Île-de-France Region

What’s better than visiting a Disney Park? Getting to go to a Disney park during a special event! We were fortunate to visit Disneyland Paris twice during our 3 month tour of France. Our first visit came in October while Halloween was the theme. The second visit was in early December to celebrate Christmas in the park. Both were lots of fun. We’ll write about Christmas in a later post and, instead, focus here on our experience at Disneyland Paris during their Halloween celebrations.

The Parks

Disneyland Paris includes two parks and Disney Village. Disney Village is free to enter and includes a plethora of restaurants and lots of shopping where you can find all your Disney souvenirs. Disneyland Park and Walt Disney Studios Park are paid admission (though you’ll find them both to be much less expensive than the U.S. Disney Parks). Both parks are a lot of fun and definitely worth the visit.

Disneyland Park welcomes you with Sleeping Beauty Castle and 5 enchanted lands. Main Street USA is the first of the enchanted lands. Here, you can immerse yourself in a recreation of Walt Disney’s childhood home. Abundant shops and restaurants are located in this area and it’s a great introduction to the park. Discoveryland is a future world where you’ll find family friendly attractions like Buzz Lightyear Laser Blast and feature rides like Star Wars Hyperspace Mountain. You might even meet Darth Vader! Fantasyland is all about enchantment and fairytales. Here, you can ride Le Carrousel de Lancelot and walk through Le Château de la Belle au Bois Dormant (Sleeping Beauty’s Castle). You’re also likely to find at least one of the Disney Princesses here. Adventureland takes you on adventures with the Pirates of the Caribbean and Indiana Jones. You might even meet Jack Sparrow, Captain Hook, or the Genie from Agrabah. Frontierland is where you’ll find Big Thunder Mountain and Phantom Manor (Disneyland Paris’ version of The Haunted Mansion). You’ll also find classic Disney characters dressed in cowboy costumes. Each of these areas have shows, shopping, and dining options in addition to rides that will keep all ages entertained. You can also hop on the Disneyland Railroad to navigate throughout the park.

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Walt Disney Studios Park is located right next door, making it super easy to navigate from one park to the other. WDSP includes all the fun of Marvel and Pixar, along with some behind the scenes type of entertainment. Start with the Front Lot which features Disney Studio One where you go backstage on a Hollywood film set and even become the star! You’ll also find the Walt Disney Studio Store in this area. Worlds of Pixar invites you to take a Cars ROAD TRIP, ride Crush’s Coaster, or experience Ratatouille: The Adventure. Chez Remy, a really popular restaurant, can be found here as well. You’ll also want to visit Chez Marianne for some boutique merchandise and sweets! Marvel Adventure Campus is the newest addition to the park. It opened on July 20, 2023 and we can’t wait to make a return trip to experience it! Featuring rides like Avengers Assemble: Flight Force and Spider-Man W.E.B. Adventure and epic battles that take place on the rooftops above you, guests are sure to indulge their superhero passions here. You are also likely to meet some of your favorite heroes as they pop up unannounced several times an hour. Toon Studio will take you back to the colorful experience of Disney’s most popular classics. You can fly above the park on Les Tapis Volants (Flying Carpets of Agrabah) or meet Olaf, Elsa, and Anna. Lastly, don’t miss the Production Courtyard where you can watch Stitch Live! and find The Hollywood Tower Hotel (Disneyland Paris’ version of The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror).

The Food

There are tons of options for dining throughout all of the Disneyland Paris properties. Each of the Disney Hotels (which we’ll touch on later in this post) feature their own restaurant options. Disney Village, which does not require a park ticket, offers visitors everything from on the go snacks and drinks, to quick service and table service, even fine dining. Once in the parks, you’ll find options that will please everyone. Your kids will love the various character dining opportunities where they can interact with their favorite Disney characters. Other options range from pizza and burgers to BBQ chicken, TexMex, French cuisine, and even Caribbean fare. Walt Disney Studios Park offers some fun food truck experiences in various locations too. Both parks boast some noteworthy themed restaurants like Chez Remy, Agrabah Cafe, and Captain Jack’s (which can be viewed while on the Pirates of the Caribbean ride). Please be aware that some of the table service restaurants, and especially the character dining experiences, are quite popular and reservations need to be made well in advance, so plan ahead.

Halloween Festival

Fall is a great time to visit Disneyland Paris! The Disney Halloween Festival takes place throughout the month of October. The decorations, featuring lots of pumpkins, fall foliage, and lighting will get you in the spirit. While you’ll find some spooky characters wandering the park during this event, the haunting is mild and fun for all ages. Parades and shows are transformed during the event. You won’t want to miss Mickey’s Halloween Celebration that parades through Main Street but stops for some fun moments in front of the castle. Casts of characters include Mischief Makers, Villainous Masters, and Mysterious Hosts.

You’ll also be treated to seasonal merchandise in the shops throughout the park and themed food choices in the restaurants. If you’re staying at one of the nearby Disney Hotels or partner hotels, you’ll be treated to the same creepy vibe as they transform to get in on the wicked Halloween fun. 

Our Experience

Halloween is a favorite time of the year in our household. We love to dress up, go Trick-or-Treating, and enjoy the beautiful fall weather and spooky decorations. We particularly love a good theme park at Halloween. For years, we have attended Howl-O-Scream at Busch Gardens Williamsburg. In 2021, we found ourselves in France for the season and we were so excited for the adventure. At the same time, we were a little bummed to be missing our usual trip for haunted houses. Kevin made sure that we found some great activities to meet that need for us in France. He got us tickets for Disneyland Paris during the Halloween event and even took us to Walibi Rhone-Alpes amusement park for a much spookier adventure a few weeks later.

Disneyland Paris did NOT disappoint. We loved the decorations and characters we saw throughout the park. Our character interactions were safely distanced as Covid was still a huge problem and masks were required during our visit. However, those safety precautions didn’t keep us from fully enjoying our day at both parks.

Sophie was determined to go on the “Remy ride” which was, at that time, only available at Walt Disney Studios in Paris. So, we purchased one day tickets that were good for both parks. We started at Walt Disney Studios Park where we enjoyed Ratatouille: A Recipe for Adventure. The queue line was long, but it also kept us entertained with glimpses of our favorite characters from the Ratatouille movie. We encountered larger than life displays as we “shrunk” down to the size of Remy and went on a crazy adventure across the enormous kitchen. We were treated to sensory overload as even the realistic smells of the kitchen added to the experience. Sophie was not disappointed! It quickly became one of our all-time favorite Disney rides. This entire area of the park was a lot of fun. We enjoyed browsing for unique Remy memorabilia in Chez Marianne and really enjoyed the entire facade of Gusteau’s. We would have loved to visit Chez Remy but some advanced planning is necessary for that. (They take reservations months in advance!)

We loved wandering around the park where we encountered several Toy Story displays, rides, and characters. We went on the Cars ROAD TRIP ride which was full of surprises. Ellie took her sisters on The Hollywood Tower Hotel ride while Kevin and I helped ourselves to some treats, including a Groot shaped cookie that we waited to share with the girls. We even had a front row view of Remy as he drove past us in a mini parade! Afterwards, we had to tear ourselves away to head over to the other park for the remainder of our day.

Once we arrived in Disneyland Park, we enjoyed the fall and Halloween themed decorations that adorned the entrance. The festive atmosphere continued down Main Street U.S.A. and throughout the park. We also loved seeing the Main Street Vehicles. These vintage-style cars are an attraction you can actually ride in and are a truly fun and unique addition to the park. As with all Disneyland Parks, there is a castle as the featured centerpiece. In Paris, Sleeping Beauty’s Castle stands in the place of honor. Inside the castle, you’ll find quaint shops and beautifully crafted souvenirs, unique to Disneyland Paris. The castle is also home to a large sleeping dragon that occasionally awakens to blow smoke and roar! While we were there, some parts of the castle were closed for renovations. The newly renovated castle was unveiled for the park’s 30th Anniversary celebrations in 2022. It is definitely a “must-see” stop when visiting the park.

In Adventureland, Ellie and Rachel rode on Indiana Jones and the Temple of Peril which is a railed vehicle resembling a mine cart. It was a fun ride and the surrounding set was quite fun to explore with its stone snake sculptures and landscaping that will make you feel as though you’re in the jungle. You will also find Pirates of the Caribbean in this area of the park. I was astounded by the setting outside this attraction! The impressive Skull Mountain and ship can be seen and appreciated without even entering the ride queue.

While visiting Discoveryland, Ellie took both of her sisters on Hyperspace Mountain. Afterwards, we all competed against each other to defeat Zurg in Buzz Lightyear Laser Blast. From there, we made our way to Frontierland where the girls enjoyed Big Thunder Mountain and we all visited Phantom Manor. The haunted house is Disneyland Paris’ take on The Haunted Mansion found in Orlando. We enjoyed the exterior facade of Phantom Manor which truly looked like an old abandoned house and gave us all the creepy vibes.

Our only disappointment of the day was that Sophie did not get to meet Jack Skellington during our visit. She is a HUGE fan of The Nightmare Before Christmas and she was really hopeful to catch a glimpse of her hero. As Covid 19 was still quite prevalent during our visit, fewer character meets were available and, as always, were subject to change without warning. We waited in line thinking that we would be seeing Jack, but, instead, we got to meet Mickey Mouse decked out as though he was an employee at Phantom Manor.

Where to Stay

There are several options for accommodations that will make your Disneyland Paris trip convenient. There are 8 total Disney Hotels and several partner hotels to choose from for your stay. Disneyland Hotel is located just steps from the park entrance so it is a wonderful option if visiting the parks is the primary purpose of your stay. Davy Crockett Ranch is an American frontier village themed park that offers cabins in a natural setting just a 15 minute drive from the parks. Also located just a 15 minute drive from the park is the newest hotel in the Disney lineup, Les Villages Nature Paris. Here, you can enjoy a lakefront nature experience in an eco-village with minimal impact on the environment. The 5 remaining Disney Hotels offer free, 8 minute, shuttle service to the parks. Each of these hotels is also a 10-20 minute walk from the parks if you’re feeling up to the extra exercise. The newest, Disney Hotel New York - The Art of Marvel, will treat you to an extra special Marvel experience during your stay. Disney Newport Bay Club is a nautical themed hotel. Disney Sequoia Lodge has a more rustic, outdoor experience. Disney Hotel Cheyenne is a wild west themed hotel with a nod to Woody & Jessie of Toy Story. Disney Hotel Santa Fe is an ode to Disney Pixar’s Cars movies and will make you feel like you’re taking a stop along the famous Route 66.

In addition to the Disney-owned hotels, there are 6 partner hotels that also provide shuttle service to the parks. We chose the B&B Hotel which is set in a countryside locale with an adjacent lake and nearby village. This hotel readily accommodated our family of 5 in one comfortable room. It also provided free breakfast which was a real time and money saver for our crew. We made two multi-day stops at this hotel during our 3 months in France and highly recommend it.

How to Get There

Disneyland Paris is very conveniently located adjacent to the Marne-la-Vallée-Chessy train station. It can be reached via the TGV high speed train from CDG airport in less than 15 minutes. The Disneyland Paris Express shuttle can take you from 3 popular places in downtown Paris (near the Eiffel Tower, Châtelet, or Palais/Opéra Garnier) to the parks and back at the end of the day. If you’re staying at one of Disney’s Hotels or one of their partner hotels, the Magical Shuttle Bus service runs throughout the day providing free transportation to and from the MLV-Chessy station, just steps from the parks.

Final Thoughts

We absolutely LOVED Disneyland Paris at Halloween. This was our first international Disney experience and it had us dreaming of visiting Disney parks all over the world. Ticket prices are much less pricey in France than in the US, making a Disney day for a family of 5 (or more) a lot more economical. The parks are also very easy to manage in one day. While there are things in both parks that we missed or didn’t get to do, we saw and did just about everything that we had planned. We also felt much less rushed than we’ve ever felt at a Disney park. We found time to relax and enjoy front row views of a passing parade from the comfort of a table while we had a snack. Lines were shorter and the slower pace kept us all in a wonderful mood for the entire experience. Have you ever visited Disneyland Paris? Did you have a similar experience? We’d love to hear all about your Uncommon Family Adventures!