We love Disneyland Paris. It’s a special one for us as it was the first park we went to together as a couple. Being in the UK, trips to Disneyland Paris are great for us to get our Disney fix between Florida holidays. At just 4800 acres Disneyland Paris is around 1/5th of the size of Walt Disney World in Orlando, which covers an impressive 40 square miles (the size of San Francisco!). Despite its smaller size, Disneyland Paris still has most of the classic Disney park rides we all know and love, like Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and Pirate of the Caribbean… as well as amazing attractions which you won’t find at Walt Disney World.
We’ve chosen 8 of our favourites to look at. So let’s get started!
1. Indiana Jones et le Temple du Péril (Indiana Jones and the Temple of Peril)
In my opinion, this is one of the most underrated rides at Disneyland Paris. I don’t know if it’s because of where it’s located – in Adventureland tucked right out of the way – which means people miss it unless they’re specifically looking for it. But on pretty much every trip I’ve been on this ride has been virtually a walk on. It’s a really good traditional roller coaster and was the first ever Disney attraction to have an inversion. Surprisingly, it has the highest height requirement for any attraction in all the Disney parks at 140cm. If you’re not a fan of roller coasters I’d give this one a miss as it can be pretty intense.
2. Toy Soldier Parachute Drop
Toy Story Playland in Walt Disney Studios isn’t really comparable to Toy Story Land over at Hollywood Studios… while the theming is very well done, the area is much smaller and more aimed at younger children. One ride here that doesn’t exist at Disney World is Toy Soldier Parachute Drop. This ride is based on the scene from the first Toy Story film where the green army men parachute down the stairs to investigate Andy’s birthday party. Although it’s a fairly tame ride, I actually really enjoy this one – up to 6 guests are sat in each parachute and are raised up & down for the duration of the ride. At the top you can see some awesome views of the park. But at over 80 feet tall it may not be the best for those of you that are scared of heights!
3. RC Racer
Staying in Toy Story Playland, this is by far the best ride in this area of the park. A version of RC Racer is in Shanghai Disneyland and – along with Parachute Drop – Hong Kong Disneyland. The ride vehicle is one huge remote control car, just like the one from the Toy Story films. The track is a bright orange semi circle – during the ride you are hurled forwards and backwards along the track. The one criticism that I have of this ride is that it is over far too quickly… it’s such a fun ride and would really benefit from being a little longer. If you can, sit on either the front or back row for a more thrilling experience.
4. Alice’s Curious Labyrinth
Unlike the other attractions on this list, Alice’s Curious Labyrinth isn’t a ride. It is a hedge maze located in Fantasyland in Disneyland Park and has been there since the opening of Disneyland Paris in 1992. As you may have guessed, it’s based on Alice in Wonderland; the aim is to find the Queen of Hearts’ castle at the centre. This is a great little activity for those of you with little ones, or anyone who wants a bit of reprieve from the park. There are some great photo ops along the way too! There isn’t an attraction like this at Disney World although a similar maze does exist at Shanghai Disneyland Resort.
5. Crush’s Coaster
Now that Rock’n’Roller Coaster has closed in preparation for Avenger’s Campus, my favourite ride in Walt Disney Studios Park has got to be Crush’s Coaster. At the moment this ride is unique to Disneyland Paris and can’t be found at any other Disney park. It is located in the Toon Studio area of the park. It’s a mostly indoor spinning roller coaster themed around Finding Nemo, specifically the sea turtle Crush from the film. We love it because you get a slightly different experience each time depending on how the weight is distributed in your ride vehicle. Although there is single rider line, Fast Pass is not currently available on this ride- so unless you’re there first thing during Extra Magic Time chances are you will face a long queue. Don’t let that put you off though, it’s such a fun ride and a must do if you’re a roller coaster fan!
6. Star Wars: Hyperspace Mountain
Although there is technically a version of this ride in Disney World, this one is unlike any Space Mountain in all of the Disney parks around the world (and in my opinion the best!). It’s an exciting high speed indoor roller coaster featuring multiple inversions. Previously called Space Mountain: Mission 2, it was been themed to Star Wars since Disneyland Paris‘ 25th anniversary in 2017 with various Star Wars projections throughout the ride. The ride begins with the sound of the iconic theme song blasting out of speakers in the ride car, before launching you into hyperspace. You are immediately thrown into a battle scene between the the Rebel Alliance and the First Order. With inversions and barrel rolls aplenty you will come off this one saying “one more time?”.
7. Les Voyages de Pinocchio (The Journeys of Pinocchio)
This is a dark ride situated in Fantasyland in Disneyland Park. There is a version of this ride called Pinocchio’s Daring Journey in Disneyland California and Tokyo Disneyland, but you won’t find it at Magic Kingdom in Orlando. This is a great family ride which tells a condensed story of the movie. We love all of the Disney classic films – especially Pinocchio – and we’re so happy there is a ride dedicated to it at Disneyland Paris.
8. Casey Jr Circus Train
If you think It’s A Small World has the catchiest ride song think again! This is another attraction which is also located at Disneyland in California but not at Disney World. It’s based on the Casey Jr train from Dumbo and is a roller coaster type ride aimed at small children, also in Fantasyland. There’s no height requirement for this one so the whole family can enjoy it together.
So, there is our list of 8 attractions at Disneyland Paris that you won’t find at Walt Disney World in Orlando. Which is your favourite ride on the list?
See you real soon,
Josh & Becky
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