Disneyland Paris Review
This is yet again another NOT-a-city post which I’ve been preparing for a while now, based on the memories I have by spending time in Disneyland Park. I can positively say that it is the happiest place on Earth, both for children and for adults, and it can offer you the thrill and adventure of a lifetime!
My time spent here consisted of a non-stop, mind-blowing rides one after the other. I was in this magical place 5 years ago (I can’t believe it’s been so long), when Disneyland turned 15. Happy birthday on your 20th by the way, and may you provide joy and laughter for many years to come! Although I only spent a day in the park, I can proudly say that no ride was left out from our to-do list that day…again…and again and again until we got sick from all the ups and downs and the upside downs! Then we’d take 5 and rush back into the line again, living every minute to the fullest. It was a day I will never forget! The rush we felt when standing in line and then when we looked down and the world was completely turned upside-down. It’s something everyone should experience!
The entrance fee was 50 euros and assured access to all the rides, except for go-karts. Oh, I forgot to mention that I was there in the springtime, on the 1st of May on a fairly rainy/cloudy day, but even that couldn’t ruin our fun and spirit of adventure! Some rides were breathtaking, some were -on the contrary- relaxing, and reminded us of our early childhood, while of others I came out shivering from the adrenaline rush that hit me. I don’t really talk about them in particular, because I’m preparing a special post about the types of rides that exist, the emotion that comes along with it and what age category it is for. But I can assure you, whether you’re 5 or 50, you will definitely find something fit to your taste. If you’re not the typical adrenaline-junkie you can spend the day in the cafe’s and restaurants provided by the park, while your children go on for a ride.
This was one of the things we worried about before we got there -where would we eat, and could we eat at all, wouldn’t we get sick? The beauty of Disneyland in my opinion is, that it isn’t like any other amusement park: the rides here aren’t concentrated on twisting and twirling you until your stomach is in your throat and you get so sick you can’t go on any other ride all day. On the contrary, they’re focused on creating the feeling of free-falling, provided by the constant ups-and-downs, and possibly upside-downs, which can’t really make you sick (well that is unless you ride that one ride all day, constantly, one after the other-then it can probably make you sick 🙂 ). Also, I wouldn’t advise you to eat yourself to death before going on a roller-coaster, because that may have unpleasant consequences. Furthermore, there are some rides that aren’t exactly fit for the faint-hearted, but I will be talking about that in detail in my rides post.
The other thing we were mostly concerned about was where to put our bags while we go on a ride? The Disney people apparently thought of everything when they designed a special place under everyone’s seat where people could put their belongings. And NO, they can’t fall out of there. Ahh yes, and the eternal question: can you fall out of a ride? NO, you most definitely can not. You have no chance of falling out because safety is a priority for this park and the mechanical specifications are up to date and are being inspected continuously in order to prevent any accidents. I could only find two incidents ever registered in Disneyland Park, and there haven’t been any accidents resulting in death. (the two incidents were both registered last year, in 2011, both on the Big Thunder Mountain ride, one was when a piece of the attraction’s scenery fell on five riders during course, and the other when two cars derailed, both of them resulting small injuries and an updated mechanical check of the ride). You don’t have to worry, though you may feel like you are falling out or like your neck’s breaking because you’re upside down, but that’s the point: to make you feel like you’re in danger, when in reality nothing bad can happen to you. It’s a terrifying feeling, but it can “cure” your thirst for adrenaline.
A little secret I’d like to tell you: there are some booths giving out express tickets, called Fastpasses, where you don’t have to spend half your day standing in line, but show up at an exact time at the back door, thus avoiding long cords of people. So pay attention to these booths, they can really save you precious time so you can try out the thrills of the whole adventure park.
Last but not least, I wanted to talk about the staff. A group of wonderful people doing everything they can to make your (and especially the children’s) day on that they will never forget! The constant smiles, willingness to help and make you laugh can really make your day. Even before the park opens, and everybody’s waiting in line, they have different activities and games so that the kids won’t get bored. And at 5 o’clock there’s a parade which consists of a train carrying the most notable Disney characters, which wave, give you kisses, hugs and autographs. It is truly an amazing atmosphere and an outstanding place for children. And for all you adults out there, I can only say that there isn’t any other place, facility or any other park in the world where you will be treated with such kindness and friendship. It’s a place well worth visiting!
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