How to Survive Disneyland Paris, Part 2
Friday, August 27, 2010 In How to Survive Disneyland Paris, Part 1 I discussed how to prepare for your trip, where to get the cheapest tickets if you're a local, the best way of getting to Disneyland Paris, and the Disney Animal Care Center for your pets. Now for the good stuff!
Pirates of the Caribbean is the best ride, of course.
MANAGING TOUR TIME
My partner-in-crime for the day, Victoria, had her internet ticket printed out, and I had my annual pass voucher, which I had to exchange for an actual passport at the Passport Bureau between Autopia and It’s a Small World (where they check your ID and take your photo for the card…I look happy, if totally dorky). There was a huge line of people buying their passports, by the way, so allow at least a half hour or get there early. If you’re like me, you’ll want to do all of the big rides first. Victoria and I are both Pirates of the Caribbean fans, so we went there first. This is not a FastPass ride because it goes pretty fast (the line, not the ride). Other, like Space Mountain, Thunder Mountain Railroad, Indiana Jones, and Buzz Lightyear all have FastPass machines. You simply go there and use your entrance ticket to obtain a FastPass ticket with a time printed on it. You get to go on the shortcut FastPass line at your designated time with this pass. Don’t lose it, like I did (or you’ll have to look pathetic going through every pocket until they just let you in anyway, which happened to me..er, twice). You’ll have to time the rest of your rides based on the FastPass time slots, but it isn’t too hard to find something to do.
Star Tours is another classic, especially for Star Wars fans.
Each ride is usually 30-60 minutes in and out, depending on the ride, of course. Sometimes when you enter it says “60 minutes from this point” but then it’s only 40 minutes. Shopping and eating can fill in the gaps, as well as looking at the lovely landscape, taking a billion silly photos of yourselves and the Disney characters, and watching the shows and parades that take place every hour. The lines in Fantasyland tend to get smaller after 9pm in the summer when most of the kids are off to bed.
EATING AT DISNEYLAND
Strangely, many of the food carts were closed last week, and aside from restaurants we could only find ice cream, pop corn or cotton candy carts. At one ice cream cart, an Italian woman and her son ordered a popsicle and an ice cream cone. They paid, and when they got their items, prompty returned them….for a refund! Of course we asked the cashier why they returned them. “They said they were too cold.” Even if they were frozen solid, it was at least 80°F, they would have melted. I can’t believe, when there’s a line and the young cashier had to add up everything with a calculator, that they would demand a refund. Bad Disney karma…
Love the Gaudi-inspired patio at the restaurant across from It's a Small World.
Of course, standing in lines with pushy people and screaming babies can make you hungry. I’d recommend eating before you get hungry. If you plan ahead you can even reserve lunch or dinner at one of the table service restaurants. Victoria and I ate at the Blue Lagoon (which is inside the Pirates of the Caribbean ride, very cool), with a table right on the “water”. I had an ostrich steak and lobster claw “Surf & Turf”, and she had a fish fillet and fries. There was almost no one at 5pm, and everyone was very friendly. But What Would Walt Think about those bathrooms? (You know what I’m talking about, Blue Lagoon people). I should mention they have “allergy-free” meals available on request that are specially prepared in a separate location and heated up when ordered. Not very “gourmet”, but perfect for anyone with any kind of major food allergy, from nuts and shellfish to gluten and dairy.
RANDOM OBSERVATIONS
- Victoria and I noticed that the music at Disneyland Paris is very subtle, not always in your face like in Anaheim. We certainly never had the urge to rip hidden speakers out of the walls. If anything, they could have turned it up.
- Another thing we noticed is that there is a huge lack of Phantom Manor (ie Haunted Mansion) souvenirs. There’s one small stand with Nightmare Before Christmas items, but no pins, no mugs or t-shirts…a total lack of schwag. It’s not like they don’t have room over there by the exit!
Some Nightmare Before Christmas paraphernalia.
- And perhaps I’m getting older, but I definitely felt more “rattled” on Space Mountain than before. It was actually headache inducing the way no other ride was (and even though I stuffed my sunglasses pretty far down the front of my shirt, they still managed to get shaken out…sniff). Definitely do not go if you’re feeling frazzled already. Maybe head there first, when you’re still fresh.
- Honey I Shrunk the Audience! has been replaced by the attraction it formerly replaced…yes, Captain EO is back. Now that Michael Jackson isn’t around to embarrass them anymore, they’ve brought back his musical show. No, I didn’t go see it (Star Tours, however, is always cooler than you think it’s going to be, highly recommended).
- If you’re a Halloween fan, they are open until 1:30am on Halloween night; special tickets can be purchased on their site. Frontierland becomes Halloweenland from October 2-November 1.
Walt Disney Studios, right next door to Disneyland.
- There are new Toy Story rides at Walt Disney Studios next door. You need a separate ticket for this, and frankly, you’d better reserve a separate day to see both. I have never seen “all” of one park in one day, so trying to fit in two in one day would be a recipe for unhappiness.
- As you may have noticed, all the links I've placed here go to the French version of the Disney site. Some people are a bit surprised to find that French is the primary language used at Disneyland Paris. Sometimes the names of rides or characters are in English (Buzz Lightyear, Pirates of the Caribbean), and sometimes they're in French (Blanche Neige, Château de la Belle au Bois Dormant). And sometimes, they have identity crisis like Phantom Manor, which isn't the original name nor French. It can be a bit weird, but at least you know you're in France. ;-)
MORE DISNEY PHOTOS
Princess dresses are everywhere...
As are little girls wearing them (this one was doing a dance)
Many signs are in French and English.
Phantom Manor is my second favorite ride.
The brilliance lies in the details at Disneyland.
The Jungle Book float in the parade.
It's a Small World is a classic...
Seeing the scaffolding holding up the ride's facade, however, is not. What Would Walt Think?
A detail from the Château de la Belle au Bois Dormant.
Moments before I lost my sunglasses on Space Mountain: Mission 2.
The last photo...until next time!
SOME DISNEY SITES
Reader Comments (1)