I just came back from a dreamy holiday in Disneyland Paris.

Going back to the place where dreams come true after 30 years has been an absolute rollercoaster of emotions.

The first time I have been to Disneyland Paris was on Christmas 1992 when it first opened, and I was six years old with my mom.

Then we went back a second time a couple of years later for my birthday.

This year, a few days before my mom told me she had cancer and then passed away after less than a week, I booked a four-days-trip with my husband to Disneyland.

It would have been a comeback for me and a first time for him.

I didn’t even have the time to tell my mom about my excitement.

Fast as she delivered the heartbreaking news, fast she was gone forever. 

I didn’t know she was sick when I booked the trip.

Anyway, fast-forward to the 21st of September.

Do your check-in through the app and save time on your arrival.

Something that will save your day is the Disneyland official app.

It contains not only all the data of your trip, such as your tickets, cards, reservations of restaurants, the map of the parks (and it shows where you are at that right moment and how to reach a certain point in the park (just like Google Maps), but it allows you to do an early check-in, saving you a queue on the arrival.

When we stepped into the reception we saw many people queueing to check in.

But because we did our check-in through the app, we got re-directed to an empty reception where Sara immediately welcomed us, gave us our Magic Passes, and told us that we would receive an SMS as soon as our room was ready, around 3pm.

Shockingly, our room was ready at 11.30am, though we were already enjoying the park.

Trains will take you straight to Disneyland.

As someone living in Belgium, Disneyland is relatively close to Antwerp.

Many people don’t know yet how practical can be to travel to Disneyland by train.

There is a train station called Marne-la-Vallée / Chessy.

The Marne-la-Vallée/Chessy train station is located right at the gates of the Disney Parks and just a few minutes from the Disney Hotels.

Just outside the train station, you will find many Disney shuttles ready to bring you to your hotel with your suitcases.

It took us five minutes with the bus to reach the Cheyenne Hotel, one of the farthest from the park together with the Santa Fe Hotel.

Plan to arrive early: you can drop your baggage for free at your hotel!

Disney magic works 24/7, and it shows.

We arrived early in the morning and left our suitcases at the baggage drop-off for free.

So we could enjoy the parks right away without waiting for our room.

You can also use the service the day that you leave the park.

You will have to check out around 11am, but your Magic Pass will work for the rest of the day.

So pack your bags, leave them at the drop-off and go to enjoy your last day of magic.

Breakfast and food bundles. We saved more without them.

It can be tempting to purchase a sort of “all-inclusive” when you come to Disney, but with an average price of 25 euros per person for a breakfast buffet, it can become expensive if you stay more than a couple of days.

We saved so much by having our breakfast inside the Disney Village.

We had food every morning at Earl of Sandwich, which also offers a beautiful view of Disney Lake.

Two American breakfasts with coffee or juice and a big “McMuffin” in a big size, were 18.90 €. 

Compared to the 50 euros we would have spent to have one breakfast at the buffet of our hotel, it helped us to cut on the expenses and use this budget for something else.

In general, buffets are always very crowded, but we all know that going to Disneyland means queueing a lot.

Even to get your food.

Among our favorite restaurants:

• Hakuna Matata, fast food
• Cowboy Cookout, Tex-Mex barbeque
• Fuente del Oro, Tex-Mex burritos
• Bistrot Chez Remy, European / French.

We have been very lucky with the last one on the list.

It’s one of the most recent Disneyland Paris restaurants, so it goes quickly booked.

If you haven’t booked anything in advance (strongly recommended, you can do it through your app), my suggestion is to keep an eye on the availability for a last-minute booking.

Sometimes the people who reserved can’t make it to Chez Remy. So the restaurant will open the slot.

Be quick enough to book it right away as we did.

A sort of Disney lottery almost. 

Stay tuned for the next series of Disneyland Paris 2022 tips!

There is so much more coming up, and if you have any on your own, feel free to comment on this post!