You would think that a second visit to a Disney theme park in one year and the third in the last two years might be a bit much – but its not! Though each Disneyland I’ve visited, one in California, Hong Kong earlier this year and now Paris, has its similarities, there are enough differences that make each one unique. Chicken, who shall be henceforth referred to as Einstein, and I decided to make a weekend of this visit as, at this time of year, you definitely can’t cram a visit to the into one day: a 3-day weekend is probably just about right to cover it all.

Photos are here. As usual there are more than you probably want to see but Disney is just the kind of place, and I’m just the kind of person, where you will come away with a ton of photos. My favourite photos are definitely our photos with the characters.

The Experience

As with all Disney theme parks, EuroDisney is not just the one discrete theme park anymore but a Disney Resort. You actually have two Disney theme parks: Disneyland Park and Walt Disney Studios and then for after hours entertainment you have Disney Village – all perfectly themed to take money from you without you realising it. Disneyland Park is the original park which contains all the usual rides and shows and the huge daily parade at 4. Walt Disney Studios was added later and features mainly show type attractions with a few rides scattered here and there. Disney Villlage is basically a whole lot of restaurants and a Disney Shop and the Buffalo Bill’s Wild West show.

Going in late June meant we could enjoy some of the peak season attractions such as – extended hours and Wishes – the small fireworks spectacular at the end of the day – without the peak season crowds for the most part. It was still heaving but quite tolerable. Also we got to enjoy clear, hot & sunny weather (except Sun which was just atrocious) without it being too unbearably warm.

We didn’t end up staying at Disney Hotel as they were a little bit pricier than we would have liked. Instead we stayed at a Disney-associated one: the Moevenpick. This is apparently the top rated hotel to go to if you’re not at a Disney Hotel but to be honest, anything nearby and close to a shuttle bus will do if you’re staying off-site anyway. All the hotel really needs is: Proximity to the Resort (or proximity to a frequent shuttle to the Resort), a good buffet breakfast (handy if you want to skip lunch or have a light lunch) and a room big enough for you, your roommate(s), and luggage and, if you’re leaving late in the day, left luggage facilities. Although our hotel was nice and featured spas, saunas, a pool etc. we weren’t really there long enough to take advantage of the facilities. If you’re a true Disney fan the only time you’ll spend in the hotel is in bed sleeping. 🙂

As I mentioned in Hints above, getting to EuroDisney is a breeze with EuroStar as you can simply walk off the train and into the park. Even with the fact that EuroStar takes a little bit longer than flying, when you consider check-in time with the airlines and then transfers to and from the airport, its definitely the easier and more efficient way to travel. And as an added bonus if you stay at a Disney Hotel you can take advantage of their Disney Express service which will take your bags straight to the hotel for you and you can literally walk straight into the park without wasting any time.

The highlights of our visit were as follows (not in any order):

• Actually managing to get some photos with our favourite characters. Trust me – we were often fighting off kids and parents on this one, that is, those kids and parents who refused to wait their turn.
• Riding Thunder Mountain seven times.
• Riding Space Mountain four times (though note that for all its advancement Disney could learn from Alton Towers and Thorpe Park about harnesses. You will definitely rattle about on this one if the harness doesn’t fit snugly and for the ladies – it could be a little painful!)
• Riding (and beating our scores on) the Buzz Lightyear Laser Blast ride four times.
• Riding Aerosmith Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster three times.
• The two shows at Disneyland Park: The Legend of the Lion King and Tarzan.



• It’s A Small World and Peter Pan – though slow and mainly for the little ones – great attention to detail on these rides.
• Fabulous BBQ ribs everytime we had it.
• Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show in Disney Village. Though slightly on the pricey side you do get a pretty good show with cowboys and indians and horses and cattle, a great BBQ meal (with unlimited drinks) and a souvenir straw cowboy hat to take home with you.

There weren’t really any lowlights to our visit mainly just dealing with the frustrations of the crowds either trying to get to the characters or trying to get around crowds when walking through the parks.

Overall I think that Disneyland Resort is a very well balanced resort with enough attractions/rides for the little kids and even the bigger kids (that is, us!) Unless you are a little Disney crazy like us, three days is probably more than enough time to enjoy the two theme parks and Disney Village. Disneyland Park itself has probably reached that size that would make it doable in a day, but Walt Disney Studios still has a long way to grow. There are a few more upcoming attractions due for opening in 2007 so it would be interesting to see how this affects visitor numbers. You could probably do the Studios in a few hours but unfortunately the way the shows are staggered it is pretty much mid-afternoon before you can leave. For both theme parks, but especially Disneyland Park, taking advantage of the Fast Pass system is a definite when the crowds are high otherwise you are going to be in for a very long wait. Also, the Fast Pass system is catching on quickly so the best bet is to do rides early in the morning as quickly as possible and grab a pass on the way out for later in the day. They do run out after all and then you’ll be one of those people that the Fast Pass holders look at with pity as they waltz by and practically straight on to the ride.