As always, if I’m anywhere near a Disneyland park, I’ll find a way to get myself there. After spending a couple weeks in France adjusting to the culture and exploring a bit of the area, it was finally time for me to embark on my journey to my next Disney theme park: Disneyland Paris!

The weather was what some people might call ‘less than perfect’. When I arrived at the park, it was raining a bit, and there were grey skies all around. In fact, I had known for several days that the weather would likely be this way (I came prepared with an umbrella). Though this would deter some people, I knew that this, coupled with the fact that it was a weekday, would give me a much better chance to avoid long wait times for attractions. I would soon see if this theory would work in practice (I have been surprised by the tenacity of theme park goers in the past).

I began with a venture through Disney Village, a shopping area outside the main theme parks, similar to Downtown Disney near Disneyland California. The shops were mostly things to be expected: a sandwich shop, a Starbucks, a Disney Store, a movie theater, etc. As I walked, I admired the way the weather changed the scenery all around. The sound of droplets hitting the ground, the fallen water creating a reflective surface, it’s not something everyone necessarily enjoys, but I find a certain pleasure in the way rain can create such an atmosphere.

Continuing forward, I passed by Walt Disney Studios Park, one of the two theme parks guests can enter. This park differs in that it’s theme is focused on the magic behind the scenes of movies. They offer a variety of shows and attractions, including thrill rides geared towards an older audience. Interested as I was to explore it, I knew that it would have to wait. I pressed on, and I soon saw the entrance to my next adventure.

The entrance was quite a bit more elaborate from others I have seen in the past, looking almost like a castle itself. I’m told by a friend that a lot of thought actually went into the color scheme. In short, since it was known that there would be many cloudy days in the area throughout the year, the consideration for what looks good with blue skies as well as grey skies were discussed, before deciding upon the present colors. In my opinion, I think it turned out pretty well.

Entering the park, I stepped into Main Street U.S.A., which shared a very similar atmosphere to the Los Angeles version, though a bit smaller. The area was modeled after an old style American town, complete with fancy architecture, horse drawn vehicles, and American flags. The streets lead me directly towards Sleeping Beauty castle, which could easily be seen in the distance. I proceeded forward to get a better view, but also took some time to see the buildings to my left and right.

The castle itself looked very similar, though different to the Los Angeles castle (which makes sense, since both of them are inspired by Sleeping Beauty’s castle). The Paris castle is taller, and the features are rounder than that of it’s L.A. counterpart. Though slightly different, each have their own charm.

Before going on any attractions, I decided to take a walk through some of the areas of the park. First a stroll through Fantasyland, and Adventureland after that. Both had a similar feel to the Los Angeles versions, though Adventureland had one addition that set it apart: Adventure Isle.

This is an area of Adventureland that is heavily inspired by Neverland in Peter Pan. Guests can explore the area to their hearts content, seeing different landmarks such as Skull Rock, Spyglass Hill, and Captain Hook’s Ship. I ventured around for a bit, embracing my inner explorer, before decided to continue on.

When I decided to try my first attraction, I headed to Discoveryland (I guess it’s French for Tomorrowland). Here, I would board Hyperspace Mountain, which was just remodeled last year to have more of a Star Wars theme to it. The outside of the attraction was quite different from other versions I had seen, portraying much more of a ‘steam punk’ aesthetic.

The wait time was almost non-existent, taking at most five minutes to board (much of that time was spent walking through the queue lines). I boarded the ride and placed the overhead bars over my shoulders. Already I knew something was very different from the other Space Mountains I had ridden. Not only was the harness more secure (going over the shoulders instead of just the lap), but the vehicle itself seemed a lot more robust and sturdy. Before I had much more time to ponder the differences, I was in motion. the vehicle approached an upward slope in complete darkness, and I was greeted with the familiar Star Wars fanfare. Instead of the usual slow ascent which I was familiar with, the vehicle shot up the slope at high speed! There were views of dogfights between x-wings and tie-fighters, as the track looped and corkscrewed through the darkness. It was extremely thrilling, and with such a short wait time, how could I not right it again? Definitely recommended!

Continuing with the Star Wars theming, Star Tours was my next stop. Aside from some small cosmetic changes, it was very much the same as the Los Angeles location, offering a different, random scenario upon each visit. One interesting thing of note: I rode the ride once, and to no surprise all of the audio was in French. Later in the day I rode it again, but this time the audio was in English. Apparently the choice of language (English or French) is also random with each visit. I found it quite interesting.

Afterwards, I decided to leave Discoverland for the time being, and head back to Adventureland. My destination would be Indiana Jones et Le Temple du Péril. As I approached the location, I already saw the biggest difference between this ride and the Indiana Jones rides I had ridden before.

While the Indiana Jones rides in Los Angeles and Tokyo were indoor adventure rides, this was an outdoor roller coaster. Breezing through the line, I fastened myself in with the over the shoulder restraints, which were a lot less comfortable than those found at Hyper Space Mountain. As the ride started and I came to the first drop, I was enjoying the experience very much, until the track got to the first turn. These particular over the shoulder restrains are made of a thick plastic, and your head sits between the sides in close proximity. Thus, as the cart approached a turn, it was very easy for my head to rattle between the sides of the restraint, which became immediately uncomfortable after the first turn. Trying to prevent my head from going back and forth proved to be useless, as each turn continued to yield the same results. It made it very difficult to enjoy the experience. If the restraints were more comfortable, I would have gone again, but having my head rocked back and forth really did make it difficult to enjoy.

From here I ventured back through Adventure Isle, once again enjoying the feel of my surroundings. In the distance I saw what would be my next stop: Pirate of the Caribbean.

Walking through the queue line, there were lots of stone walls and chains, akin to a castle dungeon. Sitting down in the boat and setting sail, the start of the ride was quite different from what I was used to. At the L.A. location, the ride starts in an American bayou setting, while this had more of a Spanish pueblo feel to it (which being in Europe, makes a lot of sense). The boat then proceeded to slowly go up a large slope, with a mist waterfall at the top projecting Davy Jones and Black Beard respectively.

From here, the ride was more or less similar to what I was used to, but different in respect to the order. Many of the scenes were the same, but occurred at different times throughout the ride. For example, the classic dog with the key next the prisoners was one of the first scenes to be displayed, while in the L.A. location it’s one of the last. I enjoyed seeing the similarities and differences such as this throughout the voyage.

They also take your picture during one of the drops, and the photo can be seen as you exit the ride.

From adventure to fantasy, I found myself looking at the Small World attraction. Like the other attractions bearing the same name, this boat ride traverses through miniature versions of regions around the world, showcasing a bit of cultural diversity within the span of a 5 minute ride. The ride of course started with a showcase of a flashy look at Paris, and proceeded to go through the other countries after that.

I always find it interesting to see what American culture will be depicted as, and their depiction of stereotypical Americans did make me chuckle a bit (I’ll let you decide how accurate they were).

After leaving the attraction, the rain had all but died down and I was able to put away my umbrella. I discovered that I was in time to see the Princess and Pirates parade. I was also in a prime location to see the parade emerge from the gates of the backlot and proceed to the front of the castle where the show would commence. It was an enjoyable performance, as most Disney shows are. Catchy music, colorful costumes, dancing all around.

When I viewed the show in front of the castle, one thing was bothering me. I saw many princesses, but no pirates, even though the show title and song would lead one to believe there should be at least one. It was quite odd.

I would have my answer later in the day, when the show was performed again, and the pirates were ever present, with Peter Pan and Captain Hook taking center stage for a bit of fighting/dancing. I guess that due to the lousy weather earlier in the day, the show was downsized, but the lack of rain later on allowed for the full show to be performed.

After seeing the show, I headed for Peter Pan’s Flight. Before going on It’s a Small World, I had procured a FastPass for the attraction (it was a 40 minute wait otherwise). What was interesting about the FastPasses here was the window of time I had to return. While in L.A. and Tokyo I had about an hour of time to use the pass, here I had a mere 15 minutes. Very interesting.

The ride itself played out more or less the same as other locations. Guests board a mini pirate ship and fly through various scenes of the movie, starting at the house in London, flying over Neverland, soaring close to Peter Pan and Captain Hook’s battle, and flying along side Peter flying the Pirate ship back to London.

As I was on my way to exit Fantasyland through the castle, I noticed a set of stairs leading upwards, so of course I had to investigate.

This brought me to a sort of storybook picture telling of Sleeping Beauty. There were various images of the story displayed through large tapestries or stained glass, accompanied by a small book detailing the events.

There was also a doorway leading outside, which offered a great view of the park.

After taking some time to enjoy the view, I headed back downstairs, where I was met with another set of stairs leading even further down. It turned out there was more to see.

While the top of the castle was dedicated to Sleeping Beauty, guests could enter the Dragon’s Lair below the castle, complete with a full sized dragon! The atmosphere was dark and murky, with a long stone stairway leading down to the dwelling of the beast.

The dragon itself was quite interesting, with glowing red eyes, moving its head every now and then to get a better look at guests, occasional smoke escaping form his jaws, it all coupled together to bring life to this creature. As interesting as it was, I knew there was more to see in the park. I said farewell to the dragon, ascended the stairs, and exited Fantasyland. Onto the next area!