How to save money on your Disneyland Paris Trip

Whether you want to go on a shoestring, or maximise a generous budget, there are many ways to save or make the most of what you’ve got!

Getting There

On average 25% of the cost of your trips will be flight and transport costs. A lot of people automatically think of Aer Lingus and Charles De Gaulle airport which could end up costing them a lot. Use Skyscanner or Kayak to check all flights to the Paris region (CDG, Orly and Beauvais). Bear in mind that it might be cheaper to fly the night before you intended to, and stay in a budget hotel. You might not have heard of Airlines such as Transavia or Vueling, but these are quality budget airlines flying to Orly Airport, which is the same 40 mins away from Disney by road as CDG. Don’t pay for luggage you won’t need and alternatively, consider paying for carry-on luggage if it means potentially saving an hour waiting for bags.

Always consider the total cost of transport including getting to Disneyland or your hotel from the Airport. For example, if you have a family or group of 6 people, it might actually be worth flying to Beauvais with Ryanair for cheap when you are splitting the cost of the more expensive transfer. The TGV fast train at CDG can end up costing significantly more than a private transfer if you have 3 or more people in your group - and you are stuck with a train timetable, rather than a private shuttle waiting for you. On the other hand, the Magical Shuttle can work out cheapest for solo travellers or couples.

“Once you enter the parks, nobody really cares how you got there or where you stayed. The Castle view and fireworks are free, all the attractions are free, the hugs from characters are free… the Magic is free!”

— Me, (Dec 2022)..

Other tips to Save Money

  1. Snacks: Bring what you know from home, or visit the local convenience store (at the train station) or supermarket (Auchan in Val D’Europe) to stock up for your entire trip. Croissants, bottles of water, biscuits etc are priced like cinema food within the parks.

  2. Breakfast: Breakfast in Disney hotels is approximately 20-25 EUR per person. Offsite hotels often include continental breakfast as standard. If you don’t want to pay extra in a Disney Hotel, or if your offsite hotel doesn’t include breakfast, you can pickup a good breakfast in Annette’s or Earl of Sandwich in Disney Village, or you can get a pastry and a hot drink in the train station for under 5 EUR or at Market House Deli on Mainstreet for a little bit more.

  3. Daytime Meals: Eating at counter service restaurants can be half the price of buffet or table-service restaurants. Not only might you save money, but these restaurants (Stark Factory, Cowboy Cookout, Bella Notte are the best of them) are often much more relaxed, you only pay for what you order and you don’t have to pay for members of your group who won’t be eating at all.

  4. Premier Access: This is the new version of fast pass. You can pay a large amount (90 EUR to 190 EUR) for one day per person, or you can per person pay per attraction (9 EUR to 18 EUR approx). The day pass is mostly a waste of money because you might not want to go on all rides. The “per attraction” option is much more flexible and even this might not be needed if you use Extra Magic Time or time your day properly.

  5. Character Dining: If you fell off your chair when you heard that Dinner with Mickey Mouse and friends costs 80 EUR per adult, or a meal with four Princesses costs 95 EUR per adult - answer me this… How much is 5 hours of your holiday time worth to you? Queuing to meet Mickey and 5 other friends, or queuing to meet four Princesses can add up to over 5 hours! Think of the food at character dining as a bonus!

Where to Stay

  1. Facilities: Don’t spend money on facilities you won’t use or that you don’t value. A swimming pool adds significant cost and often it goes unused. If you are not a morning person, don’t count Extra Magic Time as a feature worth paying for. If you are going to stay onsite and get the shuttle, why not stay offsite?

  2. Location: Did you know some offsite hotels are closer to the parks then onsite hotels? (Adagio Serris is closer than Santa Fe). At the same time, do you need to stay so close to the parks? If you are traveling with adults or older kids, consider staying a few train stops away and you will save considerably.

  3. Tickets: Disney hotels include tickets with most bookings. Always bear this in mind when comparing to offsite hotels where you need to add-on the cost of tickets. It’s sometimes cheaper to stay onsite.

  4. Onsite mix-up: Disney hotels are conveniently rated from budget to Luxury in the order of Santa Fe, Cheyenne, Sequoia Lodge, Newport Bay and Hotel New York. But sometimes for example, Newport can be cheaper than Cheyenne - it’s all about supply and demand. Check all hotel prices!

  5. Time of the year: Not only can you save a lot of money by visiting the parks during quieter months such as January, early February or early November, but you could perhaps stay in more exclusive hotels that you would never dream of during peak months!

  6. Time of the week: Park tickets and accommodation pricing operates on a supply and demand basis. It can be much cheaper to stay mid-week, and a much quieter experience in the parks. Wednesday is often a half day or full day-off in French schools so you will notice more kids on a Wednesday in comparison to other weekdays.

Getting into the Parks

If you are staying in a Disney hotel, it’s likely your park tickets are included in your package. While your travel times might make this a waste (if you get in late or are leaving early on your last day), but sometimes staying in a Disney hotel can be cheaper than staying offsite and then adding on the same days of park tickets. It’s also worth noting that you get Extra Magic Time when staying in a Disney hotel, and you can meet characters in your hotel - this might save you money by not needing Premier Access or save time queuing to meet characters in the parks.

If you are not staying in a Disney hotel and you are buying tickets separately, its important to tailor your tickets to only what you need. This means buying tickets for the full days you have or buying 1-park tickets for days you are only going to be be visiting 1 park.

If you are staying for more the 3 days or are planning more than 1 trip in the year, you might consider Annual Passes. The sweet spot for Annual Passes is the 379 EUR “Magic Plus” pass that gets you park entry for 350 days of the year (basically not around Halloween or Christmas), several discounts on merchandise, food and tickets for friends, AND extra magic time built-in. This unlocks all the budget hotels in the Disneyland Paris area while still getting you into the parks 1 hour before general ticket holders.