Disneyland Paris vs. Anaheim

Before I arrived in Paris, I was sure to make a priority list of places to visit. Of course, the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre made the top two, but my third was Disneyland Paris. When I got off the RER train and saw the Disneyland Paris sign, I felt like I was eight again. I rushed into the nearest store to pick up a hat with Mickey ears, went to City Hall to pick up my first visitors pass and opened up my map to start exploring. Throughout the day, I couldn’t help but compare it to Disneyland Anaheim. I visited the one in Anaheim this past January and loved the experience. Though the one in Disneyland Paris was enough to keep me entertained for seven hours, there were some things it lacked.

 

1) The decorations aren’t as elaborate.

I visited Disneyland Anaheim during Christmas and Halloween. The park did a great job of decorating for the holidays. Rides, shops and monuments displayed gorgeous mickey shaped ornaments. When walking into Disneyland Paris, they had the big Christmas tree, huge garlands on the lamp posts of Main Street, but that was it. They took great care to decorate the entrance, but after that it ends. Visiting Disneyland during Christmas is a huge dream, so I felt the park should have been more festive for this major holiday season.

 

One thing I love about Disneyland Anaheim is that when you enter, it’s like your entering a whole other world. Each land within Disneyland offers something unique and the cast members are a part of that. When you enter the Tower of Tower in Anaheim, you can expect to be scared by a few of the workers. Each cast member is happy, excited and greets you like you’re the only person there. The park in Paris lacked this. Cast members greeted you with as much enthusiasm as a retail associate during the Christmas holiday. I know it must be exhausting to smile for eight hours a day in a Disney uniform, but that’s what people expect and it’s what makes the experience a magical and special.

 

 

A trip to the park in Anaheim takes careful preparation. There are long lines and it requires a lot of walking. It’s necessary to pick prioritize the rides and shows beforehand because after six and a half hours of walking around, your feet will be hurting even with your new pair of Nike shoes on. Both parks in Paris could have been walked in one day. On top of that, it closes aroound 7p.m. so you even have less time than you would in Anaheim. This doesn’t surprise me. Honestly, I would be a little offended if the one in Paris was bigger than the one in Anaheim. I expect ours to be bigger and better, but the idea that I  was able to walk both parks of Disneyland in a whole day amazed me.

 

I understand that it’s Paris and it’s absolutely freezing. The first time I went it was 37 degrees. No one is going to want to wander through the park in a Mickey Mouse costume in that kind of weather. However, I didn’t expect such a lack of characters. There was the Mickey and Minnie Mouse in Christmas outfits, but that was it. December is a major tourist season and Paris is used to below freezing weather, so I’m surprised that there weren’t more Disney characters wandering around greeting little kids.

 

In Anaheim, Disneyland is open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. In Paris,the park open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. That one hour makes such a huge difference. One hour is three shop visits or three rounds of Space Moutain . Seven is too early to shut down a place like Disneyland. People travel from all over Europe to come here, so I feel that opening the park for nine hours doesn’t allow visitors to thoroughly enjoy the park.

 

Disneyland Paris was enjoyable, but not the magical experience I’m used to having at Disneyland. I’ll admit that I may be judging it more harshly than most, but I’ve been spoiled by living six hours away from the park in Anaheim. The park in Paris lackes the magic and authenticity Anaheim has. If you’re just looking for a place to get your Disney fix, though, this will satisfy until you’re able to experience the real thing.