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Birthday for Disneyland Paris
Disneyland Resort Paris turns 15 this year and to celebrate its birthday, they've arranged a new daily Once upon a Dream parade, and are unveiling three new rides to open later in the year
I have to confess that I'd never been to a Disneyland resort before, so I wasn't quite sure what to expect when I stepped on to the Eurostar at Ashford International. I was surrounded by a sea of families, some clearly veterans as they already sported giant hands and Mickey Mouse ears. The train journey itself was completely smooth and delivered us to the gates of the Disneyland Resort in just two hours.
Once you step off the train, you can't fail to notice that you're in a completely different world. Children buzz with excitement, and there's a definite air of expectation around - everyone expects to be entertained.
Queues, glorious queues
The park doesn't disappoint, offering rides of varying scariness. All the roller coasters guarantee thrills and you can hear the screams as you queue. And you will have to queue. Many of the more popular rides, such as Space Mountain: Mission 2's winding queues can take over an hour to get you in. You can buy a fast pass for this ride, but even with that, you have to be prepared to queue for about 20 minutes. It's usually best to head for this ride first thing in the morning or last thing at night, when the queues are considerably shorter.
Other queues were shorter, but when we visited, the park was very busy. We found that most people were patient and waited their turn, but others were rude and pushy (I guess that's the same the world over). I was practically squashed by one very large Spanish man who clearly felt his bulk needed at least four of the designated seats on one ride, and his quest for photos nearly cost me an eye, so I was much relieved when the ride finished without mortal injury.
Putting on a show
You'd expect Disney to put on a good show and the daily Once upon a Dream Parade didn't disappoint. It's billed as a feast for all the senses and features eight floats, which have a different theme front and back. People can get close to the characters as they stop the floats and mingle with the crowds. The absolute delight on the faces of the kids when they saw their favourites made even a hardened cynic like me smile, and I loved the way the kids cringed whenever a 'baddy' went by.
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