In August 2022 we made a return trip to Disneyland Paris with Jo, Bel and Ted after having really enjoyed a previous visit in 2019. We decided to stay at the Davy Crockett Ranch, a Disney resort, which is just a short car ride from the Disney Parc.
We arrived early, into Paris, on our first day and, having collected our hire car we drove straight from Orly Airport to a large supermarket just outside the Ranch. We stocked up for the days ahead and then drove to Davy Crockett Ranch.
Bel doing well, weighing our tomatoes. A French Supermarket is an experience in itself.
We’d all been up early for our 7.00am flight from Bristol, so we decided to spend the rest of our first day just chilling around the Ranch. We made good use of the excellent swimming pool on the complex and just enjoyed exploring around the site. We finished the day with a meal in the all inclusive, on site, restaurant. That was unbelievable with a superb choice of food. The children really enjoyed that.
Day 2 – Tuesday
The morning entry queue, even with the early access pass.
Jo had paid extra for early access passes into Disney Parc so we set off, once we were all up, to beat the crowds before the site opened to the general public. I would say that those tickets were a real bonus, especially when I saw the entry queues into the park later in the day. They actually closed the resort before midday as it was full.
Having been to Disney before were able to plan our days a lot better and, more importantly, navigate around the parc. We hit the site, everyday, with a list of attractions we wanted to visit and picked off the more popular rides early in the day. Even then, some already had large queues.
After enjoying my first trip to Disney, I was looking forward to returning so I could enjoy the scarier rides, and look forward to the all inclusive meals and a delicious Disney all-you-can-eat breakfast (you can also meet lots of Disney characters). My favourite ride was Big Thunder Mountain where you have a roller-coaster ride up a canyon. Unfortunately Its a Small World was closed for the duration of our second trip. We enjoyed a nice visit to the pool on or first day, and found some funny friends in the hot tub. BEL
Bel was 9yrs old on this trip and Ted 6yrs old so they both wanted to go on different rides. To accommodate that we split into two groups, meeting up again to make sure we were together to watch the Parades or join a queue for a show. That plan, coupled with the queue times app, worked really well for us.
For me, the Parades are what I enjoyed most. They were colourful, fun and very professional. I even caught myself clapping and cheering along, which isn’t really me at all. The stage shows are also a superb experience. There’s always a long queue for entry but it’s well worth the wait.
The Disney Resort Lion King show.
Day 3 – Wednesday
Wednesday was another full on resort day and it started with a pre booked Character Breakfast. We’d enjoyed a breakfast on our last visit so chose to do the same again. We had the second sitting of the morning time slots and our dining time seemed a bit more rushed. Some of the characters didn’t appear but, it was still a good experience and the breakfast food choices were excellent.
Everyone had particular rides they wanted to find or try again and I spent some time, during the afternoon, exploring around the Disney hotels located within the Parc. The newish Marvel Hotel was really interesting to look around. The foyer, corridors and lobbies were filled with Marvel memorabilia and artwork.
The Sky Bar within the hotel was particularly impressive with a large digitised skyline backdrop of a futuristic New York. The sky in the backdrop changed during the day from dawn through to dusk. All in all one cool hotel.
By the end of the day we’d pretty much managed to fit in all the rides people had wanted to try. Everyone had favourites so a few of them were visited more than once. Some we did together and some we did in two’s or three’s but everyone was happy as we made our way back to the Ranch.
To me, Disneyland Paris was a really great experience in both 2019 and 2022. My favourite ride would be between the spinning teacups, It’s a Small World, and Buzz Lightyear. On some of the nights for dinner, we would go to the all-you-can-eat buffet in the park, which had a large selection of food and a variety of sweet and savoury options. Most of the other nights, we would go to the buffet in the ranch. The swimming pool in the ranch was especially useful for the day we first got there. Unfortunately, it’s a Small World was closed for the whole of our trip in 2022. Ted
Day 4 – Thursday
We’d decided to use Thursday as an afternoon entry day so we could stay late to watch the Parc firework display. We stayed on the Ranch until late afternoon. There’s plenty to do there and I think everyone really enjoyed a chilled, relaxed morning after the preceding, full on, first few days.
Having rolled up to the parc at about 4pm we picked off a parade to watch and then found somewhere to eat. The firework display is quite late in the day- after 10pm – but we noticed people were beginning to settle into their viewing spots well before 9pm. We decided to pick an area we found by a litter bin. That might sound a bit odd but the bin areas had a bit more space around them and the children were able to sit on the bin top enclosure, which was a bit more comfortable than sitting on the ground. A good viewpoint as well.
The firework, laser and drone show was amazing. Everything Disney put on in the parc is top notch and this was no exception. Yes it was a long wait but something not to be missed. We had the luxury of a longer seven day holiday so we managed the days around the fireworks. A late start in the parc itself and a planned late start the following day so the children could stay in bed a bit longer after a late 11pm finish.
Day 5 – Friday
Another more chilled day after a late finish the day before. We went back into the parc late in the morning and had a relaxed day picking off a few more rides before treating ourselves to an all inclusive meal at one the the parc restaurants. The food choices were similar to that at the ranch restaurant but if anything, the food was even better.
We all agreed the ribs in the all inclusive restaurants were the just the best. Everyone had some on their plates!
Day 6 – Saturday
Notre Dame from our river boat.
Saturday was excursion into Paris day. We thought it would be nice to take the children in to see a few of the sites, so we booked a River Seine boat excursion to go on whilst we were there.
We were picked up early and in Paris by mid morning. The drop off point was next to the Eiffel Tower which was also the pick up point for the river cruise. I felt the Eiffel Tower site was a complete mess. The last time I was in Paris you could wander freely around the base of the tower. I don’t know when that changed but the base is now barriered off and they charge you just to walk around underneath the tower.
The boat trip was quite nice to do and it took us past several landmarks such as Notre Dame. Boat ride over, we picked up some food from the street food vendors by the drop off point, before wandering across the river and up to Trocadero Gardens for a view back across to the Eiffel Tower.
That was good to do and it’s quite an iconic view for a few snaps. From there we wandered off to see the Arc de Triomphe before walking on to the Pont Alexandre III bridge. After a quick look around the Petite Palais we walked back along the river to meet up with our coach for our return journey to the Disney Resort. All in all a good day and a good excursion to fit into a Disney trip, if you have time.
Day 7 – Sunday
We were back in the Parc on our last day. We spent our time just catching up on a last few rides or queuing for those we wanted to do again. We left in the late afternoon so we could pack before our flight home the following day. We did make sure there was just time for one more meal at the Davy Crockett Ranch.
Steve Hyde 