Inside the hotel that's brought the magic back to Disneyland Paris
The reimagined Disneyland Hotel, in the heart of the French theme park, opened its doors at the end of January and TTG took some young reporters this half-term to discover the ultimate royal address.
Cinderella and Prince Charming have not long left our table, when Ariel and Prince Eric approach for a chat. And Belle and the Beast (in human form) are waiting in the wings. As is our dapper-looking server Roberto, with our next course from the €120 Royal Menu.
You wait ages for a Disney princess then like London buses, three come along together, quips my husband. But the regal couples are so delightful, we’re in no hurry for them to move on while we take photos and engage in what feels like slightly surreal chat: “Which [princess] is your favourite?” Cinderella asks my daughter Evie. “Oh, it’s Elsa… She’s a good friend of mine, I’ll be sure to tell her that.”
These character meet-and-greets are part of the experience at La Table de Lumiere, a fine-dining restaurant inspired by the Hall of Mirrors in the Palace of Versailles, at the newly reopened Disneyland Hotel.
While the adult menu is nouvelle cuisine at its showy best, the children’s menu is inexplicably fussy, and my two eat just their bread and chocolate mousse... but only after picking off the raspberry-red shavings. Evie, five, and Harry, three, are a little young to appreciate haute cuisine, and the character appearances trump the food for them. As a dinner option to recommend, it’s a better match for pre-teenage girls, eager to dress up like a Disney princess, and feel like they’ve dropped into that world.
We stretch out our meal (and the children’s bedtime) in anticipation that our window view looking out towards Sleeping Beauty Castle will be one of the best seats in the house for new show Disney Electrical Sky Parade. Sadly, wet weather grounds the 500 drones although we still get to admire the castle illuminations and fireworks.
The other dinner venue at the Disneyland Hotel is the Royal Banquet, a gourmet buffet, that comes with a serving of Mickey and Minnie Mouse, dressed in regal outfits. When it comes to adding royal flair, this hotel doesn’t miss a trick… with my children now renamed “Princess Evie” and “Prince Harry” by cast members, I can only pray their behaviour remains befitting of their royal titles.
Elegant dining is one way in which the Disneyland Hotel raises the Disneyland Paris experience to a new level. Another is a host of bespoke services, such as My Royal Kids Club, offering free day care for up to two hours for four- to 11-year-olds; My Royal Dream, which offers a magical transformation – hair, make-up and costume – for children to become royalty; and the Disneyland Hotel Spa by Clarins, which extends its pampering menu to children.
The three wings to the candy-pink hotel are connected by long walkways, giving it the feel of a vast royal palace. The jewel in the crown is the majestic lobby, with its sweeping staircase, monumental chandelier and aesthetic feel of a grand library.
There are 487 rooms in total, working all the way up to the Frozen-inspired Royal Suite, with its jaw-dropping level of attention to detail. Our superior room has blue and silver tones, art work from The Little Mermaid, a magical mirror that transforms into an Ultra HD TV and a jewellery box hiding coffee and tea making facilities. With towels fluffy enough for Tigger to bounce on and a pillow menu that would trouble Goldilocks (hard, soft, just right…!) it is comfortable and chic.
A further justification – budget allowing – to recommend the Disneyland Hotel is for sheer convenience. From its central position in the Disneyland Paris real estate, it takes less than 30 seconds to reach the gate of Disneyland Park, with its five magical themed lands; and a couple of minutes for Walt Disney Studios Park.
We couldn’t be staying in a better location for our first family visit to Disneyland Paris. After an 8am departure on the Eurostar from St Pancras, we spend our first afternoon in Disneyland, concentrating on Fantasyland, where Dumbo the Flying Elephant emerges as the favourite ride, and we wrap things up with the Disney Stars Parade at 5.30pm.
The next day, we focus our efforts on Walt Disney Studios Park – and invest €25 in buggy hire to save Harry’s little legs. Toy Soldiers Parachute Drop gets the biggest thumbs up here – its height doesn’t faze Evie and Harry. Give it another year or two and they should really appreciate the interactive 4D ride Spider-Man W.E.B Adventure, but on this occasion, it is left to Mum and Dad to defend the family and sling enough webs to catch all the spider-bots.
We end this day with a swim in one of my favourite features of the Disneyland Hotel, a heated indoor pool, housed in a glass conservatory. There are plenty of arm bands, noodles and floats for children to borrow, and splashing about in the pool revitalises our flagging energy – the day’s events have clearly rubbed off on Harry, who invents a game where he has to spin webs to catch a shark (me).
The following morning we’re back in Disneyland filling the gaps we’ve missed including Autopia (great for children who want to sit behind the wheel and "drive" a car); 4D show Mickeys PhilharMagic (with that "naughty Donald Duck"!); Pirates of the Caribbean (a bit dark and scary for toddlers); and sign off with our only repeat – Dumbo. Fast passes, which can be purchased on the excellent Disneyland app from €12 per ride, per guest can help with queue fatigue, as does taking full advantage of the Magic Hour, from 8.30am, which is exclusive to all Disneyland Paris hotel guests.
Verdict: 48 hours in the parks is about right for two young children – Harry struggles not to fall asleep in his dinner-time fries at the Five Guys in Gare du Nord before our trip home on the Eurostar.
Disneyland Paris had felt like the sort of holiday choice my husband and I would make for our children, with less emphasis on the holiday for us. But with this revitalised and luxurious Disneyland Hotel, it finally feels like Disneyland Paris has a place where adults can refresh themselves with a beautiful sleep too.
Book it: A one-night stay at Disneyland Paris starts from £422pp, including accommodation at Disneyland Hotel with access to the Disney Parks for two days and return travel with Eurostar from London St Pancras to Disneyland Paris (Marne-la-Vallee) via Lille. Price is based on two adults and two children (aged 3-9) sharing a Superior Room, departing on 3 November 2024. Prices are subject to change depending on time of booking.
disneylandparis.com
For further information or to book, visit the Disney Travel Agents website disneytravelagents.co.uk for current pricing and full terms and conditions. For Disney training, visit disneymagicexpo.com
Taking the Eurostar to Disneyland Paris
The absence of a direct Eurostar service from London to Disneyland Paris need not deter clients who would still rather take the train. It is possible to connect to Marne-la-Vallée-Chessy, the station for Disneyland Paris, via Lille, but if the timings don't work out, there is also an easy way to get there from the Gare du Nord.
I was apprehensive about using Paris' busy transport system with two children and a suitcase in tow, but I had the route pre-planned and written down for us to follow and it worked perfectly – plus it was much cheaper than booking a taxi transfer service, which would've held us prey to Paris' gridlocked roads.
We boarded the Eurostar at 8am, arriving into Gare du Nord a smidge after 11.30am (10.30am UK time). We then followed signs to the RER – where the most frustrating/time-consuming bit was the queue for the automatic ticket machine – but once we had navigated buying our tickets, we were ready to cross Paris.
The tickets cost €5 per adult, €2.50 per child over four – it's possible to switch the machine's language to English, and Marne-la-Vallée-Chessy is listed under “Ile de France tickets/Another Station”, where it appears as an option when you start typing Marne-la-Vallée.
We took the RER Line B, south, one stop to Chatelet Les Halles (less than five minutes), where all we had to do was cross to the other side of the platform, and take the RER line A in the direction of Marne-la-Vallée (about 40 minutes), which is the end of the line.
We arrived at Marne-la-Vallée around 1pm, and after checking into the Disneyland Hotel, we were enjoying our first ride in the Disneyland Park about 2.30pm.
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