You have never been in Disneyland Paris? You’d like to go there? Or, you have never thought you could be interested in a theme park ? Neither me. But I went, and I will tell you some simple observations. So, you could decide yes or no, you will go to Disneyland Paris.
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Disneyland Paris the Park
More than 14 million visitors per year. It is a different world, a fantasy world. One has the impression of really being in a fairy tale. Everything is well made. One believes to be “inside” a Disney cartoon. The setting is beautiful, the images magnificent.
For me, as an adult, it is most of all the setting, the beauty, rather than the attractions themselves.
A different world. Simply magical!
I had never been to Disneyland. And to be frank, I did not plan to go there straight away because my children are still little and I was told that we needed to wait for them to grow a bit.
Yet I will tell you one thing: at Mickey (Mouse)’s, or at Disney – call it as you wish, it is great!
I do not know how to talk about an adventure in a theme park. I am not really a theme park person. Hence I will use the “question – answer” structure to do so. The questions are those that I would have asked myself as Alex, a mother of 2 children aged 2 and a half and 4 and a half years old, and who is not necessarily a fan of Disney characters.
But before that, did you know?
- Disney decided to create the first theme park to spend time together with his daughter and because he would get bored in the existing parks.
- Mickey, the little mouse, was born in 1929. It is therefore 87 years old!
- Walt Disney himself “lent” his voice to Mickey Mouse for the first time.
- The first animated feature film created by Walt Disney was “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs”
- More than 500 km of pages were used to draw this first animated film!
- The historic attraction of the park in Paris is “It’s a small world” or the World of Dolls. It was created to talk about friendship among the peoples.
- Frozen is a Disney animated feature film that has grossed the most until now: more than 1.2 billion US dollars
Well, that’s it. I will start the “questions – answers” section. I would like though to point out that I only went there once and that I do not claim to know the place perfectly. The regulars are asked not to hold it against me ;).
Questions – answers game
Is it any good?
Yes! It is super! Not only for the little ones but also for the adults. Moreover, I was surprised to see that the park was visited by as many children as adults.
The children (including mine) believe that the characters exist in real life and that they are not just actors. This is very sweet.
Which age for the children?
I reckon that this depends on the children.
My children were 2 and a half years and 4 and a half years old. These are normal kids, neither dare-devil nor too cowardly, and they have the sizes of children their respective age. They had glorious fun!!! They did nearly all the attractions of the 1st park (the bigger and more visited) with me as their companion. They even did the Phantom Manor… 🙂 .
It is certainly true that with time they will not recall their visit yet there are photos for that. And if they want, they can go again.
Is it expensive?
Yes. But it is worth it. And if one buys entry tickets in advance, one can get better deals that on the spot: for example on the Disneyland Paris website or else search on promotion websites.
1 or 2 days?
If the stay is organized beforehand, I suppose that 1 day is enough. In fact, the attractions can be done in less than that yet there are long queues. As for me, in 2 days I managed to take full advantage.
I was not organized. I discovered the map of the park on site. Besides, I waited for a long time to take pictures with certain characters.
In 2 days, I managed to do all attractions, some several times, see the parade twice and attend twice the Frozen show. What a program! 
It’s a small world may well be the oldest attraction yet I find it the best, the prettiest. Evidently my children do too, because they wanted to return to it 4 times ! 😉
Where to stay?
I suppose that this depends on the budget.
There is a good selection of hotels at the park. I do not know their rates and it is not the subject of the article. The only thing that I can say is that it is convenient: one can enter and exit the park several times during the day and go for example to rest for a bit in the room.
There is equally more accommodation on offer outside the park including in the neighboring towns, either at hotels or in apartments. One can find for any budget. The park though is easily accessible by the RER train and I believe that certain accommodations / hotels offer a shuttle service to the park.
Is it tiring?
Yes. It is tiring: the crowds, the noise, the new impressions. All this is tiring. Yet it is indeed a brilliant experience.
One (or more) tip(s) ?
Go and have fun!
Well, apart from that, plan your visit in advance if possible. It is worth knowing, at least, if you can do everything in the time limit you have at your disposal. There is also a program that changes regularly and this may be of interest. We managed to attend the Frozen show, it was superb.
Go watch the Parade at the end of the day. It is very pretty and one sees all the Disney characters of the park walk past.
Parade Winnie & friends Disneyland Paris – alextrends
