Disneyland Paris is a “Dream Come True” for my 10-year-old.  We came to Paris last year, and we didn’t get a chance to visit.  So on our way back to the UK, we just had to allow two days so we could visit both parks – Disneyland Park and Walt Disney Studios Park.

We left Hôtel Napoléon around 10:30 a.m. and took the direct Metro train there. It was so easy.

There was a pretty big crowd waiting outside, and people really were not lining up too well to get bags checked. It was at that moment I wished we had popped our money in our pockets and just brought our jacket and camera, as those with no bags were getting straight through, and saving themselves a good half an hour delay.

This was a good tip to remember for the second day, and entry would be much faster then.

©Exploramum and Explorason – France, Disneyland Paris – The entrance

As Explorason doesn’t like scary rides, he suggested we make a list for you all of the rides and things he did that he loved.

So here it is – direct from an Australian ten-year-old.

Top 10 rides and activities for a 10-year-old in Disneyland Paris

10. Number Ten

Disneyland® Park – Mad Hatter’s Tea Cups

This is fun for all ages and the rider can choose how fast or slow you spin it.

©Exploramum and Explorason – France, Disneyland Paris – Mad Hatter’s Tea Cups photo #1

It is an easy ride to start with. For us the lines were not too long to wait. We had one ride together, and then he had a separate ride.

©Exploramum and Explorason – France, Disneyland Paris – Mad Hatter’s Tea Cups photo #2

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9. Number Nine

Disneyland® Park – Buzz Lightyear Laser Blast

Located in Discoveryland

Fun for all ages, and easy to do.

Age – recommended for Kids, Tweens, Teens, Adults.  Guests Can Be Any Height

You can spin yourself too – as you ‘blast off into space’ and help Buzz defeat Zurg in this intergalactic laser-shooting gallery.

See who scores the most. Explorason won by miles each time.

We had three turns on this ride, and it does have a Disney FASTPASS Service.

©Exploramum and Explorason – France, Disneyland Paris – Buzz Lightyear Lazer Blast

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8. Number Eight

Disneyland® Park and Walt Disney Studios® Park – Meet your favorite characters

Autographs, Photographs, Meet and Cuddle your favorite characters.

Various locations throughout both parks. Check for times and locations.

©Exploramum and Explorason – France, Disneyland Paris – Meet your favorite characters – photo #1

We chose the characters from Ratatouille (the Ratatouille attraction was closed the day we visited) and also chose Lilo and Stitch as our favorites.

A full list can be found here.

©Exploramum and Explorason – France, Disneyland Paris – Meet your favorite characters – Explorason and Stitch

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7. Number Seven

Walt Disney Studios® Park – Crush’s Coaster®

Located in Toon Studio

There is no FastPass for this ride, and it has a lot of interest, so I suggest you line up early.  It does go very fast, and it does go through the dark, so I thought Explorason was quite brave to go on it.

It is a ride where you spin on a ‘turtle shell’ that you sit and are seat belted into, then dive and fight against the ‘current’ and I did see a big shark.

We only did this ride once. It is more for the thrill seeker, but we were glad we did it.  It was one of the last rides in the park we did, so the memory for us is lasting.

©Exploramum and Explorason – France, Disneyland Paris – Crush’s Coaster

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6. Number Six

Disneyland® Park and Walt Disney Studios® Park – Parades and Shows

Check with Disneyland to see the age requirements. Shows can have fire, noise and special effects that might effect some, but overall I would say most we saw seemed to suit the whole family.

We were able to see several parades. What I liked, was that most of the viewers allowed children to go to the front, and so this meant they could crouch or sit on the ground and have a clear view of the parade.  Parades are subject to weather conditions. They are also are carefully staffed, so the crowd remains safely behind roped areas.  There never seemed to be too much of a wait for the parades.

We missed the A Night Time Spectacular Show: Disney Dreams®! (fireworks) which only occurs after the park is closed, and that was a big regret for us. Sadly Explorason was just too tired at the end of day one, and on day two we had to leave early from the park, as the next day we had a huge day of travel, so we were unable to stay late into the evening.

©Exploramum and Explorason – France, Disneyland Paris – don’t miss the parades

We did make sure we went to a fantastic stunt show called …

…Moteurs… Action! Stunt Show Spectacular

There were loads of stunts, fire, tricks and it was an action-packed time. Get there early and don’t miss this great show.

We will be loading up several You Tube videos soon, so be sure to check our Exploramum You Tube Channel for those.

©Exploramum and Explorason – France, Disneyland Paris – Moteur Stunt Show

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5. Number Five

Disneyland® Park and Walt Disney Studios® Park – Dining

There are so many great places to eat at both of the parks.  As you walk through the arcade near the entrance to Walt Disney Studios Park, you can find quite a selection.

©Exploramum and Explorason – France, Disneyland Paris – An assortment of restaurants

We chose to eat at Restaurant en Coulisse on our second day, and it was reasonably priced burgers etc. In fact, I was really pleasantly surprised they had a vegetarian burger, and so I selected that. It was awesome, and it was made fresh – just for me!  The service was great here, and very efficient too.

Opposite, there was a fun shop that you should probably check out when you come here.

©Exploramum and Explorason – France, Disneyland Paris – Explorason having a joke

But our favorite restaurant by miles was on our first day at Disneyland Park. Here we had a late lunch at Fuente del Oro Restaurante Tex-Mex Cuisine.  It was a really busy place, but the food was SO good. It was a great time to sit and relax, and the meal was made freshly before our eyes from their chef.  It was just so delicious, and I would highly recommend it. I wish they had one of these at both parks, as we wanted to eat there again on the second day – we loved it that much!

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4. Number Four

Disneyland® Park and Walt Disney Studios® Park – Props around the Parks

Keep your eyes peeled for various props and free things to do around the two parks.

Many are great ‘just for fun’ like this big fan at Walt Disney Studios® Park Production Courtyard that blows air in the area where they show you how they make movies.  It has a sensor too.

©Exploramum and Explorason – France, Disneyland Paris – fun with the prop fan

We also loved the motorbikes found at Walt Disney Studios® Park Toon Studio from Ratatouille.  I think we would most likely have the ride listed here as one of our top ten things to do, but it was closed the day we went.  All rides need maintenance, so this is understandable.  But it is also a good reason why it is important to check the programmes in advance. Had we done this, we would have known that it was only closed one day, and we would have switched which day we went to which park.

©Exploramum and Explorason – France, Disneyland Paris – Ratatouille motor bikes

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3. Number Three

Disneyland® Park – RC Racer

Located in Toon Studio –  25-metre high half-pipe coaster. At the back of Toy Story Playland

©Exploramum and Explorason – France, Disneyland Paris – RC Racer from a distance

©Exploramum and Explorason – France, Disneyland Paris – Explorason on the RC Racer

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2. Number Two

Walt Disney Studios® Park – Toy Soldiers Parachute Drop

©Exploramum and Explorason – France, Disneyland Paris – Explorason is ready to ride the Toy Story Parachute drop

A tip – do not kick off your shoes. If they are loose, simply take them off and sit on them. The staff when we went on made several unbuckle and go and get them. this is for safety when you exit the ride.

There is no Disney FastPass on this ride.

©Exploramum and Explorason – France, Disneyland Paris – Explorason on Toy Story Parachute drop

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1. Number One

Disneyland® Park – Big Thunder Mountain

©Exploramum and Explorason – France, Disneyland Paris – Explorason is ready to ride Big Thunder Mountain

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Bonus information and ideas (as kids get tired)

This is Explorason on the Metro as we head off on day one.

©Exploramum and Explorason – France, Disneyland Paris – Explorason on the Metro to Disneyland

This is Explorason after lunch.

©Exploramum and Explorason – France, Disneyland Paris – Explorason half way through day one at Disneyland

This is Explorason on the Metro on the way back to Hôtel Napoléon.

©Exploramum and Explorason – France, Disneyland Paris – Explorason on the Metro from Disneyland

Make sure you take it easy for your kids. They get tired.

Plan your day in advance and try to stay at an accommodation nearby, or where transport is direct, to save their little legs.

Make sure you bring sunscreen, a hat, sunglasses, and drink plenty of water. There are many water fountains around, so keep yourself hydrated.

If possible have two adults with you, so one can line up for food, whilst the others find a table for the children to rest.

Take a lot of breaks. Shows work well for this.

Queues for rides can be really long, so I suggest a Disney FASTPASS.

Remember your camera, and make sure it is fully charged and has a secure strap.

Write the phone number of your child on their arm, and organize what they should do if they lose you.

Get to the parks early. There are far less long line-ups in the early morning, and end of the day.

It is better to have a multi-day pass than to try to pack it all into one day, or you will miss out.

What is next?

We loved our time at Disneyland Paris. Explorason was a perfect age, and we are so very glad we went!

We head on to drive past the Amsterdam area tomorrow, for our last long drive in Continental Europe.

It is so good to have you sharing our world journey with us.  There are so many amazing places to see, learn and explore, so please keep following our adventures.  Lots of surprises as to where we travel to lie ahead in the future.

Of course, there are many other Disneyland sites around the world, and we hope to visit a few more. Check out articles about Disneyland Anaheim in the USA.

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General Information

Attraction Name: Disneyland Paris

Location: 77777 Marne-la-Vallée, France

Telephone: +33 825 30 05 00

Web-site: http://www.disneylandparis.fr

Date visited: May 2015

All content of this article is the opinion of the writer only.  Photographs are original and copyright. This is intended as a guide only and does not represent the opinions of Disneyland in any way. Information provided is accurate to the best of my knowledge at the time of publication.