I recently returned from a three-day trip to Disneyland Paris. Since meeting my girlfriend (now fiancée) in 2017, I’ve visited the park three times. The last time I went was in September 2021, so I was greeted by a lot of new experiences. This time, we went with two good friends of mine who were visiting for the first time, which added a whole new layer to our experience.
Trip Details:
Duration: Three days, two nights
Travel: By car. (We were able to borrow my father-in-law’s car because my own car broke down at a concert two days prior 🙃)
Weather: The first day was sunny and beautiful. The other two days were foggy but still manageable. All days were freezing 🥶
How did we book? We booked our stay with Oad.
Hotel: Newport Bay Club
The entrance of Hotel Newport Bay Club
We stayed at the Newport Bay Club Hotel — one of three hotels on Lake Disney. This hotel is huge (the largest in France) but still has a nice, welcoming feel. The theme is fun without being too "in-your-face" Disney. We stayed in a Superior Room. The beds were very comfortable, and having a bath was a major win (my fiancée will go out of her way to find a room with a bath on holiday).
We had drinks at the Captain’s Quarters on the second day but decided not to eat at the hotel’s restaurants, opting instead for the Hunter’s Grill at Sequoia Lodge — the group I was with wasn’t big on seafood.
We also made use of the swimming pool and spa facilities. There’s a large pool, a small kids' pool, and a whirlpool. The water was pretty chilly in all of them, but the pool stayed open until 10:00 PM, making it a nice way to relax after a long day at the parks.
Overall, I really enjoyed my stay at Newport Bay. The common areas and services are all very nice, but the rooms do show their age. The hotel was renovated in 2016, but I wouldn’t have blinked if you’d said it hadn’t changed since 1992. From what I’ve heard, the renovations have benefitted the other hotels more (my partner stayed at Hotel New York: The Art of Marvel a few years ago).
Tales of Magic
On January 10th, Disneyland Park premiered Disney Tales of Magic, a new nighttime show in front of the castle. We saw it twice — once on our first day, standing on the plaza in front of the castle, and again on our last day, from the back of Main Street.
I really liked this show! The effects and music are beautiful, and the story is emotional. This was the first time I saw the drones in action, and WOW, what a cool effect! The drones are especially impressive when used for big gestures, like when they form a huge Emperor Zurg during the Buzz Lightyear section or the crazed eyes of Bruno in the Encantomedley. They also add nice touches in smaller moments, like the sparkles that pop out from the castle. For me, it makes up for the reduced fireworks.
I also believe this show — unlike earlier shows in the French parks — was created largely by European Imagineers. The songs and properties chosen really seem to resonate with a European audience.
Avengers Campus
This was my first time visiting Avengers Campus, one of the only major attractions at the Studios park! During our visit, all the shows except Pixar: Together were unavailable, and with the fencing around Studio 1, the park felt a bit crowded.
That said, the park definitely improved with the introduction of Avengers Campus. The whole area has a great vibe. The theming is well done for what they had to work with. Creating an inviting space using an industrial theme isn’t easy, but I think they pulled it off here. The best way I can describe it is that it just looks cool. It probably helps that I enjoy the Marvel movies (mostly up until Avengers: Endgame; after that, I think they lost their way a bit).
Avengers Assemble: Flight Force was better than I expected. The theming is (once again) cool, and the ride and layout are fun. It didn’t feel as empty as I’d heard others describe it — maybe because of the later additions. I’ve ridden it twice, and both times, the Iron Man animatronic wasn’t working 😤.
The biggest surprise of my trip was WEB SLINGERS (ALL CAPS). I had a fantastic time with this ride. The gameplay was fun, the animation and 3D were great — overall, just a very enjoyable experience. One downside, though: I got a bit too competitive. I was working way too hard to get a high score and didn’t focus enough on the ride itself. This could be blasphemy, but I think WEB SLINGERS might have been my favourite ride of the trip.
Walt’s - An American Restaurant
The menu at Walt's
On the second day, we had lunch at Walt’s on Main Street. The experience of sitting down for a meal (whether lunch or dinner) on a busy park day is something I highly recommend. I had the Creamy Pea Soup, Farmhouse Chicken with a Golden Honey and Cajun-Spiced Coating, and the Flower Street Sundae for dessert. The price for a three-course menu (without drinks) was €55.
Creamy Pea Soup with Whipped Isigny Cream and Smoky Popcorn
The restaurant is lovely, but, like every other restaurant at Disneyland Paris, the food suffers from being made in advance and often feels hastily plated. For example, instead of scooping fresh ice cream for the sundae, it was definitely re-frozen. The food was still tasty — though the chicken was a bit underwhelming — but you expect a bit more from the dining experience.
Other Observations:
The entrance and the Disneyland Hotel look stunning. I really came to appreciate the design and beauty of the turnstile area. Everything looked clean and fresh.
The updated scene in the Nautilus is a definite downgrade. The 3D effect was convincing, but the stock footage of whales and other marine life just felt cheap. Couldn’t they have animated a cool Kraken attack or something?
I felt like the parks, more than ever, were centered around merchandise. The stores were filled to the brim with items catered to Disney Adults. The shoulder plushies were everywhere. This might have been more noticeable since we were visiting with first-timers, but it did feel different compared to previous visits.
Final Thoughts
All in all, I had a fantastic stay at Disneyland Paris. However, I do think I won’t be back very soon — the resort desperately needs new attractions. But it’s pretty remarkable that a park that hasn’t had any major new attractions in two decades still manages to entertain as much as it does. It really is a testament to the amazing work the Imagineers did when building this park.
