Disneyland Paris with Toddlers

Honest review of the park, attractions, catering & Camping International de Jablines

Our Trip

A long-cherished dream came true for us: For years – and especially since the birth of our children – we had wanted to visit Disneyland Paris. We started our first day with huge anticipation. It was hot – very hot – and it was already early in the morning.
We deliberately chose to visit on a Thursday and Friday. This paid off, as the park wasn't quite as extremely crowded, although there were still many visitors.

Technically, the park is absolutely impressive. The modern effects and implementations completely captivated us. As an adult, you immediately feel transported back to your own childhood and delight in every small figure and every detail. But the euphoria also had its downsides: Visually, the park, apart from the film sets, didn't convince us everywhere – the truly great magical and "aww" effect was sometimes missing.

For our kids, the day was extremely exhausting. While we adults enjoyed the nostalgia, the visit became more demanding for the little ones with each passing hour: temperatures of almost 35–38 °C in the shade and long waiting times (hardly any popular attraction had less than 50 minutes waiting time) required a lot of patience from everyone.

In addition, there were only a handful of suitable rides for the very young; most of the offerings are aimed at older children. Especially for our 2.5-year-old son, there were unfortunately very few rides he was allowed to use.

Fortunately, a big highlight was the live performances: The stage shows were breathtakingly staged, emotional, and absolutely professional – Disney masters this perfectly.

The second day also remained exhausting. To top it all off, some rides were temporarily closed, which further dampened the children's spirits.

The gastronomy also disappointed us: The typical fast-food offerings (burgers, pasta, pizza, hot dogs, and packaged salads) tasted like pure mass-produced goods and offered poor value for money.

Our conclusion for next time:
A visit with children is worthwhile especially in spring or autumn when temperatures are milder. Additionally, children should ideally be at least 1.20 m tall to truly enjoy the park and most attractions.