Paris, France is known for many things, no? Wine, bread, classy Parisian fashion, and the list goes on and on. Did you also know that Paris, France is home to a Disneyland Park, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year? That is right—Disneyland Paris is celebrating this grand occasion and I travelled to Disneyland Paris to see what it had to offer.

Surprisingly, getting to Disneyland Paris was very easy. The hardest part was picking which date I wanted to attend the park. Disneyland Paris offers visits many options.  Visitors can choose to either visit Disneyland Park, Walt Disney Studios, or both. Once it is decided which park to visit, it is necessary to determine if the Disney ticket will be a dated or undated ticket. Knowing that I only had one day to visit the park, I purchased a dated ticket during the weekday (assuming I would avoid long wait times- boy was I wrong!). Before I go into depth about the wonderful world of Disney, it is important to note the wonderful world of the refund policy offered by Disney Paris. If one purchases a ticket in advance but has a need to cancel, the ticket will fully be refunded as long as the cancellation occurs three days before the anticipated admission date ( I actually cancelled my ticket once, so I have tested this policy, and it is 100% valid).

How does you get to Disneyland Paris, especially if you do not speak any French and have no intentions of renting a car to get to Disneyland Paris??  Believe it or not, it is quite simple. When you go online, you will see many websites which state that you can go to the airport and buy a train ticket to the Disney Park. Yes, that information is valid, but who wants to spend time looking for a train station and being constrained by the time on the return tickets? I do not, do you?

There is a much easier way to access Disneyland, and just like the train stations, the answer is also within the Charles De Gaulle (CDG)Airport.  After buying my Disney ticket in advance online, and downloading and printing the ticket, I purchased a plane ticket to France. After landing in France, I went through the motions of exiting the airport by following the baggage claim signs. For those of you who have never travelled through the CDG airport, imagine navigating through a huge maze. The CDG airport  is NOT a small airport, it is actually quite massive, therefore you must give yourself enough time to navigate through it. Once you have reached the baggage claim area, and there is no where else for you to go, you will look for signage that directs you to the  “ Bus/2F” terminal. Follow the signs and before you know it, voila, you will see the Disney Magical Shuttle desk. That’s right—Disneyland has a desk in the airport in order to assist with your transportation needs to the Disney Parks. At the Disney Magical Shuttle desk, you can purchase a ticket aboard the Disney Magical Shuttle, which will take you  to Disneyland Park!! Considering the fact that Disneyland Park does not open until after 9 a.m., there is no need for you to get to the desk so early.

While at the Magic Shuttle Desk, I purchased roundtrip tickets for the Park. By purchasing round trip tickets, it gave me the flexibility to leave the park at any time, as long as I left before or with the last scheduled departing bus, which I believe departed the park around 6 p.m. After purchasing the tickets, which cost between 40 and 45 Euros, I waited with anticipation for the Disney bus to arrive!!

As much as I love toys and games, I had never been to any Disney park in America, so attending Disneyland in Paris, France was a huge deal. Eventually, the Disney Magical shuttle arrived, in all its glory!! It was a bright red bus, with the words “Magical Shuttle” written on it, and the bus driver was strutting around in his Disneyland Paris, Magical Shuttle jacket. Upon boarding the shuttle and sitting anywhere (there were no assigned seats), I prepared for the shuttle ride. 

The shuttle took approximately 45 minutes to reach the Disneyland Park.  The shuttle does not go directly to the Disneyland Park. Instead, the shuttle goes to various Disney hotels, picking and dropping people off, before it eventually stops at Disneyland. Once the bus stopped at Disneyland, I got off the bus and followed the crowd, assuming they were all going to same place.

The first thing I noticed was the train station. The train station- Chessy Gares Nord -  is adjacent to the Disney Park, so if you ever think of taking the train, do not be afraid to do so, because it is literally right at the entrance of Disneyland. Next, I realized that Disneyland is built in layers, especially as it relates to entering the park. Upon walking a few feet, I came across the security entrance, where I was asked to place my belongings on a conveyor belt and go through security. Next, I walked and saw a beautiful mansion-like structure, a Mickey Mouse garden, and thought, ’This is it, I am at Disney!’….well, technically, yes and no.

 I still had to go through the REAL entrance where they check the tickets. After walking under the mansion-like structure, I joined a long line which was the ticket line. Once my ticket was checked and verified, I finally entered the Disney park and saw things I could not see from the various levels of entry I had encountered.
As soon as my ticket was verified, I entered the Disneyland Paris Park and was greeted with the reminder that Disneyland Paris was celebrating its 30th Anniversary! The sights and the sounds truly stimulated my senses.

Once inside Disneyland Paris, I continued following the crowds, because after all, they had not let me astray yet.  Once inside, I saw the “town” with many buildings including the Storybook Store, the Town Hall, Arcade, Main Street Gazette, Cable Car Bake Shop, and many other shops. Soon, I came across the Central Plaza Information kiosk. However, if you have never been to Disneyland, you will have no idea what purpose the kiosk serves. The purpose of the kiosk is to inform visitors how long the waiting times are at each ride and it provides an overall map of the park.

After visiting the information kiosk, I came across the true Disneyland Castle, the one we all see in commercials, ads, movies. Yes, it truly was as breathtaking as I had imagined.

However, I never knew that people could walk through the castle. Following the crowd, I too walked through the castle, where there were various stores selling different products within the walls of the castle.

Once I walked through the castle, I was greeted with a variety of rides and structures. Disneyland Paris is well designed and nothing is there by accident. Everything is strategically placed and intricately designed, from the gardens to the rides to the mini restaurants located throughout the park. The first ride which caught my eye was the Flying Elephant Ride. I attempted to join the line for this ride, but then I saw the sign which stated that I would have to stand in line for 45 minutes. Once I saw that , I decided to keep walking and try to find a shorter line at another attraction.

I soon came across the “Meet Mickey Mouse” attraction which was exactly what the name implied. How could I go to Disneyland and not meet Mickey,right?  I didn’t want to stand in line for 45 minutes to ride on flying elephants but I was willing to do it to meet Mickey!  After waiting for what seemed like a lifetime, with small children staring at me wondering why a grown adult woman was standing in line with no kids, waiting to meet Mickey Mouse, my moment finally arrived. The Mickey Mouse handler gently approached me and led me to Mickey Mouse. I felt like I was meeting Michael Jackson—it was a dream come true!! I never realized how in love I was with Mickey Mouse until I met him at that moment. That was the moment my heart stopped and I was like WOW WOW WOWEE WOW!! Not only did I get to meet Mickey, but I also got to take professional pictures with him in different poses. The whole meet and greet lasted no more than 5 minutes, and afterwards, there was a kiosk where my pictures with Mickey Mouse could be purchased.  After meeting Mickey Mouse, I could have left the park afterwards because I was quite content. However, I decided to continue my adventure to see what else the park had to offer. Next, after walking between and around more majestic gardens, I came across the Le Pays des Contes de Fes boat ride. The boat ride was simple yet relaxing. It did not last more than 15 minutes but the boat navigated through the water and the various scenes of Disney movies.

Next, I tried to go into the Princess Pavilion but the wait time was 90 minutes, so I kept walking. With it being a hot day, I decided to take a break and enjoy some gelato at the Fantasia Gelati shop. The gelato was fantastic, and while sitting outside and enjoying the cold treat, I saw Pinocchio out of the corner of my eye.  At this point, my day just kept getting better and better – I saw Mickey Mouse, took a boat ride, ate great gelato, and now Pinocchio was across the street from me! What more could a girl ask for?!?!

Well..food. It was approaching 1:30 pm and I was getting hungry. There were a few places to eat, but I chose to eat at Pizzeria Bella Notte. The lines were really long but the food was worth it. I purchased a bottle of water and a single order of lasagna, which came in a Disneyland Paris branded box.  While sitting in the restaurant, with carved statues of Italian men all around me, I planned my next move.

 I decided that I wanted cotton candy- not cotton candy in a container, but fresh cotton candy. Believe it or not, this is one of the hardest things to find at Disneyland Paris. While walking down the streets, towards the Main Street, I came across a Disney parade. What was formerly a quiet street, now had dancing and singing Disney characters. There were fireworks, music, caravans, and more. Minnie and Mickey, Cinderella, Goofy, Peter Pan, and Tinker Bell were moving and dancing like I had never seen them move and shake before. I was not sure if I was at Disneyland Paris or at the Oscars watching an Oscar-nominated event.  The Main Street parade was amazing and unforgettable. Together with the bubbles, and all the sounds, I felt like I was in a different world.

Once the parade ended, I ventured off to another part of the park, discovering the Star Wars area of the park. The shops sold a variety of Star Wars toys and gifts and there were Star Wars themed rides. Together with other rides like the Orbitron Machines Volantes, the Star Tours, Buzz Lightyear Laser Blast, the Videopolis Theater, and much much more, there was just so much to see and do at Disneyland Paris. I am convinced that you cannot truly enjoy all the rides at Disneyland Paris in one day- it is impossible!! I personally did not see everything that Disneyland Paris offers, so I will have to return soon.

Disneyland Paris is a wonderful place to visit. It is very easy to get to the park, and even easier to navigate the park. There are many things to do, for all ages. You are never too old to enjoy Disneyland!  In case you are searching for Disneyland Paris @ 30 commemorative items, there is a shop that sells a variety of Disney@30 items, including T-shirts, pens, keychains, stuffed animals, food containers, and more.  There are also a few shops which sell Disney related toys and games.  Lastly, just in case you go to Disneyland Paris and you are searching for fresh cotton candy, you can find it at a place called “Disney Village” which is located right in front of Planet Hollywood (you will see it to your right as you are exiting the park- you’re welcome).