How to save hundreds on a trip to Disneyland Paris

A trip to Disneyland Paris may be a priceless experience for the kids - but it can cost the parents an awful lot of money.

A long weekend can cost well over a thousand pounds for a family of four, depending on dates and accommodation - which some might think is taking the Mickey.

However, if you can read another European language - or use Google Translate - it's possible to save hundreds of pounds on the cost of a trip.

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The secret is to book not through the British Disneyland website, but through the French, German or Spanish sites instead. These have their own set of special offers, which are often way better than those in the UK.

"I just made a huge saving by booking through Disneylandparis.fr. I booked Davy Crockett Ranch for 2 nights/3 days for three people. Through the UK site it was £825, through the French site €709. That's a massive £285 difference!," one visitor tells MoneySavingExpert.

A separate study by The Sun looking for trips in April found that booking through the UK site for the Newport Bay Club cost £1,715 - while booking through the French site yielded the same break for £1,568 (£147 less). Likewise staying in Disney's Sequia Lodge cost £1,010 through the UK site, and £813 through the German site - a saving of £197. For a trip in July, staying at Disney's Newport Bay Club, the UK site quoted £1,293, and the Spanish site £965 - a saving of £328.

All your documents will be emailed to you - though they'll be in a foreign language.

If you are concerned about booking online, then one option is to call the booking office in each country and ask for someone who speaks English. You can then get them to quote on the holiday price over the phone - to ensure you don't make any mistakes with the translation.

It's worth having a currency exchange calculator open on your web browser while you are on the phone, so you can quickly check an approximate price in pounds for whatever you are quoted. You will be paying in euros, meaning you'll need a cheap way of doing this, such as a specialist overseas credit card.

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Regular Disney guests say it's always worth starting with the special offers on the UK sites, to find the lowest possible price for your trip. The either check the overseas Disney websites, or call their booking number, and see how the price compares.

It's also worth checking out specialist ticket agencies such as Attractiontix and Supertrips, which buy from the parks in bulk and then re-sell them, sometimes at a discount.

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And there are other ways to save money too. Unsurprisingly, going off-season is cheaper; and although the Disney websites offer travel as part of the package, the chances are it'll be cheaper if you organise this yourself.

It's generally less pricey to stay at a nearby hotel rather than one within the site itself; and, even within the park, some places are substantially cheaper than others.

And while many people believe that you're not allowed to take your own food on site, this isn't actually true. In fact, only coolboxes and tables are banned - so bring a blanket and a picnic.