For our second free day, some friends and I decided to go to Disneyland Paris. I’ve been to Disney World a few times in my life, so I was excited to get to see a park that was new to me. Originally, we were thinking about only going to Disneyland Park, but then we saw that if we did both parks together, it would only be 20 euros more. So, we decided to go to both. Disneyland Paris, originally known as Euro Disney Resort, opened in 1992. After two not-so-successful years, they rebranded as Disneyland Paris in 1994. Later in 2002, they expanded the park with the addition of Walt Disney Studios, a new park that has more recently had a Marvel-themed area. Now, Disneyland Paris is a very popular European tourist destination where people of all ages go to have fun. 

We started our adventure at Walt Disney Studios. But before we could do that, we had to start our day by getting some Mickey ears at a gift shop. Then, we got to the entrance right at 9:30 for when the park opened. As we first walked in, I immediately got more of a modern feel to it than the parks in Florida. We headed straight to the Tower of Terror, which is one of my favorites, so I was very excited. We only waited for a few minutes, which was great considering the ride’s popularity. Boarding the elevator, we all braced ourselves as it ascended. Then came the first thrilling drop and we all screamed. The adrenaline of the first ride of the day at Disneyland Paris is something I’ll never forget. After this ride, we continued to go on more rides in this park including the RC Racer and Avengers Assemble.

Ratatouille: The Adventure in Walt Disney Studios was undoubtedly my favorite part of day. I have been on the one in Epcot, newly added in 2021, but this one was added to Walt Disney Studios in 2014. I already knew I was going to love it, but I was excited to see the original ride. The last time I went to Epcot, I was on a mission to find the Remy shoulder pet, but it was nowhere to be found. So I made it my number one goal to find it here. When we got there the line was over an hour, so we were decided to go to the single rider line to get on quicker. We ended up only waited fifteen minutes, and Crystal and I even wound up being in the same car. While I typically gravitate towards intense rollercoasters, which this wasn’t, but something about this ride holds a special place in my heart. Ratatouille is one of my favorite Disney movies, so riding through Gusteau’s Kitchen the size of a mouse felt extremely nostalgic. And I found my shoulder pet in the gift shop!

After a few hours at Walt Disney Studios, we headed over to Disneyland Park. We planned to spend most of the day at this park, since it’s much bigger and likely to be more crowded, especially since it was a holiday. Feeling hungry, we got some egg rolls in Frontierland before going on Phantom Manor, Paris’s take on the Haunted Mansion. We went on more rides, then paused for an ice cream break. Our day was interrupted by heavy rain, but luckily we were under a roof. After it cleared up, we went to Discoveryland, which had a Star Wars version of Space Mountain, which was one of my top rides of the day. We ventured to the last part of the park, my favorite, Fantasyland. Everything was so cute and charming, and it felt like I was a kid again. We enjoyed the rides there and then made our way to the gift shops to pick up souvenirs for family and friends.

Visiting both Walt Disney Studios and Disneyland Park in one day was a lot, but was definitely worth it. Exploring the parks in Paris, especially since it was brand new to me, was an incredible adventure. It was amazing to feel the magical and nostalgic atmosphere it holds and experience this with friends. I 100% recommend going to Disneyland Paris if you’re nearby, it was truly unforgettable.