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[title]There really is something magical about Disneyland® Paris in the evening, from taking a night-time spin on Dumbo the Flying Elephant to drinking cocktails soothed by the sound of a live pianist.
Shop your heart out at Disney Village®
Oxford Street’s stores might keep their doors open till 10pm but at Disney Village® they stay awake until midnight. After our first bustling day in the parks we had a browse at the Disney Gallery and got a few Christmas presents sorted, thanks to the Lego Store (you can buy bricks there like pick ’n’ mix sweets), Disney Fashion for those Buzz Lightyear hoodies, and of course lots of good places for Mickey Mouse watches and Tinker Bell figurines.
Drink like a Disney cowboy at Billy Bob’s Wild West Saloon
Shopping dropped off, we grabbed a seat at the bar of Billy Bob’s. Upstairs is a Tex-Mex restaurant, but we were thirsty. A beer with a whiskey chaser’s what cowboys drink, right? That's what we told ourselves, at least, as we supped our pints. It was the weekend, so the bar was hosting live music, and after the country band finished there were DJs till late. However, we had another bronco to visit…
And eat like a cowboy at Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show
Handed big metal plates piled with grub, we tucked in as if we were camping in the desert. However, there was so much going on it was hard to focus just on the food. We donned our Stetsons and took our seats in the huge arena, but we weren't prepared for the spectacle. Countless stunts, Mickey Mouse kitted out in his finest Wild West gear, and live horses, bulls and buffalo. It was absolutely crazy. It didn’t hurt that my glass of beer was kept constantly topped up, too.
Dine with a view of the Sleeping Beauty castle
The next evening we decided to keep things a little more tranquil and sophisticated, so we booked a table at one of the Disneyland Hotel’s top restaurants. We’d heard that the California Grill’s haute cuisine was especially luxurious, but we decided Inventions next door, with its roaming Disney characters, was for us. The buffet was huge (especially good for seafood lovers) and our table looked out over stunning views. Tigger and Goofy dropped by and Chip (or Dale) covered my eyes while I was halfway through my dessert.
See the castle light up in Disney Dreams®
After dinner, we headed into the park and nabbed a good spot for the castle’s night-time show, Disney Dreams®. It really was spectacular. With pinpoint projection, they can make the castle do practically anything: shrink and swell, flip upside down or turn into cogs, waterfalls or fireworks. All ending in an incredible fireworks finale lighting up the sky around the soaring spires and turrets. Only one thing for it after that...
Sip cocktails at Cafe Fantasia
Still buzzing, we weren't ready to go to bed, so we slipped back into the Disneyland Hotel for a drink at Cafe Fantasia. The live pianist accompanied our cocktails with some relaxing tunes. The bar itself – which, as the name suggests, is themed to ‘Fantasia’, with piano-key floor tiles, saxophone-shaped lamps and music stave curtains – was just what we needed to unwind. Sorcerer Mickey’s magic worked on us.
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