Make your fantasies a reality (Disneyland Paris - Fantasyland)

Member Name: karalouk

Product:	Disneyland Paris - Fantasyland
Date:	12/03/09 (186 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great for young children and families, magical

Disadvantages: Not as much fun for older kids, adults and thrill seekers

I have visted Disneyland Paris 3 times before and am currently in the process of booking my next trip there.

The Disneyland park is split into 5 magical lands - Main Street USA, Frontierland, Adventureland, Discoveryland and Fantasyland.

Fantasyland is a land that is primarily aimed at young children and toddlers. It is largely based around childrens favourite animated Disney characters such as Alice in Wonderland, Pinocchio, Winnie the Pooh and Dumbo. I wouldn't write this land off if you don't have children with you, it's worth a look around but I wouldn't stop for long as the rest of the park has a lot more to offer adults.

The best way to get there from the entrance of the park is to walk straight down Mainstreet USA and through Sleeping Beauty's castle and then you're there. If you are still unsure you should check the map that you are given at the entrance or the maps which are scattered at various locations around the park. Fantasyland is situated at the back end of the park.

Fantasyland is set up like a scene from a story book, from the buildings to the walkways to the music playing throughout. It is a lot like the Florida version, almost identical infact.

One of the most well know rides in Fantasyland (and indeed Disneyland itself) is 'It's a small world'. This is a ride which is hard to miss due to the huge clock tower at the front which sets off every hour, on the hour - an oversized and slightly more exciting coocoo clock if you like! It is a ride best suited to young children and families. You sit in small boats which seat up to around 24 people (6 rows of 4 people). The boat floats along slowly through different countries around the world. There are dolls of children singing and dancing to the it's a small world song (this song will get stuck in your head for the rest of your life so beware). All the children look or are dressed in a certain way to portray which country they are from (Eg. Dressed up as London beefeaters for England) and there are also famous landmarks to look out for (Eg. Big ben for England). As I can gather the idea of the ride is to get kids to learn about different cultures and countries and to spread the message of peace and harmony throughout the world. Children do generally love it but it can be rather torterous for adults.

The only ride in Fantasyland to be part of the fastpass service (order your tickets for free to ride on an attraction at a certain time later in the day and jump the queues) is 'Peter Pans flight'. I would recommend using a fastpass on this ride because queues can be quite long. You are suspended from the roof in boats which I think seat up to 4 people, and slowly sail along into Wendys bedroom, Captain Hooks ship and over Neverland. It's a magical ride for all the family.

Another Disneyland favourite is the 'Mad Hatter's Tea Cups'. Queues can get quite long for this but go down very quickly as you can fit up to around 6 people into one cup. The cups can spin around by themselves or you can speed them up by turning the wheel in the middle of the cup. This ride is a lot of fun as the whole family can join in and get involved with the spinning.

Children will love the 'Dumbo the flying elephant' ride. If the children don't meet the height restriction they have to be accomanied by an adult. There are about 10 different elephants to choose from, each elephant can fit up to 3 or 4 people. The elephants go round by themselves but there is a button for the rider to press which makes them go up or down, so effective you can choose your own ride.

Something which is definitely worth taking a look at is the world famous Sleeping Beauty's Castle. The castle is open for you to explore, you can take the stairs up to the top and get a great view overlooking the park. If you're lucky you might even find Sleeping Beauty and Prince Charming wondering the place.

Another attraction for the whole family is 'Les Voyages de Pinocchio'. I can't remember too much about this ride other than it's a cart based ride that takes you around Pinocchios world and his quest to become a real boy.

'Le Carrousel de Lancelot' is a relaxing attraction suitable for children and adults. It looks like an old traditional carosel with beautifully crafted and painted horses and chariots. Always a good photo opportunity!

An attraction which is aimed at children but is suprisingly scary is 'Snow Whites scary adventures' (the name says it all really). It is a slow moving ride which takes you round the story of Snow White and how far the evil queen will go to become the fairest in the land. The ride practically ends with the queen dying! It may be a little disturbing to young children but certainly not enough to avoid the ride altogether.

'Alices's Curious Labyrinth' is a giant maze made from green hedges which you explore by foot. You'll find all your favourite Alice in Wonderland characters along the way such as the Queen of hearts and her guards, the white rabbit and the Cheshire cat in the form of a giant picture made almost entirely of coloured flowers. When you reach the center of the maze you will find the queens castle which you can climb to the top of and have a look over the park. If you are visiting with slightly older kids this would be a good opportunity to sit down and have a rest whilst they explore.

2 Attractions that I have not experienced in Fantasyland is 'Le petit train du cirque' (Casey Jr the little circus train) and 'Le Pays des Contes de Fees' (Storybook land canal boats). Either these weren't built the last time I visited or I completley missed them, so I can't review them. I do plan to take my little girl on them the next time we visit though.

You can also catch the railroad steam train from Fantasyland which is free and takes you to the other lands of the park (except Adventureland). You can also catch the train to Fantasyland. This is a mini adventure in itself.

Fantasyland has a good selection of shops including a christmas shop which is open a year round, a shop which makes and sells hand blown glass ornaments, a brilliant sweet shop and a few general souvenir shops which sell pretty much anything Disney.

There are also plenty of places to eat but I can't remember how many or what they were called exactly. I can remember ordering pizza and ice cream though! All food and shops are a little over priced but that is sadly to be expected at theme parks and particularly for the Disney brand. I would recommend some souvenirs though as Disneyland sells a lot of Disney stuff that you wont find anywhere else, it is also a good way of remembering your trip.

Make sure your child has their autograph books at the ready because Fantasyland has a lot of Disney characters pass through it throughout the day. Last time we visited we managed to meet Tweedledum and Tweedledee, some of the seven dwarves, Goofy and Winnie the Pooh in Fantasyland alone.

All in and all this is a great land for children, families, adults who are young at heart and those who believe in magic!

Summary: it's a small world after all lalala..dododo..!