After sharing with you the story of my stay at the launch of the long-awaited 30th anniversary of Disneyland Paris last March, I’m back to tell you about my three days on D-Day!
An arrival on April 11th 2022
Like last month, with friends, we put our bags down at Disney’s Sequoia Lodge Hotel on the morning of April 11th. This hotel is inspired by the American national parks and the atmosphere is warm. The check-in was quick which is not always the case… because my friend, who arrived a few minutes later, and being on the same reservation as mine, had some problems with the receptionists printing her Magic Pass…
This is unpleasant and wastes a lot of time for the Guests!!! As for the Privilege Tickets for one of our friends, it was still not possible to buy them directly at the hotel ticket offices 😔.
Buy a Privilege ticket… and get an Annual Pass!
Our friend needed a Privilege Ticket which I had planned to give him with the benefits of my Infinity Annual Pass. When he arrived at the park at 11am, we went to the dedicated ticket offices which, since the reopening after COVID 19, are located at the entrance of the Walt Disney Studios Parklt Disney Studios.
My friend had bought a voucher for an Infinity Annual Pass from her works council.
As the ticket offices for the purchase of Annual Passes only open at noon 🙃…. and as I have a PMR card and therefore priority access, we went to buy these documents at 11am. But it is unfortunate to note that, without priority access, the “normal” queue was already very long, which is detrimental to customers. When you spend a few days or even just a day at Disneyland Paris, time is almost at a premium… and the fact that you can’t get your tickets or passes more quickly is really unpleasant! This procedure leaves a bitter taste for the customer…
Walt Disney Studios
While waiting for our friend, we started our stay by visiting the Walt Disney Studios. By arriving there almost for the opening, there was still a bit of a wait at the attractions but nothing surprising since we were there on the eve of D-Day! ✨ So here we are with Remy’s Totally Crazy Adventure, the flying carpets, etc…
Continuation of our day at Disneyland Park
We try to get into Disneyland Park around 11:30 am. It was very crowded and even the PRM queue was no longer accessible. Thanks to the kindness and goodwill of a Cast Member, I managed to get priority access to the locker so that my friend could drop off his suitcase. But there, the sympathy of the Cast Members was not there!
Then the magic took hold of all of us when, finally, we managed to enter the Magic Kingdom! After doing some attractions, we go to lunch at the Agrabah Café table service restaurant located in the high and colourful city of Adventureland.
This restaurant once again offers an all-you-can-eat buffet: everything is delicious and the immersion is total! A wide range of dishes and oriental flavours are on the programme! And of course, some treats to commemorate the 30th anniversary were also on offer.
Un monde qui s’illumine !
We will then attend the show Dream on… and the world lights up! And if, like us, this melody is always with you, find the lyrics here.
The 30-year decoration is of course still omnipresent. However, it is mainly found at the entrance to the park, on Main Street USA, as well as on the flowerbeds in Centra Plaza. But also, on many delicacies and also on a multitude of articles of clothing, crockery, etc…
Planet Hollywood at Disney Village, where we have a great time with, among other things, lasagne “to die for!
Then the irresistible call of D-Light awaits us, and this end of the evening gets even brighter!!! ✨
12 April has arrived
Chic the D-Day ! This is it, we are there ! Barely 8am and the crowd is already dense at the entrance of Disneyland Park. The excitement is palpable because we all want to be already on the spot on this day we are waiting for so much! ✨✨✨✨
Our entry in the park will remain a fabulous moment for all of us! It is a magical and enchanting atmosphere that awaits us! The Casts are on both sides of Town Square, as well as in Main Street USA and the hymn of “A World of Lights” accompanies us !
As soon as we arrived, we were given the map of 12 April 1992 and a “I was there” flag!
Between laughter and tears of emotion, we stroll down Main Street USA singing at the top of our lungs this hymn that celebrates so cheerfully this 30th candle! Cast Members and Guests mingle, and it’s a party in the land of enchantment! Some of them even lend themselves to the game of souvenir photos and the “yesterday” Ambassadors of Disneyland Paris are not left out!
Despite the rumours, we were still hoping that representatives of the Destination would make an appearance in Central Plaza to commemorate the anniversary… But alas, no… the rumours were true…
The Main Street Quartet always faithful to Disneyland Paris!
Our four singers could not not be present again for this event!
The Main Street Quartet is the essential quartet for Disneyland Paris events! These four British singers were already present for the opening of the park on April 12, 1992 but also 5 years ago for the 25th anniversary! This group has a special bond with our team, hence their tribute on their Facebook page: Thanks to ED92Magic.
We had the pleasure of listening to them in front of their favourite meeting place, Dapper Dan’s Hair Cut, this barbershop located in Flower Street. It is in a general fervour that they made us the pleasure to sing the best melodies of the Disney universe! And it was really an unforgettable moment! We also thank them for their kindness and the attention they give to each of their fans. It is just a pity that a more adequate installation to enjoy their talent more fully was not dedicated to them…
A flash mob on Central Plaza
At the beginning of the afternoon, Carmen Lleó Badal and Quentin Rodrigues, the Ambassadors of Disneyland Paris, proposed us a very nice Flash Mob on Central Plaza, in company of course of our favourite characters !
We enjoyed this festive moment of magic to the full, singing and dancing with them so that “le monde s’illumine encore un peu plus !” ✨
Magic Shots
We then took full advantage of the new Magic Shots dedicated to this anniversary! The photos are of high quality and the ideas well adapted to this event.
Bubbles on Main Street USA !!!
To make this anniversary even more sparkling, it was inconceivable that we couldn’t pair it with this sparkling wine called Champagne that comes from the Northeast of our country! 🍾 We had the pleasure of sharing another magical moment over a flute on Main Street USA! ✨
These flutes are made of very good quality hard plastic and I really liked the sober and elegant decoration of the 30 years.
We ended this day of April 12, 2022 with a quick dinner at Vidéopolis, with stars in our eyes!
A final day of magical wandering
We spent our last day between Meet and Greets, some attractions but also seeing “Dream and Shine Brighter!” twice for a last wave of joy and enchantment!!!
Then, we had the pleasure to meet Mickey backstage at his Meet Mickey Mouse theatre in Fantasyland! He received us warmly and friendly!
Finally, we went for a good lunch in a Wild West inspired setting at the CowBoy Cookout Barbecue restaurant located at the back of Frontierland. Grilled food and country music were the rhythm of this pleasant moment of sharing!
But, all good things must come to an end, so we had to think about saying goodbye to Mickey, Minnie and their friends and head home 😔… We all had stars in our eyes and unforgettable memories!
We all look forward to ” le monde s’illumine ” again very soon! ✨
Positive points
- The distribution of the pennants and the map of 12 April 1992, by the Cast Members and the hedge of Cast Members and their conviviality! The sympathy of the “yesterday’s” Ambassadors.
- The morning atmosphere in the park, the dynamism of “Un monde qui s’illumine” and its intoxicating melody ! and the good idea of the Flash Mob.
- The idea of the Champagne flutes on Main Street Usa!
- The colours of the 30 years decoration “fuchsia and blue” !
- The pleasant weather ! 😆
Negative Points
- The poor management of the entrance queues at Disneyland Park.
- The laborious and aberrant procedure to buy Privilege Tickets and renew Annual Passes! (and not only for April 12, 2022, but all the time!)
- The absence of a speech from the Disneyland Paris management.
- The absence of a “special anniversary” show for D-Day.