Oufit: American Eagle jeggings, Madewell striped tank top, Sperrys
Meals Eaten: Three
Something I learned: When scouting locations for EuroDisney, the final four contenders were two towns in France and two towns in Spain.
If you didn't know this about me already, I might as well start out by telling you that I'm obsessed with Disney. Favorite animated Disney movie? The Little Mermaid. Favorite Princess? Either Belle or Ariel. Number of times I've been to Disney World? Too many to count. Favorite resort? The Polynesian. Favorite Park? Magic Kingdom. Favorite ride? Splash mountain. Favorite ride at another Disney theme park? The Alice in Wonderland ride (it goes outside, it should be in EVERY park, and I love the Fantasyland rides in general). Other random facts: I collect Disney pins, I will always call Hollywood Studios MGM, and I get giddy when I step on a Monorail and hear "por favor mantenganse alejado de las puertas."
That being said, it should be no surprise that I checked out Disneyland Paris during my first week here. After waiting for the RER train to come (it was thirty minutes late), I began the 50-minute ride to Marne-la-Villée (a Paris suburb where Disneyland Paris is located). Construction for the main park (its equivalent to Magic Kingdom in Florida and California) began in 1988. It opened in 1992 and the Walt Disney Studios park opened in 2002. According to my research, there are seven hotels associated with the resort, each with an American theme.
The Entrance to the Park
Sleeping Beauty's Castle
Upon stepping out of the train station, which places you directly at the entrance to their version of Downtown Disney and the entrances to both parks, I sped-walked to the area where I bought my 1-day park hopper pass. In I went and began my journey down Main Street, U.S.A.. It was great. It's the one place in the park where all of the signs are in English and they play the same music that they do in Florida. In fact, the Ice Cream and Hot Dog shops that are at the end of Main Street are the same both here and in Florida (except the ice cream here is Ben and Jerry's, which is way better).
Once you hit the end of Main Street, you begin to approach Sleeping Beauty's castle. It was love at first sight. I had seen the model before, but the real thing is so much better. Pink with curving staircases, the castle is enchanting. You can also walk through it to a much greater extent than castles at other Disney theme parks. The coolest part? The dragon from Sleeping Beauty is in the dungeon of the castle. And it moves. And blows smoke.
The Dragon
While something was lacking in the atmosphere of the park (and while the employees weren't nearly as nice and Disney-trained as the ones in Florida and California), it does do two things better: It's A Small World and Pirates of the Caribbean. Small World is vastly more involved and differentiated than in the other two parks. It has Canadian ice hockey players, a Hollywood section, and more. Pirates follows the California model by having a restaurant looking into it, is longer, more extensive, and includes two drops. It also has the Pinocchio ride and a much darker version of Snow White (or should I say Blanche Neige et les Sept Nains?).
It's a Small World
On the other hand, Space Mountain: Mission 2 is the absolute worst roller coaster I have ever been on. It seemed like it had cool mise-en-scene and it went upside down, but it was so rough that my eyes were closing as my head slammed back-and-forth against the harness at a rapid pace. Highly uncomfortable.
Walt Disney Studios does try. They have a cute movie called Cinemagique, which is like a cheap version of The Great Movie Ride that consists of a movie starring Martin Short and Julie Delpy. Tower of Terror is basically just as good. They have an interesting take on the main street of it (they made it a sound stage with facades in one big building and little kids can get their faces painted in big stage mirrors with lights framing them), but it's lacking in atmosphere and rides. The Stars 'n Cars parade however, is a must.
Main Entrance of Walt Disney Studios
Overall, Disneyland Paris (or EuroDisney) is good. It's a little cartoonish at times as some of the structures are a little too sleek an the layout is not intuitive. However, it was a worthwhile trip and happy slice of Disney magic. And I might have gone on Pirates and It's a Small World twice. And I never waited in a line for more than 20 minutes. Not too shabby.
Main Street at Night
Me on Main Street!
After Disney, I trained back to Paris and fell asleep holding my new Chip stuffed animal. Maybe dreams really do come true.
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