
5 reasons to visit Disneyland Paris as an adult
The only excuse we needed was Walt Disney’s aphorism: “adults are only kids grown up, anyway.” Whether for a romantic stroll, an adrenalin packed day or a walk down memory lane, escape your responsibilities and embrace your inner child at Disneyland Paris. After all, if Emma Watson’s Beauty and the Beast success has thought us something, is that age is just a number.
#1 The food
While the waffles in the shape of Mickey Mouse ears are the first thing associated with the experience, we selected our three favorite restaurants where the atmosphere alone is one you will never forget. Ratatouille’s Bistrot Chez Rémy in Walt Disney Studios Park is probably the obvious first choice, the movie having been a hit with children and adults alike. Have an Alice in Wonderland moment and shrink to a mouse’s size in a restaurant with bottle caps as chairs, fairy lights chandeliers and gigantic wine bottles. Naturally, you can enjoy here the original Ratatouille dish from the movie. For a Grease-inspired all-American meal try Annette’s Diner in the Disney Village – waiters on roller-skates, a jukebox and leather booths included. The burger, fries and milkshake combination is a classic. Finally, find Aladdin’s lamp and a Moroccan cuisine at Agrabah Café in Adventureland. The oriental decor and spicy tea will transport you straight inside a traditional Arabian bazaar.
#2 The romance
See if your relationship can survive through time and space along this exciting journey. Go on a futuristic drive in Autopia’s two-seat, convertible cars or back in time in the Victorian Main Street Vehicles before heading to the cinema, a jazz concert or the Country Western Saloon. Three 9-hole golf courses, several Spas and tennis courts are also available for a more Country Club getaway. With the Romantic decor set, crew members can help with proposals – if notified in advance – and the authentic fairytale wedding can take place even at Disneyland Paris. If looking for something less cheesy, the Romantic capital of the world is only a short distance away.
#3 The Likes
Follow supermodels’ Bella and Gigi Hadid’s example and bombard your follower’s social media feed with Disneyland clichées of your all-time favorite cartoon characters, your friends in fancy dress and your own Mickey Mouse ears. If we were to pick a favorite Instagram location, it would be Mad Hatter’s Tea Cups. The tea party of a lifetime will await you in these spinning, pastel-colored, giant cups.
#4 The adrenalin
The two magic words – terror and heights – will attract the interest of any self-respecting thrill-seeker. Disney does not disappoint here either and we selected 3 reasons why. Attention, spoilers if you read on. First, locate the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror from the screams heard from the outside. Here is how it is going to play out: a concierge will welcome you inside a veritable abandoned horror hotel, narrating an appropriately gruesome story and inviting you to take the elevator. This is the part you will get goosebumps and your tension will rise with every floor you go up. Then there is the free fall. The catch? It will drop again, and again. For a decidedly different experience try Space Mountain to make those astronaut childhood wishes come true. Light and sound effects will recreate a super-speed journey into space that you will enjoy from the comforts of a rocket. For music aficionados there is Aerosmith’s Rock’n’Rollercoaster that will convince you that music is best appreciated at a breakneck speed while darting head-down through loop-the-loops.
#5 The spectacle
Stay until the evening and see the intro of all Disney movies come to life: with the Sleeping Beauty Castle in the background, the firework display is magnificent. Accompanied by the parade, the water displays and the projections, it is an evening you will remember forever. Might we point out that the older and taller you are, in a better position you are to actually admire the spectacle.