A magical break to Disneyland Paris

I am a big fan of Disney; it was such a big thing at home when me and my sister were young. Since having my own child two years ago, it seems it’s not something that is going to disappear any time soon, considering she is obsessed with every Disney princess. That’s why I was super excited to go on our first family holiday to Disneyland Paris where we could experience the magic for ourselves.

We headed to Disneyland Paris on the first Eurostar out of London St Pancras, and after half an hour, Evie had already started the dreaded “are we there yet?”. Thankfully after a little nap in her stroller she had restored her energy ready for the day ahead – I’m not quite sure she fully understood that we were about to meet her ‘heroes’.

As the train pulled into the station the excitement on Evie’s face was clear to see. Grabbing our suitcases, we found ourselves being swept along in the small crowds (thankfully it wasn’t school holidays!). We’d arranged for the concierge to collect our bags from the station to save us traipsing to the hotel before entering the park – travelling with a small child, this was definitely worth the small fortune that it cost.

On entering the park there are lots of fun activities that make for the perfect Disney photo. The characters bounding round the park and the beautiful castle that takes prime position, I couldn’t believe it had taken me 30 years to experience this magic, but it felt very special knowing I was sharing it with my daughter.

Disneyland Paris’ celebrations are elaborate, fun and exhilarating to say the least. From the firework displays and breakfast with the Disney princesses, to the parades and the breath-taking shows – it really is every Disney-lovers dream break.

And just because it’s Disneyland, don’t let it fool you. Stressed adults and over-excited children can be found in every restaurant and every queue. Yet, this didn’t take away any of the sparkle from our first Disneyland experience.

Evie is too young to be going on any of the bigger rides so we spent majority of our time in Fantasyland where we saw Disney’s most beloved princesses, joined the happiest cruise that ever sailed “it’s a small world”, and soared through the skies on a giant galleon powered by pixie dust.

On reflection, our first family holiday was a lot less stressful than I had at first imagined it would be, with all the things a parent needs to consider: would Evie’s afternoon nap fit in with the daily activities, would she like the whole experience, is she too young for this type of holiday? Well, the proof was in the pudding: she loved it! 

I’m sure we’ll be heading back to Disneyland Paris before we know it; that’s if Evie has anything to do with it.