![How to do Disneyland Paris on a Budget](https://www.gigsntravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Disneyland-Paris-on-a-Budget-1080x675.jpg)
How to do Disneyland Paris on a Budget
How to do Disneyland Paris for cheap
Disney is great for any age, but it can get expensive. The good news is that it is possible to save a considerable amount of money during a trip to Disneyland Paris!
I’ve been to several Disney Parks around the world, including multiple visits to Disneyland Paris over the years!
Here are my top tips to consider when it comes to saving money on your trip to Disneyland Paris:
Skip to the end to find out how much I spent on my most recent trip to Disneyland Paris, as someone who had a relatively small budget, but still stayed at Disneyland.
*This blog may contain affiliate links that earn a commission to help support this free website. All opinions remain my own. Affiliate links featured in my blog posts will never affect the price you pay, except to sometimes provide you with a discount. Learn more
Getting to Disneyland – Transportation
Your choice of transportation to Disneyland Paris can significantly affect the overall cost of your trip to Disneyland Paris from the get-go, it’s important to check your airport choices and transfer options as they can significantly differ between the three main Paris airports.
Flying into CGD Airport
CDG is the most convenient airport to fly to when visiting Disneyland Paris.
From here, you can get the TGV Fast Train to Marne-la-Vallee station, next door to Disneyland Paris.
![How to do Disneyland Paris on a budget](https://www.gigsntravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/How-to-do-Disneyland-Paris-on-a-budget--scaled.jpg)
Getting the TGV Fast Train from CDG Airport to Disneyland Paris
The TGV Fast Trian takes about 10 minutes to get from the airport to Disneyland.
The train station at Paris-Charles de Gaulle is attached to the airport between terminals 2C, 2D, 2E and 2F, on the lower ground. If you’re flying into Terminals 1 and 3, then you can get the shuttle train that gets into the main station, and then get the TGV Fast Train from there.
I wouldn’t recommend booking your train too far in advance, as strangely the price is much higher the further in advance you book! I booked my train less than a week in advance, and it cost approximately £12 for a one way trip to Disneyland.
Had I booked this four weeks or more in advance, the same ticket was going to cost me around £33.40 to book online.
Marne-la-Vallée-Chessy station is right next door to Disneyland. When you arrive, simply follow the signs to leave the station and Disneyland will be about a two minute walk away.
![Disneyland Paris Train Station](https://www.gigsntravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Disneyland-Paris-Train-Station-scaled.jpg)
Getting the Disney Magic Shuttle Bus to Disneyland Paris
Alternatively, you can get the Disney Magic Shuttle Bus, which takes approximately 60 minutes, and has departures between every 20-90 minutes
Magical Shuttle operates every day, including public holidays, and costs €24 each way for an adult, €11 each way for a child up to 12 years old, and children 0-2 years old go free.
![Disneyland Paris Magic Shuttle](https://www.gigsntravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Disneyland-Paris-Magic-Shuttle.jpg)
Credit to: Magicalshuttle.co.uk
Taxi from CDG Airport to Disneyland Paris
If you’re arriving late at CDG, then you might have to get a taxi to Disneyland Paris. This is typically the most expensive option, as the prices will vary – especially if you are traveling later at night.
However, if there are enough of you to split the cost, then this might end up becoming better value. The prices really depend on the amount of people and therefore the size of the vehicle you need, but typically can cost upwards of €75 for one way.
If you are a group of adults travelling to Disney, there might be a chance that a taxi can sometimes work out cheaper than alternative options.
You need to consider the number of people you’d be dividing the cost between.
If you’re a family with young children, consider whether the taxi service you’re looking at requires you to pay for young children, given the fact children under two years get a free space on the Disney Magic Shuttle, and children up to 12 years get cheaper tickets – it is often still cheaper to get the Magic Shuttle Bus.
It’s about a 40 to 45 minute journey via taxi to get from CDG Airport to Disneyland.
![Walt Disney Studios](https://www.gigsntravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Walt-Disney-Studios-scaled.jpg)
Overall getting the TGV Fast Train tends to work out cheaper for an adult than any other option, if you book the tickets relatively last minute for £19.80-ish each way, it works out at around €46, whereas a Magic Shuttle will cost you €48 – granted there’s not much in it, but considering the TGV Fast Train is also six times quicker than the shuttle bus, then the TGV Fast Train works out at much better value.
Flying into ORLY Airport
ORLY Airport is a smaller airport with less international airline connections than CDG, however ORLY is closer to Paris City Centre, and both airports are a similar distance away from Disneyland Paris – so this can be a great option to fly into if you can get reasonably priced tickets!
You can get the Disney Magic Shuttle from ORLY Airport
An adult ticket is priced at about €24, with children up to 12 years costing €11, and children under 2 years old go free.
The Magic Shuttle service runs every day and leaves every 20-40 minutes depending on time and season. The journey takes about 45 minutes from ORLY Airport.
Taxi from ORLY Airport to Disneyland Paris
The taxi cost from ORLY Airport to Disneyland typically costs between €75-€105 each way, however this can fluctuate massively depending on group size and time you are traveling to and from Disneyland – so keep this in mind.
Similarly to CDG, it’s approximately a 45 minute drive from ORLY Airport to Disneyland Paris.
![Crush's Coaster](https://www.gigsntravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Crushs-Coaster-scaled.jpg)
Flying into BVA Airport
Many low cost airlines fly to BVA airport, so often flights here are cheaper than flights to CDG or ORLY, however this is because the airport is a lot further out of Paris and Disneyland than other airports.
Taxi from BVA Airport to Disneyland Paris
Beauvais Airport to Disneyland Paris Transfer is approximately a 1.5 hour drive from Disneyland Paris – typically costing €160 to €250 for a one-way taxi, depending on the number of passengers.
Typically the price of the cheap flights to Beauvais Airport is not worth the cost of the transfer, so you’re better off flying into CDG, or ORLY for both convenience of transfer time, and better value transfer cost.
Bus and Trains from BVA Airport to Disneyland Paris
Unfortunately, the bus service the Magical Shuttle service that used to run from BVA Airport to Disneyland Paris is no longer available anymore.
As a result, there is no direct rail line between Beauvais airport and Disneyland resort, meaning travelling via public transport is very time consuming.
If you want to travel via public transport from BVA to Disneyland, you would first need to go to the Beauvais train station by bus or taxi, and then take a train into Paris City Centre.
![Disneyland Paris - How to visit on a Budget](https://www.gigsntravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Disneyland-Paris-How-to-visit-on-a-Budget-scaled.jpg)
There is also an airport coach service to Paris city centre from BVA airport. Running times of this shuttle can vary, so it’s best to check ahead.
From Paris Centre, you’d need to take a commuter train (RER A) to Marne-la-Vallée-Chessy, which is next door to the Disney Hotels.
All together this can take you anywhere between 2-3.5 hours to get to Disneyland, and can cost you anywhere between €17 to €80, depending on the bus or train routes you get.
My recommendation would be to avoid flying into BVA airport if possible, as the transfer route and cost often ends up meaning you’ll pay more than if you paid for a more expensive flight into CDG or ORLY.
Driving
The costs of driving to Paris/ Disneyland Paris will significantly differ depending on where you’re driving from.
You will need to consider the country/ countries you will be driving through, fuel costs, toll roads and transport if you need to cross water. For example, if you are driving from the UK to Paris then you will need to go through the Channel Tunnel.
Driving tends to be a lot more time consuming than flying, but if this works out cheaper for you, then you should definitely consider it!
![Disneyland Paris Toy Story Land](https://www.gigsntravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Disneyland-Paris-Toy-Story-Land-1.jpg)
Eurostar
The Eurostar is a train which connects the UK, France, Belgium and the Netherlands.
UK to Disneyland Paris Eurostar
The easiest way to get the Eurostar to Disneyland Paris from the UK is by taking the Eurostar from London St Pancras International to Lille Europe station, and then change to get the French TGV train, which take you to Marne-la-Vallée-Chessy, next door to Disneyland.
This route will take you about 3 hours.
Prices can vary, although you can often get good deals. I’ve never gotten the Eurostar to Disneyland as it has always been a more expensive option than flying into CDG in my case.
This isn’t always the case for everyone, it depends on the dates you’re planning to travel, and whether you can be flexible when it comes to getting a good Eurostar deal.
![Disneyland Paris on a Budget GnT](https://www.gigsntravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Disneyland-Paris-on-a-Budget-GnT-scaled.jpg)
Sometimes Eurostar have sales on, which can provide you to get discounted tickets for a limited number of dates.
From researching the Eurostar website, the cheapest tickets I was able to find were in April, heading to Paris on a Tuesday and returning to London on a Thursday. The cheapest standard ticket was £168.44 for a return for one adult. This ran from London St Pancras, changing at Lille, and then onto Marne-la- Vallée-Chessy.
Belgium to Disneyland Paris Eurostar
To get the Eurostar from Belgium to Disneyland Paris, you will need to depart from Brussel-Zuid station to Marne-la-Vallée–Chessy station next door to Disneyland Paris. This journey takes as little as 1 hour 30 minutes.
Netherlands to Disneyland Paris Eurostar
To get the Eurostar from the Netherlands to Disneyland Paris, you will need to head to Schiphol airport, which is just outside of Amsterdam.
The train station at Schiphol is on the bottom floor of the airport. From here you can get a Eurostar to Marne-la-Vallée–Chessy, which will take approximately 3 hours and 30 minutes.
There are also a limited number of direct routes that run from Amsterdam City Centre to Disneyland Paris.
Thalys, who are now owned by the Eurostar Group, also operate a train from Amsterdam Centraal to Marne-la-Vallée–Chessy five times a week.
It will take you about 3 hours and 50 minutes to get to the Marne-la-Vallée–Chessy station at Disneyland, but currently these trains run much less frequently than the trains going from Schiphol.
![Disneyland Paris - GigsnTravel](https://www.gigsntravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Disneyland-Paris-GigsnTravel-scaled.jpg)
Eurostar vs Flying from the UK
To compare this with flights at various major airports around the UK, for the exact same dates – this is what I found:
- London Gatwick, into Paris ORLY ranging from a £54-£57 return, with a free carry-on and flying with Vueling.
- Heathrow had similarly priced flights ranging from £65 – £108 for a return, with options to fly with either Vueling or British Airways, as well as options to fly into both ORLY and CDG airports.
- London Luton had flights with EasyJet, ranging from £59-£61 for a return flight, with one free under-seat carry-on, flying into CDG.
- Birmingham International had return flights for the same dates with EasyJet, for £81 for a return, with one free under-seat carry-on, flying into CDG.
- Manchester airport had flights ranging from £57-£70 for a return, flying with EasyJet, with one free under-seat carry-on, and flying into CDG.
- Edinburgh airport had flights ranging from £86-£150 for a return, with EasyJet, including one free under-seat carry-on, and flying into CGD Airport.
![Disneyland Paris Winter](https://www.gigsntravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Disneyland-Paris-Winter-scaled.jpg)
However, you need to consider luggage costs and how much you’d like to bring with you.
The last time I visited Disneyland Paris it was December and very cold. I packed several layers, yet still managed to fit everything into just the free carry-on bag that EasyJet let you have. To provide context with how long I went for – I spent two nights at Disneyland Paris and one night in Paris City Centre.
If you want to fly on a budget, it’s best to pack light if possible. If you’re heading in Spring, Summer or early Autumn, this might be a lot easier. If you’re heading during Winter, I’ve proven it’s still possible – just be clever with what you pack!
I personally found having compression packaging cubes and having this bag, ideal for managing to fit everything in.
Flying in and out of different airports
Sometimes it makes it cheaper to fly in and out of different airports, if this is viable for you, then you should definitely check the cost of one-way flights, and the costs of getting to and from the airports and back home.
Last time I flew to Disneyland Paris, I flew from Manchester and back into Birmingham – managing to get cheap train tickets back in the UK made getting to and from the different airports relatively cheap, and more cost effective then it was to get an expensive return flight back into the same airport!
This is not always the case, so you need to play around with your options. I recommend using both Skyscanner and Goole Flights as an easy way to look at your options when it comes to flights.
Accommodation
Accommodation is one of the major price factors when it comes to a budget Disneyland Paris stay, so making sure to consider all your options is vital.
Benefits of staying at a Disney Hotel
Disney offers a range of accommodations, including their budget-friendly options.
The benefit of staying in Disney Accommodation is the fact that the stay includes park hopper tickets for the duration of your stay. This means you can enter and leave both the Disneyland Park and the Walt Disney Studios Park as many times as you want throughout the day.
![Disneyland Paris Hotels](https://www.gigsntravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Disneyland-Paris-Hotels-scaled.jpg)
As an extra bonus, staying in Disney accommodation also means you get to make use of Magic Hour – which is an additional hour in the park before it is open to the general public. This always gives a great advantage when it comes to fast queue times. I typically tend to ride the attractions that usually have famously long lines, such as Crush’s Coaster, Big Thunder Mountain, or Peter Pan.
Typically mid-January to the start of March are the cheapest times to stay at Disneyland Paris, but you might have to play around with dates in order to get a deal.
Disney’s Budget-Friendly Hotel Options
Santa Fe Hotel
The cheapest options when staying on-site at Disneyland Paris is the Cars themed hotel, Disney Hotel Santa Fe, which is a 2-star Hotel. Santa Fe is a 20 minute walk to the Disney Parks, or an 8 minute shuttle bus, which is free.
Based on four people, staying 2 nights in one room off-season, then the cheapest you can typically book these hotels for around £87 per person, per night. This includes park tickets.
These prices will vary depending on the dates you wish to visit and the number of people you visit with.
![Disney Santa Fe](https://www.gigsntravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Disney-Santa-Fe.jpg)
Credit: Disneyland Paris
![Disney Sequoia Lodge](https://www.gigsntravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Disney-Sequoia-Lodge-scaled.jpg)
Hotel Cheyenne and Disney Sequoia Lodge
The Disney Hotel Cheyenne and Disney Sequoia Lodge Hotels are 3-star hotels, which can also be great options, these are both a 15-20 minute walk from the Disney parks, or an 8 minute free shuttle bus.
Based on four people, staying 2 nights in one room off-season, then the cheapest you can typically book either of these hotels for around £95 per person, per night. This includes park tickets, and hotel features such as use of the swimming pool.
These prices will vary depending on the dates you wish to visit and the number of people you visit with.
![Disneyland Paris Sequoia Lodge Building](https://www.gigsntravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Disneyland-Paris-Sequoia-Lodge-Building-scaled.jpg)
Disney’s Davy Crockett Ranch
The Disney’s Davy Crockett Ranch is another budget-friendly Disney accommodation. It is a self-catering 3-star hotel.
However the catch is that it is not based on the main stie at Disney, but in a forest that’s approximately a 15 minute drive away. There is also no free shuttle bus to the parks, unlike all the other Disney hotels on-site offer.
![Disney Crockett Ranch](https://www.gigsntravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Disney-Crockett-Ranch.jpg)
Credit: Disneyland Paris
![Ibis Budget Disneyland Paris](https://www.gigsntravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Ibis-Budget-Disneyland-Paris.jpg)
Credit: Ibis Hotels
Non-Disney Hotels
Typically it’s cheaper to stay at a hotel a short drive away from Disney.
If you’re on a budget, then there are several Ibis Budget Hotels, that range from between a 10 to 30 minute drive from the parks.
- ibis budget Marne la Vallée Pontault Combault
- ibis budget Marne la Vallée
- ibis budget Pontault Combault RN4 Marne La Vallée
- ibis budget Marne la Vallée Bry sur Marne
You can search for budget accommodation on Booking.com – if you’re a regular user you can unlock various levels of their Genius discounts scheme, allowing you to save more money.
However, I would still consider looking at booking through the hotels directly, just to compare the prices also.
Eurocamp
If you’re looking to stay somewhere with a few more on-site activities to do, a Eurocamp might be a good option.
There is a Eurocamp called ‘La Croix du Vieux Pont’ park in Berny-Rivière.
With a number of indoor and outdoor activities to choose from, from swimming pools to laser tag, there’s plenty to keep people of all ages busy!
Not to mention the shuttle service running to Disneyland Paris makes this a perfect place to base for your Disneyland Paris trip.
With accommodation to suit a range of budgets – whether you stay in a tent, mobile home, log cabin, lodge, chalet, or an apartment!
![Eurocamp - near Disneyland Paris](https://www.gigsntravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Eurocamp-near-Disneyland-Paris.jpg)
Credit: Eurocamp
Ticket Prices
If you’re not staying at a Disney Hotel, you’ll have to purchase your Disney tickets separately.
The price of Disney tickets can fluctuate significantly across the year, but there are a few ways in which you can reduce the price.
![Visiting Disney off Peak](https://www.gigsntravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Visiting-Disney-off-Peak-scaled.jpg)
Visiting off-peak
If possible, visit during off-peak seasons, or during the weekday.
Visiting on the weekend will be a lot more expensive and also a lot busier, so its worse value for money.
During my most recent trip, we had access to the parks form Thursday to Saturday, with rides that had 15 minute wait times on the Thursday and Friday having wait times of 60+ minutes on the Saturday.
We left the park on the Saturday, as the price to stay the night also increased drastically at the weekend.
If we had booked to stay the Saturday night, I would’ve definitely been disappointed with the value for money for that day.
Dated tickets
It’s typically much cheaper to purchase tickets for specific dates rather than purchasing a flexible ticket.
If you purchase a dated Adult 1-Day/1 Park ticket rather than an Adult 1-Day/1 Park undated ticket, then you can save you up to €49 for each day that you visit.
Dated tickets for 1-4 days can be cancelled and refunded up to 3 days before your chosen date, so if you’re not 100% sure on your dates or your plans change, then you can get a refund until three days prior to your visit.
If you need to change your visit date, you must cancel your existing tickets and purchase new tickets for a different visit date, which might result in you paying more or less depending on the dates you’re booking.
Regardless, this still tends to be cheaper than buying undated tickets.
![Disneyland Paris - Visiting with Dated Tickets](https://www.gigsntravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Disneyland-Paris-Visiting-with-Dated-Tickets-scaled.jpg)
Authorised ticket resellers
Some authorised ticket resellers offer discounts of up to 20 per cent less.
But be aware that sometimes they also sell tickets for more, so I’d always recommend checking the official Disneyland Paris ticket page before purchasing from a reseller.
It’s important to also be aware of scammers. Although there are legitimate ticket resellers, Disney doesn’t list its authorised resellers. So it’s best to read reviews and check sites such as Trustpilot before handing over your card details.
For added protection, it is best to book with credit card if you are going to go down this route, and never purchase anything that requires bank transfer as the payment method.
Use the Disney annual pass hack
Depending on how often, or how long you’re wanting to come to Disneyland, it could be cheaper to get a Disney annual pass.
Unfortunately, the benefits of the Disney annual passes changed in July 2022, and with that came a rather steep price increase of over €200 for the new pass scheme compared to the old Infinity Pass that was in place previously. The new annual passes costs approximately €289 to €699 per year, depending on whether you buy the Bronze, Silver, or Gold pass.
![Disneyland Paris Annual Pass](https://www.gigsntravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Disneyland-Paris-Annual-Pass-.png)
However, if you are planning on spending around 8 to 12 days a year at Disneyland Paris, then the Disneyland Paris annual pass could provide significant savings over bookings when you compare it to booking a Disney package or booking a booking a hotel and tickets separately.
Previously, the old annual pass was worthwhile in most instances if you were planning to visit Disneyland Paris for 4 days or more throughout the year. So the value of the pass has definitely decreased.
However, if you like to attend multiple times throughout the year for the different events Disneyland put on, such as the Halloween Festival, and Disney’s Enchanted Christmas, the annual pass could be worth it.
![Disneyland Paris Enchanted Christmas](https://www.gigsntravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Disneyland-Paris-Enchanted-Christmas-scaled.jpg)
There’s no way to say whether the annual pass is the best option for those travelling for 8 to 12 days under every circumstance, because it completely depends on the prices of the entry tickets on the days you’d be planning to visit, and these can vary significantly throughout the week and time of year.
It’s worth crunching the numbers if you know exactly when you’d like to visit throughout the year, so that you can check whether the pas is worth it.
You should always check the validity period of the annual passes, the cheapest annual pass starts at €289 for the year, but this only gives you access to the park for 170 days o the year, which doesn’t cover peak periods – this will essentially make the pass useless if you typically need to visit during school holidays.
![Disneyland Toy Story Land - Paris](https://www.gigsntravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Disneyland-Toy-Story-Land-Paris-scaled.jpg)
![Disneyland Paris March Hare Cafe](https://www.gigsntravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Disneyland-Paris-March-Hare-Cafe-scaled.jpg)
Food options
The good news is that Disneyland Paris allow you to bring your own food and drink into the park! Packaging up some sandwiches and snacks and carrying them around for the day can end up saving you a lot of money.
There’s a variety of restaurants at Disneyland Paris, from fast-food, to fine dining, or all-you-can-eat buffets. With a variety of restaurant choices, also comes a variety of prices.
Restaurants such as Walt’s and Auberge de Cendrillon will set you back a hefty amount.
However, Disney does have more budget friendly, set menu options which usually contain a main such as pizza or pasta, along with fires or salad, and a drink, which typically comes to about €16 (approx. £13).
This tends to be a much better option than dining in themed restaurants, but you’re likely still better off bringing in your own food where possible. However, if you’re staying on-site at Disney then a lot of the hotels won’t have a fridge, this is something to keep in mind.
Disneyland Paris also has a McDonald’s within the Disney Village, which is another option for if you’re looking to eat-out somewhere fast and easy while on a budget.
![Disney Food](https://www.gigsntravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Disney-Food-scaled.jpg)
Avoid unnecessary and expensive add-ons
It’s easy to convince yourself to add on some of the extras during your trip to Disneyland Paris, but if you haven’t been before then I’m here to tell you it’s most likely not worth it.
What add-on’s are there?
Disney Premier Access (Fast-track)
Premier Access, or fast-track essentially lets you pay to join a separate shorter queue, the idea is that you skip the queue and get priority access to get on the rides first compared to people waiting in the normal queue. However, there is absolutely no need for fast track when ride times are 5 minutes, which was really common during my trip.
My first two days in the park were Thursday evening and Friday (full-day), during these days my longest wait time was about 20 minutes.
This did change significantly on Saturday, which was my final day at the park. Here, I was waiting around 45 – 60 minutes for most rides. I can’t vouch for whether this improved throughout the day as I left by 2pm to head to explore Paris.
Although fast-track was not necessary for my visit, if I only had one day at the park and it was that Saturday – I might have considered purchasing Premier Access / Fast-track. Fortunately for me, I’d already been on all the rides on Thursday and Friday, so spent the Saturday picking out a few of my favourites to ride one last time before I left.
If you’re visiting Disneyland across a couple of days or more, you should have plenty of time to ride the rides you want. You’ll have access to the Disneyland Pairs app, which will let you know the estimated wait times for rides, so you can plan accordingly.
Tip: If you have access to Magic Hour, my advice is to make use of that hour to ride the rides that typically have the longest wait times (Crush’s Coaster, Peter Pan, Big Thunder Mountain, Indiana Jones, etc.)
![Disney Premier Access Fast Track](https://www.gigsntravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Disney-Premier-Access-Fast-Track-scaled.jpg)
Photo Pass
Perhaps this is because on my list visit to Disneyland I didn’t do any character experiences or meet-and-greets, but I did not see a single option where I would’ve used the photo pass. Unlike the times I’ve been in the various Disney World Florida Parks, and have seen members of staff constantly walking round with cameras at the popular photo areas, I did not see this at all at Disneyland Paris.
When most people carry smart phones, and you can bring a digital camera with a non-detachable lens, then why would you pay for a Disneyland Paris Photo Pass?
Guaranteed Access to shows
With shows held regularly, there wasn’t any need to pay to have guaranteed access to shows during my trip to Disneyland Paris. As long as you went and queued for a short period of time before the show, then you were essentially guaranteed a spot.
Perhaps this differs during the peak times of school holidays, but unless this is something that you or your family are desperate to do, then I wouldn’t bother paying for Guaranteed Access.
Particularly as there are other pop-up parades that happen which are not listed on the app. During my most recent three day park visit to Disneyland, I went to three organised parades and firework shows. Yet I still happened to stumble into two other surprise parades which were not listed on the app, and therefore had much smaller crowds (and were much more enjoyable).
![Disneyland Show](https://www.gigsntravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Disneyland-Show.jpg)
![Disney Merch](https://www.gigsntravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Disney-Merch-scaled.jpg)
Merch
If you want merch, I recommend buying some before your trip. If you are based in the UK and Europe, then Primark often sells Disney merchandise, including Disney Ears for much cheaper than the cost of buying merch at Disneyland.
If you don’t mind about merchandise not being official, then you can often find some great and affordable designs on Etsy!
How much did my trip to Disneyland Paris cost?
I have done two stays at Disneyland Paris. My most recent was in December 2023 – although I was not on a super strict budget during my trip to Disneyland as I was only paying for myself to go, I still did not want to spend a fortune and was conscious of prices and saving money.
Here is what I did, and how I could’ve made it cheaper:
For Context: I visited while Disney’s Enchanted Christmas 2023 was on.
I visited from the final weekend of November to the very start of December.
I stayed on-site at Disney from Thursday to Saturday, before getting on a train and staying in Paris City Centre from Saturday to Sunday.
I have not included the cost of my stay in Paris City Centre within this pricing, as I want to focus on Disney.
I booked this entire trip relatively last-minute, booking the hotels around a month in advance, and the flights a little later.
Flights
Total: £160 (€186.64 approx.)
I flew with EasyJet from Manchester to CDG, and returned from CDG to Birmingham.
I travelled with carry-on only to save money, and didn’t pay to reserve a seat, so had randomly allocated seats.
I definitely could’ve done this cheaper, but I booked this trip relatively last minute (less than a month in advance), so the plane ticket prices were more expensive than I could’ve booked them for had I organised this trip sooner.
Airport Transfer
I got the TGV Fast Train from CDG Airport to Disneyland, which cost £12 (€13.83).
![Paris CDG Train Station - Disney Express Train](https://www.gigsntravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Paris-CDG-Train-Station-Disney-Express-Train-scaled.jpg)
Accommodation
Two nights at the Disney Sequoia Lodge, in a room that slept four people.
- This is not the cheapest hotel I could’ve stayed in but is still largely classed as a budget option at Disney.
- The cost of the room was £863.34 in total (€1,007.09).
- This was split between 3 adults, which worked out at £287.78pp (or €340.20pp).
- However, the room slept 4, which could’ve made it approximately £215.83pp depending on whether the price of park tickets for an additional person would’ve altered the overall cost.
Keep in mind that this price also included 3 days’ worth of park hopper tickets with magic hour for each guest.
![Inside Disney Sequoia Lodge](https://www.gigsntravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Inside-Disney-Sequoia-Lodge-scaled.jpg)
![Mickey Waffles GnT](https://www.gigsntravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Mickey-Waffles-GnT-scaled.jpg)
![Mickey Pizza](https://www.gigsntravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Mickey-Pizza.jpg)
Food
I didn’t plan how I was going to do food at Disney.
For context: on my first night I bought some snacks from the train station.
During the first and only full day I was at the park for, I ate at the Mcdonald’s in the Disney Village, as well as visiting the New York Style Sandwich shop in the Disney Village.
This offered the set menu where I got the Mickey Pizza, a salad and drink for €16.
On my final day at the park, I tried the Mickey Waffles for breakfast. I stayed at the park until about 2pm and then bought my lunch from the Pret at the train station before I got my train to Paris city centre.
I did buy various drinks at different times throughout my days at the parks, as well as the odd snack here and there, but overall kept my costs fairly low.
I did not dine in at any of the themed restaurants during my time here (as much as I wanted to – but that’s a plan for another visit!).
In total across my days at Disneyland, I spent £68.58 (€80) on food.
Spending money
I spent £17.35 (€20) on a pair of Disney Ears.
This obviously was not a necessary cost at all, however this was something I’d already decided I wanted to purchase ahead of my trip, so accounted for the costs.
Train to leave Disneyland
I got the train from Disneyland (Marne-la-Vallée-Chessy) into Paris City Centre where I then went on to stay another night.
This cost me £5.14 (€6)
Grand total
Grand Total: £550.85 (or €638.18) – This works out at £275.42 per night. Keep in mind that this will also vary based on exchange rates.
![Disneyland Paris Park - Magic Hour](https://www.gigsntravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Disneyland-Paris-Park-Magic-Hour-scaled.jpg)
Could I have done it cheaper?
I certainly could have done it much cheaper, if I…
- Booked my flights in advance, or via other airports.
- Travelled with another friend so that we divided our room costs by four adults rather than three.
- Stayed at one of the cheaper Disney Resorts, such as Santa Fe Hotel or Disney’s Davy Crockett Ranch.
- Stayed at an off-site non-Disney hotel and booked my tickets separately. (However had I not done this, I wouldn’t have got the extra magic hour, which I made really great use of during my trip).
- Not bought any merchandise.
- Not bought my lunch from the train station on my final day – this was actually my most expensive meal (costing me about £17), it would’ve been cheaper for me to grab a set meal at one of the Disney Village budget diners again or had gone to McDonald’s.
Disneyland Paris FAQ’s
How much does it cost to go to Disneyland Paris?
Day tickets typically vary from £75 to £150 per person per day, depending on the number of parks you wish to visit.
An overnight stay at Disney can vary from £349 to £2,000+ for one night, this is based on one room for two guests. This depends on which Disney Hotel you stay in – with The Disneyland Hotel being the most expensive, and the Santa Fe Hotel being a more budget-friendly option.
However, these prices include two days worth of Park Hopper Tickets with Magic Hour for each guest!
Which Disneyland Paris is better?
The Main Disneyland Park is definitely the best value out of the two parks at Disneyland Paris. In comparison to Walt Disney Studios, The Main Disneyland Park has more rides, character opportunities, parades, plus a fireworks show.
What is the cheapest month to go to Disneyland?
Typically mid-January to the start of March are the cheapest times to go to Disneyland. The end of November can also be cheap, which is typically just before or just as the Enchanted Christmas celebrations begin.
Can you do two parks in one day at Disneyland Paris
Yes, you can do two parks in one day, but it will take a lot of planning and walking. To get the most out of both parks, you ideally will need to visit during off-peak hours, and during a week day!
Can you take food into EuroDisney?
Yes, you can take your own food to EuroDisney! Just make sure your food is locked away in containers or sandwich bags!
Does Disneyland Paris have fireworks every night?
Yes, the Firework displays at Disneyland Paris happen over the Sleeping Beauty Castle every night! The timings can vary depending on park opening and closing times, so check the Disneyland Paris app to find out when the fireworks display will be happening during your visit!