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We spent Thursday and Friday continuing our Disney adventure!
Thursday was our coldest and rainiest day. I started the day buying a spirit jersey—Grant found the perfect one that says Paris on it and has a rainbow heart because it’s from their Pride collection. Since Pride Month was in June, all of the Pride stuff was 40% off. They always do this because new designs come out each year, so I lucked out! They only had extra small and extra large left the first day we looked, but I checked the store every day and was finally able to get a small when they restocked.
It was perfect timing, too, because this was the coolest day, so it was nice to have the spirit jersey to wear all day! (A spirit jersey is kind of like a sweatshirt.)
We had lunch at Earl of Sandwich in Disney Village and then headed to Disney Studios. There was one show remaining that we hadn’t seen yet, but we had a little time first, so we rode Tower of Terror and Avengers Assemble: Flight Force. Then we went to watch the Alice in Wonderland show. This was a high-energy show with singing, dancing, trampolines, and BMX bike stunts. Due to the weather, the BMX stunts were modified—no jumps—but honestly, the show was so energetic and filled with talent that we probably wouldn’t have noticed if it weren’t for the ramps still sitting out on stage!
Next, we headed over to Disneyland. As we approached the castle, we saw Goofy conducting a musical symphony of water fountains! We visited the dragon under the castle, and then made our way to Discoveryland.
First, we watched Mickey’s PhilharMagic—which, now that I think of it, is a very odd fit for Discoveryland, their version of Tomorrowland. Star Tours was a quick walk-on, so we jumped in line—and I forgot to mention that the first time, Grant was the Rebel Spy!
Adventureland was next, easily my favorite land at Disneyland Paris. It’s just so immersive. We rode Pirates of the Caribbean—my favorite of all the classic Pirates—and then we rode Indiana Jones and the Temple of Peril. We grabbed some dinner at Colonel Hathi’s Outpost. The food situation at Disneyland Paris is… frustrating. Most quick service restaurants only have three options—and they’re all the same. For example, three different kinds of pizza. That’s it. Or one Indian dish, a vegetarian version of that dish, and pizza. Or three different kinds of burgers—fish, meat, and vegetarian. It made things challenging because nothing was particularly appealing to everyone in the group, and none of the food was all that great. Pretty standard crappy theme park food. They do have sit-down restaurants, but you have to book ahead and they’re expensive.
Anyway, we went to Colonel Hathi’s because they had Indian butter chicken and pizza—so at least something for everyone. But the inside of the restaurant is themed really well, with a giant magical tree in the middle.
After dinner, we went to Frontierland and rode Phantom Manor and Big Thunder Mountain. Their Big Thunder Mountain is the best of the classic versions—mostly because the entire ride takes place on an island! The loading and unloading zones are on the “shore,” so the ride starts with an exhilarating tunnel that takes you under the river to the island.
Phantom Manor—if I didn’t mention it last time—is the creepiest version of Haunted Mansion. The story follows a bride whose wealthy father made his fortune in the mining company at Big Thunder Mountain. He believed his money was cursed, and that if his daughter married happily, he’d lose everything. After he died, he became a phantom and haunted all of his daughter’s fiancés until they died—leaving her heartbroken and alone. You follow her throughout the mansion as she cries and searches for love. The final cemetery scene is a ghostly Wild West town, complete with a saloon, poker tables, and haunted horse stables.
Finally, we headed to Main Street hoping for a good spot to watch the nighttime show. Since the show includes drones, we really wanted to see it from beginning to end. Unfortunately, just as it started, it began to rain heavily. The show still went on—but without the drones. Luckily, it only rained for about 10 minutes, so we were able to put our umbrellas down and enjoy the rest of the show. Still, it made us want to come back the next day to see it again—hopefully with drones this time.
Friday was our last day in the parks. We started by having lunch at McDonald’s in Disney Village… honestly, 25% the cost of food inside the parks—and just as good, if not better.
The weather was the warmest we’d had at Disneyland, staying in the mid-70s most of the day, and pushing into the high 70s later on. Luckily, a lot of people don’t wear bras in Paris… so when in Rome—or Paris—I was quite comfortable!
We went to Disneyland first to make sure we caught our final show. Dang, their shows are amazing! This one was The Lion King, a high-energy mix of music, dancing, and acrobatics. It even included songs from the Broadway version. The choreography was fantastic—it gave me some great ideas for our upcoming Lion King show at school this year!
After that, we headed straight to Big Thunder Mountain. The line was long, but it had been long the day before too, and we wanted to ride it in daylight—last time we rode it, it was already dark. (It doesn’t get dark here until 10:30!)
We rode Big Thunder Mountain again—just as amazing as the night before—and then went on Pirates of the Caribbean again. We stopped by Fantasyland to ride the Storybook Canal Boats, then had an early dinner at Bella Notte, which serves pizza and pasta. After dinner, we went to Discoveryland to ride Space Mountain one last time, and then headed over to Disney Studios. There we rode Tower of Terror, Avengers, and Crush’s Coaster one more time.
We did a little shopping—each of the kids got a Disneyland Paris shirt, and I got another spirit jersey! This one says Disneyland Paris on the back and has an awesome Lion King print that I can’t wait to debut during auditions this year!
Finally, we made our way back to Main Street to watch the nighttime show again—fingers crossed for the drones. The skies were blue and the weather was perfect, so we were feeling confident—and we were right! The drones are such a nice touch. Even if you’re not in the best viewing spot, they’re high enough in the sky to be visible, and they move around rather than staying in one place.
All in all, we had a great visit to Disneyland Paris. Bucket list achieved: the kids have now been to all the Disney parks! Once upon a time, I might’ve felt bummed leaving the parks—or frustrated by the construction that made certain areas inaccessible—but now that I’ve been to this park three times (1992, 2016, and 2025), I’m just grateful for the experiences I’ve had. I look forward to coming back someday—maybe in 5, 10, or 15 years—to see how things have changed.
Au revoir, Disneyland Paris. See ya real soon!
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