Solotravel tips

You’ll be very busy at Disneyland Paris, and it is easy to focus all your time and attention on the parks. You’re paying a lot of money, and you want to get your money’s worth and ride everything you can. While I understand that mentality, I also think it is a mistake. Disney Village is well worth a visit. There are a number of shops with unique items you might not easily find inside the parks. This includes a really cool art shop that collectors will love. Disney Village also has a lot of different dining options, and that is the biggest draw of the area. It has quite a few table service restaurants that you don’t need a reservation to eat at. The restaurants at Disney Village are a great option for people who weren’t able to get reservations inside the parks. Even if you’re not interested in the shopping or restaurants, it is still worthwhile to wander through Disney Village. It is a beautiful area with a scenic lake, and you’re able to get away from the hustle and bustle of the parks for a little while. You don’t have to spend much time in Disney Village. Even just 30 to 45 minutes will be enough time to wander through the area and get a sense of the atmosphere and if you want to spend more time there. I didn’t take the time to explore Disney Village the first time I went to Disneyland Paris and regretted it! Learn from my mistakes and be sure to visit Disney Village on your trip.

The shortage of table service restaurants inside the parks means that the quick service restaurants can get painfully busy. The best way to avoid heavy crowds at quick service restaurants is to eat at off-peak times. Peak dining times are between 11:30am and 1:30pm and 5pm and 7pm. You want to avoid dining at these times as much as possible. Plan to have a late lunch or early dinner. You will waste a lot of valuable park time waiting in a long, seemingly never ending queue if you dine during peak hours. I once spent 45 minutes in a queue for pizza at a quick service restaurant, and it was not worth it. The wait times for rides are also slightly shorter during peak dining hours because a lot of guests are at restaurants. This is a great opportunity to get on a few extra rides while the lines are shorter!

It is essential that you download the Disneyland Paris app onto your phone. The app will make your Disneyland Paris trip run so much smoother. The app has everything you need to know about Disneyland Paris. It includes:

• A map of both parks and Disney Village
• Live wait times for attractions
• A list of dining locations and their menus
• Schedule of events including parade, show, and firework times There is free WiFi in the parks, so you’re easily able to access and use the app without having to use your cellular data. PSA: If you’re using the public wifi at Disneyland Paris, be sure to protect yourself from prying eyes with a virtual private network. You don’t want to have your data hacked while enjoying the magic of Disney! I personally swear by Nord VPN. You can connect up to six users with one account, so you can keep the whole family safe with one click! The highlight of the app is undoubtably the live wait times. It is so easy to plan your next attraction when you can easily see how long the queue is without having to walk all the way to the attraction. I highly recommend the Disneyland Paris app to anybody visiting the parks. You may want to download it a few weeks before your trip, so you get used to using it and get a sense of what attractions have the longest wait at various points during the day.

Taxis in Cancun aren’t metered and they’re expensive, but they do all follow a set price, such as 900 pesos ($45) from Playa del Carmen to Cancun’s Hotel Zone. Taxis from Cancun International Airport to the Hotel Zone cost 450 pesos, or $26 if you’re paying in U.S. dollars. Because taxis are so expensive, many travelers opt for local bus transportation, which is reliable, frequent, and inexpensive. Hotels can help travelers know where to get picked up and dropped off, and it typically costs 12 pesos (under $1) to ride between the Hotel Zone and downtown Cancun. After having been banned, the ride-share service Uber is now active in Cancun.

Most restaurants, hotels, and cabs in Cancun accept U.S. dollars, but to avoid an uptick in price, stick to paying in pesos. Plus, you’ll be getting change in pesos, so it’s best to stick to one currency. Converting dollars to pesos at a bank before your trip will give you the best exchange rate, but if you wait until you’re in Cancun, get pesos from an ATM. Exchanging money from a hotel or at an airport vendor often means a worse exchange rate. Credit cards are accepted nearly everywhere except for street vendors and cabs, but you may be paying a foreign transaction fee. Also be sure to alert your bank that you’ll be traveling before your trip to avoid having your card frozen. It’s also wise to bring cash in the event something happens to your debit or credit card.

Hotels run the gamut here, so budget resort-seekers and well-heeled travelers looking to splurge can all find a place to suit their needs. Most value properties and hostels are located in downtown Cancun, while luxury options are largely found in the Hotel Zone or nearby areas such as Playa Mujeres. For an affordable spot, consider the adults-only Oh! The Urban Oasis in downtown or Hostal Mayapan in the Hotel Zone. Good, moderately priced hotels include the all-inclusive Panama Jack Resorts and Westin Resort & Spa, both of which are located along the beach in the Hotel Zone and suitable for families and couples. For over-the-top luxury, Beloved Playa Mujeres and Le Blanc Spa Resort are oceanfront stunners that deliver with stellar rooms and numerous high-end amenities.