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Ben Mills' 'Inside Scoop' on Disneyland Paris

Disneyland Paris: We finally get a 'game plan' for a European park, as Ben Mills offers up his plan for getting the most out of a day at Disneyland Paris.

From Ben Mills
Posted November 4, 2002 at 2:50 PM
Responding to Robert's request (and borrowing Kevin's layout), I step forward with TPI's first game plan for Disneyland Paris. The one problem with DLP are the multitude of 'younger guest' rides which have quickly growing queues, so I've created two lists.

LIST ONE
Here are my suggestions for those guests without younger children:

1st - Space Mountain: De la Terre a la Lune
2nd - Star Tours
3rd - Indiana Jones et le Temple du Peril
4th - Big Thunder Mountain
5th - Peter Pan's Flight (one of those like it or love it rides-if it's not for you, skip it.)
6th - Honey, I Shrunk the Audience

By that point you'll definately be hitting some of the bigger queues, so take an early lunch to miss the crowds.

Things to do later in the afternoon or when lines are long - Pirates of the Caribbean, Mulan: The Live Show, Le Visionarium, Le Chateau de la Belle au Bois Dormant, It's a Small World, Phantom Manor

Things you can skip if you have to - Disneyland Railroad, Blanche-Neige et les Sept Nains, Les Voyages de Pinocchio (Yeah, you may not agree with those last two, but they always make me laugh.)

Anything else isn't worth doing unless you have more than a day in the park (and even then re-consider some of then)

BestFastPasses - Space Mountain, Star Tours, Peter Pan, Indy

LIST TWO
Here are my suggestions for those guests with younger children:

1st - Orbitron
2nd - Autopia
3rd - Dumbo
4th - Le Carrousel de Lancelot
5th - Get a FastPass for Peter Pan's Flight and come back at the time.

After doing a few of the below listed rides, grab a quick bite to eat in one of the counter service eateries, and then let the kids loose in Adventure Isle or Pocahontas Indian Village. Finish the rest of the list off, and then do a few of the major FastPass atractions if you have time, or feel you have any energy left.

Things to do later in the afternoon or when lines are long - Mulan: The Live Show, Le Visionarium, Le Chateau de la Belle au Bois Dormant, It's a Small World, Casey Jr. Le Petit Train du Cirque, Le Pays des Contes de Fees

Things you can skip if you have to - Disneyland Railroad, Blanche-Neige et les Sept Nains, Les Voyages de Pinocchio, Alice's Curious Labryinth, Les Pirouettes du Vieux Moulin

Best FastPasses - Peter Pan's Flight

So they're my thoughts. You may want to edit it to add in some of the 'classic' kids rides, such as Dumbo (yeah right), but that should be your basic formula.

Comments anyone?


Comments in chronological order. Most recent at the bottom. Scroll down to respond.

From Kevin Baxter
Posted November 5, 2002 at 3:09 AM
Nicely done, Ben. But don't expect a lot of responses. Most of us haven't been there, so we really can't comment. I hope you haven't had the displeasure of doing WDS yet!

From Ben Mills
Posted November 5, 2002 at 10:17 AM
Na, I didn't plan on getting much response, but I thought I might be of some use.

By the way, the park that rides forgot will be coming soon.

Be afraid...

From Thomas Lawrence
Posted November 5, 2002 at 11:41 AM
Actually, I've been there, and I think your list works pretty well. I kind of agree about Blanche-Neige (that's Snow White to our non-French fluent site visitors)--although the French version is "extended" (one extra scene), it isn't the type of Disney magic we expect.

Okay, I'll add more when I have time.

From Anonymous
Posted May 27, 2003 at 8:52 AM
great plan but what about the parades you forgot them i would defenatly recomend the fireworks, and i am really looking forward to the new fantallusion parade (we are going back in aug 03)

From Ben Mills
Posted May 27, 2003 at 9:58 AM
Bah. Unless you're really into parades, you don't need to watch any. The fireworls are okay, I guess, but not exactly Disney in their prime. The Florida evening fireworks are better.

From anneka pike
Posted May 27, 2003 at 1:34 PM
i agree its not all about the rides, when your there you cant help but get sweept away with all the magic(like when you see all the little kids so happy) dont you agree?

From Ben Mills
Posted May 27, 2003 at 2:47 PM
Little kids? Happy? Dear God, someone link to Kevin's 'Theme Parks and Bad Parenting?' thread before it's too late!

I swear, I see more screaming, crying kids in DLP than I do happy ones. You call that magic? For many years, Disney have been removing rides and not replacing them. You call that magic?

For God's sake, they're just fireworks. There isn't any inspirational music like Illuminations. And don't talk about the Tinkerbell "effect". That thing is crap! Do they even still do it? I would have thought they'd have given up by now.

Of course, I see more screaming crying adults in Walt Disney Studios than I do happy ones, but that's a different matter...

From Ben Mills
Posted May 27, 2003 at 2:55 PM
One more thing:

Does '217.148.40.132' ring any bells? I think you may have an alter ego who appears to like you very much.

Table for one, methinks...

From anneka pike
Posted May 28, 2003 at 4:17 AM
well ben love haven't you heard of "sharing" a computor?? prob not if your some sad guy who forgot about his child hood( and turned into captin hook)! when was the last time you went to dlp? cos when i went there were lots of happy kids there and i was not screaming in wds i though ot was good. Armagedon was great.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

From Anonymous
Posted May 29, 2003 at 1:48 AM
you say you have created 2 plans, but if you have only used your own opinions(from visting the park by yourself, i take it you dont have any kids) to wright these lists how can you wright for 2 different age groups? the overall picture you paint of the whole disney land park(including wds) is not a very impressive one and dosen't make it seem worth the amount of money it actually costs to go!

From Anonymous
Posted May 29, 2003 at 6:24 AM
I reckon that Alice's Labyrinth is wicked and not really to be missed. It's a shame a lot of the times I go it's closed. You can have loads of fun with that water shooting over the top of the bushes :)

From Anonymous
Posted May 29, 2003 at 9:06 AM
dont surpose you know if the princess parade will still be running at the beging of aug? cos i really wanna go c it

From Ben Mills
Posted May 30, 2003 at 2:07 AM
Yeah, I've been both with and without kids. Many times.

As for the Princess Parade, I'd imagine it'll still be on. Couldn't say for sure though.

From Anonymous
Posted June 8, 2003 at 4:37 AM
is there anty trick to get through alice's labrynth in fantasy land ??????

From anneka pike
Posted June 11, 2003 at 9:02 AM
hello! ben are you going to reply? are there any secrets to getting round alices labrynth?.And the princess parade will be on in aug cos its replacing the wounderfull world of disney parade, only one of the floats is new (sleeping beauty its a revamp of the christmas one) all the other floats are taken from the other parade.!

From Ben Mills
Posted June 11, 2003 at 2:26 PM
Hmmm. No tricks that I know of, but there are a few funny little details that you only spot if you look hard enough. I wouldn't want to give them away though, as part of the fun is finding them. I think that there are also a large number of HM to look for.

From anneka pike
Posted June 12, 2003 at 8:06 AM
this might sound really blond but what are hm ? and how long did it take you to find your way through?

From Ben Mills
Posted June 12, 2003 at 10:09 AM
Hidden Mickeys.

I haven't been in for years so I don't remember a lot. I think we got through in about 15, but we did stop to look at everything.

From anneka pike
Posted June 12, 2003 at 2:10 PM
go on ben you have got to tell me the secrets, its my brithday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

From Anonymous
Posted June 17, 2003 at 2:52 PM
Just got back from a pretty decent day at Disneyland Paris with a 4-3/4-year-old who adored everything except Star Tours. His favorite was the Casey Jr. train and It's A Small World, and he would've liked to do Peter Pan twice but the queue was too long. We went on a Tuesday, and pretty much walked onto every ride (I used the Fast Pass for Space Mountain and Thunder Mountain, but no lines at all for Indiana Jones at 4 pm after a gigantic thunderstorm). Ate at the Marionette cafeteria for lunch, which was dank and strangely depressing, but the Casey hot dot stand near Main Street was a huge improvement for dinner. Princess Parade rocked, according to the guest of honor, and he totally dug all the dweeby rides like the Teacups and the rockets in Tomorrowland, er, Jules Verneville, uh, whatever.

What I wanna know is, why is Disney slumming with Fox (Star Wars) and Paramount/Viacom (Indiana Jones) when they've got a slew of great newer Pixar properties like Toy Story, Bug's Life and Monsters Inc. from which to build new rides or refurbish decaying ones...like, does anyone under the age of 40 remember Swiss Family Robinson? Alice in Wonderland? I suppose Europeans would feel cheated if the park didn't offer the original Anaheim hits from 1955, but sheesh, how did they make them feel so moldy, too?

Also, not nearly enough characters roaming around. And maybe I missed it, but if I were Disney, I'd have a store inside the park offering all the videos/DVDs, even the ones on "hiatus"...sure, people would stock up on 'em for "friends," but they could charge full list price and make a killing, not to mention give folks a better souvenir selection than crappy balloons for six euros...

From anneka pike
Posted June 18, 2003 at 10:21 AM
man that is so totally ture!!!!!!!!!!! see ben 2 kids of the stroller age group that loved it!!!!!

From Ben Mills
Posted June 18, 2003 at 1:46 PM
I really should just give up. Still, I guess I asked for this.

YES. Disneyland Paris would be a good place for kids of that age (Note: I assumed that there was only one kid in the anonymous writer's party). I never denied that. However, I believe that at that age group, you can get virtually the same amount of enjoyment from going to your local zoo, or even your own local theme park. And it is so much cheaper that it doesn't really seem worth all the extra hassle, time and money. Comprende?

From anneka pike
Posted June 19, 2003 at 11:02 AM
yes i understand,but im only putting my point of veiw accross,this way people can get 2 points of veiw(one from a dude and and one from a girl)so this way they can see the whole picture.ok!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

From anneka pike
Posted June 23, 2003 at 10:44 AM
i've just been on this real good website with lots of info about the explores hotel www.exploreshotel.com

From Graham Alexander
Posted June 24, 2003 at 11:28 AM
I am going to Disneyland Paris for the first time on sunday(29/06/03).We are staying at the My Explorers Hotel.Can we drink the water there or do we have to get bottled water ?We are from the UK. I have heard that the My Explorers Hotel had a lot of problems when it first opened, has anyone stayed there recently,and if so have they sorted out these problems.

From anneka pike
Posted June 25, 2003 at 6:09 AM
hi graham we went to paris last year we just brought drinks but it might be different in the explores hotel as its an english hotel?
when you come let me know what the hotel and fantalusion parade are like cos we are going in aug thanks
anneka

From anneka pike
Posted June 25, 2003 at 8:52 AM
make sure you go and see the parades they ARE good!dispite what some people say!!!

From Graham Alexander
Posted June 26, 2003 at 6:36 AM
I will let you know,Anneka.Is there a supermarket type shop in the Disney Village, where we can buy bottled water and snacks etc? I have heard about a Petrol Station nearby where you can get these products, has anyone used it? How far is it from the site ?

From anneka pike
Posted June 26, 2003 at 9:44 AM
there arent really any supermarket type shops within the resort( they are all disney shops), the only places that sell food are the snack bar things within the park from what i remember the small ones are not that expensive. But it prob would be best to stock up on drinks from a french super market befor you get to the park.
have fun!

From Graham Alexander
Posted June 27, 2003 at 2:02 PM
The petrol station I mentioned is at the Santa Fe hotel.

From anneka pike
Posted June 28, 2003 at 10:23 AM
hay graham enjoy you holiday, dont forget to report back on what the hotels like!!

can anyone (whos stayed at the explores hotel) tell me what the continental breakfast is like!!?

From Ben Mills
Posted June 29, 2003 at 3:13 AM
Game Plan Update
I just recieved an email from a confused reader so I guess I should really add this ammendum. Mulan: The Live Show is no longer around, and hasn't been for a while. I've also heard its replacement isn't much cop, so scratch that off your lists, please!

From anneka pike
Posted June 29, 2003 at 10:50 AM
well the replacemet is tarzan,i havent been so dont know if its in french or english.but it might be a good thing for the kids if you have done every thing else.has any one been and whats it like??

From Ben Mills
Posted June 29, 2003 at 3:01 PM
I've seen it, but that wasn't the Mulan replacement. Tarzan went into the Frontierland Theatre, but Mulan was in the Videopolis. I'll come clean: I can't actually remember what is in there now, but I think it may well be some Minnie thing. You'll have to check the official site, coz I'm too tired right now. Maybe later.

From anneka pike
Posted June 30, 2003 at 1:49 AM
it was minnies birthday surprise lasst year but its this micky show time and this one is micky and his friends in a musical adventure about romance, adventure, heroics,and friendships thought classical disney songs(for once ben i agree wit you it does sound a bit too sad!!!)

From Graham Alexander
Posted July 4, 2003 at 1:45 PM
Well just got back from DLP and had a great time. Stayed at My Explorers Hotel, which was very nice.Anneka asked about the continental breakfast, it was an all you can eat type thing.You just help yourself to what you want.There were various cereals, breadrolls,yoghurts,fruit,ham,cheese,jam,honey,tea,coffee,fruit juice,hot chocolate etc.For an extra 6 euro,s you can have an English breakfast.If you want anymore info just ask.

From anneka pike
Posted July 4, 2003 at 2:35 PM
cool,thaqnks for letting me know!was every thing in the hotel working fine?i glade you enjoyed you holls was was your best bit?

From Graham Alexander
Posted July 5, 2003 at 1:58 AM
The stairs to the lower floors were shut for 2 days and one of the resturants was closed,open now.You enter the hotel on the third floor and the swimming pool,resturants and bars are on the first floor.There is a petrol station outside the Santa fe hotel, a 20 minute walk from My Explorers, where you can get water, beer,chocolate etc a lot cheaper than the hotel.The cheapest place for beer in the disney village is at McDonalds!!If you buy a meal you can swap coke for Kronenburg!!! Or its 1.9 euro's a glass.I liked the Pirates of the Caribbean ride best.If you are going to stay at My Explorers hotel ask for a room facing the lake or the swimming pool, our room looked out on a building site.

From anneka pike
Posted July 5, 2003 at 10:45 AM
cool sounds like you spent quite alot of time drinking beer, i never realised maccy d's sould beer!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
anyway did you go with you family kids ect?
my holls is alreedy booked so knowing my like we'll be looking out over the building site too. did you go on armegedon, it was well god what about the rockinin roller coaster?

From Anonymous
Posted July 13, 2003 at 12:38 AM
What Graham Alexander forgot to mention was that he is a fraidy cat where the big rides are concerned!

From anneka pike
Posted July 13, 2003 at 2:46 AM
yeh well i think i've said this befor disney is not just about the rides!!!!!

From Graham Alexander
Posted July 26, 2003 at 4:40 AM
Yes Ben youv'e sussed me out.

From Ben Mills
Posted July 27, 2003 at 2:53 PM
...

...Right.

Do you wanna explain yourself?

From anneka pike
Posted August 9, 2003 at 8:50 AM
does anyone know all the words to its a small world if so what are they?

From Ben Mills
Posted August 9, 2003 at 1:50 PM
Drum roll...

Master Ben knows!

Verse 1
It's a world of laughter, a world of tears;
It's a world of hopes and a world of fears.
There's so much that we share
That it's time we're aware.
It's a small world after all.

Verse 2
There is just one moon and one golden sun,
And a smile means friendship to everyone,
Though the mountains divide
And the oceans are wide,
It's a small world after all.

Chorus
It's a small world after all.
It's a small world after all.
It's a small world after all.
It's a small, small, world.

Dorkus McMills is in the house!

I also know Pirates and GGG. I can play a piano accompaniment for SW and PotC.

How sad am I?

From Ben Mills
Posted August 9, 2003 at 2:03 PM
Oh yeah. This is the coolest site ever.

http://members.rott.chello.nl/tstruijke/welcome.htm

Disney and ska? Oh yes, my friends...

From Anonymous
Posted August 13, 2003 at 6:58 AM
Well i am a sad case i expect but i have been to Disneyland Paris every year since it opened with and without children and i don't care what anyone says as you step through them gates its as though you are in another world.I come over emotional every time.You never see any yobs or idiots fooling around.I have never seen hoards of screaming kids either only those that are too tired cos they have worn themselves out.I have done Florida and California too and i think you get better value for money in the French one after all its the closest.Best rides have got to be Rock'n'rollercoaster,Peter Pan,Star Tours and its a small world.The parades just have to be done as well or else you should have just gone to an ordinary theme park.Best eating has got to be Caseys.Anyway i am of there again next week and also to Port Aventura for the 2nd time.

From anneka pike
Posted August 13, 2003 at 2:37 PM
good for you finally someone who agrees with me!.i have just come back from my second vist it was brill, the fantillusion parade and the cinema parade were amazing.Have fun!

From Anonymous
Posted September 9, 2003 at 5:40 AM
I think that it is quite sad when people start to compare the Disney Parks against each other. I've been to all of the Disney Parks and you just have tolet yourself go and get with the magic. forget the comparisons, they are all different.

From dawn goldie
Posted October 13, 2003 at 7:00 AM
HI THERE, GOING TO DLP FOR HALLOWEEN AND DONT WANT TO MISS THE BEST BITS, HAS ANYONE BEEN FOR THIS TIME OF YEAR??

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