Post Tour 1: When You Wish Upon a Star
Food of the Day
Pain au chocolat
Practicalities
Cities: Lyon
Paris
Weather: Sunny
Hotel: Ibis Bastille
Sights: Disneyland Paris
Disney in France
Living near the heart of the mouse kingdom, we are interested in all things Disney. On previous trips we ignored our niggling curiosity in favor of the essential sights of Paris. But this was our third trip to Paris, and we had seen many of the must-do sights, so we decided to indulge our curiosity and check out Disneyland Paris.
It was like any other Disney theme park, and yet not. Some things were quite familiar, like the restaurants being open pretty much all the time, which is definitely not a French thing. We wandered into the Blue Lagoon Restaurant about 4 pm to see if we could have an early dinner there, and they were open. They were also almost empty and happy to seat us right away. There were two other occupied tables, both clearly American tourists. I suspect you will not find many Europeans who are willing to eat dinner that early. It was a striking contrast to Disney World in Orlando, where no matter the time, you can never just walk in. If they can take you as a walk in at Disney World at all, you’re going to have to wait.
The merchandise was extremely limited by U.S. Disney standards. They seemed to have two different designs of t-shirts, and that was all. In fact the shops in the France pavilion at Epcot have more different things to buy than all of Disneyland Paris.
And while the park was ostensibly open until 11, rides started closing by 7 pm, and there was no times guide that told you what time to expect things to be closed. Probably the Europeans were all off having a lengthy dinner at that time.
The park seemed largely designed to appeal to British tourists, though. At least that was clearly the majority of the crowd the day we were there.
The rides were interesting, but not as extensive as in Orlando or Anaheim. There were some unique things. We enjoyed the dragon under the castle, the walkthrough of the Nautilus, the submarine from 20000 Leagues Under the Sea, and the Phantom Manor. Pirates of the Caribbean, while normally one of our favorites, seemed a little incoherent in this version.
Overall, we had a good time taking a vacation from our vacation, but I don’t think I need to do it again.
Today we are Paris-bound. We pack, check out, and metro back to the train station. A sobering sign in the metro station reminds us that tragedy is fresh on everyone's minds.
In the train station we purchase fresh pain au chocolat (or chocolate croissants as we call them in the U.S,) for breakfast and sandwiches to take on the train for lunch. I have yet to visit a city or town in France where it was not easy to get excellent pain au chocolat for breakfast. There's always someplace selling them. It's one of the things I love about France.
The station is patrolled by heavily armed men as we wait for our 10 am train. When the platform is announced we go up and look at the train map to determine the best place to wait for our reserved seats in coach 5.
Train map on the bottom of the screen with coach numbers above and platform locations below
TGV service to Paris is great. We arrive at noon, metro to the Ibis Bastille, drop our bags, and set off again.
View from the Ibis Bastille
Today's goal is to see Disneyland Paris. We purchase tickets for the RER commuter train to Marne-la-Vallée – Chessy because of course the station is not called Disneyland Paris; that would not be in keeping with the French spirit. (I am amused to discover that having a Disneyesque train station is perfectly fine, though. See Gare de Marne-la-Vallée – Chessy at top of the page). When we arrive it becomes clear that most of our fellow passengers are Disney employees as they make a beeline for the employee entrance. We head for the main entrance, already armed with tickets that I purchased online the day before we left for Europe because the online tickets were cheaper.
Main Street USA
Beauty and the Beast Castle
We are particularly looking forward to the Phantom Manor, the Paris version of the Haunted Mansion. It doesn't disappoint.
The Pirates of the Caribbean is not as good, but we enjoy an early dinner in the Blue Lagoon restaurant before checking out the dragon under the castle.
Other points of interest are the blatant attempt to appeal to British tourists (of which there are many) and the view of the United States expressed on It's a Small World.
We hang out until 10 pm and then catch the RER back to Paris, which is easy; the trains run into the wee hours of the morning (I checked the schedule in advance).
Gare de Marne-la-Vallée – Chessy