Last week, I was lucky enough to go Disneyland in Paris for three days. I’d been before, a couple of years ago when I’d finished my GCSE’s but this was for my 18th birthday and the new Disney Studios had just opened too. I was VERY excited…I absolutely adore Disney!
My family and me flew from Heathrow on a British Midland flight to Paris. The simplest way to get to Disneyland is actually by Eurostar from Waterloo as this takes you directly to the park. However, there is a regular shuttle bus from Paris airport that comes every now and again. If you plan to fly to Paris, it’s well worth contacting Disney and getting a shuttle bus timetable sent to you…we didn’t know how long we had to wait for a bus as there was no timetable available so we got a taxi which worked out to just a few Euros more than getting the shuttle bus. It wasn’t a long drive to the park…about 45 minutes. Once we arrived, the taxi driver dropped us off at the Hotel New York where we were booked to stay for two nights. However, at check-in, the receptionist asked if we would like to be upgraded to the Disneyland Hotel! He presented it as a ‘Special Offer’ and gave no other reason, he said it wouldn’t cost anymore, so naturally we accepted the upgrade!
The service was excellent…they whisked our bags out of the New York and bundled us into a small minibus with ‘Disneyland’ emblazed on the side. There was no waiting around! Next thing we knew, the Disneyland hotel was in front of us…right by the gates of the park, standing like a pink palace. It was great! Our room wasn’t ready until three in the afternoon and since it was only about ten in the morning, we decided to go into the park for a few hours. We literally stepped out of the swivel doors and we were in the park!**~~THE DISNEYLAND PARK~~**
Whilst Disneyworld in Florida is celebrating Walt Disney’s 100th birthday, Disneyland, Paris, is celebrating 10 years of opening. Sleeping Beauty castle (the centrepiece of the park) was all spruced up with a big ‘10’ on a huge scroll down the front. The first thing you notice about the park is the way everything is themed and detailed. Once you have entered the park, you step on to ‘Main Street USA’ that is basically a huge row of shops, boutiques and a few restaurants. There also an old-style train station which takes you to any of the ‘lands’ within the park. There a really Victorian feel about Main Street USA, it is just like entering a completely new world! Even the road looks the part…nothing looks out of place. Down the street there’s an occasional honk of a horn as a horse drawn carriage passes you or an old car drives past. There a four different ‘lands’ in Disneyland – each has a different theme. Once you have walked down ‘Main Street USA’ you arrive at a place called ‘Central Plaza’ where you can choose which land to go to first.
**~~FRONTIERLAND~~**Frontierland is set in a kind of Wild West way. Everything’s wooden and dusty without being dirty! Everything looks really authentic too. There’s such attention to detail…wherever you go in the park, even the bins and the toilets fit in with the theme. Within Frontierland there’s a big runaway train called ‘Thunder Mountain’. This is one of the rides that feature the ‘Fastpass’ system (explained later!). Also in Frontierland is The Phantom Manor (a ghost house) but this ride often has a large queue because it doesn’t have the fast pass system. That’s about it for actual rides in Frontierland…there’s a children play area and also a place called ‘Critter Coral’ where little kiddies can see animals.
Frontierland is probably my least favourite land because I prefer the theme of the others and there isn’t much to do in Frontierland compared with the others. **~~ADVENTURELAND~~**
Legends, true stories and Disney Movies supposedly inspire Adventureland. There’s another children play area and three bridges link
the whole of Adventureland. There’s a big Pirate Ship in the middle too.The two main rides in this land are…
~Pirates of the Caribbean
This is a boat ride with a couple of small drops. You go round and see lots of pirates basically! Some of the scenes may not be suitable for very small children I would imagine because there’s a lot of skeletons and things. This is one of my favourite rides. Naturally, there’s music all the way round which really completes it. Even when you’re queuing for this ride, it’s all themed and there’s always lots to look at and so the queuing time generally goes quite quickly! You can have your photo taken on this ride that is quite good because usually it’s just the really fast ones. However, all of the photos that I saw were really poor quality. ~Indiana Jones and the Temple of Peril: Backwards!
This is a rollercoaster that goes backwards and upside down! Obviously not suitable for very young children and it does have a height restriction. It’s really fun though and you can have your picture taken on this too!
**~~FANTASYLAND~~**Fantasyland is my favourite land although it is the one most geared up for little kids. Fairy tales inspires it. All the rides in Fantasyland are very gentle and suitable for most children. So if you’re taking a very young family, expect to spend most of your time here! Also, expect to queue for a little longer than in other lands as this is the most popular.
~Blanche-Neige et les Sept Nains
This is a gentle car type ride that takes you through the story of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. ~Pinocchio’s Fantastic Journey
This is exactly the same as Snow White but tells the story of Pinocchio!
~Le Carosel de Lancelot
This is a typical merry-go-round that plays Disney tunes, which fills the whole of Fantasyland!~Peter Pan’s Flight
This is probably the most popular ride in the whole park and it’s well worth getting a Fastpass ticket EARLY because even they disappear quickly! It is a fun ride because you sit in a pirate boat and are taken all over London and into Neverland. Ahhhhh….
~Dumbo the Flying Elephant
This is another extremely popular ride but you just have to queue for this one!~Mad Hatter’s Tea Cups
Prepare to get dizzy!
~”It’s a Small World”
Expect to have this song in your head for your entire stay at Disney! It’s very catchy and a lot of people find these singing dolls VERY annoying! ~Le Pays des Contes de Fees
This is another gentle boat ride that takes you around fairytales. It’s not that good though so if you have to give something a miss…let this be the one! However, if you need a bit of a relax, you might find this quite therapeutic!
~Casey Jr.
This is a mini runaway train really that’s suitable for all ages!**~~DISCOVERYLAND~~**
Discoveryland is all about the future and there are tributes paid to inventors, scientists and authors of science fiction stories from the past centuries. This land is more suitable for older children. When I was there, there were a few attractions that were closed for refurbishment. Even though this was quite annoying, I suppose it’s got to be done sometime!~Le Visionarium
This is a 360-degree time travel adventure that is very cleverly done. It’s well worth seeing, just to see the technology! You stand in a big room and are completely surrounded by huge screens. When the action starts, you can see in front of you, behind you and the sides of you! It really feels like you are in the action.
~Space Mountain
This is another big rollercoaster that uses the Fastpass system. It’s a space travel adventure where you get shot up in the space with a blast of steam and loop the loop around space! Very exciting!~Honey, I Shrunk the Audience
This is a really good 4D show where not only doe everything happen in the 3D but you get sensations like water spraying in your faces and things crawling under your chair! This is a definite attraction to visit!
~Star Tours
Inspired by Star Wars, this is a similar adventure that also takes you through space. You’ll find yourself grabbing on to your chair and feeling like you’re going to crash even though you’re firmly fixed to the floor!**~~THE PARADE~~**
The parade was good…but I have seen better! There’s lot of singing and dancing and amazing floats which wiggle through the whole park at three in the afternoon. Two songs are on the loop…one where the floats all move and the other all the characters take children from the audience to dance with them and gives everyone else an excellent opportunity to take photos! A tip: get to the parade route a good half hour before it starts, it’s well worth it to get a good view!**~~THE ELECTRICAL PARADE AND FIREWORKS~~**
Because the park closed at 8 in the evening, there was no fireworks or electrical parade when I went. In the summer when the park is open till about 10, the firework display is definitely worth watching!One thing I noticed, and this goes for ALL the staff in the resort...the staff are nowhere a near as enthusiastic and happy as the ones in America. In fact, most of them look bored. In thw parade, their waving isn't as excited and their dancing isn't as energetic. It would make a world of different if they put in a little more effort.
**~~FASTPASS!~~**Fastpass is a really excellent system where you put you entry ticket into a machine just outside the ride it’s for. It then issues you with a ticket for a ride, specifying a time for you to come back. Usually it gives you half and hour or an hour to come back so you don’t have to be dead on time. At the time it says, you return to the ride and look for the special entrance. You’ll wait a maximum of about 5 minutes for the ride! Perfect! So no hanging around and you can fit much more into your day!
**~~LANGUAGES~~**English people don’t exactly struggle with the language in Disneyland Paris as most things are presented in English or are said in French first and then English. All the staff speak pretty good English too. In shows, things are usually said in French but headsets are provided so that other European languages can listen. At restaurants, you can get a menu in French or English.
**~~RESTAURANTS~~**Restaurants are good in the park and they are mostly self-service and all have the same menu with a different theme. For example, The Belle Notte pizza restaurant in Fantasyland had the same menu as The Pizza Planet restaurant in Discoveryland. There are always popcorn and hotdog stalls around which all sell drinks. When it gets warm, ice-cream carts appear from nowhere! You’ll never struggle to find something to eat!
In the hotels, restaurants are usually more themed…for example, in the Newport Bay Hotel; the restaurants sell a lot of fish dishes as this hotel has a nautical theme. There’s an array of self-service and table service restaurants in the Disney Village (outside the Parks). You’ll find big restaurants like Planet Hollywood and the Rainforest Café plus places like McDonalds. There’s always something for everyone!
**~~SHOPS~~**Although all the shops in the parks appear to be very different, you’ll usually find that they sell exactly the same stuff! Some shops are big, others are small. It’s definitely worth looking in the shops; they sell ALL SORTS of stuff. Clothes, hats, mugs, pencils, pens, toys, soft toys, keyrings, pictures, photo frames, photo albums…I could go on and on and on! There are literally shops EVERYWHERE! When you get off a ride, there’s a shop…when you exit the park, there’s a shop. You won’t be hunting for a shop for long!
**~~DISNEY STUDIOS~~**The Disney Studios are very new…they only opened in late March. Whereas you need a good couple of days to see everything you want to in the Disneyland Park, you only really need a day in the studios. This is for two reasons, the first being that it isn’t really all that developed yet – there are a lot of attractions but they’ll be adding many more over the next years to come! The second reason is that there is the Fastpass system in the studios too which saves a lot of time! Oh, they need more toilets in the Studios!
The equivalent to Main Street USA in the Studios is a place called Studio 1 where you’ll find lots of shops and restaurants all set on a road in a big city with lots of lights!The attractions are the Studios are dominated by shows. There are three main shows:
~Cinemagique
This is a show that takes you through the last 100 years of movie making. Although it is very well done, younger children might find it a bit boring!~Animagique
This show is more suitable for children as lots of Disney characters appear on stage. It’s almost like seeing a west end show…lots of colour, music and dancing. The star is Donald Duck.
~Moteurs…Action! Stunt Show Spectacular!
This is a car stunt show that is really excellent and completely unmissable. There’s only three shows a day and it’s very popular so queue early! There’s a bit of audience participation as the presenters choose people from the audience to take part in a ‘movie shoot’. You’ll see lots of really amazing stunts, it’s a really good show…one of my favourites!~Armageddon Special Effects
This is about how special effects are created. Once you’ve had a small presentation about how it’s all done…you step into a set where all the effects happen around you. This made a lot of people cry, as it was quite scary! You’ve been warned!
~Rock’n Roller Coaster
Starring Aerosmith (hmmm great) this rollercoaster is set in a recording studio when you’re queuing and then you step in the car which blasts really load music and you ZOOM off straight into a loop REALLY fast with lights flashing! It’s an excellent ride! I loved it! Makes your legs feel all jelly like once you’ve stepped off!~Television Production Tour
The French Disney Channel is actually filmed here and you go on a tour of their actual studios. It’s quite interesting but not all that fun!
~Studio Tram Tour
This is probably the main attraction at the studios. You go and see allsorts of things and visit ‘Catatrophe Canyon’ where you see special effect. I’ve been to the MGM one of these in Florida and it’s much better…this ride needs a lot of work!~The Art of Disney Animation
This is another sit down presentation thing where you see how Disney animators develop their characters and bring them to life. I really enjoyed it because I’m so into Disney…the rest of my family weren’t as enthusiastic about it though!
**~~THE PARKS OVERALL~~**Overall, the parks are excellent. There’s always music playing and things happening around you. You can’t help but be happy in Disney. It’s always immaculately clean and staff are always cleaning up. Everything is so detailed and everything from the toilets to the bins to the signposts looks the part. There’s always bight flowers in big patterns, trees are always trimmed and everything really looks amazing. It’s the most fun place in the world to be…lots of colour and excitement and there really is something for everyone.
**~~THE DISNEY VILLAGE~~**
The Disney Village is mainly the place where you go at night although it is open during the day. It features big restaurants like Planet Hollywood and the Rainforest Café as well as McDonalds and the Sports Bar. Most recently, a restaurant called Café Mickey has opened. There’s a restaurant to suit everyone’s budget. Apart from restaurants, there’s a variety of shops…a huge Disney Store and a Disney Gallery featuring art from Disney. There’s also a (massively overpriced) nightclub called Hurricanes that opens from 11pm to 5am. I went in for a bit but it wasn’t that good and way too expensive. If you’re staying at one of the hotels then it’s free entry. If not, you pay 13 Euros - that is just under a tenner.**~~THE DISNEY HOTELS~~**
There’s a hotel to suit everybody’s budget and needs too! ~Santa Fe
~Sequoia Lodge
~Hotel Cheyenne
~New Port Bay Club
~Hotel New York
~Disneyland Hotel
Each hotel features a shop, a couple of restaurants and a bar and usually a swimming pool. Each has it’s own individual theme too. The closer you are to the actual park, the more you’ll pay. Although all the hotels (except the Davy Crockett Ranch) are within walking distance.
by (96%):
by (4%):
08.12.2007 22:06
I visited a few years ago and had a great time. Maureen x
01.12.2004 23:35
very nice review. but you really didn't like the staff? sob!
30.07.2003 19:14
Dear PerfectlyPink, RDF Television, one of the UK’s leading production companies are making a new holiday series for ITV. We are looking for families who love Eurodisney who can show another family around. If you are passionate about Disneyland Paris and fancy a free all expenses paid family holiday, please call Kim on 0207 013 4589 or email me on kim.boursnell@rdfmedia.com.