A lot of people would think that this guide is a long time coming. I mean think about it Disneyland Park is the original. The MVP. It's gone through multiple name changes and is actually older than me.
However, that doesn't mean the Disneyland Park (Parc Disneyland if you're French) is void of secrets and magic waiting to be discovered. This is where this guide comes in, so put your glass slipper on those magic cobbles and get ready for a magical day out.
For counter service you have Cowboy Cookout Barbecue. Rated a 9/10 by yours truly, it's a really rustic, cosy place to grab some really good quick bites. It's in Frontierland and you can expect things like half a chicken smoothered in sauce, BBQ ribs and potato wedges, it's a Davies family favourite for good reason.
Kelly
However, that doesn't mean the Disneyland Park (Parc Disneyland if you're French) is void of secrets and magic waiting to be discovered. This is where this guide comes in, so put your glass slipper on those magic cobbles and get ready for a magical day out.
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| Picture Source: Disneyland Paris |
1. Some quick tips before we start.
There are quite a few things you must know about Disneyland Park before you go. So here's the most important ones in a nutshell.
- If you or a party member are disabled, bring your papers to City Hall: You will then be given an easy access pass and an in depth guide to all the rides designed to highlight which ones will be suitable for you and your party. You'll also be able to drastically reduce your wait time and may be able to access a special pen at parade time.
- Try to arrive early for parades/night shows: Disneyland Paris recommend 30 minutes but I personally would go for 45 if you want a REALLY good spot.
- Use them extra magic hours if you are entitled to them: Seriously, these will allow you to access Fantasyland and Discoveryland before rope-drop which is a must for the Princess Pavilion and Peter Pan's Flight.
2. Must do Rides
I have briefly touched on rides at Disneyland Paris during my discussion about my 5 favourite rides at Disneyland Park and naturally I'm going to say that all of the rides on the list should be on your must dos if they are open. However, one also has to bare in mind that I'm a 24 year old female with some element of bravery so my top 5 isn't going to be the best rides if you're tiddlywinks are 2 and 4.
This is why I decided to do a full breakdown of the lands here. Before I continue, here is a short key to help guide you through the rest of the section:
If a ride name is blue, this means that it was on my original top 5 list. You can find it's positioning and my reasons here.
If a ride name is orange, this is what we call a quick attraction. These queues are minimal, if at all present and are ideal if you need to hide from the crowds.
If a ride is pink, for heavens sake use a Fastpass, don't force yourself in unnecessary queues.
If a ride name is green this means you can access this ride if you are eligible for extra magic hours at Disneyland Park.
Should a ride name be multiple colours, this means that they fall into multiple categories described above.
Frontierland
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| Picture Source: Disneyland Paris |
Frontierland on the first exit of the famous castle roundabout. You'll identify it by it's massive wooden fort. Long time ago, you used to be able to explore this fort and if it's still open, it is worth having a short look around, just be mindful of ice and rain because both make the fort super slippy.
Once inside, there are 4 main attractions of interest. The first is Pocahontas Indian Village which is one of two playgrounds for tiddlywinks under the age of 8. Note this is only open in the summer due to health and safety so don't try and find it if you plan to come in February.
Frontierland is also home to one of the big 3 roller-coasters. Big Thunder Mountain. If this is the first land you visit, my advice would be to book a Fastpass for this ride since queues easily top the 60 minute mark and then ride Phantom Manor and the River Boat if queues are quiet.
Adventureland
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| Picture Source: Disneyland Paris |
Adventureland and Frontierland are next door neighbours making it an ideal place to go whilst you're waiting for that Fastpass window. Queues here are often the quietest in the whole park and it has a variety of hidden secrets to explore.
The closest attraction from the changeover point is La Cabane des Robinson. A fun little jaunt around the Treehouse built by the Robinson Family. I will warn you now that there are plenty of steps so if you struggle mobility wise, you may wish to sit this one out.
From here, you have the whole of Adventure Isle to explore. Think hiding behind waterfalls, crossing a manor of rope bridges and lots of caves and you won't be too far off. These theming here is fantastic and provides so many different photo opportunities.
In the summer, you will also be able to explore the Pirate Galleon, make famous by the evil Captain Hook. Next to the ship is Pirates' Beach, the second adventure playground for young tiddlywinks.
You now have the choice between two wooden bridges. The bridge closest to Fantasyland will take you via Pirates of the Caribbean. A fun water ride that has some spectacular story-telling elements (oh and a photo-opportunity but don't tell anyone) and the home to one of the table service restaurants at Disneyland Park.
The second bridge will take you to the 2nd and the most quietest of the big 3 roller-coasters. Indian Jones and the Temple of Peril. Whilst this ride is available on Fastpass, queues here have never been over 30 minutes long even at peak time and so you're better off using your Fastpass on another attraction.
Once you've done all of that you have 2 options, option one is to follow the path next to Pirates of the Caribbean and walk under a small tunnel so that you arrive next to Peter Pan's Flight. Option 2 is to head to the wooden bridge after Indiana Jones but instead of crossing, follow the path round to Le Passage Enchante d'Aladdin (sorry to any French linguists who's language I've just butchered) and Agrabah Cafe. Exciting back out to the castle roundabout before either entering Fantasyland via the castle or continuing to Discoveryland according to your party's game-plan.
Fantasyland
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| Picture Source: Disneyland Paris |
We've now arrived at the most "family friendly" part of Disneyland Park. It is also one of two lands that has rides open as part of Disneyland Park's Extra-Magic hours. So my advice to any of my readers who plan to stay in a Disney Hotel is to visit here and Discoveryland first then head to Frontierland to book that all important Fastpass.
If you arrived here via option one, you're first port of call will be to make a Fastpass for Peter Pan's Flight. It's important to note that you can only make 1 Fastpass at a time unless you've paid for a Super/Ultimate Fastpass so bare this in mind if you made a Fastpass for Big Thunder like I told you to earlier. Queues for this outside of extra magic can easily go from an hour and half to two hours depending on time of year so please, don't put yourself through that stress.
Afterwards head to Alice's Curious Labyrinth, this maze is one of the few rides exclusive to Disneyland and it can be a great way to kill 10-30 minutes according to how good your navigation skills are.
From here walk past Dumbo the Flying Elephant, stopping by if the queues are quiet and make your way to the back of Fantasyland. Here you will find Casey Jr. - le Petit Train du Cirque, Fantasyland's closest resemblance of a roller-coaster and Le Pays des Contes de Fees or the boats that never seem to be open. Should the boats actually be open during your trip, I highly recommend that you ride both of these rides, the queues here rarely if ever top 15 minutes due to it being hidden out of the way. Also the storybook scenes that both rides have you travelling past are absolutely wonderful and it can really fun to identify classic scenes from your favourite films.
Once you've ticked off those rides head back into the main hub of Fantasyland passing Princess Pavilion. My advice here is to do this one at extra magic hours if you are able to or rope drop at the latest, otherwise the queues get REALLY silly (like at least 90 minutes silly). Then it's all about the happiest cruise around the world It's a Small World, I challenge you not to have that song in your head afterwards.
From here walk down the hidden path into Discoveryland. It is often quieter than exiting via the castle and re-entering. In the case that you decide to go via the castle (food, Main Street, Frontierland, exit, etc.) make a quick stop by La Tainere du Dragon for a really fun photo opportunity.
Discoveryland
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| Picture Source: Disneyland Paris |
The closest ride for both entrances is Buzz Lightyear Laser Blast. If the queue is quiet or you're taking advantage of that sweet, sweet extra magic time head into that standby line and start trash-talking the person who's sharing your space cruiser. If it's busier and you have a spare Fastpass free, use the Fastpass service here and then do some of the land's orange attractions whilst you are waiting.
Star Wars Hyperspace Mountain is the last of the roller-coaster big 3. In terms of queuing, it's a complete and utter lottery. Sometimes, it can be a maximum of a 20 minute wait, other times it's 120. It's really hard to tell. If the queue times are towards the latter, use your Fastpass here, if they are towards the former then use your Fastpass elsewhere.
The second Star Wars ride here is Star Tours: The Adventures Continue. It shares a lot with it's roller coaster cousin including the random wait time lottery and the ability to use Fastpass. If you can, board this ride. The 3D cinematography and the simulation is different every-time and is the right balance of family fun and thrills.
If you have some time to kill whilst you're waiting for Fastpass windows, then I would recommend having a quick look at Les Mysteres Du Nautilus, a short, yet fun, underwater adventure where you explore the submarines from 2000 Leagues Under The Sea. Also stop by Mickey's Philarmagic for a fun 15-20 minute 4D adventure with some of your favourite Disney films.
Main Street USA
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| Picture Source: Disneyland Paris |
Last stop on our tour is, ironically, everybody's first stop. Main Street USA is very limited in the ride department hence why I left it last here. You have the Disneyland Paris steam trains that are a very fun way to get from A to B and the 1920s transport to the castle, which are also very fun. Otherwise, you'll be here for Disney characters, a spot on the parade route, food and shopping. Sorry it's not anymore exciting kids.
3. The food
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| Picture Source: Disneyland Paris |
It wouldn't be World of Food without some mention of the great places to eat would it? Surprisingly, Disneyland Park has some REALLY good food places if you're willing to go looking for them.
For counter service you have Cowboy Cookout Barbecue. Rated a 9/10 by yours truly, it's a really rustic, cosy place to grab some really good quick bites. It's in Frontierland and you can expect things like half a chicken smoothered in sauce, BBQ ribs and potato wedges, it's a Davies family favourite for good reason.
If you are on any of the meal plans or really fancy a buffet, there's two really good options here. Plaza Gardens is in Main Street USA and has some fantastic dessert options and is a safer bet for picky eaters. Whilst the more adventurous parties are best heading to Adventureland and visiting Agrabah Cafe, one of the best themed restaurants on property.
Table service folk have the option to dine at Captain Jack's with is located right next door to the Pirate's ride and has a variety of seafood options available. For the more up-market, make a stop at Walt's, a place where I have yet to read a bad review of (one day I'll actually afford to eat there. One day).
Thank you for reading this beginner's guide to Disneyland Park. I had a whale of time making this and I hope that you enjoyed reading it just as much. If you have any questions feel free to ask them in the comments or message the official Facebook Page. Don't forget the subscribe to the blog and follow the blog on Bloglovin, a social media platform that allows you to read all your favourite blogs in 1 place.
Until next time loyal readers, make a wish and lick your lips.
Kelly
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