Stop Trying to Complete Disneyland Paris

01

PACE & BREAKS

Have the lie-in

We do not rope drop every single day any more. Disneyland Paris is knackering, especially across a multi-day trip when you are doing long hours, late nights and a lot more walking than you realise at the time.

After a couple of big park days, sometimes everybody just needs a slower start. An extra hour in bed can save the entire feel of the day, particularly if everyone is starting to flag.

We used to feel as though sleeping in meant wasting Disney time. Now we see it differently. A day that starts slightly later but with everybody in a better mood is often far more enjoyable than forcing another early alarm just for the sake of it.

If we know we have already had a couple of full-on mornings, we are quite happy to make room for a lie-in and build the day around that instead.

Why it helpsA slower start can protect everyone’s energy and stop the trip becoming a slog by day three.

02

HOTEL TIME

Take a proper break and use the hotel

We actually use the hotel facilities now. We used to think leaving the parks meant wasting precious Disney time, but these days we are very happy to have a pool afternoon, spend a bit of time in the room or simply get off our feet for a while.

That break changes the rhythm of the whole holiday. Instead of being out from early morning until the nighttime show every single day, you reset, recharge and head back out later feeling as though you are still enjoying the trip rather than just getting through it.

It is especially useful on longer stays. The difference between being in the parks from around 8:30am until late every day and giving yourself the occasional proper pause is huge.

By the end of the holiday, everybody tends to feel happier, less rushed and much more content. A break does not make the trip less Disney. It often makes the Disney parts better.

Why it helpsUsing the hotel properly helps the whole trip feel more relaxed and gives everyone a second wind for later.

03

SHOPPING TIP

Buy your souvenirs early and actually use them

One mistake we used to make was seeing something we liked and telling ourselves we would come back for it later. Then later became tomorrow, and tomorrow became the end of the trip.

Now, if we see merchandise we know we want, we buy it early. That might be ears, a hat, a bag, a top, a pin or something else we genuinely like.

The point is that if you are going to buy it anyway, you may as well enjoy it while you are actually at Disneyland Paris. There is not much point buying ears on the final day and then only really using them once you are home.

If you want them, buy them on day one and wear them on the trip. The same goes for anything else that adds to the holiday while you are there.

Why it helpsYou get more value from what you buy and avoid the end-of-trip scramble for souvenirs.

04

MORNING RHYTHM

Use the early start, then give yourself permission to slow down

If we have made the effort to get up early, get to the gates before opening and make good use of that first hour, we do not feel any need to keep sprinting through the rest of the morning.

That early start has already done its job. You may have knocked off a couple of priorities while the parks were quieter, which means by 9:30 you have often already been up for hours and done a lot.

That is exactly the point where we are happy to sit down, have a coffee, grab something to eat and just breathe for a bit.

Years ago, we would probably have thought we should keep pushing because we were already there. Now we see the slower spell as the reward for having done the hard bit. You do not need to jump straight from a productive first hour into an hour-long queue just because everyone else is arriving.

Why it helpsYou keep the benefit of the early start without burning through everyone’s energy before the day has properly settled.

05

DISNEY MINDSET

Stop trying to complete Disneyland Paris

This is the biggest change for us. A great Disney day is not about how many rides you manage to squeeze in, and the aim is not to complete Disneyland Paris as though there is a checklist you eventually finish.

We are much happier now to slow down, sit with a drink, wander through an area without a target, watch the world go by or just enjoy the atmosphere for a while. Not every minute needs to achieve something.

Some of the best bits of a Disney trip happen when you stop chasing the next thing and let the day breathe a bit. That is especially true if you have already made good use of Extra Magic Time or had a very productive start.

There will always be another attraction, another shop, another snack or another photo spot. The trip becomes far more enjoyable once you stop treating it like a challenge you have to finish.

Why it helpsYou start enjoying the holiday for what it is instead of judging it by what you did not manage to tick off.

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