Top 10 Reasons I Love Disneyland Paris

By: Maggie Ballantyne, Travel Advisor
February 25, 2025

In 2024, I decided it was finally time to start working on one of my bucket list items: visit all the International Disney Theme Parks. For my 30th birthday, I decided to give myself a trip to Disneyland Paris and it quickly became one of my favorite vacations. Here are my top ten reasons why I will definitely return to this beautiful international park:

1.     The Castle! This castle is not only beautiful, but it is also more interactive than the other parks. You can explore two floors as you follow the story of Sleeping Beauty, there is a shop inside the castle, you can go out on one of the balconies overlooking Fantasyland, and my personal favorite, you can visit Maleficent underneath the castle. She loves waking up to greet guests.

2.     Park Hopping Is a Breeze! Disneyland Park and Walt Disney Studios are in closer proximity to each other than Disneyland is to Disney's California Adventure. No transportation needed, rarely any lines... just walk on over! This saves so much time and adds a level of flexibility to your day.

3.     Location! There are four on-property hotels that are also within walking distance of the parks. These include: Sequoia Lodge, Newport Bay Club, Hotel New York – The Art of Marvel, and the Disneyland Hotel. No need to wait for transportation as you eagerly wait to start your park day. Walk on over when you are ready! Going back to the room after a long day in the parks is just as easy. All you need to do is walk through Downtown Disney. BONUS: Characters meet at the hotels too!

4.     Character Meal Offered Before Park Opening! The only character meal that takes place inside the park is at Plaza Gardens Restaurant. I booked the first reservation slot, which meant I had the opportunity to walk down Main Street before regular park hours AND before early park admission. This was the perfect opportunity to take pictures of the castle with no other people. Logistically, this also worked out well because we finished up breakfast just as the park opened. There were still very short wait times when we left the restaurant and chose our first few attractions.

5.     The Phantom Manor! While Disneyland Paris has similar rides to the parks in the United States, there are differences that make riding these familiar attractions feel like new experiences. My favorite is Disneyland Paris’s version of the Haunted Mansion known as Phantom Manor. This attraction follows the story of Melanie Ravenswood, the ghost of a bride, whose groom never materializes on their wedding day. Why was she left at the altar? The Phantom lured him away. Guests will walk up the steps to the mansion, go in the front door, and walk through a hall of portraits before boarding the ride. Be on the lookout for the Phantom throughout the attraction! BONUS: Phantom Mickey meets at the attraction!!

6.     Remy’s Restaurant! Ratatouille: L’Aventure Totalement Toquée de Rémy​ attraction is known for making guests feel like they are really immersed in the kitchen. Well, in Disneyland Paris you exit the attraction right at the Bistrot Chez Rémy restaurant. Ride the attraction right before your dining reservation and you can walk right in! Being able to eat and enjoy a delicious meal that was created as a continuation to the attraction really added to the overall experience; something Disney does so well!

7.     Excursions to Paris! When booking your vacation to Disneyland Paris, they offer travel advisors the opportunity to add on an excursion into the city of Paris. This made our visit so easy, and I know it will make travel for my clients easy too. A Disney transfer picked us up, brought us to the Eiffel Tower, booked a river boat tour for us, and then gave us free time before heading back to our resort.

8.     The Characters! Similar to Disneyland in California, there are characters everywhere! The characters here are not ones you might see wandering around the parks in the US either. Mary Poppins and her 3 penguins walk around Fantasyland, Max and Pluto meet together in Fantasyland, you can greet Cowboy Goofy or Cowgirl Minnie in Frontierland, Jafar is often seen walking around Adventureland, there are rotating characters in World of Pixar, and so many more. Most of these meet and greets were the best surprise as they were not in the app. I especially love that characters stand at the train station at the end of the night to say goodnight to guests as they head home to their hotel.

9.     The Entertainment! I was blown away by the stage shows in Disneyland Paris. They exceeded my expectations, and I think they are better than any show I have seen in the US parks. The Festival of the Lion King is a full beautiful stage production that reminded me of the Broadway production. TOGETHER: A Pixar Musical is my favorite Disney show out of any that I have seen. The music and morals of the story were joyous, nostalgic, and left us with so many feelings that we went back to the theater the next day to watch again!

10.  The Champagne! Disneyland Paris ends the night right! Guests can purchase a glass of champagne in a Disneyland Paris champagne flute after sunset as the castle begins to glow. It is the perfect opportunity to raise a glass and toast your magical vacation with your friends and family.

The list could really go on... Alice’s Curious Labyrinth (definitely deserves a top ten spot), the snacks (so many snacks!), the Avengers campus with an Avengers-themed roller coaster, Mickey-shaped pizza from Tony’s, my favorite version of “it’s a small world”, and so much more!

Ready to go? I know I am!! For more information on Disneyland or any Disney destination, please contact me at maggie@wishesfamilytravel.com or follow me on Facebook at www.facebook.com/wishesfamilytravelmaggie