Nobody likes to wait, and still, you will spend most of your visit to Disneyland Paris in a queue. During peak season, those queues can get pretty long, with wait times over 60 minutes or more. But I’m here to tell you the good news, we never wait that long for any ride and still go on almost every one of them during each of our visits. This is how we do it!
Know the busiest rides and attractions
Disneyland Paris has over 40 rides and attractions, and luckily, only a handful of those will get waits over an hour on busy days. Those rides are:
- Crush’s Coaster
- Big Thunder Mountain
- Peter Pan’s Flight
- Star Wars HyperSpace Mountain
- Indiana Jones and the Temple of Peril
- Princess Pavillion
- Meet Mickey Mouse
That’s it; not that bad, right? Other rides will have waits between 20 to 50 minutes on crowded days, and on more quiet days, some will even be a walk-on. Still, you can reduce the wait times of those popular rides; let’s look at how.
Book a Disney Hotel
If you book a room at one of the Disney Hotels, you will get access to Extra Magic Time. This is also included in the Magic Plus and Infinity Annual Passes, but those are unfortunately no longer for sale.
During Extra Magic Time, both parks will open one hour early and can only be entered by the two groups I mentioned above. Some of the most popular rides will be open during that hour, but wait times will be significantly lower even during peak season. That’s a great moment to go on Crush’s Coaster, Big Thunder Mountain or Spider-Man W.E.B. Adventure.
The Princess Pavillion usually isn’t open during Extra Magic Time; however, people will already form a line during that hour, so if you want to meet the Princesses with a much shorter wait, this is the moment to already be in line.
Be an early bird
Waking up early doesn’t sound fun when you are on holiday, but at Disneyland Paris, this can save you a lot of waiting. During the first hour people are slowly entering the parks, trying to decide where to go. That’s the perfect moment to be on a mission to get a shorter wait at most rides.
Phantom Manor, Pirates of the Caribbean, Star Tours, etc. will all be a walk-on during that first hour, which means that there won’t be any wait. And the great part is, you don’t need to be there during Extra Magic Time! Because the first hour after the park opening will also have significantly lower wait times than throughout the day.
Buy Premier Access
Another way to reduce Disneyland Paris wait times is by buying Premier Access. You will then get access to a much shorter queue, significantly reducing the wait times on all popular rides. But let it be a last resort, as you won’t need it for most rides anyway.
The only ride we use it for is Crush’s Coaster, which is also the most expensive one at €20 per person per ride.
Skip parades and shows
Watching the rides and shows at Disneyland Paris should be part of your day and should be part of your itinerary. However, if you don’t like shows or parades or have already seen them, skipping them can help you reduce the wait.
We regularly go to Star Wars HyperSpace Mountain or Star Tours near the end of the day, right before the evening shows start, and it’s always a walk on. The same for The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, Ratatouille, and the rides in Avengers Campus.
During the summer, Disneyland Paris is open from 8:30 am for Extra Magic Time to 10 pm. That’s a pretty long day to spend in the parks; that’s why we normally take a break in the afternoon for a swim or go shopping at Val d’Europe when the crowds get too bad. Then we return before dinner time when the crowds go down, and the queues are much shorter.
Go during offseason
There is a pretty big difference in Disneyland Paris wait times during peak and off-season. Peak season are the busiest days and includes weekends, school and (French) public holidays. The warmer months also tend to be busier than winter. So, if you don’t like to wait long, consider going on weekdays during the colder months.
What we do to reduce Disneyland Paris wait times
- Extra Magic Time: Peter Pan’s Flight, Big Thunder Mountain, Crush’s Coaster, or line up for Princess Pavillion
- First hour: Phantom Manor, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Peril, Star Wars HyperSpace Mountain, Buzz Lightyear Laser Blast, Ratatouille The Adventure, The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, Spider-Man W.E.B. Adventure
- Rest of the day: other rides
- After dinner: busier rides we missed during the morning
