We debated for some time over
whether or not to take the girls to Disneyland Paris. We knew how desperate
they were to go and felt that, given that they had put up with being dragged
all over Europe, it was only fair they got to do something that they wanted to do, but the tickets are so expensive – we were looking at roughly 170 euros - that we weren' sure we could afford to go. Then
Kate found a deal where the four of us could get in for only 90 euros, so we bought
the tickets and off we went.
In the week before, we kept an eye
on the forecast and tried to time our visit so that we could be there midweek
on a non-rainy day (as it turned out, the only non-rainy day that week). And it
worked out perfectly – the day was cold but not overly so, it stayed dry all
day, and, crucially, the park was very quiet.
In the morning, we caught the
shuttle to the park and went to the café in the train station for breakfast,
before heading over to the front gates. We were a bit nervous about the tickets, so we
got there nice and early, but our worries were misplaced and we were soon
standing at the gates at the front of our particular queue, tickets in hand.
Then, finally, the gates opened and we were inside… sort of. They only open up
the section of the park where the shops are at first – you then have to wait a
bit longer until they open up the area with the rides.
Our plan was to start in Frontierland as this is where some of the more popular rides are. Again, we
were right up the front when the rope was lifted and we immediately set off to
the Big Thunder Mountain rollercoaster. I was a bit unsure about this policy as
Zoe isn’t really one for scary rides and I was right to be. While Sarah was
whooping and Kate was screaming, I was quietly trying to reassure Zoe as she
screeched and sobbed her way around the tracks.
Thankfully, the day improved from
there on, as we made our way around the park having a go on pretty much every
ride. The crowds stayed small, and we rarely had to wait more than 15 minutes
to get on – and were occasionally allowed to just stay on and go around again.
Sarah and I both loved the Indiana Jones rollercoaster and Zoe eventually found
her perfect ride – It’s a Small World. She loved it so much that she and Kate
stayed on for another circuit (Sarah and I weren’t sure we could stomach a
repeat).
We watched the parade in the
afternoon and then split up – Kate went with Sarah so that she could have one
more go on the Indiana Jones ride and I went with Zoe for another go on the
Dumbo ride and the carousel. Unfortunately, this was around the time that they
were starting to close things up, so we weren’t able to meet up again at our
arranged spot. Zoe and I headed for the entrance, but couldn’t find any sign of
the others – just a horde of people streaming back into the park. After some
time, we were eventually reunited – in time to get a good spot for the Disney
Dreams night-time spectacular! And although was just as cheesy as you would
expect, it was actually a pretty impressive display – a combination of music,
fireworks, projections, lasers, fountains and jets of fire so big that they
sent a wave of hot air washing over us.
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