From Captain America, Black Panther and Iron Man too,
Disneyland Paris has lots of Marvel-themed fun for you,
It’s the summer of superheroes from now until September,
So come along to Disneyland Paris for a holiday to remember!
I was lucky enough to be invited by Disney to be one of the first to experience Marvel: Summer of Superheroes and wow. What an experience it was! Three days of Disney fun and learning, and I felt incredibly honoured and privileged to be given the opportunity.
We boarded the Eurostar at St Pancras which was a very smooth process, once through security and passport control we were able to relax in the lounge before boarding the train which delivered us straight to the gates at Disneyland Paris. It couldn’t have been an easier journey.
We were staying at Disney’s Newport Bay Club which is only a 10-minute walk from the station, but we jumped on the shuttle bus (well it was raining!) and we were delivered to the door of the hotel. After a quick introduction from Disney about the trip, we were given our room keys and off we went to check out the room. The hotel was beautiful and had been recently refurbished with a very nautical feel. The room had two double beds, a TV, English and French plug sockets – which is always a bonus – and some super cute Disney toiletries in the bathroom!
As dinner wasn’t for a few hours we decided to drop our bags off and run into the park to enjoy a few rides. Newport Bay Club is a nice 5-10 minute walk through the Disney Village and the first stop was Walt Disney Studios.
This was only my second time to Disneyland Paris and I am not really an adrenaline junkie. For me, I am at my happiest just wandering around and taking in all of the Disney magic, stopping off as and when we saw a character to meet and take a selfie with! Whilst walking around the studios I literally bumped into Mickey leaving his meet and greet and I was immediately part of the magic. Just seeing the main mouse himself left me beaming from ear to ear!
The weather had improved by this point so it was time to see the ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Awesome Dance-Off’ between Star-Lord and Gamora. It was great fun and something every adult and child will enjoy taking part in. It is very interactive and you are given the chance to dance on the stage if you are lucky enough to be chosen.
There are giant statues of some characters for you to pose in front of and snap away plus plenty of Marvel-themed snacks and merchandise to purchase in the studios. You can find all of the Marvel shows and experiences in the ‘Place des Stars’.
My evening started back at the hotel at 6pm with cocktails in the Captain’s Quarters Bar. I chose the signature ‘Glowtini’ cocktail which comes with a souvenir Disney flashing ice cube to take home. There was also a Marvel cocktail which is served in an ironman helmet which you can take with you!
We had dinner in Cape Cod. It was buffet style which suited me down to the ground and there was a huge amount of variety including soup, salads, cheeses, cold meats, seafood, steak, potatoes, and pasta. Dessert was a chocolate fountain and lots of miniature desserts. I would say that this restaurant offers something to suit everyone and there was some lovely food for the children too.
The chef popped out to say hi and as someone from a hotel and catering background, I always find it really interesting chatting to staff (or cast members as they are known in Disney!) about what goes on behind the scenes. I tried my hardest to speak the odd word of French that I remembered from school but most of the staff at DLP speak English so communicating is incredibly easy. This particular hotel can have up to 3,800 people staying at one time and has a number of restaurants and conference/event facilities so they are always busy!
Once we finished dinner it was time to get a few rides in before watching the illuminations, so we headed into the Disneyland Park. For me, this is the best part of a trip to DLP! I always find myself taking a moment as you first enter Main Street to just take it all in. You truly do escape reality and are catapulted into a magical world from the very beginning.
Our first ride of the evening was Big Thunder Mountain in Frontierland. This is probably my favourite ride at DLP so I was really excited! Just as we jumped on board the train the heavens opened and a little bit of panic came over us and then hysterical laughter as the ride began and we got completely soaked!! Just goes to show that you can have fun in DLP in both rain and shine … I think that was possibly the highlight of the trip for me, I haven’t laughed that hard in a very long time!
When it’s raining it’s worth spending 10 euros on a poncho – they seem to cover both your clothes and any bags you are covering but they can be rolled up small to pop in your bag when you are not using it. We didn’t and got soaked but it didn’t stop us having fun and we actually ended up riding the Big Thunder Mountain two or three times in the rain and I’m sure it got funnier the wetter we got! We also made use of the Disney Snapchat filters to capture a few photos in front of the castle!
At 10.30pm we headed to our private viewing area for the illuminations which started at 11pm. I have to say I was blown away, it was completely magical (yes I am aware that I keep using that word but there really is no other word to use!)
Once the illuminations were over we headed back to the hotel as the 4am start had caught up with us and I genuinely believe I was asleep before my head even hit the pillow.
Day two’s blog is coming soon so stay tuned!
Cheryl x
Have you experienced the magic of Disneyland Paris? We’d really love to know! Someone else might love it, and really want to go! If you’ve got ideas, suggestions or reviews, you can shout all about it on whatever channel you choose!
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