Something happens to people when they cross the turnstile to enter a Disney theme park. They give way to the silly, the childish wonder of it all. But they also keep their adult trappings and each nationality has its own way of reacting. I did some serious people-watching this weekend at Disneyland Paris, so I know what I'm talking about!
Since we didn't really go far this past
summer, we decided to have a get-away weekend at Disneyland Paris. In January. When there was snow forecast. I know! But in the end it turned out alright, despite the eternal GPS argument and "are you sure this is the right way?" drama. And I snuck in some pics to illustrate it all. So here we go on a "magical" top ten list of things you can only (ok, almost only) see at Disney parks.
1.
Grown men and women wearing Mickey/Minnie ears. Sometimes it is in the form of a winter hat or headband. I saw entire groups of women wearing them, no matter their age. I wonder if they ever wear them on other occasions. No matter. What happens in Disney, stays in Disney.
2.
Princesses and superheroes! I lost count of all the girls in their Disney princess costumes or boys dressed as Buzz Light Year or Star Wars characters. How great that you can be whoever you want to be in Disneyland. I was tempted to buy myself one, just for cleaning the house, but they didn't have my size.
3.
Everything Mickey. Juliette ate off a Mickey-shaped plate at dinner and had a Mickey-shaped pizza for lunch. Our hotel had Micky-eared caps for the shampoo. Plus Mickey-shaped bedsteads.
4. In Disneyland Paris you will see signs reminding you not to smoke. And you will see park visitors (I'm guessing mostly French!) blatantly disregarding said rule.
5. Possibly the biggest Christmas tree outside of Rockefeller Center. The French extend the festive season into January so we got to see the mega Disney tree in all its glory.
6.
And if it rains, you'll see entire families bring out stylish ponchos. To be fair this is in just about any theme park!
7. Serious Disney bling. For the wealthier visitors, why not take home a glass version of a Disney castle. For fifteen thousand euros, it's a steal! Or a tiara for your little one.
8.
Photo-ops with costumed characters galore! The Storm Troopers (yes, Star Wars is Disney now!) and of course cartoon characters were out in force. And each time kids and adults alike lined up to take their pictures with them. Not our Juju though since she is still afraid of people in costumes...
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| Stitch was quite popular, too. |
9.
One too many Disney balloons lost forever. I can only imagine the tantrums when these babies got lost.
10.
Big smiles. So many smiles. Especially on this little girl's face.
2 comments:
Love the arrows to indicate what you're referring to! Funny.
I haven't been to Disneyland Paris, but once I had a train stopover there, and when I stepped out and saw the entrance, I was tempted. Disney is like an alternate universe.
The cool thing about Disney places is that you have full permission to act like a kid and not be shamed for it. The adult-you pays the ticket price, but the kid-you gets to grin from ear to ear and fall into fantasy lands. So glad you got to go and give this experience to Juliette, who will remember it forever. Looks like so much fun.
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