MINNIE BREAK
How to do an adult-only trip to Disneyland Paris in one day – with one-of-a-kind champagne bars and no queuing
Party the night away at Disney bars that are open until 2am
“IT’S almost as if Disneyland Paris was made with kids in mind,” my sister said after one too many rugrats ran into me.
She wasn’t wrong.
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It had been a childhood dream of ours to go.
Now we were ditching the little ones for an adult-only trip to the famed Paris theme park.
Without children, it meant we could avoid the long waits for character meets, skip the Disney dining and not worry about limiting wine.
And having opted for the Premier Access Ultimate, I realised you can easily do both of the parks in one day, if you are savvy.
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The pass, admittedly an extra £83 on top of the park entrance fee, can be used once on several rides, usually those with the biggest queues.
My sister couldn’t quite stomach Hyperspace Mountain, known for hitting speeds of 71kmph.
Didn’t matter to me, I hopped through the fast queue and rejoined her barely five minutes later.
Also worth the queue jump are Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, where wait times can be more than an hour, and Buzz Lightyear Laser Blast.
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I’m not sure how, but I ended up with 60,000 points after frantically zipping and zapping the villain Zurg, much to my sister’s chagrin.
The photo at the end may have caught us grappling with each other as we tried to block the other’s laser gun.
The huge new £4.3billion attraction right on the beach that claims it will 'rival Disneyland' with rides and resorts
The pass can be used on other long-wait rides including Indiana Jones and the Temple of Peril, one of the scarier roller-coasters, as well as the laid-back driving Autopia ride.
But there is also the second park, Walt Disney Studios, to make the most of too.
Home to both Toon Studios and Avengers Campus, our competitive nature was tested once again on the Spider-Man W.E.B. Adventure ride.
Similar to Buzz, this time we had to fling “webs” using our arms to stop the multiplying Spider-Bots.
My winning streak ended here, and I was smashed on the scoreboard by my very smug sibling.
I cheered myself up with a glass of champagne from a cart back on Main Street.
Unique to Disneyland Paris, it comes with a €20 price tag although you get to keep the souvenir cup.
Continuing our “hooray no kids” theme, our evening carried on at the Disney Hotel New York – The Art of Marvel, a five-minute walk from the park gates.
We made the most of joyously late dinners at the Manhattan Restaurant with huge plates of pasta, followed by drinks at the Skyline Bar.
Firework show
That rollercoaster adrenaline hadn’t worn off, so after watching the final firework show in the park, we opted for a late night at the Disney Village.
With some bars open until 2am, we danced and sang to live pop and country music at Billy Bob’s.
It was our aching feet that brought us back to the hotel after racking up 32,000 steps.
We gorged on turkey legs, creamy tartiflette and sickly sweet Darth Vader waffles to keep us going throughout the day
Kara
Our only day-time respite was at the hotel’s Metro Pool, brisk at first but with a warmer hot tub to help our sore toes.
The park is currently undergoing a transformation ahead of the new Frozen land, so expect some closures and boarded-up areas.
Thankfully all the important stops were open – and by that I mean the food stands.
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We gorged on turkey legs, creamy tartiflette and sickly sweet Darth Vader waffles to keep us going throughout the day, before packing a Mickey cookie for the train home.
We’ll just pretend the bickering on the Eurostar about who gets to keep the ride photo didn’t happen…
GO: Disneyland Paris
Eurostar tickets from London St Pancras to Lille start from £39. See
Lille to Disneyland Paris (Marne-la-Vallée Chessy) tickets start from £8.87. See .
One-day adult tickets with access to two parks start from £74.99. Disney Premier Access Ultimate passes start from £83.33. For more info see .
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