Disneyland Paris there and back in a day from Manchester! Not possible, right? Wrong!
Join us as we share with you our one day itinerary for Disneyland Paris
We did just this back in January for my daughter’s 12th birthday, spending one whirlwind day soaking in the magic of Disneyland Paris.
After our video post went viral on social media, I finally found time to detail the logistics of our incredible trip. If you’re wondering how we managed this feat, read on!
Initially, we didn’t intend for Disneyland Paris to be a day trip. We had booked a three-night stay. However, when a super cheap deal to Lapland came up a few months after booking—a once-in-a-lifetime experience—we couldn’t resist.
There was no way we could take the children out of school twice in a six week period, so we decided to run with the Lapland trip instead.
Having been to Disneyland Paris around 15 times (we were annual pass holders previously), we decided to cancel our hotel and ticket package as we had free cancellation on this.
This left us with only the flights which we would lose all the money for (minus the airport tax) which seemed such a shame.
It was getting closer to my daughters birthday and we had nothing planned, then it occurred to me that we could still use the outbound flight and just book a new return for each of us, this time returning the same day making it an 'Extreme Day Trip' to say the least, but Disneyland Paris in One Day, were we being crazy?!
The fee for changing the original return flight was greater than the cost of purchasing a new one entirely.
Plus by just booking a new flight home we could also factor in a refund of the airport tax from the unused flights which amounted to £50.
This would cover at least half the cost of adding a new return so it didn't seem much more to pay.
Being tied to our original outbound flight on my daughter’s birthday meant the flights weren’t the cheapest. Ideally, you can get return flights to Paris for around £40 if you watch for easyJet's flight releases and various price drops.
We added a new inbound flight and claimed tax back from EasyJet for the original flight, making it just an extra £50 in total.
However, for transparency if we hadn't done that, then the flights we went on would have cost £89.98 each so this is the total we will use in our breakdown.
As we now needed separate Park Tickets instead of the ones included with a hotel stay, we then purchased a one-day/two-park pass for £75.50pp.
You could save money by focusing on one park and buy a one-day/one-park pass for as little as £62.
Tickets with free cancellation are available, providing flexibility. We purchased our tickets using 'Get Your Guide' as we do for all our excursions.
You can see the prices for your dates and purchase below.
We had no desire to see and do everything during this visit. We’ve experienced the parades and fireworks countless times. Our main goal was to bask in the magic, celebrate my daughter’s birthday, and enjoy her favourite rides.
Depending on the time of year, yes you can see and do lots.
For first-time visitors, I recommend purchasing a two-day pass and booking a night at one of the more affordable Disney partner hotels. Many of which include breakfast and offer regular shuttles to and from the parks.
The best hotels for those on a budget include Explorers, Hotel B&B at Disneyland, Adagio Marne-la-Vallee, Campanile Val de France, Grand Magic and Dream Castle.
As we live 2.5hrs from Manchester Airport by train, I'd also paid £29 on a non-refundable rate for a Travelodge room in Manchester City Centre when we initially planned the three-night trip.
After school, we headed to the station and spent the evening in Manchester having a meal at Zizzi using our Tesco vouchers to pay in full, before heading to bed ready for our 3.30am wake up call.
My daughter initially thought we were just going to Manchester birthday shopping, so you can imagine her delight when I surprised her with a series of little gifts relevant to the trip on the train before the final reveal.
We arrived at Manchester Airport at 5:30am for our 7:05am flight. EasyJet seated us together for free, but we were prepared to sit separately as it’s a short 1-hour flight and of course we only had a backpack each, so no baggage fees were payable.
We landed in Paris at 9:20am. With only hand luggage, we bypassed baggage claim, but passport control took about 20 minutes.
We had planned to take the TGV high-speed train from terminal 2 in Charles De Gaulle Airport as this gets you to the gates of the parks in an impressive 9 minutes, but tickets sold out on the Trainline App whilst we were walking to the station and unfortunately, the next train wasn't for another 90 minutes.
With the TGV you must have an allocated seat and purchase the ticket before boarding. I'd been reluctant to book TGV tickets in advance due to their non-refundable nature and the fact you never can predict how long security will take once landed, so we ended up taking an Uber instead.
Find Train Tickets Here
The Uber cost £48 and took about 50 minutes, getting us to Disneyland Paris by 10:55 AM. If you're travelling as a group of 4 or more, I would definitely recommend booking a private transfer for ease and convenience.
We use Holidays Extras for overseas transfers. We have a partner discount with them which is applied automatically when clicking here
Once through the gates I loaded up the Disneyland Paris App to see the current wait times for the rides.
I would highly recommend installing the app for any length trip as it will enable you to make the most of your time and see when certain rides have less demand, reducing needless queueing. It made our trip so much easier!
We did write a quick list of everything we wanted to see and do the night before with time being of the essence but, I'd recommend going with the flow and working around the app to maximise your experience if you're just there for just one day
We headed straight into the main park and onto Main Street, using the Disneyland Paris App to check current wait times. My daughter’s main wish for the day was to ride Thunder Mountain, so we aimed for Frontierland where it is located.
Whilst wait times were high at 50 minutes, we started with Phantom Manor, which had only a 5-minute wait thinking the ride time may reduce for Thunder Mountain getting closer to lunch, however this did not happen so we decided to head back to Main Street for those all important castle shots.
After getting some castle photos, we went through to Fantasyland. Here, we enjoyed 'Madhatter’s Tea Cups' and 'It’s a Small World' with a minimal 5 minute wait. 'Alice’s Curious Labyrinth' was a delightful walk-through experience which I've never actually done in all our visits, and we spent about 20 minutes exploring this, getting lost in the maze and taking panoramic shots of the whole park from the top.
Now hungry, we had a meal at Toad Hall—a place we hadn’t visited in ages as it’s often closed during our visits. The fish and chips were generous (2 whole fish and a large portion of chip), costing £10 for a portion big enough to share.
We then indulged in massive ice creams from the March Hare for £6 each, which we couldn’t even finish.
We continued in Fantasyland with 'Le Pays Des Contes' which we walked straight on. As the sun came out, the day turned lovely, totally not what we were expecting in January.
Next, we headed to Discoveryland for 'Autopia', which had a shorter than advertised 25-minute wait. This ride was on my daughters non-negotiables and I'd been reluctant to queue as its usually around an hour but admittedly is great fun, of course she had to be the driver!
By 2pm, we were near to the main gates anyway so decided to head over to the Studios Park using our hopper ticket. We quickly rode 'Slinky Dog' with a 5-minute wait and queued for 'Parachute Drop' for 20 minutes before it very annoyingly broke down just before we were due to get on it which seemed such a waste of our precious time.
To make up for this, we went on 'Ratatouille' as single riders, enjoying the ride without any wait.
Back at the main park, Thunder Mountain still had a 40-minute wait, so we bought Fast Passes for £11 each, allowing us to go straight on. The ride was a highlight and worth the extra cost to see my daughters' face.
I totally forgot just how good this ride is and as it's quite a lengthy ride £11 seemed worth paying. That's not to say that I still find it annoying that Disney use to offer fast passes for free up until a few years ago.
After Thunder Mountain, we checked the app to see what to do next and saw that the 'Lion King: Rhythms of the Pride Show' was just about to start in the Frontierland Theatre, just a couple of minutes walk away, so we quickly raced to get a seat.
Arriving 5 minutes before showtime, we still found great seats in the centre with a fantastic view. The show is a must see, based on the West End hit musical, with an incredible mix of singing and acrobatics.
Post-show, we headed quickly to Main Street for the 5.30pm 'Stars on Parade' which was just about to start. Despite the crowds, my daughter found a curb side spot to watch and this was just an amazing end to our time in the parks.
With the rides covered, we spent an hour shopping on Main Street and in Disney Village’s World of Disney so my daughter could spend some of her birthday money.
For dinner, we chose Five Guys in Disney Village, a favourite of my daughter’s, costing £26 for two meals with drinks.
We booked another Uber back to the airport at 7:20pm for £48. Our flight home at 10:10pm landed in Manchester at 10:50pm, and we were tucked in bed by 1am.
Flights: £89.98 pp
1 Day/2 Park Hopper Pass: £75.50 pp
Ubers: £48 pp
Thunder Mountain Fast Pass: £11 pp
Ice Cream: £6 pp
Fish and Chips: £5 pp (shared)
Five Guys: £13 pp
Note: You could make this trip cheaper by securing a £40 flight as mentioned earlier and by sharing transfer costs if traveling in a group. Also, consider a 1-day/1-park pass to save even more and just focus on the one park.
3:30am: Our Wake Up Call
5:00am: Left our Manchester City Centre Hotel
5.30am: Arrived at Manchester Airport
7:05am: Flight Departed from Manchester
9.20am: Flight Arrived in Paris
9.50 am: Through Passport Control and in a Uber to DLP
10.55am: Arrived at Disneyland Paris
10.50-12 Noon: Phantom Manor, Mad Hatters Tea Cups, It's a Small World, Alice's Curious Labyrinth and Time on Main Street with Castle Photo's
12:00-1:00pm: Lunch at Toad Hall, Followed by Ice Creams at the March Hare
1:00pm-2:00pm: Autopia and a look in the shops on Main Street
2:00pm-3:00pm: Disney Studio's: Slinky Dog, Ratatouille and Wasting Time queueing for Parachute Drop that Broke Down
3.30-4:30pm: Back in to the Main Park and to do Thunder Mountain
4:30-5.15pm: Lion King Show
5.15-5.50pm: Disney Stars on Parade
5:50-6:30pm: A Final Look in the Shops
6:30pm-7.10pm: Tea in Five Guys
7.10pm Returned to the Airport Via an Uber
10:10pm Flight Departed Paris
10:50pm Flight Landed in Manchester
1:00am Tucked up in Bed
Our day trip to Disneyland Paris was a whirlwind adventure, perfect for celebrating my daughter’s birthday. For seasoned visitors like us, it was a magical, even if just a quick experience, although it was VERY tiring. My legs the next few days afterwards were like jelly.
If you’re planning your own visit, consider your priorities and use the Disneyland Paris App to make the most of your time. Whether it’s a one-day dash or a longer stay, the magic of Disneyland Paris awaits. Happy travels!
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