Travel
We live in the North West, so booked flights with Air France. They stored a buggy in the hold for free for us, and by paying for the Standard fare for myself (i.e. with luggage), Baby also got a small hold case included. Their flight times were more toddler friendly than Easyjet’s, who seemed to have very early morning or very late evening flights, rather than the multiple available daytime flights AirFrance had. AirFrance partners with Flybe to run the same flights, so it’s worth comparing their prices.
AirFrance fly out of terminal three at Manchester Airport. The long stay car park is only a five minute walk from the terminal entrance, which is easier than getting the shuttle bus which is also provided. Terminal three is very small, with limited dining opportunities, though there was a ‘children’s area’ with a TV screen.
Terminal 2E at Charles de Gaulle was a tale of two halves. Check in, passport control and security were an absolute nightmare with huge queues. We were lucky in that we could put DD in a sling so she couldn’t run off. Through security, the terminal was light and airy, with plenty of seats and space. Easyjet fly out of terminal 2D, which I remember as being a lot trickier to navigate, with several security points, and fewer dining options.
We booked a shared transfer with RS Transports. They met us at the terminal, and dropped us at our hotel, and the same in reverse. No fuss, and it took around 40 minutes each way. There is a train from the airport direct to DLP which only takes 10 minutes, but we figured by the time we'd walked to the station, waited for a train, and then walked from the station to the hotel, it would take the same time, and be much easier, especially travelling with a toddler. And although we booked a shared transfer, we had the minivan to ourselves each way.
Hotel
We stayed in Sequoia Lodge, mainly to give ourselves the option of a pool if Baby didn’t enjoy the parks. I would always choose to stay on site for the possibility of walking to and from the parks, rather than having to get on the shuttle buses, especially with a pushchair at the busiest times of the day.
I know some people rave about Sequoia Lodge’s theming, but to be honest it didn’t do anything for me, and I’m not sure it would appeal to children either. The Cheyenne (Wild West theme) or the Santa Fe (Cars theme) would have been much more appealing for her, especially given her love of Cars. But there is no pool at those hotels, nor are they as close as Sequoia to the entrance of the parks, though it is a scenic extra ten minutes of a walk. So I guess it’s a choice of deciding your priorities.
There was a ‘children’s corner’ at one end of the lobby, but whenever we passed by there was nothing there but a few children sized tables and chairs, often occupied by adults waiting for their transfers.
The lobby was on level 2, with rooms on levels 1 upwards. The restaurant was on level 1, but it wasn’t accessible using the main lift. With a pushchair, to get to the restaurant, and the main exit to the parks, you had to take the main lifts to level 2, then take a tiny single lift, with room for only one pushchair at a time, to the restaurant level. To get outside, you also had to battle through the long queues outside the restaurant at breakfast and teatime, which was not easy with a pushchair. We found an alternative route a few days in, which was to take the main lift down to level 1, then go along the room corridor until you found an exit door, which would take you out of the side wing of the hotel. For this reason, I would hesitate to accept a room on level 1, if it was on this main corridor, as I suspect it gets a lot of through traffic.
The room itself was comfortable, with two double beds, though we put one of the mattresses on the floor for DD, who is too big for a travel cot but not yet in a bed at home. The bath was a good size, and there was a reasonable amount of storage for all DD’s clothes. There weren’t enough plug sockets though for all the appliances we needed (monitor for lullabies, Groegg, phone chargers etc. Take an extension lead (not a power cube, they don’t fit in the most convenient socket underneath the TV). It was extremely warm in our room, the Groegg said 22 consistently, despite us having the thermostat set to 18, the lowest it would go. Baby was in her 1 tog sleeping bag, rather than the 2.5, so I was glad we’d taken both.
Locationwise, Sequoia Lodge was great. Obviously the Disneyland Hotel has the prime spot, but at the edge of Lake Disney, we were only a fifteen minute walk (ten at my pace) from the park entrances, and going back to our room for a little break during the day felt completely doable.
We’d paid extra for a Golden Forest room, and we found that it was well worth the money. The separate breakfast room meant no queues, which was extremely useful with Baby, as the queue for normal breakfast was extremely long whenever we passed it. The Golden Forest lounge also gave us an extra space in which to relax, and for Baby to run around in, in addition to our room. Plus we found the hotel fast passes invaluable when riding the thrill rides Baby couldn’t do, as we could just pop and do these whenever Baby fell asleep in her pushchair, without having to schedule in a return time.
Disneyland Parc
We’d taken Baby to Alton Towers CBeebies land and to Winter Wonderland, so we were pretty confident that she’d like (or at least wouldn’t hate) the rides. She’d also come across a couple of large characters previously, without screaming, and her favourite cuddly was Minnie Mouse. Excluding those rides she was too little for, her reactions were as follows:
Fantasyland
Snow White - We didn’t try this as we thought it would be too scary, and always had 40 minute queues.
Pinocchio - As for Snow White.
Dragon’s Lair - It was too dark for Baby to be able to see anything, and we didn’t experience the dragon making any kind of noise.
Peter Pan - The safety bar was at face height, and the jerky ride meant Baby was in danger of head butting it at every turn. She wasn’t happy by the end of the ride, trying to get onto my knee for a cuddle.
Dumbo - No reaction whatsoever.
Carrousel - She loved watching it, but the long wait to start caused her to grow restless.
Sleeping Beauty’s Castle - She enjoyed looking at the stained glass windows.
Tea Cups - Complete indifference.
Alice’s Curious Labyrinth - She enjoyed this to begin with, but was in danger of being pushed over by bigger kids running past, as most of the paths aren’t too wide.
It’s A Small World - Baby’s favourite ride. There was so much she wanted to look at she didn’t know which way to turn.
Meet Mickey Mouse - We met Mickey during EMH so didn’t feel the need to meet him twice.
Princess Pavilion - Baby has no interest in the princesses so with 2 hour waits we didn’t bother.
Adventureland
Swiss Family Robinson’s Tree House - We didn’t get chance to experience this.
Aladdin’s Passage - Baby was asleep while we did this.
Adventure Isle - Not pushchair friendly at all and the multiple entrances to the dark caves didn’t make it very toddler friendly.
Discovery landBuzz Lightyear - Complete indifference, despite loving the Toy Story films.
Orbitron - Baby loved it, particularly feeling the wind in her hair.
Les Mysteres du Nautilus - Nothing caught her attention, we were in and out within five minutes.
Autopia - She loved it, especially looking at all the scenery.
Frontierland
Phantom Manor - Complete indifference, despite the macabre sights. Some kids screamed and cried in the stretching room though.
Thunder Mesa Riverboat Landing - We didn’t manage to fit this in due to the torrential rain we had every day.
Walt Disney Studios Park
Production Courtyard
Cinemagique - I didn’t think that Baby would sit still for the duration of the show so we didn’t bother.
Disney Junior Live on Stage - This was great for toddlers. They got to dance with Princess Sophia in the waiting room, then watch puppets of various Disney Junior shows, whilst having the opportunity to let off some steam. Plus it was indoors, so a good place to dodge the rain.
Stitch Live - We didn’t get chance to see this.
Backlot
Moteurs Action - Baby loved the Cars segment, but it was too brief and she lost interest in the rest of the show.
Toon Studio
Cars Quatre Roues Rallye - Excellent theming, and a faster ride than anticipated. Baby loved it.
Flying Carpets - One of the few rides open before official opening time, it had too long a queue for us to give it a go, especially given DD”s non reaction to Dumbo.
Art of Animation - We didn’t think Baby would sit through this.
Ratatouille - Baby really didn’t enjoy this. It was a smooth ride but perhaps the effects were too much for her, or maybe she didn’t really appreciate them because she couldn’t wear the glasses.
Toy Story Playland
Toy Soldier Parachute Drop - We didn’t try this as Daddy was worried about Baby falling out of the restraints.
Slinky Dog - Baby absolutely hated this.
Characters
The characters were all wonderful with Baby. They are obviously well used to toddlers, and crouched down once they saw Baby approaching them. They let her come to them, so she could approach them at her own pace, and were more than happy for her to pat their nose, touch their whiskers, give them cuddles etc. Baby absolutely loved them all, apart from Eeyore for some reason.
Baby Changing
We didn’t use the baby care centres in the parks, but did use the changing facilities which are present in all toilets throughout the park. I’d read that all toilets, male and female, had changing facilities, but Daddy always said the toilets he used didn’t have them. Make of that what you will. Essentially the changing facilities were just a space next to the sinks, with a lip to stop your baby rolling off. No cushioned pad etc, and some of them weren’t really long enough to accommodate a baby.
Food
We didn’t have a meal plan, and we only had one reservation booked, at Inventions, as we didn’t want to be tied to eating at specific times.
Inventions was incredible in terms of character interaction, and being able to meet multiple characters without having to queue. It was very expensive, but for a one off so Baby could meet Minnie it was absolutely worth it, even if the food was a bit hit and miss.
We ate at counter service restaurants for lunch, trying to eat around 11/11.30, when the restaurants first opened, to beat the lunch time rush. Counter service allowed us to share meals, and pick and choose what to buy. It wasn’t the best quality but it did the job.
Evenings we tended to avoid table service restaurants as we didn’t think Baby would do too well being confined to a high chair for too long. We ate at Earl of Sandwich, McDonalds, Rainforest Cafe and Vapiano. Earl of Sandwich was great, McDonalds as expected. Rainforest Cafe had excellent theming and decent food, though it was expensive, and Vapiano was disappointing, but I’d give it a second chance, sitting upstairs near the children's area, and ordering pizza, not pasta.
Summary
We had a wonderful family holiday and I would recommend, without hesitation, visiting DLP with a toddler. Baby may not have enjoyed all of the rides as much as I had hoped, but her absolute delight at seeing the characters, Minnie in particular, definitely made the trip worthwhile. Baby might not remember it but Daddy and Mummy will always remember her face when she first spotted Minnie, and we've got some wonderful family memories.
Key Facts
Month of visit:
February/March
Weather for visit:
Warmer than expected, we didn't need our ski jackets and snow boots, but torrential rain most days, though the day we left was sunny and bright.
Is it pushchair friendly?
Very, though you'll have to leave your pushchair in the parking areas before going on all rides, and experiencing some attractions.
How are the baby changing facilities?
Plentiful throughout the park, though a bit basic. There are baby care centres in each park which I believe are very well equipped and comfortable.
What about somewhere to feed?
Lots of benches about, if you're comfortable feeding in public, or there are the baby care centres.
Is it worth a visit?
100%
Baby's highlight?
Meeting Minnie Mouse
Disneyland Paris
Marne-la-Vallee,
Paris,
France
http://www.disneylandparis.co.uk
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