Off to Paris - Part 6: Disneyland Paris

January 2012, Off to Paris - Part 6: a day at Disneyland Paris.

This stop was planned as the family-friendly part of the Paris trip: the kids would have fun, and the adults could revisit an old memory. Looking back while rewriting this post, the most interesting parts are no longer the old ticket-buying steps. Those are out of date now. What still feels alive is the cold morning that sent us into a gift shop for earmuffs, the fairy-tale rides that felt oddly like haunted houses, the girls' reaction to the Tangled characters, and my repeated failure to remember what roller coasters do to my stomach ~.~'"

At that time, Disneyland Paris had two parks.

Park Disneyland needed no explanation. It was the main theme park. The opening hours I found back then were 10:00 to 18:00.

Park Walt Disney Studios, based on the few blog posts I could find, seemed to gather the shows and movie-production-themed areas. The opening hours I found back then were 10:00 to 19:00.

Hmm. This might also have been the earliest-closing Disney park in the world ~.~'"

AI-added context: This paragraph reflects the author's 2012 trip planning. In current official information, Disneyland Paris is still presented as a two-park destination; the second park is now introduced as Disney Adventure World alongside Disneyland Park. This note is for today's readers checking current information, not part of the author's 2012 memory. (Disneyland Paris: Disney Adventure World)

With limited time and energy, and because Belle was still too young to sit patiently through shows, we chose to revisit Park Disneyland. T.T

Tickets And Getting There

When I was doing research back then, the fastest and cheapest way I found to buy tickets was to go to the official Disneyland Paris website five days before the planned visit and pay by card directly. ^.^

At the time, it really was cheaper than the other channels I had found. We could print the ticket ourselves and use the barcode for Fast Pass. But this kind of information expires quickly. Ticket types, prices, cancellation rules, park reservation requirements, and seasonal conditions all change over time. So this rewritten version is no longer a ticket tutorial. If you are planning a visit today, check the official ticket page, the official park calendar, and the attraction closure list before you go.

AI-added context: The current official ticket pages still include dated ticket options and note that buying in advance may affect pricing. Actual prices, cancellation terms, children's ticket rules, and eligible dates depend on the ticket type and visit date. Use the official page at the time of purchase, not the 2012 screenshots. (Disneyland Paris: Dated Tickets)

As for getting from central Paris to Disneyland Paris:

Find the closest station to your hotel, take RER line A toward Marne-La-Vallée / Chessy, and get off at the eastern Zone 5 terminal station. The travel time I found back then was about 35 minutes.

Get off at the eastern Zone 5 terminal station; the ride takes about 35 minutes.

Once you leave the station, you are there. ^.^

Earmuffs First

I do not know if it was because the park was out in the suburbs or what, but even with the sun out, it suddenly felt really cold that day. @.@'"

The first thing we saw after entering the park was a gift shop, so we bought earmuffs for the kids. That is how family travel works: no matter how carefully you plan, the real first stop is often "the child is cold," "the child is hungry," or "the child needs the bathroom."

A gift shop appeared right after entering the park, so we bought earmuffs for the kids first...

The day's "Disneyland Paris strategy" was simple: circle all the attractions with FP on the map and make sure we did those. Everything else could depend on mood. ^.^

Fantasyland: Fairy Tales With A Haunted-House Mood

The first attraction was Peter Pan's Flight: riding a pirate ship into Neverland.

We came out and happened to run into Captain Hook. @.@'"

Captain Hook outside the Peter Pan attraction.

Then we squeezed in a carousel ride. We waited three minutes, got on, and then sat there for at least five more while the staff corrected passengers who would not stay still. @.@'"

After that came Pinocchio, and then Snow White's "horror story" -- my own nickname for it.

Next came Snow White, which I jokingly nicknamed the scary version...

Do not be fooled by the bright pictures on the outside walls. The little houses in Fantasyland felt, on the inside, every bit as intense as haunted houses. @.@'"

I really could not tell whether they were meant to entertain adults or scare children. ~.~'"

Tangled, And The Home Drama Club

So we went back outside to see if we could find any pretty princesses.

What?! Are you looking at me?

You... you are... Eugene?!

Ha~~ Disney somehow found someone who looked so much like Eugene ^.^

The two girls happened to be obsessed with Tangled around that time. I do not know how many times they had watched it already. They had nearly memorized the dialogue and acted it out at home every day.

For example, if the older sister danced and spun in front of the mirror, then accidentally bumped her foot and cried out in pain, the younger one would immediately run over and start singing: "Flower, gleam and glow... let your power shine... make the clock reverse... bring back what once was..." ~.~'"

Ha~~ I have no idea where Disney found someone who looked so much like Eugene. ^.^

Rapunzel, by comparison, did not look quite as close.

After wandering for a while, we found that the Alice maze garden, the attraction I remembered most from my previous visit, was closed for maintenance. >.<'"

Fine then. We kept walking around.

After walking around for ages, Alice's Curious Labyrinth, the attraction I remembered most from last time, was closed for maintenance >.

Frontierland: Stop Trusting My Stomach

Eventually we entered Frontierland.

Entrance to Frontierland and its Western-themed streetscape.

The last time I rode Big Thunder Mountain, ten years earlier -- back when I was young -- there had been a mechanical problem and the wait was endless. By the time I finally got on, I was too annoyed to find it scary.

This time there was no queue, so I rushed on with Lisa. We even sat in the front row.

There was no line this time, so I rushed in with Lisa...

The painful memory of taking Lisa on Space Mountain at Hong Kong Disneyland in 2010 immediately came back.

Next time, if there is another chance, I will simply drift past this ride quietly. I should look for things that do not make people want to throw up. ~.~'"

Castle, Treehouse, And Dragon

Tarzan's Treehouse.

The Sword in the Stone.

Under the castle there was a dragon lair. This was the dragon that the castles in Hong Kong and Japan did not have.

There is a dragon lair beneath the castle...

AI-added context: The dragon beneath the Disneyland Paris castle is the official attraction La Tanière du Dragon, located in the dungeon beneath Sleeping Beauty Castle. Official descriptions present it as a giant dragon lurking under the castle, one of the distinctive features of the Paris castle. (Disneyland Paris: La Tanière du Dragon)

We went into the gift shop on the castle's first floor. There was also a craftsman making glass ornaments on site.

We browsed the gift shop on the castle ground floor...

Discoveryland: Star Tours

Next we went to Star Tours in Discoveryland.

Entrance to Star Tours in Discoveryland.

This was the most interesting attraction in Disneyland Paris for me, and one that Tokyo and Hong Kong Disneyland did not have at the time. You boarded a spaceship -- a simulator -- and entered outer space to join Star Wars. ^.^

Even the queue area was made to feel very realistic. ^.^

C-3PO and R2D2

In reality, it was basically like Back to the Future at Universal Studios Japan: sitting in a simulator while it shook around. But with the big screen in front and the motion matching each scene, it was genuinely fun. ^.^

The Final Parade

It was almost dark, so we lined up for the final parade.

When we left, we saw crowds heading toward Park Walt Disney Studios. They must have bought one-day, two-park tickets and were trying to squeeze in more before 7:00.

Looks like we bought a one-day, two-park ticket, so we rushed in again before 7:00 to get our money's worth~~

Ending

Honestly, Disneyland Paris felt fairly small, about the size of Hong Kong Disneyland.

But because many of the shows were placed in Studios, it felt less worthwhile in comparison with Hong Kong. And Hong Kong's rides were newer too.

So stop complaining that Hong Kong Disneyland is small. It has what it needs, everything is close together, and small can be good. XD

Friends, do not be too sad if you change your mind and decide you should have saved the money and gone to Hong Kong Disneyland instead.

On the way to Disneyland Paris, one stop before Disney on RER line A, there is VAL D'EUROPE, with a large shopping center and the outlet La Vallée for people who want to shop.

On the train back, we saw a whole group of people carrying bags full of trophies: Camper, Burberry, LV, Gucci, Ferragamo, and more.

Chris's eyes turned red from looking at them. At that moment I quickly pretended to be busy taking care of the kids... I saw nothing. XD

Tired now. Tomorrow, we go back into Paris.

Related Posts

France Travelogue - Champs-Élysées, Paris (2001)

France Travelogue - First Visit to Disneyland Paris (2001)

Hong Kong Travelogue - 2010 Hong Kong Disneyland Family Guide

Hong Kong Travelogue - 2008 Hong Kong Disneyland

Japan Travelogue - Tokyo Disneyland

Japan Travelogue - Universal Studios Japan, Osaka

2012 Off to Paris

Part 1 Itinerary Planning