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The Independent UK

Jessica Salter

Is it possible to do Disneyland Paris on the cheap? Here’s how I cut costs

Disney Disneyland (Facility) Disneyland Paris Paris Mickey Mouse Minnie Mouse Vinted

Disneyland Paris is known for being an expensive getaway, but writer Jessica Salter found more than a few ways to save on her trip - (Marie Flament/DisneylandParis)

I vividly remember my childhood trip to Disney World, Florida, from the newly opened Splash Mountain to chasing iconic characters for autographs. My family were savers, and this was a big trip for us. My dad picked America as the destination during the Gulf war, when flights to the US were cheap, stayed in a motel nearby and drove into the park for two days, with sandwiches in our backpacks and a strict no-merch policy. Those two days are all I can remember from a two-week holiday to Orlando, such is the power of Disney over a young brain.

Writer Jessica Salter at Disneyland Paris (Jessica Salter)

And this is exactly what I want for my daughters, aged four and eight. They’re at that magical age where they are still delighted by Disney (although, isn’t everyone?), and as we’ve learned from Inside Out, are forming core memories. I want to make their first trip to Disneyland as sparkly as possible, and like my parents, as much as I want to do the full bells-and-whistles experience, I can’t afford it all.

Read more: The best hotels in Paris

Which is why I’ve spent months researching exactly where I should splurge and spend the holiday budget to cherry-pick the perfect Disney experience, include some indulgences, but save where I can. Here’s how I did it.

How to get there and where to stay

The first big saving was driving from London, straight from the last day of school, rather than a train or flights, which for four of us in school holidays was going to cost the best part of £2,000. Driving would cost less than £50 in petrol and £118 in LeShuttle fares (I saved £20 with Tesco Clubcard points).

Then came the decision about where to stay. For the first night, I found the perfectly serviceable Résidence du Parc Val d’Europe hotel, which fit all four of us in one room for €131 (£114) a night. It had a kitchenette, and I brought a cool bag from home so we could have breakfast in the room, saving €15 per person for the hotel breakfast.

Read more: The best things to do in Paris

Only a 10-minute drive from Disney, it would have been fine as a base for the whole trip. But back when my eldest was three, we stayed in a Legoland hotel near Tampa, and she remembers every detail of the themed room. The main on-site Disneyland Paris hotel looks like every girl’s fantasy (think Disney princesses at breakfast, fully themed rooms) – but costs 5-star prices. Disney Newport Bay Club – just a 10-minute walk away from the entrance (or free shuttle) – seemed like a great option that combined the dazzle of a themed hotel, at a more budget-friendly price (with free parking).

The big bonus of staying within the Disney family: you get to go in an hour before the park opens.

One of the iconic castles at Disneyland Paris (Jessica Salter)

The hotel is themed as if Mickey and the gang are on a cruise ship. Our large family room (booked to save on two rooms) had two double beds with views out over the lake and promenade outside, and, thrillingly for the kids, was decorated with subtle Disney nods: wallpaper border with characters peeping through portholes, headboards with Mickey ears, and themed toiletry bottles in the bathroom.

If you’re staying in a Disney hotel, the best deal is to buy the park tickets as part of a package. I paid £1,465 for two nights in a superior room, for four people, including park tickets for the two parks (Disneyland Park and Walt Disney Studios Park) for two days, which also comes with €50 spending money.

Travelling off-peak would be cheaper, and you can book in advance and pay over five instalments. Park tickets for two parks on their own cost €131 per adult or €117 per child, for two days, meaning the hotel worked out at around £115 per person, per night.

TRAVEL

Spent: £50 in petrol and £118 in Le Shuttle fares. Total: £168

Saved: £492 in flights, £100 train fares to Stanstead and €70 (£61) express train fares from Charles De Gaulle; total: around £653. Or, €723 (£630) Eurostar fees and €70 (£61) express train fares. Total, around £693

HOTEL AND PARK ENTRY

Spent: £114 for one night at Résidence du Parc Val d’Europe and £1,465 for two nights in Disney Newport Bay Club, including park tickets. Total: £1,579

Potential saving: £342 for three nights in Résidence du Parc Val d’Europe, plus €496 (£432) for park tickets. Total cost: £1,296, meaning I could have saved £283 on a cheaper hotel.

My top Disneyland Paris hack

At that point, I decided to add Disney Premier Access Ultimate at €90 per guest, which gives you queue-jumping privileges (on some rides – though not generally the ones for the littlest kids). This was undoubtedly an expense I could have scrimped on, but it cut queues from over an hour to almost walking straight on, which felt like a worthwhile hack.

Even without it, your days feel full with the amount of parades, shows, and character meets – all of which you can monitor from the park app (which helpfully shows queue times, too).

The Disney Newport Bay Club rooms have nods to Disney in their design (Jessica Salter)

Take the freebies where you can

I hadn’t realised how important it is to break up the day with a rest: the temptation to maximise your park ticket and push through the 3pm slump is a mistake with little ones. If you take a break at the busiest time in the park, and head back for an evening session (the park is open until 10.40pm), you can get around more quickly when others flake off.

Back at the hotel, a Disney character greeted us in reception (fortuitously, this happens every day at 3pm at Newport Bay), which made my girls feel like VIPs, and then we headed to the huge and beautifully decorated pool, with floor-to-ceiling windows and fountains. I noticed older kids hanging out in a chill-out zone with bean bags and a film playing, but you can also watch Disney+ in the rooms (while we adults enjoyed a cocktail in a can that I’d brought from home, and ice from the hotel bar, saving €36 on room service drinks).

The Disney Newport Bay hotel costs much less than the Disney hotel closer to the park (Disney Newport Bay Club)

How to save on food and drinks

Where I did save was on food, which racks up as a family of four. At Disney Newport Bay, breakfast was included – in certain rooms, otherwise its €30 per adult and €24 per child: my girls know they have to fill up on the free meals, which was not a problem given it was a huge buffet with Mickey Mouse-themed waffles, a self-serve pancake machine, and more pastries than they’ve ever seen (along with meats, cheeses, fruits and cooked options).

For lunch, I had our sandwiches stored in my cool bag, homemade cakes and bulk-bought nuts, bars and energy balls, saving at least €50 per day. Bringing your own water bottle is an obvious tip, and there are plenty of water fountains around the park, so we spent nothing on drinks, saving €3.50 per small bottle.

I couldn’t pre-make dinner, but you can buy meal packages which you can use at the hotel or a variety of restaurants around the park (including other hotels), starting from £35.88 for children and £58.30 for adults, per day, half board. We wanted a bit more flexibility, so for the two nights we spent in the parks, we ate at a Five Guys on the edge of the park (£38.10 for dinner for four). On the first night, we ate pre-made sandwiches on our way to the hotel.

FOOD AND DRINKS

Spent: £0 on breakfast and lunches, dinner: £76.20 (for four for two nights)

Saved: €100 on food and €56 on water for lunch and snacks if bought in the park. Total: around £136, or £376.72 on a half-board meal package. €36 (£31) on two room service drinks.

How to save on souvenirs and Disney merchandise

A friend had warned me about the temptation to shop, and there are so many things that catch a little girl’s eye: face painting (€19), Disney bubble wand (€30), Disney stuffed toys that magnetically stick to your shoulder that everyone had (€28). Like my parents did to me, we issued a strict “no merch” policy beforehand, but I did pre purchase some Disneyland Paris ears secondhand on Vinted – £2.50 each, compared to €35 in the park, and took two Disney outfits each from the dressing up box to satisfy any dress-up cravings, saving around €30 per dress.

The one exception: a stuffed toy as a souvenir from the hotel gift shop (€30) – I know from seeing my own Minnie in their toy box that it will be a happy reminder for years to come.

MERCHANDISE

Spent: £5 on Disney ears on Vinted, €0 on outfits, €60 on 2 x teddies. Total: around £57

Saved: €56 on ears, €60 on dresses, €38 on bubble wands... Total: the sky’s the limit!

Nobody expects Disney to be cheap – and it’s not. But it’s a place that does magic well. This was the first two days of our summer holidays, and I’m already cherishing my eight-year-old gripping me and grinning after coming off Thunder Mountain, proud that she’d faced her fears, or racing my husband to be the person to go on the last Marvel ride before the park closed.

As my four-year-old said as she was drifting off to sleep, still wearing her Minnie Mouse ears, “I wish I could live in Disneyland.” And with that, my own wish to replicate that magical childhood trip for my family had been granted.