Disneyland Paris is a surprising budget-friendly alternative to Disney World
When planning a Disney vacation, you may reflexively look to Disney World in Orlando, Fla.—the quintessential theme park destination. But after diving into the numbers, I discovered a game-changing alternative that might surprise budget-conscious parents: Disneyland Paris.
Trade sweltering Florida humidity for the charm of European travel, all while spending less on your family's dream Disney getaway. By leveraging more affordable park tickets and lower overall destination costs, a trip to Disneyland Paris can save a family of four hundreds of dollars compared to the traditional Walt Disney World experience.
This isn't just about pinching pennies—it's about unlocking a more enriching, culturally immersive vacation that delivers the same magical moments but at a lower cost. Paris offers a Disney experience that's not just economical, but memorable as well.
Disneyland Paris vs Disney World: Crunching the numbers
For this article, I mocked up a Spring Break trip—April 8 to April 15—for a family of four to break down the numbers, and even I was surprised at how they came out. I had expected the Paris trip to be more expensive, but it turned out that a family of four can save money by trading in Mickey ears for a beret.
As detailed below, a trip to Orlando costs $6,975 for air, hotel, and park tickets. The same trip to Disneyland Paris, including Paris itself, costs $6,669. You’re reading that right. It’s over $300 cheaper to go to Paris and visit Disneyland Paris than to spend a week in Orlando for Spring Break.
Note that I used cash pricing for everything. If you redeemed some of your travel rewards for a Disneyland Paris trip, you could save even more.
For our experiment, I tried to stay apples-to-apples as much as possible, so I chose non-stop flights priced with a checked bag. I also chose Marriott properties, although the Marriott at Disneyland Paris is a Marriott Vacation Club—so not only is it a full resort, your room would actually be a two-bedroom townhouse.
Airfare
As you would expect, this category tips in favor of Orlando. A family of four can fly from New York to Orlando on the above dates for $786, while a flight to Paris will run that same family $2,794.
Hotel
For our Orlando hotel I chose the Walt Disney World Dolphin, a Marriott property. It’s got Disney transportation and offers Disney resort benefits, in addition to being walkable to Epcot and Hollywood Studios. A room with two double beds will run you $3,123 for seven nights.
If you’ve ever shopped for family hotel rooms in Europe, you know the challenge of finding rooms that sleep four people in one room. Fortunately at Disneyland Paris that challenge is solved for you with the Marriott Vacation Club d’ile de France.
The hotel is a full-service resort, but the rooms are actually two-level townhouses with two bedrooms. You’ve also got a shuttle to the parks, full kitchen and an on-site grocery, which comes in really handy for breakfast on-the-go. My daughter and I loved our stay there. Six nights (remember your first night is in transit) will run you $2,638.
Tickets
Here’s where things get really exciting: Tickets to Disneyland Paris are half the price of Walt Disney World tickets, on average. For a week-long trip to Orlando I would recommend four park days, so I priced out four-day Park Hopper tickets. Those four tickets came to a jaw-dropping $3,067.
As I don’t think most people would spend four days at Disneyland Paris, I used a two-day Park Hopper ticket and added tickets to the Eiffel Tower and Versailles. In total, all of those tickets came out to $1,156.
Disneyland Paris has je ne sais quoi
You already realize that a trip to Disney World and visiting Disneyland Paris are totally different experiences. Disney World is the size of San Francisco, for one thing. If you’re Disney-obsessed, you may not get the fix you’re looking for in France. That said, one of the attractions in Epcot is an Eiffel Tower, and with my plan you can go see the real one instead a miniature.
Disneyland Paris is popular for day trips, which means weekdays have shorter lines and offer a more relaxed visit. Patrick Stouffer, a California musician, found the parks at full capacity during New Year’s weekend and warned that the crowds were staggering. Keep that in mind when planning your vacation.
That said, it’s easier to manage the crowds at Disneyland Paris than at Walt Disney World. The parks offer single-attraction Premier Access tickets, which Stouffer used to full effect.
“I could buy Premier Access to It’s a Small World for €6 per person, allowing my in-laws to skip the hour-long line,” says Stouffer. “We then did it for every major ride they were hoping to do. This was particularly helpful because I had a 2-year-old in tow, it was zero degrees Celsius outside all day, and we only had one day to make the most of it.”
Parc Disneyland
Parc Disneyland and Magic Kingdom share a lot of DNA, but they're far from identical twins. In my opinion, Parc Disneyland's Sleeping Beauty Castle is the most beautiful castle at any Disney park, and I’ve visited them all. Inspired by Mont-Saint-Michel in Normandy, it's not just pretty to look at—you can actually explore inside. Sorry, Cinderella Castle, but that's hard to beat.
When it comes to rides, Parc Disneyland has some fun quirks. Their Space Mountain, dubbed Hyperspace Mountain, is a more intense coaster with a more dramatic blast-off and places where you are upside-down. And Paris’ Phantom Manor strips the kitsch from the American Haunted Mansion and adds a layer of genuine creepiness.
But what really sets Parc Disneyland apart is its European flair. The theming feels more intricate, more detailed. The gardens are a feast for the eyes, showcasing French horticultural traditions. Even familiar rides like Pirates of the Caribbean feel more immersive and authentic in Paris, and It’s a Small World has an American section featuring a cowboy and a Native American.
Walt Disney Studios
Walt Disney Studios is currently under construction, but that doesn’t mean you should stay away. The park features recognizable favorites like a Marvel campus, Tower of Terror, and the original Ratatouille ride that currently has a version at Epcot.
Add to that original attractions such as Crush’s Coaster and you'll easily spend a half-day in the park. And you’d be remiss not to do so: Mickey and the Magician in my opinion is the single best live show in any Disney park.
How to do Disneyland Paris
If you’re intrigued by the idea of swapping Orlando for Paris, here are three ways I’d recommend planning your trip to Disneyland Paris, depending on your travel style and experience:
1. If you have never been to Paris and are a casual Disney fan
Stay in downtown Paris and make Disneyland Paris a day trip. It’s only a 45-minute to one-hour journey from the city center via the RER train. I’d suggest getting a one-day park hopper ticket and going all out on that specific day. This way, you can enjoy the magic of Disney without taking too much time away from exploring the rest of Paris.
This is the route Stouffer took with his family. He loved the convenience and says, “It’s an incredibly easy transfer by bus from the airport, or in our case, a one-train / metro journey from our hotel. It took just under an hour, and we were dropped off right next to the park entrance.”
2. If you are a serious Disney fan but have never been to Paris
Split your stay between Disneyland Paris and downtown Paris. Spend your first two nights at one of Disneyland Paris’s hotels—I highly recommend the Hotel Cheyenne. It’s considered a budget property, but it’s packed with charm thanks to its Woody from Toy Story theme and kitschy Wild West decor. There’s something delightful about how the French interpret the American Wild West—it’s playful, quirky, and absolutely worth experiencing. After your Disney days, head into downtown Paris to enjoy everything the city has to offer.
3. If you have already done Paris
For families who’ve already explored Paris, consider booking a week at the Marriott d’ile de France Vacation Club. Renting a car gives you the freedom to explore not only Disneyland Paris but also the surrounding countryside. When I did this trip with my daughter, we spent a week visiting Disneyland Paris, Fontainebleau, and Versailles—each an easy drive from our base.
We even took the train into Paris for a day, though that’s optional if you’re already familiar with the city. This approach offers a relaxed mix of Disney fun and cultural excursions while giving you plenty of flexibility to plan your days.
The takeaway
If you’re considering dropping a considerable amount of cash in order to cross “Disney” off of your to-do list, don’t assume that Orlando is your best bet. You may find that Disneyland Paris gives you the thrills of a Disney trip with a touch of joie de vivre thrown in.
This story was originally featured on Fortune.com
