By Back in November last year, my best friend and I jumped on a plane to Paris to escape the real world and instead immerse ourselves in all things Disney! I’ve travelled with friends a few times now and I love it. This trip in particular, the friend I travelled with was on my wavelength every step of the way; laughing, joking and having the best time (shoutout to you boo, you’re the best travel companion a girl could wish for!)
As there is just so much to talk about when it comes to Disney, I thought I’d do a ‘mini series’ of Disney blogs, starting with Disneyland Park and all its glory.
A massive part of the Disneyland Park experience is the rides. Of course, there is so much to do if you love Disney but hate rollercoasters, but if theme parks are your thing, they have some great ones. Here’s a list of a few of my favourite rides:
- Star Wars Hyperspace Mountain – I’m not someone that visits theme parks very often. I’ve never been to a theme park in the UK. I think this is because no one in my family likes rollercoasters and so growing up theme parks weren’t somewhere I visited. However, this ride was the first ride we went on and gave me the rollercoaster bug. For me, there was the perfect mix of terror and fun. The fast pace made it all the more exhilarating.
- Buzz Lightyear Laser Blast – this one brought out my competitive side. You get the chance to compete with your travel companion in a laser shoot out. The ride totals the number of targets you hit and you get a score at the end. For any of you with a competitive streak, this one’s for you.
- Big Thunder Mountain – one of the best decisions we made, in my opinion, was to ride this rollercoaster in the dark. It added a new dimension to the experience, with the thrills of the ride intermittently combined with stunning views of the lights across the Park.
- Pirates of the Caribbean – confession for you – if I’m being 100% honest this ride made the list because the ride was paused whilst we were on it, which gave us 10 minutes in a seat. When you’ve been on your feet all day going from one ride to the next (such a hard life), you became very grateful for that time sat down. The extra minutes gained in that seat were a blessing.
As with most parks of its kind, there are always rides that are closed. During our stay, the Indiana Jones ride and Phantom Manor were both closed (sad times). These were two things I was a bit gutted to miss, as they both sounded epic! Maybe it’s an excuse for another visit …
When going to a theme park, queuing comes with the territory. The average wait we experienced was about 60 minutes. If you’re surrounded by good company and you come up with creative ways to entertain yourself, the queuing isn’t too bad.
I have to admit that even in the magical world of Disneyland I had a momentary blip where impatience and being overly hangry set in. We ended up waiting for one ride for 120 minutes … that’s 2 hours! Standing in a queue when you’re hungry and surrounded by people eating, along with a restaurant within touching distance, I think my hangry blip was understandable. To top it all off, a bird chose to poop on my head when we were mid-queue and unable to get to any toilets without losing our spot, which would have made the last hour of our lives pointless. In this situation, I was lucky I had my best friend by my side, as she turned the situation from one where I was annoyed and fed up, to holding my sides in fits of laughter. Moral of this story – always travel with someone who can see the best in any situation – it really helps!
Everyday at Disneyland Park is the Disney Parade. I have memories of watching this parade as a child and being terrified by Captain Hook when I turned around and found him standing about a metre away from my face – enough to terrify almost any child! That’s was the only memory I had from watching the parade before this trip. I can report that this time around there were no characters out to scare me and the whole experience was much more enjoyable! There are such a range of Disney characters and storylines used. As we visited in Winter, the Parade was always on at dusk, so the light from the sunset made the surroundings even more striking.
Disney Princesses in front of the Disney Castle … what more could you ask for? 
Disney sure know how to put on a show
Of course, I can’t write a blog about Disneyland Paris and not write about THE castle. Yes, you guessed right, the Sleeping Beauty Castle. I’ve been to Disneyland Paris four times in my life (your girl over here loves Disney ok), and every time I’ve walked into the park and seen the quaint stores on Main Street with the castle taking centre stage, it hits you just how magical Disney is. Then when night falls, the lights from the Castle light up the whole street, with the lights seen from every angle of the park.
And with nightfall, you get the fireworks display. No ordinary firework show, this is hands down the best fireworks display I have ever watched. Disney characters and stories are illuminated and projected onto the castle front, with your favourite Disney songs playing in the background and fireworks helping to bring the magic to life. Useful Tip: if you want a good view of the show, get to the display early! The crowds build real fast, even in off peak season. Every night of our stay we watched the show from a different aspect. Each time you notice things you didn’t see before. Personally, this was the most magical part of our stay, but what can I say, I’m a sucker for classic Disney and epic fireworks!
So there we have it. A little insight into the world of the Disneyland Park. If you like this blog, and you love a little bit of imagination, click the ‘follow’ button and be the first to know when I release the next Disneyland Paris blog in this mini series. Stay tuned and remember to keep dreaming!
Confessions of a Travelholic 