Disneyland Paris: My First Trip Abroad With My Boyfriend

Growing up an only child meant I didn't have siblings to share fun experiences with, but honestly - back then, I didn't mind. I had my mum and she was my everything.. my mother, my best friend, my dad, my whole family, all rolled into one - and she still is.

But there's something about finding love with someone - true love - that just kind of makes you feel more complete and happier than ever. And getting to relive childhood in some way with that person is a truly magical experience.

My boyfriend and I both grew up as only children - so it's safe to say we have a lot in common.

After a few months of dating, we started talking about things we wanted to do and places we wanted to go together, and I'm not even sure how we got onto the topic of it, but Disneyland came up. We then started to talk about it more and more, how we wanted to go there, together, and eventually, we booked it. 

We booked two nights at the Hotel Cheyenne in Disneyland Paris, with Eurostar and park tickets. Popping a countdown on my phone, I vividly remember it saying 100 days, and each day we would talk about it and get more and more excited.

The day finally came less than two weeks after my 28th birthday - and we were so ready, so excited, and beyond thrilled to be heading on our first minibreak together, let alone Disneyland! 

This was my first ever trip away with a boyfriend, because duh, he's my first boyfriend. So it was a really, really big deal.

Chris got to St Pancras a little before me (he was in Airport Dad mode) and then I arrived shortly after. We were booked on the 7:01 train Lille. We grabbed a cheese and ham croissant each, a latte, and a bottle of water before boarding the train.

The Eurostar was so quick, so smooth and so easy. We were soon in Lille where we had to change to a different train that took us to Marne-la-Vallée in Chessy, which is where Disneyland Paris is situated.

We had a little bit of a wait between trains, which meant we could chill in Lille for a while. Chris even ordered our coffees IN FRENCH, which was so sexy.

After drinking our coffees, grabbing a Coke each, and paying for the pleasure of having a wee for one euro, we boarded the final train to the land of Disney.

The journey was quick and through lots of greenery, and before we knew it, we had arrived.

Beaming from ear-to-ear, we were so stunned to be in France together, let alone a stone's throw from Disneyland. 

We hopped on the shuttle bus that took us to our hotel and I can just remember how much we were smiling. Arriving at Hotel Cheyenne, we checked in and were told there could be a three hour wait until our room was ready for us, but ever the inpatient person I am, once we'd had a wee, looked round the shop and surrounding areas, I asked if it was done yet and they said it was.

We got to our room, dropped our bags, unpacked, and laughed loudly at the welcome message that stated Chris' surname.. steady on, Woody! We then freshened up and headed to the park. We got to Disneyland at around 3pm and stayed there until it closed.

20,000 steps and SO many rides in the first few hours in the park... it was so magical. When we got to the park, we headed to McDonalds for food as we were so hungry, we then decided to hit Walt Disney Studios first.

Walking through the indoors premiere section of the studios park was SO magical - it's hard to put it into words. Holding hands with Chris, walking through such a magical place together, dimly lit lights, soft music - it was such a magical and wholesome experience that left me with tears in my eyes.

The first ride we went on was the Ratatouille ride, which we loved (after a 45 minute wait), and then we headed to Slinky Dog (which had a 5 minute wait). The queues were quite long for most of the rides, so we didn't bother with Crush's Coaster or Hollywood Tower of Terror on the first day, so instead made a dash to the main Disneyland Park.

When we got to Disneyland Park, we walked down Main Street USA first. We were just so happy. We could see Sleeping Beauty's Castle in the distance, all of the cute little shops, and the vibes were immaculate. People had started to gather for the parade, so we thought this was an ideal time to hit the rides.

We went on Phantom Manor (5 minute wait), Pirates of the Caribbean (5 minute wait), and Hyperspace Mountain (35 minute wait). Each ride was fantastic. Phantom Manor was spooky, Pirates of the Caribbean was my absolute FAVOURITE, and Hyperspace was SUCH A THRILL.

We then headed to the Tea Cups and It's A Small World to round off the day before running back to Pirates of the Caribbean for a second ride because it was just the best! 

Skipping the fireworks, we beat the crowds and went to the Disney Village for some dinner before heading back to our hotel.

Once back at our hotel, we got ready for bed and fell straight to sleep. We were so exhausted. I remember my legs aching so badly. Setting our alarms for 6:30am, we wanted to make the most of our only full day in Disneyland.

We woke up at 6:30, I ran a bath and washed my hair, Chris jumped in the shower, and we both got ready for the day ahead. We used our Extra Magic Time efficiently and began our day in Walt Disney Studios park and got in the queue for Crush's Coaster. Despite getting there early during the extra time we had, we still had a hefty wait of around 40 minutes. We didn't know what to expect with this ride and we were SO shocked at how thrilling it was. Spinning us round and round, upside down, backwards, forwards - it was amazing and such a rush! 

Walking through the park, we headed to Hollywood Tower Of Terror next, which had a 20 minute wait time. I was a little nervous for this, but LOVED it.. Chris wasn't as keen, but we'll definitely go on it again at some point as it was just so thrilling and fun.

Heading to the Disney Village for food, we grabbed breakfast before heading to the main park. Firstly, we headed to Pirates of the Caribbean (for our third ride lol). This time we had to queue for around 40 minutes, but it was worth it! We then took it easy and had a wander, grabbing some Mickey-themed treats and savouring the Disney magic. We looked in some shops, had a coffee, and then got the shuttle bus back to our hotel. We freshened up, changed our outfits and then went back out. 

We started at Walt Disney Studios again where Chris went on the Avengers ride - something I will definitely do next time! He then wanted to go on the Indiana Jones Temple of Peril, so we headed back to the main park and I waited with our bags so he could enjoy the ride properly and take advantage of the speedy single rider queue. At this point it started to rain. I was waiting for him as he rode the ride, with my rain bonnet on and annoyed I had left our rain ponchos in the hotel. But luckily, the little gift shops were selling them, so when Chris was off of the ride, we bought ponchos and then headed for food.

We went to Colonel Hathi's Outpost for dinner and had a Mickey Pizza each and some Mickey-shaped cakes. It was absolutely torrential rain, so we sheltered in the restaurant for a while before heading back to... you guessed it, Pirates of the Caribbean. With a 2 min wait time, we dashed through the waiting area and were so excited to go on it again. The ride is just SO much fun, so immersive and the longest ride at Disney, so a really nice ride to experience more than once.

The rain had now completely eased off, so we headed back to Fantasyland and went on the Pinocchio ride before selecting our final ride of the trip... Big Thunder Mountain!! This ride was IMMENSE and definitely in each of our top three rides. We waited around 45 minutes to go on this, but it was worth it. 

We then headed back to Main Street USA, grabbed a Mickey Beignet, broke it in half, devoured it and had a coffee each. Standing midway down Main Street USA, we watched the Firework display and had the most romantic and magical experience imaginable. The Disney Tales of Magic show was truly incredible, and I so wish I could relive it again.

We then went back to the hotel, got our cases packed and fell asleep before waking up early the next morning to catch our train home. We sent postcards to our families - and each other - before we got the shuttle to the train station, and then grabbed a toastie from Starbucks, which was SO much nicer than the ones in the UK.

Overall, our trip to Disneyland was filled with SO much magic and wonder and love. Every second will be treasured and savoured forever. We're already planning a trip in 2026... and another when we're 50 and the Lion King Land has opened.