An aspect of Disneyland Park’s main entry is that you are funneled underneath the parks flagship hotel, Disneyland Hotel.
Lex and I aren’t quite comfortable enough to spend a cool $1,315/night to gain access to this beautiful hotel, but maybe one day if we win the lottery.
This is beginning to look a bit more familiar. Main Street was decorated and lit up for the Halloween celebration.
Sleeping Beauty Castle is stunning and has a lot more to it then the Disney castles we have in the USA. The castle features both La Taniere du Dragon and La Galerie de la Belle au Bois Dormant. These attractions are high-quality walkthrough attractions located inside the castle.
La Galerie de la Belle au Bois Dormant is located on the second floor of the castle.
The details of the Sleeping Beauty Castle interior are outstanding.
Having access to the second floor also allowed us to get a quick preview of the rest of the park.
The first attraction we decided to go on was Blanche-Neige et les Sept Nains, or Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. This is a classic dark ride attraction that relies solely on lighting, physical sets, and limited anamatronics to tell its story. Although old school, Lex and I still found it enjoyable.
From there, we made our way through Adventureland and into Frontierland. Disneyland Paris still utilizes the paper ticket fastpass system (the best fastpass system), so we grabbed a return ticket for Big Thunder Mountain.
Our return ticket was only about an hour or so out, so to kill some time we explored Adventure Isle.
Adventure Isle was incredible and I am such a fan of these types of attractions at parks. They are visually interesting, mentally stimulating, and provide guaranteed entertainment to both kids and adults.
We easily could have explored this area more, but we had attractions to get to. Pirates of the Caribbean was excellent, per usual, but I still prefer the California-version. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Peril was closed for refurbishment, but from all accounts we did not miss much.
It was now time for us to return to Big Thunder Mountain. This version of the classic attraction is said to be the best, so we had high expectations.
We waited about 15-minutes in the fastpass line before it was our turn to take a ride through the Wild West.
We are happy to report that it was indeed the best Big Thunder Mountain we have been able to experience. It is incredibly cool how the mountain lives on its own island, so you have to dive through an underwater tunnel to access it. The tunnel was giving me flashbacks to Phoenix at Knoebels since it was pitch black and went on for a few seconds longer then expected.
This version of Big Thunder Mountain is nearly 2,000-ft longer then it’s USA counterparts at 4,921ft. A quick search of RCDB reveals that length is good for the 5th longest coaster in Europe!
We felt that Big Thunder Mountain was pretty easily the best roller coaster on the entire property.
We then made our way across the park to the other main roller coaster, Hyperspace Mountain. Again, we elected to grab a paper fastpass and enjoy other attractions until it was our time to return.
The other main attraction in Discoveryland is Star Tours: The Adventures Continue. Even though we have a version of this ride in Orlando, I cannot recall the last time I went on it.
With a 10-minute wait, we hopped in line and were boarding our Starspeeder 1000. I’ll be the first to admit, I am not a big Star Wars guy. Not because I dislike the story, I just have not really ever been super into it. Regardless, we both were pleasantly surprised with how enjoyable the attraction was. I think we are going to have to do our homework before Galaxy’s Edge opens in Orlando next year.
We then shamelessly made our way to the final roller coaster at Disneyland Paris, a junior powered coaster.
Casey Jr. Le Petit Train du Cirque meanders its way through the back of Fantasyland. Needless to say, one ride was enough for us.
If nothing else, the ride features some really nice landscaping.
Up next is everyone’s favorite looping soundtrack on any attraction, “It’s a Small World.”
We were thankfully able to walk on since the majority of people were interested in the parade that was going by.
If you’ve been on one of these versions, you pretty much know the story. Looping audio with borderline creepy anamatronic people at every turn.
It was now getting close to our time for Hyperspace Mountain, so we made our way back to the entrance. On the way, we stopped in at yet another walkthrough attraction called Les Mysteres du Nautilus, a Jules Verne-inspired submarine tour.
A quick 5-minute wait in the fastpass line had us in the station of Hyperspace Mountain. My expectations were a bit mixed for this attraction. A few people had said they enjoyed it, while a vast majority said it is not very good.
Pencil me in on the “not very good” team. It was rough and just not very enjoyable. As I sit here writing about this attraction a few weeks later, I seriously cannot recall a single moment that stood out to me. I’ll take the Space Mountain we have in Florida every day of the week.
Last, but certainly not least, was a maze walkthrough attraction called Alice’s Curious Labyrinth. I’d like to reiterate how much I enjoy these attractions. A physical ride system is sometimes not necessary to entertain people.
I especially enjoyed the jumping fountains surrounding this spiraling section of the hedge maze.
The reward for guests is the Queen of Hearts’ Castle, which offers spectacular views of the attraction and beyond.
You can see from above the occasional scenic element placed around the maze, each with a corresponding story feature.
A look back towards Fantasyland as well as other parts of the labyrinth.
We really enjoyed this attraction and could have spent another 15-minutes exploring. Much like Adventure Isle, I am a fan of offering guests queue-less entertainment.
It was now getting close to closing, so we made our way back towards the front of the park. I took a few pictures of familiar round rides along the way.
Everyone loves Dumbo the Flying Elephant.
While passing Le Carrousel de Lancelot, we made a pit stop at Les Voyages de Pinocchio, another classic dark ride adjacent to Snow White. Once again, I love those classic dark rides. They are short, sweet, and effective at telling a story.
At this point in the day, we were exhausted and our legs were about to fall off from two days of walking in Paris and now a full day at Disneyland Paris. I was becoming borderline grumpy and was questioning whether or not to leave and skip out on the Illuminations castle show. If there is anything that I have learned from visiting Disney parks, it is to not miss the nighttime spectaculars. Sure enough, in true Disney fashion, Lex and I were both almost reduced to tears as the show came to a close and fireworks lit up the sky.
A quick note about our visit to Disneyland Park I would like to mention is that Phantom Manor, Peter Pan’s Flight, and Indiana Jones Temple of Peril were all closed. Phantom Manor was especially disappointing to not experience, but that’ll give us a reason to go back.
Overall, the Disneyland Park offers an experience I have come to expect from Disney. On the flip side, Walt Disney Studios Park does not. If we return, it would be to the Disneyland Park only. Big Thunder Mountain was the star of the show for us and we loved the variety of walkthroughs that were offered. The lineup of Adventure Isle, Alice’s Curious Labyrinth, La Galerie de la Belle au Bois Dormant, and La Taniere du Dragon is something the US parks should take note of.
Thanks for reading!
I am a huge travel and roller coaster enthusiast. I have ridden 504 unique coasters across the world and do not plan on stopping anytime soon. I graduated with a degree in Mechanical Engineering and am now working with a creative firm in Orlando, Florida. 
