The Expectation vs Reality of our trip to Disneyland Paris with the Family

I've been to Disneyland Hong Kong in 2014 when I was single and traveling with friends. It was easy for me to ask friends to take photos of me. When I was there, it was fun to see parents with their kids having fun at Disneyland. I told myself that someday when I have my own family, we will go to Disneyland.

When my husband and I were still boyfriend and girlfriend, I showed him my photos of my trip to Hong Kong Disneyland. He actually saw some of my photos on Instagram. One of our discussions is to bring our kids to Disneyland. Even when I was pregnant with our first child, it was already part of the plans. He's been telling me how many times he's been there.

Entrance to Disneyland Paris

Expectation vs Reality

My expectation is to have several photos with the kids and the whole family at Disneyland. Enjoy the rides with the kids.

But the reality is I ended up taking a lot of selfies for myself. I also ended up taking the rides alone. Especially the extreme rides. My husband becomes the babysitter. All the time he was with the kids and I was doing the rides.

What we do is he stays in a restaurant with the kids near the ride I was in. So he gets coca-cola, cold drink water, and some snacks. After I finish the ride, we get some ice cream. I was drinking a lot of coke as well, I forgot how many times we keep on buying it.

30th Anniversary of Disneyland Paris

The perks of living in Paris, when his niece and nephew arrived from Belgium, they got the chance to go there many times. So, my husband let me enjoy the rides as much as I can.

I am glad that he made my dreams come true to go there as a family.

To be honest, it is not easy to go to Disneyland with the kids. Especially, when you have a toddler (2 years old) and a baby (turning 12 months) at the time of traveling.

This trip happened in June 2022. It was summer. It was very hot that day at 34 degrees Celsius. The temperature feels like I was in the Philippines.

Our kids were having tantrums which are very normal. They wanted to sleep, they were thirsty. My toddler wanted to run around.

The front garden at Disneyland Paris, I wasn't able to take photos near there as we were in a hurry

I had limited rides. I actually went on 3 extreme rides. Hyperspace Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain, and Indiana Jones. One chill ride was the Pirates of the Caribbean. I had to wait 40 minutes before I could take the ride.

Later on, the husband was able to take Indiana Jones. So far, it was the sickest ride I had. I felt like my brain was shaking. LOL!

Anyway, someday, when the kids are taller, we can go back to Disneyland Paris so that we can actually enjoy the other rides as a family.

Here's a video of the top thrill rides of Disneyland Paris, a credit video from Disneyland Paris.

Why should you bring babies and toddlers to Disneyland when they can't remember anything?

I have read this question many times in different travel forums. Like some people are suggesting that parents, don't just come to Disneyland or other theme parks as babies or toddlers as they can't remember anything. Although in some discussions, there's a point why it's better not to bring them. But some parents prefer to enjoy it with their kids. Personally, I feel so guilty leaving my kids. I am so attached that I just want to be near them.

Based on my experience, my mother-in-law offered to babysit the kids but I declined. Why? Because I worry that she might suffer. She's old and I don't want her to get tired because of my kids. She has to have body pains already. Changing diapers for my kids won't be easy for her.

Walking at Main Street, Disneyland Paris

Breastfeeding Elise

Wow! I never thought that I could actually breastfeed Elise while queuing our way to Dumbo. It was not very easy. Elise was feeling hot. She was thirsty. She wanted to sleep. So I gave her my milk. Good thing I wasn't that exposed but the other parents were understanding enough that it was fine to breastfeed in public. Well, we were surrounded by kids anyway.

Elise fell asleep in my arms while flying with Dumbo. I don't have a photo as it was very difficult to do so.

Behind me is the Sleeping Beauty Castle

How to calm down a toddler who is having a tantrum?

Alexandre was impatient on our way to Dumbo. So was Elise as she wanted my milk. I was breastfeeding Elise. Alexandre calmed down when he met the two Disney princesses. The parents were behind the girls. We kept on saying Thank You to the girls and to the parents. Alexandre asked for the hand of the girls. The two princesses were so patient to hold his hands. In return, Alexandre gave flowers to the girls. How sweet!

We never got the chance to stay longer at Disneyland Paris for the evening fireworks as we were exhausted already. The mother-in-law called us what time are we going home as she was preparing us for dinner. The kids were also tired and so am I. It takes more than an hour to go home so the kids and I were snoring and having a good sleep inside the car.

Well, that's it! Hoping you will learn something from me based on my experience. I just don't advise single parents or single mamas to go to Disneyland as they won't enjoy it if a single mama is just alone with her baby. Disneyland is expensive, to be honest. So it's better to go there when the family is complete with at least 2 adults. And additional supportive adult friends or relatives who want to join the fun will be much better as they can look after your kids while you doing the rides and then exchange places after.