disneyland Paris, because it was the original and (currently) larger of the two theme parks!

Marne la Vallee / Chessy – The actual name for the onsite train station in Disneyland Paris. From here you can get mainline train services to different locations in France, and the RER into central Paris.

Marvel Hotel – commonly used abbreviation for Hotel New York – the Art of Marvel. See Disney hotels above.

Meal Plan – An option available to Disney Hotel guests that allows them to prepay for some of their food in advance. There are 3 types – breakfast only (covers the breakfast buffets in the Disney hotels), half board (breakfast and either lunch or dinner in a table service restaurant) or full board (breakfast, lunch and dinner are covered). The meal plans can be a way to save money, but have more benefit for their convenience of knowing things are paid for in advance.

Mickey Beignet – A popular Disneyland Paris snack of a donut shaped like Mickey Mouse’s head and filled with Nutella. You can get it in a few locations on site.

Mickey Pizza – Pizza shaped like Mickey Mouse’s head. It can be purchased from Pizzeria Bella Notte and Colonel Haithi’s Restaurant in the Disneyland Park.

Mobile Order – A service offered at some of the quick-service dining restaurants, allowing you to order what you’d like to eat on your phone in advance via the Disneyland Paris app. You can then pop into the restaurant to pick up your food, bypassing queues for the cashiers. Mobile Order can be a time saver, but it can’t be used if you want to use a meal plan, pay cash or need to make an adjustment to a menu item.

Molly Brown – the large paddle steamer that takes guests on a trip around waters in Frontierland in Disneyland Park. The technical name of where you board and experience this ride is the Thunder Mesa Riverboat Landing, but a lot of people just call it the Molly Brown! (Side note, Molly Brown is a historical figure who also acts as one of the audio guides on ride).

Mousekeeping – a term sometimes used for the Housekeeping staff who clean the hotel rooms in the Disney owned hotels.

My Royal Dream – A service in the Disneyland Hotel that offers hair, makeup and costume packages for little ones to help them dress up as their favourite Disney princess (or Prince). There is also a service for adults with the hair and makeup but no costumes (BOO!). If you’ve been to the USA Disney Parks and this sounds familiar, it’s essentially the Disneyland Paris equivalent of Bibbiti-Bobbiti Boutique. (Hey at least My Royal Dream is easier to say). My Royal Dream is super popular and gets booked up fast, and can also be super expensive. Most people seem to love it though!

Night-time spectacular – A large scale show featuring a combination of drones, fountains, projections and fireworks performed at the time the theme park closes each night in Disneyland Paris. This is currently Disney Tales of Magic in the Disneyland Park, and from 29th March will also include Disney Cascade of Light in Disney Adventure World.

Omnimover – A type of Disney ride where the vehicles perpetually keep moving on a sort of conveyor, and guests board by stepping onto a moving conveyor belt and then into the ride vehicle. Examples in Disneyland Paris include Phantom Manor, Buzz Lightyear Laser Blast and the Storybook Canal Boats. Omnimover rides tend to be very efficient in how they move crowds. Don’t worry if you won’t be able to manage the moving walkways or vehicles, Disney will stop the ride for brief periods to allow guests to board if needed.

Onstage – Areas of Disneyland Paris accessible to the general public

Paid for area – Often used online to refer to viewing areas for the nighttime spectaculars and the parades that you pay extra for with Preferred Access (see below).

Parades – A daily occurrence in the Disneyland Paris where numerous large floats, Disney characters and dancers pass through from Fantasyland and down Main Street USA. Seasonal parades also often occur, particularly for Halloween and Christmas.

Photopass – A card you can receive when you have your photo taken by an official Disney photographer (typically with a character) that you can then use to view your photos later and decide if you want to purchase them or not.

Photopass+ – Similar to the Photopass above, but in this case you pay an up front cost to automatically be able to receive digital copies of photographs of you on rides, and any photographs you have taken with the Disney characters. Whether Photopass+ is worth it for your group will depend on how many of the rides with the on ride photos you’re planning to ride and how many characters you’ll meet.

Pink Palace – Nickname sometimes used by guests for the Disneyland Hotel (I mean it’s pink and looks like a palace so makes sense!)

Pin trading – Swapping Disney made pins for others on pin trading boards around the parks (often in shops), or with cast members or other guests. Pin trading has been around in Disney Parks for 25 years now, and although there are less options to trade in Disneyland Paris than the USA parks it’s still very possible! And the decorative pins can be purchased in pretty much any Disneyland Paris gift shop. Note though that only official Disney pins can be traded.

Pirates – Common abbreviation used for the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction in Adventureland.

Pixie dusting – A term used among Disney fans for when Disney cast members, or sometimes other guests, choose to do something spontaneous and nice for a guest. From other park goers this is typically something like a small gift, from cast members it could be something like a free dessert. Pixie dusting by the cast members is very rare and you should neither expect it or ask for it!

Preferred access – A paid for option offered by Disney for the nighttime spectaculars, parades and theatre shows. For the theatre shows this means you get to wait in a less crowded area for less time (although you still need to be there around 20 minutes before the show starts), and are seated first in the theatre behind those with Priority Pass. For parades and the nighttime spectaculars it means you get access to special viewing areas that are less crowded and with great views. Of course there’s a cost attached! If you’re going to do this for anything we’d recommend the nighttime spectaculars above anything else, but note that these spaces often sell out fast.

Premier Access – A service where you can pay for access to shorter ride lines for a number of the popular attractions in the Disneyland Paris parks. You can pay for either a Ultimate Premier Access, which gives you access to the Premier Access lines for all included attractions on a day, or you can pay for individual rides, where you receive a time slot to return to that one ride and have a much shorter wait.

Pride Rock – Name for the new Lion King themed area that is being added to Disney Adventure World.

Priority Card / Priority Pass – A pass for folks who have a registered disability or medical condition, who would find waiting in regular park lines a struggle. The pass can be registered for up to 30 days before a trip and only certain types of evidence are accepted by Disney – the most current list will be on the website or app. With the pass it allows the card holder and up to 4 guests to access shorter waits for rides and different waiting areas for theatre shows, and the card holder and up to 2 guests to separate viewing areas for parades and nighttime spectaculars. See our blog on Priority Pass for more information.

Prix fixe menu – Menus in the Disneyland Paris restaurants where you pay a single price and in return receive a choice from a limited menu covering a number of courses. Some restaurants at Disneyland Paris operate on a Prix fixe menu basis only, meaning that you’re paying for the courses featured whether you want them or not! Others offer a prix fixe option alongside a la carte choices (where you can just choose what you like). Prix Fixe menus can be a way to save some money if you’re interested in the menu choices offered.

Quick-service dining – Fast food style restaurants in Disneyland Paris where you go up to a cashier, order what you want, collect it from the kitchen and then find a table to eat it at. Quick service restaurants don’t need (and can’t take) dining reservations.

Refurb / Refurbishment – When an attraction or area of the Disneyland Paris site is closed off to allow for it to be repaired or updated. Because the Disneyland Paris site is open 365 days a year it’s common for attractions to regularly go down for periods of maintenance. Disney typically share such closures a few months in advance on the Disneyland Paris website and app.

Remy’s – the name of the main character in Disney Pixar’s Ratatouille. In Disneyland Paris terms this can confusingly mean either the Ratatouille inspired ride (Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure), the area of Disney Adventure World / the Walt Disney Studios Park that the ride sits in (technically part of Worlds of Pixar), or the restaurant in this area (actually called Bistrot Chez Remy). You might need to use context to decipher the meaning for this one!

RER – Part of Paris’ public transport network, the RER functions a lot like the London Underground or New York Subway. Disneyland Paris’ station (Marne la Vallee / Chessy) is at the end of RER Line A.

Rope Drop – this is being at one of the Disneyland Paris theme parks before opening time, and then once the park is opened using this early time to take advantage of lower waits for the rides. The Disneyland Paris parks typically have two Rope Drops, the first is for the Disney Hotel guests who have Magic Hour (see above), and then a second an hour later for all other guests. Rope Drop is also often used to refer to the first hour or so the park is open as it’s a time to try getting on rides with lower waits. If you’re planning to ‘rope drop’ a park we recommend having an idea where you want to head first, and to focus on popular attractions that tend to build up the longer waits later in the day.

Royal Dream – Abbreviation used for My Royal Dream. See above.

Small World – Common abbreviation used for It’s a Small World, a classic boat ride attraction in Fantasyland in Disneyland Park.

Stroller / Stroller rental – A more familiar term for those from the USA, Stroller is essentially the American name for a buggy. At stroller rental you can rent a buggy for the day for your child if you wish – handy if they get tired during the day or if you didn’t want to travel with yours for some reason. Note that buggies / strollers aren’t allowed in the bulk of attractions and many dining spots.

Studios – Common abbreviation used for the name of the Walt Disney Studios Park. Will be a bit defunct from 29th March 2026 when the park changes name to Disney Adventure World, but old school guests may still absent-mindedly call it the Studios for a while! (Including me probably).

Table service restaurant – Any dining spot in Disneyland Paris where you can make a reservation for table, and then sit while food is brought to you by a server (or in the case of buffets you go to the food!). Table service spots can be very popular and it’s recommended to book them as early as you can.

Tales of Magic – Abbreviation for Disney Tales of Magic, the current nighttime spectacular in the Disneyland Park. It’s performed at park close every night.

Temporary Closure – If an attraction is showing as temporarily closed that typically means it’s developed a technical fault or there’s some other issue that means it’s had to be closed unexpectedly for a short while. Disney will work to get temporarily closed attractions open as quickly as possible. Don’t yell at the cast member on the door about it, it’s not their fault.

Thunder Mesa – This is the name of the fictional mining town you’re in when you’re inside Frontierland in the Disneyland Park. Thunder Mesa has a detailed back story that ties in to Phantom Manor, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, and even snack locations in the land.

Tower of Terror – Abbreviation for the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, a drop tower ride found in the current Walt Disney Studios Park / future Disney Adventure World.

Town Square – the area of Main Street USA in the Disneyland Park that you first enter as you pass under the Disneyland Railroad Station. Town Square has a gazebo in the centre and guest services (in a City Hall) themed building to one side. Parades often end their route through the park here.

Train – Often in Disneyland Paris terms this is used as the nickname for the Disneyland Railroad, a train that runs around the outside of Disneyland Park. However confusingly it’s also sometimes used for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Casey Jr, and trains from the onsite train station to Paris and elsewhere. And for folks from the UK they might also use ‘the train’ to describe the Eurostar or the Eurotunnel. Context might be needed here!

Val d’Europe – A large shopping complex very close to Disneyland Paris, and the next stop along on the train line. Val d’Europe has a number of hotels for guests to stay in, and also offers the nearest supermarket and pharmacy to Disneyland Paris.

Village – Often used as an abbreviation for Disney Village (see above).

VIP tour – a service you can pay for when a small group is accompanied around the parks by a specialist Disney cast member who can help give expedited access to rides, priority seating for shows, track down snacks and more. It’s a deluxe experience with a deluxe price tag!

Virtual queues – Introduced as a method for meeting some of the most popular Disney characters in 2025. With virtual queues you do not queue up to meet a character in the traditional way. Instead, with this you need to head to the Disneyland Paris app and join a virtual queue that way. If you’re successful you’ll then have an estimated time until you’ll be able to head to the meet and greet location and meet the character. Virtual queues spots are typically available on the Disneyland Paris app at 9.45am and 2pm, and can only be accessed by guests who have scanned into one of the Disneyland Paris theme parks. In theory, the virtual queues can prevent guests having to stand in multi-hour lines. In practice, they also mean that it can be a matter of sheer luck if you get to meet a character at all, as virtual queue spots are often snapped up within seconds of being released. At the time of writing virtual queues are required for Meeting Mickey Mouse (Disneyland Park), Princess Pavilion (Disneyland Park), Starport (meeting Star Wars characters – Disneyland Park), and Super Hero Headquarters (meeting Marvel superheroes, Walt Disney Studios Park / Disney Adventure World). It has also been confirmed that virtual queues will be needed to meet Anna and Elsa in World of Frozen from 29th March.

Walkthrough attractions – Attractions where you don’t board a ride vehicle or sit in a theatre, but walk through it at your own pace. Disneyland Paris has a number of excellent walkthrough attractions. These attractions seldom have much of a wait and a worth taking to time to slow down and explore.

Walt Disney Studios Park – Current name for the second of the two theme parks to open in Disneyland Paris. The park originally opened with a behind the scenes of the movies theme, hence the name. Its identity has shifted a lot since then and the park will be renamed Disney Adventure World on 29th March 2026 when World of Frozen opens.

World of Disney – the largest shop onsite in Disney Village, it offers a good selection of merchandise from across the Disneyland Paris resort. However it doesn’t sell some more specialist items.

World Premiere – The interior space in the current Walt Disney Studios Park / future Disney Adventure World that you need to pass through on entering the park to access the main lands. World Premiere is themed to a nighttime Hollywood film premiere and features dining and shopping. Confusingly, it sits in a wider area of the park known as World Premiere Plaza, which people also often shorten to World Premiere!

We hope that helps folks navigating Disneyland Paris advice and guidance online – including our own! For more Disneyland Paris tips and information we’d love it if you’d subscribe to our blog below, you’ll also get a free copy of our Magically Different Guide to Disneyland Paris Attraction Accessibility (typically £3). We’d love to see you over on our YouTube channel too! And if you’d like to support our work, please consider leaving us a tip. Thank you!