Ooh La La Disney [Fantasyland]

Ah, Fantasyland! My favorite part of any Disney park. The eye-popping colors, the whimsical building designs and with the castle in plain site it feels like I'm truly stepping into a fairy tale. Upon entering Disneyland Paris' Fantasyland I can't help but notice cottage-like buildings that make up most of the land. I instantly think of Pinocchio and the Seven Dwarfs' cottage, which is fitting since both have rides in this land. The first ride I run towards though is Peter Pan's Flight, which almost always has a ridiculously long line no matter what park you're at.

The line starts outside the ride and eventually makes its way into the building, but as the line goes on the standing space becomes more narrow, until there's room for just one person to stand between the wall and fence that lead to the flying ships. Though it did feel a bit cramped, it only last for a few minutes because the line was no more than a fifteen minute wait. (There are certainly perks going in the off season.) Walking up to the ships I notice that they have two rows of benches, enough for four people to ride off together to Neverland instead of the usual two or three.

Once seated the ship takes off and you head straight into the Darling children's bedroom, where Wendy is reading a story to John and Micheal. From there you fly into the night's sky and make your way to Neverland, watching as Peter takes on Captain Hook and saves the Lost Boys. The ride is very similar to its American counterpart, but one unique feature is the flight through the night sky. Instead of floating over London before reaching Neverland your ship is surrounded by nothing but twinkling stars, giving off the impression that you are far beyond Earth and truly heading to something beyond The Second Star.

Returning back to France, the next stop in Fantasyland is a new attraction for me, one that is only found in this park: Alice's Curious Labyrinth. I will admit, Alice and Wonderland does not make it on my list of Top Disney Movies, but this winding maze certainly makes you feel as if you've fallen down the rabbit hole. To enter, you walk through a heart-shaped, leafy tunnel, the Cheshire Cat's face looming in the background. You're then greeted by the famous, confusing signs of Wonderland telling you to go "under" one tree "up" this way and "down" in the same direction. There are small doors planted between the hedged walls, some that open and lead you to another part of the maze, while others are simply there to make you look ridiculous as you try to open them.

Characters are abundant on these winding paths, with the Cheshire Cat looming in a tree over you, the Caterpillar smoking his pipe on a mushroom, and even those cute, horn/duck type creatures honk at you as you pass by them. As you try to find your way through the maze you see a oddly colored castle sitting in the middle of it, with the King of Hearts perched on the balcony. Clearly, this is the Queen of Heart's castle and now there is a goal for getting through this unending maze.

You know you're getting closer to the castle as you pass some Cards painting the roses red and as you turn a corner the Queen of Hearts herself jumps out at you from behind the bushes, shouting, what one can only assume to be "Off with their heads" in French. Finally, you reach the castle and as you pass the guards (suit of hearts, obviously) you enter the castle through a bright blue and purple stoned walkway. The main floor is tiny, with nothing more than a door leading to nowhere and two sets of narrow stairwells. Climbing up the twisting stairway you exit onto the first landing, which gives you a scenic view of the park. The space though, is quite small, and with so many people it's hard to get in the right position to take the perfect picture. There is another set of stairs winding up to the top balcony, and this is where you can catch a better glimpse at the entire park. Once you've gotten your perfect picture and exit out of the castle the maze becomes much simpler and it is within seconds that you walk under another heart-shaped topiary and back into the Fantasyland.

The first site I saw upon leaving the maze was a cute, almost lopsided house named March Hare Refreshments. What got me jumping up and down though was not the cute teacup shaped lights glowing on the sign, but the large teacup and teapot set up along side the house, among the pastel colored chairs and tables. The teacups have always been my favorite ride, and anything having to do with them gets me excited, so like any joyous adult would do (but if I'm being honest, more like what any hyper active five-year-old would do) I ran over and instantly jumped into the teacup for the perfect picture. What made this setup even more amazing, was not just the teacup, but the teapot had The Dormouse popping up from the lid as steam poured out of the spout! This instantly became one of my favorite photo spots in Disneyland Paris.

Now, even though the teacup ride was right next to the March Hare Refreshment I decided to go on another one of my favorite Disney rides first: It's a Small World. Now I know, this ride is either a hit or a miss with people, because some people can't stand listening to the song over and over, but I personally think the song is cheerful, insanely catchy and the dolls are so creatively designed I don't understand how people can't smile and feel happy when going through the ride.

As you enter the line it's easy to notice that instead of heading inside the ride starts outside. Once boarded on your boat you take a small, covered path into the main attraction and as usual, are greeted to "Hello" in a multitude of languages as the song starts playing around you. The countries you visit are similar to the ride in Disney World, with many of the same dolls dancing around, but the order you travel through the countries is different, and there are some new decorations depicting certain countries. There are two features that make this ride distinct from the one in Disney World. The first is the plethora of dolls that do not fit the usual design of the ride. These dolls are mostly placed on famous landmarks that your boat floats under, such as The London Bridge and The Golden Gate Bridge. Their faces are round and simple in feature, and while at times they seem out of place, it does add a touch to the ride that makes it stand out from the other Small World rides.

The second unique feature is found toward the end of the ride, and stands as a reminder that you are indeed not in the U.S. Your boat passes The Statue of Liberty, the famous Hollywood sign and previously mentioned Golden Gate Bridge. This small stop the the United States on the trip is enough to make you appreciate how much thought and detail goes into any Disney ride, because it is clear there is never and cut, copy and paste method when designing any Disney attraction. In It's a Small World fashion, the ride ends with "Goodbye" in a variety of languages and you are brought back out into the fresh air.

Finally, it is now time to make my way to The Mad Hatter's Teacups. What draws me most to this ride is the colors and playful patterns that adorn the teacups and lanterns. The designs on these teacups are different from the other parks, but match perfectly with the paper lanterns hanging from the glass ceiling. What caught my eye right away though was where the cast member stands to operate the ride. Instead of just being in a booth, the controls are cleverly hidden in a sugar bowl, which is not only designed like the teacups, but also sits next to a creamer as well.

I won't go into much detail about this ride, because there is only so much one can say about spinning in a teacup, but I will admit this ride was the first small disappointment I experienced at Disneyland Paris. I love being able to spin incredibly fast (or what feels to be incredibly fast) in the teacups, but these particular teacups were impossible to spin! I felt like I wasn't moving at all. As I glanced around my fellow teacup riders I noticed a group of three full grown men and their mother sitting in a teacup. These guys were putting in a lot of effort to get their cup to spin, but it didn't seem to be moving either. I'm not sure if these teacups are meant to be spun by the people riding them, but it did take away a bit of the fun.

Next on the list of classical Disney rides was none other than Dumbo the Flying Elephant. Just like the teacups, if you've been on the Dumbo ride before there isn't much to say about flying around, especially because this ride is designed to be identical to its counterpart in Florida. What made this ride unique though, was again, the creative control room design. To tell Dumbo to start flying the cast member would enter a circus-like animal cart that sat right next to the ride. I do give Disneyland Paris credit for their operation designs, because it's much more fun to watch someone behind a perfectly designed control room than just standing at a podium.

After Dumbo landed I was eager to try another new ride and headed to Les Voyages de Pinocchio. You are greeted by Pinocchio himself, who looks down at you as you enter the large cottage-esque building. The German-inspired art and wood design give you plenty to look at as you wait in line for your cart to come pick you up. As you enter the ride you are greeted by Pinocchio and the dancing marionettes singing "I've Got No Strings." From there you enter Pleasure Island and are graced with all of the wonderful items one could ever want. It isn't long though before you witness Pinocchio's friend, Lampwick, turn into a donkey and you get thrown into a cage with him. Leaving the cage you find yourself in the middle of a storm and quickly face the wrath of Monstro, his teeth getting just a bit too close to you before you safely escape. Making it to safety the ride ends inside Geppetto's workshop, adorned with cuckoo clocks and other wooden figurines, and as you walk out you pass by a small window showcasing Jiminy Cricket and Pinocchio.

Continuing onto another Disney classic, the ride next to Pinocchio is Blanche Neige et les Sept Nains (aka Snow White). Again, the design work that was put into this is astounding to me. The entrance is made of stone, with regal looking lanterns and Snow White and the dwarves carved above the name. Inside the stain glass lights have apples and the dagger-in-heart symbol that is found on the Evil Queen's box. There is also a glimpse into the Evil Queen's secret lair, adorned with her potion book and spell casting ingredients.

Your wooden cart picks you up next to the Dwarfs cottage and you're whisked away into Snow White's fairy tale story. You escape from the Huntsman through the dark and scary woods and end up meeting the Dwarfs in their mine. You watch as Snow White befriends them and you can't help but cringe as the Evil Queen turns herself into the old hag. As we all know though, all fairy tales have happy endings and Snow White rides off into the sunset with Prince Charming after the old hag falls off the cliff.

Blanche Neige et les Sept Nains marks the end of my journey in Fantasyland. Unfortunately, I missed out on Casey Jr. - Le Petit Train du Cirque and Le Pays des Contes de Fées (The Land of Fairy Tales) due to them both being closed. I also skipped out on Le Carrousel de Lancelot because there was too much to see and so little time, and missing out on this one attraction would not take away from my Disneyland Paris experience.

There are a few more delightful details from Fantasyland I would like to point out, especially if you have never visited before. Off to the side of Snow White's ride is a shop called La Chaumière des Sept Nains (The Seven Dwarfs Cottage). What I loved about this shop was the entrance is designed to look exactly like the Dwarfs' cottage, and it even has some of Snow White's animal friends doing the laundry out in the small pond.

Next to Sleeping Beauty's Castle there is the restaurant Auberge de Cendrillon (Cinderella's Inn), which features meals with her mouse friends. Though I did not stop in for food, I couldn't help but notice Cinderella's carriage parked outside among the outdoor seating area. It's not every day one gets to see Cinderella's coach, so I took the opportunity to snap a picture of it, because if the outdoor seating had been set up there would have been no way to get a picture of this.

Fantasyland in Paris is just as wonderful as Fantasyland in any other Disney park, but of course, one cannot go through Fantasyland without walking through the iconic Disney Castle.

Magical Thought: What's your favorite part of Fantasyland? Was I missing out on not riding the few rides I missed? Share your comments below!

Want to discover more of Disneyland Paris? Visit my blog posts on Frontierland and Adventureland.