This is Exeter -- *Christmas celebrations sparkle at Disneyland Paris with a wealth of festive sights and sounds guaranteeing a fun-filled break for children of all ages, as Sue Kemp discovered* Falling snow, a parade of princesses and a lollipop the size of a dinner plate – my seven-year-old thought her Christmas had come early at Disneyland Paris, and perhaps it had. The giant resort stretches out the festive period from the first weekend in November to January with a spectacular show of glitz, glamour and razzmatazz, enough to warm the heart of even Scrooge. It's impossible not to get carried away with the fun when you see it through the eyes of a mesmerised daughter who could not stop beaming after meeting her favourite Disney characters – especially her top princess, Ariel. We were even lucky enough to see an advanced screening of Disney's latest animated film Frozen, which does not launch in this country until next month. Olivia and I travelled to Disneyland Paris for our weekend break from Exeter on the First Great Western service to London before heading to St Pancras International for the daily Eurostar service. Other holidaymakers sharing the smooth ride across Kent and the French countryside – including a barely-noticed passage through the Channel Tunnel – helped crank up the excitement levels on one of the happiest train carriages I have experienced. We were even served a delicious breakfast and the staff could not have been more helpful. Soon we were at Marne la Vallee station, which might as well be renamed Disneyland as it was so close to the mega-attraction's two parks and adjoining retail village. Our Hotel New York was a couple of minutes' walk away. Celebrating the art deco style of the 1930s, it is reminiscent of the Big Apple's skyscrapers. The attention to detail is unbelievable from the yellow cab in the lobby to the art deco lamps in the rooms. It has a choice of restaurants and bars, swimming pool and fitness centre, and ice-skating rink right outside. And it is a great base for a festive break. There's even a huge Christmas tree in the lobby. But it was dwarfed by the 24m tall, 24-tonne pine that Disney unveiled at the start of its Christmas celebrations. The tree, in the square of Main Street USA, boasts almost 500 bulbs, and the star at the top is lit every night in a charming Magical Christmas Wishes ceremony, which even incudes a snow fall. But Disney doesn't really do darkness, as more than one million lights illuminate the Town Square, Main Street and the Sleeping Beauty Castle during Christmas. Main Street – a recreation of a 19th century American town – is the venue for the Disney Magic on Parade, when all your favourite Disney film heroes pass before your eyes on floats, in an all-singing and all-dancing spectacular. Brand new for this year is the inclusion of The Frozen heroines of Disney's newest film who make their debut at the park on a new ice float with characters from Tangled. It proved to be just one of the many highlights for my little one, and for hundreds if not thousands of others who lined the parade route to get a good view of their best-loved heroes. Olivia's eyes were on stalks when the Christmas Cavalcade passed by and she got her first glimpse of Father Christmas. Joined by Huey, Dewey and Louie, he was surrounded by larger-than-life toys and heroes from the Toy Story films, and other surprises. Olivia even enjoyed a cuddle from some of his happy elves. The Disney characters also crop up across the two theme parks, their restaurants and even our hotel, and they get mobbed like the movie stars they clearly are. It's hard to overestimate how exciting it is for a seven-year-old to cuddle Mickey, Donald, Goofy and the rest. Olivia even managed to get their autographs as well as photographs. You are never short of something to do at Disneyland. In fact, the biggest problem is fitting it all in and getting round all the themed areas be it Fantasyland, Frontierland, Adventureland, Discoveryland, Walt Disney Studio Park or the Disney Village. Timings for daily shows, some character appearances and special events are detailed on the theme park's maps, as are the locations of rides and the many eateries. To fit everything in it is best to plan your day in advance. We spent lots of time in Fantasyland where the rides and attractions are perfect for younger children. Over in the neighbouring Walt Disney Studios Park, Olivia also loved the Slinky Dog Zigzag ride for novice rollercoaster riders, and the Aladdin-themed Flying Carpets Over Agrabah ride where you can make your carpet rise and fall as it spins around. But her absolute favourite was the castle (and the dragon in the dungeon) — especially in the evening when more than 400,000 lights transformed it into a shimmering Crystal Palace during the new Disney Dreams® of Christmas night time show. This spectacular has to be seen to be believed. Dozens of images are projected onto the castle in a stunning laser and light show, complete with music, fireworks and dancing water fountains. Olaf the comical snowman steps out of the new film, Frozen, and into the role of master of ceremonies and conducts this fabulous new production, which invites guests to celebrate festive-season traditions from around the world through four large settings. Famous characters from the world of Disney, from Bambi to Fantasia, come to life in projections and the heroes of Toy Story also take the opportunity to deliver their very own version of The Nutcracker ballet. We stood with our jaws well and truly dropped as image after image lit up before us. It is a festive feast of Disney magic. The real highlight of the weekend and I defy anyone not to get in the Christmas spirit after witnessing the show. In fact, the whole park leaves you wrapped in a warm Christmas glow as you walk around both day and night drinking in the sights and sounds. And when you need to refuel there's plenty of choice of places to eat on offer, from chicken nuggets, pizza and chips to spicy North African fare in the Aladdin-themed Agrabah Cafe and everything in between. For Christmas, Santa has been invited to set up his workshop in the theme park, and children drop off letters for him at a special post office. There was so much going on, it would be easy to miss something great. Luckily, Olivia was too small for some of the bigger, more scary rides, as we could never have crammed everything in. Some rides get very busy, but quieten in the final hour of opening, as many visitors with younger children leave early. You can also get Fastpasses for many of the rides which allows you to jump the queue. Disneyland Paris staff use both French and English and even the shows are bilingual. As Santa waved us off into the night after the castle show, my daughter did not bat an eyelid when he wished us both a "goodnight" and a "bonne soiree". Well, that's the magic of Disney. *For information about a family break to Disneyland Paris, call direct on 08448 008 111 or visit the Disneyland website* During Disney's Enchanted Christmas prices for a two-night three-day package including return travel with Eurostar in December 2013 start from £1,205.20 for a family of two adults and two children (aged 4-6yrs). The price includes return travel with Eurostar, two nights' accommodation with continental breakfast at Disney's Hotel New York and three day hopper tickets for the Disneyland Park and Walt Disney Studios Park and is based on two adults sharing. The same package staying at Disney's Hotel Santa Fe starts from £923.70 for a family of two adults and two children (aged 4-6yrs). To celebrate the park's Enchanted Christmas, Disneyland Paris is currently offering guests up to 15% off and FREE Half Board at Disneyland Paris hotels. Please call 08448 008 111 or visit the Disneyland website for more information. *Advance Single fares from Exeter St David's to London Paddington on First Great Western are available from £15.50 each way; or take advantage of the Group Save tickets offering four for the price of two. For the best value fares buy before you board at visit the First Great Western website or by calling 08457 000125. * *What you didn't know about Disneyland...* It took five nights to dismantle the Halloween season decorations and overlay to transform Main Street, USA for the Christmas season There are 131 natural Christmas trees throughout the Disneyland Park The 24m high Christmas tree, which takes centre stage at the entrance of the Disneyland Park, weighs more than 20 tonnes and will be decorated with about 1,000 various decorations, including Christmas baubles, inspired by the end-of-the year European traditions More than 200 dolls will celebrate the end-of-the-year holiday with specially-made costumes at "it's a small world" celebration The spirit of winter will come to Disneyland Paris with snow falling on Main Street, USA each day thanks to 8,200 litres of soap to be used during the Christmas season to make this snow effect 100 per cent of the new lighting used for holiday décor is LED *What you didn't know about Eurostar...* Independent research has shown that, per passenger journey, travelling by Eurostar between London and Paris generates at least 80 per cent less carbon emissions than the equivalent journey by plane With city centre to city centre travel, no need for baggage reclaim, and a fast, efficient check in, travelling by Eurostar offers a relaxing option to customers travelling between the UK and mainland Europe Eurostar trains are quarter of a mile long and have 750 seats. They are formed of 18 coaches and have a power car at either end Coaches 6 and 13 are bar buffets with catering for standard class passengers. Travellers can purchase a range of sandwiches, salads, hot meals, snacks, confectionery, hot and cold drinks, beer wines and spirits In Standard Premier, passengers benefit from a roomier carriage, a complimentary light meal and magazines. Child meals are also available *Disney travel facts* Eurostar operates a daily direct service in each direction to Disneyland Resort Paris (daily direct services to the resort do not operate on Tuesdays and Saturdays except during school holidays) Fares are from £69 return (adult) £49 return (child aged four to 11 on day of travel) and children under four years-old travel free (not allocated a seat) Standard Premier travel is from £159 return for adults and £111 return for children aged four to 11 Fastest journey times are 2h 47 from London, 2h 27 minutes from Ebbsfleet and 2h 03 from Ashford, Kent Connecting fares are available from more than 300 stations in the UK Tickets are available from the Eurostar website or by calling 08432 186 186 *Eurostar travel facts* Every year, Eurostar takes around half a million visitors from St Pancras International, Ebbsfleet International and Ashford International to the gates of Disneyland Paris. With children in tow, passengers need a journey that's simple and seamless and with Eurostar, that's what they get. In just two hours 47 direct from London, two hours 25 from Ebbsfleet and two hours from Ashford, passengers can speed straight to the gates of the parks and the Disney magic. When travelling by Eurostar, families can enjoy a few extra treats to keep the little ones happy along the way and make the journey one the family will never forget... Children's play area at Ashford International station Bon voyage from Donald Duck – departure announcements Bottle warming on board at the Bar Buffet Baby changing facilities on board Kids under four travel for free on Eurostar, provided they sit on an adult's lap Special fares for kids aged four to 11 years old are available from £49 return in Standard class Facility to buy Disneyland Paris tickets on board
Reported by This is 4 days ago.
This is Exeter -- *Christmas celebrations sparkle at Disneyland Paris with a wealth of festive sights and sounds guaranteeing a fun-filled break for children of all ages, as Sue Kemp discovered* Falling snow, a parade of princesses and a lollipop the size of a dinner plate – my seven-year-old thought her Christmas had come early at Disneyland Paris, and perhaps it had. The giant resort stretches out the festive period from the first weekend in November to January with a spectacular show of glitz, glamour and razzmatazz, enough to warm the heart of even Scrooge. It's impossible not to get carried away with the fun when you see it through the eyes of a mesmerised daughter who could not stop beaming after meeting her favourite Disney characters – especially her top princess, Ariel. We were even lucky enough to see an advanced screening of Disney's latest animated film Frozen, which does not launch in this country until next month. Olivia and I travelled to Disneyland Paris for our weekend break from Exeter on the First Great Western service to London before heading to St Pancras International for the daily Eurostar service. Other holidaymakers sharing the smooth ride across Kent and the French countryside – including a barely-noticed passage through the Channel Tunnel – helped crank up the excitement levels on one of the happiest train carriages I have experienced. We were even served a delicious breakfast and the staff could not have been more helpful. Soon we were at Marne la Vallee station, which might as well be renamed Disneyland as it was so close to the mega-attraction's two parks and adjoining retail village. Our Hotel New York was a couple of minutes' walk away. Celebrating the art deco style of the 1930s, it is reminiscent of the Big Apple's skyscrapers. The attention to detail is unbelievable from the yellow cab in the lobby to the art deco lamps in the rooms. It has a choice of restaurants and bars, swimming pool and fitness centre, and ice-skating rink right outside. And it is a great base for a festive break. There's even a huge Christmas tree in the lobby. But it was dwarfed by the 24m tall, 24-tonne pine that Disney unveiled at the start of its Christmas celebrations. The tree, in the square of Main Street USA, boasts almost 500 bulbs, and the star at the top is lit every night in a charming Magical Christmas Wishes ceremony, which even incudes a snow fall. But Disney doesn't really do darkness, as more than one million lights illuminate the Town Square, Main Street and the Sleeping Beauty Castle during Christmas. Main Street – a recreation of a 19th century American town – is the venue for the Disney Magic on Parade, when all your favourite Disney film heroes pass before your eyes on floats, in an all-singing and all-dancing spectacular. Brand new for this year is the inclusion of The Frozen heroines of Disney's newest film who make their debut at the park on a new ice float with characters from Tangled. It proved to be just one of the many highlights for my little one, and for hundreds if not thousands of others who lined the parade route to get a good view of their best-loved heroes. Olivia's eyes were on stalks when the Christmas Cavalcade passed by and she got her first glimpse of Father Christmas. Joined by Huey, Dewey and Louie, he was surrounded by larger-than-life toys and heroes from the Toy Story films, and other surprises. Olivia even enjoyed a cuddle from some of his happy elves. The Disney characters also crop up across the two theme parks, their restaurants and even our hotel, and they get mobbed like the movie stars they clearly are. It's hard to overestimate how exciting it is for a seven-year-old to cuddle Mickey, Donald, Goofy and the rest. Olivia even managed to get their autographs as well as photographs. You are never short of something to do at Disneyland. In fact, the biggest problem is fitting it all in and getting round all the themed areas be it Fantasyland, Frontierland, Adventureland, Discoveryland, Walt Disney Studio Park or the Disney Village. Timings for daily shows, some character appearances and special events are detailed on the theme park's maps, as are the locations of rides and the many eateries. To fit everything in it is best to plan your day in advance. We spent lots of time in Fantasyland where the rides and attractions are perfect for younger children. Over in the neighbouring Walt Disney Studios Park, Olivia also loved the Slinky Dog Zigzag ride for novice rollercoaster riders, and the Aladdin-themed Flying Carpets Over Agrabah ride where you can make your carpet rise and fall as it spins around. But her absolute favourite was the castle (and the dragon in the dungeon) — especially in the evening when more than 400,000 lights transformed it into a shimmering Crystal Palace during the new Disney Dreams® of Christmas night time show. This spectacular has to be seen to be believed. Dozens of images are projected onto the castle in a stunning laser and light show, complete with music, fireworks and dancing water fountains. Olaf the comical snowman steps out of the new film, Frozen, and into the role of master of ceremonies and conducts this fabulous new production, which invites guests to celebrate festive-season traditions from around the world through four large settings. Famous characters from the world of Disney, from Bambi to Fantasia, come to life in projections and the heroes of Toy Story also take the opportunity to deliver their very own version of The Nutcracker ballet. We stood with our jaws well and truly dropped as image after image lit up before us. It is a festive feast of Disney magic. The real highlight of the weekend and I defy anyone not to get in the Christmas spirit after witnessing the show. In fact, the whole park leaves you wrapped in a warm Christmas glow as you walk around both day and night drinking in the sights and sounds. And when you need to refuel there's plenty of choice of places to eat on offer, from chicken nuggets, pizza and chips to spicy North African fare in the Aladdin-themed Agrabah Cafe and everything in between. For Christmas, Santa has been invited to set up his workshop in the theme park, and children drop off letters for him at a special post office. There was so much going on, it would be easy to miss something great. Luckily, Olivia was too small for some of the bigger, more scary rides, as we could never have crammed everything in. Some rides get very busy, but quieten in the final hour of opening, as many visitors with younger children leave early. You can also get Fastpasses for many of the rides which allows you to jump the queue. Disneyland Paris staff use both French and English and even the shows are bilingual. As Santa waved us off into the night after the castle show, my daughter did not bat an eyelid when he wished us both a "goodnight" and a "bonne soiree". Well, that's the magic of Disney. *For information about a family break to Disneyland Paris, call direct on 08448 008 111 or visit the Disneyland website* During Disney's Enchanted Christmas prices for a two-night three-day package including return travel with Eurostar in December 2013 start from £1,205.20 for a family of two adults and two children (aged 4-6yrs). The price includes return travel with Eurostar, two nights' accommodation with continental breakfast at Disney's Hotel New York and three day hopper tickets for the Disneyland Park and Walt Disney Studios Park and is based on two adults sharing. The same package staying at Disney's Hotel Santa Fe starts from £923.70 for a family of two adults and two children (aged 4-6yrs). To celebrate the park's Enchanted Christmas, Disneyland Paris is currently offering guests up to 15% off and FREE Half Board at Disneyland Paris hotels. Please call 08448 008 111 or visit the Disneyland website for more information. *Advance Single fares from Exeter St David's to London Paddington on First Great Western are available from £15.50 each way; or take advantage of the Group Save tickets offering four for the price of two. For the best value fares buy before you board at visit the First Great Western website or by calling 08457 000125. * *What you didn't know about Disneyland...* It took five nights to dismantle the Halloween season decorations and overlay to transform Main Street, USA for the Christmas season There are 131 natural Christmas trees throughout the Disneyland Park The 24m high Christmas tree, which takes centre stage at the entrance of the Disneyland Park, weighs more than 20 tonnes and will be decorated with about 1,000 various decorations, including Christmas baubles, inspired by the end-of-the year European traditions More than 200 dolls will celebrate the end-of-the-year holiday with specially-made costumes at "it's a small world" celebration The spirit of winter will come to Disneyland Paris with snow falling on Main Street, USA each day thanks to 8,200 litres of soap to be used during the Christmas season to make this snow effect 100 per cent of the new lighting used for holiday décor is LED *What you didn't know about Eurostar...* Independent research has shown that, per passenger journey, travelling by Eurostar between London and Paris generates at least 80 per cent less carbon emissions than the equivalent journey by plane With city centre to city centre travel, no need for baggage reclaim, and a fast, efficient check in, travelling by Eurostar offers a relaxing option to customers travelling between the UK and mainland Europe Eurostar trains are quarter of a mile long and have 750 seats. They are formed of 18 coaches and have a power car at either end Coaches 6 and 13 are bar buffets with catering for standard class passengers. Travellers can purchase a range of sandwiches, salads, hot meals, snacks, confectionery, hot and cold drinks, beer wines and spirits In Standard Premier, passengers benefit from a roomier carriage, a complimentary light meal and magazines. Child meals are also available *Disney travel facts* Eurostar operates a daily direct service in each direction to Disneyland Resort Paris (daily direct services to the resort do not operate on Tuesdays and Saturdays except during school holidays) Fares are from £69 return (adult) £49 return (child aged four to 11 on day of travel) and children under four years-old travel free (not allocated a seat) Standard Premier travel is from £159 return for adults and £111 return for children aged four to 11 Fastest journey times are 2h 47 from London, 2h 27 minutes from Ebbsfleet and 2h 03 from Ashford, Kent Connecting fares are available from more than 300 stations in the UK Tickets are available from the Eurostar website or by calling 08432 186 186 *Eurostar travel facts* Every year, Eurostar takes around half a million visitors from St Pancras International, Ebbsfleet International and Ashford International to the gates of Disneyland Paris. With children in tow, passengers need a journey that's simple and seamless and with Eurostar, that's what they get. In just two hours 47 direct from London, two hours 25 from Ebbsfleet and two hours from Ashford, passengers can speed straight to the gates of the parks and the Disney magic. When travelling by Eurostar, families can enjoy a few extra treats to keep the little ones happy along the way and make the journey one the family will never forget... Children's play area at Ashford International station Bon voyage from Donald Duck – departure announcements Bottle warming on board at the Bar Buffet Baby changing facilities on board Kids under four travel for free on Eurostar, provided they sit on an adult's lap Special fares for kids aged four to 11 years old are available from £49 return in Standard class Facility to buy Disneyland Paris tickets on board
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