Thousands of people, never-ending queues, crying babies, hassled parents, long walks between rides. They can dampen anybody’s holiday spirit. They did mine, at any rate.
But here’s the deal. The moment Disneyland Castle pops up, like straight out of a fairytale, looming large on the horizon at one end of Disneyland Park in Paris, your apprehensions have a habit of melting away.
Disneyland, Paris – celebrating its 25th anniversary this year – is truly magical.
As the much-feted Disney parade started at 5.30 pm and wound its way around the Central Plaza, the ever-loved characters of Mickey Mouse, Donald, Goofy, Nemo, Peter Pan, Woody, Cinderella all came to life – dancing, singing and waving to their starry-eyed fans.
Not Just For Children
I wasn’t surprised when kids shrieked relentlessly at the colourful, fantasy-themed tableaus that passed them by. I was surprised, however, when I joined in – shouting out to my favourite cartoons and inviting glances from my 12-year-old son.
I wasn’t bothered because, the moment I saw the pink turrets of Sleeping Beauty’s Castle, I was hooked. I needed to enter this world – a world where you got to meet Snow White, sit in the Mad Hatter’s (gargantuan) Tea Cups for an energetic spin, lose yourself in Alice’s Curious Labyrinth and chug around in the Fantasyland Train.
What amazed me more was were the unusually long queues outside Dumbo the Flying Elephant’s carousel – grown-ups awaiting their turn on the roundabout, even as other grown-ups finished their rides!
I had a feeling teens would enjoy Adventureland more than any other demographic, possibly because they’d get to explore secret caves and pirate hideouts on something called an ‘Adventure Isle’; it’s straight out of a novel! They’d probably indulge their Indiana Jones’ fantasies too at the ‘Temple of Peril’ where riders face the wrath of the gods on a mini-car looping at high speed through ancient ruins.
There’s something here for everybody: If you are a shopaholic, you can walk down the ‘Main Street USA’, a typical 20th century small American town replete with shops selling Disney merchandise, horse-drawn street cars and even Dapper Dan’s salon for a haircut like the good old days.
Or perhaps you could watch the dramatic enactment of a fairy tale unfold on an open stage.
Or pose with your favourite Mickey, Minnie, Donald... characters.
The list is endless.
After a hearty grub at many of its eateries (they have interesting names: Cowboy Cookout Barbeqie at Frontierland or Restaurant Hakuna Matata at Adventureland), you could discover the futuristic ‘Discoveryland’ and get sprayed with a laser blast from Buzz Lightyear’s Laser blast. If you fancy your Star Wars, remember ti strike a pose with Darth Vader; or get into the groove on the submarine Nautilus from 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea.
Wait, There’s a Disney Studio Too...
Amidst the hullabaloo of Disney Park, don’t forget the Disney Studio if you have tickets for both parks. The Disney Studio closes around 6 pm on weekdays and 8 pm on weekends.
Here, you can watch the ‘Armageddon’ – an avalanche of sounds, bumps and special effects – or drop in at The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror. Inspired by The Twilight Zones, this is a trip to the fourth dimension aboard an elevator that travels faster than the speed of gravity.
If you aren’t already tired and haven’t had enough of Disney, you can still stop at the Disney Village while on your way back; it delights with its quaint, themed restaurants and shops.
My two cents? Disneyland isn’t about rides and thrills. Well, it isn’t just about rides and thrills. There are many things you could wonder at – like the pirate ship, the lake shore, the spoof gravestones at Boot Hill and Cinderella’s pumpkin carriage. My son and I let ourselves go entirely – which goes to show: it’s never too late to have a happy childhood.
(Rakhee Roytalukdar is a freelance journalist, based in Jaipur.)
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