If you jumped into this page directly, you can start at the beginning of our trip here. Otherwise, keep reading about day 5 of our Paris trip in the winter.
Day 5 Disney Paris
Day 5 was our day at Disneyland Paris. We debated whether it was worth taking a day to see Disneyland Paris since we had been to both Disneyland in California and in Orlando. We really did want to see how Paris differed from the parks in the states, so we decided it was worth it to visit the park for the day. To get to Disney Paris, we would need to take RER A which unfortunately did not come through the Saint Michel station, but did go through Chatelet Les Halles, which was one stop away. We considered walking over, but since the Paris Metro allows you to make a transfer for free, we decided to take M4 over to Les Halles and from there we would transfer to RER A. Things went smoothly and without incident… well sort of. We got on the M4 train and hung out by the doors since ours would be the next stop. Three or four shady looking guys jumped on our train at the last second. Two of the four looked around and jumped right back off. Ok, these guys didn’t look suspicious at all. The two remaining guys stood right up against me. Luckily, as he was reaching for my wallet, I was doing the same. We made eye contact, but then the doors opened, and fortunately, they were off looking for someone else to target. The irony is that if they didn’t jump on the train like a bunch of thugs, we probably wouldn’t have noticed them, and they might have gotten away with my wallet. My word of advice from this incident is not to wait by the doors. It’s too easy for pick pockets to hop on and off to get away. Oh well, no harm done, and lessons learned.
So, just follow the signs to RER A with end point Marne-la-Vallee. As we learned from some videos, the correct train is also marked with a silhouette of Mickey Mouse. Pretty clever. It’s about a 40 minute train ride to Disneyland Paris and the Disney train station is very conveniently located right outside the park entrance.
We realized that going in the winter would pay off big time for us. As we walked down mainstreet, it was clear that there were far fewer people than there normally would be. We saw a parade happening on main street and we were able to walk right up to the front to watch the dancers and floats.
Minimal crowds on the Disney Streets
Disney Parade float
We noticed that they had the same rides as the ones in the states, but they were all slightly, or very noticeably different. Space mountain (Hyperspace Mountain) had only a 15 minute line so we headed there first. It was different, for the better, than it’s counterpart in the states. At the start of the ride, you are shot up the side of the mountain before diving into it. The ride seems much faster than the ones in the states, and there are inversion loops built into it as well. It was by far the best ride in the park. On the flip side, the Indiana Jones ride was simply a roller coaster, unlike the same ride in the states. It felt much more like Thunder Mountain Railroad than it did Indiana Jones. The Haunted mansion was about the same, but seemed a bit creepier and darker than what I remember from the one back home. Pirates of the Caribbean was also slightly different, as was Small World. The longest line of the day was for Peter Pan, which had a 40 minute wait, but luckily we had gotten a fast track so we went right in.
Disney Paris version of Small World
They also had some shows that I had not seen in Disneyland or Disney World. They had a Star Wars show that we stumbled on, complete with storm troopers. It was meant to be audience participation, so the storm troopers came right up to you and mingled in with the crowd.
Imperior Startrooper taking part in the Star Wars outdoor show
So, the restaurants at Disneyland Paris are set up much differently than they are in the states. You have several places to choose from, but each restaurant specializes in only 3 or 4 dishes. There is also different entertainment set up for each restaurant, with each venue having a stage and eating tables set up as an audience. Our restaurant had the choices of ribs, cheeseburger, or fish and Chips. We both had the cheeseburgers. The entree came with fries and a drink for about 22 Euros.
Restaurants at Disney Paris are all set up as a show with a stage and audience
Only a few Entrees are offered at each restaurant
We felt really fortunate since the weather had held out for us for the entire day. It was ominous and overcast throughout the day, but it never rained. It was very very cold and we were glad that we brought along several packets of hand warmers.
Ominous weather throughout the day, but luckily, no rain.
At around 4:00, we decided to head over to Disney Studios. There was really only one thing that we wanted to go there for, and that was to try the Ratatouille ride. Luckily our Disney pass was good for both parks, so we didn’t feel too guilty about heading over just for the one ride. Again, the line was short and we were able to get on without much of a wait. The ride was fun, and mixed the visuals of 3D glasses with the motion of the ride. If you’ve ever been on the Harry Potter ride, it has the same effects.
Entrance to Disney Studios
Ratatouille mixes 3D video and moving cars to generate a great ride.
We welcomed the 40 minute train ride back to Paris, as we took the time to relax and nap. Exhausted and not wanting to think about where to eat, we went back to our little cafe on the corner, Le Corner Saint Germain where we tried the Scallops and Salmon. Both were excellent.
Dinner at Le Corner Saint Germaine
