If you asked me 10 years ago would I be going to a Disney theme park, my answer would have been, I would like to but I doubt I ever will go. Until 2017 I never actually thought that I would be going to a Disney theme park in my lifetime. It’s not because I didn’t want to go, I did, it’s Disney after all, but wanting to go is not the same as being able to go. Being an adult does not let you do all that you think it should let you do when you are a kid and that includes making it a reality that you can go to a Disney theme park.
Going to a Disney theme park is something that has to be planned for, well in advance, and it is something that takes money. I’m not talking about the kind of money that’s needed to buy a Italian sports car but also more the kind of money it takes to go to the local fair. It also can take a lot of time depending on where you live and which park you are planning to go to. If you live in North Carolina like myself, and you want to go to the Tokyo Disneyland park, well, that won’t be a weekend adventure. In short, going to a Disney theme park is something you need time and money for and those were usually things I never had at the same time.
Then in 2017 I found myself in Orlando for a convention, (Celebration), and had the opportunity to go to Disney World. That was just a one day trip and it was so much fun. There is so much to do that I had to cope with not being able to do it all. Not that it mattered because I was able to go to a Disney theme park and it was during my birthday. What an wonderful day it was, seeing the characters walking walking, getting greeted by all the workers, having my birthday button, and seeing the castle was all memories I get to have that I never thought I would.
Now, after that 2017 visit if you asked me if I would be going to another or the same Disney theme park and my answer would have been, yes, I really want to make it happen to go to Disney Work in Orlando again. I want to have more than just a day to do all the parks there and have the money to get souvenirs but I doubt it will be any time soon.
2023 came around and I found myself in LA at Disneyland. I couldn’t believe it, 6 years later I was in a city that I’ve never been to before while going to my second Disney theme park. This time it was longer than a day, it was 3 days, and I got to tell you, it was not enough time. There is just so much to see and do at this park but I tried my best and I walked away with more memories.
Now at this point, and probably sooner, you are wondering why I’m telling you all this. I’m telling you this because 2 years after my second visit to a second Disney theme park, I can now say that I have visited yet another Disney park. This time in Paris, France. That’s right, Disneyland Paris is now part of my memories and tales of my life.
When I first started this article I said that if you had asked me 10 years ago would I be going to a Disney theme park and my answer was a probably no, well, now the question I’m posing to myself is can I now see them all? No not all the parks owned by the Walt Disney company but just the main Disneyland parks. There are only 6 of them around the world, Disneyland Resort in LA, Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Tokyo Disney Resort, Disneyland Paris, Hong Kong Disneyland Resort, and Shanghai Disney Resort.
As I write this I still can’t really believe that in the last 8 years of my life I went from thinking I probably would never visit a Disney theme park to now saying I’ve visited half of them around the world. That’s right, in April for my birthday, I visited a new Disneyland park in Paris, France. First off, just the idea of me being Paris was crazy to me, but to also be going to the Disneyland park was something I would have never dreamed to be a possibility. Yet, now I sit here saying I’ve been there and done that.
I’m not going to write about all my experiences at the park but I do want to touch on some topics that I think people would like to know about before visiting Disneyland Paris. Stuff that would, I hope, make your visit a bit more pleasant and give yourself some preparation before going. Most of them are things you already know or have been told, but it’s still important to know, especially when you are traveling this far.
Ok, planning your trip to Disneyland Paris is something you should do long in advance, if you have the time to do so. Try not to wait to the last minute to plan your visit because a lot of things can go wrong and you don’t want that to happen.
Something very important to know when you are planning your trip, is the time you will spend at the park. Yes, I know this is something that gets planned no matter what park or place you are going to, you have to plan for your time there and not there, but I’m telling you it’s a little different for this park. Here’s why, the park is smaller than the others. Disneyland in California covers 500 acres while the Disneyland Paris park covers 140 acres.
I know that it might sound like it would be easier to plan for a trip to a park that has less ground to cover but it’s not. Think of it in this simple way, you have to carry 15 items of something and keep track of what each item is and the 2 options you have is a shopping cart or a basket. Both will hold the items but one will have the items spread out and easy to see while the other will have them closer together and tightly packed. That’s how the Disneyland Paris park is, kind of, I mean not to the exact similarity but it has it’s similarities.
Because the Disneyland Paris park is much smaller than the other parks, the visitors are now going to be closer to each other. That also means that to walk from one ride to another is going to be a whole lot quicker. Going from one side to the other in this park takes a third of the time so that means people get to the ride quicker. By the people getting there quicker, the lines get a lot longer quicker.
Oh those lines!
It’s a busy park so plan on when you can go. Most go during the Summer, which means lines for the lines for the lines for the lines. I went in April, which is also part of the busy season. Basically from March to September the park is going to be at it’s busiest, and Christmas, and Easter, and school holidays, hmm, so looks like most of the year it’s busy. This is why it’s good to plan for your trip.
Even though the park is smaller, there is a lot to see and do, and because of having so much to see and do while also having all the people wanting to see and do the same things, having the time to see it all in one day can be an impossible task. Make sure you have enough time to cover what you want to while there.
Another thing to add to the list of planning, shoes good for standing. I understand that with the other parks a good pair of walking shoes is important but for this park, standing shoes are more important. As I said, the park is smaller so even though you will be walking a lot, but you will be standing more than you will be walking. Get a pair of shoes that will be comfy for standing long periods of time. The wait time for Star Wars Hyperspace Mountain got up to 2 hours while I was there and the best time it got down to was 70 minutes. I know it does change a lot, I still look at the app, and right now Star Wars Hyperspace Mountain is at a 45 minute wait, but it’s also almost 9pm in Paris right now as I write this.
Having the right pair of shoes will help in ways that you will be thankful for. Less pain in the legs and back is always good and when you are at one of these parks, unless you are a child with that wonderful ability to just heal and having energy from just being awake, then you will be feeling the burn.
Another cool thing about the Disneyland Paris park is that it offers different things. One of them being the Phantom Manor. It’s similar to the Haunted Mansion but it’s not the same. I won’t give away the differences, if you want those spoilers you can search online yourself for them, but I will say that the Phantom Manor does have a fun difference from the Haunted Mansion.
One other important planning item to be sure to have, a backpack. I would advise getting one of those draw string bags or maybe a backpack that folds into itself because both are light weight and easy to carry. Having something to carry all the items you purchase so you don’t have to carry them in your hand will make your time at the park a lot more comfortable. Though be sure to keep an eye on your pack and make sure that it don’t have an easy zipper that can be undone without you noticing.
A few things to know, starting with the backpacks or anything that you are buying to carry, there are no storage at the rides for them. The workers at the rides will make you take the bags off your backs and fronts or if you are holding them in your hand, and they will tell you to put them on the floor between your feet. There are no storage or lockers at the rides for you to leave your bags/belongings at so you can go on the ride without them so be mindful of how you hold your stuff. However, there are lockers at the entrance that you can use. These can be useful but just be aware that with them being at the entrance you will have to walk back to the entrance every time you want to use them.
The app does 2 important things, tell you the wait times and tell you where everything is at. Having the wait times updated in real time is great and will let you know if you should go to Phantom Manor or to Star Wars Hyperspace Mountain. While showing you the wait times, it’s on a map, so you can see where you need to go and how to get there the quickest way possible.
Lastly, when you go, make sure to see the dragon. If you don’t know and want a spoiler you can look it up online but otherwise the dragon is in the castle, you should find it from there. Have fun.
