The Disneyland Resort Paris has undergone its traditional Christmas makeover, with millions of lights, dozens of Christmas trees and a smattering of fake snow being employed to generate a festive atmosphere. The resort’s holiday celebrations are closer to those of Walt Disney World than the Disneyland Resort, with few of the holiday overlays for major attractions seen at the California park. However, a number of special shows, meet-and-greets and parades are laid on as part of the Enchanted Christmas events.
The Christmas celebrations are very much focused on Disneyland Park, with sister park Walt Disney Studios receiving only a few token decorations. The entrance to Disneyland Paris, which sees guests pass underneath the Disneyland Hotel, offers some clues as to what is in store. However, it is not until they reach the Town Square that the full effect of the holiday additions can be seen.
The area is dominated by an enormous Christmas tree, surrounded by oversized toys and presents. These offer visitors the chance to snap some impressive photographs, before they set off up Main Street USA towards Sleeping Beauty Castle.
For once, the view back down the street towards the entrance is almost as impressive as the one towards the hub of the park. A Christmas tree lighting ceremony later in the day attracts a large audience, and is worth the wait.
Sleeping Beauty Castle itself, though, is still by far the most beautiful element of a visually-stunning park. In addition to its usual surroundings of pretty waterfalls and novelty-shaped trees, during the Enchanted Christmas events a layer of “snow” adds to the appeal.
The castle is lit up at night during a ceremony hosted by Princess Aurora, which sees her godmothers illuminate it in three different colors. The ceremony itself is forgettable (and thankfully quite short), but the 400,000 lights look stunning. They are joined by 4 powerful searchlights, just in case anyone has failed to notice the spectacular display in front of them.
No Disney Christmas event would be complete without a visit from Santa himself, and Disneyland Paris has done a reasonable job of transforming the Woody’s Round-up area into Santa’s Village. Kids can queue up to make their Christmas requests surrounded by friendly snowmen, and joined occasionally by characters including Pluto and Winnie the Pooh.
Hosted in the nearby Chaparral Theatre is the Mickey’s Winter Wonderland show, a bizarre combination of an ice skating display, sing-along and western-style hoe-down. Adults may find the limited plot and over-the-top acting a little painful, but it’s difficult to resist tapping along to the festive tunes.
Another addition during the Christmas season at Disneyland Paris is Belle’s Christmas Village, located towards the rear of the sprawling Fantasyland. Although largely made up of stalls selling merchandise that can be found elsewhere in the park, it does add a holiday-themed element to a land that is otherwise left largely untouched during the holidays.
Disneyland Paris doesn’t offer a full Christmas parade, but it does tack on a couple of extra floats to the standard Disney’s Once Upon a Dream parade. These are barely worth the wait, but watching Santa’s sleigh pass in front of Sleeping Beauty Castle is admittedly a pretty sight.
Over at Walt Disney Studios, the celebrations are much more stilted. There are no special holiday events or shows, and none of the attractions feature holiday overlays. This year, the resort has given up entirely on decorating the interior of the park, instead focusing on making the entrance area look the part.
There is at least one great photo opportunity in the park itself, with Walt and Mickey welcoming guests as they exit Studio 1. Overall, though, Walt Disney Studios remains the inferior partner to Disneyland Park in almost every sense.
While it would be nice to see a few more holiday additions to Disneyland Paris (such as an overlay for the Phantom Manor), it is a great place to get into the Christmas spirit. Hopefully next year will see additional efforts made at Walt Disney Studios, as well as announcements of new attractions to bring the resort’s second gate up to the same standard as its magnificent neighbor.
Nick Sim is a lifelong Disney fan based in Suffolk, England. When he’s not daydreaming about a new dark ride for Disneyland Paris, he’s writing news and reviews for Theme Park Tourist.
Nick Sim
Lead Editor
Theme Park Tourist
http://www.themeparktourist.
Twitter: @ThemeParkNews
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/
Let our friends at Destinations to Travel help you book your next Disney Vacation. They are the preferred Travel Agency of Chip and Company and Disney Addicts, and who we use ourselves.
Get started below for your FREE No Obligation Quote.
Book With our friends at Destinations to Travel
For the BEST in Disney, Universal, Dollywood, and SeaWorld Theme Park News, Entertainment, Merchandise & More follow us on, Facebook, Instagram, and Youtube. Don't forget to check out the Chip and Company Radio Network too!
