"My three year old son announced that he wanted to visit Mickey Mouse in his own house and being an indulgent lone parent I immediately booked us a two-night/three day holiday to Disneyland, Paris commencing on 22 April.

I worried about the weather at that time of the year as I had spent a lot of time  travelling to and from Paris with my job and knew the weather could be showery and cool.  However, I off-set this by reassuring myself that slightly showery weather in April would keep large crowds away and keep the queues to a manageable length - essential, given that the average 3-year old boy has difficulty understanding the concept of waiting in line. 

We stayed in the the Newport Bay Club hotel in the Disney Resort.  It was very child friendly in that different Disney characters arrived there at designated times every day to interact with the kids and have photos taken.  There was an special area for colouring and drawing with a constant supply of crayons and colouring pencils in the reception area.  The food was good.  Breakfast was buffet-style with a wide selection.  The hotel itself is in need of a make-over and I believe Disney would not get away with that standard of decor in Florida or California. The t.v in our room did not work properly and there is a very poor selection of channels, but we didn't spend much time there.

It Magic Kingdom is everything it promises to be.  They joy is in experiencing it through the open-mouthed awe-struck amazement of a three year old.  Priceless!  He was too young to go on all the rides but there is still lots and lots for a 3 year old to do and see.  The most popular were Snow White, Buzz Lightyear and Pirates of the Carribean.  My son really believes that this is where Mickey Mouse lives and that pirates walk around all day brandishing their swords.  The parade at 5 pm each day is a spectacle

With a three year old you definitely need a stroller.  We had one 20 minute rain shower in the three days otherwise it was sunny and warm although the evenings were cool.  There are restaurants everywhere but we liked the Rainforest Cafe which is jungle-themed with roaring lions and gorillas and hissing snakes, located in the Disney Village.  Don't worry, there are lots of shops to extract every last euro out of your wallet and even though you might resolve on your first day not to return home with a suitcase full of Disney toys and costumes that light up, hiss, buzz, etc, believe me, by the last day you will be enthusiastically buying everything in sight because you have now become part of 'the Dream' and you don't know when you will be back to get another chance to buy these things.

Almost everyone I spoke to told me my son was too young to appreciate Disneyland he definitely wasn't - he loved it and so did I.  I would like to think we could go again next year because it was a fantastic although expensive short-break.  I can't wait to see how my son absorbs the atmosphere as a 4 year old.

You will find lots of family friendly travel tips and advice in our research and advice section to help you book the right family holiday. Check out also the experiences of other parents and travellers in our parents forum and add your own experiences as we are a great believer in real parent's experiences as the best measure of whether somewhere will suit you for your family holiday. 

Sign up for our free newsletter to be kept updated with all of the latest special offers for family holidays and family travel news. Remember to enter our fantastic competitions which have super prizes and best of all are free.