Disneyland Paris with Young Children / Part 2

This post is following Part 1 of Travel in Paris With Young Children by our guest writer Jane! Find out more about her in Part 1. :)

Today, she’s going to share her trip to

Disneyland Paris with young children.

As mentioned in my previous post, the main highlight of this Paris trip for the children is Disneyland! Oh well, I have to confess that I was very much looking forward to Disneyland as well and to introduce Mickey and the classic Disney characters to my children.

Where did we stay?

Our plan was to stay in the Disneyland hotel right in the park but it was fully booked! Hence we settled for a partner hotel, Vienna House Dream Castle Paris, located right by Disneyland Paris. The hotel is designed to look like a historic palace surrounded by a beautiful French garden.

Image credit: viennahouse.com

It was a nice and comfortable hotel that had easy access to the Disneyland parks because of its free shuttle bus service. However, there was some waiting time involved for the buses as they run every 15 minutes and take about 5 minutes to reach the park.

On hindsight, we realised that with young children (a toddler and a pre-schooler) who still require afternoon naps, it would be more convenient if we had stayed in the Disneyland hotel in the park. In this way, we can simply walk back to the hotel room as and when we like rather than having to join the crowd and queue for the shuttle bus.

Disneyland during Christmas time was simply magical. In addition to the usual parades, there was also the Christmas parade which my kids simply love! There is also something magical about listening to Christmas songs in Disneyland during this season.

Of course, we also heard the Frozen theme song in multiple languages several times a day during the special Elsa and Anna parade. The parade was actually nice!

One of the highlights of our trip to Disneyland is their night show. You simply must not miss! The light show was impressive and its finale was absolutely stunning. The tip is to catch the last parade at the park and then grab a quick dinner inside the park or in one of the many eateries outside. After that, return for the finale. It’s totally worth the wait!

When I asked my son what was one thing he really liked about Disneyland, he said it was the lunch with Mickey! Before our trip, we booked in advance a lunch with the Disney characters at Mickey’s café. It was a great opportunity for us to get up close and personal with the characters (without having to queue) while enjoying a hot lunch. This is a good respite from the fast food served in several food outlets in the Disneyland park.

This was totally worth it in my opinion as we had a proper lunch (hot food like grilled fish instead of burgers and hot dogs) and the kids got to take photos and interact with Mickey, Goofy and other Disney characters in the comfort of the restaurant.

If you do go to Disneyland and you love shopping, you have to check out La Vallee Village factory outlet which is only one train station away. Most Disneyland hotels provide a return trip bus shuttle service at a small fee.

I went there on my own one afternoon when the hubs took the kids back to the hotel for a nap. On the way to the factory outlet, I walked through a huge shopping centre and was already distracted by the stores even before I reached the factory outlet!

The layout of the La Vallee Village factory outlet is very similar to the ones in the United States. There was a good selection of French brands like Celine and Longchamp; and a Cath Kidston store with major markdowns on their tote bags.

I really like the neat and clean look of the village with nice cosy cafes and chocolatiers serving up delicious looking chocolates, ice cream and hot drinks. My favourite was the Pret a manger café which has a good selection of fresh juices, soups, salads and sandwiches, a perfect pick me up after a good shopping spree!

Oh, there is a playground in the village for the dads to watch the kids play while the mums go shopping! Well, you could take turns.

Have a magical time at Disneyland Paris! :)

Travelled in 2015

All Rights Reserved: All photos (unless credited) on travel.joogo.sg. 
Disclaimer: All data and information provided on this site is for informational purposes only. Travel.joogo.sg and/or the author shall not be held responsible for any injury, loss, expense or damage of any kind whatsoever suffered or incurred by any person who accesses or uses the information and external websites stated above. Full disclaimer here.