There are some people in this world that stop being obsessed with Disney once they hit puberty and then there are others that are happily infected by the Disney bug for their entire life. I absolutely fall into the latter category, so when my friend B invited me to join him and his Mum and sister to go to Disneyland Paris, I couldn’t say yes quick enough.
I caught the train from Den Haag late on Thursday night and B picked me up from Paris Gare de Nord. We reached our hotel, the Hotel Charma and after a quick introduction to his Mum and sister, got some shut-eye so we could be fresh for a day of Disney. Waking the next morning to miserable, cloudy skies, my excitement waned slightly as my dreams of a sunny Parisian weekend were quickly fading. I didn’t let that bother me for too long and we got ready and headed towards the RER to catch the train to Disneyland. It took about 30 minutes to get there and by the time we reached the gates, the clouds well and truly had opened up and we were in for a very rainy Disney day.
I’ve been to Disneyland in California over six years ago and as we walked into the park, it felt like it was only yesterday. Both Disneylands are set up quite similar, the only major difference being was that everything here was in French! Our first stop was coffee and to organise ourselves so we could see as much as possible, staying as dry as possible. Sucking back the last dregs of our coffee we set out into the downpour to get amongst the happiest place on Earth. We started in the Walt Disney studios, where we got photos with Mickey Mouse, walked through Toy Story Land and were extras in an action movie scene. B and I rode the RC Racer and the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror to warm up and the four of us were shocked by Rock n’ Rollercoaster, which was a lot scarier than it looked!
The one upside to the rain was the short lines for the rides. We waited no longer than 25 minutes the entire day. The studios were mainly focused on the behind the scenes production of Disney movies and it felt like we were actually characters on set with our elaborately designed surroundings.
The rain was showing no sign of letting up so we caved and bought overly priced Disney ponchos and another coffee to warm up before entering the Disneyland Park. It was just as I remembered, divided into five different fairytale lands all as brilliantly constructed as each other. I think the best part about Disneyland is that the whole place is designed to entertain, even the smallest details such as the rubbish bins or the drains are Disney inspired.
We started in Frontierland, where the the wild west inspired village was situated around a small lake, where you could take a riverboat cruise. We headed for the Big Thunder Mountain, which was a runaway train weaving through the Wild West. It was hilariously fun, even in the pouring rain. Afterwards we lined up for the Phantom Manor, which was more tame but incredibly detailed. We continued through to Adventureland, where we walked past Captain Hooks Pirate Ship and took a ride through the Pirates of the Caribbean playground. The best part of Adventureland was the Indiana Jones Temple of Peril. This fast paced roller coaster only went for a minute, but was jam packed with fast turns, sharp stops and one very big loop. B, his Mum and I were struggling to walk in a straight line after that one.
Deciding to take a break from the rain we grabbed some lunch, rested our feet and dried out our clothes for half an hour or so. The food was different to the American Disneyland, where instead of hotdogs and deep fried everything, you could get fries, crepes and bratwurst. By some miracle, the rain stopped so we bolted back outside and enjoyed being able to see clearly. Wandering through Fantasyland (my favourite) we checked out Alice in Wonderland, the famous teacup ride and the ‘It’s a Small World’ ride. This land was typically Disney and I adored it.
We walked over to Sleeping Beauty’s Castle, which was as absolutely gorgeous up close as it was from afar. I was definitely geeking out by this stage. It is the ultimate icon of Disney and the princess inside of me was freaking out.
With the afternoon turning into night, we kept going to Discoveryland where B got his Star Wars fix and we both were blown away by the fast paced and thrilling Space Mountain. Hands down, best ride of Disneyland. The pesky rain was back so we tried our luck at Buzz Lightyears Lazer Blast and walked through the Nautilus.
We took a final walk down the Main Street and had a browse through the shops before deciding to haul our drenched bodies back to our hotel. It was about 9pm and we were well and truly walked and rained out. I was sad to miss the fireworks show, but was so ready for a hot shower. We got back to our hotel and warmed up and passed out pretty much straight away.
I had an absolutely awesome time at Disneyland Paris. Despite the constant rain, it was wonderful to be in the happiest place on Earth 🙂
From the girl who got flustered around Mickey Mouse
J. x
A Blonde and Her Passport 