*Apologies, it’s not letting me upload pictures again*
Growing up, Disney was always a very big part of my life. Disney’s movies were some of the very first movies I watched as a kid, my first plane ride was to Orlando to Disney World, even my room when I was a baby was Winnie the Pooh themed. So you can imagine how excited and happy I was to find out that we were going to Disneyland Paris as one of our last class adventures.
There is something about Disney that makes everyone’s inner child come out again. Every time I walk into the entrance of a Disney park, I’m taken back to my childhood years of running around my house singing Mary Poppins or Winnie the Pooh songs. So what is it about Disney that makes so many people, including myself, feel this way? Maybe it’s the innocence that older people relate with Walt Disney and his stories. Maybe it’s the catchy music and unforgettable characters that bring a smile to people’s faces. Regardless of the reason, Disney is able to attract thousands upon thousands of visitors every day in all of their parks, including Disneyland Paris.
Having been to Disney World several times and to Disneyland in California, I was expecting the wait times to be unbearably long and the parks to be absolutely packed. While I was right about the parks being packed with people, I was surprised to see how much shorter the wait times were. The max time we had to wait for a ride was 75 minutes at Crush’s Coaster which is nothing compared to the 2 and a half hour wait I once sat on for Rockin’ Rollercoaster. Even the 75 minute wait seemed to fly by very quickly. What I didn’t know was that Disney specifically designs the wait lines to make it seem like you’re moving closer to the ride, even if you still have another 30 minutes before getting to the entrance. Even more interesting is that many places will contract Disney to design lines at other places, such as TSA gates at airports, to prevent people from freaking out and rebelling against the lines. Who knew Disney could be just as educational as it is fun?
After a full day running around the park like little kids and going on all the rides, a few of us stayed to watch the Illumination show. Looking up at the castle, you could see countless videos of popular Disney movies and characters projected onto the outer walls. There is something so magical and breathtaking about seeing the fireworks at Disney that makes everyone stop dead in their tracks and look up at the sky.