Travel

An American Mouseketeer In Disneyland Paris

My family and I have celebrated many life events at the domestic Disney parks. What was it like to visit Mickey’s European outpost?

Carl J. Petersen
7 min readNov 30, 2022

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In Tokyo, Disney built a replica of the Cinderella Castle found at Walt Disney World in Florida. In Paris, the Imagineers realized that beautiful castles could simply be found down the road, and subsequently the castle in the park needed to be especially different.

- Ryan Simmons

A sign in Alice’s Curious Labyrinth

My frustration level grew as I hit another darkened dead end. Disneyland Paris’ closing time was quickly approaching and I was trying to find the Indiana Jones et le Temple du Péril roller coaster for the last ride of the night before finding a spot to watch the Friday night fireworks show. I know the layout of the original Disneyland like the back of my hand but in Paris this familiarity was proving to be a hindrance as paths that should have brought me to my destination turned out to lead me absolutely nowhere.

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Carl J. Petersen

Parent, special education advocate and former LAUSD School Board candidate. Still fighting for the children. www.ChangeTheLAUSD.com