Disneyland Paris Resort Day Trip May 2013

A part of my job requires me to travel internationally quite a bit. It's a great perk because it enables me to visit places like Disneyland Paris! I had a business trip to London in May 2013 so I decided to take a day trip to the Disneyland Paris Resort. I had originally intended to make a weekend of it but I had an upcoming trip to Hong Kong Disneyland (stay tuned for that trip report!) so I had to do this one on a very tight budget.

I decided to fly from London to Paris instead of taking the train because I had airline miles to use.  I really was not feeling well that day but I sucked it up and got on a plane to Paris! I arrived at Charles De Gaulle (CDG) airport and walked what felt like forever to the other end of the airport where the train station was. I found the TGV office and booked my ticket. This was another cost cutting measure but I found it to be quite time consuming. It was a Sunday so the trains did not start running until hours after I arrived at the station so I was stuck waiting. I should have just taken a taxi. It would have been expensive but worth it because I only had 1 day to visit.

I arrived at Marne La Vallee train station and walked out into Disneyland Paris! I teared up bigtime just walking around the property entrance area, I was in Disneyland Paris!! The twelve year old girl inside of me did squee indeed :)

The security check worked much the same as it does in Walt Disney World. Except later on I left the property to buy a train ticket back and when I entered the property again after 5PM, I had to put my bag through an airport type x-ray machine. I did not mind, I have nothing to hide!

Walking to the entrance area of Disneyland Paris was amazing! Too bad it was a cloudy day but I managed a few nice shots :)





Going to get my ticket! I mean billet!



The Castmember I spoke to at the ticket counter was by far the friendliest of the day. She was very interested to hear that I lived in Orlando and wondered what was I doing here? I bought a 1 day pass to Disneyland Paris only and I hope to be back again this year to see the other park they have, Walt Disney Studios.



Walking into Disneyland Paris for the first time - I felt like I was on top of the world! I had never visited any Disney park other than Walt Disney World, not even Disneyland in California!



I love this sign :) Thank you, Walt!



As I walked in and rounded the corner to line up my first castle shot, I basically began bawling. I could not believe how lucky I was to be in Disneyland Paris! I worked really hard to get here and I knew I was going to have a magical day! The castle is breathtaking but my favorite will always be Cinderella Castle in Walt Disney World.





20th Anniversary window!



I was glad to see The Emporium - my favorite store in the Magic Kingdom!



I loved this little shop on Main Street named after Walt's wife, Lillian!



A beautiful view down Main Street!



A piece of Florida in Paris!



I love the look of Le Château de la Belle au Bois Dormant but nothing compares to Cinderella Castle in Walt Disney World. This castle is pretty spectacular though!





I really love the waterfall here next to the walkway, wait what's under the castle?



Sweet, a dragon lives under the castle? I have got to see this!



I shot some video of La Taniere du Dragon, it was definitely one of my favorite things about Disneyland Paris!

I had 4 things on the agenda for the day - Dragon (check!), Phantom Manor, Star Tours, and shopping!! Next up, Phantom Manor!



I did not get a lot of good photos in here because it's so dark. This ride is very different from The Haunted Mansion in Walt Disney World, it is much more creepy and the story centers around the Bride who hums an operatic tune throughout the entire ride. I absolutely loved the music and story, this is definitely a must do for anyone visiting Disneyland Paris!




Next, I went to see what the line at Pirates was like. Too bad the wait was 90 minutes so I didn't get to ride but I was amazed by the detail in the area. It much more elaborate than Walt Disney World!





I walked over to Fantasyland because I wanted to check out the Alice in Wonderland maze. That had a long line too long as well so that's on my list for next time. I really liked the theming though and I love the Cheshire Cat topiary!



I had no intention of riding Its a Small World but I wanted to take some photos, I heard it was much more similar to Disneyland. It was really beautiful and I would love to see it at night!




I had to take another shot of the castle as I exited Fantasyland on my way to Discoveryland! So pretty!



I really liked the theming of Discoveryland. It had a very Jules Verne feel to it and it was very different than Tomorrowland in Walt Disney World.



I will ride Space Mountain 2.0 one day but I did not have the chance on this trip. I love the different look of the ride in Paris vs. Florida!




I am a big fan of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea so I had to check out Les Mysteres due Nautilus. It is a walking tour of the Nautilus so of course there was no line and it was almost empty!



The giant squid attack is one of my favorite scenes from the movie!



There was a really cool effect here showing the giant squid attack. My video doesn't really do it justice but it will give you an idea :)

I think this was the coolest part of the tour - the organ of Captain Nemo!



My last ride of the day was Star Tours, I was really excited to see the original version again! I love Star Tours 2.0 but I do miss Rex and the trench run scene. That ride was what got me into Star Wars in the first place!

I really got a kick out of hearing C3PO speak en Francais, I had to take a video!

I also had to take a video of the droid scene from the queue en Francais, enjoy!

I was hoping to get a quick bite to eat at Toad Hall but it was being refurbished :( I was pretty bummed about that because it was the only quick service restaurant I was interested in. Oh well, put that on my list for next time too!

I am truly blessed to have had the opportunity to visit Disneyland Paris and I cannot wait to go back for a proper trip. This was my first trip to another Disney park besides Walt Disney World and it did not disappoint. Next time I will go for at least two days so I can see Walt Disney Studios. I had a great time in the 6 short hours I was there! It's a definite must do for any Disney fan.

Check out my YouTube Channel for more videos from my travels!

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