Wow. Just wow. If you had asked me to write this post last Wednesday I honestly don't think I could have because I was just lost for words. I feel so lucky to have been able to be at Disneyland Paris on April 12th, the official 25th anniversary of Disneyland Park. It was honestly the most magical day and it 100% reminded me of why I love Disney so much.

We got to the park just before it opened at 8am, which was a little bit later than we had planned. Luckily we'd parked in the Disney Village car park so there was no line at security and we were able to go straight through to the park, as the gates opened as soon as we got there. Once in the park, we picked up our free badges and programmes and headed straight down the arcade to central plaza. We didn't have the best view and were about 5 people away from the front, but considering people who were at the front had been queuing since about 4am, we didn't really mind!

We were waiting for about an hour before the show started and it was so so worth it! I don't think my words can still do any justice for just how incredible this show was, but I'll give it a go. To begin with, Mickey and all his friends came out from the castle (which was magical enough as it was). Then, as the show went on, characters that represented each of the lands came out and had a section of music and dancing. There was so many amazing rare characters out, like Kuzko, The Rescuers and the experiments from Lilo and Stitch, but my personal highlight was seeing all three of the Aristocats (my all time favourite Disney film). Right at the end, Catherine Powell, the president of Disneyland Paris, came out and made a speech before all the cast members came out and did a massive flash mob. I managed to hold it together until this point where I just started sobbing thinking "THIS WILL BE ME SOON!". Whilst it would have been amazing to be nearer the front and seen everything a little better, I just feel so happy and lucky to have been able to see it all in person. I've already watched it again on YouTube and you should definitely check it out if you haven't already. 

Later on in the day there were two 25th anniversary cavalcades, which was basically a parade of all the characters that we had seen that morning. We wanted to make sure we were at the front for this one, so we got there as soon as the first cavalcade finished and waited for almost 2 hours for the second one (the top of my head is still very sunburnt!). It was so worth it to be able to be at the front though and see all of the characters up close. I was able to take some amazing pictures which I know I will treasure forever!

I know there were things that we didn't do, like meeting Mickey and Minnie and everyone in their anniversary costumes, but the day was still absolutely magical without that. It was such perfect weather and I don't think I've ever seen the park looking so clean and sparkly! Bring on the 30th anniversary! 

If you want to see more pictures of my trip, check out my new Disney Instagram!

Thanks for reading!

Amy xxx

When I was younger, I absolutely hated the characters at Disneyland. Like, run-away-kicking-and-screaming-if-they-were-even-in-the-same-room-as-me hated them. When I go to a Disney park now though, it's 100% my favourite thing to do. I know the queues are normally very long and it might not be as exciting to some people as the rides, but I love how it's a different experience every single time and that I can have an interaction completely unique to me. But I know that some people don't like meeting characters because they find it really awkward, or don't know what to do when they meet them, so here are some of my tips for meeting characters at the Disney parks.

Get an autograph book

I think some people think that autograph books are just for children but they're definitely not. Not only are they something that you can keep after your holiday to remember all the characters that you've met, but they're also a great way to start an interaction with a character. If you're a bit nervous then saying 'could you sign this for me?' (please don't just shove it in their face!) is the perfect way to get things going with them. Some of them have really fun autographs as well, so you could start a conversation with them about how cool their signature is and go from there.

Wear character specific clothes/ears

Obviously you can't wear a different character specific outfit for every single character you meet, but if there's a certain character that you know you are going to meet that day then wearing something to do with them or their movie is the perfect way to get a good interaction. The character will normally notice it themselves and ask you about it (or point to it if they can't talk) but if they don't, don't hesitate to show it to them and ask if they like it. Some of my best character interactions have come out of wearing certain character ears, and I often keep 2 pairs of ears in my bag at once. Marie from the Aristocats is my favourite childhood character, so I have a pair of Marie ears that I wear whenever I meet her. When I went to Disneyland Paris last year, I was wearing them in the queue and she came over to me whilst we were waiting and gave me a big hug and fussed over me before it was even my turn to meet her!

A lot of people find it really awkward to talk to the fur characters because they can't talk back to you, but that doesn't mean you can't have a great interaction with them. As long as you don't ask them ridiculously complicated questions, they are able to answer you with gestures and movement and you can easily have a full conversation with them. If you're not sure what to say, simple things like telling Minnie Mouse that you like her dress or asking Chip and Dale if they've had any acorns today are perfect ways to start up a conversation. There's nothing worse than seeing someone queue for an hour just to walk up to a character, pose for a picture and leave without saying a word!

Suspend your disbelief

Let's be honest, as adults we all know that the characters at the Disney parks are just people in costumes. But, if you want to have a good interaction with them, you need to forget about that and act as if you really are talking to Winnie the Pooh or Peter Pan. It might seem a bit silly at first but you'll feel so much less awkward and you'll get a much better character interaction out of it. No one is going to think that you look stupid, these people are paid to be those characters and most of them absolutely love what they do. They know their characters inside out and will be much more responsive to you if you treat them like the character that they are.

Thanks for reading and I hope these tips help!

Amy xxx

Having been to Disneyland Paris multiple times in my life, I can safely say I've done around 95% of everything there is to do in the parks (not including the scary roller-coasters that I wouldn't go on even if you paid me). Because of this, there are a lot of things that I don't do anymore, or at least I don't do them every time I go. However, a lot of these things are things that you should definitely do on your first visit to the parks, in order to make your holiday as magical as possible (and none of them involve going on rides).

A lot of people don't realise that you can actually go up into the castle at Disneyland Paris. As you're walking underneath the castle into Fantasyland, there is a staircase on the left hand side that goes up into the castle itself. Up there is a little walk through that tells you the story of Sleeping Beauty through stained glass windows and tapestries. You can also go out onto the balcony and get a great view of Fantasyland for photos. It's really beautiful and is a great break from standing in long queues. As well as going up though, you can also go down into the dungeons of the castle, where the dragon from Sleeping Beauty is chained up. It might be slightly scary for little kids but it's really impressive and is one of the largest animatronics at a Disney park!

Even if you are far more interested in the rides than anything else, meeting characters at Disney parks is so much fun! If you've never met any characters before, meeting Mickey Mouse or a character from your favourite film is a great place to start. If you decide it's not for you, then at least you can say you met your favourite character, and if you love it you can continue to meet loads more! Also, if you don't want to queue for ages for characters, there are always a lot of unscheduled meets near the Casey Jr ride so if you're lucky you might be able to meet loads without having to queue!

You'll have to be organised and find a spot at least half an hour before the parade starts, but it is so worth it. Even having seen the current parade too many times to count, I still have to be at the front for the parade! Doing this allows you to properly see how amazing it is and you can see a lot more of the dancers and floats than you can with three people standing in front of you. Also, you can get some amazing photos and character interaction as well. My favourite place to watch the parade is by the entrance to Fantasyland, to the right of the castle. At this section you can only watch the parade from one side, meaning all of the characters on the floats are facing you and all of the characters on the floor come over to your side. As well as this, it's near where the parade starts, meaning you can get on your next ride whilst half of the guests are still watching the parade!

Dreams is the nightly fireworks show that is projected onto the castle and it is absolutely amazing. I was lucky enough to see it on its very first night and we waited probably over 2 hours to stand right at the very front which was absolutely worth it. You definitely don't need to see it from the front every time, but doing it once or twice is incredible. Being so close to the castle gets you really immersed into the story and you can take some great pictures without anyone's head getting in your way! (Next month a new show called Illuminations will be taking its place for the 25th anniversary, but i'm sure it will be just as good!)

One of the most magical things about any Disney park is the attention to detail that goes into every little thing. Even though it's easy to just rush through everything when you're at Disney, especially if it's your first time and want to do everything, take some time to just wander round the different lands and appreciate the design and imagination that went into it all. One really fun thing to do is to go hunting for 'hidden mickeys'. These are where little Mickey Mouse heads have been incorporated into the design of something so that it's not completely obvious that it's there unless you're looking for them. 

Whilst the rides are a huge and fun element of going to Disneyland, there is so much more to do there that will make your holiday unforgettable and different to any other!