I have been trying to come up with an excuse to visit Disneyland Paris as an adult in my 20s. My niece seems to feel too old to go at about 12 years old, and lives in Normandy. So, I may need to import some young family members from other parts of the world who fall into the target demography. A good friend of mine who lives in in London but is travelling the world with work and other real world responsibilities is my only other hope of having company to justify going to Disneyland. Her and I are barely out of our teens and would not stick out in any way. 🙂
I will not even consider my partner at this point. His intransigence on this matter has been, frankly speaking, unacceptable. He has even quoted scripture to remind me to put away childish things. So, he is out of the picture.
The task at hand is figuring out a way to go to Disney, have a blast, and not let the fact that I clearly have unresolved issues from my childhood show too strongly.
I’ve also discovered that in visiting Disney I will make a valuable contribution to the economy of the region, to the lives of employees of Disneyland Paris and contribute to future economic development (see video below). Now, armed with this compelling awareness of my potential impact, I believe I will be able to find other responsible citizens with whom to make a contribution to the future of the Parisian region and maybe even the world.
Anon's Paris 
You know, Disneyland Paris isn’t “just for kids”. While their marketing and TV ads may be targeted at families with kids 12 an under, the truth is that Disneyland’s a place for everyone, where there’s something for everyone. Yes, EVERYONE is welcome at Disneyland. You don’t need to have kids to justify a visit; Disneyland isn’t Legoland.
Don’t forget that there are two completely separate theme parks in Paris: Disneyland Park and the Walt Disney Studios Park. And both of them have a wide variety of attractions. In fact, there are many attractions that kids actually can’t ride, because they’re not tall enough, and many experiences that are so rich and sophisticated that they’re wasted on kids.
Walt Disney once said:
“You’re dead if you aim only for kids. Adults are only kids grown up, anyway.”
Thanks for this, all my hesitations are resolved thanks to you. I’m now definitely going 🙂
Great, I’m glad I managed to clear that up. Have you been to Disneyland Paris before? Do you need any recommendations concerning which attractions to see?
If you go back to Walt Disney’s original 1955 dedication plaque at Disneyland, you’ll see that the park was never designed to be just for kids:
“Disneyland is your land. Here age relives fond memories of the past … and here youth may savor the challenge and promise of the future. Disneyland is dedicated to the ideals, the dreams, and the hard facts that have created America… with the hope that it will be a source of joy and inspiration to all the world.”
And the actual 1992 dedication plaque for Disneyland Park in Paris says:
“Euro Disneyland is dedicated to the young and the young at heart… with a hope that it will be a source of joy and inspiration for all the world.”
Love this! These are great quotes, I could not agree more with the philosophy that drove Walt Disney. I have not yet been to Disneyland Paris but any recommendations on what to see would be welcome! I’m planning on doing so perhaps during the first of week of April, if the weather behaves as expected. Thanks again for the great quotes!
I’m glad you agree with Walt’s philosophy. When trying to understand the reason why Disneyland Paris exists, and why it’s worth a visit, you really have to trust Walt over the morons currently in charge of marketing.
The first week of April 2012 will be busy. You have to remember, Disneyland Paris opened 20 years ago on the 12th of April 1992. So naturally April 2012 is going to be an usual month, with lots of visitors and long lines.
As for recommendations, at Disneyland Park don’t miss:
• Big Thunder Mountain (outdoor roller coaster)
• Pirates of the Caribbean (indoor boat ride)
• Buzz Lightyear Laser Blast (interactive dark ride)
• Phantom Manor (dark ride)
• Space Mountain (indoor roller coaster)
• Star Tours (star wars simulator)
But also, take the time to explore some of the walk-through attractions:
• Adventure Isle (full of caves, waterfalls and rope bridges)
• La Cabane des Robinson (very elaborate treehouse)
• Sleeping Beauty Castle (go up on the balcony, then go down and find the animatronic dragon)
• Les Mystères du Nautilus (full-size replica Captain Nemo’s submarine)
Whatever you do, don’t miss the new nighttime spectacular Disney Dreams, which I guarantee you will blow your mind. It literally takes place on the castle, and combines state-of-the-art projection mapping, colossal fountains, huge water projection screens, LED lighting, new coloured lasers, fire effects and searchlights. It’s a huge show and will be worth the cost of admission alone.
Of course, none of these recommendations take into account what’s on offer over at the Walt Disney Studios Park. But, if you only have one day, I suggest sticking to one park: Disneyland Park.
Thank you! I could wait until September, given that April is going to be so busy. And, to benefit from Walt Disnes Studis Park, maybe it will make sense to plan more than one visit. It’s not too far and I still have a few years to explore it, God willing. Thank you for the heads up!
Yes, September is a far better month to visit than April. Just be aware that the Halloween decorations start going up during the last week in September, which kind of ruins the period theming.
It takes a full day to experience all the best attractions in Disneyland Park. But even then, you’re always aware that you haven’t seen everything, that you haven’t explored enough, and that there are things you’ve missed. So to see it all, you really need two full days.
As for the Walt Disney Studios Park, it’s relatively small and undeveloped compared to Disneyland Park and can easily be covered within one day. That said, some of the best attractions are located at the studios. Don’t miss:
• The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror (spooky indoor drop ride)
• Crush’s Coaster (spinning indoor roller coaster and dark ride hybrid)
• Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster starring Aerosmith (looping indoor roller coaster through a rock concert light show)
• CinêMagique (romantic film through the history of cinema)
• Moteurs… Action! (live stunt show with cars jumping and men on fire!)
Perhaps you should visit the Walt Disney Studios Park in April, and leave Disneyland Park until September?
Wow, thank you for the pointers! You are clearly very well-versed! And doing the Walt Disney Studios Park in April and Disneyland Park in September sounds like a reasonable plan. Thank you! If you do not mind my asking, how did you become so well informed about the park – I’m defintely inspired by you in this respect!
I guess I’m “well-versed” in Disneyland Paris simply because I’ve visited both parks a lot of times, and find them fascinating. You just have to keep reading, keep watching videos, and keep finding the answers to questions, to become more knowledgeable.
There are a couple of YouTube videos I’d like to show you, that demonstrate how much care, attention to detail and MONEY goes into creating the attractions at Disneyland Paris. Both of these rides are definitely not “kiddy” and have clearly been designed by adults FOR adults. I’d be interested to hear your reaction, after having watched them:
Making of Rock’n’ Roller Coaster (5:47)
Making of Tower of Terror (18:34)
Thanks for these! I’ll have a look and will comment…