How Much Spending Money You Need for Disneyland Paris
Stuck on how much to budget for a trip to Disneyland Paris?
Knowing how much money you’ll need can be difficult given the high cost of food and drink and the incredible souvenirs.
I’ve been to Disneyland Paris more times than I can count. I’ve had budget trips, extravagant trips, trips with kids, and trips without kids. So, it’s safe to say I know exactly how much you should budget based on your party size and vacation style.
- Budget Travellers: €20 per person, per day.
- Mid-Range Travellers: €70 per person, per day.
- High-End Travellers: €200 per person, per day.
Note that this does not include your flights, accommodation or park tickets. We’re talking about spending money only!
I spent €626.25 on my most recent trip to Disneyland Paris. That’s three nights, two adults and a baby. This includes:
- Domestic Transport
- Food, Drinks & Snacks
- Souvenirs
Everyone’s spending priorities on a trip to Disneyland Paris are different. For this reason, I’ve broken down this guide into the three areas I highlighted above. This way, you’ll better understand exactly how much money you need.
Domestic Transport
For my trip to Disneyland Paris, I flew into the capital’s main airport, Charles De Gaulle Airport. I then took the fast train to Marne La Vallee station just outside of Disneyland Paris.
The train cost €35 per person, so €70 in total – the baby was free.
From there, we took an Uber from Marne La Vallee station to our Airbnb in Serris for an additional €10. This made the total cost of travelling from the airport to our accommodation €80, which was the wrong way to do it!
Instead, you can get an Uber or a Bolt from Charles De Gaulle to Disneyland Paris for between €40 – €100. This isn’t just great value; it’s also hassle-free, especially if you have kids!
If you’re staying:
- In an on-site hotel at Disneyland Paris
- In a hotel within walking distance of Disneyland Paris
- In a hotel with a free shuttle to Disneyland Paris
Then, your transport to/from the airport is likely the only transport you’ll need to budget for.
However, if you’re staying further away and don’t have free transport, you’ll also need to budget for this. In our case, we were staying in Serris, next to the Val d’Europe shopping centre.
This meant we could take the RER A train one stop from Val d’Europe station to Marne La Vallee station.
The Marne La Vallee station is at the gates of Disneyland Paris. Tickets cost €2.20 per person each way, making it cheap to get to the park using public transport. This is especially great if you want to save money by staying elsewhere nearby.
Food, Drinks & Snacks
The amount you spend on food and drink at Disneyland Paris is generally going to depend on three things;
- The type of dining experiences you’re looking for
- The age of your children (where applicable)
- How many days you’re spending at Disneyland Paris
I spent €244.36 on food, drinks and snacks at Disneyland Paris. Again, this is for two adults and one baby for three nights.
However, I’ve also spent €250 on just one meal at Disneyland Paris. Again, this goes back to the different factors I mentioned above.
If you are travelling to Disneyland Paris on a budget, then you can spend as little as €20 per person per day on food. The way I suggest doing this is:
- Buying pastries from the supermarket or booking a hotel with a free breakfast
- Bringing a packed lunch and snacks to the park with you
- Eating fast food or cooking at your accommodation for dinner
However, if you want something in the middle, so, you’ve got a free breakfast and a casual dinner. But, if you also want snacks and lunch inside the park, I’d suggest €60 per person daily.
Alternatively, if you want character dining experiences or to eat at high-end restaurants, I’d budget €120 per person daily.
As mentioned earlier, I spent €250 on just one meal at Disneyland Paris: the Manhattan Restaurant at Disney’s Hotel New York—The Art of Marvel.
It was my dad’s birthday, so the five of us (myself, my wife, my mum, my dad and my son) went there to eat. We went for the three-course set menu, and it was delicious.
I’ve also had breakfast at Plaza Gardens inside Disneyland Park. This is a character dining restaurant, and we went for breakfast because it was the cheapest, at €50 per person.
However, we didn’t pay for my son. That’s because children under the age of three can eat from a parent’s plate. This covers all restaurants at Disneyland Paris, inc. buffets and character dining.
Souvenirs
Unlike domestic transport and food and drink, you don’t need to buy souvenirs for your trip to be functional. Therefore, if you’re on a budget, you could spend nothing at all.
However, it’s hard not to get swept up in the marketing of Disney inside a Disney theme park. I spent €228.29 on souvenirs at Disneyland Paris.
I didn’t plan to spend this money – that’s Disney marketing for you.
Like most people, I got swept up in the magic and bought things I now regret. Namely the €59.99 spirit jerseys. My wife and I each got one, and it made up half of our souvenir spending.
Sure, they looked great in the moment, but we realised we would only wear them in Disneyland. This may or may not be the case for you, depending on your style and preferences – and that’s completely okay.
In summary, I suggest having an idea of what you may or may not like as a souvenir in advance. That way, you can hopefully make a thoughtful decision rather than an impulsive one.
I’d also suggest setting a clear budget, especially when travelling with kids. Plenty of souvenirs at Disneyland Paris are well over €50 or even €100. So, communicating expectations regarding souvenir budgets in advance may help limit any upsets.
Misc
There’s also some miscellaneous spending you may want to consider when planning a trip to Disneyland Paris. This includes:
- Stroller Hire
- Wheelchair Hire
- Disney PhotoPass
- Disney Premier Access
The only miscellaneous purchase I made on this trip was Disney Premier Access. This was by far the best investment I made at Disneyland Paris.
Disney Premier Access is the Disneyland Paris version of fast passes, allowing you to skip the line on rides. There are two options available:
- Pay as you go (per ride)
- All-access (every ride once)
We opted for the ‘per ride’ option and spent €14 each, although you can get passes for different rides cheaper. It all depends on the current wait time and ride popularity.
Since we were travelling with a baby, we couldn’t go on the ride together. So, being able to skip the line meant we spent more time together in the theme park than waiting in line.