EUROSTAR has announced it will suspend its direct train from London to Disneyland from June 2023, but it could end up saving tourists money.
Services between London and Disneyland Paris will be scrapped next summer as part of plans put in place earlier this year.
The company aims to focus its services on just the “core routes”.
That means that Brits travelling to the theme park will have to travel on the high speed train via Paris or Lille instead of arriving directly at the park.
The changes will come into effect on June 5, 2023, meaning anyone hoping to travel directly to the park is running out of time to do so.
But I’ve been travelling to the Disneyland station Marne-la-Vallée Chessy for 20 years and have only ever chosen the direct route once.
I normally catch the Eurostar to Gare du Nord and then hop on the RER regional train to Marne-la-Vallée from there.
Although this is a bit more of a faff, you save a lot as tickets start at £39 instead of £69.
Others may consider flying to Charles de Gaulle as a Eurostar alternative, but I think sticking with the train and making a change at Gare du Nord would be cheaper, and also greener.
For example, anyone who fancies celebrating King Charles’ coronation and our extra bank holiday Disneyland, here’s what the different options would cost.
Taking the Eurostar direct from London to Disneyland on Friday, May 5, and returning on Monday, May 8, would cost £325 for one adult and one child.
There’s only one direct trip a day, which means tickets in the cheaper price band rise in price quickly.
A return journey on the Eurostar between London and Paris Gare du Nord would be £194 for an adult and child.
There’s lots more options available on this route too, so you have more control over when you arrive and depart and prices stay lower for longer.
Meanwhile, return flights to Charles de Gaulle for an adult and child would cost between £130 and £150 depending on timing.
However, onward travel to get to Disneyland would cost €23 (£19.70) each way for an adult on the shuttle bus, or €17.50 (£15) each way adult fare on the TGV train.
Reduced child prices are available on both.
Elsewhere, the onward journey on the RER from Gare du Nord to Disneyland is €5 (£4.28) for an adult and half that for a child aged between 4 and 10.
All things considered, I’d say that using Eurostar to get to Paris and then local trains to hit Disneyland trumps the Mickey Mouse route.
There may be no magic wand to get you straight to the Magic Kingdom next summer, but you can still save some money while visiting.
Meanwhile, there’s a secret wristband that lets you jump queues at Disneyland – but there’s a catch.
And these guests ended up getting stuck on the It’s a Small World ride during their Disney trip.
