Must and Miss in Disneyland Paris

What’s a girl to do when she has to choose between spending time in Paris and in Disneyland? Split her time evenly, of course! Or at least that’s what this girl does!

Making a one-day trip to Disneyland Paris is very do-able but I suggest you have some sort of plan for what you want to do while there, that way you can make the most of your time!

Upon my return (yep, this is trip number two) there were a couple things that I had saved in my memory bank as must-dos for both parks, as well as some attractions I wouldn’t mind skipping, so without further adieu, here is my must and miss of Disneyland Paris/ Walt Disney Studios Park!

MUST

Disneyland Paris features some really cool attractions that stand out and make them must-dos for me; Space Mountain: Mission 2, Big Thunder Mountain (spoiler alert: it goes under water!), Phantom Manor and Alice’s Curious Labyrinth. The two roller coasters are must do’s for obvious reasons but Phantom Manor is on this list because all the “Haunted Mansion” attractions are featured in a different land depending on what Disney park they are in, making them a Disney bucketlist item! Alice’s Curious Labyrinth is exclusive to Paris and makes an insta-worthy backdrop with all the “this way” and “that way” signs that are cute, confusing and yes, curious!

Walt Disney Studios Park  has Rock’n’Roller Coaster starring Aerosmith and Crush’s Coaster as well as RatatouilleL L’Adventure Totalement Toquee de Remy (I’ll dive deeper into this exclusively French attraction in my next post 😉 ) that I highly recommend going on but be sure to grab fast passes for them first thing because they run out super quickly!

For a group going with younger children I recommend scouting out characters- the array of characters wandering around the park is much different from what we have at Anaheim, although it’s more of a challenge to know who will be out because their app is very generalized (there is also no wifi in the Parks, just the resorts, if you are an international traveler).

MISS

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Peril can be found tucked in the furthest corner of Disneyland’s Adventureland, but I don’t see much draw to venture that far for it. There is no comparison to the Indie ride in Anaheim as it is simply a short, outdoor roller coaster that doesn’t meet the standard’s Anaheim’s attraction has set.

There are a lot of attractions in Walt Disney Studios Park that I feel are there to occupy space; with that being said it’s big talk for someone who hasn’t taken the time to do them, maybe if I had more than one day, but for a day trip I don’t think there’s much need to spend a lot of time in that park, I suggest starting your morning there and then switching over to Disneyland in the afternoon.

MAYBE

There are some attractions that are found in most parks but differ in decor, quality and language; It’s A Small World, Mad Hatter’s Tea Cups, Pirate’s of the Caribbean and Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs to name a few! If there is time in your day or you have a special draw to one of those rides then I say go for it! 

If you love parades as much as I do then you know the routine and rules to abide by while camping out on the sidewalk waiting for them. Well, you don’t anymore! All those precedents go out the window as you battle for a chance to see the floats as they pass in Paris. The cast members actually asked everyone to stand, making it difficult to see if you were not in the front two rows, and people hopped fences to sit upon the landscaped hills to get a better look. I guess rules are more of a suggestion there? But my love for parades remains despite the struggle, and of course the song is too catchy for its own good.

Also, Simba is part llama??

I’m going to be honest with you guys, I’m really getting myself into trouble while writing these Disney blog posts…my online Disney merch browsing has turned in to purchasing since packages keep mysteriously appearing on my doorstep… Send help! Or volunteer to go to Disneyland Anaheim with me, that works too!

P.S. you can find dole whip treats in Adventureland over towards Skull Rock, don’t spend half of your day sweating in search for them like us!