Veggies & Voyages

Hey Veggies and Voyagers! 🎉✨

We weren’t initially planning on visiting Disney while in Paris for only 6 days but when we thought about where we could have the most fun for New Years Eve we decided to surprise the kids with Disney Paris.

Since we wanted to keep them up until the park closed at 1 AM we let them sleep in and planned in taking the train to Disney Paris from our Airbnb to arrive around noon. We took the RER A train to Marne-la-Vallée/Chessy/Parcs Disneyland stop and it literally took us the front gates of the park.

Plus getting back to Paris on New Years eve/Jan 1st morning was free so we decided to choose that transit option and it worked really well. Turned out we had way more fun during the day hours than the night hours at this age (6 and 9) and the fireworks were way too chaotic and crowded for us. Best bet is to get there earlier to get more daylight hours. My husband and I were so so on the experience overall but it was definitely a trip highlight for the kids!

What we loved

We arrived at noon and expected the park to have throngs of people. After all, it had “sold out” if you didn’t have a reserved ticket ahead of time for 12/31. However, there weren’t the crowds I had experienced in Disneyland and Disney World. There were some issues the day with EuroStar so apparently a lot of people with Disney vacations coming from London couldn’t make it until later that day so that could account for the short lines!

My 6 year old said her ankle hurt as soon as we ended so I spent 25 euros on a stroller for the entire day, which was a fantastic decision. The kids took turns riding it and by early evening we were informed the park had run out of strollers so we were grateful to have gotten one. Our little one took a nap in it later in the evening as well. We also found a way to have both kids ride it at the same time. Note: Keep your receipt! You need it (and a $50 euro deposit) to take the stroller out of Disney later in the evening when you’re starving from lack of food options.

Stroller in hand, we headed straight for the Haunted Mansion and it was only a 20 minute wait and moved the entire time. The ride stopped and had to be reset several times while we were in there but it was a fun time.

Next we took them to the Pirates of the Caribbean and landed a front row in our boat. That wait was also only 20 minutes and was also a constantly moving line. The kids really loved the surprise drop at the end.

After that our son really wanted to explore the caves and treehouse on Adventure Isle. It was fantastic that you could reach this island by one of several land bridges and didn’t need to wait for the boats like in the US. Adventure Isle and exploring its caves was a highlight for my 9 year old son.

After we explored, the kids wanted to check out the Adventure Isle playground while I purchased us lunch nearby at Au Chalet de la Marionnette. It was  a good deal as for 9 euros the kids got a drink, a chicken sandwich, an ice cream bar, and cherry tomatoes. I got the half roasted chicken and side salad with water for 16 euros.

I picked up the kids and my husband from the playground with the bags of food and we headed straight for the theater to wait in the Lion King line. I hadn’t bought guaranteed seats and was nervous about not getting in so we went in line 45 minutes before the show began and ate sitting on rocks on the side of the path while queued up.

This was a great use of time to eat while in line but honestly I’m not sure anyone got turned away – a ton of people made it in and I was VERY glad we didn’t buy guaranteed tickets. That would have been unnecessary. When we got in, it was maybe 1/4th or 1/5th filled. The show was 30 minutes and the kids loved it. It was really well done.

After the show, the weather turned and it was freezing and windy. It had been relatively pleasant earlier but now it looked like it was about to start storming.

We headed for a quick break at Videopolis which was this big casual theater that was looping disney christmas cartoons but we were able to buy crepes and get out of the cold. It was the perfect escape and we stopped in more than once! Though the second time, closer to 11 PM, it felt more like it was a refugee camp given the number of people sleeping literally everywhere and sprawled out on benches, floors, etc!

Once warmed up, we went to Autotopia where the kids got to drive their own cars and also only had to wait 15 minutes in line. They loved it.

We also stopped by Les Mystères du Nautilus,  a walk through attraction that we thought was really well done. We never found the Aladdin walk through near the front but I’m sure that would have been awesome, too.

What we didn’t love

Buzz Lightyear’s 70-minute wait – I had time to calculate my taxes and knit a sweater but instead got to listen about how much my kids hated the line and how much they didn’t even care about this ride. Worst part was the start of the line said to expect at 30 minute wait! But on a positive, I got my highest score and beat my husband’s score for the first time!

Dinner disaster – every restaurant fully booked, so we settled for a soft pretzel dinner. Classy, right? Totally not enough food options!

Missed chance to visit the dragon under the castle – the gate was locked, and dragons apparently don’t do house calls. We did get a glimpse of him through the gate (and he was seriously incredible) but the French didn’t appreciate us climbing the dragon’s fence for the view (this was the entrance through store in the castle) (FYI the sleeping beauty castle was very well done inside!)

Carousel heartbreak and a Dumbo double letdown – turns out, elephants (and French union workers) don’t wait for latecomers – even if it we still had 5 minutes before the ride closed and the last rides hadn’t started yet.  We shook it off with a visit to It’s a Small World After All. Note: it’s not that our kids don’t like roller coasters but it felt too cold and windy for the outside options, and I had read many of the indoor options give you whiplash!

Midnight fireworks fiasco – the chaotic, unsafe crowd situation that felt like a mix between a mosh pit and an extremely slow game of human bumper cars. And oh, did I mention people had to channel their inner ninja and jump a fence to escape the madness? Did I mention this was really unsafe and we all got elbow jabbed pretty hard? No workers to be found! No roped off walkway for safety. We’re in France, remember?

In Retrospect:

🕰️ Should’ve hit up Fantasyland earlier – apparently, it’s the Cinderella of closing times.

📝 Daughter’s school worksheet revelation – Autotopia stole the show, and apparently was her favorite part of winter break and all of Paris.

So, fellow thrill-seekers, spill the beans on your Disney escapades! Any memorable New Year’s Eve tales or secret tips to share? Let’s keep the magic alive in the comments!

✨🎇 #DisneyMagic #NewYearsEveAdventure #VeggiesandVoyages