Disneyland Paris!

 

Disneyland Paris

The next day was dedicated to Disneyland Paris.  Which – in our classic style – we did in one day, getting there before it opened and staying right until closing.  There are two parks, and we had a park hopper pass that let us go between each. 

It was a very fun time.  Still not as magical as Disneyland, but part of that is probably because our kids are older and have been a couple of times, and aren’t as in awe of everything.  But it was a lot of fun, and one of the first times that Oscar is tall enough to ride everything and we were able to do most of the day as a group of four.  And it has easily the most amazing castle of any of the parks that we’ve been to.

The parks have some rides that they don’t have in the states.  We tried to prioritize those.  

The Parisians seem to care about rides a bit less.  I think the longest we ever waited in line was about thirty minutes.  Character meet and greets aren’t as frequent or interactive as they are in the states.  You have to wait in line to see them, and they don’t have spontaneous interactions with the children like they do at Disneyland.  It was misty for most of the morning which probably had something to do with it. 

We felt like we had a definite advantage using the app.  It seemed like many people did not use it, but we were able to pretty quickly deduce where are next destination should be.  Once we were in line for a ride which broke down.  Pretty much everyone left.  But we were able to see that it was back online, and after only waiting about five minutes, we were able to walk right on.

One word about the rides:  They are pretty intense.  Several of the rides also exist in Disneyland, but the Paris versions were almost universally faster and darker and more thrilling.  Several go upside down when their American counterparts do not.  Pretty much everything has been rethemed to Disney and Marvel and Star Wars now.  With mixed success.  Some of them are pretty cool.  But they’ve taken several rides and pasted a new theme over an already existing theme, and sometimes the result is underwhelming.  For example, you can tell that their version of Space Mountain used to have a Jules Vernes, steampunk aesthetic.  There is a huge mechanical cannon that you get shot out of.  But now it’s a Star Wars theme.  You still get shot out of the cannon.  And the queue has a bunch of Star Wars pictures and exhibits.  But they also still have the old Jules Vernes cogs and gears.  I like Jules Vernes.  And I love Star Wars.  But having them both mashed together was sort of underwhelming.

The park food was standard theme park food and theme park prices.  Which is perfectly fine but was a bit of a let down.  For some reason because it was Paris I expected the food to be magically exceptional.  It was just okay.  But the kids loved the macrons.  The kids each got souvenirs.  

He didn't actually get that one.  But I'm going to pretend like he did so I look like a better Dad later on.  I lost the piece to Oscar's shoulder stuffie that made it work.  So I had to buy a second one.  More unnecessary expense.  It was becoming a theme for Paris.  

The kids were ready for a treat.  So was Amy, so I bought her a champagne to enjoy.  C’est magnifique.  It cost 20 Euro for a single glass.  C’est triste.

We stayed in the parks until the last possible moment.  

As a result we had to take a very crowded bus ride back to the hotel.  Which was somewhat uncomfortable.  There were too many people, so everyone was jostling and cutting others off to make sure they made it on the bus.  Not everyone did.  Then inside we were all pressed against each other, with Amy and I using our bodies as shields for the children.  I know that in many parts of the world this is just how mass transit is, and I don’t mean to complain.  But it wasn’t especially pleasant, and we are glad that level of crowding is not a regular part of our life.

What do we think of Disney Paris?  It’s mostly positive.  They have several rides I hope to bring to the United States.  And I thought the theming was for the most part good.  I wish they had more active characters.  But c’est la vie.  Would I go again?  Only if it was a convenient part of another trip.  It’s not worth going for me if that’s the only thing you are there for.  Highlights?  Milo really loved the intense rides like Avengers Flight Force and the Parisian more intense Big Thunder Mountain.  

Oscar liked the theme-ier rides like Ratatouille and a Cars adventure featuring an exploding tanker truck and a flood.  Amy loves any ride that’s a competition that she can dominate me at, like Spiderman Webslingers and Buzz Lightyear.  And yes, she made me write that.  But it doesn’t make it any less true.

At home we passed out.  And got ready for a day of travel that we were confident would be easy and stress free.  After all, we’re seasoned travelers.  What could possible go wrong?

Comme c’est drole.

Au Revoir.