My family and I had an opportunity recently to visit the Disneyland Paris Resort for a day on a day trip from Paris. We planned to spend the whole day visiting both parks — Disneyland Park and the Walt Disney Studios. Our last visit to Disneyland Paris was in the spring of 2008, so I thought it would be fun to focus our short visit on new attractions, and attractions that are unique to Disneyland Paris.
We took the RER A from Central Paris using multi-day Paris Visite passes. The passes that we purchased (more information can be found at www.ratp.fr/en/ratp/c_21894/paris-visite/) included Metro fare within Paris and the RER to both Marne la Vallee (the stop for Disneyland Paris) and to Versailles on another day. The Paris Visite passes also got us a 20% discount on 1 day, 2 park tickets at Disneyland.
We started our day at the Walt Disney Studios.
The park’s newest attractions are located in the Toon Studio section of the park, in an area called “Toy Story Playland.”
The whole area is themed around toys from the Toy Story movies, and includes three attractions: the Toy Soldiers Parachute Drop
The Slinky Dog Zig Zag Spin
RC (as in Radio-Controlled) Racer
The resort was CROWDED (the wait for this ride was actually closer to an hour),
so this was the only one of these rides that we actually rode. It was a lot of fun, and was similar to those big boats at amusement parks that swing back and forth, and basically make your stomach float up into your throat.
We also rode my absolutely FAVORITE ride at DLP: Crush’s Coaster!
There was a very long wait for this ride, as well. There is no FastPass, so if you want to ride, there is no other choice than to wait. The ride vehicles look like clam shells, and are set up in a similar manner to those for Toy Story Mania at Disney World, with two people on each side, facing away from each other. The coaster is mostly inside a building, as you fly through Australia’s Humboldt Current, spinning unexpectedly as well as going up and down as on a traditional coaster. I have never laughed harder in my life as on the first time I rode this ride.
After lunch, we rode the Studio Tram Tour, a very pared-down version of the attraction at Disney World’s Hollywood Studios (without the special effects pre-show)
then headed over to Disneyland Park.
The resort is having a “Festival of Magic Moments” celebration, which I think includes some new shows and character meet and greet opportunities, but unfortunately we never saw anything related to this.
At Disneyland Park, we passed Sleeping Beauty Castle (one of the prettiest of all of the parks, in my opinion)
then headed straight for Discoveryland, which is Disneyland Paris’ version of Tomorrowland. I love the Jules Verne theming!
We grabbed Fast Passes for Space Mountain: Mission 2, then went over to stand in line for Star Tours. When we were in Disney World last month, we got a chance to ride the new Star Tours, so it was fun to ride the “old” version here, even if most of the dialogue was in French!
Finally, it was back to Space Mountain. I think that the best way to describe this version is that it is a combination of the indoor, dark Space Mountain, with a bit of the Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster thrown in.
We then swung through Fantasyland, riding “it’s a small world” (with a unique section devoted to America)
then heading for Le Pays des Contes de Fees, one of my favorite rides at Disneyland Paris. This ride is similar to the Storybook Land Canal Boats at Disneyland in California, but has a faster-loading ride system, so the lines don’t get so long.
We left Fantasyland and walked over to Adventureland, then Frontierland. By this time the crowds were so large (90 minute wait for Pirates!) that we only rode one more ride, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Peril, which is a roller coaster, not a ride similar to the Indiana Jones and Adventure at Disneyland or Dinosaur at the Animal Kingdom.
I wish we had had time for some of my other favorites at Disneyland Paris
but jet lag was setting in, and our group was ready to head back to Paris. Another time perhaps . . .
I love the DLP photos! We were in Paris the end of May. We too took the subway which drops you off right within ten feet of the entrance to the Parks which was a great start. Your trip is so similar that my Son had planned out all the rides that are solely in Paris so that we did all those first. It is is a smaller version of Orlando, but just as Magical. Sadly I must admit I was the person SCRREEAMMING on the Crush Coaster! We could not stop screaming and laughting. We literally walked right onto the Priates, probably since it was the end of May. Both my 20 year old, and my husband turn into very tall “kids” when we walk thru the Disney turnstyles! Maybe some day we will be lucky enough to go back! We traveled from Chicago.
Hi Rebecca,
I don’t think that you will have any language issues. Most signs and announcements are in both French and English, and as there are lots of Spanish guests, Spanish as well. Just beware of the popcorn! If the sign on the cart says “Sucre” the popcorn will be sweet, not salty. We’ve been fooled by that on more than one occasion!
Heather and Andrea, I hope that you enjoy your trips! (And Heather, I am VERY jealous that you are going to Tokyo. Those are the only parks that I haven’t visited yet!!)
Alice
Thank you!! This blog made me even more excited for my trip to Paris in less than a month. We’ve never been to Europe before and have 3 days to spend in Disney. We are used to Disneyworld in Orlando and have been once a year for the last 10 years, so it is interesting to hear the differences and similarities between Disneyworld and Disneyland Paris!
Thanks for your review of the new things at DLP. I can’t wait for my first visit to this park–planned for 2014, after a trip to DL Tokyo in 2013.
Alice,
Thank you so, so much for writing about Disneyland Paris! I LOVE hearing about the other Disney parks around the world, and hope to get to all of them some day. But I worry about the language barrier. Do you ever have a problem ordering food, or finding your way around? Thanks again! =)