DisneyLand Paris - A Dream Come True

When I was a young child watching my Snow White VHS on my black and white TV (Yes I’m that old), I dreamt of a world where I was a princess and could be rescued by a prince. When I was a teen, I watched Mulan on DVD and dreamt of a world where I was a badass warrior who could battle any foe and still look incredible doing it. Now I’m an adult, and I allow each Disney movie to pick me up and carry me away from the world just for a moment. My hopes lift and I feel that weightless joy of a child just for a moment. When I found out that Disneyland existed I couldn’t contain my excitement. I knew that one day, I would go there and be surrounded by the worlds that captured my youth. 

Little did I know that life would happen and do everything in its power to stop me from going. Until my 32nd birthday that is. This year was the year that I took a stand, threw caution to the wind and booked the tickets. Well, my partner treated me to the park tickets for my birthday. After years of saying that we would go, we finally pulled the trigger. I spent weeks planning my outfit, and what ears I would wear - only for the weather to change so my outfit did with it, and the ears I wanted no longer existed (As I planned them as a child. RIP Padme ears).

We hopped on the train for 50 minutes from Paris central, and were on our way! After standing in the sun queuing to get in for some time, we finally made it into the park - and of course the first childhood dream of mine was to get some cute ears to wear around the park. I headed in the first shop that I found, and completely fell in love with some Toy Story ears. They were glittery, bright and of course incredibly expensive but I couldn’t help it. When I was in primary school I dressed as Jessie from Toy Story 2 for a charity day, and I remember feeling the prettiest I ever had. I think about that day often, and the ears made me feel a little closer to her.

The park is overwhelming, and gorgeous and filled my heart with such joy. Seeing the castle for the first time was such an overwhelming feeling. It was finally my time to have my photo taken in front of the castle with my cute ears. I was surrounded with beautiful ladies doing just that at all times. There are moments in time where you realise that every little girl is just the same, and we never really grow out of our Jessie costume. My outfit wasn’t what I had planned, my hair wasn’t co-operating but it truly didn’t matter. It was happening.

We headed into Frontier Land first, which was what I imagine rural America is like. Spectacular buildings and sets were everywhere that we could see. We had thought that the queues were going to be too long for us to go on any of the rides, but that couldn’t have been any less true! This also meant that we hadn’t looked into any of the rides, and had no idea what any of them entailed. We walked straight onto the Haunted Mansion ride, and were blown away by the amount of detail that went into it. Even the waiting areas were filled to the brim with details, animatronics and scenes. It was hard to believe that everything around us was made from scratch. It was so much fun, and the ride itself was so full of whimsy that we couldn’t stop laughing. Then we headed onto Big Thunder Mountain. It was fast, wild and so much fun. The queue was around twenty minutes, but it was totally worth it. As you can see from the photo, we were filled with complete joy. We ended up going on almost every ride including the Indiana Jones ride which includes a loop. A LOOP. You might not know this, but until I was 32 I had managed to escape doing a loop in a rollercoaster successfully. Whilst we waited in the queue a child chickened out in front of me and I jokingly took the mick out of them calling them a baby (To my partner and not the child just to clarify. I’m not about to traumatise a child!). I then, shortly later saw the loop that had scared the child out of the queue and well… I couldn’t really back out of it now could I? I hated it of course, but my partner said it was his favourite ride of the day!

Another area that we were obsessed with was Star Wars land, including the Star Tours ride. Which was less a ride, and more a moving 3D movie. The waiting area for this ride was insane, inclusive of an actual R2D2 and C3P0. I apologise for the blurry photos but the room was very dark and the droids wouldn’t stop moving. We watched them argue and interact with each other for so long that we forgot we were meant to be queueing. I then raided the gift shop like my life depended on it. Including build-your-own light sabers for me and Alistair, a Star Wars mug with a vintage print and a curly straw with Grogu clinging to the top. I can’t tell you how excited I was for this area, and I had planned way in advance that I would spend too much money in this area. We’re big Star Wars fans in this house. 

Food wise, we were spoilt for choice. We had nuggets and chips with tartare sauce at Toad Hall, and we had Pink Burgers at the Hollywood Gardens Restaurant. I only managed to snap a photo of the burger as the nuggets were truly too good to pause eating. The burger was messy but fun to eat. There were also options for vegan ice cream, magnums and cookies all around the park. Most restaurants had options for us and we didn’t struggle with finding anything. That being said, there were no fun food options. Nothing Mickey shaped and Yoda shaped. Just plain food, but that was okay for me. I wasn’t there on a culinary journey!

I managed to catch one of the characters out and about, and I almost cried when I spotted the Mandalorian waiting for his picture to be taken. I queued for about 10 minutes, genuinely shaking at the thought of speaking with this random person dressed as the character I love so much. Just to give some background information, I have an unhealthy love with Pedro Pascal. Add on his Star Wars costume and I am in love. The staff took the photos for us so that Alistair and I could be in it together. I completely froze up and forgot how to pose, but I am so glad that the staff are trained so well. He started snapping away before it was time to pose and captured us chatting away with him. Mando spoke with us about escaped fugitives that he was chasing and I joked that it “definitely” wasn’t us. He also loved the Grogu shoulder buddy that Alistair was wearing. As we walked away we paused to look at the photos, and over our shoulders we heard “Excellent”. Mando had followed us away and was looking through them with us. It was so much fun, and I was giddy for the rest of the day due to it.

We made sure to hang around until the end of the day (or at least until my feet could handle it) to wait for the parade. I won’t lie to you reader, I actually teared up watching this. It wasn’t as big as I always pictured it, and it was quite short but it didn’t matter. Watching the princesses dance and walk through the park, each with their own personalities and dances was so much fun. I loved seeing how they stayed in character even through the different sequences. It was also great to see all the characters we didn’t come across in the park. I will always be slightly upset that I didn’t get to chat with a Princess. 

I would be lying if I said I wasn’t fighting back tears the whole day, each time that I got to do something that younger me dreamt of. Each ride, each character, each event plucked at my heart and really took my breath away. It really is the happiest place on earth. The staff are friendly, kind and wearing their ride themed costumes. The food is whimsical and the park is filled with crazy detailed scenes and details. The rides are fun, without being too “adrenalin junkie” filled.

In my twenties I pushed back at the idea that I wasn’t an adult. I wanted to drink, party, work and thrive just like I imagined an adult would. Now I’m in my thirties, I’m spending my time feeding my inner child. Doing everything that she only dreamt she would do. I remember each and every time younger me put the idea of Disneyland out into the universe. I remember each time a twenty year old me would buy Mickey themed items with the hope that I would eventually wear them to the happiest place on earth. 

And I remember little me, standing in her Jessie costume - knowing that there was a place out there that didn’t have all the hardships of life. Didn’t have family sickness. Didn’t have bullying. Didn’t have family problems. A world filled with princesses and a bright pink castle where I could finally feel free. Where I could feel pretty like I did that day. Where I could feel… Like a princess.