Sit back, and enjoy this longer than usual blog post. Why? Well, it's going to be a long one, as I've experienced a lot at the beginning of August of this year. And I'll try to be as detailed as possible, and hopefully won't forget any useful bits of information for those that might plan a trip to the most magical place on Earth. You might have seen the name before, or seen the characters that live inside of this wonderful world. It has had a few names over the years, but I call it Disneyland Paris. And even though it's technically speaking NOT in Paris, that should not spoil the fun.
Yes, I have been to Disneyland Paris, but this journey wasn't about me: it was all about my wife, Hayley. As a little kid she always wanted to go to Eurodisney (as it was called back then), but due to circumstances she could not go. Everyone around her had been, but little Hayley had never been. Me on the other hand, had been to Eurodisney. Little after Space Mountain was opened, so around 1995/1996. And the reason might astonish you, but my father actually build the rollercoaster, which goes by the name Star Wars Hyperspace Mountain nowadays. And as a little kid, it was a magical place. But many years later, I cannot recollect me actually going, even though there is photographic evidence. I might have become a bit older, and certain memories just faded.
Hayley has said over the years that Disneyland Paris would be a magical trip. A trip she would like to make. Me, being a very softie on the inside, decided to surprise her. Only a few months ago did I go on Disney's official website, and booked a 3 days surprise. At the beginning of August of this year, 3 days to the park, and 2 nights at the Disney Cheyenne hotel, which is only a few minutes away from the entrance. It did cost a lot of money, but to see your wife smile that much, that's worth more than money.
So she was getting excited, as I had to tell her that a trip to Paris was in the planning. Not to the Olympics, as that has never appealed to me. But a park which has got characters such as Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Goofy, Minnie Mouse, Daisy Duck, and many more. We planned everything as good as we could, but to me it was the excitement to see the wife excited. The days flew by, and the closer we got to the day, she got more excited.
Bags ready, food for the journey (P&O ferry from Dover to Calais), and a few pennies put aside for this magical journey. We ventured into the unknown. The journey to Dover was a standard one, as we've done that one many of times before. But from Calais to Disneyland Paris, that's a journey I had not done before either (when me and my family went in the 90s, we drove from Limburg, The Netherlands).
The only thing I was worried about, were the tolls. There are a few toll roads in France, and you need to calculate your journey accordingly. Make sure you read the rules and regulations when driving in France, and make sure you use the correct lane when entering and leaving the toll road. But it turned to be an easy experience. Roughly 25 euros for one way, which isn't bad at all. And the actual road quality was much better compared to other roads in France. If you pay, you get quality in return.
The closer we got to Disney, the more hectic it became. There were queues to go to Paris for the Olympics, but thankfully we avoided them all. The entrance to the hotel was easy: just a quick check, and opening of the boot. Once done, we got back in, and tried to find a parking spot, which wasn't easy. But we found one, made our way to the reception area, and the whole hotel looked amazing. In the style of the Wild West, and of course I think of Woody immediately. The one behind the counter was very helpful, and got us checked in quickly. And as we were slightly early, they did inform us that the room was ready.
We had a 9 hour journey behind us, so we ventured into our room. Absorbed the room as a whole, and the theming of the room was brilliant. Yes, it was a Woody hotel, and it was lush. Nice and quiet, and a coffee machine was there, for those that wanted a nice coffee in the morning. It was perfect for 2 nights. Oh, and it had a huge ceiling fan, which helped a lot, as it was one of the hottest days of the year. 30+ degrees Celsius.
We took a quick nap of 30 minutes, and then decided it was time to head to the park. A shuttle bus would take us (the journey was around 2 minutes, which we could have walked in hindsight). We arrived at a huge bus station, and walked to the entrance. We could literally smell Disneyland, and Hayley got excited, but was slightly composed, as she didn't know what to expect. A quick check by security, and we entered the main area between the two parks. Pictures were taken (a lot!), and then we walked to the main gate. Obviously we were told to use the app, so our phones were taken out of our pockets, and the wife got in first. Mine was a bit clunky, but once through, we were in Walt Disney's world, a world outside of the US, but with his magic spread throughout.
The first area we walked through, was the Town Square. We were a bit peckish, so we decided to find a place to grab a quick bite. It became a place which sold hot dogs. Well, when in the US, you eat hot dogs. With American mustard, cannot have that cheap European mustard. And that's when I experienced an issue that many have: it's expensive. 2 hot dogs and 2 diet cokes, 28 euros! Without any sides or anything else. That was kind of expensive. But at least you don't go to Disneyland every week. If you do, you must have a very healthy bank account, right?
We then decided to go through the park, and see what was there. And the first thing we noticed wasn't just how amazing it looked, but how clean everything was/is. No litter anywhere. The streets were clean, and that in itself seems to be an amazing feat to achieve. But after absorbing the cleanliness, we ventured further into the park. And the mandatory selfie in front of the castle had to be taken. Even after so many years it still looks impressive, and darn cool.
From that we walked to the Adventureland area, and had a quick look around. But then my urge to go to another rollercoaster my dad build, caused us to walk into Frontierland. And yes, he also build Big Thunder Mountain. But my wife is afraid of rollercoasters, so we decided to go into our first attraction, which wasn't going to be a scary ride. But it was yet another attraction my dad build: Phantom Manor. Still the same as I remembered it, with a few changes made over the years, obviously.
Once done, we walked further into the park, and found the legendary teacups, in Fantasyland. That was fun, and as it was already around 6pm, you could see that the queues in general were getting shorter, but that wasn't an opportunity for me to get the wife onto any rollercoaster: she wasn't ready for them yet. But the one thing we spotted, was ominous clouds emerging. It was hot, but according to our app it wasn't going to rain. Only thunder was to be expected. Thankfully we had ponchos with us, just in case. But at 6:15pm, Hayley made the jump into the deep, and walked to Star Wars Hyperspace Mountain. It was her moment, and as scared as she was, she made my dad very proud. And so was I. She had her eyes closed throughout the ride and she hated every single second of it, but as scared as she was, she had been on it. And we had proof, but it wasn't a flattering image: when you are on the ride, they do take pictures, but I was smiling, and she was holding on for dear life, with her eyes closed. I know she went on it, that's all the evidence you need.
We came out, and decided to get a drink. Expensive, yes, but we were thirsty. At 7pm it started to rain, so we got our ponchos out, but only a few minutes later did it stop. So we walked further, and found the location where they made the legendary Mickey Mouse shaped pizzas. It looked amazing, but was a bit underwhelming. Kind of bland. The only cool element was the shape of the pizza.
Around 9pm I had a quick vape. Thankfully the park has got a few areas for smokers, and please, adhere to those rules. Don't be a idiot and smoke wherever you like. Disney has got you covered, so if you want to smoke, you can. But as we were in the smoking area, the clouds became a bit darker, and we saw the thunder. It flashed every 5 seconds, but no rain, so that was good enough for us. We kept on walking to kill the time, as we wanted to see the magical show later that evening. We walked back to Frontierland, and once done, we went to the main area, in front of the castle, around 10pm.
We found a nice location to sit for 20 minutes, but the sky was getting darker and darker, and the thunder/lightning was looking more scarier than before. 20 past 10 they announced the magical show was to take place, but with some minor changes. You cannot have fireworks and drones flying up in the air, as there was a thunderstorm. Understandable, but disappointing in a way. But this wasn't Disney's fault or anyone's fault. Safety comes first.
It started, and I saw a huge smile on Hayley's face. This is what she had seen before on TV and on YouTube, but now she was there, going to witness it. And it was amazing. Even I felt like a kid again, even though I'm the world youngest oldest miserable sod. Without the fireworks and drones it was still cool, but the God of Thunder was a bit unhappy, so he decided to let it thunder, and literally minutes before the end of the show did the sky open up and it came down like I've never experienced before. Quickly put our ponchos back on, but everyone around us decided that it was time to go. Rain came down, and it slowly started flooding the streets. Not everyone had protective clothing, so they were getting washed away.
It ended, and so did our day at Disneyland Paris. We had to do a short walk to the bus station, but our shoes got soaked. And I'm not kidding. So many people were soaking wet. It was a downer of such an amazing day, but Mother Nature does what she wants. We got back to the station, and everyone felt the same. Back to the hotel, and straight back into our room. Putting our clothes on hangers to dry, and shoes were so wet, we could not use them the next day. Thankfully, just before we left our home in the UK, did I say to the wife that we should have an extra pair of shoes.
The next day we decided to wake up early, but we didn't use the Magic Pass early hour option. We needed to sleep, but we went to the park around 10am. Walked around a lot, and around 11:30am we saw this parade go by, with some of Disney's most famous characters. And boy, did I take some gorgeous pictures. Once the parade was done, we headed to 'Meet Mickey'. He has been Hayley's favourite Disney character, so to actually meet him, that was a dream for her. The queue wasn't that long, but once we were near, her heart was beating faster and faster. We didn't know what was to happen, but we were put into this room, separated from everyone else (which is a nice touch), and there he was, Mickey Mouse! What a legend, and his smile is just intoxicating.
Pictures were taken by a professional, and Mickey was so amazing! My wife didn't let go of him, even though she knows he's got a girlfriend called Minnie. But we left the room, and the biggest smile brightened the room. My wife was happy, and I could tell. Just before the exit was the photo booth, where you could have your pictures printed, so we decided to pick a few. Happy wife equals happy life, and I can tell you, my life couldn't be any happier.
We were close to Alice's Curious Labyrinth, so we went into it, and it was an OK walk. It looked unchanged from when I went many years ago. But Hayley was on a path, a path I had not walked on before: she wanted to meet more characters. And of course the second favourite, is Winnie The Pooh. We met him around 2pm after being in a queue for 40 minutes behind some very noisy and annoying Dutch people (yes, I am Dutch too, but they were annoying).
Her face lit up even more, and he cuddled and signed her book. But as we were near Winnie, we heard a parade. It was about to start. Winnie was done, and that's when we found a nice area near the castle, and looked at the parade (don't quote me on the name of the parade, my mind has gone blank and I forgot what it was called). But it had some catchy music, and of course all the characters came out to dance. And yes, I busted some moves too.
She went crazy, Hayley did. Winnie, and Mickey? Can we meet more? In Discoveryland you could meet another character, Minnie and friends. But which one was it going to be? It turned out it was Clarabelle The Cow. And I can tell you, the queue wasn't even there. But she was the most endearing character of them all. I love Clarabelle. She is so adorable, and she's my favourite Disney character I had met. Signed Hayley's book, and we got out the app again. Can we meet more? Yes, according to the app you could meet characters from Aladdin. We went to Adventureland, and waited for a while.... no show. I know they cancel at any time, but it was a bit disappointing.
Close by was another rollercoaster build by my dad. Big Thunder Mountain. Was Hayley going in? Yes. The queue was the longest we've experienced so far (roughly 40 minutes and 28 degrees Celsius). I had to message my dad, to see if his words could calm the wife down (she does not like rollercoasters, big or small). His words did nothing to sooth her mind, so we just decided to take the hit, and get on it. And will you believe it? Her eyes were open more, and she actually laughed! Toward the end she said ''is this it? I thought it would be longer!''. That means she secretly enjoyed it, what do you think?
We had seen most of Disneyland, and as we had entrance to the other park covered too, we decided to go to Walt Disney Studios Park. Again, it was clean, that was impressive, and it looked more like we were in the United States. It's not as big as Disneyland Paris, but still a nice area to be in. Walking through the Avengers Campus area, we even spotted Loki and Thor. I was desperate to get more adrenalin through my vanes, so I went on the Flight Force. That one was dope. Hayley couldn't do that one. While I was on the ride, she stayed outside, and actually saw Iron Man.
We were hungry, so decided to go to Stark Factory. Looked cool, food was a bit bland. Maybe should have gone to Pym's Kitchen.
When we came out, we saw a few characters of Guardians of the Galaxy doing a little show. Not for us. We noticed that there was a Hero Training Center, so we decided to go into this, not knowing what to expect. You could only enter if you have the app and book a timeslot, but as it was quiet, we were in there rather quickly. What it is, is to meet Spiderman or another Marvel character and have a few pics taken, whilst doing some poses with the character. Yes, that was cool, but we aren't athletic, so we both looked silly. We didn't know who to expect, but were hoping for Iron Man (who doesn't?). We got the Black Widow instead, She was a gorgeous looking lady, and very pleasant. We were like two bags of potatoes, where the Black Widow looked very professional. Obviously had the pictures taken.
Quick vape break near the backside of the Tower Of Terror. and then walked to the World Of Pixar. Of course we went into the Cars ROAD TRIP, which was fun, but a bit boring at the same time. I think that would have been a cooler ride if you were a kid.
Slinky Dog Zigzag spin next. Yes, a ride the wife wasn't scared about. It was for kids. Couldn't add any more comments to this than that.
I was eyeballing the ride next to it. The RC Racer. Hayley didn't go, but I did. And as simple as the ride looks, the feeling it generated was excellent. Loved it. And as we were still in Pixar 'Land'. we decided to get something to eat. Hey, a place that sells Dutch snacks? A frikandel and chips?. Not worth the 8+ euros. And the chips were old. But hey ho. Around 8:30 we walked back to the Avengers area, and walked into the shop, and we bought some stuff.
At 20 past 9 we left the parks, and walked back to the bus station. A quick look at that massive Disney store that takes over your whole view when you leave, we decided to head back to the hotel. Sleep time.
The next day was our last day. Thankfully the hotel allows you to leave your car parked if you are to leave the hotel but still want to stay at the park that day, so we left early, and use the hour before the park actually opens, to see if there were things we wanted to do. But before we left, we tried to see Woody at the hotel, and we got the chance to meet him, and go on a picture with him. The wife even danced with him, which was super awesome.
We entered the park for the third time, and will you believe it? Mickey and Minnie were waving at us from the train station above the entrance. She did blow me a kiss, but don't tell Mickey, as my wife already tried to make a move on him!
The park was empty, which was nice, and then we got someone in our sight: Pluto! No queue, no one waiting. That was a cute moment.
After that we continued to walk through the park. La Cabane Des Robinson was slightly disappointing, and as I've got a fear of heights, it was unpleasant. But I had to suck it up, as the wife went into rollercoaster, and she hates them.
Back to Discoveryland, and we went into Autopia. The queue was longer than usual. We stood there at least an hour. But I told Hayley to drive. Her face was adorable. Her smile could not have been any bigger. She was driving fast though. And sometimes even had her hands off the steering wheel! Reckless driver, that's my Hayley.
Quickly walked through the park, but decided it was time to go, as we had to catch the ferry later that day. We still had time to eat, so we went to Annett's diner, which was a very good experience. Food was OK and the milkshake was OK too.
Back to the hotel for a quick pee, and that's when we went back to Calais, to take the ferry. We both felt happy and excited, but miserable at the same time. We didn't want to leave Disneyland Paris, and we still feel the same this way, a week after we left. The place was as magical as you can imagine, and everyone did their best to make us feel special. From all the cast members to the actual characters. And those that have build the park into the magical kingdom as it is (that's my dad). Everyone that contributes to the legacy of this park is to me, a legend.
The positives were mentioned before, and so were the negatives. It has been my second time after 20+ years, and my wife's first time. And we both have acknowledge that this park is one of the most magical places in the world.
We have already been looking on our next trip back to Paris. We looked at parks in the US, but they are so expensive. We aren't cheapskates (I am), but that's just too much for a few days. Disneyland Paris is enough for us, and it has been a blessing.
With all the bits we purchased from the shops, we are now in a house together surrounded by memories from a few days in Disneyland Paris. And it's magical. It's my wife's favourite place to be, which makes it my favourite place too. As it makes her happy, it makes me happy.
Please do not read into this that my wife isn't happy with me. She certainly is. Well, that's what she tells me daily.
If you ever have the chance to go, you should go. Be prepared, but let Disney take you on a journey through space and time. If this is what Walt Disney imagined his park to be and what it represents, we owe him a lot. Thanks to him, we have got a park.
And yes, we both got a bit sunburnt. That just happens.
And as an added bonus, please see these videos below, taken from the official Disneyland Paris YouTube account. Just to get an idea on what happens at this magical place:
And let's end with probably the best commercial ever made.....
Comments