In 2009 my family and I had the privilege of visiting one of the most magical places in the world – Euro Disney.
Travelling from Paris to Euro Disney is easy. If you have pre-paid for your transfers as part of a package it’s even easier. However, if like me you like a bit of adventure, you can take a train from central Paris in 35 minutes. The train (RER – regional express train) takes you right to the Park. From there, buses take you to hotels.
All hotels based in and around Euro Disney are themed. We chose the Santa Fe Hotel due to its value for money. It is also close enough to the Disney Parks – courtesy buses leave about every 10 minutes from the front of the hotel and take you straight there without stopping. Journey time is around 15 minutes.
Accommodation at the Santa Fe is approximately a 2 star standard, so basic but clean. Our room had 2 double beds and quite comfortably slept 2 adults and 2 children. Breakfast was included in the hotel dining area which got very busy and rather noisy! If you get there at the wrong time you could be fighting for somewhere to sit. So get there early if you can. One morning though we had breakfast in the Disney Park as we had a voucher included. This was a lot more sedate and the food was amazing – the French really know how to have breakfast. There were cold meats, cheeses, croissants (of course), breads, yogurts, fruit...I could have spent my first day just there!
Euro Disney is a smaller park than the American ones but I like it for that fact. You don’t have to walk far to the attractions and rides. There are 2 parks – Disneyland Park and Walt Disney Studios. Most of our time was spent in Disneyland Park as there was more variety and of course the wonderful Parade every day. It is also home of Space Mountain, other great rides and has a total of 5 ‘Lands’ to explore. We had 2 nights/3 days in total but an extra night would have been beneficial.
Feeding your family in the Park doesn’t have to be expensive. It pays to shop around though. Cafe Mickey was expensive, busy and very noisy. We were kept waiting for a long time to be seated even though we had a reservation, the plus side is there are Disney Characters inside waiting to meet eager young fans.
For less expensive dining options, there are plenty of other themed restaurants in the Park which I found to offer nicer food and atmosphere. Lunches were easy too – lots of options around the park catering for all price ranges.
Getting to the park early is one way to ensure you don’t spend precious time hanging around in a queue. Being there during the English school holidays, I was expecting to do just that –waste time! I was pleasantly surprised.
Disneyland Paris is a truly magical place and I would jump at the chance to go again, as would my children!