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Disneyland Paris

Marne la Vallée, France

Last edited by G. Telfer
History of Disneyland Paris
The history of The Walt Disney Company's first foray into European theme parks reads much like a Lemony Snicket book, with some very unfortunate events taking place over the years since its opening on April 12, 1992, and very few happy things.

However, despite the consequential problems, Disney created what is arguably the finest Magic Kingdom-style park, taking its lead from the original Disneyland in California, but expanding upon it in every way. Almost all the classic attractions are represented here in updated forms-- Pirates of the Caribbean, It's a Small World, and the coolest damn Big Thunder Mountain you've ever seen -- with a slight touch of French influence added to the mix.

After the first few shaky years, and a long, boring financial struggle, the Parisian park's problems were ironed out, and it eventually became the most popular tourist attraction in the continent.

How do you get to Disneyland Paris?
From the A4, take exit 14 and follow the signs. Or take the RER line A to the Marne la Valle / Chessy station. If coming by Eurostar, there is a direct stop in the resort. If flying in from Charles De Gaulle, the VEA bus is the Disney recommended transport, but often taxi firms will offer a transfer to the hotel of your choice for the same price as the bus, and will take half the time, so ask a driver for a price if you haven't pre booked your bus tickets.

When is the best time to visit?
If at all possible, attempt to visit the park at one of the three slowest periods:
# Mid-January to late March
# Mid-April to mid-July
# Mid-September to early December
If for some reason you absolutely have to visit at one of the busier times, make sure you go in with a game plan, otherwise you'll likely end up missing out on some attractions.

How do I get tickets to Disneyland Paris?
Nowadays, with two parks, it's usually a good idea to get a Park Hopper pass, allowing you to jump between the Disneyland and Walt Disney Studios parks whenever you want. This is a good idea for anyone who only plans to spend one day on-resort, as the best of both parks can be sampled. Tickets can be purchased at the park, or on the official Disneyland Paris website.

Many nearby hotels also sell park tickets, often cheaper than they are sold at the park.

Whatever you do, though, buy your tickets before you get to the park. No sense wasting the first couple hours of your day's visit waiting in line at the ticket booths.

What's new at Disneyland Paris?
To celebrate the 15th anniversary of the resort, the park this year will launch a new parade, "Once Upon A Dream". Meanwhile, last year's Buzz Lightyear Lazer Blast continues to glean with a new feel, and still attracts guests as if it were new. In June, 2007, the Animation Courtyard was re-christened Toon Studio, and two attractions unique to Walt Disney Studios made their debut. Cars Quatre Roues Rallye is a flat spinner themed to the Disney-Pixar film "Cars". Crush's Coaster is a combination dark ride and indoor coaster that saw waits of over 90 minutes develop within an hour of park opening throughout the summer. With no fastpass, and only one track, the only way to avoid a lengthy queue is to be at the head of the Crush "crush" first thing in the morning. The Tower of Terror ride, sheduled to open Jan 2008 actually opened ahead of schedule on 22nd Dec. The height restriction is low so younger children can ride, but be aware it is a dark and scary ride for the younger guests, with quite a few children leaving in tears. For adults with a liking of thrill rides it is highly recommended to get a fast pass ticket as the queue is considerably shorter.

Plan your day at Disneyland Paris
First thing, you'll want to get Space Mountain: Mission 2 and Star Tours done in Discoveryland, then head over to Frontierland and grab a Fastpass for Big Thunder Mountain. Also, make sure you don't miss out on the Legend of the Lion King show, which is regularly full, and an early Fastpass grab for Buzz Lightyear is recommended, though be aware the fastpass ticket will only let you jump the external queue. You join up with the main queue at the entrance to the building and it can still be quite a wait!

Ride and restaurant reservations at Disneyland Paris
Reservations for many of the park's table service restaurants can be made in the Town Hall, located at the base of Main Street USA.

And to save the hassle of queuing, make sure to use FastPass - Disney's ride reservation system. It's available only on the more popular rides, and allows visitors to reserve a ride time later in the day. You can send one person in your party ahead to the ride with everyone's park admission tickets to get FastPasses for your group -- you don't all have to go together to get them. Once you get a FastPass, you may not use your admission ticket to get another for a different ride until either the return time for the first ride has passed or two hours have gone by, whichever comes first. You can't pic a reservation time -- the system assigns one for you.

What's coming next to Disneyland Paris?
There's still talk of Splash Mountain from the stateside Disney parks, and diehards continue to long for Geyser Mountain, but it's unlikely either of these will see their way to Paris.

Theme Park Insider Discussion Board: Reader trip reports, reviews, questions and discussions about Disneyland Paris

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Readers' Tips for Visiting Disneyland Paris

[281 + / 27 -] If you don't like the breakfast in your hotel, go to the Plaza Gardens in Fantasyland early; they give free breakfasts to people staying in the hotels.

[184 + / 96 -] Instead of buying lunch, shove a few bread rolls and croissants from your hotel breakfast into your bag. Saves money and make an easy meal.

[57 + / 5 -] get some food from the train station shops situated just outside the park entrance,prices for food inside are very high(45euro for snack for 2 adults 1 child)

Disneyland Paris Hotels

Readers' Opinions

Attractions

Adventureland(Rating)(Height)
Pirates of the Caribbean8
Adventure Isle8
Indiana Jones et le Temple du Peril755
La Cabane des Robinson7
Discoveryland(Rating)(Height)
Space Mountain: Mission 2955
Buzz Lightyear Laser Blast8
Captain EO8
Star Tours840
Autopia7
Les Mystères du Nautilus7
Orbitron6
Fantasyland(Rating)(Height)
Le Château de la Belle au Bois Dormant9
Peter Pan's Flight8
it's a small world8
Mad Hatter's Tea Cups8
Casey Jr., Le Petit Train du Cirque7
Le Pays des Contes de Fées7
Le Carrousel de Lancelot7
Les Voyages de Pinocchio7
Dumbo the Flying Elephant7
Blanche-Neige et les Sept Nains7
Alice's Curious Labyrinth7
Frontierland(Rating)(Height)
Big Thunder Mountain840
Phantom Manor8
Thunder Mesa Riverboat Landing7
Pocahontas Indian Village7
River Rogue Keelboats7
Legends of the Wild West7
Main Street USA(Rating)(Height)
Disneyland Railroad8

[Add a missing attraction]

Dining

Adventureland(Rating)
Agrabah Café8
Colonel Hathi's Pizza Outpost8
Blue Lagoon Restaurant7
Restaurant Hakuna Matata7
Captain Hook's Galley7
Discoveryland(Rating)
Cafe Hyperion6
Buzz Lightyear's Pizza Planet6
Fantasyland(Rating)
Au Chalet de la Marionette8
Auberge de Cendrillon8
Pizzeria Bella Notte8
Fantasia Gelati8
The Old Mill7
Toad Hall Restaurant6
Frontierland(Rating)
Silver Spur Steakhouse8
The Lucky Nugget Saloon8
Cowboy Cookout Barbecue7
Fuente del Oro Restaurante7
Last Chance Cafe6
Main Street USA(Rating)
Victoria's Home Style Restaurant9
The Coffee Grinder9
Walt's9
Ice Cream Company8
Plaza Gardens8
Cable Car Bake Shop7
Market House Deli6
Casey's Corner5

[Add a missing restaurant]

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