Somehow, we kept going back
Our first Disneyland Paris trip was in 2019, before our second child was born. We have two children now, and by our fourth visit in 2023 it had become a place we knew we could return to as a family.
We tried three hotels along the way: Explorers twice, Disney Hotel Cheyenne and Disney Hotel Santa Fe. Ask the kids about the parks and Ratatouille comes straight up as their favourite ride. Toy Story and Frozen characters are high on their list too. That is the Disneyland Paris we remember: character moments, the castle after dark and plenty of reasons to go back for another day.
Our four trips, in order
2019 · Explorers
Our first Disneyland Paris visit, before our second child was born. Explorers was our base for the parks.
2021 · Cheyenne
We switched to Disney Hotel Cheyenne. That trip also included a visit into Paris to see the Eiffel Tower.
2022 · Explorers again
Back to Explorers. Returning to a hotel we already knew made sense for us.
2023 · Santa Fe
Disney Hotel Santa Fe was our third hotel. This was our Christmas-season visit, late in 2023; I cannot remember whether we went in October or November.
These were four separate holidays, so I would not turn them into a single “perfect itinerary”. What I can say is that all three hotels worked for getting to the parks, and we had no complaints about any of our stays.
Getting to the parks was easy: all three hotels have free shuttle buses to the Disneyland Paris park entrance area, where you can access both parks. That is a big part of why I would consider any of them again with children. Check the Disney Hotel transport details or Explorers shuttle details for current service times.
Which hotel would I book?
Explorers Hotel
We stayed here on the first trip and came back in 2022. It is the one we have actually chosen twice, which says more than a star rating would. It is a hotel near Disneyland Paris rather than a Disney Hotel.
Disney Hotel Cheyenne
This is the kids’ likely winner. The Toy Story theme gives it that extra bit of Disney feeling before you even get into the parks. It was our base in 2021, when we also made time for the Eiffel Tower.
Disney Hotel Santa Fe
Santa Fe was our choice for the late-2023 trip. We would stay there again too. The Christmas atmosphere in the park is what stands out in the photos from that period: decorations, characters and Main Street glowing at night.
My honest answer
If the prices and room setup were right, I would book any of them again. Cheyenne gets the kids’ vote; Explorers is the one we returned to; Santa Fe completed the set. Compare the total for your own dates rather than assuming one will always be cheapest.
Getting there, and adding a day in Paris
For these trips, we flew direct from Dublin to Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG) with Aer Lingus, then took taxis we had prebooked to our hotels. Once at Disneyland Paris, the Marne-la-Vallée–Chessy station made a day in central Paris possible without a car.
On our 2021 Cheyenne trip we also went into Paris to see the Eiffel Tower. I think we took the train from Marne-la-Vallée–Chessy, beside the Disney Parks, rather than making a separate journey by car.
For anyone who wants to do the same, the straightforward rail route is the RER A from Chessy to Châtelet–Les Halles in central Paris. Disneyland Paris puts that train ride at about 40 minutes. From Châtelet, plan your onward Metro or RER connection for the part of Paris you want to visit; the Eiffel Tower is not at the Châtelet stop. The hotel shuttles also serve the Chessy station area, so you can get there from any of our three hotels. Check the Disneyland Paris rail directions and the day’s service before setting out.
The two park days we like
When we stay in Paris, we usually choose two days with access to both parks — what we call our “2 days, 2 parks Hopper tickets”. We like being able to move between the parks instead of locking ourselves into one park for each day.
With children, that flexibility matters. If Ratatouille is the ride they want again, there is room to go back; if a character moment becomes the highlight, the day can follow that instead. Toy Story and Frozen characters have always been favourites in our house. I would make space for those moments rather than trying to turn the whole visit into a ride checklist.
Check the ticket wording and park access for your dates when you book. The way we did our trips is a useful starting point, not a claim that today’s tickets or schedules are the same.
Would we do it all again?
Yes. Four visits probably answers that one. I would still give us two park days with the freedom to cross between them, keep an eye out for the characters the children love and choose the hotel that suits our dates and room needs. Cheyenne would get a strong push from the kids, but none of our three stays put us off going back.
The photographs are ours, from different trips. We do not have hotel-room photos or old receipts I would trust enough to publish as a price guide, so I am leaving the made-up costs out of it.