Wonderful world of EuroDisney

Fickle spring weather did not detract from the magic of a visit to EuroDisney, near Paris, for Pam Jones.

It's mid-March and technically spring.

But Paris seems not to know this as we cower beneath a deluge of rain, wind and sleet en route to childhood utopia.

Peering through the grey we search for magic, fairytale heroes that might guide us forward, and my husband smiles helplessly as he turns, shrugs his shoulders and voices my own wry thoughts out loud: "Welcome to EuroDisney."

Our visit to the European wonderland, in fact 32km east of Paris, has been timed for the northern spring, in part to avoid the summer crowds.

A previous splurge to EuroDisney by my husband and his brother years earlier in the peak summer season had seen them wait up to two hours to get on some rides.

So despite the rain, we are glad of our decision, as we hurtle on to our first attraction, the famous "Phantom Manor", complete with holograms and haunted house chants, in less than 10 minutes.

In fact, we pack in that, a fantastic "Big Thunder Mountain" rollercoaster and a stroll through Frontierland's "Legends of the Wild West" in less than the hour and a-half that it took my husband and brother-in-law just to get into their first attraction.

With three children. aged 5, 7 and 9, this is important.

Obviously they are much easier to keep happier when waiting 10-30 minutes for a ride instead of one to two hours. But money is also, of course, another huge factor.

A package of go-on-as-many-rides-as-you-like tickets for five people for three days, plus two nights' accommodation at a Disney hotel, has cost us a total of NZ$2000.

But all of a sudden we seem to have been given a whole heap of extra rides for free, as we realise we will get to go on at least twice as many rides as we would have had we come in the summer.

The maths feels good, and we leave our first wonderful world congratulating ourselves on our travel smarts, although we did forget something crucial.

Our backpacks are empty as our "emergency" wet-weather gear of four parkas, five polar fleeces, six polyprop vests, three pairs of gloves and five hats are all donned frantically to combat the cold.

But I knew I should have invested in that one extra parka before leaving New Zealand. Predictably, Mum is the one person left wearing absolutely nothing that is waterproof.

Grudgingly we hand over almost NZ$20 for a flimsy, bright yellow disposable EuroDisney parka, the cheapest on sale and more tarpaulin with domes than jacket, but continuing the day without it isn't an option, and so I join the hundreds of other people who also forgot their parkas, a herd of yellow gnomes trudging through the wet.

It doesn't spoil the magic.

We scream and sigh and soak up every minute as EuroDisney lives up to every hope and stereotype we'd had, every cliché we'd heard ringing gloriously true.

Any doubts about over-Americanised unreality evaporated at the gates, where adult scepticism needs to stay. There are no cheesy Disney characters or unrealistic princesses through my children's eyes.

For all of us, there is simply nothing crass or commerical about it. Mickey is magic, the space mountain sensational.

We travel through five out-of-this-world worlds, each so uplifting I go teary-eyed at the joy my children are getting.

Adventureland was full-on action, a loop-the-loop runaway mine car thrilling those brave enough to join "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Peril" before going on voyages through the "Pirates of the Caribbean" attraction and the Swiss Family Robinson's tree house.

Discoveryland was a galactic feast, including a Starspeeder simulator, the "Buzz Lightyear Laser Blast", and a spin through space on "Space Mountain: Mission 2", a high-speed rollercoaster ride that really does feel like it's taking you to the edge of the universe.

Our first EuroDisney experience, Frontierland, had a paddle-wheel riverboat, and the long entrance-way called MainStreet USA was where we found horse-drawn streetcars, the Disneyland Railroad Main Street Station, larger-than-life Disney characters, the street parade and impossible-to-resist shops and eateries, - a budget blow-out we couldn't avoid.

And my 7-year-old daughter's predictable favourite? Fantasyland, complete with fairytale princess castle, Snow White and Pinocchio tram rides and the musical It's a Small World.

It is here that the two-parent family becomes genius.

We split up for about half of each day, so while I am taking my 5- and 7-year-olds on spinning teacups and Dumbo fliers, my husband and our nearly 10-year-old are high-footing it on rollercoasters and terror towers off-limits to shorter visitors.

This suits me and my stomach well, as a spinning Nemo "Crush's Coaster" brings me to my knees when back on terra firma, my history of motion-sickness forcing a family pit-stop and another round of thanks to my husband, who's relishing his role as chief thrill-seeker, and chomping at the bit for more.

It's hard to imagine our trip could get any better, but the discovery that our three-day pass includes rides at the adjacent Walt Disney Studios is the icing on the cake.

Finally able to enjoy some sunshine, we leap from one highlight to the next as we soak up the magical behind-the-scenes atmosphere, get to watch Armageddon special effects, and see car and motorcycle stunts for an action flick being filmed in front of us.

Corny it may sound, but it really was a dream come true. Of course, it's not real . . . but then what is these days?

Our trip to EuroDisney was pure magic, an unforgettable memory of a pure and uncomplicated time when childhood mattered more than anything.

EuroDisney deserves the hype, and it's worth the money. Just don't forget your parka.

-Pam Jones is a Waikouaiti-based writer.