You never quite understand the scale and intensity of a Disneyland theme park until you visit it. The amount of people, the attention to detail, the sheer size of all the buildings and rides. It’s something out of this world.

It’s amazing, a little bit overwhelming, and totally worth it. These tips will make your trip to Disneyland Paris just that much better.

1. Have a relaxing day beforehand and an early night. You don’t want to be going there already tired. Also, don’t plan on doing anything too strenuous the day after. You and your kids will all be tired and will need a sleep in.
2. Download the Disneyland Paris app. This has a map and will show real time wait times. But print out a map too, looking at a small map on your phone in the bright sun is a pain. Mark the rides you want to go on and have a plan for the day.
3. While the park is big, is not as big as you think. You can easily crisscross it a few times in the day. So don’t be afraid to jump between areas depending on wait times. If you want to stay until the fireworks you really want to conserve your energy, and nothing saps it faster than being in a queue.
4. Make your kids familiar with all the traditional Disney characters before your visit. They’ll get more out of it if they recognise everyone there.
5. Merchandise can be expensive. You can buy some beforehand in your home town, and then give them out to your kids during the day there. But let them pick one thing small as well. Don’t buy this from the first store you see, wait until you’ve explored the park.
6. Bring lots of food, more than you think you’ll need. Food is expensive there, wait times can be terrible, and your kids will be much hungrier throughout the day. They’ll need something to fill them up. Have a mixture of fruit, carbohydrates and sweets. They can’t stay on a sugar high all day, but bringing out the lollies at the appropriate time can be a lifesaver. Especially if you want to stay for the fireworks (which you will).
7. Get there early, just before opening time, and then go straight to the ride you most want to do. This will likely have one of the longer wait times, so get on it early.
8. If you want to sit down, or buy something from one of the many food stores there, try and do this slightly before meal times. Everyone has the same idea at the same time, so if you can pre-empt this, you’ll get a seat and quicker service.
9. Bring warm clothing, the temperature can drop once it gets dark, even in summer. Also bring a power bank and cables to charge all your devices and cameras. Download a movie or two for the kids to watch while waiting for the fireworks display to start. They’ll run out of energy before this, so will need to chill for a while.
10. The number of people in the park will get to you at some stage. Make the most of any quiet space and time you can get. Try Frontierland or Adventureland for more secluded spots to rest.

I don’t need to say ‘remember to enjoy yourself’, because it’s almost impossible not to!

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