Disneyland Paris: our tips and tricks to enjoy your day at the parks to the fullest

Being at Disneyland Paris and enjoying your day – or weekend – as much as possible is often an obstacle race… Purchasing tickets, waiting time in the rides, restaurants… Small details you need to think of.

And for those who really want to optimize their day – or make it worth it as a ticket is very expensive – the editorial board gives you a few tips and tricks to make the most of the day or stay and to make this day or weekend a moment full of magic.

Purchasing your ticket ahead of time

Let us start with tickets. To avoid queues at the entrance of the park (well, once the service will be available again as it was suspended over Covid, excluding for “friends” tickets – aka yearly passes), you better book your ticket on the park’s website. The latter has kept visitor gauges, you are also sure to be able to go to the parks.

Note you can also try and buy tickets to distributors, at the same price, but these are not dated (a range of dates is available). You will have to head to Disneyland Paris website and register your ticket to the date you want – subject to tickets available. But you better use the official website, it will cost the same and you are sure you will be allowed in the day you selected.

Queuing for rides as little as possible is possible

Once on site, several options: if you have the budget, you can buy “Premier Access” tickets on the Disneyland Paris app, or at City Hall on Main Street. They replace the Fast Pass and allow you to queue less by using another access to rides. Do not think too long throughout the day as the number of Premier Access is limited. The more the day passes, the less likely you are to get one for the ride you want.

Note it does not apply to all rides and prices are not the same. Here is the list of rides the Premier Access One tickets apply to and their fees:

Disneyland Park: 

Walt Disney Studios Parks:

Or you can enjoy the Premier Access Ultimate solution. What is it about? The ticket allows you to access all the attractions listed above, once a day. If you get this ticket, you better plan the budget as it is quite expensive (from €90 per person and per day).

Another solution, less expensive, is to keep an eye on the waiting time of rides available on the Disneyland Paris app, and depending on where you are, head to the one with the shortest queue. You will gain rather a lot of time and are likely to ride one or two extra attractions during the day. Note the waiting time is often overestimated by 2 to 3 minutes.

As for the access to Avengers Campus, for the Premier Access, the two rides provide the service but fees are not known yet. Stay tuned for more info in the coming days!

Reserving a restaurant

Would you like to have lunch in one of the restaurants of the resort? Think about reserving a table, it will help you cut waiting time at the entrance. You can book your table on the Disneyland Paris app, with time slots, by calling the call center ((+33 (0)1 60 30 40 50), the hotel conciergerie (if you stay in one of the Disney hotels), or at City Hall, on Main Street.

As for restaurants, if you want to enjoy an affordable lunch, we highly recommend you go to Casey’s Corner (Main Street, between €2 and €11), Café Hypérion (Discoveryland, the menu costs between €15 and €20; the afternoon snack menu €6.80), En Coulisse restaurant (Walt Disney Studios Park, Studio 1, menus between €14 and €19), Hakuna Matata (Adventureland, menus between €9 and €16), or Last Chance Café (Frontierland, between €3.80 and €9).

Shows and parades

Do you want to attend the shows and parades and look for a great seat? Here are the schedules for the main outdoor shows of the moment.

It is up to you to come 10 to 15 minutes before, around Central Plaza or Main Street for the 30^th anniversary show (Dream… And Shine Brighter), as well as for Disney Stars on Parade. As for the indoor shows, note some propose specific tickets to make sure you have a seat. For instance, the “The Lion King and the Rhythms of the Pride Lands” show at Frontierland, and “Mickey and the Magician”, at Animagic Theater – Walt Disney Studios. 
The fast access ticket costs €15 per person.

Please also note that for parades and outdoor shows, rides are more or less emptied, as most visitors go to attend the shows, especially the parade. This is then the perfect time to go enjoy your favorite rides without queuing for too long. Note it is also better that for the parade, you are not in Discoveryland as the parade stops the access to the rest of the park… unless you want to enjoy the rides in this very land.

Staying at the hotel

Do you stay in one of the resort’s hotels? Enjoy the “Extra Magic” hours and access the parks before they officially open. You can already enjoy the rides open, or start queuing for those very coveted in the morning and avoid queuing later.

With all these tips and tricks, you are likely to enjoy your day. Now, book tickets and have fun!