Disneyland Paris: Dad took me to fantasy land

With the kids back at school, only weekend breaks are possible. How about Disneyland Paris, suggests Jason Burt. It might not even rain ...

To Disneyland Paris for the weekend. But first, a covert operation. My companion would be my six-year-old daughter Ella. A child not known for a restrained approach to life. Any hint of a holiday and she packs a week in advance and spends the intervening days re-arranging her clothes, dolls, books and so on. Sleep becomes an unnecessary distraction. Food also.

In Cephalonia she became homesick and took to reciting the names of her friends at bedtime. And then throughout the evening. Over and over. My wife and I decided to give foreign travel a miss for a while after that.

But Disneyland Paris had always been Ella's fixation. That might say much about the power of advertising or, hopefully, just a child captivated by princesses. In any case, a distracted reply made a year ago had haunted me ever since. "When can I go to Disneyland?" she had asked. "One day," I said. Well that "one day" seemed to transfer in her mind to the next day. Or the day after. And so on ...

That day eventually arrived. So with the Eurostar leaving Waterloo station at 9.39am, Ella was told she would be on it only at 7am, as she ate her breakfast. "Will there be toilets on the train?," she asked after finally digesting the news along with the toast. Her air-punching response to an affirmative reply encapsulated her enthusiasm. The packing had already been done for her - which kept the cuddly toy quota down to a minimum. And off we went.

The train itself was a pleasure. The prospect of going under the Channel was a concept almost as enchanting as anything the parks we were about to visit could hold. "Will we see the fish?" asked Ella. "Only if we are very unlucky," I answered.

We were there for the opening of a new attraction, The Buzz Lightyear Laser Blast, based on the spaceman character from the Toy Story films. And there was certainly a lot riding on this ride. Disney's parks in Florida, California, Tokyo and Hong Kong have had a similar attraction for some time but for Paris, with its financial dramas and controversies, it has been a hard fight to maintain its position as Europe's top tourist attraction.

Buzz needed to do just that. And Buzz, of course, was bilingual. I had been to the Florida parks before and, for me, one of the curiosities of the Paris project was that it was French. It's a nation that doesn't exactly share the American "have-a-nice-day" culture. It's not natural and - throughout our stay - there was an air confirming just that.

It was, in truth, a brilliant ride. You board a rotating two-seater space cruiser fitted with laser pistols and a joystick to fight against the evil Emperor Zurg and his minions ... and, well, it was easy to get carried away. I've been asked to state that Ella went on it eight times.

She was in heaven. From the sprawling Hotel New York - where we enjoyed an equalling sprawling room - we set off. The attractions were soon ticked. From "Peter Pan" we raced to "Big Thunder Mountain" (her favourite). From "Pirates of the Caribbean" we tore to "It's a Small World" and "Star Tours" also taking in the wonderful parade along Main Street USA.

It's certainly wise to have a game-plan. Think through your itinerary. Certain rides are extremely busy and young children don't understand the concept of queuing. Why should they? There's a tip board for waiting times and a fast-pass system (allowing you to roughly book a time for a popular ride) for those staying in the park hotels. But it is a slog. After all, the resort is one-fifth the size of Paris.

Refreshingly, it was the more traditional elements that enthused my daughter most. I will never forget the look on her face when she saw Sleeping Beauty's Castle: a mixture of unbridled joy and disbelief. As we trudged back on the first night, close to midnight, she was, for once, almost speechless. The next day started with what's called a "Character Breakfast" - having Minnie Mouse and Goofy mingle among the croissants - which was another highlight for Ella who turned her autograph book into a reporter's pad and started interviewing Gepetto. She lost a little of her journalistic integrity, however, by hugging Minnie's leg and refusing to let go.

There was another whirlwind tour including the Walt Disney Studios Park. It's tailored for slightly older children, and there are height restrictions in both parks. By now fatigue was setting in. Food was also a problem. It was frites with everything and even Ella was finding that a bit tiresome. Two wonderful days were enough. Stamina was sapped, legs worn out but some special memories, also, were made.

Jason Burt travelled with Disneyland Resort Paris (08708-030 303; disneylandparis.co.uk). Four-night packages start from £319 per adult and £166 per child (three-11), based on two adults and two children sharing a family room. The price includes return Eurostar travel, four nights' b&b at the Hotel Cheyenne and a five-day entry ticket for the park and studios