Disneyland Paris Top Tips

Back in October 2022, I visited Disneyland Paris for the third time in my life. I went with two of my PAs, who have now become my friends, and I stayed in the Disneyland Paris Hotel Cheyenne for four nights.

Unfortunately, I do not like flying and driving was going to be too much, so I took the Eurostar from St Pancras International Station in London. However, due to living in Scotland, I had to take a train down to London, stay overnight, and then get the Eurostar the next morning. This routine of travelling was then repeated after visiting Disneyland Paris too which meant our holiday was six nights.

People may feel like this is a lot of travelling but it is worth it for the Disney magic. For those who don’t share my love of Disney, the only way I can describe it is, as soon as you step (or in my case wheel) out of The Marne-la-Vallée/Chessy train station you get lost in the magic of it all and it’s like you enter this whole different world where you can forget about your daily life for a while.

I thought I’d share top tips on visiting Disneyland Paris as a powered wheelchair user.

Research transportation in Paris
Unfortunately, the Eurostar doesn’t go straight from London to Disneyland Paris now, so it’ll probably be a little trickier. In 2012 I travelled from London to Paris and then to Disneyland Paris and it was extremely stressful. You had to get on to multiple trains throughout the journey and it was difficult to find out accessible information on how to get on to each train. There are YouTubers who share videos on these journeys however, I’m yet to find one that shares one with wheelchair-accessible information. Learning some accessible phrases in French too might be helpful as it was hard for the train station staff to understand our English.

Stay at a Disney hotel if possible
If your budget allows you to, I recommend staying in one of the hotels at Disneyland Paris. The furthest away Disney accommodation is a 15-minute drive away and you have to use your car to get to the parks however, our hotel was the furthest walk away, 20 minutes, but it felt like 10 minutes. There are shuttle buses that are wheelchair accessible and an 8-minute drive but, then you miss walking through Disney Village which does not require park tickets and still has the Disney magic atmosphere. There are various shops selling Disney themed clothes, a Lego store, a nostalgic Disney Store, and much more. There are restaurants that include The Rainforest Café, a McDonald’s, one that sells Mickey Mouse shaped pizzas, and other various restaurants selling different foods. Disney Village is currently getting refurbished though so, some places may be closed when you visit.

Staying in a Disneyland Paris hotel also means that you have everything you need close by in your hotel room when visiting the parks. Unfortunately, when I visited in 2022 there wasn’t a Changing Places toilet in the parks so it was really helpful being able to go back to the hotel room during the day to use the hoist that I hired for my visit. When I returned home though I saw online that they had opened a changing room in the Disneyland Paris park beside First Aid that has an adjustable bed, portable hoist, sink and toilet. This is fantastic to see, although I won’t know how great it actually is until I visit again.

Have an open mind, not many rides are accessible but everything else is
Once you pass through Disney Village you have 2 parks to choose from, Walt Disney Studios and Disneyland Park. A main question I get asked is how many rides I can get on in my wheelchair. In Walt Disney Studios I could get on 3 rides and in the Disneyland Park, I could get on 3 rides, although It’s A Small World was closed in 2022 for refurbishment. Now in the grand scheme of things with how many rides the parks actually have, it’s not a lot. I honestly don’t mind though, I’m not a big ride person anyway. I love watching the parades, the shows, the fireworks, meeting characters, eating snacks, browsing the shops and just soaking up the magical atmosphere. There is so much to explore and with not visiting too often there is always something new to see. As I mentioned I enjoy getting lost in the magic and I definitely feel relaxed because I don’t have to constantly check if the different venues within Disneyland Paris are wheelchair accessible. 

Wheelchair accessibility is not a problem for a while, except for the parade tram lines, it’s like being back in Edinburgh and bumping over them. There are plenty of dipped curbs and the only vehicles are the parade vehicles so, you are also able to just walk on the ‘road’. There is plenty of space to walk around and you don’t have to continuously be on the lookout for uneven pavements, rubbish lying around or anything really obstructing my path. Every shop and restaurant have level access, the only suggestion I’d have would be to have automatic door buttons so I could get in and out of them myself.

Request a Priority Card in advance
One big recommendation I’d suggest before leaving for your holiday is to request a Priority Card in advance and then pick it up when you arrive, I collected mine from the Town Hall in the Disneyland Park. This card allows you to join the accessible queue for rides, sit in designated disabled areas for the shows/parades/fireworks, and book slots to go back and meet characters. In most cases, this card is a great help, and that is why I’d recommend it, but it didn’t mean there were no crowds or queues. One ride I really struggled to get on was Buzz Lightyear Laser Blast, the accessible queue was in the same area as the exit queue for everyone else. This meant that people were constantly walking past me and sometimes banging into me. One of my PAs had to stand at the side of me to stop this. Don’t get me wrong queues were shorter for me, but you still have to stand in some sort of queue.

I was a little confused on how to arrange meeting characters around the parks as when I visited in 2012 you queued in an accessibility queue but now you have to book slots. I hadn’t figured out how to do this until the day we were leaving. Due to health reasons, I can’t get up too early so my PA had to go and book a slot for me. This was a little difficult to coordinate however, next time I’ll just have to plan everything better.

Get your park tickets when you arrive
I booked my hotel and park tickets through Disneyland Paris a few months beforehand, annoyingly over the phone as you couldn’t book an accessible room through the website. I wanted to experience as much of the Disney magic as possible, so I bought tickets for the moment I got there till the moment I left. However, next time I think I will buy my tickets when I arrive. The reason for this is because you get a free carer ticket if you buy them in person, but you don’t get a free carer ticket if you book them online. Just make sure you take documented proof of your disability, check on their website what you would need.

I should also mention you have can get a free adjoining room at the Disneyland Paris hotels if you book an accessible room.

Get to a safe quiet place after fireworks
We had a great spot for the fireworks where no one was standing in front of us, we could see everything and I had plenty of space around me, so I didn’t feel like anyone was banging into me. Although as soon as the fireworks finished the cast member within the disabled seating area took the ropes down that were keeping people from entering it and I felt like it was every man for themselves. I always like to stay till the end of any concert or show so I don’t miss a thing but next time I see any fireworks I will definitely be moving away before the last spark dims from the sky because that crowd whilst leaving was scary and my 2 PAs were fighting to get out whilst also making sure I was safe. If I can get over to Frontierland before the fireworks finish, I will stay here until the crowds calm down as Frontierland is the closest area to the disabled seating area at the front of the castle.

I am looking forward to visiting Disneyland Paris in another couple of years and see what different refurbishments they’ll have done.

Tags: disneyland paris, disneyland, paris, 2024, accessible travel, disabled access, disabled access information