Disneyland Paris and Walt Disney Disney Studios are great amusement parks with something for everyone. From thrilling rides to delicious food, this park has it all. My family and I recently visited Disneyland Paris and were able to experience everything the park has to offer. Here is our take on Disneyland Paris from a Floridian’s perspective!

Disneyland Paris is different from Disney World in Florida and Disneyland in California. For those that have frequented either of these parks, you will find an odd sense of familiarity combined with a bit of disorienting, but pleasant, sense that things are different enough to seem like you’re in a whole new park.

Similar to Disneyland in California, this park is split into two separately ticketed parks – Disneyland Paris and Walt Disney Studios. For those familiar with the Florida Parks, think of this as Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios (MGM Studios for those that are old school). Generally speaking, the parks are more the size of California’s but offer a quaint experience.

You will find a lot of the same rides as well as new ones, but each seems different. For those rides that are essentially the same as the US, you will find slight changes to the layouts, theme, and general focus of the ride.

Case in point, there’s nothing like Buzz Lightyear yelling at you in French while you shoot your laser to score points. In other areas like Cinderella’s castle, you will find yourself amazed by the differences which include access to the castle and an underground dragon layer – this is when you know you are not in the US parks.

There are too many things to cover in this article so I will focus on the areas we found that made Disneyland Paris unique. Rest assured there is a lot more to do that you will be familiar with if you have visited the US parks, but hopefully, this gets you excited to add Disneyland Paris to your next trip to Paris.

Disneyland Paris

Before I get into the specifics of the areas we found to be pleasantly different, I will say I loved this park, but not for the reasons you might think. Others may comment more on the rides and their like or dislike about them, I tend to spend my time at the parks exploring and taking it easy while the rest of the family are getting their fix as “ride junkies”. That is not to say I don’t enjoy a lot of the rides at Disney, but I especially appreciated a lot of the new areas Disneyland Paris has to explore that are not available in the US parks.

Disneyland Paris Entrance

The entry to Disneyland Paris is pretty unassuming when compared to the US versions. You effectively enter beneath the Disneyland Hotel and to some expect almost feel like you’re entering the hotel rather than the theme park. Unlike the US park, there was no pre-show or any other major announcement, the park simply just opened.

As you can see from the photos, the ticket booths and entry gates can be found in a corridor under the hotel. In the pictures shown, I visited in May while schools were still in session. I only point this out as we visited a year or two later during the summer months and there were a lot more people than these pictures indicate.

That said, the entry process is well managed and on both of our visits, we were able to enter the park quickly and were off to Disneyland Paris in no time.

Main Street Galleria

So, if you are not paying attention you may very well miss this. Much like the main street in the US parks, you will find the normal far of shops and trolly and a view of the castle as you walk in. However, what is hidden from view is a cool indoor gallery that runs behind those same shops and provides more of a European vibe.

HINT: If you find your day getting a bit too hot/cold, or you need to get out of the rain, this was a great place to grab some food and then sit on one of the benches or tables in the gallery area. During both of our trips, we made it a point to stop by and grab a hot dog or some ice cream and sit and enjoy the ambiance of the gallery. Oh, and don’t forget you are in France, definitely try all the pastries as you go. Tasty!

Cinderella’s Castle

First and foremost, being from Florida, it always amazes me how small the castle is at other parks in the world, California included. There is nothing like the one at Magic Kingdom at Disney World in terms of size, scale, and overall attention to detail – although I hear the one in Tokyo is nice and will get to see it in 2023 when we visit.

That said, what it lacks in size is made up of accessibility. While some of the other parks have closed off the inside or turned it into a high-priced restaurant, the one at Disneyland Paris lets you explore the inside. You are able to walk around the center of the castle and even got out on the towers for a birds-eye view of the surrounding area.

After exiting the castle, you’re able to enter the dungeon, complete with dragons and small pools. It’s not an extensive area but definitely worth exploring and offers those in your group something at the castle that is not full of princesses and happy tails.

While many of you will run to your first ride, definitely make time during the day to visit the castle. Especially if you’re from the US you will be plenty surprised to see that they made use of this space and didn’t just use it as a centerpiece to look at.

Haunted Mansion

I’m not going to say much about Haunted Mansion. You will find it very similar to the ride in the US with some ordering changes and a few nuances. That said, I much preferred the outside layout of the version at Disneyland Paris. While the versions in the US (less to Orlando) didn’t have a lot of land around it to work with, at Disneyland Paris you will get to walk through the entire flower garden with a gazebo, their own take of the cemetery, and a general tour of the grounds before entering.

Pirates of the Caribbean

There are two main things you’re going to notice when visiting Pirates of the Caribbean in France. The first is before you even enter the ride. While the versions in the US tend to have more of a New Orleans vibe around them or an unassuming building, the version at Disneyland Paris goes full-on pirate theme and presents more of an Indiana Jones feel to it.

While I love the ride, as usual, we spent a lot of time outside exploring the area. In addition to the impressive front that you see above, there are caverns you can explore outside the ride (below) that were equally enjoyable. There are tons of paths that take you through dark corridors where you will find dead pirates and more loot.

The second thing you will notice is the ride itself. Not so much what you will see or even the ride experience itself. The thing you will notice if you have been to the US versions a bunch is that it is nearly in the opposite order, or very close to it! I didn’t necessarily mind it, but it was definitely disorienting. To me, it told the story a bit better, but generally, it’s a lot of the same content, just mixed up from the US version.

Thunder Mountain

Similar to Pirates of the Caribean, Thunder Mountain will feel familiar to you. The big difference is the ride itself is on an island! You will still board the train from the “mainland” but will travel underground beneath the river before emerging to the mountain for the ride. Visually speaking I think it looks far more impressive than the US versions and more pronounced sitting on its own island.

Hyperspace Mountain (Space Mountain?)

When approaching Hyperspace Mountain, the first thing you will notice is something that is less “spacey” and more steampunk vibe to it. It’s far more impressive looking than anything you would find in front of Space Mountain in the US and you can see the coaster shoot up the laser gun. The lake in front of it also comes with a Nautilus submarine.

First off I’ll start by saying don’t go on this ride thinking this is you’re grandma’s Space Mountain that you find in the US versions of this ride. This is Hyperspace Mountain after all. I would argue this is more aligned with the Aerosmith rollercoaster at Hollywood Studios in Orlando than any relation to Space Mountain.

I won’t give it away, but if you go on this ride be prepared to strap in for a wild ride of several loops, corkscrews, and vomit-inducing craziness. Let’s just say, fool me once, but not twice. You have been warned. However, if you like rollercoasters, FANTASIC RIDE! and should not be missed.

Walt Disney Studio

As I’ve said before, you can think of this part of the park as Hollywood Studios in Orlando. You will find a lot of the same rides, and even some that are at Ecopt but generally speaking it is a pretty small park. The first time I visited I ended up doing it after Disneyland Paris and did both parks the same day.

That said, and certainly possible in many cases, I don’t suggest it and on our next visit, we dedicated a day to each park. In fact, we ended up going for three days. Either way, I wouldn’t just get a single-day ticket to go to this park by itself, but it is definitely worth going on a multi-day ticket or same-day ticket with the “main” park. My suggestion to Disney is to combine these

Entrance

Walt Disney Studio is pretty low-key. As you enter the park you are great with a courtyard that almost feels like you’re still outside the park. There is;t much here, but I could see them using it as a staging area prior to opening, but that was not the case when we visited. Otherwise, the park begins to take shape as you enter the building.

It always fascinates me when we visit parks outside the US. I always forget that the US parks are in warm climate zone which leads to more public spaces outside. However, as you enter the building you are greeted with an “outside” setting, indoors. This allows for a “nighttime” vibe and a place to crash when you want to get out of the weather. I actually really enjoyed this space and on one of the days I visited they had a “rock band” planning Disney music.

Hollywood Tower

Not much to say about Hollywood Tower (Tower of Terror), only to say that in France they have kept the original ride intact. I point this out as I was one of those people who were completely disappointed when they changed the one in Orlando to the supper hero theme. Disney, can we not have a ride that is timeless and tied to an “idea” rather than the fad movie of the month? I’ll leave it at that, but it was nice to ride the original ride again.

One other thing I will point out is. It seemed like this version had TONS more drops per ride than what you will find in Orlando or California. I felt like I got more for my wait time than I ever recall getting at the US parks.

Ratatouille

During my first visit to the park, this area/ride was relatively new and crowded and did not spend much time in the Ratatouille area. On our latest trip, we were able to ride the ride as well as dine at the restaurant. At the time we had not ridden, and don’t recall if it was even built yet, at the US parks. I can’t compare to what the US version entails, only to say that this was a new area for us when we went to France.

In terms of the restaurant, it saddens me to say the ambiance far exceeded the food and service. Maybe it had something to do with the pandemic and the borders having just opened (maybe short-staffed), but the service was horrible and the food wasn’t much better. The ambiance however was spot on. My suggestion is to walk in to use the bathroom or something to get a view of the restaurant but find somewhere else to eat.

Avengers

Unfortunately at the time of our visit, this land was not open yet. Maybe we will visit again some year and will have more to say, but for now, I am leaving this in homage to the Avengers. During my first visit, you could walk in the area and they had these large replicas, while on our latest trip it was completely shut down and under construction.

Lodging

I normally don’t focus on lodging as it is mostly a spot to fall asleep and get back to the day’s activities, but it did;t feel right now including where we stayed in this article. On my first visit to Disneyland Paris, I took the train from Paris for the day and didn’t actually stay near the Disney property, but on our latest strip, we decided to stay longer as we were spending three days at the park.

I have stayed in Disney hotels a fair amount in my years and as a general rule are second to none (although I could say a few choice words for hotels like All Star Resort, etc. at Disney World which are overpriced Motel 6’s), but on this occasion, we had rented a car and decided to stay off property, and am glad we did.

I happen to request Marriott properties in my line of work and stumbled upon this location that is only a few minutes from the park. I can’t say enough good things about Marriott’s Village d’ile-de-France. For a family of four, it was a perfect location for us. It let us wind down after the parts in a multi-bedroom townhome setting in what looked like a historic French village. It was quiet and had tons of space with a full kitchen and bedrooms on the second floor. Some may say it was a little dated, but to me, it fit right in with the feel of the village.

Final Thoughts

I know what some people must be thinking. You live in Florida with Disney World at your doorstep and you went to Disney in France! My response is twofold. If you happen to have kids with you on your travels, you can only look at buildings, museums, and historic places so much.

While all of those things are great, sometimes you just need to break away and find something that is a little bit of home, fun, and yet still has its own uniqueness of visiting a foreign country. What you will find at Disneyland Paris is a “local” crowd and an experience within France that your kids will ultimately relate to more in France. Even if you don’t have kids, take the day and get out of Paris, whether that be Disney or somewhere else.

Side Story: On my first trip to Disneyland Paris I took the train to and from Paris. On my way back I was seated next to a nice family local to the area that only spoke French – I speak absolutely none. We spent 30min chatting back and forth with Google Translate about our experience at Disney. For a moment we were able to engage and experience something beyond the “tourist vision” of my surroundings.

Nonetheless, if you’re planning a trip to Disneyland Paris, it’s best to plan ahead. You can buy your tickets online. Also, be sure to check out the website for park hours and special events before you head out so you know what days are best for your family.

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