We Drove Over 900 Miles for One Day at Disneyland Paris... Was It Worth It?
Sometimes the best adventures start with the worst ideas.
When I suggested to my husband that we should drive from South Wales to Disneyland Paris for a day, I honestly didn't think it would happen.
In fact, I was fully expecting him to laugh at me. To be fair, he did.
It was Thursday evening, and I'd somehow convinced myself that driving to Dover, catching a ferry to France, driving through the night, spending one full day at Disneyland Paris, then turning around and driving all the way home again was a perfectly reasonable way to spend a weekend. Brodie looked at me, laughed, and very sensibly said no.
And honestly?
I agreed with him. It was a ridiculous idea. Not because I didn't think it would be fun, but because even I could admit it was going to be exhausting. He'd already worked a full week, he'd have to finish work on Friday evening before we even set off, and we'd somehow need to survive nearly two days with little more than a few power naps. So I let it go.
Or at least I tried to.
Then, at about 12 o'clock on Friday afternoon, my phone buzzed.
"Have you booked it yet?"
I stared at the message for a second, convinced he'd accidentally texted the wrong person.
"What do you mean?" I replied.
"Book it. We're going."
That was all the encouragement I needed. Within a couple of hours, I'd booked our ferry through Direct Ferries using my travel business, checked that we both still had our passports (always a good start!), thrown a few essentials into a backpack and spent the rest of the afternoon wondering whether we'd completely lost the plot. One thing I hadn't really accounted for was all the last-minute admin that comes with driving in France. I had to make a very quick trip to Halfords to pick up a French driving kit, which cost around £30 and included essentials like a warning triangle, UK sticker, headlight beam deflectors and a few other bits that are legally required when driving in France. On top of that, I needed to double-check that our car insurance covered EU driving and make sure we packed both our insurance certificate and the vehicle log book. With less than a day to organise everything, it definitely felt a little stressful at the time, but once I actually looked into it, it was all surprisingly straightforward. If you're planning a road trip to France yourself, it's well worth checking these things in advance so you're not rushing around quite as much as I was!
By 7:30pm, Brodie was home from work. He had just enough time for a quick shower, a change of clothes and something to eat before we climbed into the car at 8pm and pointed it towards Dover.
Just like that, our ridiculous little idea had become reality.
Chasing Disney
I think one of the reasons this trip felt so exciting was because it was completely spontaneous. Nowadays, holidays usually involve months of planning. You compare hotels, spend hours reading reviews, watch YouTube vlogs, create colour-coded spreadsheets and count down the days until departure.
This wasn't like that at all. Less than twenty-four hours earlier, we weren't even going. Now we were driving down the motorway with Disney playlists on, snacks in the centre console and enough excitement to completely outweigh the fact that we'd voluntarily signed ourselves up for one of the most tiring weekends of our lives.
One of the lovely perks of working as a travel agent is that I earn commission back on my own holidays because I book them through my travel business. It doesn't magically make them free, but it does take some of the sting out of spontaneous bookings like this and makes saying yes a little easier.
Ironically, we also thought we'd discovered a really clever way of saving money. Driving looked much cheaper than flying.
At least... it did on paper.
We'll come back to that.
The Ferry Fiasco
After several hours on the road, we finally arrived in Dover and boarded our late-night ferry to Calais. The crossing was due to take around one hour and forty minutes, and our plan was simple: get as much rest as possible before tackling the drive through France.
That plan lasted about ten minutes.
When we drove onto the ferry, we didn't notice any signs saying you weren't allowed to stay in your car during the crossing. Brodie was exhausted after work, so he decided he'd stay in the car for a nap while I headed upstairs to find somewhere to sit. Seemed sensible enough.
I wandered upstairs, found a seat and settled in. A few minutes later my phone rang.
"Emily..."
"Yeah?"
"Every car alarm down here is going off... and all the doors are locked."
As it turns out, you're definitely not allowed to stay on the vehicle deck during the crossing. Nobody had actually told us. The staircases had all been shut off, so I had to find a member of staff who then escorted me through what felt like a maze of industrial doors to rescue my stranded husband from the car deck.
Looking back now, it's absolutely hilarious. At the time, it was mostly confusing.
I'm still convinced there should have been a sign somewhere. Once we'd reunited upstairs, we discovered another problem. The ferry was absolutely heaving.
Because it was an overnight crossing, almost everybody had the same idea we did: sleep.
People had stretched themselves across benches, claimed entire tables as makeshift beds, and were even lying on the floor wrapped in blankets. It felt less like a ferry and more like a giant sleepover where nobody actually knew each other. Finding somewhere to sit became a challenge in itself.
There was a small duty-free shop and a couple of cafés on board, but apart from that there wasn't much to do except wait. I did have a look around the duty-free shop because, well, it's practically a legal requirement when you're on a ferry. The wine and spirits were surprisingly good value, but everything else was pretty much what you'd expect. It wasn't exactly the bargain shopping experience I'd imagined.
Eventually, France appeared on the horizon, and before we knew it we were driving off the ferry and beginning the next leg of the journey.
Through the Night
If you've never driven through France in the middle of the night, let me paint you a picture. It's dark. Very dark.
The roads are incredibly quiet, and after a while every motorway starts to look exactly the same. For the first couple of hours, we were absolutely fine. We chatted, listened to music and laughed about how ridiculous the whole situation was.
At some point, though, the excitement wore off and reality started to creep in. We'd been awake for a long time already, and we still had hours of driving ahead of us. So we made a promise to each other before we even got tired. The second either of us felt too sleepy to drive, we'd stop.
No pushing through.
No trying to be heroes.
No pretending we were fine when we weren't.
Every now and then we'd pull into a service station, recline the seats, set an alarm for thirty minutes and have a proper power nap before getting back on the road. It wasn't glamorous, and I'm fairly sure my neck still hasn't forgiven me, but those little naps made all the difference.
Looking back, I'm really proud that we prioritised safety over sticking to a schedule. Disney wasn't going anywhere, and getting there safely was far more important than arriving thirty minutes earlier. As the sun slowly began to rise over northern France, something amazing happened.
The tiredness started to disappear. Not because we'd suddenly had enough sleep, we definitely hadn't. but because we knew we were getting close. After driving through the night, we finally arrived at Disneyland Paris at around 9:30am French time.
And the second we caught our first glimpse of the Disneyland Hotel...
Every single mile suddenly felt worth it.
Walking Through the Gates
I don't think I'll ever forget the feeling of arriving at Disneyland Paris after being awake all night. The funny thing is, I expected to feel exhausted. I'd convinced myself that by the time we got there I'd be dragging my feet, surviving purely on caffeine and stubbornness. Instead, the complete opposite happened.
The moment we drove into the resort, it was like somebody had flicked a switch.
Suddenly I wasn't tired anymore. I was just... happy. Properly, overwhelmingly happy. There may even have been a few happy tears.
If you've ever been to Disney after waiting a long time, you'll probably understand exactly what I mean. It's that feeling where you spot the Disneyland Hotel, hear the music for the first time and suddenly remember why you put yourself through the journey in the first place.
We'd made it.
Somehow.
After driving from South Wales, crossing the English Channel and driving through France overnight, we were actually standing outside Disneyland Paris. At that point, the lack of sleep didn't matter anymore.
First Stop: Disney Adventure World
Originally, we'd only booked tickets for one park, so naturally we headed straight into Disney Adventure World. It's funny because I'd fully intended to vlog the entire day. I had visions of beautifully cinematic footage, talking to the camera, showing every ride and documenting every moment.
That didn't happen. I was just too excited.
I kept forgetting to film because I was too busy looking around. I think that's probably the biggest compliment I can give the park.
Sometimes people get so focused on capturing every moment that they forget to actually experience it. Looking back through my camera roll afterwards, I realised I had loads of little clips, but they were completely random. Half a queue here, a snack there, a ride vehicle somewhere else.
Normally that would annoy me. This time, I didn't really care.
It meant I'd spent more time actually enjoying the day.
Our first ride was Ratatouille, mainly because it only had a twenty-five-minute wait. It felt like the perfect way to start the day, and I still think it's one of Disney's most underrated attractions. It's such a clever ride, and even though I'd experienced it before, I couldn't stop smiling. One thing that really surprised both of us throughout the day was how quiet the parks felt.
We visited in August. During the school holidays. The weather was around 27 or 28 degrees with brilliant sunshine all day.
By all accounts, we were expecting absolute chaos. Instead, it felt... manageable.
Yes, there were queues, but nothing like we'd prepared ourselves for. We never felt like we were fighting through crowds or constantly waiting an hour and a half for every attraction. It actually made the whole day feel much more relaxed than we'd imagined.
Exploring the New Frozen Land
One of the places I was most excited to see was World of Frozen. I'd seen photographs online, watched videos and tried not to spoil too much for myself, but nothing really compares to seeing it in person.
It's beautiful.
The mountain dominates the skyline, the architecture is stunning, and the whole area feels incredibly immersive. Disney has become so good at making you forget you're inside a theme park, and this land is another brilliant example of that. Naturally, we headed straight for the Frozen ride.
Like a lot of people, I assumed it would basically be identical to Frozen Ever After in EPCOT at Walt Disney World. I couldn't have been more wrong. Without giving too much away, there are a few extra surprises, the pacing feels better, and there are a couple of moments that genuinely caught us off guard. We both came off saying exactly the same thing.
"I actually think that's better than Orlando."
I wasn't expecting to say that.
The Ride We Weren't Sure We'd Be Able to Do
Another highlight of the day was RC Racer. Now, if you've ever travelled to a Disney park with someone tall, broad or generally built like a rugby player, you'll know there's always that little moment before every ride where you wonder...
"...are we actually going to fit?"
Brodie is six foot two and, in his own words, has "a bit of a belly." We'd both looked at RC Racer and quietly thought there was a good chance it wasn't going to happen. Thankfully, we were completely wrong. He fitted absolutely fine, and seeing the grin on his face as we flew backwards and forwards made it one of my favourite memories of the day. It sounds silly, but those little moments matter. Nobody wants to spend their holiday worrying about whether they'll fit on attractions, so it was lovely to discover it wasn't an issue.
We also managed Cars Road Trip, Tower of Terror and Avengers Assemble: Flight Force, which I thought was a brilliant replacement for Rock 'n' Roller Coaster. It was fast, smooth and surprisingly comfortable, even if I did spend most of it screaming.
The One Thing We'd Skip Next Time
By lunchtime we'd worked up quite an appetite, so we decided to try Pym Kitchen. I'd heard loads of good things about it beforehand, and because we were only there for one day, we wanted to treat ourselves. If I'm being completely honest, though, it probably ended up being the biggest disappointment of the day.
The food itself wasn't bad. In fact, some of it was really nice. But for the price, I expected a little bit more. The biggest surprise was discovering that unlimited soft drinks weren't actually included. For a buffet at Disney prices, that felt like a strange decision, especially when there are so many fantastic quick-service restaurants across the resort offering really good food for less money.
Would we eat there again?
Probably not.
Not because it was awful. Just because there are so many better-value options. That's one of the things I love about visiting Disney parks regularly. Every trip teaches you something new. You quickly discover which restaurants become traditions and which ones were nice to try once but probably don't need repeating.
If you're planning your own trip, I'd personally save the money and spend it elsewhere. Maybe on another snack... Or, as we did later that day, on something even better.
The Best €30 We Spent All Day
As much as we were enjoying Disney Adventure World, there was one thought sitting in the back of both our minds all afternoon. We really wanted to go into Disneyland Park. When we'd booked the trip, we'd only bought tickets for one park. At the time it made sense because we were trying to keep costs down, and we weren't even sure how much energy we'd have after driving through the night.
But as the day went on, we realised something. We hadn't come all this way to miss half of Disneyland Paris. So we headed over to the ticket office and upgraded our tickets to include both parks. It cost us an extra €30 each, and honestly, it was probably the best money we spent all day.
One of the things I love most about Disney holidays is that every decision comes down to what matters most to you. We could have spent that money on souvenirs. A pair of ears. A Spirit Jersey. Another popcorn bucket that definitely wouldn't fit in our kitchen cupboards.
Instead, we bought ourselves more memories.
I didn't come home with a cuddly toy or a mug. I came home having spent the evening wandering through Sleeping Beauty Castle with my favourite person.
I'll choose that every single time.
Getting Completely Lost...
It's been around ten years since I last visited Disneyland Paris. In my head, I thought I remembered the layout really well.
I was wrong.
The second we walked through the gates of Disneyland Park, my brain automatically switched into Walt Disney World mode. "Fantasyland is this way." It wasn't. "I know where Pirates is." I didn't. "I'm sure this path goes..." Nope.
If you've spent a lot of time in Magic Kingdom in Florida, Disneyland Paris feels strangely familiar but completely different all at the same time. There were moments where we'd confidently head off in one direction only to realise we had absolutely no idea where we were. Oddly enough, that ended up being one of my favourite parts of the day.
Instead of rushing from attraction to attraction with a carefully planned route, we simply wandered. We found little corners we'd forgotten about. Stopped to admire details we'd probably have walked past otherwise. Sat on benches just to take everything in.
Sometimes I think Disney adults get so obsessed with ticking rides off a list that we forget to actually look around us. Disneyland Paris is absolutely beautiful.
Not just because of the castle, but because every little corner has been designed with so much care.
Pirates of the Caribbean Never Disappoints
If someone asked me to choose just one favourite attraction from the entire trip, it would have to be Pirates of the Caribbean. I don't know what it is about that ride.
Maybe it's the music.
Maybe it's the smell.
Maybe it's the nostalgia.
Whatever it is, I could happily ride it over and over again and never get bored.
Disney attractions have this incredible ability to transport you somewhere else for ten minutes, and Pirates does that better than almost any other ride. One minute you're standing in the French sunshine. The next you're sailing through caves with cannon fire echoing around you.
It's brilliant.
We also made our way onto Phantom Manor, which remains one of my favourite versions of the Haunted Mansion story anywhere in the world. It's darker, a little creepier, and has its own unique backstory that makes it feel completely different from the versions in America.
Star Tours was another must-do for us because it's one of those attractions that's different almost every time you ride it, and It's a Small World was exactly the cheerful, colourful break we needed in the middle of an incredibly busy day.
Disney Snacks Are a Very Important Part of Any Holiday
Let's be honest. Half the reason any of us go to Disney is for the snacks. I don't make the rules.
One of my favourite things I tried all day was a Toy Story-themed macaron. It was almost too cute to eat. Almost.
It tasted just as good as it looked and was definitely one of the highlights of the day. We also tried the Mickey-shaped chocolate-filled beignet, which I'd been really looking forward to. Maybe my expectations were just too high, but it didn't quite live up to them.
When I hear the word "beignet," I think of something light, fluffy and pillowy. This felt much closer to a doughnut. It wasn't bad. It just wasn't quite what I'd imagined. If you're only buying one sweet treat, I'd definitely recommend the macaron instead.
Then We Looked at the Time...
One of the strangest things about this trip was how normal it started to feel. By the afternoon we'd almost forgotten we'd driven through the night to get there. We were just another couple wandering around Disney, deciding what to ride next and debating whether we had time for one more snack.
Then one of us looked at the time. 10:00 pm wasn't far away. Suddenly we remembered what was waiting for us. We still had to drive all the way back across France.
It's funny how your brain works. When you're in Disney, everything else disappears. Bills don't exist. Work doesn't exist. The twelve-hour drive home definitely doesn't exist. Then all of a sudden reality taps you on the shoulder and reminds you that your car is still sitting in the car park waiting for you.
As much as neither of us wanted to leave, we knew we had to.
At around 10:30pm we reluctantly made our way back to the car, said goodbye to Disneyland Paris and started what would easily become the hardest part of the entire weekend.
The Drive That Felt Never-Ending
I'll be honest. The drive to Disneyland was nowhere near as difficult as the drive home. On the way there, excitement had carried us. Every mile felt like progress. Every motorway sign meant we were getting closer to Disney.
On the way back, it was the complete opposite.
Every mile was taking us further away. The adrenaline had completely worn off. The lack of sleep had finally caught up with us, and both of us were absolutely exhausted. I don't think I've ever appreciated motorway service stations more than I did that night. Every time one appeared, we'd pull in, recline our seats, set an alarm for thirty minutes and sleep.
Then we'd wake up, and keep going.
Looking back now, I'm really glad we did. No holiday is worth putting yourself or anyone else at risk, and those little power naps genuinely made all the difference. There was one point where the headlights from oncoming traffic felt so bright that it was becoming difficult to concentrate properly. That was our cue to stop immediately.
The schedule didn't matter anymore. Getting home safely did. It's probably the biggest piece of advice I'd give anyone thinking about attempting a trip like this.
If you're tired, stop.
Disney will still be there next time. Your safety is far more important than sticking to an itinerary.
Was It Actually Worth It?
Now for the question everyone has been asking us since we got home.
Was it worth driving over 900 miles, surviving on thirty-minute power naps and spending almost two full days awake just for one day at Disneyland Paris?
Honestly?
Yes.
But... with a few important caveats. Would I recommend driving through the night both ways with no hotel? Absolutely not. Could you do it? Yes. Should you? Probably not.
If I were planning this trip again, I'd either fly or book at least one night's accommodation somewhere nearby. Even one proper night's sleep would completely transform the experience and let you enjoy the journey as much as the destination.
One of the biggest surprises for us was actually the cost. Before we left, driving looked like the obvious budget-friendly option. The ferry was only £79, so we were feeling pretty pleased with ourselves.
Then reality kicked in.
Fuel came to around £160.
French tolls were €25 each way.
Parking was another €30.
We upgraded our tickets to both parks for €30 each because once we were there, there was no way we were missing Disneyland Park.
Suddenly, what we'd thought was the cheaper option wasn't looking so cheap anymore. In fact, by the time we'd added everything up, flying would probably have worked out cheaper, or at the very least, around the same price.
It's one of those things that's so easy to overlook when you're planning a trip yourself. You compare the headline prices and think you've found a bargain, but it's the hidden costs that often catch you out. As someone who works in travel, it's actually been a really valuable lesson because it's exactly the sort of thing I can now help my clients avoid. Sometimes the cheapest-looking option isn't actually the cheapest once you've factored everything in.
The Best Souvenir We Brought Home
One thing we didn't spend money on was souvenirs. No Spirit Jerseys. No Mickey ears. No mugs that would end up squeezed into an already overflowing kitchen cupboard.
Instead, we spent our extra money upgrading to both parks. And honestly, I wouldn't change that decision for the world. When I look back on this trip, I won't remember not buying another pair of Minnie ears. I'll remember standing in front of Sleeping Beauty Castle after deciding less than twenty-four hours earlier that we were going to Disneyland Paris. I'll remember laughing because Brodie accidentally got himself trapped on the ferry. I'll remember wondering whether he'd fit on RC Racer, and then watching him come off grinning from ear to ear. I'll remember getting completely lost because I kept assuming Disneyland Paris was laid out like Magic Kingdom. I'll remember the Toy Story macaron, the sunshine, Pirates of the Caribbean and the feeling of walking around Disney with absolutely nowhere else we needed to be.
Those are the things that last.
We Slept for Twelve Hours...
After leaving Disneyland Paris at around 10:30pm, driving back across France, catching the ferry to Dover and making the final journey home to South Wales, we eventually walked through our front door at around 10am on Sunday morning. I don't even remember taking my shoes off. We went straight upstairs, climbed into bed and slept for around twelve hours. I don't think either of us moved.
Looking back now, it's easy to laugh about just how ridiculous the whole weekend was.
Because it was ridiculous.
It was tiring. It was expensive in ways we hadn't expected. There were moments during the drive home where we questioned every life choice that had led us there.
But there were also moments that reminded me exactly why I love travelling.
Sometimes the best adventures aren't the perfectly planned ones with colour-coded itineraries and months of preparation. Sometimes they're the ones that begin with a ridiculous idea on a Thursday evening and a text message on Friday lunchtime saying, "Have you booked it yet?"
Those are often the stories you end up telling for years.
Would We Do It Again?
The honest answer? Not like this.
Next time we'd either fly or stay overnight. But would we book another spontaneous trip to Disneyland Paris? Without hesitation.
Because despite the lack of sleep, despite the motorway service station power naps, despite the hidden costs and despite spending over forty-eight hours on the move, it gave us something that's very difficult to put a price on.
It reminded us that adventure doesn't always have to wait. Sometimes you don't need months to plan the perfect holiday.
Sometimes all you need is someone willing to say, "Let's do it."
Planning Your Own Disneyland Paris Adventure?
If reading this has made you want to visit Disneyland Paris, but perhaps with a little more sleep than we had! I'd love to help.
As a travel agent, I can help you compare the real costs of driving, flying and the Eurotunnel, recommend hotels to suit your budget, find the best ticket options and make sure you're getting genuine value for money. Better yet, I've now made a few of the mistakes myself, so you don't have to.
Whether you're dreaming of a spontaneous weekend away, a magical family holiday or your very first Disney adventure, I'd love to help you plan a trip with a little extra cwtch.
And if your partner ever texts you, "Have you booked it yet?"...
...my advice is simple.
Say yes.
Just maybe book a hotel as well. 💜
