7 Things Families Always Forget
Before Flying to Disneyland Paris

The most common mistake. Families land at CDG or Orly after a long flight, and only then start thinking about how to get to Disneyland. At that point: taxis have queues, Uber is surging, and the Magical Shuttle may have sold out its next departure. Booking a private van in advance guarantees your vehicle, fixes your price, and eliminates the airport scramble. It takes 2 minutes to book and costs nothing to plan ahead.

Families who do book their outbound transfer often forget the return. On departure day, Disney hotel lobbies fill with families trying to arrange last-minute transport. Taxi queues can be 20–30 minutes long. Pre-booking both legs is easier, usually cheaper (round-trip), and starts your holiday and ends it without stress.

French taxis are not legally required to carry child seats. Most don't. Families with babies or toddlers who haven't pre-arranged a child seat face a choice: travel without one (not recommended and potentially illegal) or scramble to find an alternative. Confirmed child seats should be part of your transfer booking — not an afterthought at the airport.

The official Disneyland Paris app shows live wait times, show schedules, interactive maps and — crucially — allows you to make restaurant reservations. Download it and familiarise yourself with it before you travel, while you're still on your home wifi. Trying to download a large app on slow airport or hotel wifi the morning of your park visit is painful.

It rains in Paris. Not always, but often enough that your rain jackets should be in your hand luggage — not locked in the hold. Families who arrive at the park on a grey morning and then discover their waterproofs are at the hotel have two options: go back (losing half a day) or buy Disney ponchos at €10 each. Neither is ideal. One packable rain jacket per person in your day bag. Always.

Airports are bad for snacks — expensive, queue-heavy, and limited in child-friendly options. A long-haul flight followed by a 45-minute transfer is a 12+ hour food management challenge with small children. Pack more snacks than you think you need in your carry-on: fruit pouches, crackers, raisins, cheese portions. Your taxi driver will thank you too.

If your flight lands at 16:00 or later, you will not get meaningful park time that day — especially with young children. By the time you've claimed bags, cleared customs, done the transfer, and checked into the hotel, it'll be 19:00 or later. Tired children plus busy evening parks is a recipe for meltdowns. Unless your kids are older and energetic, plan to have dinner near the hotel on arrival night and start fresh in the morning.