Planning a Disneyland Paris trip with children? Here’s how we spent a full 12-hour day at Disneyland Paris with our 4- and 8-year-old, including the rides we managed, how we handled height restrictions, our queue strategy, where we ate and the family-friendly hotel we chose.

Disneyland Paris with kids sounds magical.

It can also sound slightly terrifying when you start thinking about queues, height restrictions, tired children, meals, two parks and trying to work out how on earth you’re going to fit everything in.

So when we visited Disneyland Paris in June 2024 with our two children, aged 4 and 8, we decided not to try to create the “perfect” Disney itinerary.

Instead, we wanted to see how much we could realistically do in one very full day.

The answer?

Quite a lot.

We spent around 12 hours at Disneyland Paris, visiting both parks, riding some of the major attractions, splitting up when our children couldn’t go on the same rides, eating lunch at a restaurant we had booked in advance and staying until the evening fireworks and shows.

And we learned a few tricks along the way that made a surprisingly big difference.

This is how our day unfolded — and what we would recommend if you’re planning your own Disneyland Paris adventure with children.

Our Disneyland Paris trip at a glance

	Our experience
When	June 2024
Children	4 and 8 years old
Time at Disneyland Paris	Around 12 hours
Parks visited	Disneyland Park + Walt Disney Studios Park
Hotel	Grand Magic Hotel
Transport to park	Free hotel shuttle
Lunch	Jack’s restaurant
Main strategy	Prioritise popular rides early and monitor queue times

One important thing to mention straight away: this was our experience in June 2024. Attraction availability, park arrangements, hotel services and Disney policies can change, so use this as inspiration for planning rather than as a current timetable.

Disneyland Paris with a 4- and 8-year-old

The biggest challenge travelling with children of different ages is that they don’t necessarily have the same ride options.

Our 8-year-old was tall enough for several of the bigger attractions, while our 4-year-old wasn’t.

Rather than letting that dictate the entire day, we found that the easiest solution was simply to split up occasionally and swap children, using the Disney Family Pass.

This actually worked remarkably well.

We could ask for a standby/family ticket when one parent had already ridden an attraction with our older child.This meant the other parent could ride without having to queue from the beginning again.

We used this several times during the day, and it saved us a considerable amount of time.

If you’re travelling with children of different ages, ask about the current equivalent of this option when you arrive. The exact system and terminology can change, but it is worth asking Disney staff what options are available for families when one child cannot ride.

Watch our Disneyland Paris adventure

Want to see what this actually looked like with two children?

Watch our full 12-hour Disneyland Paris adventure on YouTube, where we take you through our day from the first rides in the morning all the way to the evening fireworks.

Our 12-hour Disneyland Paris itinerary

Here’s exactly how our day unfolded.

Rather than giving you a theoretical “perfect itinerary”, this is our real itinerary — including the moments where we split up, changed plans because of queues and followed what the children wanted to do.

1. Start with the popular attractions

As soon as we entered Disneyland Park, we headed all the way across to Adventureland.

We had identified one of the popular attractions we particularly wanted to do and knew that queues would probably become longer later in the day.

Because our daughter wasn’t tall enough for the roller coaster, we split up.

I went with my son while my husband stayed with our younger daughter.

That meant we could get the attraction done early rather than potentially losing a large part of the day waiting later.

Our first big lesson:

Don’t necessarily start with the attraction closest to the entrance.

Look at your family’s must-do rides before you arrive and consider where you want to be when you enter the park.

2. Big Thunder Mountain and Phantom Manor

While we were working our way through the attractions, we swapped children.

Lucas went on Big Thunder Mountain next, while me and my daughter went to Phantom Manor.

This was one of the benefits of being willing to divide and conquer.

You don’t necessarily need the whole family to do every attraction together.

Sometimes the fastest way to make a family day work is:

one parent + one child → attraction → swap → next attraction.

For us, this meant that everyone got to do attractions suited to them without spending the whole day standing in queues.

3. Indiana Jones with Lucas

After Phantom Manor, I swapped again and rode the Indiana Jones roller coaster with Lucas.

Between the two, I personally preferred Big Thunder Mountain.

I found it smoother and more enjoyable, although obviously that’s a matter of personal preference.

For families, the more important point is that Indiana Jones is another attraction where height restrictions matter, so check the current requirements before planning your day.

4. It’s a Small World — time for everyone to ride together

By now it was getting close to midday and queues for some of the more popular attractions were getting longer.

Instead of continuing to chase the big rides, we went for something everyone could enjoy together:

It’s a Small World.

It turned out to be perfect timing.

Our younger daughter was so tired from all the excitement that she actually fell asleep as we climbed into the boat.

This was also a useful reminder that not every successful Disney experience has to involve a thrill ride.

Sometimes the best attraction for a family of four is simply one where everyone can sit down for a few minutes.

5. Buzz Lightyear in Discoveryland

Next we headed towards Discoveryland for Buzz Lightyear.

At this stage, we were using the Disneyland Paris app to keep an eye on queue times.

And this became one of the most useful tools of the day.

Rather than following a fixed itinerary regardless of what was happening around us, we were constantly asking:

Where is the queue short enough right now?

That small change in mindset made our itinerary much more flexible.

6. Use the Disneyland Paris app to watch queue times

If you’re visiting Disneyland Paris, download the official Disney app before you go.

We used it throughout the day to check attraction waiting times.

One example was Pirates of the Caribbean.

We had seen that the queue was quite long, so we didn’t immediately join it.

Instead, we kept checking.

When we saw the wait drop to under 20 minutes, we headed over.

That turned out to be a great decision.

7. Pirates of the Caribbean

Pirates of the Caribbean was one of our favourite experiences of the day.

It worked particularly well for our family because everyone could enjoy it together.

And after all the splitting up for the bigger attractions, that was exactly what we needed.

The ride was an absolute blast.

The lesson here is simple:

Don’t assume that a long queue will stay long.

If there’s an attraction you want to do, keep an eye on it.

A 50-minute queue can become a 20-minute queue later in the day — and suddenly it makes sense to go.

8. Lunch at Jack’s

After Pirates of the Caribbean, we had lunch at Jack’s, the restaurant at the beginning of the attraction.

We had booked the restaurant through the app around a month before our visit.

For us, booking ahead was worthwhile.

The food and atmosphere were both great, and having a planned lunch gave us a chance to properly stop in the middle of what was already becoming a very long day.

If you’re planning a Disneyland Paris trip, I’d recommend deciding before your visit whether you want a proper sit-down lunch.

If you do, don’t leave it until you’re already hungry and exhausted to figure it out.

9. Mad Hatter’s Tea Cups

Just before lunch, as the queues were drawing shorter, we also squeezed a ride in the Mad Hatter’s Tea Cups.

This is particularly nice for smaller kids. Our daughter enjoyed this one a lot.

10. A trip across to Walt Disney Studios Park and Ratatouille

After lunch, we headed over to Walt Disney Studios Park.

This is where the day became a little more ambitious.

Our first major attraction was Ratatouille: The Adventure.

And it was one of our favourites.

The combination of the 3D glasses, effects and immersive dark-ride experience made it particularly memorable.

Lukas enjoyed it so much that he wanted to ride it twice.

If your children enjoy immersive rides, this was definitely one we would put high on the list.

10. Tower of Terror

Still in the Studios, we then headed for the Tower of Terror.

I loved the theming and thought the attraction itself was great.

Lukas, however, was rather less enthusiastic about the sudden drops into the void.

Which is a useful reminder that:

“family friendly” doesn’t necessarily mean “every member of the family will enjoy it.”

We wouldn’t skip it because one child was nervous, but it’s worth knowing what you’re getting into before taking a younger or more cautious child on the ride.

11. Cars Road Trip ride

After Tower of Terror, Lukas wanted to do the Cars attraction.

This was actually a good opportunity for us to split up again.

One parent took Lukas to Cars, while I took our younger daughter back to Disneyland Park to do Peter Pan.

12. Peter Pan’s Flight

Back in Disneyland Park, I took our younger daughter on Peter Pan’s Flight.

This attraction had a fairly consistent queue of around 20–30 minutes throughout the day during our visit.

Interestingly, it became slightly quieter later in the afternoon.

So again, monitoring the queues rather than simply following a pre-written schedule worked in our favour.

13. Hyperspace Mountain — for the parents

Unfortunately, Lukas wasn’t tall enough for Hyperspace Mountain during our visit.

So this became another parent-swap opportunity.

We took turns riding it, using the standby/family arrangement we had discovered earlier.

This is one of those situations where travelling with two adults can be a real advantage.

If one child can’t ride, you don’t necessarily have to sacrifice the attraction completely. The parent that did not ride, did Autopia with both kids. Autopia is a few meters from Hyperspace Mountain.

14. Autopia

Next came Autopia.

This was a much more family-friendly attraction and something that both children really enjoyed.

By this stage, the day was getting long, so having some attractions where the children could simply enjoy themselves was increasingly important.

15. End the day with the fireworks

By now we were approaching sunset.

After nearly 12 hours in the parks, it was time to find a good place for the evening shows and fireworks.

This was the perfect way to finish the day.

We had spent the morning prioritising attractions, the middle of the day adapting to queue times, lunch and watching the parade and the afternoon moving between the two parks.

Now we could simply stop and enjoy the spectacle.

And, of course, everyone was pretty exhausted.

What we learned from 12 hours at Disneyland Paris

Our day wasn’t a perfectly optimised spreadsheet.

And that’s precisely why I think it is useful for other parents.

We learned that the best Disneyland itinerary is one that gives you a framework rather than a rigid schedule.

These were our biggest takeaways.

1. Prioritise your must-do attractions

Know which rides matter most to your family.

Try to tackle the most popular ones earlier in the day.

2. Use the Disney app constantly

The app became our unofficial itinerary planner.

Rather than deciding at home exactly what time we would ride everything, we used the live queue information to make decisions during the day.

3. Don’t queue unnecessarily

If something has a very long queue and isn’t one of your absolute priorities, consider doing something else.

You can always check again later.

4. Ask about family/parent swap options

If you have children of different heights, ask Disney staff what current options are available for parents who need to take turns on attractions.

For us, this saved a lot of time.

5. Don’t make every attraction a family attraction

Sometimes one parent and one child is the most efficient combination.

And sometimes it’s actually more enjoyable.

6. Book important meals in advance

We booked our lunch at Jack’s approximately a month ahead.

If there’s a particular restaurant you really want to visit, don’t assume you’ll be able to walk in on the day.

7. Accept that children will get tired

Our daughter literally fell asleep on It’s a Small World.

After the excitement of the morning, this was hardly surprising.

Build some slower attractions into the day rather than trying to fill every minute with thrill rides.

Where we stayed: Grand Magic Hotel

We chose not to stay inside the Disneyland Paris resort.

Instead, we stayed at the Grand Magic Hotel, around a 15-minute journey from the parks.

The hotel has a free shuttle to Disneyland Paris, which made getting to and from the parks relatively straightforward.

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The hotel itself has:

a large garden
a covered swimming pool
family-friendly facilities
an elaborate, colourful lobby

The children particularly enjoyed the atmosphere and decorations.

But there are a couple of things to know.

Breakfast could become very hectic around 8:30am.

And the return shuttle after the parks close can be extremely busy, particularly when lots of tired parents and children are all trying to get back at the same time.

Despite those drawbacks, we enjoyed our stay and would recommend the hotel, particularly for families who like a bit of theatrical theming and don’t necessarily need to stay directly on Disney property.

Is it better to stay inside Disneyland Paris?

Our experience suggests that staying outside the resort can be a perfectly viable option.

The right choice depends on what matters most to your family.

An on-site hotel may offer greater convenience and Disney-specific benefits like early access.

An external hotel can potentially give you more choice and sometimes better value, while still putting you close enough to visit the parks easily.

For us, the free shuttle and 15-minute journey made the Grand Magic Hotel a practical base.

The main thing I’d recommend is looking at the whole logistics, rather than just comparing room prices.

A cheaper room isn’t necessarily cheaper if it creates additional transport hassle.

How to plan your own Disneyland Paris day with kids

If you’re planning a similar one-day or short Disneyland Paris visit, here’s the approach I’d take.

Before your trip

1. Make a list of your family’s must-do attractions.

Don’t make a list of 30 things.

Choose the handful that would genuinely disappoint you if you missed them.

2. Check height requirements.

Especially if your children are different ages.

3. Decide whether you’re visiting one or both parks.

We managed both, but it makes for a very long day.

4. Book restaurants if there’s somewhere specific you want to eat.

5. Download the Disney app.

You’ll use it for much more than just looking at a map.

During your day

6. Start with your priorities.

Don’t waste your freshest hours on something you could easily do later.

7. Watch the queues.

Use the app and be prepared to change your plan.

8. Split up when it makes sense.

One parent + one child can sometimes be much more efficient than four people waiting together.

9. Build in slower attractions.

Everyone needs a break eventually. Alternate between high intensity and calmer attraction.

10. Keep some flexibility for the evening.

If you’re staying until the fireworks, remember that you’ve already had a very long day.

Would we do Disneyland Paris again?

Definitely.

The children loved it, although we agreed that we would probably return when they were a little older so they could experience more of the bigger attractions together.

And that’s perhaps the biggest takeaway from our first Disneyland Paris adventure.

You don’t need to experience every attraction for the trip to be successful.

You need to understand what your particular family wants from Disneyland.

For us, that meant a mixture of big rides, family attractions, splitting up when necessary, good food, some strategic queue watching — and finishing the day with fireworks.

That gave us a very full 12 hours without turning the entire day into a race against the clock.