EuroDisney with a 5year-old boy

Look at the Paris Disney website, they tell you the height requirement for each ride and explain the baby switch in detail. Euro Disney is perfect for a 5 yr old but it is really only magic kingdom with a couple of big rides - Thunder mountain and Splash Mountain - thrown in. It is a nice introduction since it is unbelievably easy to get to and you do not have to worry about hopping from one park to another, You get on the RER in the middle of Paris and 40 mins later you are knocking in Cinderella's door. Definitely get tickets in advance so you can skip the entrance queue. If you are going to be going to anything faster than Dumbo I would recommend paying for the fast pass. They say you can get it for free but those are all gone by 10 am and you would have to wait till 4 or 5 pm to use them. If the trip is for you or your hubby you will be disappointed, it is definitely not up to the Orlando or LA standards, very small and showing its age If the trip is for your 5 yr old, it is a perfect day trip that he will love.

Hi Momof4, thanks for your advise. Strange, I have not found detailed info on the height requirements.. need to take a closer look again. The baby switch is not what I was hoping for but it will at least help somehow... ;-)

I will look out for good offers within the next weeks (have subscribed on their page already). Fast pass is a good idea also, thanks (and we will be there early-early in the morning not to miss a minute... ;-))

Since my hubby and I have already been there before, this is more for our son.... (although I definitely want some fun on my own !!).

Looking forward to it already ! ;-)
Cheers, Birgit

Once you get past the ticket cost it is fun and June is a good time since it is not too hot and most kids are still in school (try not to go on the weekend). They are not fussy about bringing in your own food and there is a nice restaurant near Thunder Mountain with tables outside where you can eat a picnic so bring your own lunch/snacks with you.I hope he is big enough for Thunder mountain - it was the first roller coaster my 7 yr olds had ever been on and they went on it 5 times in a row last summer!

Is ThunderMountain in MagicKingdom? I am all confused on the parcs and I cannot find details on the website.... What can we do in one day? I want to do Dumbo and Peter Pan but also Pirates of the Caribbean (I loved that !!) and ThunderMountain as well as the Haunted House. Is that all one parc?

Ah, now I found the parc site with all the info on where and who ! ;-)) Took some time ! Just by looking at it I am getting excited already ! ;-)

Glad you found the site, it will answer most of your questions. As I said, in Paris there is only one small park period, no Epcot, no Hollywood studios, no Animal Kingdom. It is basically the "Greatest Hits" version of Disney. You can do all the rides easily in one day in a very relaxed manner and they do have parades and fireworks as well. Not too many shows though. For some reason my kids really liked Thunder mountain, Dumbo & the Alice in Wonderland maze. However, there is a whirlagig in the kids park in Jardins Des Tuileries that is faster and more fun than the Teacups!

Just to be picky, the name was changed to "Disneyland Paris" awhile back. They decided that "EuroDisney" was kind of like calling it "Dollar Disney" once the new currency can into use...

I recommend for discounts, checking out the Disboards. They are not directly Disney-sponcered and they really know the park well. Most are British visitors who go often. Saved us major money!

http://www.disboards.com/forumdisplay.php?s=61c43589ad3af15057533a6ccc7b46a6&f=77

I recommend staying at one of the hotels nearby. We went out in the early part of the day, came in and relaxed and then headed out in the evening again. We have three kids so I took my son, the oldest, out by myself and we waltzed directly on to the rides that earlier had really long lines. We got a deal with the hotel for the tickets to the park.

We went on a school holiday since that's when we can go but doing a day trip, midweek in June would be reasonable. Both British and French schools don't get out until July. I recommend going early to mid-June when the exams are going on.

Disney is really not my "thing" but I wanted to do it once with the kids. I've been to the parks in Florida and So. Cal. and it's not the same, as the pp's said. For Europeans who wont be going across the Atlantic any time soon, it makes a change. I personally prefer our local park Europapark in Rust, Germany better but it's closer to us too.