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.