Interview - Jordi from dlrpfans YouTube Channel

I think it's fair to say that we all get a little bit excited on a trip to Disneyland Paris. One such man is Jordi Desaever, the star of YouTube channel 'dlrpfans'. It wasn't until earlier this year that I stumbled onto the channel, and I have been hooked ever since. While cameraman Filip generally stays behind the camera, Jordi loves being in front of the camera, and he really is a funny guy. Some Disneyland Paris video have that feeling of 'well I've seen this all before' but the videos on 'dlrpfans' are completely different. Although speaking Dutch a majority of the time, Jordi sometimes speaks some English, much to comic effect, and making the videos very humorous. Filip and Jordi clearly have a very good relationship together, which rubs off well in the videos. You can clearly see in the videos that Filip and Jordi both love Disneyland Paris, and clearly know a lot about it. Jordi's on screen antics are so funny that it prompted me to make my own video of what I thought were his funniest moments.

On my most recent trip to Disneyland Paris in October, I couldn't quite believe me luck when I met not only Filip, but also Jordi! We had photos together and had a chat together. Both Filip and Jordi were really lovely people. Hopefully we'll get the chance to meet again on my next trip, and maybe even go on some rides together! It really was a highlight of my trip. Very happy to say that I now have two good friends from Belgium!

As we're all friends on Facebook, I asked Jordi if he would be kind enough to take part in an interview, much to my delight, he was more than happy to.

Enjoy the interview.

Jordi and Me.

Hey Jordi!

Thank you for finding the time to take part in this interview. Let's begin. When did you first visit Disneyland Paris?

Hey! My first visit to Disneyland Paris was a long time ago, when I was about 4-6 months or a year old. I know that we have been to Disneyland for my first communion, which was highly likely my 1st or 2nd visit.

How often do you visit Disneyland Paris in a year?

To the degree that I got older, I started to go more and more. First I went with my parents because I was not old enough. When I was old enough to go on my own to Disneyland Paris, I started to go every 2 to 3 months. On this day, it is monthly.

Many people will know you from the dlrpfans videos on YouTube. When did you first decide to participate in the videos and why?

Yeah that's right, at Disneyland Paris, everybody knows me from dlrpfans. In other parks, they know me from my own YouTube channel, Mr.Themeparkfans. To create such videos with Filip, the decision actually went really quickly, because I was all that took part in the experiment. This was on my very first YouTube channel, which is no longer active. 

Do you have any favourite videos from the dlrpfans channel?

I do not actually have a favourite video, I think they are all good. The videos with the most crazy moments I find super, for example, the time I called to Zurg, selfies, Alice in Wonderland, events like the meet and greets where sometimes I do not know what to do. 

What is your favourite attraction in Walt Disney Studios and why?

Hollywood Tower Hotel (Tower of Terror) I find really super. The story is good, the thrill is good, the picture is completely correct.

Do you have a favourite land in the Disneyland Park?

I do not have a favourite land, but if I had to choose, it would be between Frontierland, Adventureland, and Discoveryland, because there are really good attractions. You can find me a ride on Big Thunder Mountain, Phantom Manor, but also a ride on Pirates of the Caribbean and Indiana Jones. Discoveryland, there are attractions I could sit on for hours like Space Mountain and Buzz Lightyear. 

What about a favourite land in Walt Disney Studios?

The new Ratatouille part. There is simply everything. A very nice restaurant, attraction, and shop.

Have you stayed at any of the Disneyland Paris hotels?

Yes, I've stayed at the Hotel New York, Sequoia Lodge, Newport Bay Club, and the Hotel Santa Fe.

Do you have a favourite restaurant in Disney Village?

McDonalds and Earl of Sandwich. Those restaurants are not too expensive in terms of price and I think the quality is also very good.

Do you have a favourite shop in Disney Village?

The Disney Gallery, because sometimes you can find things in there that they do not sell in the parks.

I'm a big fan of the music loops in the parks. Do you have a favourite?

Sure enough, the music in Discoveryland.

Have you every visited any of the other Disney parks from around the world, or do you have plans to?

No, never, but I do have plans to travel to another Disney resort.

Thank you for taking the time to answer the questions.

Thank you for the interview.

Me with Filip and Jordi. 

Here is a link to the 'dlrpfans' YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/filipv

This is a link to Jordi's own channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/MrThemeparkfans

This is my own video of Jordi's funniest moments: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sLzMo_nc-AE

Interview - Filip, Creator of dlrpfans YouTube Channel

Most Disneyland Paris lovers will watch videos of the park on YouTube, myself included. It wasn't until this year that I stumbled onto the dlrpfans (Disneyland Resort Paris fans) YouTube channel. I fell in love with the channel almost instantaneously. The star of the videos is definitely Jordi, but the man behind the camera, Filip, allowed me to conduct an interview with him. I was very lucky to meet Filip on our trip to Disneyland Paris in October. As well as meeting Filip and his wife, I also met the star of the videos Jordi! Those were moments I'll never forget. Both of them were very lovely and very happy to talk, and the both of them recognised me because we're all friends on Facebook. I have even made my own video of Jordi's funniest moments from the dlrpfans channel, that's how much I love their videos.

Me with Filip, creator of dlrpfans.

Hello Filip! Thank you for taking the time to take part in the interview.

When was the first time you visited Disneyland Paris?

In 1996.

How many times do you visit Disneyland Paris a year?

About 16 times.

Some people will know you for being the creator of the dlrpfans YouTube channel. When did you first decide to make the videos and share them on YouTube?

I have been a member of YouTube since July 2006, and putting videos online, but not many at that time. I also had a small website with pictures of my trips. I was one of the first on the internet with a website with photos from Disneyland Paris.

You appear in some of the videos, but I think many people would say that Jordi is the star of the videos. Why do you think people love Jordi so much?

I think it's because he is funny and his character.

Do you have any favourite videos from the dlrpfans channel?

I like all of my videos. I think that's one of the things that's important, before other people can like your videos, first you have to like what you make, otherwise it won't work.

Which is your favourite attraction from the Disneyland Park and why?

I have several favourites, if I need to choose one, I would choose Pirates of the Caribbean and that's because I love dark rides and I like the pirate theme.

What about your favourite attraction from Walt Disney Studios and why?

Ratatouille is my favourite now, because I love dark rides and the technology behind the attraction. 

Do you have a favourite land in Disneyland Park?

Yes, Frontierland. I really like the cowboy atmosphere. 

How about a favourite land in Walt Disney Studios?

Toy Story Playland for the theming.

Have you ever stayed at any of the Disneyland Paris hotels?

Yes, all of them except the Disneyland Hotel.

Which is your favourite restaurant at the parks and Disney Village?

Rainforest Cafe.

How about your favourite shops in the parks and at Disney Village?

I love the shops at Main Street USA, and at Disney Village, I love the World of Disney store.

I'm a big fan of the music loops at the parks. Do you have a favourite?

Main Street USA.

Have you ever visited any of the other Disney parks from around the world?

Yes, Walt Disney World.

Finally, we were lucky enough to meet each other on my last trip to Disneyland Paris, I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did.

Yes I did, I love meeting other Disney fans.

Thank you again for taking part in this interview Filip!



Here is a link to Filip's dlrpfans YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/filipv

Here is my Jordi's Funniest Moments video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sLzMo_nc-AE

Disneyland Paris - October 2015 - Trip Report - Hotel Santa Fe

Welcome to our room!

I'm very lucky to say that on previous trips to Disneyland Paris I have stayed at the Sequoia Lodge many times and also the Hotel New York and Newport Bay Club both on one occasion. It's safe to say that the Sequoia Lodge is a favourite of mine, but I love the other two hotels as well. When booking our October trip, we went for something different and decided to stay at the Hotel Santa Fe. I knew the Hotel Santa Fe is considered as one of Disney's lower budget hotels, but I was more than happy to give it a try, having never stayed there before. In all honesty, I was really looking forward to staying at the hotel. 

Welcome to the Hotel Santa Fe!

As part of our holiday package, we booked the Disney Express service, which allowed us to send our bags to the hotel and then head straight into the parks. After arriving early in the afternoon, we sent our bags on their way to the Hotel Santa Fe and spent a couple of hours in both parks then headed into Disney Village to get something to eat at the La Grange buffet above Billy Bob's. We enjoyed our meal and decided to head back into the Disneyland Park to watch Dreams. After Dreams, we finally decided to head to the hotel. We enjoyed a walk through Disney Village and down the Rio Grande river to the Hotel Santa Fe. Having never stayed at the hotel before, it was very easy to find. First impressions were very good. Many people say the theming is very lacklustre at the Hotel Santa Fe, but I totally disagree. This is no ordinary budget hotel! The hotel is themed around New Mexico with many references to the famous Route 66. The hotel has very recently had a big refurbishment and has been slightly re-themed to add some references to the 'Cars' film series. We checked into the reception area at not lone after 10pm. We then picked up our suitcases and made our way to our room. We were in one of the 'Sally' blocks. Considering some of the negativity about the hotel, I couldn't believe how lovely the room was. Waiting for me was a message saying "Welcome Mr Michael Lambert" and I thought 'thank you very much, it's good to be back home!' The rooms feature some references to the 'Cars' films. I particularly loved the traffic cone lights above the beds, thought they were a really nice touch. After inspecting the room and finally settling down for our first sleep, I thought to myself how wrong some people are about this hotel. Yes, the other hotels might have slightly better theming, but this hotel is by no means, a lower quality alternative. 

Follow the sign!

I didn't sleep particularly well the first night, but I put that down to the excitement of my first full day in Disneyland Paris! The first day provided us with our first trip to La Cantina, the Hotel Santa Fe's buffet restaurant. We made our way to La Cantina at 7am in the morning for breakfast. I quite liked the theming inside the restaurant, it was a bit like being in an American highway gas station. 7am might sound like a crazy time to be up on holiday, but we wanted to eat nice and early and be at the parks for the Extra Magic Hours opening at 8am, one of the best perks about staying at a Disney hotel! The breakfast was continental, but a very nice selection. I stuffed myself away with cheese filled rolls, very tasty! We made sure to fill ourselves up each morning at breakfast as we would not be eating again until the evenings. 

I'd never seen so many bread rolls and croissants in my life!

Other than breakfast each morning, we returned to La Cantina two more times for dinner. The first time we had dinner at La Cantina was the second night of our stay. With the standard half board dining plan, we had the choice of many different buffets, including our own hotel's buffet. We decided to give La Cantina a try as we liked the layout from breakfast and also thought the Tex-Mex food selection was very tempting. After enjoying our first full day in the park, we came back to the room to change for the evening, then headed over to La Cantina for 6pm. That was opening time for dinner service and there wasn't many people waiting for it to open, but then again, it wasn't really crowded anywhere in the whole Disneyland Paris complex. At La Cantina, you order your drinks, then pick them up at the bar. Then you can choose to sit at a table of your choice. We went up in turns to pick our food from the buffet. We were both really impressed with the food on offer. I love making wraps, so was delighted to find some wraps and hot spicy chicken, that was me sorted! Much to my delight they also had a lovely hot cheese sauce, just like what you get in America, so I was in heaven with that all poured over some nachos! The dessert choice was also very impressive. They had cakes of all sorts, ice creams, mousses, so many different things to choose from. Overall, we were quite honestly, pleasantly surprised! We loved it so much that we decided to eat there again on our last night in Disneyland Paris. Both evening meals at La Cantina were very enjoyable!

Cheesy nachos, I'm in heaven!

As with every other Disneyland Paris hotel, Hotel Santa Fe has it's very own bar, the Rio Grande Bar. We only visited this on the first night of our stay because we were so tired that we just wanted to check into our room and relax in the bar with a nice cold drink. I would probably say in terms of theming, the Rio Grande Bar isn't the most extravagant when you compare it to, say, the Redwood Bar at the Sequoia Lodge, or Cafe Fantasia at the Disneyland Hotel. Still, we enjoyed a bit of relaxation which was much needed on our first night! 

Have a quiet drink at the Rio Grande Bar.

As I mentioned earlier, we liked to get up early each morning for breakfast so we could get to the parks for 8am. What I enjoyed most about walking to the parks early in the morning was the fact that we had a nice little walk past the river and through Disney Village before getting to the parks. At that early time, not many people were around, so I managed to get quite a few photos of Disney Village without too many people around. 

Up bright and early and off to the parks!

I'll be writing a full report about the cast members on our trip, but I will say now, that all the cast members we encountered at the Hotel Santa Fe were very lovely and courteous. We were made very welcome when we arrived late at the hotel on our first night. Being an English speaker, I always make an attempt to speak a little bit of French, and the staff at the hotel really seemed to appreciate it. The most notable staff at the hotel (I honestly cannot remember their names) were definitely the two people that helped me check in and also sort out our room keycard, as it didn't work the first time we used it. 

Thank you to all the wonderful reception staff!

I can honestly say that the Hotel Santa Fe highly succeeded my expectations. As much as I love the other hotels I've already stayed at previously, I would definitely stay at the Hotel Santa Fe on my next visit. I loved pretty much everything about it. Our room was amazing, the buffet was brilliant, and staff exceptional. Brilliant hotel!

Goodbye Hotel Santa Fe, but don't worry, we'll be back!

Disneyland Paris - October 2015 - Trip Report - Characters

Giving Mr Mouse a hug!

It wouldn't be a holiday to Disneyland Paris without meeting any characters, and this year definitely didn't disappoint! When we went last year, it was my first time in recent years meeting characters. Other than queueing to meet Anna and Elsa and the Princess Pavilion, we didn't go out of our way to meet characters. This year though, we decided to meet more characters and try to find them, as some of the best characters are in random spots on different days. It wasn't until I got home to print off my photos that I realised how many characters we had actually met! 

The following photos show all the characters we met and how we met them.

Me and Woody from Toy Story.

We expected our first meet and greet would probably be in Disneyland Park, but it was actually in Walt Disney Studios. After arriving at Marne La Vallee train station, we entered the Disneyland Park first to go on some rides. Next, we went to Walt Disney Studios and the first thing we did was have a photo with Woody from Toy Story. He was the only character we met on the day we arrived, but we saw all the characters later on in the Magic on Parade.

                                                 

Laura with Pluto and Goofy.

We met a majority of the main Disney characters on our first full day. As we stayed on site at the Hotel Santa Fe, we were able to take advantage of the Extra Magic Hours, and could enter the parks at 8am instead of the normal 10am. We took advantage of this and as it was quiet, we queued up for all of the characters. Pluto and Goofy were the first characters we met that day. Goofy was hilarious. I was slightly annoyed though because as it was my turn to have a photo, my camera decided to play up, so I had to rely on a nice photo from one of Disney's Photo Pass photographers. Luckily, they took some very nice photos which we brought later in the day.

Laura and me with Mickey and Minnie.

Many people would say that Mickey and Minnie Mouse are two of the most popular, if not the most popular, Disney characters of all time, so we made sure we had a photo with them. After official park opening, we would probably have had to wait for well over an hour for a photo with them, but with the Extra Magic Hours, we waited for less than 10 minutes! We had some great interaction with them. Minnie pointed out Laura's ears and Mickey copied some of the poses of himself on Laura's t-shirt. I think this photo of the two of us with Mickey and Minnie is probably one of the best photos taken on the holiday.

Laura and me with Chip and Dale, or Tic and Tac as they're known in France.

Chip and Dale were next on our list. There was absolutely no one queuing for these two, so again, we took advantage of that and got some great photos with them. These two always make me laugh for some reason. They're quite mischievous and always on the move! 

Laura and me with Donald Duck, one of my favourite Disney characters.

Donald Duck was the only other character for us to meet in the Extra Magic Hours, and surprise surprise, there was hardly anyone queuing again! We couldn't quite believe our luck with how easy it was to get photos with all the main Disney characters. Donald was great and we had some very lovely photos with him. In under 30 minutes, we had queued and had photos with 7 Disney characters, unbelievable! 

Me with Sleeping Beauty herself, Princess Aurora.

Meeting the princesses was a little bit different to last year when we queued for Anna and Elsa at the Princess Pavilion. This year, the pavilion was closed for the first three days of our trip, and princess meet and greets were scheduled opposite the Mad Hatter's Tea Cups and outside the entrance of Plaza Gardens. We decided to queue for the princess meet and greet not long after meeting all of the Disney characters earlier in the morning. We queued for about 45 minutes, but as it was quiet, I got out of the queue to get on some of the rides while Laura happily waited in line. Princess Aurora was very lovely and talkative and we had quite a few photos with her. We even got some Photo Pass photos developed later in the day as a treat for ourselves. 

Me with Cinderella's Mice, Suzy and Perla.

This meet and greet happened purely by coincidence. We were queuing to meet the princesses again on our second day. I needed the toilet so left Laura in the queue. As I was walking towards the toilets near the Bella Notte restaurant, I spotted Suzy and Perla coming out of a backstage area. As they had only just come out, I was very lucky and a cast member happily took a photo of me with them both. After going to the toilet, I ran back to Laura in the line and told her what happened, so she ran off with my camera and had a photo with the two of them as well. Suzy and Perla were very sweet and even blew me kisses. Cinderella was one of my favourite Disney cartoons as a child so there was some nostalgia having photos with these two. These were also the first characters we saw that were just randomly placed in the park. 

Laura and me with Snow White.

We were very happy after waiting a second time for the princesses that it wasn't Princess Aurora again but Snow White this time. She was very lovely and talkative to us and spent a good amount of time talking to the both of us. 

Me with Cinderella's Ugly Stepsister, Anastasia and Drizella.

As it was the Disneyland Paris Halloween Season, there was a new meet and greet show called 'It's Good to Be Bad with the Disney Villains'. Okay, it wasn't really much of a show, just one song and dance, but the best bit of all, the characters walk off the stage and all do meet and greets with the guests. The first time we saw it we really wanted a photo with Cinderella's Ugly Stepsisters, but we couldn't get anywhere near them with all the crowds. The next day we watched the show, we were in the right place at the right time, and we were the second people to have photos with the two sisters, who were absolutely hilarious. I have to say, this really is one of my favourite photos from the whole trip. This is also the first photo with the characters featuring me with my new trilby hat!

Me with Rabbit and Eeyore.

Before we even got to Paris, I kept saying that I was desperate to meet Eeyore, but after a couple of days it was looking highly unlikely we wouldn't meet him. I was wrong of course as the photo above suggests! We were getting ready to leave Walt Disney Studios when we walked through the Front Lot, and we saw Rabbit and Eeyore! I can't tell you how happy I was to have the chance to meet Eeyore! When we got to the front of the queue, I gave him a massive hug as well as Rabbit. As you can see in the photo, Rabbit thought it would be hilarious to take my hat and put it on one of his ears! It was a very funny moment and I couldn't stop smiling! It was a really great character interaction, and was so over the moon to meet my favourite Disney character, Eeyore!

Having a laugh with Smee and Peter Pan.

After the excitement of meeting Eeyore, we decided to head to the Disneyland Park to explore once again. We spotted Peter Pan and Smee near a backstage area in Adventureland, but they were coming towards a break in their meet and greet spot. The cast member with them told us that Peter Pan and Smee would be turning in about half an hour. We decided to go off for a wonder around Adventureland then waited for a couple of minutes and were right at the front to meet Peter Pan and Smee! I had quite a fun chat with Peter Pan, Smee looked upset when Peter Pan said the pirates on Pirates of the Caribbean were scary. After having our photos taken, it was dawning on me how lucky we were to meet so many iconic Disney characters.

Look everyone, it's King Louie!

After another visit to Walt Disney Studios in the same day, we came back to the Disneyland Park. We found ourselves in Adventureland again, and to our surprise, King Louie from The Jungle Book was doing a meet and greet, with a very short line of people. Unsurprisingly, he was hilarious! King Louie proved to be the last character we met. 

Even as I'm writing this, I still can't believe the amount of characters we met, especially in such a short amount of time. The first day was quite unbelievable meeting so many iconic characters. Meeting characters wasn't something I originally intended to do, but after this trip, we'll definitely be doing it again!

I mentioned earlier about all the parades we watched so here are some of my favourite photos from all the parades. Enjoy!

Snow White and her Prince sharing a moment.

Princess Elsa, definitely my favourite Disney princess.

The Mad Hatter really is nuts!

Winnie the Pooh! 

Timone and Pumbaa. 

Look out, it's Captain Hook!

One of the penguins from Mary Poppins.

Bert dancing for joy!

Donald and his nephews. 

Hello Piglet!

Anna and Elsa pleasing the crowds.

The White Rabbit from Alice in Wonderland.

Smee leading the pirates dance.

Thanks again for reading the post. 

Disneyland Paris - October 2015 - Trip Report - Rides and Attractions

All smiles at Alice's Curious Labyrinth.

Disney are all about rides and attractions as we know. It's been well documented that Walt Disney pioneered the theme park industry. Disneyland Paris is certainly no exception. I'm very lucky to say that I have visited Disneyland Paris countless times and have experienced nearly every ride and attraction the park has to offer.

The man that started it all, Walt Disney, a true pioneer.

All Disney parks feature different themed lands surrounding the centrepiece castle, in the Paris park's case, it's Sleeping Beauty's Castle. These areas include the Wild West world of Frontierland, the arabian nights and pirates land Adventureland, the fairytale Fantasyland, and look into the future, Discoveryland.

Sleeping Beauty's Castle.

Walt Disney Studios, Disneyland Park's next door neighbour, is a little bit different. Very similar to Disney's Hollywood Studios in Florida, Walt Disney Studios is a park based around the magic of cinema. Compared to Disneyland Paris park, Walt Disney Studios has a greater emphasis on shows than it does rides, although the rides are amazing to say the least!

Experience the magic of cinema at Walt Disney Studios.

As already mentioned, I've been lucky enough to experience practically every attraction at both parks in Paris, but if I had to choose (and it's not easy) these are my top 10 attractions:

1. Cinemagique - Walt Disney Studios
2. Pirates of the Caribbean - Disneyland Park
3. Phantom Manor - Disneyland Park
4. Rock N' Roller Coaster starring Aerosmith - Walt Disney Studios
5. Star Tours - Disneyland Park
6. Space Mountain: Mission 2 - Disneyland Paris
7. Ratatouille: L'Aventure Totalement Toquee de Remy - Walt Disney Studios
8. Big Thunder Mountain - Disneyland Park
9. Moteurs… Action! Stunt Show Spectacular - Walt Disney Studios
10. Crush's Coaster - Walt Disney Studios

Full report of my top 10 attractions to follow!

Cinemagique, hands down, my favourite Disney attraction.

Considering the amount of times I had previously visited Disneyland Paris, this trip featured quite a few firsts for me. In the Disneyland Park, believe it or not, it was my first time exploring La Cabane des Robinson (Swiss Family Robinson's Tree House) and was also my first time walking through Alice's Curious Labyrinth. To be honest, other than the catchy song you hear playing throughout the Swiss Family Robinson's treehouse, there wasn't really that much to see and I didn't feel like I had missed out on anything in previous visits. Alice's Curious Labyrinth however, was a different story. I had watched many videos of people in the labyrinth and I just had to give it a look. I was honestly really pleasantly surprised. I just couldn't stop laughing at different things in the maze. It was good fun trying to find our way through the maze and taking photos with all the different statues from Alice in Wonderland.

Great fun in Alice's Curious Labyrinth.

Two more firsts for me were riding Dumbo the Flying Elephant, and the Orbitron. Both of these rides were very similar, your typical flying in the sky rides, but if you haven't ridden these before, then Orbitron is definitely the faster of the two, and probably the better ride for me.

Flying high with Dumbo.

Last but not least in the Disneyland Park, we treated ourselves to a ride down Main Street USA on what was like an old fashioned fire truck. It was such a peaceful experience it had me wondering why I had never ridden one of the Main Street vehicles before!

Enjoy a peaceful ride on one of the Main Street vehicles.

Walt Disney Studios also saw more firsts for me, and probably one of the best attractions I'd seen for a long time. As I mentioned earlier, Walt Disney Studios has a greater emphasis on shows, and I made sure I saw them all. Before this trip, I had never watched Animagique or Armageddon: les Effects Speciaux, so I was very keen to watch them at least once this time around. Ride wise, I also experienced the RC Racer for the first time.

Don't forget to spot Herbie in one of the Walt Disney Studios shops!

After enjoying a hot chocolate and cookie, me and Laura decided to go and watch Animagique for the first time. I have no idea why but for some reason my mind was telling me 'Michael you're not going to enjoy this' and just like Donald Duck would say, boy oh boy was I wrong! I don't want to give to much away for those of you that haven't seen it, but it features Donald Duck getting into some mischief and making his way through classic musical numbers from Disney classics such as The Jungle Book and The Little Mermaid. I found myself smiling throughout the whole performance and kicking myself for not seeing the show before. I'm very glad to say that I have seen the show at least once as there are strong rumours that the show will be closing in the coming months. I can honestly say, this was probably the most pleasant surprise I had on the whole trip, it really was that good!

Not a trip to Walt Disney Studios without a photo of the ear tower!

Armageddon: les Effects Speciaux is one attraction that I've always wanted to experience, but it's either been closed, or other people I've been on holiday with haven't wanted to see it. As it was a holiday of many firsts, I was even more determined to watch this one! Again, without spoiling this one too much, it's pretty much a special effects show, with the main scene featuring us (the audience) as actors in a Russian spaceship with a big meteor headed towards it! The special effects are very impressive, but the attraction seems a little bit short as the pre-show lasts much longer than the main event. It was pretty fun though and we watched it a second time. It isn't an attraction I would go out of my way for, but if I was passing time, then I would definitely give it another watch.

Film prop from Armageddon.

RC Racer was one ride which I was quite hesitant about. I've never been one to ride on the swing type rides, but I thought, what the heck, let's give this one a go! I'm a big Toy Story fan like most people, so I loved the theming of the queue, like you're walking on a remote control car track, Disney theming working wonders yet again. The ride itself, woah, what a thrill! I can't explain the high intensity thrills of how fast this one was when you hit the top of the ride. I'm not a big fan of heights, but I loved having a quick gaze of the parks at that height. It really was a thrill. I loved it so much I queued to go on straight again! This is definitely one that I'll be doing again on my next trip.

Me with Rex, Toy Story's friendly dinosaur.

Me and Laura enjoyed every attraction with no hick ups, all except for Ratatouille. The Ratatouille ride at Walt Disney Studios, is quite notorious for breaking down on a regular basis ever since it opened last year. We were very lucky to ride it 5 times last year with no problems, but on our second time riding it this year, it was a little bit different. As this ride always has long queues, me and Laura always opt to queue in the Single Rider line and meet up outside at the end of our rides. Funnily enough, even though we queued in the Single Rider line, we both ended up sitting next to each other. The ride was running very smoothly up until the chase scene. Just after we started the chase scene, our car came to a complete stop. I thought the ride would probably turn back on in a few minutes, but then the lights came on and I said to Laura "I bet we'll get evacuated off the ride" and we did! I've been evacuated off of Big Thunder Mountain in Florida, but never at any ride in Disneyland Paris. It was quite surreal walking through the ride and quite a few people took photos and videos although I didn't out of respect for Disney. In true Disney fashion, cast members offered us a complimentary Fast Pass for whenever the ride reopened or for the following day, so we ended up riding it the next day, thankfully, with no problems.

Walt Disney Studios before opening. Not a soul in sight.

Overall, I was amazed at how many attractions I experienced for the first time, and most of them were pleasant surprises, and I would definitely experience them again without a doubt. One last thing, if you experience Animagique for the first time, you'll definitely be singing the theme song, or have it in your head for a long time!