If you’ve ever wondered what happiness costs in the Magic Kingdom, our family found out the hard way—it’s around £1,000 a day.
That’s how much we spent on a four-day trip to Disneyland Paris for our family of four in late June.
The memories were priceless, yes—but the receipt? Not so magical.
We tried to be clever by booking during term time, using two school inset days to surprise our kids, aged five and eight.
And while their faces meeting Tigger and Darth Vader were worth it, the hit to our wallets caught us off guard.
Looking back, there were so many things we could have done to cut costs. Here’s everything I wish I’d known before we went.
The Journey: A Sleepless Mistake and Pricey Travel
To catch a 7 a.m. Eurostar from London’s St. Pancras, we booked a room at Premier Inn Euston the night before for £220—big mistake.
With no air conditioning on a warm summer night, none of us slept.
We should’ve skipped the hotel and just paid £45 for an early taxi, saving ourselves £160 and a bad night’s sleep.
Our Eurostar tickets, booked two months in advance, cost £546.
But had we been more flexible, we could have snagged a family return journey for £390.96, saving over £150. Afternoon departures tend to be cheaper—even during holidays.
Flying would have also worked out cheaper.
British Airways offers return flights from Heathrow to Charles de Gaulle for about £515, and adding a Magic Shuttle to Disneyland (~£60) would still have saved us about £130 compared to our train-and-hotel combo.
Hotel Hiccups and Missed Savings Opportunities
We chose a package deal that included four-day park tickets and three nights at Newport Bay Hotel, with a half-board meal plan.
Total cost: £2,567.84.
The hotel’s location was great—just a ten-minute walk to the parks—and the pool was a welcome break from the 30°C heat.
That is, until we had to evacuate one afternoon because a child (not ours!) had an accident in the water.
Our “superior” room had two double beds, but it smelled damp.
The air conditioning wouldn’t go below 20°C, and an unplugged fridge was randomly sitting at the foot of one bed.
After complaining, we were moved to a slightly better room, and staff explained France’s energy rules limit A/C use in hotels.
If I’d known to book through TopCashback, I could have earned £35 back on the stay—or even £50 if we’d booked a different Disney hotel.
I also missed a trick with Tesco Clubcard points, which can be exchanged for Hotels.com vouchers.
Park Tickets and Pass Perks We Missed
Our tickets gave us access to both parks for all four days.
Individually, advance day tickets would have cost over £500 for our family, so the bundle seemed like good value.
But we skipped “premier access passes” (Disney’s version of queue jumpers) to keep costs down, even if it meant longer waits.
One regret? Missing the Stitch Live experience.
It’s free, but Visa cardholders can use Visa Privileged Access to skip the queue at the last three shows of the day. We had Visa cards but didn’t know.
The kids were disappointed, and I wish we’d been better prepared.
Food Costs and Cocktail Surprises
The half-board plan cost £565 and gave us six meal vouchers.
Hotel breakfast was buffet-style, and the kids loved the crepes.
But dinner reservations were hard to get—by the time I booked (just two weeks out), character dining was fully reserved and child-friendly time slots were slim.
Drinks weren’t included beyond one soft drink per meal.
So we paid extra—around £22 per dinner and £35 one night for wine at the Yacht Club.
One evening, after a long day of walking, my husband and I treated ourselves to £14 pina coladas—complete with Mickey-shaped pineapple slices. At that price, we didn’t order another.
We bought four extra lunches too: £56 for hot dogs at Casey’s Corner, plus £40 at Vapiano, £38 at Earl of Sandwich, and £25 at McDonald’s.
A few snacks and drinks here and there added up, including a £6 Alice in Wonderland ice cream.
Packing snacks from home saved us. We spent less than £10 on multipacks of cookies, crisps, and dried fruit before we left.
That move alone saved us at least £40, considering park snack prices.
The Toy Temptation Was Real
No one gets out of Disneyland without buying at least one toy. We walked away with five:
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A £30 Stitch plush,
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A £22 bubble-blowing princess camera,
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A £39 build-your-own lightsaber,
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A £19 magnetic shoulder toy, and
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A light-up spinning toy.
I could’ve planned ahead and bought cheaper versions online.
For example, Amazon sells a plush Stitch for £17.34, and you can grab Star Wars lightsabers for about £24.
But sometimes, the look on your child’s face when they pick out something special in the park is worth more than any cost-saving plan.
Final Thoughts: Worth It for the Smiles, Painful for the Wallet
Disneyland Paris is magical, but it’s not cheap.
The queues are long, and there’s little shaded play space for younger children.
Still, the joy on our kids’ faces made it worth every penny—at least emotionally.
Would I go again? Absolutely—but next time, I’d be a whole lot smarter about planning, booking, and budgeting.
Because while four days at Disneyland felt like the happiest place on Earth, it also turned out to be the most expensive.