I Did Disneyland Paris On The Cheap – Here's How (And What I'd Change Next Time)

Our then-toddler at Disneyland ParisWe hope you love the trips we recommend! All of them were independently selected by our editors. Just so you know, HuffPost UK may collect a share of sales or other compensation from the links on this page if you decide to shop from them. Oh, and FYI — prices are accurate and items in stock as of time of publication.After influencer Molly-Mae Hague shared intimate family photos from a recent trip to Disneyland Paris, and with a new Lilo & Stitch movie in cinemas right now, interest in Europe’s only Disneyland is rocketing. In the past 30 days, online searches have spiked 5,000% for ‘Disneyland Paris park tickets’, according to travel booking company Omio.Last year, my partner and I had a joint moment of madness-turned-genius where we decided it would be fun to book a trip there with our two young kids.At the time, we had a two-year-old and a young baby and thought it would be cool to go ahead of our daughter’s third birthday. I’d never been to Disneyland and had always wanted to go. He’d been as a child and had loved it. So, it seemed like a no-brainer.I’d read online that kids under three go free, which helped sweeten the deal because we’d only be paying for two adult tickets. In total, it cost us about £150 for the day trip. We needed to do Disney on a budgetWith me being on maternity leave, we were keen to do the trip as low-cost as possible, so instead of opting to stay on the resort itself, we booked into a nearby Centerparcs for the week (and paid about €1,500 for a self-catering ‘cottage’).The nature-focused resort turned out to be a 10-minute drive down the motorway from Disneyland and an amazing place to visit with kids thanks to an abundance of activities on offer – we ended up visiting the farm, building a teddy bear, using the arcades, going swimming and visiting the various playgrounds (indoor and out). We also (perhaps controversially) opted to drive all the way there (although you could easily fly to Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport if that’s not an option). We went by car so we could take all of our baby gear and it worked out well, as we were able to take breaks whenever we needed. In total, it worked out at about seven hours of drive time, with a few hours of breaks thrown in. How did two young kids get on at Disneyland?We booked the trip to Disneyland a couple of days into our week-long stay to allow ourselves to adjust to a different routine and recover from the journey. Due to our daughter being a week away from turning three, we figured a day ticket was all we needed for the one park – however if you’re travelling with older kids you’ll want to book in for more than one day, and to both.We were fortunate that our youngest was still small enough to be carried in a sling – so she happily snored away for most of the day trip. As for our eldest, who was firmly in her Disney Princess era. Well, she had The Best Time.We got there for about 10:30am and by the time we’d parked, grabbed an emergency croissant from Pret, and got through the ticket barriers, we were just in time to see the Disney parade, complete with Frozen’s Anna and Elsa – at which point our toddler almost imploded. Because we’d travelled during term time, the park was quieter than usual (although still fairly busy!). There are plenty of rides to go on with smaller kids – the teacups, carousel, It’s A Small World boat ride, Peter Pan’s Flight – but I swiftly learned why children under three are (most likely) allowed in at no cost to their parents.Something we hadn’t considered was that kids that young don’t have much concept of queuing. As for the idea of having to queue again after going on a ride, and not being able to just stay on for round two? Yeah, they hate that.So, it’s fair to say there were a couple of lying-on-the-floor-shouting tantrums over the course of the day (and that was just me). But if you get those on a daily basis anyway, you might as well enjoy the change of location...What I’d do differently next timeIf I was to visit again, I’d definitely book our dining experiences ahead of time as I (foolishly) underestimated how popular the better restaurants at the park are.For lunch we enjoyed Mickey-shaped pizzas at Pizzeria Bella Notte (which obviously went down a storm with our toddler). We ended up strolling into a random Western restaurant – The Lucky Nugget Saloon – for dinner after finding other options were already fully-booked.The food was OK (it felt a little overpriced for what it was. Sorry, just being honest), but in hindsight I think it would’ve been better to head somewhere with character dining experiences, like La Table de Lumière, Auberge de Cendrillon or Royal Banquet.Understandably, reservations are required.I’d also consider buying a fast pass next time (I wouldn’t have needed one because my partner went on most of the rides with our toddler, while I chilled out with our baby strapped to me).The pass would’ve been especially useful for the Princess Pavilion (meet-and-greet). Unfortunately we had to skip it as the wait time was too long and our little one would not have managed the one-hour queue. To be honest, I wouldn’t have either. On the whole though, we all had a great time. Genuinely, despite it being quite tiring managing a little one’s expectations, I think we all really enjoyed it!It’s an unforgettable experience – especially for Disney-loving kids (and grown-ups) – and I’d do it all again in a heartbeat.Related...I'm A Travel Pro, These Are The Best Holiday Destinations To Take Kids And Teens (By Age)I Stayed In A Hotel's 'Christmas Room' With My Kids – And I’m Not Sure Who Had More FunMeltdowns In Kids With AuDHD Are Never 'A Choice'. This 1 Response Can Help

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