EuroDisney
Europe’s most visited theme park resort, EuroDisney is home to two separate parks - Disneyland Park and Walt Disney Studios - with a wide variety of rides. However, that popularity comes with a cost. Queues! There is no time of year when the parks are not busy, and you should expect waits well in excess of an hour for some of the rides. In addition, there are the customary high Disney prices. A visit will burn a significant hole in the wallet; especially if you chose to stay at one of the on-site hotels.
In recent years Disney have begun to invest in improving some of their older rides, which has added to the quality of the parks and the experience.
Last visited February, 2018
Disneyland Park
INVESTMENT
5
THRILL FACTOR
4
FUN &
LAUGHTER
5
STAFF &
FACILITIES
9
UNIQUNESS
4
VALUE
5
THEMEING &
IMMERSION
5
THOMPSONS'
RATING
5
Walt Disney Studios
INVESTMENT
5
THRILL FACTOR
5
FUN &
LAUGHTER
5
STAFF &
FACILITIES
9
UNIQUNESS
4
VALUE
5
THEMEING &
IMMERSION
5
THOMPSONS'
RATING
5
BEST BITS
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Disney do free ‘fast-track’ on most rides, so if you arrive early you can book a slot to avoid some of the queues
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The theming of the parks is excellent and you feel very immersed in the atmosphere
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Nobody does kids entertainment quite like Disney. The little ones will love it.
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Unlike parks in the rest of northern Europe, EuroDisney is open all year round and is made accessible because the majority of the rides are indoors, meaning you can go whatever the weather is doing.
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There are a good mix of rides, so everyone will find something they like.
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Transportation is a doddle. EuroDisney has its own station with direct trains from London, Paris, and all over France. It is also not far from Paris’ main airport.
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Our favourite rides are Crush’s Coaster, Space Mountain and Ratatouille.
DOWN-SIDES
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It is expensive.
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No matter what time of year you go or what strategies you adopt, there is no getting away from the simple fact that you will have to queue. For a long time.
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Almost all the rides require that you take your bag on with you, which detracts your attention from the ride. It can make them a bit cramped for legroom.
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Disney seem to close rides for days/weeks/ months at a time for maintenance. It is worth checking their website for planned closures or you might find four or five rides are all closed when you visit.
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There is a lack of water rides.
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It’s very much aimed at smaller children with less focus on big thrills.
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The Studio Tram Tour is dull.
TOP TIPS
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Although you can do all the best rides in both parks in a single day, if you want the full Disney experience you will need longer.
Disneyland Park
Space Mountain: Mission II
Thompsons' overall rating 7
Thrill
Fun
Themeing
Immersion
Smoothness
7
6
7
6
7
Big Thunder Mountain
Thompsons' overall rating 5
Thrill
Fun
Themeing
Immersion
Smoothness
4
6
6
3
4
Indiana Jones and Temple of Peril
Thompsons' overall rating 4
Thrill
Fun
Themeing
Immersion
Smoothness
5
4
5
3
2
Star Tours
Thompsons' overall rating 4
Thrill
Fun
Themeing
Immersion
Smoothness
3
5
6
3*
N/A
Phantom Manor
Thompsons' overall rating 4
Thrill
Fun
Themeing
Immersion
Smoothness
2
4
7
4
N/A
Walt Disney Studios
Rock n'Roller Coaster avec Aerosmith
Thompsons' overall rating 7
Thrill
Fun
Themeing
Immersion
Smoothness
7
7
7
6
6
Ratatouille: The Adventure
Thompsons' overall rating 7
Thrill
Fun
Themeing
Immersion
Smoothness
3
7
9
8
N/A
RC Racer
Thompsons' overall rating 6
Thrill
Fun
Themeing
Immersion
Smoothness
6
6
8
3
9
Studio Tram Tour
Thompsons' overall rating 3
Thrill
Fun
Themeing
Immersion
Smoothness
1
3
5
2
N/A
The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror
Thompsons' overall rating 6
Thrill
Fun
Themeing
Immersion
Smoothness
7
6
4
4*
N/A
Armageddon
Thompsons' overall rating 5
Thrill
Fun
Themeing
Immersion
Smoothness
4
6
6
5
N/A
Crush's Coaster
Thompsons' overall rating 7
Thrill
Fun
Themeing
Immersion
Smoothness
5
9
9
8
8
Space Mountain: Mission II
An uphill launch coaster, themed around a space discovery mission. Almost all the ride takes place indoors in the dark, and it features multiple inversions. In 2017 the ride received a significant refurbishment, with brand new cars and harnesses.
Our view: Although it is getting on a bit now, Space Mountain remains one of the best rides at EuroDisney. The ride has been greatly improved by the new cars and harnesses, which make the ride much smoother than it was. The launch is fun (Hayley likes a launch) and the effects used are good.
Tips:
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Fast track is available. However, queues are generally not as long as some other rides.
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Sitting at the front is slower. The back is faster but not as smooth. We found sitting in the middle to be the right balance.
Space Mountain
Star Tours
A very old simulator ride, that was recently updated. The story features characters from the latest Star Wars films. Unfortunately, it’s all in French so we were not able to follow the story.
Our view: Simulator technology has moved on substantially since this ride was built. As a result, it seems very dated and is nowhere near the immersive experience which modern simulators provide. But it is quite good fun, as long as you don’t go in expecting too much.
Tips:
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Aim to sit in the middle of a row, towards the front.
Pirates of the Caribbean
Pirates of the Caribbean
A slow boat ride.
Our view: We’ve only been on it once and it was not memorable. As with some other rides, the dialogue is in French.
Armageddon
A special effects experience, based on the film. This is not a ride but a walkthrough attraction.
Our view: The effects are quite impressive so it is worth a visit
Tips:
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This ride is NOT suitable for young children as the noise and effects will scare them rigid
Rock n'Rollercoaster avec Aerosmith
A launch coaster entirely in the dark. The ride is themed around a limo journey taking the band from their studio to an event. There is loud music (if it works) and several inversions
Our view: Similar to Space Mountain, although not quite as fast, this coaster has a good launch. Unfortunately, it somewhat runs out of steam part-way through and the last section of the ride is fairly tame. It is also quite jerky, and has the same uncomfortable harnesses that Space Mountain used to have before its recent refurb.
Tips:
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The back of this ride is much better and quicker. It is also smoother sat on the right than on the left.
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There is fast track available, but this is another ride which does not tend to be too busy.
The front of Rock n'Rollercoaster
The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror
A drop tower, themed on a run-down hotel. It is in French so not easy to follow the story. The lift shoots up fast and features several smaller drops before the main one
Our view: We’re not big fans of drop rides, but this is the best one we have been on. It does more than simply lift you up and drop you, which adds to the thrill
Tips:
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The only harnesses are seatbelts. Be prepared to have nothing to hold on to.
Twilight Zone Tower of Terror
Big Thunder Mountain
A long mine train with three tunnels and three lift hills. The ride takes place mostly on an island, and goes through the eponymous mountain.
Our view: This is one of the best mine train rides around. It is long and consistently enjoyable.
Tips:
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The queues are generally long. Although fast track is available the slots get taken quickly. If you really want to go on this ride, then get to it early.
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The queue divides in two fairly early on. The left-hand lane generally goes slightly quicker.
Big Thunder Mountain
Indiana Jones and Temple of Peril
Another mine train, with two lift hills and an inversion. This ride is faster than Big Thunder Mountain, but also jerky.
Our view: If the queue is short then it’s worth doing so you can say you’ve done it.
Phantom Manor
A ghost train ride. The ride is slow and does not feature any ‘coaster’ elements; it’s all about the special effects.
Our view: Better than a lot of ghost trains. The hologram effects are impressive and the ride has a nice eerie soundtrack.
Studio Tram Tour
A slow bus-type journey past some movie memorabilia and onto two sets with special effects.
Our view: A bit rubbish
Crush's Coaster
A spinning coaster, themed around riding the turtles from the film Finding Nemo. The ride takes place almost entirely in the dark
Our view: This is the best ride in Disney Studios Park. The combination of fun, theming and thrills is excellent (watch out for the shark). Spinning rides are always enjoyable, but this is the best of its kind. We generally laugh all the way around.
Tips:
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Unfortunately rides of this design have a low capacity. So you will queue for a long time to get on this ride, and there is no fast track. Aiming for lunchtime may save you 10-15 minutes.
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If you do not mind being split up then use the single rider queue. It will only save you a bit of time but does mean queuing inside (which is great on a cold day).
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If possible, try to sit opposite people who weigh either significantly more or less than you. That will ensure more spinning.
The only outside bit on Crush's Coaster
RC Racer
A launch coaster, which takes you forwards and backwards up a U-shaped track.
Our view: It is better than it looks. There are good airtime moments at the top of each end of the track. Being a fairly new ride, it is much smoother than most Disney coasters.
Tips:
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The queue can be long as the ride only has one car
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Don’t bother with the single rider queue; you will wait for ages
RC Racer - the forward facing hill
Ratatouille: The Adventure
A modern, single car dark ride, which uses both big screens and live sets to take you through a story based on the film.
Our view: This ride is Disney’s answer to the immersive experiences of Spiderman and Transformers at Universal. Although it is more gentle than these rides (because it’s aimed at a younger audience), it is still a very enjoyable experience. The level of detail in the theming is excellent. The story is told in both French and English, making it easy to follow.
Tips:
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The cars seat 6 people in two rows of 3. The single rider queue is, therefore, very quick, and there is a good chance you will still be sat in the same car as somebody else in your party. The alternative is the very long queue.
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Try to avoid sitting directly behind a tall person as they will obscure your view.