Discovery Quest: the Disney hotels treasure hunt at Disneyland Paris

Discovery Quest is an interactive treasure hunt, and it’s free, offered at the Disney hotels of Disneyland Paris. Here’s how it works: you answer a string of riddles on your phone to learn the history and little secrets of your hotel as you walk around it. It’s a family activity, handy when you’re taking a break from the parks.

Don’t mix it up with the treasure hunts inside the park (over by Adventure Isle, in Adventureland): Discovery Quest is played only at the hotels.

Discovery Quest is a riddle-based treasure hunt that you play from your phone. Every Disney hotel has a quest of its own, built around that hotel’s theme and story.

The goal isn’t to rush around, it’s to notice the details. A statue, an object sitting in the lobby, a pattern on a wall: anything can turn out to be a clue. As you answer the questions, you start to see why your hotel looks the way it does, where its decor comes from, and which stories hide behind it.

It turns the walk to your room or the wait before dinner into a fun little game, especially with kids. The quest takes you through the inside of the hotel as well as the grounds outside.

Discovery Quest is offered at the official Disney hotels of Disneyland Paris. The partner hotels (located around the park but not run by Disney) don’t have it.

It’s designed for hotel guests: you get your navigation map from the front desk of the hotel you’re staying at. It’s a family activity with no minimum age. Little ones will play with a grown-up’s help, while older kids can hunt on their own.

You don’t pay a cent for Discovery Quest: it’s free. Hotel guests get it as part of their stay, with no extra charge and nothing to reserve beforehand.

The only thing you need is a phone, to scan the QR code and reach the riddles. Request your navigation map at the front desk, and off you go.

Once you finish the quest, a little gift is waiting for you: a cardboard box holding several chocolate coins. It’s a sweet reward for kids (and grown-ups) after cracking every riddle.

It costs nothing, just like the rest of the activity. Remember to ask the front desk how to pick up your box once you’ve completed the quest.

Getting started takes two minutes. Everything begins at your hotel’s front desk.

Each hotel runs a quest of its own, with its own riddles and anecdotes. Below, you’ll find the theme of each one and, where I have a solid one, a sample secret to look out for.

At the Disneyland Hotel, Discovery Quest takes place in the most upscale hotel at Disneyland Paris, right at the gates of Disneyland Park. One detail to look for: the huge chandelier in the lobby weighs 1,200 kg, stands 6 meters tall, and has 447 glass stars plus nearly 12,000 Bohemian crystal pieces. That’s the kind of number you’d never guess just walking underneath it.

At Disney Hotel New York, Discovery Quest is played in a hotel that blends the Marvel universe with contemporary art. Something to notice: the hotel houses over 350 works of art, made by more than 100 artists. The quest has you playing detective in the middle of this gallery.

At Disney Newport Bay Club, Discovery Quest follows the theme of a grand East Coast yacht club, on the shore of Lake Disney. The New England seaside mood, all blues and whites, gives you plenty of details to study in the decor.

At Disney Sequoia Lodge, Discovery Quest plays out in the spirit of the great American national parks, with a forest and mountain theme. One detail to spot: a decorative dam made of branches, a nod to the nature that inspired the hotel.

At Disney Hotel Cheyenne, Discovery Quest takes place in a real little Wild West town, with its own streets and wooden buildings. One detail to look at: the saddlebags hanging by the entrance are actually mailboxes. It’s exactly the kind of wink the quest teaches you to see with fresh eyes.

At Disney Hotel Santa Fe, Discovery Quest is built around the American Southwest desert and the legendary highway across the US, with nods to the movie Cars. A drive-in, desert landscapes, and a road trip mood: there’s more than enough to fill a treasure hunt.

At Disney Davy Crockett Ranch, Discovery Quest happens at a lodging set out in nature, away from the parks, with a pioneer and forest theme. The ranch’s wooded grounds become the playing field, with a feel that’s quite different from the other hotels.

Discovery Quest is just one way to keep busy without stepping out of your hotel. To see everything on offer, head to the activities at the Disney hotels.

And if you still can’t decide where to stay, you can check out all the hotels compared to find the one that fits you.