Disneyland Paris - Disneyland Park
Marne la Vallée·France·Europe
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Visit
Breakdown
Introduction
We visited the Disneyland Paris resort on August 20th, 21st, and 22nd, 2026, spending a varying amount of time inside Disneyland Park on all three days. While this technically wasn't our first visit to the main park, given a 2009 visit during a family vacation, to say we remembered nothing as we walked through the main entrance would be an understatement - this very much felt like a first-time visit.
Since we had three full days here, we decided to spend the entire first day at Disneyland Park, the entire second day at Adventure World (except for a quick pop-in for a night ride on Big Thunder), and use day three as a clean-up day, riding the things we were still missing and getting some re-rides. In total, we spent around 18 hours inside Europe's original Disney park.
We very much came in with expectations regarding what strengths and weaknesses this park would have, given that Disney parks are very much their own thing, perhaps only really comparable to something like Universal. What we weren't sure of was how well the park would score overall, but it is safe to say that we had a great time at Disneyland Park!
Since we had three full days here, we decided to spend the entire first day at Disneyland Park, the entire second day at Adventure World (except for a quick pop-in for a night ride on Big Thunder), and use day three as a clean-up day, riding the things we were still missing and getting some re-rides. In total, we spent around 18 hours inside Europe's original Disney park.
We very much came in with expectations regarding what strengths and weaknesses this park would have, given that Disney parks are very much their own thing, perhaps only really comparable to something like Universal. What we weren't sure of was how well the park would score overall, but it is safe to say that we had a great time at Disneyland Park!
Disneyland Paris - Disneyland Park Review
Best Coaster
8
The battle for the best coaster at Disneyland Park is quite a contested one between Big Thunder Mountain and Hyperspace Mountain. While Big Thunder is undoubtedly a great coaster in its own right, we left thinking Hyperspace Mountain was the best coaster at the park.
This large, thrilling, launched looping coaster is somehow completely hidden away inside a massive, gorgeous structure. The Jules Verne-inspired architecture and art style are absolutely stunning, the scale is staggering, and the Columbiad cannon is perhaps the coolest launch track we've ever seen.
The ride itself is a thrilling and fairly intense affair taking place in the dark, illuminated only by screens and special effects. Being launched upwards through the Columbiad with the classic Star Wars score blasting in the background is certainly a vibe.
It's impressive how well Disney has managed to incorporate such a large thrill coaster into Discoveryland. The effort really paid off, as it delivers what we consider to be the best coaster experience at the entire resort, providing genuine thrills and excitement.
This large, thrilling, launched looping coaster is somehow completely hidden away inside a massive, gorgeous structure. The Jules Verne-inspired architecture and art style are absolutely stunning, the scale is staggering, and the Columbiad cannon is perhaps the coolest launch track we've ever seen.
The ride itself is a thrilling and fairly intense affair taking place in the dark, illuminated only by screens and special effects. Being launched upwards through the Columbiad with the classic Star Wars score blasting in the background is certainly a vibe.
It's impressive how well Disney has managed to incorporate such a large thrill coaster into Discoveryland. The effort really paid off, as it delivers what we consider to be the best coaster experience at the entire resort, providing genuine thrills and excitement.
Coaster Depth
6
The supporting coaster lineup is one of quality over quantity, featuring only three coasters to back up Hyperspace Mountain.
Big Thunder Mountain is, however, a fantastic addition to the roster and provides the park with a solid one-two punch, even though it is technically a family coaster. With its incredibly long ride duration, amazing theming, and commanding presence in Frontierland, Big Thunder Mountain is an exceptional family-thrill coaster that does a lot of heavy lifting for this category.
Indiana Jones et le Temple du Péril is an Intamin looping Cyclone. As weird as this addition is, it is actually quite impressive that this Disney park has two thrill coasters in its lineup. This ride features, once again, stellar theming with cool visuals, though it suffers from a subpar layout and rider comfort.
Casey Jr., le Petit Train du Cirque is a very tame but unique powered coaster by Vekoma. This ride has no thrills whatsoever - you could probably overtake it on a bike - but what it does have is a highly detailed train featuring different types of vehicles and seating arrangements, including a backward-facing rear car. It also utilizes onboard audio playing the coaster's own unique theme song (one that will absolutely get stuck in your head).
Three supporting coasters might not seem like a lot, but there is genuine quality and variation in this lineup, which saves the park from a lower score.
Big Thunder Mountain is, however, a fantastic addition to the roster and provides the park with a solid one-two punch, even though it is technically a family coaster. With its incredibly long ride duration, amazing theming, and commanding presence in Frontierland, Big Thunder Mountain is an exceptional family-thrill coaster that does a lot of heavy lifting for this category.
Indiana Jones et le Temple du Péril is an Intamin looping Cyclone. As weird as this addition is, it is actually quite impressive that this Disney park has two thrill coasters in its lineup. This ride features, once again, stellar theming with cool visuals, though it suffers from a subpar layout and rider comfort.
Casey Jr., le Petit Train du Cirque is a very tame but unique powered coaster by Vekoma. This ride has no thrills whatsoever - you could probably overtake it on a bike - but what it does have is a highly detailed train featuring different types of vehicles and seating arrangements, including a backward-facing rear car. It also utilizes onboard audio playing the coaster's own unique theme song (one that will absolutely get stuck in your head).
Three supporting coasters might not seem like a lot, but there is genuine quality and variation in this lineup, which saves the park from a lower score.
Water Rides
0
While the park does have some traditional boat rides, seeing as it doesn't have any flume, rapids, shoot the chute, spinning raft or water coaster, we can't allocate any points in this category.
Flatrides And Darkrides
9.5
Disneyland Park does phenomenally well in this category given its incredible dark ride line-up. Pirates of the Caribbean is not only a classic attraction but a genuine world-class dark ride. Phantom Manor and It's a Small World are two other notable dark rides that are far beyond what you normally see at a theme park in terms of overall theming, immersion, and scale. Also, a special shoutout goes to Peter Pan's Flight with its suspended vehicles and highly original ride experience.
Even the lower-tier Disney dark rides like Buzz Lightyear, Snow White, Pinocchio, and Star Tours would be considered true standout attractions in most other theme parks around the world.
The park does have a few flat rides like Mad Hatter's Tea Cups, Dumbo the Flying Elephant, and Orbitron, though these are all family-oriented. The park also features a few unique attractions like the classic Disneyland Railroad and Alice's Curious Labyrinth.
Needless to say, the dark ride game is off the charts, meaning you will never feel like you're lacking things to do. However, the low amount of flat rides - and the complete lack of thrill flats - means that we can't allocate the very top score in this category.
Even the lower-tier Disney dark rides like Buzz Lightyear, Snow White, Pinocchio, and Star Tours would be considered true standout attractions in most other theme parks around the world.
The park does have a few flat rides like Mad Hatter's Tea Cups, Dumbo the Flying Elephant, and Orbitron, though these are all family-oriented. The park also features a few unique attractions like the classic Disneyland Railroad and Alice's Curious Labyrinth.
Needless to say, the dark ride game is off the charts, meaning you will never feel like you're lacking things to do. However, the low amount of flat rides - and the complete lack of thrill flats - means that we can't allocate the very top score in this category.
Park Appearance
11
If there were any one category where this park was almost guaranteed to score max points, it would be appearance, as it is quite literally the reason why most people come here. The theming, immersion, attention to detail, and overall vibe of a Disney park are something special that speaks to a lot of people (hence the ludicrous number of people we saw heavily decked out with Disney merch and custom t-shirts celebrating this season's trip to their favorite theme park).
This doesn't necessarily mean that it would speak to us personally, and Disney parks certainly aren't for everyone. However, it didn't take long before Disneyland Park proved itself worthy of the golden rating in this category. Not only is every ride meticulously designed, heavily themed, and immersive, but the park itself is also beautiful and clean (which is extremely impressive given the sheer number of people and families with small children present).
Hell, even the entrance sets the stage. The walk down Main Street, U.S.A. with a center view of Sleeping Beauty Castle really is a sight you rarely see at a theme park. Combine this with all the sounds of life echoing around the park, and it really is no surprise that it is crowned "The Most Magical Place on Earth."
This doesn't necessarily mean that it would speak to us personally, and Disney parks certainly aren't for everyone. However, it didn't take long before Disneyland Park proved itself worthy of the golden rating in this category. Not only is every ride meticulously designed, heavily themed, and immersive, but the park itself is also beautiful and clean (which is extremely impressive given the sheer number of people and families with small children present).
Hell, even the entrance sets the stage. The walk down Main Street, U.S.A. with a center view of Sleeping Beauty Castle really is a sight you rarely see at a theme park. Combine this with all the sounds of life echoing around the park, and it really is no surprise that it is crowned "The Most Magical Place on Earth."
Park Practicality
7.5
Disneyland Park is a fairly large park with an interesting layout. You enter through Main Street, U.S.A. and are taken to the Central Plaza in front of Sleeping Beauty Castle. From here, the four main themed areas circle the plaza, and you're free to move between them. This is actually a very nice and practical design, as it means it never takes too long to get from one end of the park to another. There is a very natural flow through the park and given that you can often use the castle as a point of reference, it makes navigation incredibly easy. We also greatly appreciated the wooded path between Fantasyland and Discoveryland (perhaps the only place in the entire resort where it's nice and quiet).
The reason the park scores well - but not perfectly - is due to a few major downsides. First off, the Main Street-to-Central Plaza design is very nice both as an entrance experience and when you casually navigate throughout the day. However, it also turns into a massive bottleneck when it's busy, especially after the closing show when everyone is heading for the exit. Furthermore, we found the app to be quite frustrating. It definitely had plenty of useful functionalities, but it just didn't run very well, and doing simple tasks like looking at queue times on the map was way harder than it needed to be.
But perhaps the biggest sin was the incorrect queue times that always worked against you. Sometimes a wait would be 10 minutes longer than advertised, but other times it could be up to 30 minutes longer, making an already long 40-minute wait turn into 70 minutes. This was quite annoying as we never really knew if a queue was standard-long or "Disney-long."
The reason the park scores well - but not perfectly - is due to a few major downsides. First off, the Main Street-to-Central Plaza design is very nice both as an entrance experience and when you casually navigate throughout the day. However, it also turns into a massive bottleneck when it's busy, especially after the closing show when everyone is heading for the exit. Furthermore, we found the app to be quite frustrating. It definitely had plenty of useful functionalities, but it just didn't run very well, and doing simple tasks like looking at queue times on the map was way harder than it needed to be.
But perhaps the biggest sin was the incorrect queue times that always worked against you. Sometimes a wait would be 10 minutes longer than advertised, but other times it could be up to 30 minutes longer, making an already long 40-minute wait turn into 70 minutes. This was quite annoying as we never really knew if a queue was standard-long or "Disney-long."
Food
7.5
There is a great variation throughout the park, taking inspiration from a lot of different countries and cultures. We loved how almost all of the food was themed in some way, and the experience of getting it was surprisingly easy despite how busy the park was.
The quality of the food itself was a bit of a letdown - not because it was bad, but because we had hoped for slightly better at Disney. The pulled beef sandwich (which was more of a wrap) and the Hakuna chicken salad we got at Restaurant Hakuna Matata were okay, but nothing special. The Mickey Mouse pizza we got from Pizzeria Bella Notte reminded us of a frozen pizza bought in a convenience store (though with a cute Mickey Mouse design) and was quite disappointing for a Disney food option. The saving grace here was the classic turkey leg from the Last Chance Café, which was quite a unique and tasty meal.
Overall, it scores a 7.5 because the selection of food options is varied with plenty of unique choices, the food is themed, and the food service is very good. The quality of the food we got was decent, but we did expect it to be better.
The quality of the food itself was a bit of a letdown - not because it was bad, but because we had hoped for slightly better at Disney. The pulled beef sandwich (which was more of a wrap) and the Hakuna chicken salad we got at Restaurant Hakuna Matata were okay, but nothing special. The Mickey Mouse pizza we got from Pizzeria Bella Notte reminded us of a frozen pizza bought in a convenience store (though with a cute Mickey Mouse design) and was quite disappointing for a Disney food option. The saving grace here was the classic turkey leg from the Last Chance Café, which was quite a unique and tasty meal.
Overall, it scores a 7.5 because the selection of food options is varied with plenty of unique choices, the food is themed, and the food service is very good. The quality of the food we got was decent, but we did expect it to be better.
Snacks And Drinks
9.5
The snacks we got at the park were:
Restaurant Hakuna Matata: Plantains and a Simba Cupcake. These were fun options that were both tasty and of good quality.
The Gibson Girl Ice Cream Parlour: Ice cream with a Mickey Mouse cookie. We were quite skeptical as they "just" served Carte D'Or ice cream, but it was very good and refreshing, and the Mickey Mouse cookie was a nice touch.
Last Chance Café: Pineapple Fritters. While they weren't personally our thing, this was another interesting option of fairly high quality.
Random ice cream stall near Peter Pan: Mickey Mouse Ice Cream. We felt a bit silly buying what looked like a small and simple ice cream for kids, but this thing was surprisingly good. It featured high-quality chocolate and vanilla ice cream, and it wasn't small at all, either (nor cheap, for that matter).
Once again, while none of the things we got really blew us away, the variety seemed strong with lots of interesting options, though there was a big emphasis on ice cream in particular.
Overall, the snack game hit hard at Disneyland Park.
Restaurant Hakuna Matata: Plantains and a Simba Cupcake. These were fun options that were both tasty and of good quality.
The Gibson Girl Ice Cream Parlour: Ice cream with a Mickey Mouse cookie. We were quite skeptical as they "just" served Carte D'Or ice cream, but it was very good and refreshing, and the Mickey Mouse cookie was a nice touch.
Last Chance Café: Pineapple Fritters. While they weren't personally our thing, this was another interesting option of fairly high quality.
Random ice cream stall near Peter Pan: Mickey Mouse Ice Cream. We felt a bit silly buying what looked like a small and simple ice cream for kids, but this thing was surprisingly good. It featured high-quality chocolate and vanilla ice cream, and it wasn't small at all, either (nor cheap, for that matter).
Once again, while none of the things we got really blew us away, the variety seemed strong with lots of interesting options, though there was a big emphasis on ice cream in particular.
Overall, the snack game hit hard at Disneyland Park.
Ride Operations
11
Operations at the park were incredible and some of the best we have ever seen. The 60+ minute queues are definitely through no fault of the operations team, as multiple trains were always running, often utilizing dual stations on the roller coasters or double-vehicle loading on the boat rides. Dispatches were lightning-quick, and staff members were everywhere, swiftly directing people where to sit. Honestly, we don't mind assigned seating when it's handled this well (especially since it serves an actual purpose - these stations would be pure chaos without it).
We also noticed just how many wheelchair users and otherwise impaired riders were in the queues for many of the rides. It seems that Disney goes out of its way to make sure as many people can ride as possible, and we considered this to be a major positive.
The entire staff was, of course, very professional and friendly, and it is to no one's surprise that the park scores the absolute maximum points available in this category.
We also noticed just how many wheelchair users and otherwise impaired riders were in the queues for many of the rides. It seems that Disney goes out of its way to make sure as many people can ride as possible, and we considered this to be a major positive.
The entire staff was, of course, very professional and friendly, and it is to no one's surprise that the park scores the absolute maximum points available in this category.
Park Management
10
Disneyland Park Paris is a beautifully run park, and it really is a testament to the daily management that we spent over 18 hours at the park without experiencing any major issues or feeling too frustrated by the crowd levels. It really feels like the park does what it can to make your stay as good as possible.
Yes, it is an expensive park. Perhaps the only things we can really hold against it are that the nighttime show could have been handled a little better, and they had a few minor flat rides closed (with a few more closing early due to preparations for the show). However, all of this was clearly visible on the website and in the app, and it did little to hinder us from having a great time.
Between the great service, an abundance of friendly staff, plenty of clean amenities (none of which were closed), and, of course, the insane merch game, Disney really did live up to its expectations as a well-run park (and then some).
As long as you don't mind spending a lot of money and standing in very long queues, you will have a great time at Disneyland Park Paris.
Yes, it is an expensive park. Perhaps the only things we can really hold against it are that the nighttime show could have been handled a little better, and they had a few minor flat rides closed (with a few more closing early due to preparations for the show). However, all of this was clearly visible on the website and in the app, and it did little to hinder us from having a great time.
Between the great service, an abundance of friendly staff, plenty of clean amenities (none of which were closed), and, of course, the insane merch game, Disney really did live up to its expectations as a well-run park (and then some).
As long as you don't mind spending a lot of money and standing in very long queues, you will have a great time at Disneyland Park Paris.
Roller Coasters (4)
Main Coasters (4)
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Year
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Optional Coasters (0)
No other coasters found.
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