It feels like so long since our wedding but I'm still swooning over my hen do. When it came to planning, there was only ever going to be one place that would accommodate - Disneyland Paris. It might seem too expensive or overly complicated to plan a hen party in Disneyland, but I'm here to tell you it needn't be. Here's how I did it...
It might not seem that wild to regular theme park goers and enthusiasts, but non-Disney muggles seemed genuinely shocked and/or amazed upon learning I was having my hen party in Disneyland Paris. Even more so that I was willing to take along 13 people with me. What I found most baffling was that more than one person told me they thought it was compulsory to stay in a Disneyland Paris hotel in order to go, and therefore it was too expensive - this is absolutely not correct.
I don't by any means consider myself to be clued up when it comes to Disney Parks. I keep up to date on Disney news, watch Disney Youtubers daily and follow Disney accounts as a fan, but I'm by no means an expert. However, following conversations with a few people, I felt like a pro, thus giving me the false confidence to write this post. And so, with so many different options and offers available, I thought I'd share how I did mine in the hopes of making it a little easier (and more affordable) for the next bride-to-be. So cast aside your misconceptions, I hope this helps when planning your next Disney Paris trip.
1. It had to be in school holidays due to more than one of the hens working in a school/having a child. If you can, it's always preferable to go during off-peak or term time as tickets will be slightly cheaper and the parks will be less busy.
2. In a bid to save people's annual leave entitlements, we booked over a Friday to Sunday (for a usual visit I book midweek - again because tickets are cheaper, it's less busy so reduces ride queuing times)
3. Not a limitation as such, but we booked our travel almost a year in advance to give everyone plenty of time to save and make arrangements. This isn't vital and won't always save you money, but with such a large group it made life a lot easier when planning and knowing our travel was locked in.
3. Not a limitation as such, but we booked our travel almost a year in advance to give everyone plenty of time to save and make arrangements. This isn't vital and won't always save you money, but with such a large group it made life a lot easier when planning and knowing our travel was locked in.
Getting There
Eurostar Group Bookings
We were coming from all over the UK, but it made sense for our party to meet at St Pancras in London and travel to Paris via a Eurostar Group Booking. Once on the train, it only takes around two and a half hours to get to Paris Gare du Nord and there aren't as many security and luggage limitations, as with flying. This means you can absolutely bring bottles of bubbly and other alcoholic beverages for the journey.
If you're travelling with a group larger than 10, you can request a Group Booking from Eurostar and it couldn't be easier as they'll take your booking over the phone. This worked out great for us as we were able to book almost a full year in advance, and were able to all sit together. We were also able to make requests about where we sat which, they cannot always guarantee, but good to call dibs.
To secure the booking, Eurostar only require a non-refundable 20% deposit. After this, you will only need to pay the remaining balance at least 30 days before your departure. If anyone in the group drops out before the 30 days, they can still get a refund (minus their 20% deposit) so it takes off the pressure for someone who may not be 100% sure if they'll make it. You can see all the terms and conditions for this via the Eurostar website.
This group booking came to £84.50pp return which is pretty good compared to the usual cost of £98-£150pp. Of course, these prices are subject to change but always worth contacting Eurostar ahead of time to see if there are any deals available for your group.
Cost: £84.50pp return on Eurostar
Transfers
How to get from Paris (Gare du Nord) to Disneyland Paris
When travelling to Disneyland Paris, you can also get a Eurostar train directly to Marne-la-Vallée Chessy (the train station connected to Disneyland Paris). However, this often comes at a huge price jump- we're talking hundreds of pounds more per person.
Despite the name, Disneyland Paris is actually located one hour outside of Paris, so I tend to stay at Val d'Europe for ease and cost effectiveness. The station at Val d'Europe is just a 3 minute journey, 1 stop train from the Disney parks and trains during the day are every 15 minutes. This also means you're not bound by the Disney shuttles times.
Take the RER D train (towards Melun) to Paris Gare du Lyon (approx. 7mins) > Paris Gare du Lyon RER (via Marne-La-Vallée Chessy) to Val d'Europe (approx. 35mins).
Don't forget Google Maps is also your friend!
Another option I also looked at was a mini-bus (or two) to take us from Paris to the hotel in Val d'Europe. The prices likely change regularly, but at the time, we were looking at an additional €30 each for this due to the size of our group. I would strongly recommend booking this before your arrival so not to get ripped off.
Cost: €8 - €12pp for single RER train from Gare du Nord to Val d'Europe
Return tickets are available
Return tickets are available
Accommodation
Once at Val d'Europe, there are multiple hotels directly as you come out of the train station. I often use Booking.com to find the best deals and one that we've returned to on multiple occasions is the ibis Marne-la-Vallée Val d'Europe as you can usually get a 2 nights stay for around £110 - that's only £65 each if you're sharing with a friend or partner.
The ibis Marne-la-Vallee Val d'Europe is a more than suitable place to sleep after a full day and night walking around the parks. It's nothing fancy, but it's a decent 3* hotel that you'll end up spending very little time in. It's quite literally right next to the train station (although I definitely never heard any outside noise), and has all your usual amenities. For an additional £11 each, you can also have breakfast at the hotel before setting off to the parks. Another benefit of this ibis is that you can pay individually for your room(s) upon arrival, which means your hen party just have to pay for themselves at the desk.
For a couples trip or if you're feeling a bit fancy, I'd also recommend the stylish Moxy Paris Val d'Europe which is newly opened and offers stays from £123 per night. They offer a buffet breakfast and comes highly rated.
Cost: £65pp (sharing) or approx. £120 for your own room
Park Tickets
Perhaps the most important thing when planning your trip is Disneyland park tickets. The devastated family of four we met at the gate unfortunately learnt the hard way that Disneyland Paris tickets are pre-book only and unavailable at the gate at the time of writing of this post.
This is likely to change in the future, but just make sure before travelling that you have a valid ticket.
Where can I buy Disneyland Paris Park Tickets?
It's almost impossible to get a big discount on a Disney Parks ticket because the profit margins aren't much for third parties. I highly recommend purchasing your tickets from AttractionTickets.com or AttractionTix.co.uk as they both have really good deals, and an excellent customer service team if you have any questions at all. You can also purchase tickets from the Disneyland Paris website.
If you did want to save some pennies, there is the option to just attend the one park over two days. In which case it should be Disneyland Park for your quintessential Disney experience and more than do-able over two days. However, I just can't go to Paris without visiting Walt Disney Studios. Here you'll find the iconic Hollywood Tower Hotel, Worlds of Pixar and, most recently, Marvel Avengers Campus - which we were lucky to see on opening week. If you can, absolutely do both parks.
For my hen-do, we selected a Disneyland 2 Day, 2 Parks Hopper ticket which allows you to visit both Disneyland Paris parks (Disneyland Park and Walt Disney Studios Park), going back and forth as much as you like for the two days. This ticket option still works out cheaper than purchasing two separate day tickets for the individual parks. To keep things simple, I just sent the link over to each of the attendees for them to purchase their own tickets.
Personally, I just don't think there's enough time to both parks properly in one day without missing out on the magic. As such, I'd suggest spending your first day and evening in Disneyland Park before getting an early start the next day and half a day in Walt Disney Studios. You can then head back in to the Disneyland Park for the late afternoon/evening (ride queues permitting) for fireworks and the evening.
Don't forget that you can visit the Disney Village for free, too, and this is great for cocktails and shopping.
Expenses and extras
So you've sorted your travel, hotel and Disney Park tickets - now what? Well, I would be lying if I said you can get some bargain deals on food and drink whilst in the Disney Parks. This is unlikely to be the case - as with the majority of theme parks. However, it needn't be insanely expensive either.
If you want to splash out and enjoy Disney to your hearts content, absolutely go for it - it's your hen after all! But if you're on a budget, you can also have a large breakfast at your hotel before heading to the Parks. Perhaps start with a calmer ride if you want to keep that breakfast down.
If you want to eat within Disney, there are plenty of cheaper alternatives and quick service food vendors which will be far cheaper than a sit down dinner. You can grab a pastry or sizeable Mickey Pretzel sandwich, or even stop by the famous Casey's Corner for hot dogs or chips.
That said, we booked in to the Agrabah Café (an Aladdin themed all you can eat Moroccan and Middle Eastern buffet) for the first night, and it was well worth the €40 price tag.
Additional things to consider
Drinking at Disneyland Paris
You may think that a hen do in Disneyland Paris means a very tame one. And for the most part you'd be right - but there was still an awful lot of day-drinking and double parking going on. There are plenty of great bars within the resort (including the Disney Paris hotels) and themed cocktails to enjoy. I can absolutely say that we made the most of the many snack bars serving French champagne at Walt Disney Studio Park.
A few of the group were pleasantly smashed and needed to be taken back to the hotel before dark but thankfully no major injuries. The key thing to remember is to be respectful of your surroundings and fellow guests. It's ultimately a family place, everyone has paid to be there and we're all there to have a good time. Also, stay hydrated. Make use of the free water fountains around the parks (although, put it in a bottle - probably best you don't touch it with your face).
One thing that came in handy for our group which I am in no way condoning - there may have been members of the party who brought portable travel pouches to add a little something to their slushies.
Get the Disneyland Paris app
The Disneyland Paris mobile app is a must for managing reservations and making the most of your time in the park with queue times. If you do want to have a sit down meal (Captain Jack's at the Pirate of the Caribbean ride makes for a beautiful setting), it does make for a more special trip, so to avoid disappointment, make sure you book your restaurants well in advance on the Disneyland Paris app.
One thing that came in super handy with quick serve food (such as Casey's Corner) is that you can also pre-order your food and select a time to collect in order to beat the lunchtime queues.
The Disneyland Paris app also stores your Park tickets, photo passes, character meet and greet time tables and parade information.
Make a Plan
If you want to make the most of the Parks and see as much as possible, absolutely make a plan. Do not just show up at the park with your hens and wander. As I had been multiple times before, I asked the hens who hadn't been before what their must-see spots were and made sure to include these in the itinerary. If, as the Bride, you're a first-timer in the park, make yourself a list and use the Disneyland Paris app to help you plot your course for the day.
Don't forget your ears!
So when you look at the costs of going to Disneyland Paris for a hen party, you're looking at around £300pp for 2 days in the most magical place on earth with some of your favourite humans (plus extras and food). I'm sure if you're planning a wedding you're already seeing how expensive a weekend away within the UK can be so my advice would be to absolutely go for it. You won't regret it and your hens will never forget the experience.
Be sure to head over to @popcornandglitter and my Instagram Reels to check out Part One and Part Two of the trip and what we got up to. A huge thanks to all of my hens who made the trip so incredibly special. It really was a dream come true.
I hope you found this useful when planning your own Disney adventure. Feel free to use the comment section below to tell me if you have any tips and tricks for Disney Park planning, or if you're thinking of celebrating your hen party in Disney also!
Until next time fellow Disney fans,
Absolutely love this post! Fantastic read and lots of helpful tips 💕
ReplyDeleteThis is super helpful thank you so much!
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