I’ve written about it in another blog and to sum it up, I don’t find Disney the “Happiest Place on Earth”. For me it was more like the crappiest - commercial and crass. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed the day but found the constant sell disappointing. Everywhere you looked they were trying to make another buck and there were plenty of suckers willing to be fleeced. I just wanted to go on the rides.
So when planning my Paris trip I wondered if I should give Disney another go. After all, I loved Universal Studios and its Harry Potter connection and the Avengers at the same park.
Pair that with the fact that my girl was keen to get a pair of Ratatouille ears only sold in Paris, and I bought myself a ticket and that’s where I found myself today.
An easy one hour train ride from the hotel and I alight directly at the front gate between the two parks - Disney Studios and Disneyland. The studio side has the Avengers Campus and Pixarland, while the Land side has the usual - Main Street, Castle, Frontierland, Adventureland, Fantasyland and Discoveryland.
No plans on what to do or when, so I began by wandering around the Studio lot, and ride the Avengers Assemble Flight Force which is really just Space Mountain rebadged. Next stop the Ratatouille Asventure - a 3D ride that was pretty cute even if I didn’t understand all the narrative (most of it is in French).
Now these two rides have given me some suggestions for people visiting the park. First of all, if you are a group of two or more who use the single rider lane to access the rides faster, you are an asshole. You are that prick who drives all the way up beside the lane of stopped traffic and expects to be let in. Seriously wait with the rest. The only thing I could take away from this was that the ride attendants are aware when you do it and make sure there is a wait between you and your friends getting on.
Secondly, Disney are master herders. It’s like Covid was never a thing. So if you have long hair, please tie it back and tuck it away. I can’t tell you how many times I had a hair toss hit me in the face while I waited. If I had had scissors, it would have only been a problem once, maybe twice.
Thirdly, just stop trying to push your way to the front. You’re not special but you do come off as entitled as hell. Just stop, wait your turn and enjoy.
Fourthly, they have designated smoking areas here but people smoke wherever they can find a spot to stop. And vapers just vape wherever they want, including in line in front of you for rides, food and drinks.
Third ride of the day was Crush’s Coaster which is hands down one of the best I’ve ridden on. The car twirls while going around the track so no two rides are ever the same. Next stop the Cars Route 66 which is a tractor/train that takes you through Cars country, complete with a fire disaster and water rescue.
Feeling peckish by now, so I roamed around the food options and decided to head to Disneyland to see what was on offer there. Easy exit from one park and entry to the next, and headed to Frontierland where I got myself a traditional turkey leg and what is arguably the best orange juice in the US - Minute Maid. Drizzled with BBQ sauce, this was a great choice as I got my full protein quota for the day.
A few more rides (Indiana Jones etc) and wandered around looking at the many stores. It was a really hot day, there were people everywhere seeking out the shade and Disney had installed mist hoses at all of the toilet blocks to give some relief from the heat.
Happy to stand in line waiting for a bottle of water and the best water ice lock I have ever had (the heat may have affected my scoring system somewhat) - it certainly made the day a little more bearable.
Always nice to see the detail that Disney goes to but I still can’t help but think that this whole thing is just too commercial. Queuing is so not my thing and crowds do nothing for me. Maybe it’s that I’m getting older and less tolerant, or maybe the Disney magic was just never there for me. But for those who love a good Disney adventure, that’s all good - it takes all kinds and who am I to judge 😊
I lasted until 5pm when I realised my quota of peopling had been reached. Would love to have stayed for the drone show (no fireworks at this one) but knew that the packed train ride home would be an absolute nightmare. Purchases for family complete, train ride home and it was a long, cold shower, tuna and egg salad from the local and an early night as we are catching the train to St Jean tomorrow afternoon.
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