Day 12 - Disneyland Paris

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No problem getting the kids out of bed today, but we did set an alarm to ensure we would be at the gate at 10:00am.  I'm not going to go into today in large amount of detail as it seemed to be ride after ride for most of the day.  In fact Sierra is going to post her 4 page journal entry online too (see seperate entry).  Instead we will let the photos (also see seperate post) do the talking for us.  The highlights that do deserve a special mention though, were the Main Street parade at 5:30pm and the Disney Illumination spectacular - used to close out at day at sunset, at 8:45pm.

At first it was hard to drag the kids away from the rides, but I had a little voice in my head (?thanks Aunty Karen?), that the parade was not to be missed.  My sense was justified when we noticed that practically the entire park left rides, to line the parade route.  The wait time for the popular rides went for 35 minutes to 5 minutes, and the crowds along the route were 5 and 6 deep.  The parade - as you will see in the photos, was so energetic and colourful, that it was hard to not get caught up in the magic of Disney.  Young and old had smiles from ear to ear and everyones inner child came out.  Kristie was particularly impressed with the production.  Music and choreography, costumes and makeup, all made this a extremely professional production - not simply a meet and greet of characters in costumes.


Then at sunset after the rides had stopped and the park is officially closed, everyone gathers around the Sleep Beauty castle and it is lit up in much the same way the Melbourne Town Hall is at Christmas - where they project images onto the building.  Except Disney has taken it to another level.  Not only were there awesome projections onto the castle, but the fountains in front of the castle where also lit up and synchronised with the music and story being told.  Then came the pyrotechnics.  Fireworks - also timed to the musics, and the flumes of fire - similar to that at Crown Casino.  I videoed most of the show and it went for over 15 minutes and you just didn’t want it to end.  Best show of its kind I’ve ever seen.


When asked, Sierra's favourite thing about the day was riding the Star Wars Hyperspace Mountain rollercoaster.  For Madi, it was the Big Thunder Mountain rollercoaster.  For Kristie, is was the Main Street Parade.  And for me, it was the Illuminations by Disney spectacular at the end of the day - and not because it was the end of the day, but for the show itself.  


Everyone had a great day, with a really magical feeling to it.  It wasn't just another day at a Queensland theme park - no disrespect, but there was an obvious presence about Disneyland, and the park really going the full distance to ensure it is an experience, not just a place filled with rides.  From and manicured gardens and displays, to the pristinely clean streets and grounds, Disneyland Paris was not at all “looking tired” - as a TripAdvisor reviewer had stated.  Even the iPhone app wasn’t a gimmick - telling us everything about the park - including up to the minute wait times for all the ride.


Location: Boulevard de Parc, 77700 Coupvray, France

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