As a life-long Disney fan, one of my ultimate dreams was to visit Disneyland Paris. This year, I got to full-fill that dream; spending one day getting to zoom around on some rides between Disneyland Park, and Walt Disney Studios Park.
If you’re coming from the U.S., purchasing the tickets is simple and easy, and you can do so right from Disneyland Paris’ website. We got the one-day, two park ticket. Since we only had one day, we also opted for the Disney Premier Access Ultimate, to ensure that we got to ride everything we wanted.
We arrived to the front of Disneyland Park a few minutes before opening (we took an Uber from central Paris, but there are plenty of transportation options available!), and it was breathtaking! The theming was so stunning.
I’ve only ever been to Walt Disney World Resort, and this was a whole other world from that. Once we were in the park, it looked so similar to Main Street in WDW, but yet had its own flair. As we moved down Main Street, the castle got bigger and bigger, and it was spectacular. I loved its design and how big it was! We took some time to look around and take photos, before setting off on our attraction adventure.
We headed towards Phantom Manor, one of our most highly-anticipated rides, only to find out it was unexpectedly closed for maintenance that day. So, our first ride of the day changed, and we rode Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, which, was much longer and more intense than the WDW version (you’ll see a running theme in this review.) It was so much fun, and a great way to kick-off the day.
Other rides we loved and experienced were: It’s A Small World (loved it being somewhat outdoors, and what they put for the USA spot!), Autopia, Buzz Lightyear Laser Blast, Dumbo the Flying Elephant, Peter Pan’s Flight, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Star Wars Hyperspace Mountain.
We often found the versions of the rides more vibrant, longer, and with greater detail than the ones we were used to at WDW.
La Taniere du Dragon was one of my favorite parts, though. Nestled under the castle is a hidden dragon. As a big fan of Sleeping Beauty, this was one of the things I’ve always wanted to see, and it didn’t disappoint. It was so great to sit there for a few minutes and take it all in.
Another observation was how many characters were roaming around! There were so many characters walking around the park, or doing meet and greets.. the atmosphere and attention to detail just seemed to great here.
Once we completed all that we wanted to in Disneyland Park, we headed next to Walt Disney Studios Park. Half of the park was under construction, but we still made the most of what attractions were open.
While Disneyland Resort in California has the Avengers Campus, WDW does not, so this was all new to us. It was so immersive and fun to see! The Avengers Assemble: Flight Force ride was incredible! So was Spider-Man W.E.B. Adventure, and I loved that it was interactive.
Cars ROAD TRIP was very reminiscent of the old Backlot Tour in Hollywood Studios, so it made me a little nostalgic for what’s no longer there in WDW.
Crush’s Coaster was deceivingly intense. It’s a coaster where two people face forward and two people face backward, and then it spins down the track.
It was fun to do the Ratatouille ride, which is identical to the one in WDW.
Overall, if you’re a Disney fan, Disneyland Paris is a place you can’t miss. It’s magical, and in addition to new rides, it takes on your favorite classic ones with all new twists and themeing. Make sure to check it out!
