Disneyland Paris (and Paris in general) Trip Report

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Adventure Isle.

It's something like Tom Sawyer Island meets Pirates of the Caribbean on steroids. Lots of great rock work all around.

Caves that are far more extensive than Florida. At least they seemed to be more extensive... in fact, we got a bit lost a couple times.

Quite a few different viewpoints and a couple entrances/exits in different areas of the island.

Of course, it would be incomplete without a skull-type area and this one is quite well done.

Sadly, some areas are currently off limits to guests. Definitely would have loved to explore the pirate ship.

But that's as close as we were able to get. Evidently it is sometimes open, possibly pending crowds and staffing, but we were not really sure what determined when it might be open.

As you can see by these smiles, we had a great time exploring regardless of how many things were open!

That being said, a LOT of walkways and rope bridges and additional areas to explore were also currently closed to access. I'm actually guessing that it was a good thing, because we would've spent another hour exploring the area if everything had been open!! In fact, I'd say that Adventure Isle is pretty high on the list of things that make me want to go back to DLP. I'd like to have quite a bit more exploring time there - ideally with the full area open.

Here's a shot with some of the off limits bridges/paths.

Felt the same way about some of the paths around the castle at the lowest level. While we were there, there was just a single access path to the dungeon, but it looked like the paths around that area were open to the public at times and would be pretty cool to add to exploring the castle area.

It was about 1pm and time to head into Frontierland, one of the areas we were most excited to explore as Phantom Manor and Big Thunder were a couple of our main targets for this trip. And we had a primary target in our sights!! Well, a little off in the distance at this moment.

We'll see you at Phantom Manor soon!

 

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There it is! Just behind the (standard) stroller parking area was our next big destination.

Phantom Manor. For those not in the know (and thanks to our daughter for her research) the story of Phantom Manor is quite different from the Haunted Mansion attractions in the US. Very basically, there's a guy who makes a ton of money mining Big Thunder Mountain and builds a huge mansion. He's way overprotective of his daughter and after secretly killing off every one of her suitors over the years, dies just before her marriage (which he, of course, totally opposed). A Phantom shows up (dad? curse? just evil?) and kills her husband-to-be, then invites all his ghost buddies to hang out at the mansion. Oh, and the dad was killed in an earthquake that somehow created a spooky haunted version of the town near Big Thunder. Got it? If not, read this: https://disney.fandom.com/wiki/Phantom_Manor.

Anyway, we were very excited about this one. @MeffysMom is a huge Haunted Mansion fan and if you recall, our visit to Disneyland during the holiday season necessitated two back-to-back rides there. Let's get you to the attraction!

Didn't look like a very long wait!

Although, this was not similar to Tower of Terror - that is not the signal for zero wait! We ended up waiting about 20 minutes for the attraction total. The walk in featured a lovely gazebo.

Some ex-fountains reminiscent of Tower of Terror.

Lots of overgrown mansion views.

And a nice view of the Mountain across the way.

Once inside, there's a similar stretching room and then the queue to the ride vehicles is quite different, with lots of references to the sad bride-to-be (who may still be living in the mansion at over 100 years old... spooky!).

And then, just as you are about to board your doom buggy, the bride herself makes an appearance (accompanied in this photo by a kind CM on the phone).

 

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Most of the ride itself is very similar to the US incarnations - lots of the same rooms and scenes, but with small changes here and there. Here's just a couple shots from the ride.

Really enjoyed it quite a bit! The ending scene takes place in the spectral version of the gold mining town instead of a graveyard. It's a bit odd and jarring at first, since we were fully expecting a graveyard of some sort. Some of the illusions there are pretty cool, though. When you leave, the Western version theme continues with scattered graves along the hillside.

Graves of the father and mother of the tragic bride.

Also, a geyser erupting just to the side of the porch.

And more graves in the area. Another spot that I'd love to spend a bunch more time exploring if given a chance in the future!!

As you finally head back down the hill, there's even more good theming and also some good humor!

Despite the odd last scene of the ride (which I'm sure I could get used to), it was a really excellent version of the ride and we really enjoyed it. After riding, we just wandered the Frontierland area, stopping in some of the shops and making a few purchases as well. Again, there was good theming and slightly hidden paths in that area that we really enjoyed. Next up, we will head across the park to Tomorrowland.

 

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Across the park we go! But, not directly to Tomorrowland. We had an important stop to make. Something very important that was a high priority for perhaps our once in a lifetime trip to Disneyland Paris.

Champagne on Main Street USA with a view of the castle!! Yes, it was a very high priority. And, yes, we were very happy to stop at the little champagne trolley and hand over far too much money for a souvenir plastic 'glass' of cheap champagne!!

And, as we stood and enjoyed, we noticed quite the hubbub on the stage near the castle. Looks like a show is going on!

A little 2pm show in front of the castle followed by a mini-parade down Main Street to get the characters 'off-stage.' It was quite a delightful little surprise. Because we hadn't really been prepared for the parade, our viewing spot wasn't ideal, but still got a few pictures of the characters as they went by.

Pretty happy with this one of Stitch and Judy Hopps. Wondering if this means that there's also an Experiment 626 in the Zootopia universe? Maybe I shouldn't think about things like this all that much.

Again, a strange pairing as Joy from inside a little girl's mind is hanging out with a marionette that came to life in Italy and a young Mexican musician!

And, it appears that their float was kidnapped from a Pokemon routine.

Of course, no surprise to see this guy in a parade in a castle park!

And, last, but certainly not least... an often times over-emotional duck. Not a great pictures of Donald, but I do like the music themed float with stylized Aristocats on the side.

Wait a minute, didn't I promise Tomorrowland in this post? Ha ha! You've been deceived! There is no Tomorrowland in Paris Disneyland! But, fret not, fellow travelers. When next I post, I'll get you to Discoveryland and another of our 'must-dos' for this trip - Hyperspace Mountain.

 

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Off to Discoveryland! First off, we had to get the picture above. It took FAR too long. There was a family who decided that sitting right there in front of the sign was a great idea and not moving for a while would be excellent as well. In fact, by the time we took that picture, they were still sitting there but were situated low enough that we could get a picture without them.

But, look! There's two primary targets. Hyperspace Mountain and the Nautilus.

Now, Hyperspace had been showing as down in the app some of the morning, but we had watched some throughout the past couple weeks and it seemed that was pretty common - for it to be off and on throughout the day. So, we still felt pretty good about our chances - maybe not right then, but at some point in the day. But... wait a minute. Zoom in on that picture. What is that? Oh no. Yes, if you do zoom in, there's a maintenance wagon/cart type thing visible in the top opening of the launch tube. That can't be a good thing. Went to the cast member at the entrance and asked - 'closed all day and likely for a few weeks' was the response we got.

So, logically, what do I do before family despair fully sets in? Check the internet. Actually, I posted on here and got some quick responses to learn that the issue might be a pretty big one. Nobody was 100% sure, but it wasn't looking terribly good for us. Did some more searching online and found a site that claimed the main lift chain (cable) had unexpectedly broken and they were waiting for a new one. Wife bummed, daughter distraught, me? Well, upset for the both of them... but I was actually more excited about the Nautilus!

As a kid, I was very into science fiction. Read all the Jules Verne, watched 20,000 Leagues multiple times. When we went to WDW, that was my favorite attraction. So, I was quite excited to visit it here in Paris. To be honest, I didn't do much research about it and didn't realize it is just a walk-through tour. Kind-of like Swiss Family Treehouse but with a lot more technology (or at least the turn of the century view of technology). To be honest, the following is only a small sample of the number of pictures I actually took!

And, the biggest highlight for me (as a musician and occasional church organist).

So, while the girls were still feeling bummed out, I was feeling a bit of childlike wonder and joy. But, given the general level of grumpiness was being compounded a bit by hunger, we decided to head toward Disney Village and get something to eat!

 

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On the way to get food, the girls wanted to stop into a bunch of the shops on Main Street just to see what might be available for purchase later in the trip (and when we were heading back to our room). So, I explored the arcade behind the shops for a bit. Once again, I highly recommend taking some time to explore those areas if you get a chance. Found this little gem related to our home town!

We went ahead and did some buying of things we knew we were going to want with the knowledge that we didn't have any more big thrill rides in our plans so carrying bags wouldn't be a big issue. Now very hungry and just hoping for some comfort food without much wait, we went to the Royal Pub in Disney Village.

Pints were MOST welcome! The food was decent. Certainly not spectacular, but did the job of getting us fed and into a better mindspace.

Not going to dive into a full discussion of food service at this point, but the service was pretty lackluster at best. I know that some of that is cultural and we are okay with that, but the Royal Pub was definitely a bit more extreme in the lack of attention paid to us customers. Maybe had something to do with the fact that we were having our dinner at 4pm also??

While we ate, our daughter was scouring the internet for any kind of better news related to Hyperspace Mountain. Without a whole lot of success. But, we needed to get out of the negative frame of mind, so it was time to get back into the parks and touring and having some fun!

See you later in the soon-to-be-renamed Walt Disney Studios.

 

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It was pretty much 5pm when we arrived at Walt Disney Studios. We knew that there was quite a bit of construction going on, with Arendelle being built and all the other renovations in store for the rebranding... but, I don't think we were quite totally prepared for it. The level of construction walls was reminiscent of Epcot about a couple years ago, but I would say even worse. We headed to the right upon entry and past some of the soundstages (walled off) and past Radiator Springs Race Rally (similar to Alien Swirling Saucers), then past the Crush Coaster (way too long of a wait), and past Ratatouille (a bit long of a wait), just taking things in and seeing what all was open and available and getting a lay of the land on that side of the park.

We got a little snack and drink from one of the kiosks and then decided to hit an attraction that we didn't really think about in our planning.

Cars Road Trip. Why not? No line and... Catastrophe Canyon!

The majority of the ride is pretty lame. A few 'characters' and a lot of billboards for other attractions with cars related puns that you actually will not see.

But, of course, the main draw is ye olde Catastrophe Canyon. Which has been re-tooled to Cars via a pretty simple paint job.

All the effects are the same as 20 years ago at MGM Studios!

And, then more displays. Figured we should get a picture of this one since it was almost as exciting as the real Eiffel Tower (sarcasm???).

After that, we continued to wander the Pixar areas and the girls decided to take a ride on the Music Box Express...

Wait, no... it's Slinky Zig Zag. Yeah, it really is just the carnival ride with Slinky Dog based ride vehicles. That one always makes me feel less than stellar, so I stayed off to the side. But they had a blast.

Not sure about the family in front of them. Perhaps not their favorite experience!!

We decided to take a pass on the other two attractions in the area (both similarly carnival type things with Toy Story paint jobs) - RC Racers (Pirate Ship-ish) and Toy Soldiers Parachute Drop (relatively tame outdoors drop attraction). While the actual attractions were not terribly exciting, the Toy Story Play Area does have pretty decent theming. Not sure if it is going to survive the changeover that is coming - certainly a good diversion, especially with younger kids who might not be up for the bigger attractions.

 

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Speaking of bigger attractions, let's head over to Avengers Campus and see what we might be able to do over there. Sadly, all the crossing paths were currently walled off for renovation, so we had to backtrack to the very front of the park and then down the other side past Tower of Terror and into Avengers Campus.

And, look, there's Captain Marvel to greet us.

One thing that we definitely really liked was that characters were out and about regularly and relatively unscheduled. Checking lines, we decided that the 20 minute wait for Flight Force was a better option than the hour wait for Spiderman WEB Adventure, so in we went.

For those who don't know, this is a just a re-themed version of Rockin' Roller Coaster. So, playing the role of Illeana Douglas (actress who is Aerosmith's faux agent) will be Iron Man.

Obviously, no actual ride photos, but to my mind - it's a bit better than Rockin' Roller Coaster. The effects have a bit more to them and while I'm not a fan of screens, they worked pretty well in this setting. It's certainly not up to Guardians level, but a step up from RRC. (giving me at least a degree of hope for RRC with the Electric Mayhem)

Sticking with the Avengers theme, we decided to take our very tired selves (it was about 7:30pm and had been a full 12 hour day) over to the New York Hotel and see if we could get some seats at the bar there. Although, on the way out, we did grab a pretzel and a belgian waffle to get a little food in our bellies before (hopefully) some fun drinks.

And, the Skyline Bar did not disappoint. We waited just a quick minute for a table and then got in to watch and enjoy the surroundings.

The screen is not terribly active, but Iron Man and Spiderman to stop by on occasion of quick visits.

We had plans for some of the specialty drinks, but those are going to wait for later on this trip. This time, we just got some drinks that we thought would be good. And they were delicious and photogenic.

And, @MeffysMom got to be part of a little show for the presentation of her drink from the Sanctum Sanctorum, as she did a little magic, too!

The drink was delicious as well!

After our drinks and relaxing, it was about 9:15pm and time for us to get back to our room and get some sleep before a busy full day in the parks coming up!

 

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Hey, howdy, hey! Let's see that room where the sleep happened. Just a couple pictures, but the theming was nice and there was definitely enough space for us to be able to relax.

And... there's a lamp in my boot (just doesn't quite have that ring to it, does it?).

 

[Mr Ferret 75]

And then the big walk up. And up. And up.
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Are these the steps from John Wick 4 ?

 

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Are these the steps from John Wick 4 ?

Not quite. These are the steps on the Rue Chappe, John Wick 4 used the steps from the Rue Foyatier. They are 'the same' but one block away from each other. Almost the same number of steps across the same incline, but without the funicular train and with a little park on the left as you go up instead of on the right as you go up. The picture is from the last set of steps as you go up (so, not all 200+ steps, just the last bit).

 

[brifraz]

Happy New Year to one and all! And, here comes day 2 of our actual Disneyland Paris visit! or at least the first 25 minutes or so of it!!

This was planned to be Fantasyland and surrounding areas morning. We knew that we were going to need some fuel for our morning touring, so I was dispatched to Earl Of Sandwich to pick up some breakfast for us. Sorry, no food pics as it was a bit chaotic getting the food (they open right at 8am) and then finding the girls who had gone ahead of me to get into the rope drop queue. This would be an example of a moment where getting service for ALL our phones would have been very beneficial as the Wifi in Disney Village and the entrance to the park was less than stellar. But, it all worked out fine and we ate as we waited!

The early morning entry time for those on site was 8:30am, and the gates opened at 8:30am on the dot. As we booked it down Main Street, lots of the crowds separated to head to some of the big headliners. We, however, just kept swimming straight ahead which meant a bit less crowds.

And got us into our first queue of the morning by 8:38am (glad I kept notes in my phone!!). And...

...Here We Go!!!

Thanks to our beeline to Pan, we only waited very briefly in line and then watch it grow and grow (up to 30 minutes by the time we exited). Destination number two was another childhood Fantasyland favorite. And, we really enjoyed the fact that here in Paris, it is still in Fantasyland!

Need to get a feel for the layout of things behind the castle? Well, I'm here for you!

Let's start off looking to the 'right' of the castle as you look at it from the front. That's the canopy for the teacups on the right with the entry to Alice's Labyrinth on the left. Off in the distance you can see It's a Small World.

The close-up canopy here is the queue for Dumbo with the labyrinth on the right and the train station centered behind.

Now the train station is off to the right a little bit with Toad Hall front and center! Sadly, here in Paris it is not an attraction, but a quick service restaurant with restrooms behind. Useful, convenient, but not the joy of descending into hell with a drunk driver.

Hey, look! That's the Peter Pan queue. Really glad we aren't waiting in that!

And we conclude our tour from the air with the view just to the 'left' of the castle with the Pinocchio ride and the chalet that we had grabbed a bit to eat at the previous day. And on the left of the picture, Snow White and just the very edge of the castle.

And, yes, I understand that my directions don't totally make sense with respect to the pictures. Since we are behind the castle, those 'sides' of the castle would be backwards compared to how I described them. Confused? Are you the type of person who has to turn the map upside down to figure out the directions when you are behind the castle? It's okay. Not everyone can be a map addict like myself.

At this point, it was 9am and we were going to head out of Fantasyland briefly to check out some other attractions!

 

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Well, not quite directly out of Fantasyland, the girls needed a picture first.

Absolutely no comment on who chose which seat or any relationships between those characters and my beloved family members!!

Our next target was Big Thunder Mountain, but it was having some trouble getting started this morning (oh, yeah, Space Mountain still down), so we headed over into Adventureland for an area that I was excited about.

Well, that's a little ominous. But, hey... if a guy who wants to be called by his dog's name could handle it, I think we will be fine. Yup, we are headed to Indiana Jones and the Temple of Peril.

Lots of really great theming around this attraction.

This was all just getting to the queue.

And for this guy, who was a HUGE fan of Indiana Jones through his entire childhood (still haven't watched Dial of Destiny because I'm scared to after the letdown of Crystal Skull), it was really very entertaining. But, it was time to head into the Temple itself.

Not sure how well you might be able to tell from that picture, but we were the only people in the queue. I mean, the ONLY ones.

Got the first train of the morning and we were the only people on it. Works for us!! And, as great as the theming was and enjoyable the area was.. the ride itself is pretty much a Wild Mouse ride but not as smooth. Yeah, all three of us came out of it with brand new aches and pains. Definitely not a comfortable experience, but I'll gladly go through the queue a few more times!! And, the exit area is also highly themed.

And, finally some proof that the man himself was here as well.

As we exited Indy, it was about 9:10am and we saw that Big Thunder was now up and running. It was a pretty high priority, so let's go!

 

[ajrwdwgirl]

Well, not quite directly out of Fantasyland, the girls needed a picture first.

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Absolutely no comment on who chose which seat or any relationships between those characters and my beloved family members!!

Our next target was Big Thunder Mountain, but it was having some trouble getting started this morning (oh, yeah, Space Mountain still down), so we headed over into Adventureland for an area that I was excited about.

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Well, that's a little ominous. But, hey... if a guy who wants to be called by his dog's name could handle it, I think we will be fine. Yup, we are headed to Indiana Jones and the Temple of Peril.
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Lots of really great theming around this attraction.
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This was all just getting to the queue.
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And for this guy, who was a HUGE fan of Indiana Jones through his entire childhood (still haven't watched Dial of Destiny because I'm scared to after the letdown of Crystal Skull), it was really very entertaining. But, it was time to head into the Temple itself.

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Not sure how well you might be able to tell from that picture, but we were the only people in the queue. I mean, the ONLY ones.
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Got the first train of the morning and we were the only people on it. Works for us!! And, as great as the theming was and enjoyable the area was.. the ride itself is pretty much a Wild Mouse ride but not as smooth. Yeah, all three of us came out of it with brand new aches and pains. Definitely not a comfortable experience, but I'll gladly go through the queue a few more times!! And, the exit area is also highly themed.
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And, finally some proof that the man himself was here as well.
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As we exited Indy, it was about 9:10am and we saw that Big Thunder was now up and running. It was a pretty high priority, so let's go!

The queue for Indy at DLP is so great but it is so rough I will never ride it again. I've gone on twice and that is enough; the last time I had quite the headache. I'm a big Indy fan and Dial of Destiny is watchable and ok, but not as bad as Crystal Skull so you might be safe to watch it.

Side note, this past summer I rewatched all the Young Indiana Jones Chronicles shows (on youtube) and then the main movies. Raiders and Last Crusade are the best but I found myself liking Temple of Doom a lot more than I had in the past. It was kind of fun to see the young Indy in the Chronicles and then age into the movie Indy.

 

[brifraz]

The queue for Indy at DLP is so great but it is so rough I will never ride it again. I've gone on twice and that is enough; the last time I had quite the headache. I'm a big Indy fan and Dial of Destiny is watchable and ok, but not as bad as Crystal Skull so you might be safe to watch it.

Side note, this past summer I rewatched all the Young Indiana Jones Chronicles shows (on youtube) and then the main movies. Raiders and Last Crusade are the best but I found myself liking Temple of Doom a lot more than I had in the past. It was kind of fun to see the young Indy in the Chronicles and then age into the movie Indy.

Exactly my thoughts on Indy at DLP.

I need to rewatch Young Indy. Loved the series when it was first on. I've watched Raiders and Last Crusade many times over the years, but Temple of Doom not quite so much - my biggest issue is Kate Capshaw's continuous screaming!

 

[ajrwdwgirl]

Yes, so much screaming.

 

[brifraz]

Yes, so much screaming.

Although the recent return to acting of Ke Huy Quan has been MOST excellent and I kinda wish he had somehow been involved in more of Indiana Jones stuff!

 

[Tiggerish]

my biggest issue is Kate Capshaw's continuous screaming!

Exactamundo. That, and the creepy-crawlies.

FWIW, I didn't think Crystal Skull was all that bad (once the opening scenes were done) but found Dial of Destiny just awful, a one-and-done for me. The Phoebe Waller-Bridge character was, IMO, intolerable.

Last Crusade is my favorite.

 

[ajrwdwgirl]

Exactamundo. That, and the creepy-crawlies.

FWIW, I didn't think Crystal Skull was all that bad (once the opening scenes were done) but found Dial of Destiny just awful, a one-and-done for me. The Phoebe Waller-Bridge character was, IMO, intolerable.

Last Crusade is my favorite.

Last Crusade is my favorite too. It was the first one I ever saw. But really Sean Connery and Harrison Ford in a film together...what could go wrong with that? Not one thing!

 

[brifraz]

Exactamundo. That, and the creepy-crawlies.

FWIW, I didn't think Crystal Skull was all that bad (once the opening scenes were done) but found Dial of Destiny just awful, a one-and-done for me. The Phoebe Waller-Bridge character was, IMO, intolerable.

Last Crusade is my favorite.

Last Crusade is my favorite too. It was the first one I ever saw. But really Sean Connery and Harrison Ford in a film together...what could go wrong with that? Not one thing!

Much as I love Last Crusade, the first 15 minutes of Raiders is perhaps my favorite sequence in any film. (save the entirety of Local Hero, the finest film ever)