Chapter 1: General Tips
Easier said than done, right?
Well, to a certain extent, yes. But while we are never going to completely avoid other people, there are some things that we can do to take the road less travelled. And that is literally the advice: take the road less travelled.
The Parks are filled with people trying to get from one spot to another, but no one seems to coordinate this for some reason. Consequently, most sections of the Parks can be described by what is commonly known as “a giant mess.” And this can be stressful. Especially if people in general stress you out, and/or you have smaller (or larger) loved ones that you are responsible for leading through the scrum. The best advice I can give you on this front? Straight lines are not your friends. Everyone else in the Parks (other than your learned fellow readers of this self-same guide, of course) will be taking that straight line right into someone else who is taking that straight line in the opposite direction.
Slow down to speed up.
So, in the same way that I continually try to instill in the Expansion Packs, I invite you to ‘slow down to speed up.’ True, taking the path that goes around the edge of Frontierland rather than going through the middle IS longer by distance measured. However, taking that path means you aren’t queueing up with others just to be able to leave Frontierland in the first place. Rather, taking a slightly longer route, usually around the edges of lands or behind attractions, will usually result in a less stressful walk that, while maybe using up slightly more energy in walking, will likely save you a lot of energy in not having to self-regulate as a result of pressing through a scrum.
Then there are the backroads. You didn’t know that Disneyland Paris had backroads, did you? Well, I’m not completely sure these actually ARE backroads, but they seem like them to me. So that’s what I’m calling them.
Other than the general advice to keep to the corners and edges of paths and areas, there are several areas that we have found that don’t seem to get as much traffic as the others.
The Arcades
The arcades are located on either side of Main Street, just after you enter into Disney Park. The entrance to the left-hand one is quite close to City Hall, so if you’re there, just keep on going!
Both of these arcades run behind the shops along Main Street, and so can be used to stay a little out of the way from where most people travel: through the middle. And extra bonus of the arcades is that, being inside, are helpful in keeping the rain off! Though if it is raining, I would expect that more people would use them.
The Connector
This one is located between the end of Main Street and Frontierland. I call it the Connector because… it connects the two areas. I’m not good at names.
The Connector is a gem, though. If you are on the Main Street side, you can find it near to the exit of the left-hand arcade (if coming from the direction of the ticket gates), and if you are on the Frontierland side, you can find it to the right-hand side of the main entrance gate.
The Connector has far, far fewer people that use it, is covered, and actually makes going between these two areas much faster as there is less distance to cover by taking this path! Basically, it is amazing.
The Path of Mystery
The last of the major backroads is the Path of Mystery. I told you I’m not good with names.
As you can see, the Path of Mystery is the big, obvious path that goes from Discoveryland to Fantasyland (and also the other way). So why is it the Path of Mystery, and why is it even on here? Good question!
Well, it is because, when approaching the path from either side, it doesn’t actually look like it is a path. On the Fantasyland side there is a wooden gate structure, which is sometimes closed and sometimes not, depending, I believe, on if they are preparing any of the parades back there. On the Discoveryland side, it is tucked away past the entrance to Star Tours, and isn’t a place that you would naturally go to when wandering the Parks.
It is also called the Path of Mystery because I have no idea when this path is usable and when it isn’t. Again, I think it may have something to do with the parades, but in our experience, it was closed about half of the time we tried to use it. That said, given that when it IS open it is a nice wide path with almost no one on it, linking the rear portions of two of the Park sections, it is worth checking every time. It is just that easy, convenient, and stress-free it is to use.
This section, along with the next one, are of particular importance to me. I know myself (well, somewhat), and I know that I can get easily frustrated by the antics of other people. So, if I can reduce those interactions as much as possible, and they happen all the time in large crowds, I will have that much more energy and capacity to deal with them when they do happen.
