Disneyland, located just 30 kilometers from Paris, is a world-renowned theme park. Crossing the gate, you enter the extraordinary world of fairy tales, the magical kingdom of its creator, where as many as 50 different attractions await guests.
NOTE 2023
Due to peak season and high occupancy, tickets are only sold online! It is not possible to buy a ticket on the spot at the box office!
Disney's studio is a world culture that everyone knows and everyone wants to taste it for one day. Admittedly, the name itselfDisneylandattracts like a magnet. Who wouldn't want to personally say hello to the iconic Mickey Mouse, or see what's hidden in the Sleeping Beauty Castle 🙂 It's even hard to assess whether the park and the iconic characters are more enjoyed by adults or children 🙂
In addition to Paris, the label also has its parks in the USA - California and Florida, in Tokyo, Shanghai and Hong Kong.Disneyland Parisis the most technically advanced project of the concern, the advantages and disadvantages of which we will describe below.
Paris Disneyland was founded in 1992 and, interestingly, this project was initially subsidized by the French government. Currently, it covers an area of 83 hectares and is the most desirable amusement park in Europe.
Fun fact
He regularly flew to Paris DisneylandKim Dzong Un, today's leader of communist North Korea. He is a big fan of Disney, the media say that as a 7-year-old boy, together with his brother, he stayed in Japan at Tokyo Disneyland. He got there on a Brazilian passport in the name of Joseph Pak.
It consists of two paid, ticketed parts:Disneyland ParkiWalt Disney Studioand public areaDisney Villagelocated at the junction of the two parks.
Check Disneyland ticket prices
Disney Village
It is a complex of themed American bars, shops and restaurants. In this part there is also a parking lot, a campsite and a golf course, as well as several hotels, which are most convenient to use when coming to Disneyland. Accommodation in this place is associated with amenities for guests using attractions in the park (including early entry and late exit from the parks).
It's best to go to Disney Village for shopping or a meal after enjoying one of the Disney parks, then moving on to another, or at the very end, when the parks are already closing. There you will find e.g. Mcdonald's restaurant, which is a bit squeezed in at the very end on the right. We described it in a separate entryDisneyland - what to eat and how much does it cost?
Practical information - before departure
We recommenddefinitely buying tickets onlineto have your tickets in hand when you arrive. We scan the purchased tickets (codes) at the gates. We can have them printed or scanned directly from the smartphone screen. They book tickets via GetYourGuide, you pay the same as on the park's website, and you don't have to set up an account and register your arrival. We get a commission thanks to emu. Tickets can be canceled free of charge up to 24 hours before arrival!
Plan attractions
Before going to Disneyland, it is very important to plan what we want to do there, i.e. which attractions we care about the most. The number of attractions and the queues in which you stand for them make it impossible to use all the attractions in Disneyland during a one-day stay.
Map of the park
It is good to prepare a map of the park in advance. An interesting solution is the Disneyland application, in which, in addition to the map, the waiting time for individual attractions is updated on an ongoing basis.
Fastpass
Fastpass is a service that gives you the option of priority entry to selected attractions at a specific time, i.e. avoiding standing in a long queue. To use it, you need to take a special ticket from the ticket machine, which is set by the given attraction.
Each park visitor can use this service once an hour. It is available only on some attractions, so it is worth checking in advance if it applies to any of your attractions.
People usingFastpassthey use a separate entrance, which is properly marked.
In addition, if any of the attractions won your heart, and not necessarily the rest of your family, you can use it again faster using the serviceSingle Rider. As the name suggests, it means a single person who wants to take advantage of the attractions. Thanks to this park proposal, we join a stranger on a free seat next to us. We save time because we do not stand in a classic queue.
Disneyland Park
After crossing the entrance gates to the park (i.e. passing through the Victorian gate), you enter the groundsMain Street USA. It is a park street, where a small, 19th-century American town is located. On the left is the City Hall (Town Hall), which houses the park's information center (we point out in case you lose your camera or child, for example 😉 Various shops, restaurants and cafes are places you will definitely visit during lunch time.
also check
Disneyland - what to eat and how much does it cost?
Besides, there are on Main StreetDiscovery Arcade, Disneyland Railroad, Horse Trams(Horse trams),Liberty Arcade,Old Vehicles. On the horizon you can see the most famous object of Disneyland, which is also the emblem of the Disney concern, i.eThe Castle of Sleeping Beauty- Sleeping Beauty Castle. A charming and at the same time romantic place is a gazebo in the middle of the square, where it is worth taking a commemorative photo.
Krainy Disneyland
Disneyland Park is divided into four main themed parts, called "lands", and they are:
Frontierland(Borderland), simply the Wild West :), I'm towering here Big Thunder Mountain, i.e. Wielka Góra Thunder Mountain. There are attractions such as Phantom Manor, Boat landing on the Thunder Mesa River, Playground Frontierland, Rustler Roundup Shooting Gallery and of course Big Thunder Mountain. thunder)
Adventureland(Adventure Land), is the kingdom of globetrotters, where you can find, among others: Adventure Isle, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Peril, La Cabane des Robinson (Robinson's Cabin), Le Passage Enchante d'Alladi, Pirates of the Caribbean, Pirate Galle and Pirate Beach.
Fantasyland(Fantasy Land) is the world of your favorite fairy tales. This is where the building used as the emblem of the Disney concern standsThe Castle of Sleeping Beautythe Sleeping Beauty Castle. Amazing experiences are provided by such attractions as: Le vol de Peter Pan (Peter Pan's Flight), Dumbo l'elephant volant (Dumbo the flying elephant), Blanche-Neige et les Sept Nains (Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs), Les Voyages de Pinocchio ( Pinocchio's Travels), La Taniere du Dragon (Dragon's Lair), Princesse Pavilon (Princess's Pavilion), Curieux labyrinte (Alice's Labyrinth), Csey Jr.-le Petit Train du Cirque (Csey Jr.-Little Circus Train), Le monde Est petit (It's a Small World), Le Carrousel de Lancelot, Le Pays des Contes de Fees, Mad Hatters's Tea Cups.
Discoveryland(Land of Discovery) is a wonderland of modern technology. In it, we move on board spaceships to distant galaxies. There are e.g. attractions such as: Star Tours: The Adventures Continue, Star Wars Hyperspace Mountain, Star Wars Encounter, Star Tours: The Adventure continue, Buzz Lightyear Laser Blast, Les Mysteres du Nautilus, Orbitron, Mickey's Philhar Magic, Autoscript.
Attention
There are height restrictions on individual attractions, so before queuing, check on the park's website that your children are not too small for them.
You should take into account the possible unavailability of selected attractions for technical reasons.
Some attractions are withdrawn from time to time, and new ones appear in their place.
Disneyland is also famous for its parades and performances of fairy-tale characters that not only greet guests who arrive, but also accompany them to the park throughout the day of fun. Dancing and singing the most famous Disney characters such asPluto,Mickey,Donald DuckWhetherSleeping Beautythrill even the oldest visitors. In the evenings, it also hosts world-renowned shows and concerts, which usually end with fireworks.
We stayed at Disneyland during the Sars-Cov-2 pandemic and unfortunately all shows were suspended.
Walt Disney Studios
This is the newest set of attractions at Disneyland Paris inspired by American and European cinematography. There is a separate entrance and a separate ticket, but it is wise to buy a ticket for both parks. Leaving one to visit the other, you can return to it again.
Walt Disney Studios presents the history of animation, film and television, along with the behind the scenes of their production. The visitor can learn about this process at every stage. Of course, there is no shortage of carousels or places full of humor or horror.
Just like in Disneyland Park, we will meet many characters known to us from Disney's fairy tales, but a little younger, e.g. characters from fairy talesToy Story,AlladynWhetherRatatouille. The peculiarity of this part is the monument, which presents the master with his most famous hero - Mickey Mouse.
Walt Disney Studios is divided into four zones:Front Lot(front part),Production Courtyard,Animation CourtyardandBack Lot(rear part).
They offer numerous attractions, e.gAnimation Courtyardyou can follow the entire history of animated film, and having some time yourself (at special, interactive stands) you can try your hand at creating a fairy tale. In the zoneProduction Courtyardis located according to us the most terrifying attraction of the park, orTwilight Zone Tower of Terrorwhich only people with strong nerves can decide on.
Our impressions of individual attractions
Of course, we only include those we've been to on our list.
Disneyland Park
Big Thunder Mountain(Great Thunder Mountain). It's a rollercoaster that travels over a large block of red sandstone, at the foot of which lies an imitation of a late 19th-century pioneer settlement, including Cavalry Fort and the Lucky Nugget Saloon.
We award this attraction 4 *
Phantom Manor, i.e. the Manor of the Seer. This is a place where the animation is so spectacular that you want to relive it again. Also from the outside, the building is terrifying, because it was created on the model of Norman Bates' house from Hitchcock's film "Psycho".
We give this attraction 5 *
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Peril. Already moving in the queue to the trolley through the scenery (e.g. a tent, an old jeep) we move to one of the parts of the famous adventures of Indiana Jones - here to the first one, i.e. "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom". The fun is that we rush through the ruins of the temple in a rather small and tight wagon as fast as the heroes of the film in one of the scenes. The best moment is when we make a small loop upside down.
We award this attraction 4 *
Pirates of the Caribbean, or Pirates of the Caribbean, is an attraction that would really be a pity to miss. During our stay there was a failure in the morning, but fortunately by noon it was already repaired and ready for testing.
It is a water boat ride through tropical swamps, which is diversified by moving, ribald characters from Disney movies. The whole trip in constant twilight lasts 6 really fantastic minutes.
We give this attraction 5 *
Peter Pan’s Flighta.k.a. Peter Pan's Flight. Who hasn't watched this fairy tale, don't get into a pirate galleon to fly over a miniature model of London and then find yourself over Neverland 🙂 A well-polished attraction, everything is very smooth. Especially children will get the feeling of really floating in the air.
We award this attraction 4 *
Sleeping Beauty Castle. During our stay, unfortunately, it was not possible to go to the top, where there are m.in. beautiful colorful tapestries and stained glass windows depicting scenes from a fairy tale. There was also no access to the castle balcony. We had souvenir shops on the lower level (inside the castle), where our daughter was delighted with beautiful tiaras for a trifle price of 50 euros 🙂
We give this attraction 5 *
Curious Labyrinth, or the Mysterious Labyrinth, which we recognize from afar from the fairy tale "Alice in Wonderland". We ran through it chasing our daughter, because there was practically no one in it and there was no queue for it. Family attraction, for the youngest. It wasn't on our list and it's not a moving attraction so we're not judging.
Mad Hatters’s Tea Cups– Cups of the Mad Hatter. This is another attraction referring to Alice in Wonderland. A quiet family ride.
We only award this attraction 3*
Star Wars Hyperspace Mountain– I think this is where we “shaked the most”. The building itself from the outside also looks very cosmic. The train journey takes place in a galaxy far, far away, where the soundtrack from the Star Wars movie accompanies us throughout the journey, including the sounds of gunshots - awesome!
We give this attraction 5 *
Star Tours: The Adventure Continue. This is an attraction especially for mega Star Wars fans. A 5-minute journey through space takes place in a simulator, but in fact it is only a fraction of the attractions that await guests inside. The inside of the building is a space station where you can meet several robots, including R2D2 and C-3P0, other races, holograms and many other attractions. It is for this interior that we award the maximum number of stars 🙂
We give this attraction 5 *
The Robinson's Cabin– it is a house/room on a very large tree, which to visit you have to climb several dozen stairs up and down (there is no elevator). There are also viewpoints on it. There was no queue to it, it was on the way, an attraction for the youngest. Like a labyrinth, we do not judge, because it is not a moving attraction.
The Carousel of Lancelot– it is a very nice, large, decorative carousel in the old style. An idyllic horseback ride takes place on it. Attraction for the youngest, and we took advantage of it, because there were no queues.
Walt Disney Studios
Dark Zone Terror Tower -it is an absolute hit of the entire Disneyland and even though our 8-year-old used Beata, we believe that it is an attraction for adults. No video on the Internet can convey the impression of what is going on inside - it is a real horror, and if the elevator really goes down at that speed, I will never get into one again.
This attraction is off the charts, which is why we give it 5*+
Parachute for soldiers– was on our list and here a big disappointment. We expected this attraction to be higher and faster - i.e. thrust while falling. We were also hit by the covid safety regulations regarding keeping the distance - only 1/3 of the seats were used, the rest were ballast bags, so the waiting time in the seemingly short queue reached almost an hour (not worth standing).
We award this attraction 3*
Slinky Dog Zigzag Spin. It's a carousel for the little ones, it wasn't in the plan, but quite nice. There were no queues to it, so we drove several times. Since it belongs to the attractions for the youngest, we do not give it stars.
Ratatouille: The Adventure- revelation! Apart from the fact that the fairy tale itself belongs to the masterful Disney animations, the idea of being in the fairy tale from the position of the main character, i.e. a rat - brilliant! This is a must see.
We award this attraction 5*
Crush's Ribsr - 1.5 hours of waiting in line fortunately paid off, because the ride in the cable car through the depths of the sea took place quite quickly and there were even a few quite fast descents. The meeting with Sammy the turtle and other heroes from the fairy tale will surely appeal to children.
We award this attraction 5*
Opening hours
Disneyland is open all year round! Most of the attractions are under cover, thanks to which rainy weather will not spoil the fun. In addition, everything is painted with colorful paint, which gives guests optimism even on the most cloudy days.
Early entry and later park closing times apply to Disney hotel guests.
For other people, the park is open from10:00do20:00.
