Are you visiting Disneyland Paris on Christmas Day and looking for tips to make the most of your day? In this guide we will tell you how busy Disneyland Paris is on Christmas day and if and where to get a Disneyland Paris Christmas dinner and what to do to make your day special.
Visiting Disneyland Paris on Christmas Day Tips
Disneyland Paris Christmas Day / Visiting Disneyland Paris is December – Disneyland Paris at Christmas
Is Disneyland Paris open Christmas day?
The first thing you need to know if you are thinking about visiting Disneyland Paris at Christmas and for the 25th December is whether or not Disneyland Paris is open on Christmas Day.
The good news is that Disneyland Paris is open 365 Days of the year meaning that Disneyland Paris is in fact open on Christmas Day.
So now you know that it is open you may be wondering whether or not it is crowded on Christmas Day
Is Disneyland Paris busy on Christmas day?
The truth is that Disneyland Paris is in fact very busy on Christmas Day. Disneyland Paris in December is a very busy month at the parks and in fact the Christmas week at Disneyland Paris is peak season and one of the busiest weeks of the year. This includes Christmas Day.
In France, the French celebrate Christmas Eve more than Christmas Day. Therefore Christmas Eve tends to be a quieter day in the parks than Christmas Day.
If you are visiting on Christmas Day and want to beat the crowds our tips are:
- stay on site so you get early magic hours to beat the crowds coming from off site.
- go in the morning – crowds tend to swell in the afternoon. By comparison the morning is quieter, I think the reason for this is that many people take a leisurely breakfast and are busy opening their presents in the morning which delays people entering the parks.
For more information on the best time to visit Disneyland Paris check out this post.
Best place to stay in Disneyland Paris for Christmas Day
Best Disneyland Paris Hotels for Toddlers / Best Disneyland Paris Hotels for Families
As I mentioned above, one way to beat the crowds in Disneyland Paris on Christmas day is by using Early Magic Hours (currently only available in the Disneyland Park not the Walt Disney Studios Park).
The only people who can get Early Magic Hours are the ones staying at on-site Disneyland Paris hotels – you can read about our favourite Disneyland Paris for families here.
If you aren’t visiting Disneyland Paris on a budget we recommend staying on site for this reason and to see the beautiful decorations in the hotel and use other hotel amenities if you want to escape the cold weather – for instance some of the hotels have pools which are a great retreat from cold weather.
Are the rooms decorated for Christmas in Disneyland Paris?
The hotels at Disneyland Paris are beautifully decorated but are individual rooms decorated for Christmas?
Unfortunately Disney Christmas decorations in Disneyland Paris hotels do not extend into guest rooms, only in the public areas.
There is a service available to get your room specially decorated but this comes at a premium.
Therefore if you are traveling to Disneyland Paris with toddlers or would simply like to get get up on Christmas morning in a room that is festively decorated we recommend taking a few bits and bobs with you that could be used to decorate your room.
What to Wear to Disneyland Paris on Christmas Day
If you are wondering what to wear to Disneyland Paris on Christmas Day, I would say the most important thing is that you dress for the weather.
Disneyland Paris in December is notoriously cold especially if you are visiting Disneyland Paris on a rainy day or on a day that is very windy.
Therefore the key to dressing for Christmas Day at Disneyland Paris is layers, layers and more layers.
We personally enjoy wearing festive jumpers on Christmas day. Bonus points if you can find a great Disney themed Christmas jumper.
Click here to shop Disney themed Christmas jumpers
Visiting Disneyland Paris is December – what to wear to Disneyland Paris in December
On top of that whenever we are visiting Disneyland Paris at Christmas we always bring the following with us to help combat the cold:
- Warm coats
- Hat, scarf and gloves
- Thermals
- Waterproofs
- Waterproof shoes – there is nothing worse than walking around the parks with wet feet.
Is it likely to snow at Disneyland Paris on Christmas Day?
Christmas at Disneyland Paris / Disneyland Paris Christmas Day
When putting together your what to wear to Disneyland Paris on Christmas day packing list the biggest factor is of course the weather.
There is nothing like a white Christmas. And I know it would make a lot of people’s day to have snow at Disneyland Paris on Christmas Day but how likely is it for you you get snow at Disneyland Paris on Christmas day?
The answer I am afraid is not very likely. Snow falling naturally on Christmas day in Disneyland Paris is a very rare occurrence.
However if you want to get some snow on Christmas Day then we recommend heading to Main Street during the parade as they usually have some fake falling there.
Note: you may get rain in Disneyland Paris on Christmas day. To make sure it doesn’t rain on your parade check out our post for visiting Disneyland Paris in the rain tips.
Can you meet Santa at Disneyland Paris on Christmas Day?
Unfortunately you can not meet Santa at Disneyland Paris on Christmas day. After a busy night delivering presents Santa needs to head back to the North Pole.
If you want to meet Santa at Disneyland Paris during the Christmas season then you need to go between the opening of the Enchanted Christmas Season and the 24th December. Christmas Eve at Disneyland Paris is the last day you can meet Santa in the park until next year.
Does Disneyland Paris do anything special on Christmas Day?
The Christmas Season at Disneyland Paris runs from early November to early January each year.
For the 2022/2023 season the Disneyland Paris Enchanted Christmas runs from 12th November 2022 to 8th January 2023. During this period there will be beautiful Disney Christmas decorations throughout the park, special festive themed shows and entertainment, festive snacks and meet and greets with classic characters in festive attire. However does Disneyland Paris do anything special on Christmas Day itself?
The answer is no, there is nothing special on Christmas day at Disneyland Paris. There is just the regular Christmas season festivities.
For information on visiting Disneyland Paris during other days during the Christmas season check out these posts:
- Visiting Disneyland Paris in November
- Visiting Disneyland Paris in December
- Visiting Disneyland Paris in January Tips
Where can you get a Disneyland Paris Christmas dinner?
Now we know what to expect from the park on Christmas day then next question we get asked a lot is where can you get a Disneyland Paris Christmas dinner?
The truth is that you can not get a traditional Christmas dinner at Disneyland Paris. There is no where in the parks where you can get a traditional turkey Christmas dinner or a ham one for the American readers.
So where should you eat on Christmas day at Disneyland Paris? We recommend trying to book some character dining.
Character dining restaurants at Disneyland Paris open for booking 60 days prior to departure. Character dining is always notoriously hard to book at Disneyland Paris especially if you want to dine at Auberge de Cendrillon where you can eat amongst the princesses.
For more tips on how to book character dining at Disneyland Paris check out this post. Or if you aren’t looking for a fancy Christmas dinner then check out our favourite cheap places to eat in Disneyland Paris.
Outside of the park, we recommend heading to the Disney village to grab some food. For Christmas Day the place we would head to is King Ludwig’s Castle as here you can get meat and cranberry sauce which at least resembles Christmas dinner a little.
Best Things to do at Disneyland Paris on Christmas Day
Watch the Parade From Main Street
Parades are one of our favourite things to do in Disneyland Paris. We love that there is a special festive parade in the park where the characters are in their Christmas attire.
But our favourite thing is to watch this parade from Main street. The reason for this is because there is snow during the parade for those that watching on Main Street.
For more general Disneyland Paris top tips and tricks click here
Watch the Festive Shows
Disneyland Paris has lots of Festive Shows around both the Disneyland Park and Walt Disney Studios Park. Depending on the year will depend on what shows are available. Check on the Disneyland Paris app for more details.
Meet the characters in their Christmas outfits
Meeting the characters has to be at the top of any Disneyland Paris bucket list and this is especially true when visiting Disneyland Paris on Christmas day because many of the characters will be in their festive attire. It is the perfect thing to do on Christmas day in the parks in my opinion
For the best questions to ask Disney characters like the classics check out our post.
Do character dining
As there is no Christmas dinner available at Disneyland Paris, we recommend doing character dining for a more special Christmas day meal in the park.
Please note: these are not walk up restaurants and you need to be sure to book 60 days before Christmas.
And if you are vegan at Disneyland Paris then check out this guide which includes seasonal offerings.
Eat some festive snacks
One of the things I love about visiting Disneyland Paris for special seasons like Christmas or Halloween is the special themed food they have.
Christmas has some of the best themed food and drink in my opinion with special Christmas donuts and hot chocolate.
Best souvenirs to buy at Disneyland Paris on Christmas Day?
Whenever we travel we buy a Christmas ornament as we love having a travel themed Christmas tree and Disney is a great place to pick up a Christmas Ornament or Souvenir.
Disneyland Paris has a Christmas shop open 365 days a year but it is extra special buying an ornament on Christmas day.
The shop is called La Boutique du Chateau and is themed like a medieval boutique and has some of the most beautiful glass ornaments you have ever seen.
Is Disneyland Paris on Christmas Day worth it?
Disneyland Paris at Christmas / Disneyland Paris Christmas Day
So after reading that is Disneyland Paris on Christmas worth it? I would say it depends on what you want from a Christmas day. If you want to wake up in a decorated room, and have a Christmas dinner then spending the day at the park may not be for you. In these instances you would be better traveling to Disneyland Paris on Christmas Eve or arrive to Disneyland Paris on Boxing Day instead.
However if those things don’t matter to you and you want to have a Disney day eating Disney food, seeing the characters in their festive clothes, watching the parade and you don’t mind Disneyland Paris being crowded on Christmas Day then it may be the perfect way for you to spend Christmas.
Have you been to Disneyland Paris for Christmas Day? We’d love to hear your opinions in the comments below.