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).
1. Explore the castle
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!
2. Meet at least one character
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!
3. Stand at the front for the parade at least once
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!
4. Stand at the front for Dreams
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!)
5. Take some time to soak in the atmosphere
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!
Thanks for reading!
Amy xxx
