Firstly I need to tell you that this a massive photo heavy post! You obviously can’t go to Disneyland Paris without taking pictures. In fact I took 984 in the one day, so please bare with me as there are some corkers in this post!
So after a successful day travelling to France, it was now time to spend the whole day basking in the delights of the Magic Kingdom.
We got up early to have breakfast at the hotel; included in the room price it was basic but pretty tasty. Croissants, french bread, normal bread, boiled eggs, cereals, ham, cheese and plenty of yogurts to choose from. Hot and cold drinks were readily available and it was on a “help yourself” basis.
We ate and boarded the bus to Disney, an 8 minute ride away. I had opted to wear my Pin Up Girl Clothing Neverland Print peasant top and Jenny skirt, which almost made it look like a dress. Boo wore her Ella Alice In Wonderland dress. We were ready for the day!
We immediately got in the queue to enter the park and waited for the gates to open. I could feel myself getting all emotional (I am a soppy bugger)
Walking in you could see that the park was all decorated for the 25th Anniversary as everything was navy and silver. The park looked beautiful and I was ready for the day ahead.
Boo just looks in awe in this picture that I had to add it!
We went to Frontierland first. This is where Phantom Manor, a Paddle boat steamer and the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad are.
We hit Phantom Manor first and loved it. The sun was starting to break through so we went on the Molly Brown Paddle steamer.
We decided to have a walk around into Fantasyland via some of the shops. I was quite restrained and didn’t purchase anything…. yet.
We saw Tigger, Eeyore and Pooh and I was like a pig in muck. My favourite characters. I was just sad that there was no sign on Piglet.
I asked if we could go on It’s a Small World. Boo wasn’t keen, We queued for 35 minutes and finally got into our boat. I was bouncing like a small child; I literally LOVE this ride. Boo thought it was terrifying!
I know it isn’t very politically correct, and there is a lot of misappropriation. But I like to think of it has having been designed with innocence in mind. I love the cheeky characters, the beautifully designed costumes and the annoying, irritating, sing for the rest of the day song!
I have to admit, I took over 100 photo’s on the ride. I really do love it that much (and I was testing a new camera out) Boo was less keen!
After that it was time to head to the Main Street Stage to watch the 25th Anniversary show with Mickey and his friends. This was such good fun and it was great to see so many of the “main characters” all on the stage together.
The only small downside that I can see to Disneyland Paris is that some or parts of the songs are sung in French. Now, please bear with me on this one.
Yes I know we were in France and therefore it is logical they are sung in French. However, as the Disney films are so well known and iconic all over the World, I would have assumed them to be sung in their original format.
Not everyone visiting the Park is French and I whilst I don’t want it to come across as if I think that English is the best language, it just seems a bit peculiar to have “Let it Go” from Frozen sung in a different language when it is such a hugely well known song.
Anyway, we sat and watched the show and it was pretty fantastic. We then had a bit more of a wander around and I spotted my absolute favourite character, Winnie the Pooh.
Well of course I had to go and have my photograph taken with him, didn’t I!
We then went on a variety of rides, where we got wedged in the seats on the little Casey Jnr train, which caused much hilarity, then it was time to get some food.
We opted to go to the Pizzeria where we each got a large star shaped pizza, garlic bread, a drink and a fruit salad for dessert all for 15 euro, which considering we were in the theme park itself was pretty good value and very tasty!
The next Show we went to watch was the “Princess Waltz”. This was a very special show as all of the Princes and Princesses were involved in it. It was wonderful to watch as each one came onto the stage and danced and sang. You could see all the little girls in the audience wanting to be the princesses on stage!
We headed into Adventureland first, where Boo knew they were selling Dole Whip. Now, this is a huge thing in the American Parks, but not so well known elsewhere. Basically it is a plastic cup containing pineapple juice, topped with whippy ice cream, and it was absolutely delicious!
I also had to take a photo of this beautiful lantern, just because I liked it.
It was then time to head to Main Street to take our place for the Grand Parade. We got there around an hour early as the crowds build up quickly and you need to get a good spot to take all your photographs. We sat chatting in the blistering sun. It really was a stunning day.
The parade was even more stunning! The 25th Anniversary parade had a bit of a steampunk feel to it. The mechanical feel to some of the floats was just out of this world. Mickey and the gang where on a large bronze float, right at the start.
Then came Toy Story, Finding Nemo, Peter Pan, Sleeping Beauty which was a huge fire breathing dragon and carriages containing the prince and princesses.
It was a show stopping parade and I was glad that we had queued early as I got some fabulous photographs.
Finally the piece de resistance; Frozen. This float even blew out snow!
There was still so many things to do in the park, including Sleeping Beauty’s castle with its roaring dragon underneath and of course lots of shopping and rides.
We also walked around the shops and I managed to get little gifts for all the family; Mugs for the girls and husband, biscuits for Mum, Chocolates for my sister and brother, and a keyring and chocolate for Twiglet.
The day was flying past so we went on a few more rides including the teacups and Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. We badly wanted to go on the Carousel, but straddling the horses was so high up it looked highly unlikely we would be able to get on it, so we gave it a miss!
We spent the next few hours going on rides and exploring the park. It was starting to get darker, and we knew that the finale of the evening, The Illuminations would take place at 11pm. Again, Boo knew we needed to get a good seat very early, as everyone would want to see the show.
The Illuminations are a a thirty minute long spectacle, featuring music, fountains, fireworks and images beamed onto The Castle, itself.
Featuring sections from Frozen, Star Wars, Pirates of the Caribbean, Sleeping Beauty and the Lion King, it really was a sight to see.
I took so many photographs, as especially with it being a brand new camera, I didn’t know how anything would turn out.
I obviously needn’t have worried as the pictures I got were simply amazing. I have added a lot here, as they are just too lovely not to share. I was so pleased when I saw how they had come out and almost couldn’t believe I had taken them!
Sadly the experience came to an end, and we had to exit the park to the bus stops. Mickey was on top of his balcony waving and saying goodnight to everyone and it was a lovely touch.
The only downside to leaving so late was that there were thousands of people all waiting to get on the buses. This meant that even though the event finished at 1130pm, we didn’t actually get back to our hotel (a 10 minute drive away) until 1245am.
We both fell into our comfy beds, knowing that we had to be up in a few hours to make our way home again.
It had been an amazing experience, and we both loved every second. I am sure it won’t be too long until we have our next adventure together, right Boo?