5 Final Magical Moments in Disneyland Paris

Visiting Disneyland Paris was one of the best Disney experiences of my life! The revamped rides, new attractions and overall atmosphere has me counting down until the next time I can visit. While my past posts have featured Frontierland, Adventureland, Fantasyland, Sleeping Beauty's Castle and Discoveryland, I want to take a final moment to highlight a few other moments from the trip that made it all the more magical.

The Emporium - No Disney trip is complete without visiting the Emporium, also known as every-shop-combined-on-the-left-side-of-Main-Street-into-the-best-shopping-experience. This Emporium did not disappoint. The merchandise was well organized, their kitchen dishes selection was fantastic, and the stuffed animals were a combination of popular characters and some we don’t see quite as often, such as Marie, Berlioz and Toulouse. What stood out in this Emporium though, was the barbershop located in the far left corner of the store. Though it was a bit out of the way, Daper Dan’s Hair Cut is a fully functioning barbershop. It truly deserves its place on Main Street because supposedly all of the barbershop equipment in the store came from a barbershop in Chicago that was going out of business as the park was under construction.

Walt’s an American Restaurant - Talk about delicious food! Walking into the restaurant on Main Street you feel as if you’ve walked into Walt Disney’s parlor, as there are pictures of Walt every where, along with a comfy couch to sit on and old-time-y striped wallpaper. The seating is on the second floor and the stairwell leading upstairs is lined with even more fantastic black and white photos of Walt Disney and the history of the parks. I was fortunate to get a seat right next to a window overlooking Main Street, so as I waited for my food I could people watch. The server was very friendly and the food was phenomenal. My only warning is that this is one of the higher end restaurants found in the park and was a bit pricey, but well worth it.

The Characters - Due to the poor weather I did not get to see many of the characters out and about in the park, but the few that I did made it clear characters in Disneyland Paris have much more freedom than they do in other parks. As I saw Pluto walking around the park he snuck up behind a girl that was getting her picture taken and put her hood up over her eyes, which followed with her gasping in excitement and jumping around to hug Pluto. From there a small crowd formed around Pluto and pictures were taken, the original destination of Pluto forgotten. I noticed this as I passed Goofy as well. There didn’t seem to be a dedicated location for character pictures, and instead of waiting in line, people gathered around in a circle and would just jump in to have their pictures taken. If anyone follows Disneyland Paris on social media you’ll have noticed their characters also have a lot of fun interacting with each other around the park. (For example, recently Peter Pan was having a snowball fight with Goofy.) The ability to see the characters truly as themselves around the entire park makes it all the more fun for visitors.

Disney Stars on Parade - I’ll be the first to admit I’m not a big parade person, but this parade made my experience at Disneyland Paris. Where to begin!? First of all, the music is incredibly catchy and jumps between famous Disney songs sung in English and French. The opening characters include Mary Poppins and Bert (and as a Mary Poppins fan I know how impossible it is to find those two at any park). The floats are cleverly designed, incorporating characters while telling their story as well. (Excuse me as I freak out for a moment…) THERE WAS A FINDING NEMO FLOAT! Yes! Dory, Marlin and Nemo were swimming about and then there was a giant Crush and Squirt! I definitely started screaming. Then, to make it even better (and again, I will hardcore fangirl about this) Flynn Ryder (!!!) and Rapunzel came out in a horse drawn chariot, led by no other than Maximus himself. Of course, all of the other Disney princesses and their princes were present as well (even Adam in human form), but nothing tops Flynn Ryder. To end the parade was Anna and Elsa, accompanied by Kristof and a rocking horse-shaped Sven with Olaf riding on top of him. Honestly, I could go on about this parade for days. The wide variety of characters, fantastic music and cleverly crafted float designs makes it one of the best (if not the best) Disney parade.

Disney Illuminations - Of course, one cannot end their day at a Disney park without fireworks, and Disneyland Paris is no exception. Using the projection technology now found throughout the parks, the crowd watches as Mickey Mouse travels through popular Disney movies around Sleeping Beauty's Castle. The Little Mermaid, Pirates of the Caribbean, Frozen and Beauty and the Beast are just some of the scenes projected onto the castle, accompanied by music that again flows between English and French. What I appreciated from this show was the use of waterworks and laser lights, which added a bit more flare, but sadly I felt the fireworks were lacking. Compared to Disney World there were no where near as many fireworks, which slightly took away from the show. The best part in my opinion, was when Elsa was projected onto the castle and “Let It Go” started playing. The entire crowd started screaming and singing along in French. Yes, I will admit, I definitely teared up a bit at that moment. To see this group of people come together and sing such a powerful song, and in such a magical place, can be quite an emotional moment.

Overall, my trip to Disneyland Paris is officially in my Top 5 Disney Experiences and for anyone traveling to Paris, I suggest you get a ticket and head on over. I know I missed out on Walt Disney Studios Park, but that just gives me another reason to plan another trip, and I’ll take any excuse I can to plan a trip to a Disney park!

Magical Thought: Do you agree with any of my extra magical moments? What did I miss out on or not appreciate enough? Share your comments below!