Disneyland Paris for Disabled
Disneyland Paris is a magical place suitable for everyone. If you or a loved one live with a chronic or invisible illness, disability, or reduced mobility, you might wonder if Disneyland Paris facilities and Parks are easily accessible.
Well, you will be overjoyed to know that guests with disabilities or special needs can visit Disneyland Paris safely and without giving up on fun!
I visited Disneyland Paris with my lovely nephew, who is five years old and is on the autism spectrum. Although he is autonomous for his age, he has some trouble with lights and sounds and could never stand in line for 1.5 hours for an attraction.
We didn’t find any Disneyland Paris autism pass, but luckily for us, we could request a Priority Card – Disneyland Paris’ disability pass free for all guests with a registered disability.
Overall, our Disneyland Paris experience was great, but it required a lot of reading and planning beforehand. I put together the following guide to share with you all about Disneyland Paris’ Disability Pass and Service and my top tips from first-hand experience.
About Disneyland Paris’ Accessibility Service #MagicALL
Disneyland Paris is committed to providing a magical experience to all guests, which is why they implemented a set of disability services under the name “MagicALL.” In sum, MagicALL is Disneyland Paris’ approach to accessibility to empower those with disabilities and special needs to enjoy their time at Disneyland Paris.
The collection of offerings and services provided for disabled guests or guests with special needs is well-rounded and covers every inch of one’s experience.
- The MagicALL approach guarantees facilitated accessibility in and around Disneyland Paris, including the Park, hotels, restaurants, and theaters.
- There are designated viewing areas in the theaters and outdoor parades and skip-the-line access to all the attractions.
- Guests will also have discounted tickets for themselves and their escorts and can consult accessibility plans and guides at any time.
Disneyland Paris’ accessibility assistance comes in the form of cards: the Easy Card Disneyland Paris and the Disneyland Paris Priority Card.
Disneyland Paris’ Easy Access Card is for those with a long-term chronic illness, while the Priority Card Disneyland Paris is for those registered disabled.
This article is focused on the Priority Card, as it is the card that we used during our visit.
Disneyland Paris’ Priority Card and How to Get It
The Disneyland Paris Priority Card is Disneyland Paris’ priority pass for disabled people. It provides simple and almost immediate access to attractions for those having a recognized disability.
Disneyland Paris’ disability pass is free to request and must be used with a Disneyland Paris ticket.
The advantages of the Priority Card don’t involve only the disabled guest but also the people visiting Disneyland Paris with them. Besides allowing priority admissions to attractions for the guest and four other people, it also gives discounts on entrance tickets and shows for the disabled guest and one other person.
The Priority Card Disneyland Paris also allows access to designated viewing areas for shows and parades, not only for the disabled guest but also for 2 of their escorts.
How to Get the Disneyland Paris’ Disability Pass
The Priority Card is a physical card that must be requested online no less than one month before your visit.
You will need to compile the online form with the exact date of your visit and basic personal information and upload the ID picture of the disabled guest and proof of their officially recognized disability.
Depending on the country of residence, you might be required to add multiple records. Before submitting the form, you will also need to add information about the guest’s level of autonomy.
After filling in the form, you will get a confirmation email with all the details to pick up the card on the day of your visit.
You can use the Priority Card up to 7 days after the registered date.
Where to Get your Disneyland Paris Priority Card
Disneyland Paris’ Priority Card is a physical card. To get the Priority Card, you must show the Park staff some information. In particular, you are required to present the Card’s request confirmation email, an ID, and the official disability card of the disabled guest – all originals, not copies.
There are several points where you can retrieve your Disneyland Paris priority pass: at the reception or concierge desk of your Disneyland hotel and the ticket offices at the entrance to the Parks.
Remember, the Disneyland staff needs to see the disabled guest to issue the Priority Card. The Priority Card comes with a couple of booklets with all the information about Disneyland Paris’ Accessibility Service #MagicALL that I recommend reading before the visit.
Take it Easy and Book a Hotel at Disneyland Paris
Depending on the guest, visiting Disneyland Paris on a day trip from Paris (or somewhere else) can be too much.
We found it a good idea to book a Disneyland Hotel for our Disneyland trip (connected rooms available upon request). We arrived the afternoon before the first day in the Parks so my nephew could rest well after the journey and have more time to find his bearings in this new environment. He even met Goofy at the hotel reception! Also, we could do the Priority Card pickup process on the hotel’s desktop with no rush.
Disneyland Paris hotels are well connected to the Parks with free shuttle buses. The shuttle bus station is in front of the train station, and there’s a bus stop for each Disneyland Hotel. The journey from the hotels to the Parks is 5 minutes by shuttle bus.
Remember that Disneyland hotel guests get a Magic Pass to access the Parks and enjoy the attractions one hour before the general opening. This may sound less interesting if you have the Disneyland Paris Priority Card, but we all appreciated this first hour without crowds.
While waiting for the big day in the Parks, Disneyland Village has many themed restaurants, shops, and a pleasant area around a lake to walk that you can access even without having tickets to the Parks.
Get Disneyland Paris Disabled Ticket Prices with the Disneyland Paris’ Priority Card
Does Disneyland offer discounts for disabled guests? The Priority Card has an incredible array of advantages, including a 25% discount on the Disneyland Paris ticket price for the disabled guest plus one escort.
To have the discounted entrance tickets, you will have to buy them on-site, on the same day you visit the Park, upon showing the staff your Priority Card. It is not possible to get this special discount online in advance.
Before entering Disneyland Paris, there’s a Security Checkpoint, which is common for Disneyland Paris and Walt Disney Studios. Here, your day bags will be scanned. The Security Checkpoint has no priority or skip-the-line access for Priority Card holders.
After the security check, cross the Fantasia Gardens direction to the Disneyland Hotel and walk to the ticket boxes on the left of the Park’s main entrance (Relation Visiteurs /Guest Relations). If you do not have the Priority Card, this is also the place to issue it.
Here, you must show the staff the Priority Card to get the Disneyland Paris discounted tickets. Again, the staff needs to see the disabled guest to issue the discounted tickets to the Park.
Note that these ticket boxes only sell tickets for the day. So if you want to visit the Park for two days in a row, you will have to go through the buying ticket process twice, the first for day one and the second the next day.
GOOD TO KNOW: Disneyland Paris has a quota of visitors per day, so if you are visiting Disneyland Paris with more people, buying the rest of the Disneyland Paris tickets online in advance is a good idea. Disabled guests and their escorts will have guaranteed access to the Park, but the rest of your group might find the “sold out” panel if you wait to buy the tickets on the same day! Because we were a group of six, we bought the tickets for four people (two days) online in advance and the discounted tickets for my nephew + the escort on the day.
Get (Almost) Immediate Access to the Attractions with the Disneyland Paris Priority Pass
The Priority Card Disneyland Paris is a fantastic asset to have as it allows the disabled guest plus up to four people with them to access a dedicated entrance for guests at the majority of the attractions.
This entrance is easy to spot, as it is usually marked with a wheelchair or a special sign.
TIP: Note that for the Phantom Manor attraction (Frontierland), the special access is for people in a wheelchair, and they will skip the introduction of the attraction. If this is not your case, head to the staff at the main entrance and show them the Priority Card to get immediate access to the entire attraction.
For the most part, you can access attractions immediately when the Priority Card is shown in the proper line. However, sometimes you might need to stay in line if the attraction is really busy or many families have the Priority Card. In this case, each group with a Priority Card will enter the attraction with every second regular group. This only happened to us once, and we only had to wait 5 minutes.
TIP: for our visit to Disneyland Paris, I found it very handy to put the Priority Card in an old badge holder so I could wear it around the neck and show it to the staff quickly.
Another thing to remember is that depending on the disability or the level of autonomy, the disabled guest might not be able to access certain attractions for safety reasons. The Parks’ staff can refuse access to certain attractions after checking your Priority Card, as it has a sticker of a certain color that gives this information. We had a green sticker that allowed us to go everywhere (our only limit was my nephew’s height in certain attractions).
To know which attractions have restricted access and don’t allow service animals, consult the Disney Paris Accessibility Maps (handed to you with the Priority Card) before or during your visit. You can also see this information in the Disneyland Paris App, on the list of Disneyland rides. The Disneyland Paris App can be downloaded for free.
TIP: Some Disneyland Attractions are very noisy. Bring earplugs for people on the spectrum.
“Front Row” Viewing Areas with the Priority Card
Another perk of having a Disneyland Paris Priority Card is that you get front-row seats or spots at shows and parades. There are always dedicated viewing areas delimited by cords that are fantastic viewing spots so that no one will miss a thing.
You will have to show the Priority Card to the staff at the show location, and they will let the disabled guest and two escorts in, so they can enjoy the show in comfort and safety. For me, seeing my nephew shaking hands with Goofy during the parade was priceless!
Priority Card & Disneyland Paris Restaurants
You might then wonder if the Priority Card gives you some sort of advantage when it comes to having a meal inside the Parks. Unfortunately, the Disability Pass Disneyland Paris does not give any priority to booking restaurants.
However, if there is a specific restaurant you want to go to, but there is a long queue, you can try to show the staff the Priority Card, and perhaps they will let you skip the line.
All the Disneyland Paris restaurants with table service are wheelchair-accessible and welcome guide dogs. If you have any special requirements, mention them to the staff’s eatery upon arrival (and show the Card), and they will gladly accommodate you. You can also try to ask for a table in a quiet corner.
