Sunflower Diaries

Parades, princesses and pumpkins 

Start of Halloween season. Disneyland Paris was beautifully decorated with rows of pumpkin garlands down Main Street.

Full of excitement, pumpkin filled treats and Mickey Mouse delights.  Halloween season is a special time for Disneyland. The weather was perfect with crisp evenings and clear/ sunny skies during the day.

Unlike the weather we were welcomed back with last weekend…Storm Amy.

Disneyland did not disappoint. 

Our family enjoyed the shows, parades and fireworks. The highlight of the night time was the drone / light fireworks show – find your inner magic? I guess we all have an inner magic/ hidden talent .

It was a delight to see our daughter so happy, and excited. Think of a small puppy… and then you can visualise how happy and full of energy I was. Now double that excitement and we have an idea of how baby L was. 

She was exhausted after a fun trip.

Although to her credit there is a lot of queueing and walking about …to visit various parts of the park.

Rides:

Disney Train.

My first time / experience on a steam train. Most of lands were under construction or maintenance so it was more of little break for our feet. 

Slinky.

We waited 45 minutes for a ride which lasted 2 mins. Thrilling for little people but incredibly short. 

Cars.

This was a fun adventure for an under 5. Told the story with a little splash of excitement at the end of the ride. She loved it. 

Story Boat.

Fun little boat ride. Great for under 5’s and any Disney fans.

Snow White.

Snow White is quite scary for an under 5. My daughter was not a fan. She loved seeing Snow White but not the dark/ forest parts of the ride. She said mummy I would like to try when I am older, it was a bit scary but thanks for comforting me. 

Peter Pan.

MY favourite ride was the Peter Pan ride. 

Based on the classic story written by JM Barrie from Kirriemuir (Angus, Scotland).  One of my favourite books as a child. It really feels like you’re in the flight to Neverland.

Tip if you stay in a resort hotel, use your magic time (one hour before park opens) and go to Fantasy land. Otherwise you could wait up to 90 minutes for this ride. 

Simply magical…

Think of a happy little thought…any happy little thought… like toys at Christmas. You get the idea. 

The queue for Dumbo was mad. We sadly never made it on. Hopefully she would like it next time we go!

Halloween Mickey

Mickey Mouse waved to crowds of fans from the balcony at various times of the day.  I missed the Halloween parade during the day, as I was needing a rest so baby L and I went to hotel to rest and change for dinner.

Many princesses.

We loved dining with the characters. A few special moments together. Photos of our family we will cherish forever. I also got to meet my favourite princess Cinderella. A dream come true.

Frozen mini show.

Ideal length for an under 5.

Baby L is obsessed with singing and particularly Disney songs. The frozen show was fun. It involved moving from one room to another as the story developed. 

Character dinners

The characters all interacted with the kids and adults. It was a long buffet as there were six characters to meet.

Mickey, Pluto, Minnie and Goofy – all adorable (as you might expect)

Tigger was super cute and friendly.  Extremely cheeky … and bouncy trouncy fun!

Eeyore cute and cuddly! Gave my husband an extra hug.

Sensory overload… by the time we reached the airport we were all tired and needing home. 

Our flight was delayed, and luggage was delayed until the morning after. We got home, had a quick dinner, and went to bed.  Thank goodness for pizza.

It was a magical experience but a rollercoaster of emotions for all. I also realised that a short flight is all I could handle four months into recovery. I was pleased I was able to share the magic with our four year old.

Cheers to the next family adventure! Hopefully I will be less exhausted.