Another day, another land, and today I'm telling you about Discoveryland at
Disneyland Paris, known as Tomorrowland at other Disney parks around the world. Discoveryland has a heavy Jules Verne influence, incorporating his vision of the future, and you can actually walk through his submarine, the Nautilus, from
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.
I was ridiculously happy to spot WALL·E and EVE lurking behind Videopolis because I love the film WALL·E so much. OK, I couldn't give you my definitive top five Disney/Pixar films, but WALL·E is *definitely* in that top five.
This is Videopolis, which is where the Jedi Training Academy is. This is currently the only Star Wars attraction in the park because Star Tours - sniffle - is closed at the moment. (It reopens in March 2017.)
I have something to confess: Despite visiting the park many times over the years, I've never braved Space Mountain: Mission 2, or the original Space Mountain ride... until now. I have absolutely no idea why - it's such a smooth rollercoaster, and I loved the effects. Definitely one of my favourites! If you're a hotel guest use the Magic Hours to get on the ride with barely a wait, or pick up a FASTPASS ticket to reduce your queueing time during the day. We also went on at around half past nine at night and walked straight on.
Other rides in Discoveryland include Orbitron, a gentle rocket ride, and Autopia, a car ride. My sister-in-law queued up for Orbitron with my niece and youngest nephew whilst the rest of us went on Space Mountain: Mission 2; we went on the ride and were waiting twenty minutes before they made it to the front of the queue. Often the children's rides have longer queue times than the big rides!
Finally, Buzz Lightyear's Laser Blast is a fun ride, though really tricky for someone like me who evidently has zero hand-eye coordination. I think at this point when the ride photo was taken I had given up trying to blast the targets and was busy enjoying the scenery. Olly, on the other hand, is taking defeating Emperor Zurg very seriously!
It didn't use to be, but after this trip I think Discoveryland is my new favourite land. Well, apart from Fantasyland, maybe, which I'll tell you about next week. Have a lovely weekend! x
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