It is difficult to visit a Disney Park for the first time without making the obvious comparisons to one’s “Home Park;” difficult to resist the “mine is better than yours” mentality.  Every park I have visited (not done yet!) has its own personality, with elements that make it truly unique.  To all bonafide Disney fans, there really is no good or bad, there is only magic with a different point of view.  That appreciation for “all things Disney” is a good place for us to start when journeying to Disneyland Paris…


1.  The Second Star to the Right   Unless you’ve been on a complete Twitter and Facebook hiatus, you surely must have read some snippets about the Disneyland Paris 20th Anniversary fête.  Without a doubt, the centerpiece of this “Magic Everywhere!” yearlong extravaganza is the Disney Dreams! spectacle.  If you are a Fantasmic!, World of Color or The Magic, the Memories and You! enthusiast, this newest Disney dazzler is a must-see; combining the water screens, kaleidoscopic fountains and castle projections from each, plus state-of-the-art pyrotechnics and “never before seen” incredible special effects.

                                                            Uploaded by DisneyParks on January 17th, 2012


2.   Once Upon a Time…   In the land where fairy tales were written, in a continent to this day besprinkled with the genuine article, this park required a castle with an extra dose of fantasy.

Le Chateau de la Belle au Bois Dormant, or Sleeping Beauty Castle, is for me, the most breathtaking Disney castle I have seen.  Though modeled after its much smaller Disneyland namesake, (it is about 90 feet taller), Michael Eisner was not limited by the same funding and space constraints that Walt Disney was in 1954. Imagineers took additional inspiration from the Mont Saint-Michel Monastery in Normandy, and stained glass patterns from Notre Dame de Paris. Local French artisans hand-carved stone and fashioned colored glass using traditional techniques; there would be no fiberglass castle for the land of fables. The hallmark square trees that circle the edifice come directly from Walt Disney Pictures’ 1959 classic film, Sleeping Beauty.  

In preparation for the April 2012 20th Anniversary kick-off, the castle has been repainted and restored to its original color scheme, and given additional glowing golden spires and vivid pink and blue hues.  The Victorian colorscape begins at the rosy Disneyland Hotel, is pulled straight down Main Street, and capped at the castle . Repeat after me, ooh-la-la…  In the bowels of the castle sleeps Maleficent (permanently transformed into her dragon state in the dungeon).  La Taniere du Dragon is a wonderful interactive element added to Sleeping Beauty Castle, and the mystical beast was the largest Animatronic figure ever built when installed in 1992.

About every 15 minutes, she comes to life- snorting, blowing off steam and inspecting her “admirers”.  As Walt himself acknowledged, there was a need for something “to do” in a Disney castle, and over 30 years later, his desire came to pass in a land far, far away.

3.  Jules Verne    It was our first impetus to visit Disneyland Resort Paris.  In 1995, the first photos of Space Mountain: De la Terre a la Lune, with its attached super Columbiad Cannon surfaced, and we were hooked.

This giant “space gun” was used by Jules Verne to catapult humans to the moon in his novel From the Earth to the Moon.  After a significant remodeling in 2005, Space Mountain: Mission 2 was born, and now travelers are catapulted from the base of the cannon with a 1.5 G force at 42 mph. (Not quite the 0 to 59 mph start of the Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster, but it still grabs your attention!)  On your trip beyond the moon, you experience three variations of inversions- a corkscrew, a sidewinder and a cutback- all with the synchronized on-board audio track in your ear.  (Yes, this was the precursor of the new sound system for Space Mountain in Disneyland.)  There are a myriad of supernovas, wormholes and comets to traverse, but since my eyes were closed for most of the trip, I have to rely on the testimony of my two sons.  This is NOT your momma’s Space Mountain.

4.  A Second French Revolution   Upon opening, the French evidently did not take kindly to EuroDisney’s “dry” Park; it was countercultural.  While we all know it was Walt’s wish to preserve the family-friendly atmosphere at Disneyland, there was something extra special about my son celebrating his 20th birthday with his first smoking cocktail at the Blue Lagoon Restaurant.

We love eating at Disneyland’s Blue Bayou as well, but alas, there’s no smoke there…  (Monte Cristos yes, but no smoke.)  Also housed in the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction, the Blue Lagoon  has a Caribbean flavor- in decor and its food.  Ask for a waterside table, and tell them  “Le Capitaine Jack” sent you, as the good Captain has not yet been cast in the Paris version.

5.  Let Them Eat Cake   In the country of les gourmandes, it is wonderful that the best eating establishment in Disneyland Paris celebrates Walt and his roots. 

This past summer, the facade was getting a well-needed makeover.

Though there is a Club 33 in Tokyo Disneyland, this park has Walt’s- An American Restaurant .  This eatery does not require membership, simply a reservation.  Imagineer Eddie Sotto created the restaurant as a “Club 33 for the average guest”.  The gourmet cuisine is decidedly more French than American, but wonderful nonetheless.

My canard!

Food aside, it is the theming that you will fall in love with.  This Victorian style restaurant features dark oak paneling, antiques that you might imagine Lillian Disney selecting herself, and an antique lift in its lobby.  As you climb the stairs to the second floor, you are escorted through 5 different seating areas, each modeled after one of the lands in the Park: Adventureland, Discoveryland, Frontierland, Fantasyland and Main Street.  If you are fortunate, you will be seated at a window table and gaze down upon Main Street U.S.A..  (Time it well, and you can dine while watching the all new 20th Anniversary Disney Magic on Parade!)

The view from 1401 Flower Street…

The theming at Walt’s distinctly reminds one of that present in Disneyland’s Dream Suite.  One might imagine Walt and Lillian choosing artifacts and appointments that represented the distinct areas in their beloved park.  Their DNA is here, you can just feel it.

Adventureland-inspired Arabian Nights

Though Disneyland fans know where their heart lies, there is much to be admired at Disneyland Paris.  Disney Dreams! alone is reason enough to visit.  As is the Fantasyland expansion at Walt Disney World.  But then again, Cars Land opens this coming June at Disney California Adventure Park.  And that’s what makes our Disney world go ’round!

You can read more about Donna’s Disney adventures at www.DIStherapy.com.