While capacity days are not an every day occurrence at Disneyland Paris (thank Mickey) they do happen occasionally. Even more so after the pandemic, everyone is trying to make up for lost time in the parks and Disneyland Paris is more popular than ever. While it’s great that the parks are doing well it can also be challenging to do all of your must do’s during a short visit. So we’ve compiled 10 tips and tricks to make the most out of your day at the resort on a crowded day.

Focus on the Entertainment
Focus more on shows/live entertainment and less on attractions or character meets.

Shows or parades will still be busy, but a lot of entertainment has high capacity and many first time visitors seem to focus on attractions. It’s worth lining up 30-60 minutes before the show starts depending on the day but the wait will be worth it. Shows are not a short ride, they will offer 10-30 minutes of entertainment. In Disneyland Park you usually have seasonal entertainment, daily parade’s, daily night time show’s, and the Lion King: Rhythms of the Pridelands musical stage show extravaganza.

Walt Disney Studios Park also has a lot of entertainment offerings. Mickey and the Magician, TOGETHER: a Pixar Musical Adventure, Disney Junior Dream Factory (also fun if you’re an adult), and Frozen: a Musical Invitation. Walt Disney Studios Park also offers seasonal nighttime entertainment like the spectacular Avengers: Power the Night. An Alice in Wonderland stunt show is also set to premiere in the spring of 2024. Avengers Campus also offers random mini-shows throughout the day, which are a fun watch if one happens to be in the land.

Premier Access 
Premier Access is a no brainer for anyone who has little time and a big budget. Premier access allows you to skip the lines of most attractions in exchange for a fee.

The skip the line pass can be booked via the Disneyland Paris App. Either “a la carte”, per attractions, or as Premier Access Ultimate which allows to you to skip the line once on almost every attraction. Premier Access is not for everyone though, the costs do add up quickly. On busy day Premier Access Ultimate currently comes in at 190 Euro per person and individual rides can be prices as high as 18 Euro per person.

Let’s say a family of 4 want to ride Big Thunder Mountain, a-la-carte, via Premier Access. That would add up to 72 Euro for a single ride for that family, which is nearly the price of a day ticket. It’s really only worth considering if you don’t visit the parks very often or the budget is at your disposal. A-la-carte Premier Access time slots and the Ultimate Pass sell out on busy days. Be sure to book them as soon as you arrive in the park. 

Single Rider
The budget friendly alternative to Premier Access is Single Rider. If you don’t mind riding by yourself, Single Rider is a great option which can save you a lot of time.

Queuing is still possible with your party, however Cast Members will split you up during boarding. Regrettably Single Rider is only available at 8 Disneyland Paris attractions. 2 of which are in Disneyland Park:

Star Wars Hyperspace Mountain
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Peril 

In an unusual twist Walt Disney Studios Park has more to offer on the subject than the flagship park. You can ride: 

Crush’s Coaster
Toy Soldiers Parachute Drop
RC Racer
Ratatouille: L’Aventure Totalement Toqué de Rémy
Avengers Assemble Flight Force
Spider-Man W.E.B. Adventure

We appreciate that the two newest Disneyland Paris attractions (Avengers Assemble: Flight Force and Spider-Man W.E.B. Adventure at the time of this writing) include Single Rider.

However, we would love to see more single rider attractions in Disneyland Park. There’s no direct monetary incentive for Disney to add any, however it would improve the park going experience. Especially for those who don’t mind riding separately.   

Magic Shot Hunting 
Magic shots are photos of you and/or your party taken by Disney Photopass photographers.

For most shots you have to stand in a certain place, look in a specific direction, or make certain gestures. Disneyland Paris then add’s a digital character or digital frame to your photo afterwards. It will look like you are interacting with the character, which makes for a  funny souvenir.

Magic shots usually have no or short waits, even on busier days. Be sure to check the official app for Magic Shots locations. However, keep your eyes peeled when strolling through the parks as all locations are not always listed in the app. You can also purchase Photopass+ for your full stay, which also includes on-ride photos. Alternatively Photopass+ is also included in the higher tier Disneyland Passes (annual pass).

Walk-Through Attractions
Explore some of Disneyland Parks fabulous walk through attractions.

Not only has the beautiful Nautilus just re-opened (check out the AirMagique podcast for our thoughts on that refurbishment) but there are currently at least 8 (Alices Curious Labyrinth, Adventure Isle Pirate Caves, La Cabane des Robinson, La Taniere du Dragon, Les Passage Enchante d’Aladdin, La Galerie de la Belle au Bois Dormant, Les Mysteres du Nautilus, Fort Comstock/Thunder Mesa) walkthrough attractions in Disneyland Park.

Depending on who you ask, even more, some folks count the arcades on Main Street U.S.A. as walk through attractions. While the line between walk-through attractions and regular themed environments is sometimes blurred, we would argue that the arcades are more of an environment since they are so integrated into the parks restaurants/shops and even feature restrooms.

On the other hand just exploring Disneyland Park’s fabulous theming in detail is a fun way to spend a day in the parks. There’s a plethora of spaces to explore. That’s not all though, with the expansion of Walt Disney Studios Park, the little sister of the main Disneyland Park may finally get it’s own walk through attraction.  Vague concept art has hinted at a park like area featuring statues of iconic Disney characters. Let’s see what the future holds. 

Hidden Mickey’s and Detail Hunting 
Search for Hidden Mickey’s and cool details while exploring the parks and its ambience. You might want to do some online research or listen to our Disneyland Paris Secrets episodes to get an idea what to look for.

Hidden Mickey’s are Mickey shaped designs elements or objects, hidden in the parks by Imagineers. You can find them almost everywhere. In attractions, streets, restaurants, random walls, sets, carpets and so on. Disneyland Park is also packed with interesting details and secret references. Like the names on the upper windows of Main Street U.S.A., the mythical Roc’s egg on top of the Adventureland Bazaar and much more. There’s so much to discover!

Mobile Food Ordering
Next up is the good ol’, Mobile Food Ordering a.k.a “Click and Collect” via the Disneyland Paris app. Also a great place to check for live wait times. Even on capacity days you may spot a short wait for Phantom Manor, Pirates of the Caribbean and Star Tours.

There are currently 6 quick service locations that offer click and collect:

Café Hyperion
Casa de Coco – Restaurante de Familia
Casey’s Corner
Last Chance Café
Restaurant Hakuna Matata

Over in Walt Disney Studios Park: Restaurant en Coulisse

While you order and pay for your food via the app you still have to wait, stand in line, and show your confirmed order to the Cast Member at the counter. Who will then collect all the individual components of your order. While we wish the entire process was a bit more seamless, Click and Collect does tend to save you time. If the Click and Collect line is as long as the regular line, we would recommend opting for the regular line which tends to move a bit faster. Likely due to the Cast Member having to mess around with park goers phones which tend to lock the screen, can be difficult to read and don’t display the proper order confirmation e-mail. 

Arrive Early and/or Stay Late
Another great way to make the most out of a busy day in the parks is to arrive early and/or stay late. Most folks want to sleep in during their vacation, so arriving at the parks for rope drop or extra magic hours will guarantee you a great place in line. Additionally, the parks usually start to empty out a bit later in the day. Smaller kids will get tired and many parents end up taking them home before park close. Especially if there’s no nighttime spectacular to keep folks in the parks. 

Hotel Activites
Most of the official Disneyland Paris hotels are only a short walk away from the theme parks. The exception being Disney Davy Crockett Ranch cabin park. Not only is the walk to and around the hotel scenic but most feature exclusive character meet and greets. Some offer them in the morning, others in the evening.

Currently, only the Davy Crockett Ranch does not offer character meet and greets. The nice thing is that the lines are usually much shorter and characters mostly wear hotel theme specific outfits. Disney Hotel New York – The Art of Marvel features the Super Hero Station, an interactive selfie experience with a character meet and greet as well as various photo opportunities.

It’s worth noting that the Super Hero Station is only available for guests staying at Disney Hotel New York – The Art of Marvel. Re-opening January 25ht, 2024 the Disneyland Hotel will also offer character meet’s and a photo experience which will be restricted to hotel guests as well. All hotels also feature a restaurant, bar and shop the latter of which is free to explore, even for visitors not staying on property.

When staying at a Disneyland Paris hotel with a pool, you can go for a quiet swim during the parks busy midday hours. Then, head back to the park’s in the evening when it’s less crowded. If you are into art and/or Marvel consider exploring Disney Hotel New York – The Art of Marvel. It’s literally an art gallery and open to everyone. If you’re a hotel guest there’s also a “superhero” outdoor basketball court and a gym. Disney Davy Crockett Ranch guests can consider relaxing in their respective cabin to get away from the crowds during the midday peak. In addition, there’s also a pool, tennis/badminton/table tennis facilities, mini golf, playground, small arcade and the forest trail surrounding the cabins. 

Disney Village 
It’s worth heading to Disney Village during peak times in the parks. There are various shops with Disney merch, art, fashion and even a Lego shop to explore.

Culinary options include bars, like the sports bar, and various restaurants. The latter of which are usually less crowded than the parks options and range from quick service options like Five Guys to high end table service options like the Steakhouse. Disney Village also offers several activities like the PanoraMagique hot air balloon, Gaumont Cinemas, Starbucks, kiddy go-karts, and an arcade. Disney Village is not huge and is currently undergoing a massive transformation (so it’s a bit of a mess) but still a nice place to spent some time. Disney Village also offers lake access which always makes for a fun panoramic walk. 

Have you visited Disneyland Paris on a capacity day? Let us know in the comments below. 

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