Ooh La La Disney [Discoveryland]

After traveling through each land at Disneyland Paris I end at Discoveryland, the futuristic/space themed park meant to mirror Tomorrowland. While this is no Tomorrowland, Discoveryland has some excellent attractions, and one in particular that blows its Florida counterpart out of the galaxy (literally).

Entering the land there are two attractions that instantly draw your attention: Buzz Lightyear Laser Blast and Hyperspace Mountain. With Buzz Lightyear himself posed to fly off into infinity and beyond at the entrance of the ride I have no choice but to join him on his mission to save the planet from Zerg. Entering the ride, the line zig zags outside for a bit before heading into the building. The inside is similar to the attraction in Walt Disney World, with pictures of Aliens and Buzz fighting through space lining the walls. The talking Buzz is even present to inform you of your space mission, and he does so in both English and French (though his French voice is much deeper than Tim Allen's voice). As you get into your seat and pull out your laser shooter you'll notice that it can actually be removed from the ride's base, allowing you to point it anywhere you like the second you move your body, instead of being forced to constantly rotate your seat in order to get a good aim.

Once your space mission is over and you have defeated Zurg the path out leads you into a cute little souvenir shop named Constellations. The shop's ambience is set with dark blue and reddish lighting and another statue of Buzz standing right at the center, surrounded by Aliens and stuffed animals. I quickly breeze through the shop, stopping to purchase an a-dory-ble Dory notepad holder, and then head off onto the much awaited ride, Hyperspace Mountain.

Now, after doing my research of Disneyland Paris I knew Hyperspace Mountain is suppose to be the best Space Mountain ride out of all of the parks, and is that ever so true! To start off, the design of the building is something straight out of a future world (and honestly, upon seeing it I strangely though of Treasure Planet). It's blue and gold dome is topped with spires and to the right is a golden tube that one can only hope is part of the actual ride.

As you enter the ride and wind through the outside portion of the ride you eventually enter into a space station where a women (who oddly enough looks like Natalie Portman) will greet you via video and state your mission. You are then brought back outdoors and walk down a brief flight of stairs before getting placed into your seat. The moment you see the ride's cars you know this is unlike any other Space Mountain you've been on before. The cars are not only blue, large and meant to encompass your entire body, but the safety harness comes down around your shoulders, instantly signaling this ride will be unlike any other.

The ride takes off, makes a sharp turn, and the stops. BAM! The Star Wars theme music is suddenly blasting around you as you look up through the tunnel (yes, the same golden tunnel you were hoping to ride through earlier) and await for the launch that will send you into the galaxy. Words are rapidly being shouted at you in French to (I assume) explain what your task is as you fly through space. Your car is suddenly launched up and you're consumed by darkness for an instant before you notice an ally X-wing and the sound of missiles being shot at you.

This ride has everything one could hope for in a rollercoaster. Unable to see, you have no idea when the track is suddenly turning you upside down or taking you around a curve so sharp your car slants at an angle that makes you feel as if you're falling over. The entire ride is a rush, and you can't help but feel as if you're sitting right next to Luke Skywalker and R2-D2 as you fight off the Empire. As you get off the ride your hair is a mess and it takes you a minute to adjust to the sudden quietness of being outside of the ride, but you are eager to go back and ride it again.

Which is exactly what I did! The second I got off Hyperspace Mountain I ran back in line and did it again. By far, this was the best ride in the entire park. As much as I wanted to go on it a third time the day was quickly coming to an end, and so I continued through Discoveryland.

Next on the list was visiting Captain Nemo's submarine from 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. If anyone watches Once Upon A Time you'll remember from Season 6 when Captain Nemo and his submarine, Nautilus, meet up with Captain Hook. The show did a spectacular job at capturing what the Nautilus looks like from the inside, because as you step inside of it at the Les Mystères du Nautilus (The Mysteries of Nautilus) you feel as if you've just stepped onto the OUAT set.

This is a walk through attraction, and a quick one at it, though it takes a while to get to the base of the submarine. Inside you find Captain Nemo's sleeping quarters, which are neatly surrounded by books, a picture of a ship and ornate wooden chests for storage. In the main room a large window opens to show you the sea creature that is looming outside waiting for you, and the bubbling circle of water reminds you that you are no where near land. Being as it is a submarine, there is not too much to see, and you are quickly back tracking through the Nautilus and walking upon land.

Now, there were a few attractions I missed in Discoveryland, which was due to either them being closed or my own choosing. Both Autopia and Star Wars: Path of the Jedi were closed, but I purposely did not ride Orbitron or Star Tours: The Adventure Continues. I skipped Orbitron because it's just the Dumbo ride of Discoveryland, and riding a flying elephant is more fun to me than riding a spinning space ship. Star Tours: The Adventure Continues I skipped because it is a simulation ride, and I always get bad motion sickness on those types of rides. Honestly, missing these few attractions did not take away from my experience, nor did I feel like I missed out on anything. My time in Discoveryland was just a bit shorter than my time at the other park locations.

Finishing up in Discoveryland, I had now officially seen all of the different lands in Disneyland Paris: Frontierland, Adventureland, Fantasyland and of course, Sleeping Beauty's Castle. I now wanted to head back to Main Street U.S.A. in order to grab some food and start up on a shopping spree before the parade and fireworks began. Of course, the only way to travel around a Disney park is via train, so I headed to the train station and hopped aboard the Disneyland Railroad.