So having made my first ever dedicated overseas theme park trip, to Europe's most visited no less, and having taken many many pictures and took copious notes, I felt I would use these to provide a detailed and dedicated trip report!
The trip was booked in January of this year, leaving Birmingham early on Tuesday, and returning late on Friday. Staying in Santa Fe for all three nights, with the best part of four days to experience the resort. As the party was two adults in their early thirties, the main focus was to experience as many of the rides, shows and attractions as possible, and just to enjoy and take in the atmosphere in the various areas. Character meets and fine dining weren't a priority.
I've decided that I'll break the report down into a day-by-day account, with final conclusions/reviews after that. So here goes!
Day 1 - Tuesday 7th April
Day 1 started with a 01:30 wake up call, in order to catch the 06:00 flight from Birmingham to Charles De Gaulle airport. Armed with only carry-on luggage, there were no issues with either the airport or the flight, and we touched down in Paris around 08:30. The immigration queue was slow moving but we managed to get through just in time to navigate the many escalators to the train station at the bottom, and book and board the 09:43 train to Marne-la-Vallee-Chessy. Taking only 11 minutes and literally dropping off on the doorstep of the resort, this was an absolute godsend. Had we missed this train it was around two hours until the next one, or take the much longer and more complicated RER network, or book an Uber which would also take much longer. Disembarking the train, we'd booked the Disney Express luggage service which is on the top floor of the station, and they took our suitcases with the promise that they'd be waiting for us at Santa Fe when we went to check in later. They also gave us our Magicpasses, which would work as a room keycard, as well as our park entry tickets, and that is where we immediately headed!
Leaving the train station it's literally impossible to get lost, the DLP security check is right in front of you. As the time at this point was around 10:15, the queues were fairly long but quick moving, and we were soon through, and decided that as our first visit, we absolutely had to visit the Disneyland Park first. Even before entering the park, the first impressions are absolutely breathtaking: the gardens are immaculate, statues and water features aplenty, the sun shining, the music, the beautiful Disneyland Paris hotel, everything about it was just so special. Again, there were some queues to enter the theme park itself, directly underneath the hotel, but we got through quickly again, the cards we'd been given at Disney Express working perfectly as intended.
Entering the park and the first thing we were greeted by was Mickey Mouse welcoming the crowds from the railway station! Couldn't have had a more fitting welcome. As we ambled down Main Street USA, without a plan other than to take in the VIBES and get our bearings, the first thing that was apparent was just how busy it was. Easter holidays, 25 degree weather, the grand opening of Disney Adventure World and the World of Frozen, it was no surprise, but initially it was quite overwhelming. We ambled down Main Street USA towards the castle, and the first land we saw was Adventureland, and so the very first attraction that we did was the rather low key Aladdin walkthrough Le Passage Enchante d'Aladdin, which was a cute little walkthrough with some nice scenes. Queue times were already very high at this point and whilst we continued to explore Adventureland we saw that "it's a small world" had a 10 minute queue listed on the app, so we headed into Fantasyland for our first proper ride of the trip! We ended up waiting 20 minutes rather than 10, and I think most people know what the ride offers, but I enjoyed it! The sheer number of moving parts inside, and the creativity of the various scenes and little Easter eggs inside meant there was plenty to see.
After getting off "it's a small world" we'd been awake for around 9 hours and were starving, but a lot of lunch places don't open until 11:30, so after a bit more wandering and exploring of Fantasyland we went back into Adventureland as Colonel Hathi's Outpost Restaurant was already open, and I had a Micky 4 cheese pizza which was €12. Was a pretty average quality pizza, but was much needed at the time. After the pizza, with queues still high, we went to queue for the 12:30 showing of The Lion King: Rhythms of the Pride Lands. I sort of knew what to expect, but it was still a quality and entertaining show, rattling through more or less all of the main songs from the film. I've seen opinions that it's better than the London show, which I wouldn't necessarily agree with, but as far as theme park shows go it's absolutely world class.
Leaving the Lion King, we went into Frontierland for the first time as Phantom Manor had an advertised 20 minute queue, although we were naughty people here as we accidentally went up the Premier access line undetected (the cast member was standing in the way of the main entrance having a discussion with a large group), and so got a walk on. It was well themed, but it didn't leave a particularly lasting impression on me. I think by this point, the tiredness of being up so long combined with the heat were starting to have an impact. After this we went to Main Street as A Million Splashes of Colour was about to start it's 14:15 parade. It's a short parade, but it's fun, brings feelgood VIBES, and the song is still stuck in my head even now!
After this parade, and a mooch in some of the shops around Main Street, we left the park and took the walk through Disney Village, also mooching in some of their shops, to go and check in at Santa Fe. Easily signposted and advertised as a 20 minute walk, it didn't feel that long and is a very pleasant and easy walk. We grabbed our luggage, then went to reception to have our Magicpasses updated to give us our room access. We were in the Lightning McQueen block which is one of the better blocks for walking to and from the resort! The room itself was very simple and a bit dated, but this was expected as the cheapest hotel, and served our purpose as a place where we'd sleep and spend little other time in.
After a couple of hours much needed rest and chill, we took the walk back to Disney Village and chose the quick and lazy option of McDonalds, €10 for a meal you can't really go wrong though, and then we chose to spend the evening in Adventure World! Again initially just exploring and finding our bearings, we chose our first ride to be Ratatouille: L'Aventure Totalement Toquee de Remy. We joined the queue at 18:20, which was advertised at 50 minutes, and for whatever reason moved incredibly slow and took an hour and a half. Painful, and I think impacted my enjoyment of the ride as I came off feeling a bit underwhelmed and still bitter about the wait. A shame given it was one of my more anticipated rides, but it would redeem itself...
It was then time to go and explore the World of Frozen, but first stopping to enjoy a Tiana choux pastry with vanilla ice cream for €6, from Chez Marie near the lake and this was absolutely delicious. We then entered The World of Frozen and joined the advertised 60 minute queue for Frozen Ever After, but we earned some of the painful Ratatouille queue back, as we were off within 45 minutes! I thought it was a really really great ride, some great animatronics, and was just something that put a smile on my face throughout, (nearly) everyone loves Frozen. By the time we'd left night had fallen and the land, and the whole park itself, just looks so beautiful in the dark. And queues were finally starting to drop, so we got a near walk on of Avengers: Flight Force, which was the first coaster of the day, and was enjoyable if not a little rough. After this, we got a near walk of Raiponce Tangled Spin, which has to be one of the best themed teacup rides anywhere in the land, and even moreso at night.
By this time it was approaching 22:00 so we settled into a position around the lake to wait for the 22:40 Cascade of Lights show. I'd avoided watching or reading anything of this in advance so I went blind, my thoughts on it were all positive, it was a great visual spectacle, and a perfect way to end a first ever Disney day. After the show it was the walk back to Santa Fe, lights went out around midnight, and the 22 and a half hours of being awake were finally over! Only the 28,443 steps today.
TLDR:
Travel day, Disneyland Park for Aladdin walkthrough, Small World, Lion King show, Phantom Manor and a Million Splashes of Colour parade. Checked into Santa Fe and then evening in Disney Adventure World for Ratatouille, Frozen Ever After, Avengers Flight Force, Tangled Spin, and Cascade of Lights show.
Would add some photos in to break up the wall of text, if anyone can point me to the best way.
The trip was booked in January of this year, leaving Birmingham early on Tuesday, and returning late on Friday. Staying in Santa Fe for all three nights, with the best part of four days to experience the resort. As the party was two adults in their early thirties, the main focus was to experience as many of the rides, shows and attractions as possible, and just to enjoy and take in the atmosphere in the various areas. Character meets and fine dining weren't a priority.
I've decided that I'll break the report down into a day-by-day account, with final conclusions/reviews after that. So here goes!
Day 1 - Tuesday 7th April
Day 1 started with a 01:30 wake up call, in order to catch the 06:00 flight from Birmingham to Charles De Gaulle airport. Armed with only carry-on luggage, there were no issues with either the airport or the flight, and we touched down in Paris around 08:30. The immigration queue was slow moving but we managed to get through just in time to navigate the many escalators to the train station at the bottom, and book and board the 09:43 train to Marne-la-Vallee-Chessy. Taking only 11 minutes and literally dropping off on the doorstep of the resort, this was an absolute godsend. Had we missed this train it was around two hours until the next one, or take the much longer and more complicated RER network, or book an Uber which would also take much longer. Disembarking the train, we'd booked the Disney Express luggage service which is on the top floor of the station, and they took our suitcases with the promise that they'd be waiting for us at Santa Fe when we went to check in later. They also gave us our Magicpasses, which would work as a room keycard, as well as our park entry tickets, and that is where we immediately headed!
Leaving the train station it's literally impossible to get lost, the DLP security check is right in front of you. As the time at this point was around 10:15, the queues were fairly long but quick moving, and we were soon through, and decided that as our first visit, we absolutely had to visit the Disneyland Park first. Even before entering the park, the first impressions are absolutely breathtaking: the gardens are immaculate, statues and water features aplenty, the sun shining, the music, the beautiful Disneyland Paris hotel, everything about it was just so special. Again, there were some queues to enter the theme park itself, directly underneath the hotel, but we got through quickly again, the cards we'd been given at Disney Express working perfectly as intended.
Entering the park and the first thing we were greeted by was Mickey Mouse welcoming the crowds from the railway station! Couldn't have had a more fitting welcome. As we ambled down Main Street USA, without a plan other than to take in the VIBES and get our bearings, the first thing that was apparent was just how busy it was. Easter holidays, 25 degree weather, the grand opening of Disney Adventure World and the World of Frozen, it was no surprise, but initially it was quite overwhelming. We ambled down Main Street USA towards the castle, and the first land we saw was Adventureland, and so the very first attraction that we did was the rather low key Aladdin walkthrough Le Passage Enchante d'Aladdin, which was a cute little walkthrough with some nice scenes. Queue times were already very high at this point and whilst we continued to explore Adventureland we saw that "it's a small world" had a 10 minute queue listed on the app, so we headed into Fantasyland for our first proper ride of the trip! We ended up waiting 20 minutes rather than 10, and I think most people know what the ride offers, but I enjoyed it! The sheer number of moving parts inside, and the creativity of the various scenes and little Easter eggs inside meant there was plenty to see.
After getting off "it's a small world" we'd been awake for around 9 hours and were starving, but a lot of lunch places don't open until 11:30, so after a bit more wandering and exploring of Fantasyland we went back into Adventureland as Colonel Hathi's Outpost Restaurant was already open, and I had a Micky 4 cheese pizza which was €12. Was a pretty average quality pizza, but was much needed at the time. After the pizza, with queues still high, we went to queue for the 12:30 showing of The Lion King: Rhythms of the Pride Lands. I sort of knew what to expect, but it was still a quality and entertaining show, rattling through more or less all of the main songs from the film. I've seen opinions that it's better than the London show, which I wouldn't necessarily agree with, but as far as theme park shows go it's absolutely world class.
Leaving the Lion King, we went into Frontierland for the first time as Phantom Manor had an advertised 20 minute queue, although we were naughty people here as we accidentally went up the Premier access line undetected (the cast member was standing in the way of the main entrance having a discussion with a large group), and so got a walk on. It was well themed, but it didn't leave a particularly lasting impression on me. I think by this point, the tiredness of being up so long combined with the heat were starting to have an impact. After this we went to Main Street as A Million Splashes of Colour was about to start it's 14:15 parade. It's a short parade, but it's fun, brings feelgood VIBES, and the song is still stuck in my head even now!
After this parade, and a mooch in some of the shops around Main Street, we left the park and took the walk through Disney Village, also mooching in some of their shops, to go and check in at Santa Fe. Easily signposted and advertised as a 20 minute walk, it didn't feel that long and is a very pleasant and easy walk. We grabbed our luggage, then went to reception to have our Magicpasses updated to give us our room access. We were in the Lightning McQueen block which is one of the better blocks for walking to and from the resort! The room itself was very simple and a bit dated, but this was expected as the cheapest hotel, and served our purpose as a place where we'd sleep and spend little other time in.
After a couple of hours much needed rest and chill, we took the walk back to Disney Village and chose the quick and lazy option of McDonalds, €10 for a meal you can't really go wrong though, and then we chose to spend the evening in Adventure World! Again initially just exploring and finding our bearings, we chose our first ride to be Ratatouille: L'Aventure Totalement Toquee de Remy. We joined the queue at 18:20, which was advertised at 50 minutes, and for whatever reason moved incredibly slow and took an hour and a half. Painful, and I think impacted my enjoyment of the ride as I came off feeling a bit underwhelmed and still bitter about the wait. A shame given it was one of my more anticipated rides, but it would redeem itself...
It was then time to go and explore the World of Frozen, but first stopping to enjoy a Tiana choux pastry with vanilla ice cream for €6, from Chez Marie near the lake and this was absolutely delicious. We then entered The World of Frozen and joined the advertised 60 minute queue for Frozen Ever After, but we earned some of the painful Ratatouille queue back, as we were off within 45 minutes! I thought it was a really really great ride, some great animatronics, and was just something that put a smile on my face throughout, (nearly) everyone loves Frozen. By the time we'd left night had fallen and the land, and the whole park itself, just looks so beautiful in the dark. And queues were finally starting to drop, so we got a near walk on of Avengers: Flight Force, which was the first coaster of the day, and was enjoyable if not a little rough. After this, we got a near walk of Raiponce Tangled Spin, which has to be one of the best themed teacup rides anywhere in the land, and even moreso at night.
By this time it was approaching 22:00 so we settled into a position around the lake to wait for the 22:40 Cascade of Lights show. I'd avoided watching or reading anything of this in advance so I went blind, my thoughts on it were all positive, it was a great visual spectacle, and a perfect way to end a first ever Disney day. After the show it was the walk back to Santa Fe, lights went out around midnight, and the 22 and a half hours of being awake were finally over! Only the 28,443 steps today.
TLDR:
Travel day, Disneyland Park for Aladdin walkthrough, Small World, Lion King show, Phantom Manor and a Million Splashes of Colour parade. Checked into Santa Fe and then evening in Disney Adventure World for Ratatouille, Frozen Ever After, Avengers Flight Force, Tangled Spin, and Cascade of Lights show.
Would add some photos in to break up the wall of text, if anyone can point me to the best way.
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