We always wanted to visit Disneyland Paris during the Christmas season. We LOVE Christmas and all the magic that comes with it. And what could be more magical than Disneyland? We were therefore so excited to combine our two loves last December with a trip to Disneyland Paris to celebrate our tenth wedding anniversary. My husband and I, along with our three children, were were thrilled to be able to experience all the festivities with all our favourite characters. This is our guide to Christmas at Disneyland Paris.
The opulent decor at Disneyland Paris during the Christmas period is a thing of beauty. From the minute you arrive at the park entrance with its lights and baubles you know you’re in for something special. There’s a large advent calendar at the foot of the Sleeping Beauty Castle which is opened by a character every morning. We saw Mickey, Minnie and Goofy do the honours while we were there. There are Christmas themed decorations throughout the park including presents and baubles and the kids loved spotting them all.
The decorations down Main Street make the walk down to the castle a magical one. Early in the morning and later on in the evenings were my favourite times as all the lights could be seen in all their glory. The biggest and the best Christmas decoration is of course the huge 24 metre Christmas tree. It was enormous and the kids were entranced by it.
Top tip : The Christmas tree lights are switched on daily in the evenings. You need to see this at least once! With the Christmas music playing and fake snow falling down Main Street, it’s a truly magical experience.
You don’t need me to tell you that Christmas in Paris means chilly weather, especially in the evenings! The day we arrived it was actually pretty mild and our jumpers were enough to keep us warm but the evenings were freezing! We also needed to combat the rain while we were there. We saw rain four out of the five days we were at Disneyland Paris but as long as your well prepared it doesn’t dampen the excitement.
Top tip : Pack layers, waterproof shoes and a rain poncho. Layers are your best option as while it does get cold, it’s also warm inside the restaurants and indoor venues. Nobody wants to be walking around with wet feet so waterproof shoes are a must. Buy a rain poncho before you go. You can pick them up really cheap over here and if you wait until your in the parks you’ll be paying much more. We bought basic ones from Wilkos before we went and we were so glad of them!
The Disneyland Hotel was our hotel of choice during our stay and we had a magical time. You don’t need to be a guest of the hotel to go in though, so definitely add it to your to-do list! The whole reception area is just beautifully decorated. The gingerbread house made from real gingerbread ensures it smells deliciously festive. There’s two Christmas trees to admire, the first one being in the reception area and the second being upstairs by the hotels. Both of them are amazing.
Top tip : Take a trip upstairs to see the second Christmas tree and look at the advent calendar just outside Inventions. You can also stop there for a drink or bite to eat in our of the bars and restaurants on the first floor.
You need to prepare yourself, it IS going to be busy, it would be naive to assume otherwise. However it all added to the atmosphere for us. We knew we were going to have to queue for things and made the most of the fast passes for the rides. The busiest rides enable you to take a ticket and return at a certain time to minimise the queue time and we found the system worked really well.
Obviously the weekends are the busiest days so be prepared for that. We knew we wanted to see as many characters as possible so we booked character dining at Inventions, Auberge de Cendrillon, Cafe Mickey and Plaza Gardens. This is a great way of guaranteeing character interactions without queuing in the rain!
Top tip – if you’re staying in a Disney hotel you are entitled to Magic Hours. This means you can enter the park an hour before everyone else. Make the most of this time! Not all rides are open but you are informed when you arrive what rides are open early. If you want to meet the princesses definitely use this time to head to the Princess Pavilion as it gets so busy later on. We saw Mickey Mouse during our Magic Hours and queued 20 minutes rather than the two and half hours it was later in the day.
The Christmas parade is on twice a day every day and the main character parade is on every evening. There’s a leaflet available from guest services that tell you the exact times for that day. We loved the Christmas parades and the kids were so excited to spot Santa after their favourite characters. Be warned, you’ll be singing the Christmas parade song for days!
There are plenty of shows to enjoy too. When we were there we enjoyed Mickey’s Christmas Big Band and the Philharmagique show. Goofy’s Christmas show in Studios Park was great fun too. It’s a great opportunity to see your favourite characters and the shows themselves are really entertaining.
Top tip – Be prepared and get their early. For the parades we stood near Bella Notte and had a great spot right at the front and a lot of the characters came over to the children – including a hug from Winnie The Pooh!
The majority of the characters wear Christmas clothes; lots of gold, red and green! We particularly loved Goofy dressed as Santa! There are special characters that come out at Christmas time, including Jack Skellington. He’s also in the parks at Halloween but you can see him in all his “Sandy Claws” glory during the festive period.
There’s also the opportunity to see the big man himself – Santa. He can be found in his grotto but be prepared to queue! The wait was over two hours when we were there!
Top tip – wear character clothing. We found the best character interactions were when the kids were dressed up. From full on costumes to jumpers with Pluto on – the characters always seem to appreciate the effort.
You know when you’re looking forward to something so much and it just doesn’t live up to your impossibly high expectations? Christmas at Disneyland Paris is NOT like that! It was every bit as magical and exciting as I’d hoped. We all loved every second of it and even the rain couldn’t dampen our spirits. From the Christmas carols and snow down Main Street to the Christmas parade that brought a lump to my throat, the whole experience was magical from start to finish.
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Ah we are hoping to go to Disneyland Paris this Christmas. I took my eldest when he was young and it was just so cold though!! I think I'd need a ski suit to survive again!
Oooh, Christmas in Disney! It's something I've considered every year but never actually been brave enough to do it!
Thanks for sharing this though (in case I'm ever brave enough!). Haha
Christmas at Disneyland Paris is something I would love to do! It sounds absolutely amazing.
I would love to go at Christmas. Great tip about the extra magic hours to cut down what could be long waits.
We've never really thought about visiting here but it sounds so much fun!
Wow Christmas at Disneyland Paris would be extra magical. Looks like a wonderful time. I'd love to go there with the kids, it would make for a truly memorable Christmas.
Christmas at Disney is on our family wish list, I did it with my eldest 11 years ago when he was 8, but the youngest three have never been. Won't be this year but maybe next year xx
I love Disney and have been to Disney World in the month before Christmas. I'd love to go to Disneyland Paris, it sounds like it would be as good as I'd hope.
Oh visiting Disneyland at Christmas is the dream! We have a dedicated disney christmas tree in our house every year!
I've been to Disney at Halloween but I'd love to go around Christmas and get into the festive spirit x
I already want to visit at Christmas and this post makes me want to go even more. We visited a few years ago in March which was amazing but I would love to experience the Disney magic at Christmas time.
It looks so much fun, I would love to take my kids to disney at Christmas