Disneyland with small kids: 7 tips and tricks

When we were negotiating with our firstborn about moving to Belgium, one of her two conditions for moving was that we take her to Disneyland Paris (I know, right, what a parenting fail!). Therefore the Disneyland trip had been carefully planned since we came to Brussels. I did think to book a whole Disney weekend (meaning 2-day park tickets and 1-night hotel stay at Disney hotel) but that just came out way over our budget. So we agree to simply do a day trip. It's only a three-hour drive from Brussels anyway.

A good friend of mine took a family trip to Disneyland with two kids recently so I asked her for tips and tricks. Now with her tips, and our own experience, hopefully these tips will make your Disney experience even more magical than it already is!

1. Choose a good day, and a good date 

Everyone loves Disney. Whether it's Snow White or Pinocchio, Starwars or Indiana Jones, Sleeping Beauty or Pocahontas, Disneyland has something you might like. And therefore, it is always crowded here. If you can afford to take a leave, or your kids are not in school yet, go on a working day. If you're like us –the weekender, with kids in school and no vacation day for the adults, at least go off season, not during the summer holiday. We went on the second Saturday of October, and while the queues were still big for the attractions, the park (also means the toilets, the restaurants, the benches and the passages was not over crowded).

2. Save time and buy your ticket online

Whichever date you choose, buy your ticket online and print at home. The online price is not cheaper (€79 for adult and €72 for kids older than 3) but you'd save an hour of queue at the ticket office. If you have your tickets printed at home, you can go directly to the entrance passages and scan the barcode by yourself.

3. Check the Disneyland Park map online and briefly plan your route

I'd been in Disneyland in California back in 2007. But for my husband and the kids, this time in Paris was their first time being in Disneyland, so I wanted them to have the best experience they could have. Know that Disneyland Park is divided into four big sections: Fantasyland, Adventureland, Discoveryland and Frontierland. Briefly check each section and their attractions, they're also rated as „Fun for the little ones“, „Family adventure“, „May frighten younger guests“ and „Big thrill“. Unfortunately you won't make it to take all rides in the park, so better focus on ones you think are more suitable for your family. Since we have a 4.5-year-old and a 1.5-year-old, we focused on Fantasyland. We did the Sleeping Beauty Castle, Mad Hatter's Tea Cups (our younger loved it), It's a Small World (must-do), Princess' Pavillion (waste of time, skip it!), Dumbo the Flying Elephant (our firstborn loved it), Pinocchio's Journey and Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (a little scary for them). Then we moved on to the Adventureland and went to Pirates of the Caribbean. It's not too big of a thrill, but it terrified our kids (roller coaster in a boat ride –you get wet). We took a break at the Frontierland and they loved the playground at Pocahontas Indian Village. In the Discoveryland my husband did the Star wars Hyperspace Mountain by himself (big thrill).

4. Download the app to check waiting time and the program

Once you're there, use the official app. I installed it in my iPhone so I can see the map and check how long is the waiting time for each ride. As much as we wanted to do the Peter Pan Flight and the Big Thunder Mountain for example, we saw it was 80 minutes wait so we decided to skip it. We mostly did everything with waiting time of 30 minutes or less. The app also tells you when the parade is and where it is held, so you can plan well if you wish to see the parades.

5. Prepare your children for the wait for rides

Kids are impatient and that's normal. Prepare them well for the wait. Have a lot of snacks and drinks so they get something to eat and drink if needed while waiting. Our rides had waiting time ranging from 10 minutes to 60 minutes, and we had sandwiches, croissants, packed crisps, waffles, bananas, juice boxes and bottles of water for them. You can also bring small toys like cars and figurines so they could play while waiting. It's fun to let them wear costumes too, because most kids are in costumes. Our firstborn was Elsa from Frozen and she enjoyed so much meeting other Elsas, Ana, Rapunzels and Snow Whites in the queues. 

6. Plan and manage naps, so you get to see the illumination show

The famous Disney illumination show doesn't start until 10pm. And this is very late for most kids. If your kids need naps, try to manage time well. We drove from Brussels to Paris from 7am to 10am and both kids mostly slept, so the firstborn didn't need anymore nap in Disneyland. She held on until the show. Our younger though, still needs a lot of naps. She slept twice in the Ergo carrier while we were walking around or doing rides. Bring a carrier or stroller for naps, or rent a stroller at the entrance if you want. For me personally, the illumination and firework show was the best part of reliving my childhood, so get in front of the Sleeping Beauty Castle before 10pm, get your seat (on the ground –so bring scarf or blanket to sit on if needed) and enjoy the show.

7. Relax and enjoy the magical family day!

It's easy to get nervous when you have to wait for an hour for everything, especially with cranky little creatures. But try to relax, it's one of the rare moments you actually have time to talk with the whole family about everything while waiting. Choose a nice restaurant (they have lots!) and get a little break for lunch or dinner. Treat them (and yourself) an ice cream or a crepe from the little stalls around the park. Relive your own childhood while watching your children enjoying theirs. Check your iPhone or Fitbit how many steps you made that day and be proud! I walked 10.2 km that day!