Disneyland Paris!

Tony and I got up early on Friday to catch RER out from downtown Paris to Disneyland. I'd grown up going to Disneyland in Anaheim, so I am curious and anxious to see what Disneyland Paris would look like.

We grabbed a quick croissant and a Coffee at the corner cafe and we were on our way.









I had done enough research to learn that the best way to get there was by train and this really did prove to be pretty painless, once we figured out how to buy the tickets and where to go. If only we spoke French. The train drops you off right at the front entrance - BRILLIANT!

We thought that the park would open at 8:30 in the summer like back home, but it turned out that it didn't open until 10am, so we hung out in front of the park waiting for Matthew and his Mom. Once they arrived, Matthew showed his employee ID (he works for Disney Studios), and we got in for free.

There was a surreal moment when we walked under the archway and emerged onto Main Street USA. It was a little like being transported halfway around the planet back to my home town.

It was weird to see something I know so well, and yet it is in such a different location. After being in a foreign country for a year now, it was comforting to see such a powerful reminder of home and familiarity.

Ever since we'd decided to go to Disneyland, I kept wondering if they would have Mickey Mouse shaped Croissants. They didn't, but instead they had Mickey Mouse shaped chocolate filled Brioches.

Delicious. . .


Our first stop was under the castle to see the Animatronic dragon I'd heard so much about. It really was a nice dark and scary creature - loud and breathing smoke when it got angry.

Our next stop was Space Mountain 2 in Discoveryland (Tomorrowland). It was magnificent and a perfect adaptation to a French theme by incorporating a Jules Verne'esque theme throughout. They even managed to put in a bit of 1800's whimsy by having the launch into space being done through a cannon.



We were all like big kids anxiously waiting in line for our time to get shot out of the cannon and launched into our imaginary trip to a comet and back.






The attraction is far better than the one in Disneyland as it features both a loop and a barrel roll. There are a lot more projections and a greater sense of depth to the attraction. It was AWESOME.

Parked right next to Space Mountain is an almost Full Sized NAUTILUS. I'm a huge 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea fan, and I'd read up on this attraction. It is based on a similar attraction that was at Disneyland Anaheim when it opened.



They have recreations of the sets from the film, including the main lounge and the Squid attacking the large iris viewport.
It was great to walk through these beautiful sets and feel what it would be like to be on the Nautilus. They really did an excellent job on it.

They have another salute to the French in the full-sized Hyperion Airship from Island at the Top of the World. It is another beautiful reconstruction, and is exactly as I remember it from the film. It was another great design.

We also went on the Buzz Lightyear shooting ride. It was fun, but I scored the lowest of anyone in our car. Matthew's 89 year old mother did better. My gun must have been bad . . .

From Discoveryland, we ventured through the castle into Fantasyland, which bares a remarkable resemblance to the Disneyland I know and love.

From there we journeyed to Adventureland to go on Pirates of the Carribean. It is similar to the Pirates I know, but with some fun additions. The french don't feel the need to be as politically correct as the Americans nowadays, so they have kept many of the more baudy bits that have been softened in LA.

We broke for lunch in Acraba and had a Lion King themed meal. Lots of fried food. We later discovered that it looks like the better food would have been found at the Chicken rotisserie in Fantasyland. . .

Next time. . . And there will have to be a next time.

We then headed down to check out the Haunted Mansion, which looks very different from the one back home. It reminds me a lot of the Psycho house from the Alfred Hitchcock film. Even the stairs leading up to the house follow a similar layout.

A lot of the narration is the same, but it is (of course) in French. The dis-embodied fortune teller is bilingual as is the little ghost the says goodbye at the end. It is as great an attraction as the one back home.









A completely different ride from Disneyland LA is the Indiana Jones Temple of Peril Rollercoaster. Though short, it is a lot of fun and has a loop. Both Tony and I gave it a big thumbs up. It is sort of like the mine car chase in Temple of Doom.

One of my favorite Disney rides is Thunder Mountain. I've loved this ride at each of the parks I've visited, and Disneyland Paris is no exception.

It is really cool as the majority of the ride is on an island across from the entry to the ride. When you go on it, you immediately drop down under the river and emerge over on the island where you begin your assent for the roller coaster. At the end of the ride, you dive back down under the river and emerge back at the main shore. It is a really awesome ride, and I loved it.

We also visited the Disney Studios Park next door to Disneyland. it was okay, but I wouldn't recommend it as a separate admission. We went on the Hollywood Tower of Terror, which was a lot of fun, but there just isn't that much there yet. They are building more, and it will be a nice park with some more time.

The Downtown Disney area was where we chose to eat for dinner. There is a Planet Hollywood and a Rainforest Cafe as well as the coolest McDonalds building I've ever seen. We chose to eat at Rainforest Cafe, and we had a fun prix fix meal.

As nighttime finally began to descent upon Disneyland, we lined Mainstreet for a fantasy parade (very reminiscent of Fantasmic, but with no water), and the fireworks show. It was a lovely way to end a fantastic day.

When the park closed at 10pm, we simply walked to the RER station just outside the gate, and took the easy 40 minute ride back to central Paris. It was great day!