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Do you know there are a dozen Disney theme parks on the planet?
That’s not together with two water parks too.
To this point, our youngsters have been to 5 and I’m on a mission to go to all 14.
Heath and I love Disney. Throughout our honeymoon, we made certain to take pleasure in every week hopping round Disney World in Florida.
We love a very good theme park generally, however Disney simply does it higher. Each element is magical. Throughout that first journey to Disney collectively, Heath and I talked about returning with our youngsters someday. Then, in December with our one-month-old son, we hopped on a flight to take pleasure in a spontaneous Disney journey as our Christmas current to the youngsters.
Properly, actually to Ellie. Eli simply slept lots.
We spent three days exploring Magic Kindom, Epcot, and Animal Kingdom. Our daughter, two-and-a-half on the time, was mesmerized. For months afterward, each evening at dinner she instructed us about going to Disney World and seeing “Mickey Mouse’s home.”
It was her reminiscence of the parks—”Bear in mind the opposite day after I met Snow White?”—that impressed the purpose. We’re going to go to each Disney Park collectively.
Listed below are the parks:
- Disney World Resort in Florida (Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Animal Kindom, Hollywood Studios, Hurricane Lagoon, Blizzard Seashore)
- Disneyland Resort in California (Disneyland, Disney California Journey)
- Disneyland Paris (Disneyland Paris, Walt Disney Studios Park)
- Hong Kong Disneyland
- Shanghai Disneyland
- Tokyo DisneySea
As a household, we’ve visited 3/6 of the Florida parks and the 2 parks in Paris. I really feel like most individuals I do know have visited Disney World or Disneyland sooner or later of their lives, so on this weblog, I wish to share what to find out about Disneyland Paris earlier than you go to.
What’s Totally different About Disneyland Paris
The very first thing it is advisable find out about Disneyland Paris is that it’s truly two parks: Disneyland Paris and Walt Disney Studios Park.
Not like Florida, the parks are straight subsequent to one another and related to Disney Village, which is like Downtown Disney or Disney Springs with eating places and purchasing. Along with the parks being related, many of the Disney accommodations are additionally related to the parks by strolling paths. You undergo safety once you enter the Disney Village space so that you don’t find yourself in lengthy traces on the gates.
We stayed on the Resort Santa Fe and walked to Disney Village to seize meals and walked to the parks. We rented a stroller for our day within the parks and will take all of it the best way again to our lodge room! Every thing was so shut and handy.
This is among the greatest variations between Disneyworld and considered one of my favourite issues!
Trams and buses make park hopping doable within the US, nevertheless it’s perhaps a two-minute stroll from gate to gate between the 2 parks in Paris. The accessibility made the whole lot in regards to the day simpler. We loved Walt Disney Studios Park from 8-12, caught the 12:15 parade at Disneyland, walked again to our lodge room for the youngsters to nap, and spent the afternoon and night at Disneyland. We have been a little bit fearful that we wouldn’t have the ability to slot in each parks in someday, however we simply did. Particularly with Magic Hour.
Magic Hour (Is 100% Value It with Little Youngsters)
Between 8-9 AM, Disney Parks are open for Magic Hour. You possibly can solely get magic hour entry in case you keep at a Disney lodge, which will be dear. Throughout our Christmas go to, we waffled backwards and forwards on if the added expense of a Disney lodge can be value it. We opted for a neighborhood lodge which was 10-minutes away…plus insane visitors, parking prices, shuttling from the car parking zone and/or getting in your 10,000 steps earlier than you even enter the parks…
We regretted it.
Plus with little youngsters who require a number of naps a day, it might’ve been very nice to take a siesta in a lodge room.
With Disneyland Paris, we weren’t going to make that mistake once more. We booked Resort Santa Fe final minute on Expedia after we reserved our tickets for each parks in a single day.
We determined to begin with Walt Disney Studios because it had extra rides that the youngsters might experience. (Observe: work out your youngsters’ heights in centimeters earlier than you go!)
We rode 4 rides earlier than the park even formally opened!
I’m undecided what number of rides we rode throughout the remainder of the day, however we walked straight onto a number of rides and it made the day begin on such a magical word. We additionally visited in mid-June and the park was by no means too loopy with crowds.
Staying at a Disney Resort
We positively ended up within the price range motel and didn’t understand it. As a result of we booked the whole lot final minute, we had two choices: keep on the Disney Resort New York (also referred to as the Artwork of Marvel) for $1,500/evening or keep on the Disney Resort Santa Fe for $250/evening.
Simple alternative!
The lodge was simply okay. It was your common lodge room, nevertheless it did have two beds, room for a crib, and a bath which we hadn’t seen in lots of different accommodations in European cities. There was a buffet-style restaurant with Tex-Mex meals in addition to a Starbucks, however with a straightforward stroll to Disney Village. (We often walked to the village for meals.)
We toured a few the opposite accommodations which supplied character greetings and a number of eating places. If we return to Disneyland Paris, I’d (for starters, plan issues greater than 24 hours prematurely) positively e book a special lodge. The Sequoia and New York accommodations have been each beautiful. The present store in Sequoia even had a desk with coloring pages and markers for youths to paint whereas mother and father shopped which was a small, however much-appreciated contact. The New York lodge (which was not too long ago renovated) gives a number of eating places and is closest to the Disney Village entrance.
And, in case you’re a Marvel fan, the New York lodge will simply blow your thoughts.
Attending to the Parks & Park Hopping
I booked our one evening in Paris close to the practice station so we might simply stroll to the station and experience out to Chessy, the place Disneyland is. Disney has its personal practice station that stops proper outdoors Disney Village. It’s truly nearer than the parking tons!
After we checked out of our lodge within the metropolis, the entrance desk clerk requested the place we have been heading and if we would have liked assist with our travels. We instructed him we have been heading to Disneyland and taking the practice. He instantly stated, “Oh no. Don’t try this.”
The practice would take about the identical time as a automotive and be a little bit cheaper. However, he defined, there are lots of stairs within the practice station. With two suitcases and two youngsters, he instructed us to seize an Uber as an alternative. We didn’t journey with a automotive seat, so I didn’t notably like this as an possibility for security, however we had already tried to navigate a Parisian practice station with our suitcases and it was a nightmare.
We took an Uber straight to the entrance desk of our lodge and it was quick and simple. So whilst you can simply take the practice after which take a Disney shuttle (or stroll) to your lodge, a automotive could also be simpler in case you’ve bought a variety of baggage.
The shuttle buses to every lodge are proper subsequent to the practice station. Busses got here by each 10-ish minutes which meant it was truly sooner to stroll straight to our lodge ourselves, however typically we simply wanted to avoid wasting our ft and shuttle again!
After we first arrived and walked round Disney Village, we wished to take a shuttle again to the lodge. We began strolling within the course somebody suggested us to catch the shuttle bus, however missed the signal, bought misplaced, and ended up strolling allllllllll the best way to the parking tons. The parking tons have been so. far. away. In the event you can, arriving by practice or staying at Disney will prevent just a few thousand steps!
Disneylands are all Carbon-Copies
There are six “fortress parks” world wide and these parks are all comfortingly comparable. Since we simply go to the Magic Kingdom in December, the rides and map of the park have been recent in our minds. I used to be stunned at simply how a lot of the Paris park was precisely like Magic Kingdom! You’ve bought Major Avenue full of outlets main you to the fortress, Fantasyland straight by way of the fortress, Frontierland and Adventureland on the left. And off to the appropriate is Discoveryland which has Buzz Lightyear and different rides similar to Tomorrowland in Orlando.
I’ve gone backwards and forwards, however I believe I actually like this. There are sufficient totally different rides to make it attention-grabbing (like Alice’s Curious Labyrinth and Snow White’s mine automotive) and sufficient acquainted rides just like the Haunted Mansion and carousel that you just really feel like you realize your manner round.
One particular distinction that I beloved in Paris was the element throughout the fortress. You possibly can go below the fortress and see a dragon (which terrified Ellie!) and stroll upstairs contained in the fortress and discover. Plus there’s a retailer inside that sells Christmas ornaments, so we purchased a pair for our Christmas tree this yr.
Disneyland Paris is…Smaller?
As we walked across the parks, despite the same layouts and rides, I swore Disneyland Paris was smaller than Magic Kingdom. I couldn’t put my finger on it since so many rides are the identical, however as we walked round, it felt a lot smaller!
In response to Google, that is true. Disneyland is a little bit smaller than Magic Kingdom, and Walt Disney Studios park is among the smallest theme parks at solely 62 acres in measurement. Although we rode a bunch of rides at Disney Studios, it’s a comparatively tiny park and simple to navigate.
However as a result of each parks are so small, it was very doable to take pleasure in each parks in a single day.
The very best Disneyland Paris park for toddlers: Walt Disney Studios
The web instructed us to skip Walt Disney Studios as a result of there wasn’t a lot for toddlers…
BAD ADVICE INTERNET.
Ellie rode each experience besides for 2—Crush’s Coaster and Tower of Terror. And since we did have magic hour, we rode the entire rides earlier than midday. Ellie even rode the parachute drop:
I used to be terrified and clutching her so she wouldn’t fall out. She was loving it!
Ellie was 90 centimeters once we visited. Many Disney rides haven’t any peak requirement, which suggests you possibly can convey or put on infants on the experience. We wore Eli on most rides in Florida. Nonetheless in Paris, lots of the rides had no peak requirement however had an age requirement of 12 months. So Eli missed out on driving just a few rides…not that he seen.
Renting a Stroller
The strollers at Disney World in Florida are horrible. Clunky, onerous to maneuver, onerous plastic. It was a battle getting our daughter to take a seat in it. I assumed Paris’ wouldn’t be significantly better and didn’t plan on renting one for the day.
However we have been so glad we did!
Our three-year-old rode in all of it day and when she rode rides, our seven-month-old sat in it. Having the ability to match each ages alone was a win! The black strollers had a sturdy material seat and a steel step on the entrance (or presumably a foot relaxation for taller youngsters) making it straightforward for our three-year-old to climb out and in herself. The strollers have been straightforward to maneuver and had hooks on the again the place we hung our diaper bag.
The one con was leaving the parks with the stroller. I discussed earlier that you would be able to take your rented stroller from park to park and even all the best way to your lodge—which was superb. Nonetheless, you want your receipt to get out of every park. Somebody promptly threw away the receipt after being instructed to carry onto it, so each time we left a park all day this turned an enormous headache. We even bought a receipt re-printed…which somebody then instantly misplaced once more. Lesson discovered: put the receipt within the pouch on the stroller that has your identify on it so you possibly can’t lose it!
Traces & Wait Occasions
Get the park app. Your life turns into superb.
Disney parks now have apps that let you know (pretty) up-to-date wait instances in addition to when rides are briefly closed. Our longest wait was “55 minutes” on the app and on the signal on the experience, however in actuality, we made it onto Ratatouille’s Journey in about half-hour. (That’s one factor I’ve seen at each Disney park. Most wait instances are literally sooner than the listed time!)
With Paris, the app is much more useful as a result of rides open and shut at bizarre instances. For instance, Magic Hour could begin at 8:00 AM, however the Slinky Canine experience opens at 8:27 AM. Buzz Lightyear at 8:42 AM. The Vehicles experience at 9:15. And so forth. Most rides are open for many of the day, however some open later, and lots of shut at nightfall. Pay shut consideration to this once you begin planning your day.
Much more necessary to notice is which eating places are open. After we desperately wanted lunch, it was 2:30 PM and the whole lot was closed! We needed to hunt for some time to search out an open restaurant. Plan forward, in case you can, and know which consuming areas will probably be open all day.
Language Barrier (There isn’t one)
Excellent news for fearful vacationers, actually each worker spoke English. From the wait employees to stroller leases to ticket takers to experience employees. In relation to touring with little youngsters when your mind is already overloaded with discovering a altering desk for diapers and snacks and ensuring your youngsters aren’t working away or consuming rocks, it’s good to have the ability to perceive the staff.
Disneyland Paris: Would go to once more.
We’re suckers for Disney and would completely return to Disneyland Paris. The one factor I’d do in a different way is to remain on the Marvel lodge because it’s closest to the park entrance. (Okay positive we’re additionally superhero obsessed!)
Have you ever been to Disneyland Paris? What did you assume?
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