The kids have been amazing this trip, so there is no way we could bring them over to Paris without working in a day at Disneyland Paris.

It didn’t disappoint. There are many things which are the same – Pirates of the Caribbean is the same in Orlando – but there are a number of differences as well. For example we started our day in Ratatoulie Land, a place Chloe would have moved to about 7 years ago.

First off, ticketing is exceptionally different. You buy tickets and then a Fast Pass entitling you to a fixed number of passes on certain rides, or unlimited rides. We chose this option knowing we had one day to fit everything in. They weren’t cheap, and we realized today that very few people actually buy them, which made them even better and the kids loved being able to ride without restriction.

Second, the castle is much cooler and Disney clearly learned their lesson from prior efforts. Styled after Sleeping Beauty, it sits on a hillside and is open for exoration. But beware, a trip to the dungeon includes an animatronic dragon, which was very cool.

The highlight of the day seems to have been Thunder Mountain Railroad. It is faster and longer than either of its US counterparts and WAY more fun. It was ridden multiple times. A close second for me what that it was a celebration of international food and wine which meant I spent my morning eating and drinking my way through the Antilles, Spain, Greece, and various regions of France. A raclette crepe (ham, cheese, mushrooms) and cider made for an early lunch.

Somehow I still found room to have dinner with everyone at Pizzaria Bella Notte, styled after Michelle’s favorite Lady and the Tramp. Basic Italian and ice cream to provide energy to finish the day.

Which took a turn for the worse when it started to pour and we were completely unprepared. We didn’t even bring rain gear on the trip, let alone to the park. We hid inside briefly, then did Buzz Lightyear (I won), before heading to Main Street for souvenirs.

Taken literally minutes before the rain started.

The evening show is quite impressive. We watched from a ways back because we had a driver coming to get us and we didn’t want to miss him. But we could see and hear fine. For me, the highlight was when the entire castle turned Star Wars and then music and fireworks followed suit. Contrary to my kids’ thoughts, my favorite part of the show was not when it looked like the castle was erupting into flames.

After the show, as if on queue, itnsyarted pouring again so we headed for the exit. When we were almost there we made a last minute store stop and look what Susie did…

We all think she was secretly hoping for rain just to embrace her Poncho Power.

It was a great day, the kids all had a blast, and the car service was then right choice. Getting there and back was easy and stress free.