Traveling through Europe with the kids has been nothing short of amazing. I think I have pinched myself multiple times a day because I never imagined being able to take a trip like this WITH the kids. However, as amazing as it is… I would say it is equally exhausting. Which is why Disney has been the perfect break for us. It’s just so easy because you know its safe, clean and the kids are entertained. Plus, even though you are at the parks you still get some Parisan perks like the local boulangerie where we headed for breakfast (it is still France ya’ know).
After chowing down on breakfast we hopped onto the complimentary shuttle once again to get to the parks. There are two Disney Parks in Paris… the set up is similar to that in California where both of the parks have main gates that are next to each other.
We had a great time at Disneyland yesterday so we were really looking forward to the Disney Studios park. But, unfortunately this park was a big let down. First of all the main gate pours you into a funky indoor mall/ food court area. It had terrible lighting and the scent was awful. After making our way through that we were dumped into the center of the park. It just didn’t make sense?? There was Crush’s Coaster on the right, directly in front of us was a Toy Story area and then to the left we could see Tower of Terror and Rockin’ Roller Coaster. It kind of felt like they just through a bunch of rides together from their other parks… nothing flowed together.
We made it through the park pretty quickly because it was so small. Up first was Crush’s coaster. I was expecting it to be like the Nemo ride in CA and FL but instead it was a fast paced coaster that shot us backwards and spun us all around… it was my favorite ride in the park. Then we attempted to ride some things in the Toy Story area but everything was shut down so, we went to get a fast pass for Ratatouille but… their machines weren’t working. This is where we experienced some unpleasant staff. I asked when they thought the machine would be back up… but the only reply is “It will be working… when its working”. Gee… thanks!
So, we rode Rockin’ Roller Coaster instead. This is a great ride and we’ve ridden it before in Florida. However, the coaster here had blown out speakers and Aerosmith does NOT sound great with broken speakers. I came off that ride with a migraine!! But, that didn’t stop the kids from dragging me on the Tower of Terror next. I was wishing the baby was with us so I had a better excuse to sit off 😉 Thankfully, the Tower worked just fine… it was identical to the version in CA if you were wondering.
We had finished up all the big rides so we headed toward the exit but we decided to check back at Ratatouille because it looked like the line was moving… and luckily it had just opened up. So, we jumped on that ride for our final ride of the day. It was really cute and well done. The only thing we thought was strange was that the show was in English. This was strange given the fact that the movie is set in France and we were actually in France… I had assumed it would be in French? Who knows? Crush also spoke French on the coaster we rode earlier and his son spoke English. I guess there is no standard protocol for which language they decide to use for the rides… kinda strange don’t you think??
We made our way out of the park and headed into their Down Town Disney area. It was super quiet unlike the Down Town areas we were used to and it was pretty small. We noticed they had an Earl of Sandwich so we popped in there. It was perfect they had yummy soups and sandwiches and a second level with huge windows that overlooked a small lake. It was a really nice setting and perfect on a cold day.
We wanted to head back to the apartment but the shuttle service wasn’t coming around for a few hours so we grabbed a cab. It was $11 for a 2 minute ride- pretty ridiculous! After hopping out of the cab we went across the street to the mall area. We had seen an artisan gelato place that looked delicious and thought it would be the perfect snack. And, it was. It was not only tasty but a real piece of art. They shaped the ice cream like a rose… almost too pretty to eat. I will have to find a picture and update this post… but here is a pic of the giant macaroon Ella found at the mall.
After gelato the kids enjoyed the indoor heated pool… we took a nap and went out for dinner. Again, we were hungry too early for the Parisans so guess where we ate?
Yes… Mc Donald’s of all places. And, the craziest part is I actually enjoyed it. If you know me you would no that I do NOT eat fast food. I am all about eating healthy, organic, wholesome and nutritious food. But, with travel exhaustion and eating way too many pastries some salty fries and a coke were perfect! Just don’t tell anyone I said so… especially this makes 2 stops at McDonalds. Remember, we let the kids try their macaroons too #perfectparents #parentsoftheyear #healthyfamily #cultured -YIKES!! Well… I guess that is where the 80/ 20 rule comes in right. It’s all about balance I keep telling myself 😉
Then it was Au Voir Paris… until next time… next stop Rome!!!
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While we’re not Disney fanatics, we do love the Mouse and his friends, and a visit to the Paris Disneyland would be such a special treat! Perhaps we need to start looking into a hop over to Europe sometime soon. 🙂
P.S. LOVE the giant macaroon!
Thanks Kim!
I think its worth the trip… with kids at least 😉 Great way to break up a sightseeing European trip
I loved reading all about your Disneyland Paris adventure and comparing it to my experience at Tokyo Disneyland! It sounds like you guys had an amazing time. Your kids are so lucky to be seeing so much of the world at such a young age!
LiveLifeWell,
Allison