Disneyland Paris as a family

Book a package which includes the Eurostar a door to door service. Travelling from London St Pancras, a central hub that is easy to get to and with children it is easy to move around. Plenty of lifts around and space, essential if you have a buggy and luggage.

Hot tip: St Pancras is the best starting point as there will be plenty of space to store your luggage on the train as it’s the first stop. From boarding the train, it will be more relaxed and easier when travelling with children. Getting on at Ashford or Ebbsfleet there maybe less space onboard.

The journey will take about 2.5-3 hours so make sure you pack plenty of snacks and drinks and activities to keep the children entertained, I always buy a goody bag of treats that the kids haven’t seen, colouring books, activity books, magazines and small games, easy to pack and transport.

Paying for the Disney Express means that the staff will come through the carriage and label your bags relevant to your Disney hotel, a seamless process as once you arrive into the station its as simple as taking your bags to the express check in and leave with the staff and walk straight into the park. Time to start a magical experience.

Before you travel, take time to explore the park via the app or the website and work out your must do activities. Work out your plan of where to go and maximise your time. Fast track is a really good way to maximise your time, collect fast passes by the entrance to rides which enables you to take a ticket advising what time to come back so you don’t have to wait in the queue. You can then go and enjoy other parts of the park whilst you wait. When you return make your way to the fast track que a and wait your turn – you can only do this one at a time and have to wait an hour till you can do this for your next ride.

It can be quite costly when travelling with the family for drinks and snacks so it is advisable to take your own. Hot tip: Use the water fountains around the park to refill your bottles. Not all work during the winter months so make a note of which ones are if travelling then so you can keep topped up. Take a bag with you when you travel of snacks that you can pack in your bag each day to keep yours and the children’s energy levels up.

The parade takes place early evening and you gain more attention if you dress up as one of the Disney characters so take your little one’s costumes to create an even better experience. It does get busy to see the parade so if you want to get key spots you may need to get their early and wait. It is the same parade each day so once you have seen it once this is a good time to go and explore the park and jump on any rides that you haven’t got around to as will be quieter.

Pre-booking a character breakfast and Buffalo Bills is advisable. This also ensures that you get to see your favourite character and won’t miss out. Buffalo Bill’s is a fantastic evening for all, lots of excitement that even the dads will enjoy; cowboys, horses and guns! Every area of the arena is a good seat, set out like an amphitheatre around the stage. Dinner served is simple, like chilli and rice for the adults and chicken wings for the kids.

The fireworks are amazing and must see at least once. However, it is late so can be cold so on that day make sure you take warm clothes or a blanket to have ready.

A few hints and tips to make a magical experience even more amazing and maximise your time to enable you to enjoy your family time.