Disneyland Paris vs Disney World: Things Disney World-ers Need to Know
Disney World-ers? Did I just make that word up? Sure did. But you know what I meant…that’s why you’re here!
If you’re like me, you’re used to Disney World–the planning, the parks, the resorts, the restaurants, the Lightning Lanes. You have that covered. But now you need to know the difference between Disneyland Paris vs Disney World because WOOO! You’re heading to France!
When my cousin let us know he’d be getting married in Italy, we thought, “Why don’t we extend our trip a bit to go to Disneyland Paris with the boys?” Ok, well, “we” didn’t think that. I thought that, and my husband went along with this crazy idea! Ha!
So, the planning began! When it was all said and done, I felt like I could pat myself on the back for a job well done. But whew! It was a learning curve. Although there are lots of similarities, I quickly found out that planning a Disneyland Paris trip is MUCH different than planning a Disney World trip.
And now I’m happy I can share some tips, advice, and general observations with you! You know…the things I wish I had known before our Disneyland Paris vacation! Here we go.
Disclosure: You may see affiliate links throughout this post, which means these are the things I handpicked! If you purchase something through these links, I will get a small commission at absolutely no extra charge to you. And that sure means a lot to me, so thank you in advance! See the privacy policy for more information.
Size
I think the most obvious difference between Disneyland Paris and Disney World is the size. While Disney World has 4 theme parks, 2 water parks, over 30 resorts, Disney Springs, ESPN Wide World of Sports, and a full transportation system that connects it all, Disneyland Paris has just 2 theme parks, 6 resorts, and Disney Village (which is like a mini version of Disney Springs).
You can literally take a short walk between the two parks at Disneyland Paris and Disney Village, which is pretty mind-blowing for someone who’s used to Disney World vacations.
Disneyland Paris Theme Parks
Disneyland’s two theme parks are Disneyland Park (which is similar to Magic Kingdom) and Disney Adventure World (which is similar to Hollywood Studios).
Although Disneyland Paris is much smaller than Disney World, that does NOT mean that you can do it all in just a couple of days. You’ll still want to prioritize experiences and attractions to make sure you get to do the things you really want to.
Resorts
Like I mentioned above, there are 6 typical resorts at Disneyland Paris, whereas you’ll have over 30 to choose from at Disney World. Those 6 resorts are within walking distance of the parks, and most also provide a shuttle. There are also a couple of other nature resort options at Disneyland Paris, but you will need a car to reach the parks from those.
We stayed at Disney Newport Bay Club during our time in Disneyland Paris, which reminded me a lot of Yacht & Beach Club at Disney World! Since we had pretty limited time there overall, we didn’t spend too much time at the resort, but I have no complaints about the accommodation!
On Property Perks at Disneyland Paris
Just like at Disney World, you’ll get special perks for staying at a Disneyland Paris resort! And I truly think the perks are worth spending a couple of nights at Disneyland Paris if your vacation itinerary allows. Here are some of the highlights:
- Extra park hours. All Disneyland Paris resort guests get to enter the parks 60 minutes early each day.
- The ability to book your dining reservations as soon as you book your resort.
- Free shuttles to the parks.
- Free parking at the resorts and theme parks.
- The ability to purchase a Meal Plan.
- Character interactions at the resort. You can see who will be visiting and at what times when you get to your resort.
Park Tickets
This part threw me off a bit when booking my Disneyland Paris vacation…not going to lie! Let’s talk about a couple of different scenarios.
Hotel+Ticket Package
If you book a stay at a resort directly through Disneyland Paris online, it will automatically include park hopper tickets for every single day of your stay (including arrival and departure days!). You will not choose how many days’ worth of park tickets you want.
If you want to book a room-only stay, you will need to contact Disneyland Paris via phone or book through a third party.
For my travel party, part of us had a hotel+ticket package and part of us booked a room-only stay using Disney Vacation Club points. Those of us who had a room-only stay needed to book our tickets separately.
Tickets Only
Maybe you booked a room only and now want to add on tickets (like me!), or you’re not staying at Disneyland Paris and just coming in for the day…whatever the reason…you can purchase tickets separately.
You can choose to purchase a park hopper, in which you can visit both parks in one day, or purchase a ticket for a single park of your choosing. With how easy it is to go from one park to the other, I highly recommend the park hopper for Disneyland Paris!
But I found a catch. And I’m so glad I noticed it before purchasing the tickets!
If you want more than one park day’s worth of tickets, be sure to read the fine print. When I visited, if I bought a 2-day park ticket, it had to be used on consecutive days! This was a big deal for us, because we did not, in fact, want to use them on consecutive days since we were planning to visit Paris the day in between our park days. So, in our case, we had to purchase two separate 1-day tickets.
Advanced Dining and Extras Booking Window
While we’re on the topic of things that threw me off during the planning phase, the booking windows are completely different at Disneyland Paris compared to Disney World!
Here I am, waiting for my 60-day mark to book dining just to learn that I could’ve booked my dining months ago when I booked my resort!
So, yes, you can book your dining and extras when you book your resort if you’re staying on property. For the most part. Ready for this to get really confusing?!
I really wanted to book priority viewing for the fireworks and was told I could book them whenever since I was staying on property. But the reservations weren’t open yet. And no one (yes, I messaged Disneyland Paris themselves…ha!) could tell me when those reservations would be available to book. So, I just had to randomly check back here and there until I got lucky one day!
If you’re not staying on property, you can book your dining “up to two months in advance.” And there’s no designated time of day when the reservations are available to be booked. So, your guess is as good as mine for when you can hop on the app to book!
Off-property guests can book priority fireworks and/or parade viewing 7 days in advance. But a word of warning: the priority fireworks viewing area is very popular, and since on-property guests can book much further in advance, there will be a good chance it will already be sold out!
Mobile App
The mobile app is a huge part of your vacation, whether you’re visiting Disney World (My Disney Experience app) or Disneyland Paris (Disneyland Paris app). So download it and get to know it ahead of time.
There are some definite differences between the two apps, making things a little difficult to find initially if you’re used to the My Disney Experience app. But after I clicked around in the time leading up to my trip, I was able to get the hang of it.
MagicBands
MagicBands are not a thing at Disneyland Paris! If you booked a Hotel+Ticket Package, you’ll get a physical card to get into your room and the park.
In my specific case, I got a card for my room, but since I booked my tickets separately, I had to use my Disneyland Paris app to scan into the parks and Premier Access (their version of Lightning Lanes).
It definitely took extra time at the gates to scan each person’s pass from my phone, but it is what it is! Lots of people were in the same boat. Because of that, though, you’re definitely going to want to bring a portable charger!
Early Entry
At Disneyland Paris, Early Entry is called Extra Magic Time. And it’s a game changer!
If you’re a Disneyland Paris resort guest, you’ll get to enter the parks 60 minutes before the park opens. A whole hour! You can get so much more done in that time than the 30 minutes you get at Disney World.
Tackling those early morning hours is pretty similar to Disney World. You can head toward the most popular attractions to try to experience them with shorter wait times. Or you can choose to knock out a few of the less popular rides and consider purchasing a Premier Access One pass for a popular attraction later in the day. (I promise I’ll get to what exactly Premier Access is in a bit!)
We chose to use our Extra Magic Time at Disney Adventure World. Instead of heading straight to Crush’s Coaster like most people did, we decided to ride Web Slingers, Tower of Terror, and Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure during that time.
Crowds
Where there’s a Disney park, there are crowds! We were lucky enough to go to Disneyland Paris during a lower crowd time overall but it was still very people-y. During the day, it was perfectly manageable, but once the fireworks rolled around, it was a different story. Especially during the fireworks. The crowd control was truly shocking to me (and unfortunately not in a good way).
To be honest, I’ve never seen anything like Disneyland Paris fireworks crowds. They were downright crazy. There was absolutely no crowd control as people staked out their spots. Where Disney World would put down taped lines and have Cast Members everywhere ensuring there are still walking paths as people waited for the fireworks, Disneyland Paris was a free-for-all!
We literally had to climb over people to get to our priority viewing area. I wish I were exaggerating! I truly hope Disneyland Paris looks into this because I can only imagine the safety issue it could turn into if there were an emergency.
I’m not talking about this to turn you off from going to the park by any means! I just wanted to highlight it so that you can prepare for it better than we did.
Rides
The rides at Disneyland Paris are similar enough to feel nostalgic and like “home,” but different enough to keep you interested! It was so much fun to try out rides that we don’t have at Disney World. But it was also so much fun to go on the rides we do have, so that we could compare the two!
I won’t give away too many spoilers because I want you to experience it for yourself! But I will say that yes, rides will be in French or a mix of French and English. And no, Crush’s Coaster is not a kiddie coaster. You’ll see what I mean! (My 6-year-old said it was his favorite ride of the whole trip, though!)
Shows
The shows seem to be a MUCH bigger deal at Disneyland Paris than they are at Disney World–so much so that you can actually purchase priority seating for all the shows, parades, and fireworks.
If you don’t purchase priority seating, you’ll want to get in line early (up to an hour early at times). You’ll also want to make sure that you check the Disneyland Paris app prior to the show to see if it will be performed in French or English.
Fireworks
The nightly fireworks at Disneyland Park are INCREDIBLE. It’s actually hard to compare the nighttime show at Disneyland Park and Magic Kingdom. They both bring out all of the emotions!
The thing that really stands out about the show at Disneyland Park in Disneyland Paris is that there are water components and a drone show. BUT the drones will not be featured if it’s too windy. So keep that in mind, and know that it’s not guaranteed to see the drones.
Lightning Lanes vs. Premier Access
Bypassing the standby queue is much different between Disneyland Paris and Disney World, so if you’re used to Lightning Lane Multi Pass and Single Pass, you can just throw all of that strategy out of the window. Right when you thought you had the hang of Lightning Lane Multi Pass, right?!
At Disneyland Paris, you have two options to bypass the standby queue. Purchasing and using the service will all take place on your Disneyland Paris app.
Premier Access Ultimate
Premier Access Ultimate is basically the same as Lightning Lane Premier Pass…except you can park hop with it! So, when you purchase Premier Access Ultimate, you’ll be able to go through the Premier Access lane of every available attraction between both parks 1 time each. And you won’t have to worry about return times! You can show up to the ride whenever you’d like.
You can purchase this on your park day or in advance. The same advanced booking window as I described above applies here. On-property guests can purchase Premier Access Ultimate when they book their resort. Off-property guests can purchase it beginning 7 days prior to their trip.
Premier Access One
Premier Access One will give you access to the Premier Access lane for whichever attraction you buy it for. Kind of like a Lightning Lane Single Pass, but they’re available for any attraction that has a Premier Access lane. And you won’t be able to purchase a Premier Access One pass until you’re in the park for the day.
The cost for each ride will vary, and you’ll get whatever the next hour-long return time is. When we used Premier Access One, our return time for each attraction was always immediate. But that may have been because we were there during a lower crowd time, so I’d keep an eye on the availability while you’re there if you’re hoping to purchase one.
We played our purchases by ear, depending on how long the standby wait was. We ended up purchasing the service for 5 attractions throughout the day, which was much cheaper than Premier Access Ultimate.
Dining
You can count on dining being pretty similar: quick service and table service. But there were a couple of main things that stood out to me.
First of all, breakfast is pretty nonexistent in the parks. So make sure you grab something before you get to the parks; otherwise, you’ll likely be waiting for lunchtime to roll around.
Next, not all quick services are open all the time. There may look like a ton of options, but you’re going to want to check the operating hours before settling on one.
And finally, we quickly learned that table service restaurants can get crazy expensive. I thought some table service restaurants at Disney World were expensive, but whew! We paid over $115 per adult for a character meal at Disneyland Paris! That was a shock to the system even for someone who’s used to Disney prices.
Meal Plans
Similar to Dining Plans at Disney World, you can add on a Meal Plan to your Disneyland Paris resort stay. The Meal Plans you can choose from are based on which resort you’re staying at. And you can choose to have your Meal Plan include 1, 2, or 3 meals per day.
Character Meet and Greets
Character meet and greets are much different between the two parks. I thought they were popular at Disney World, but it’s at a whole different level at Disneyland Paris.
At Disneyland Paris, we did get to see Goofy wandering around the entrance area of the park, which was cool! But lots of other characters required you to enter a Virtual Queue in order to meet them. You can join the Virtual Queue in your Disneyland Paris app twice each day, at 9:45 AM and 2:00 PM. You must be in the park to join the Virtual Queue.
Because they’re so popular, the Virtual Queues can fill up quickly! I’d recommend not getting your hopes up to see a certain character unless you know you’ll see them at a character meal.
The Castle
Oh, what a debate! Cinderella Castle at Disney World vs Sleeping Beauty Castle at Disneyland Paris.
This may come as a surprise because Disney World is my home away from home, but I’ve gotta choose Sleeping Beauty Castle for this head-to-head!
Not only is the castle gorgeous and whimsical, but anyone can go inside and take a look around! No need to have a dining reservation like you do at Disney World. PLUS…there’s a dragon underneath. Seriously. I just love it!
Bonus points: you can grab a glass of champagne from the champagne cart outside the ice cream parlor just off Main Street and enjoy it with a view of the castle.
Airport Transportation
Just like at Disney World, you’ll have options when it comes to getting from the airport to Disneyland Paris. Assuming you’ll fly into Charles de Gaulle Airport (like we did!) or Paris Orly Airport, here are some airport transportation options to consider.
Magical Shuttle
Think of this option like Mears Connect! This is a shuttle bus that takes you from the airport to your hotel. Since you’ll be with a group of people, you may have to sit on the bus for a few stops before making it to your destination.
Magical Shuttle: Airport<>Disneyland Paris
Train
There is no direct train from Paris Orly Airport to Disneyland Paris, but if you’re flying into Charles de Gaulle Airport, this could be a great option for you! We seriously considered going this route, but as you’ll find out soon, we decided to go with a private transfer instead.
The TGV high-speed train takes you from the airport to the train station right next to Disneyland Paris in just 12 minutes! You can purchase your tickets in advance or wait until you arrive at the airport.
Private Transfer
I know, I know. This option can get pricey. But this is the option we chose, and I’m so glad we did! The private transfer made things so easy. And after an overnight flight, it felt so good just to get to where we were going and not have to deal with sitting on a shuttle or navigating the train system.
Private Transfer: CDG<>Disneyland Paris
Private Transfer: ORY<>Disneyland Paris
Rental Car
Rental cars are always an option, of course! Full transparency, though: I never felt a need to have a car during our time in Disneyland Paris or Paris.
Day Trip to the City
I’m not going to lie to you…I’ve never taken a day trip to Orlando when I’m visiting Disney World. But if I’m traveling across the pond, you better believe I’ll be going to see the Eiffel Tower!
Our day trip to Paris was one of our favorite days of the trip. And it was super easy to do!
Here’s exactly how we made it happen…our full Paris day trip itinerary.
What’s really worth it at Disneyland Paris?
Just like Disney World, there are extra things or experiences you can purchase to add to your trip. But what did I find that was really worth it, and what would I skip? Here’s my opinion on some of the big ones.
Staying on Property
The perks of staying at a Disneyland Paris resort are absolutely worth it. The Extra Magic Time in the morning alone makes it worth it!
Plus, you get that similar feeling that you’re in the “Disney bubble,” which I always really think rounds out the vacation nicely.
I actually think it worked out perfectly for our family to stay at Disneyland Paris and take a day trip into the city instead of doing it the opposite way, but of course, every family is different! In my perfect world, if my itinerary would’ve allowed, I would’ve loved to stay in Paris for 2-3 nights, then stay at Disneyland Paris for 2-3 nights.
Premier Access Ultimate and One
Would I have LOVED to have Premier Access Ultimate? Yeah. I think we would’ve had a much better chance at seeing all that we wanted to. But it just wasn’t in the budget, and that’s ok!
Premier Ultimate One did the job, and we were able to bypass some really long standby queues.
I’m always a fan of bypassing standby queues, so I’ll always think these services are worth it!
Since I visit Disney World often, it’s hard for me to justify the price of Lightning Lane Premier Pass, but seeing that we had limited time at Disneyland Paris, I think having Premier Access Ultimate for one of our park days would’ve been perfect if budget didn’t hold us back.
Priority Viewing for Fireworks
I’m not going to sugarcoat this one. The priority viewing for fireworks was worth its weight in gold!
I couldn’t believe the crowd control for the fireworks, and I was so grateful that we had a wide open area to enjoy the fireworks.
It’s such an incredible show, so I’m glad we got to enjoy it without being stressed about the crowds and whether or not my boys could see it all.
PhotoPass
We did not purchase PhotoPass for our trip, and I didn’t miss it at all. There aren’t nearly as many photographers around the parks as there are at Disney World, so we would’ve had to try pretty hard to get our money’s worth.
The ride photos and photos from the Avengers meet and greet that we did don’t automatically pop up on your app either. If you want the photo, you need to go out of your way to get it added to your account, even if you purchased PhotoPass. So, we were more than happy to avoid those lines so we could get on to the next thing.
Royal Banquet
It kind of kills me to say this after how much money we dropped on this character meal, but I don’t think it was worth it.
We ate lunch at Royal Banquet, which is located inside the Disneyland Hotel. The hotel was cool to see! It reminded me of the Grand Floridian, but I could’ve easily walked through it without spending a bunch of money to eat.
The food was just ok. It’s a buffet, so we could have as much as we wanted! But some of the dishes just weren’t good (and this is coming from a very non-picky eater). What you’re really paying for is a chance to see the characters.
We met Mickey, Minnie, Donald, and Daisy during our meal, and they were all dressed up in their royal getups. The interactions were nice, and we saw each character a couple of times. With how hard it is to meet the characters in the parks at Disneyland Paris sometimes, going to a character meal is a nice option. But in hindsight, we would’ve skipped this one!
Walt’s – an American Restaurant
If you’re going to splurge on a meal, this is the one! Not only is this restaurant a beautiful tribute to Walt Disney (I could’ve looked around that place forever!), but we also had a great view of Main Street.
While the meal at Walt’s was pricey, it wasn’t nearly as expensive as the Royal Banquet. I even decided to add on the wine pairing, and it was STILL cheaper.
The food was great! It’s a 3-course prix fixe menu, and everyone enjoyed the courses they chose. I highly recommend it!
Packing for Disneyland Paris
Packing for Disneyland Paris is honestly pretty similar to packing for Disney World as far as your time in the theme park goes. You can find my full packing list here.
But there are some things I want to highlight from that list or add to it that are specific to a Disneyland Paris trip:
Anti-Pickpocket Purse
While I wasn’t nearly as concerned about pickpocketing at Disneyland Paris, we took a day trip to Paris, so I really wanted to make sure my belongings were protected. This purse worked out perfectly! I actually use it at home quite a bit, too, just because I love it so much.
BULL GUARD Crossbody Purse; Anti-Theft and RFID Blocking
Phone Tether
Sticking with the anti-pickpocketing theme, I came across these phone tethers quite a bit when I was researching packing lists for Europe. Not only did it make me feel more comfortable having my phone out, but it turned out to be really convenient.
Universal Phone Lanyard, Anti-Theft Crossbody Strap
Outlet Adapters
Of course, if you’re visiting from overseas, you’ll need outlet adapters. These are my fav!
TESSAN International Power Outlet Adaptor
Travel Stroller
You’re not going to believe this, but we somehow did Disneyland Paris with a 4, 6, and 8-year-old and NO stroller! My 4-year-old, especially, was a trooper to say the least. While the boys actually didn’t complain much at all, I’d still recommend having a stroller. And the ones you can rent at the park did not look comfortable or easy to maneuver at ALL.
Here’s are tried and true travel stroller that I’m not sure what we would do without! (And here’s how we pack it for a day at the parks.)
Summer Infant Ingenuity 3Dquickclose CS+ Compact Fold Stroller
Toddler Sling
If you’re not going to bring a stroller (or honestly even if you are), this toddler sling has been a lifesaver for us when we travel. We had it on this trip…just like every other trip we’ve taken…and it came in handy more times than I can count.
Gooseket Toddler Sling
Portable Charger
With no MagicBands, I needed my portable charger more than ever during a Disney vacation. This charger is my favorite because it can charge my phone at least twice a day…which is sometimes needed big time with how many photos and videos I take!
charmast Portable Charger with Built-in Cables
Easy-to-Pack Breakfast and Snacks
At Disney World, I’d normally place a grocery order for delivery on our arrival day, buuuut that’s not a thing over in Disneyland Paris. So we decided to take up some of that precious packing space and bring along some easy breakfast bars and snacks. Once we got through them, it left us with some room for souvenirs, so it was a win-win.
FAQ for Disneyland Paris First Timers
Which is better, Disneyland Paris or Disney World?
This is somewhat like comparing apples to oranges! Both bring that Disney magic, but on two totally different scales. Disney World is my home away from home, so that would be my personal choice between the two. But you truly can’t go wrong with either one!
How many days do you need in Disneyland Paris?
We had 1.5 days at the parks during our trip, and I wish we would’ve had at least 3 days.
Is it worth going to Disneyland Paris for one day?
Absolutely! If your itinerary only allows a day trip to Disneyland Paris, go for it! While you’ll likely miss quite a bit, you’ll get to experience a ton, too. Just manage your expectations and prioritize your day. It’s worth the trip!
Is a day trip from Disneyland Paris to Paris doable?
Not only is it doable, but it was one of my family’s favorite days! Taking the train from Disneyland Paris to Paris is a breeze, and there is so much to do to fill your day before heading back for the night.
Wrap Up: Disneyland Paris vs. Disney World
Hopefully, pointing out some of these key differences between Disneyland Paris vs. Disney World helps give you some guidance as you’re planning your trip!
If you’re looking for a play-by-play of our time at the parks, check out my Disneyland Paris highlight on Instagram. And feel free to reach out with any questions you have!
Wondering how I give my photos a bit of an oomph?
Well, let’s just say I’m a little obsessed with the Light & Airy Photographer photo editing presets.
In just one click, your photo goes from, “Aw, that’s cute,” to, “WOW!”
