For our first trip of 2023, we were spoilt with a trip to Disneyland Paris with Mikayla’s family. Writing this now, I realise how much of a good time I had, even though at the time I may not have fully noticed. Disney has this aura where you can shut yourself off from the outside world. It’s not magic, but it’s close.
This write-up will be a bit different to usual. A big difference is the lack of costs, as we were fortunate enough for Mikayla’s father to fund most of the trip including minibus hire, Euro Tunnel, hotel and park tickets as part of a Christmas gift for us all. As it was such a generous offer, I am not going to investigate likely costs.
If you haven’t been before and thinking of going, you may wish to have a look at an interactive version of the resort map which may help you understand me. In addition to the main Disneyland park, there are the Disney Studios (a theme park in it’s own right), a Disney Village housing shops and food outlets, and a vast area to house their hotels, train station, parking etcetera.
Getting there
We were a gang of eight making the drive from Newport to the Parisian outskirts, including a 2-year-old and a 5-year-old. The decision to hire an 8-seater minibus was a superb one. The back of the bus even had room for a small table that made lunchtime a LOT easier. I forgot the name of the vehicle but (without having to drive) it felt rather luxurious.
This trip was also my first time using the EuroTunnel. This was much quicker than I expected at around 45 minutes. You are in separated carriages housing about 5-6 cars. There are no refreshments or smoking areas but there are toilets at either end of the train (god know how long that could be to walk!).
Accomodation
We had booked one of the Disney “Cars” themed on-site hotels called the Sante Fe. The resort has several hotels ranging from 2 to 5 stars. Our 2-star option was perfectly adequate and great for the kids. I especially appreciated the 20-minute walk to the park in the mornings, a safe walk along the tree-lined river spotting the odd Koi Carp (I think) until you reach the Disney Village.
You can stay outside the park in the small villages. Weigh up cost vs convenience.
Sundry costs
In terms of costs whilst you are at the park, they are in line with what you would expect (i.e. not cheap!). For a decent meal combo in the park you are looking at €15-17…. Snacks, hot and soft drinks on their own around €4.
I did have breakfast in the hotel on two days at a cringeworthy €21. The breakfast was all you can eat, had a really good range of hot and cold offerings, but I don’t tend to eat a lot in the morning and therefore was always going to feel I didn’t get my moneys worth. Definitely worth sneakily prepping some rolls, pastries and fruit so at least you can feed yourself for lunch to. In fact, if you are able to smuggle a decent amount away, the price doesn’t seem that bad for two meals.
The food in the park ranges vastly in terms of value for money. The one night we had a mediocre Mickey Mouse shaped pizza with dry garlic bread, whereas the next day we had ribs, chicken portion, sausage and chips for the same price. To be fair, the latter I actually thought was decent value bearing in mind it came with drink. That place was Cowboy Cookout Barbecue in Frontierland.
We had two vegans’ in the group and they did have to suffice with very limit options. Non-meat eaters with big appetites may struggle.
You ARE allowed to bring your own food and drink to the resort. This potentially could save you a LOT of money. Be aware that your hotel may not have refrigeration facilities and supermarkets in France can be more expensive than we are used to in the UK.
It was a bit disappointing that fountains providing free drinking water are closed over colder months, with no alternative available.
The parks and rides
The main park is split up in to several areas and the attractions are linked with the lands. Discovery land has a space theme incorporating Star Wars and Buzz Lightyear. Fantasy land is suitable for the younger children with Dumbo, Alice and Wonderland and Peter Pan. Frontierland and Adventureland I thought were quite similar, with decent rides named after Indiana Jones and Pirates of the Caribbean. Something for everyone.
Each area has plenty of small rides, shops, photo ops with characters, food outlets and restrooms (and smoking areas). In the middle of all of this is Cinderella’s castle, an impressive structure that is home to the evening light show and fireworks.
The Disney Studios is similar but smaller, maybe a bit more fun for older children and adults considering a lot of the area is dedicated to Marvel. When I last visited some 25 years ago, I don’t know if Disney Studios even existed, but I’m sure we didn’t go there. I seen a plan for future development for this area and if it looks anything like the pictures, that itself will be another reason to go!
I was going to rate each of the big rides, but now can’t be arsed, so I’ll say Thunder Mountain was my favourite, although a special mention for the new Marvel Flight Force due to being a good ride without long queues.
TIP: Although we thought we went at a quieter time of year, some of the queues were a nightmare; 1 to 2 hours at peak times. If you are going just for the day, I would seriously consider investing in a fast pass that allows you a queue jump for each of the big rides once. They cost an extra £100 or so – which is bollocks – but you don’t want to be spending over half your day in a queue for a few 2-minute rides.
Aside from the rides there are loads of shows and interactive stuff. We didn’t see any shows but we did enjoy a relaxing half hour drawing session with a Disney Artist. My Mickey Mouse attempt looked as though the poor bugger has just got back from a weekend on the beer with me. I’ll stick to Photoshop.
Anything else?
Nah, not really. Everyone’s trip will be unique and I’m not going to tell you how you should enjoy your stay. The best suggestion I can give is to go for 2 or more days.
I’ll just dump the rest of my photos…
Thanks for reading.
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