by Pete and Kate Barba

After a splendid time with our friends in Portugal, we moved on to France.  Our first stop was 6 days in Paris to see the sights, eat the food and enjoy the culture.  But that’s the next story.  Seeing as we are traveling with Disney-obsessed tweenagers, we also happily made some time for Disneyland Paris.  After all, we are the big kids who have kept, and passed on, our love of the stories, art, and music of Disney.

Our first days in Paris were spent exploring Disney’s 2 European parks: Disneyland and Walt Disney Studios Park.  Unfortunately, our ongoing string of illnesses continued to plague us.  Despite feeling like death warmed over, Drew insisted on going to Disney on Monday, and then when Gwyn fell ill on Tuesday, she too muscled up the will to go to the parks.  (Yes, we masked up, washed often and avoided crowds as much as possible to avoid sharing our germs.  We would have preferred to delay, but the tickets were only good for those exact days.)  For those keeping track, this is now 6 weeks of near continuous illness for our family!

Disney is always magical at Christmas but even more so when it’s in France with cold wind, low clouds and beautiful European charm.  Disneyland Paris has arguably the most beautiful castle of all the parks and the overall landscaping is spectacular.  Hot tip: the park food wasn’t anything special, so we brought pastries and lunches made on freshly baked Parisian baguettes with delicious cheese and ham from a local bakery near our lodging.  Kate discovered that there’s something enchanting about enjoying a glass of champagne while watching the fireworks over Sleeping Beauty’s castle.  Disneyland Paris has an Old World “Je ne sais pas quoi” that sets it apart from its North American cousins.

Disney shows and parades are back and better than ever!  Parade highlights include a steampunk style Maleficent dragon that breathed fire, Peter Pan swinging on a float while insulting Captain Hook, and a whole pack of princesses dancing above and beside the crowd.  There was also a really fun “Mickey and the Magician” show in Walt Disney Studios and a truly impressive Lion King show in Frontierland Theater.  Finally the evening fireworks show featured drones and remarkable projections on the castle itself.  (Find a high viewpoint so you can see the entire castle.)  We love this part of Disney….

…but if you want to know what makes Disneyland Paris really spectacular, you have to ask my adventure seeking kids.  They will tell you with smiles on their faces and joy in their voices about “Star Wars: Hyperspace Mountain”.  We have always been huge fans of the original “Space Mountain”, with its pitch blackness making the banks, drops, and speed seem 10 times more exciting than it should be.  In Paris it gets amplified 10x due to its theming and extra features.  

As you can imagine, having a Star Wars themed roller coaster in the dark is exceptional.  It starts as you leave the station when the Main Title soundtrack hits you and builds anticipation.  The first thing you do is shoot up to the top; you are pressed into your seat with 5G’s of force while your imagination tells you that you are approaching lightspeed.  Then in the dark of space lasers and explosions blast all around you and X-wings and TIE fighters seem to zoom by.  Large screens show looming Star Destroyers before you escape with your squadron.  To top it all off, this version of the rollercoaster has loops and rolls, increasing the adrenaline even further.  If you are ever in Paris and you love Star Wars and rollercoasters, my family would tell you it’s worth going to Disney for just this one ride.  We rode it 5 times in 2 days.  

Our bottom line recommendation depends on your Disney style.  Don’t care?  Skip it.  Just want to see the differences from the US parks?  One day for both parks should do.  Love rides and want to experience all your old favorites and new versions?  Two days is plenty.  Does your family adore all the parades, shows, rides, and Disney treats like ours?  The two days we did was barely enough…three is better, especially if you have little kids who don’t move as fast as our long-limbed offspring.

Thanks for reading to the end.  Next up: (the rest of) France!  Don’t forget to check out our past stories and subscribe for future articles as well.  Find us on Facebook and Instagram for bonus content!  Please note that any links or business names provided are for information only, we did not receive any compensation for our opinions or recommendations. As always, if you are planning a trip to any location we visit we are happy to provide more details and opinions, so feel free to contact us.