Exploring Disneyland Paris

I was recently chosen to go on a Disneyland Paris Trip, a work Trip, hosted by some of the Disney Cast Members. This was for a number of travel agents and partners across the country, and I was one of 14 Travel Counsellors to attend. What a wonderful opportunity, Disney is something I am selling, both in Paris and Florida, but not something I have experienced first hand. I was looking forward to learning all about this resort. I travelled on the Eurostar from St Pancras to Paris Gare du Nord, where we were taken by coach to the resort and our hotel. The journey took about 45mins/1 hour, to get across the Paris traffic. I stayed at Disney Hotel Cheynne for 2 nights. This hotel is a 3 star and themed on Toy Story. Disney Hotel Cheyenne was a lovely hotel and one I have booked a couple of times for my clients. There is a shop on site, a Starbucks and the restaurant was of a good quality. It’s a 20 min walk along the canal to the Parks, and there is a complimentary shuttle service taking you from the hotel to the parks and back. Some of my colleagues used this service after the fireworks, late and night and they were still running regularly. There are 7 hotels on site, varying from 2 star up to 5 star. I looked around Hotel New York, The Art of Marvel, which has over 350 pieces of original Marvel artwork. The other hotel I visited was the 5 star Disneyland Hotel, this hotel was a real wow for me, just 3 mins from the Parks. The hotel was luxurious and regal The beauty of staying in a hotel on site is you get access into the Parks, 1 hour before everyone else in the morning, this is called Magic Hour. Other benefits include being able to purchase a meal plan, which I would thoroughly recommend, this saves you money in the long run as the food is expensive to purchase once inside the parks and you are not able to take your own food into the parks. However, you don’t have to stay on site, there are other options to explore, such as staying in a hotel linked to Disney but a 10 min drive away. There is a car park on site. Whilst I was there the theme was ‘Symphony of Colours’, which is on until the end of September 2024. The shows change according to the themes and the Seasons. As a group of travel partners, we were lucky to experience VIP viewing areas for the shows, parades, light show and fireworks. This is something you can purchase in advance and something I can assist you with. Each night there is a Disney Electrical Sky Parade which starts at 11pm, in front of Sleeping Beauty Castle, followed by Disney Illuminations. I really enjoyed these 2 displays, they were so special. The lights and fireworks along with the music were so powerful and made me quite emotional. When we were not working (we did have some business sessions to attend), and experiencing the shows, we tried to fit in as many rides as possible. We had a Direct Access Pass for each day along with a Premier Access entrance. This meant we didn’t have to queue for any of the rides. This can be purchased in advance and again something with which I can assist. I am not a ride person, but I enjoyed going along with what the others were doing. The girls took me on The Tower of Terror which I won’t be going on again! There are a number of parks based on different themes, these include Adventureland, Frontierland, Fantasyland. You will not be able to visit them all, I managed 3 of them. Plan in advance what you would like to see and which rides you want to experience, that way you won’t be wasting time wandering from park to park. The food at the hotel was lovely, it is served buffet style both for dinner and breakfast, with a wide of variety of food to suit everyone. The second night, we dined in one of the many restaurants within the Parks. We eat in The Steakhouse in Disney Village. The food is expensive, so the pre purchased dining plan is a must. This is something you can purchased on site, so does need to be bought before you go. We had breakfast with the Characters, which you need to book in advance. You can dine with the Characters, or the Princesses during breakfast lunch and dinner. I really enjoyed this, I got to meet Tigger!! There is a photo pass that we had access to, these can be purchased in advance, and are cheaper if you do this, rather than purchase in the park. After each ride, you scan your pass and your photos get loaded to your photo pass app. TIPS Take your own water bottle, there are water fountains inside the Parks Take a battery pack charger for your phone Wear comfy footwear as you will walk a lot. Take a buggy for the smaller children. Prioritise and plan what you would like to see and do Download the Disney App to see live queue times and parade times Watch at least one parade, the performances are fantastic and you get to se the Characters close up If you don’t purchase a VIP viewing area for the light show and illuminations, try and find a spot at least 30 minutes before the show I thoroughly enjoyed my visit, it was great to experience this with colleagues from Disney and the Travel world, I got to experience things I wouldn’t have otherwise and I learnt a lot. I could have written so much more, if there is anything you’d like to know, or you would like me to book your visit, please get in touch.