The Most Magical Birthday

Celebrating my 27^th birthday in Paris with my husband was nothing short of magical, and Tom was so supportive of making my dream day perfect.

Our morning started with breakfast in bed from room service. We fueled up with omelets, sausage, charcuterie, and cappuccinos before catching a cab. I don’t know what they do to those cappuccinos in Europe, but they are a step above. Is it the milk? The coffee? Is it just the magic of vacation?

Our first stop in our delightfully over scheduled day was Notre Dame. We were so grateful that we could experience the cathedral after its devastating fire, and the restoration work is really impressive. The spire is still being worked on, but the main areas open to the public are beautifully preserved. You would be hard-pressed to identify any damage once you’re standing inside.

There are two lines to enter the cathedral: an intimidatingly long line is reserved for people who want to walk through purely as a tourist. The much shorter line is for people who want to attend mass and then walk through as a tourist. Because it was Sunday, we chose to attend mass, and it’s really the best way to experience it. Being surrounded by such artistry, craftsmanship, and history in such a significant religious site was moving, and there’s something special about the universality of attending Catholic mass. Sure, we didn’t know enough French to understand the homily and readings, but the message, spirit, routine, and beliefs are always the same. With so many people in the city being bilingual and with so many tourists visiting each day, you will not struggle if you don’t know French.

Visitors are still able to walk through the cathedral during the mass, but the seating areas are roped off to provide some separation. You do feel a bit like you’re on display, and I wish that they paused the flow of tourists during mass times to help minimize distractions.

After the mass ended, we were free to walk around the cathedral. I’m grateful that we began our visit with a very spiritual moment and that the ushers tried their best to keep the atmosphere reverent. Over 2,000 visitors are allowed to walk through the cathedral at a time, so while it is not the crushing masses of Versailles, it is still a bustling and crowded space. The cathedral is divided into different prayerful spaces dedicated to various saints, and you are invited to give a donation at the station you choose to pray at, especially if you are lighting a prayer candle. Tom and I lit a candle together and did a short prayer in honor of our marriage.

There is so much to look at and so many spaces to pray in, so looking at an overview ahead of time or purchasing a guide would probably be helpful, especially if you have limited time. I had underestimated, per usual, how much there was to see, and we were a bit rushed trying to see it all. I was most impressed by the iconic stained-glass windows that were just as beautiful and colorful and awe-inspiring as I had hoped they would be. Overall, it’s a breathtaking space well worth a visit, especially if you can line it up with a mass time.

After we finished walking through Notre Dame, we went across the Seine to the nearby iconic bookstore, Shakespeare & Company. The line extended out into the street, and signs asked customers not to take any pictures inside the store. In a city oversaturated by influencers, it was nice to have a space that was selfie-free. The store was just as charming as I had believed it would be, and I loved exploring the different sections. There’s a great mix of classics and more modern works, and there’s even a space for children’s literature. Knowing that there was a long line outside, I was worried that I would feel rushed inside, but it’s a pretty peaceful space and none of the staff tried to hurry us along. 

I purchased two books that held special significance for me. The first was Anne of Green Gables because of its beauty and optimism. My mom has quoted “tomorrow is a new day with no mistakes in it yet” to me for years, and I can’t wait to share the novel with my daughter one day. The second book was The Listeners by Maggie Steifvater because her writing has shaped my own more than any other writer. I have been carrying my Shakespeare & Company tote bag with me everywhere. While Guam has two relatively small bookstores, I’ve missed the sprawl of a Barnes & Noble, the charm of independent bookstores, and the wider selection that my libraries back home offered. Bookstores seem steeped in possibility to me, and there’s something calming and therapeutic about walking the stacks and leisurely browsing the titles.   

Here's the part of our day where we chronically overscheduled our itinerary, underestimated our timelines, and found ourselves sweating our way through public transportation. In the weeks leading up to our trip, I scoured the Internet for the “perfect” Parisian bakery to visit. I’m serious about my baked goods, and I didn’t want to walk away disappointed in a city celebrated for its pastries. As I said before, there’s an oversaturation of influencers pushing the same recommendations over and over again, but I didn’t want to fall for something that is just photogenic. I saw the same two cafes recommended over and over again for hot chocolate, for example, and I didn’t want to deal with high prices and long waits for a drink that, while I’m sure is good, can’t be worth that time and money. I made a list of possible bakeries based on various reviews and ratings I found online (Reddit, Google Reviews, and various travel blogs were all consulted) and decided to visit whichever one would fit into our day based on our current location.

With checkout from the hotel looming in less than two hours, Stohrer, the oldest patisserie in Paris, was our winner. Established in 1730 by King Louis XV’s pastry chef, Stohrer is an iconic and historic institution worth visiting. There were so many delicious looking choices in the pastry cases that I struggled to make a quick decision. I ultimately got a strawberry and cream pastry and a chocolate mousse cake (a nod to the birthday cake my mom has made from scratch for me since I was young), but we had to turn right around and hustle back to our hotel to finish packing and meet our next ride before I could sample my treats. I was dressed for church and foolishly wore heeled sandals, which were not conducive to our rushing along cobblestones and subway stairs. Yes, Paris is a city known for its fashion but always choose the comfortable shoes over the cute ones.

As we tried to exit the subway station near our hotel, Tom’s ticket malfunctioned, so I had to quickly purchase a new one for him to make the turnstile work. Of all the public transportation we took on this trip, Paris’s subway/train was probably our least favorite because it was so crowded, we had to stay so alert for pickpockets, and it was the only time we’ve had an issue with turnstiles. Sweaty but so excited for our next stop, we finished packing in a flurry of activity, took a few delicious bites of our desserts, and boarded a car to our next destination: Disneyland Paris!!!

Tom and I love Disney, and we both have been to Disney World in Florida multiple times. Going with my family as a kid brought us countless happy memories, and we were able to squeeze in one last family trip before I first moved to Guam. My current guilty pleasure is watching and listening to Disney Youtube shows and podcasts, and I saw that Disneyland Paris is one of the most beautiful parks with most of the classic rides I grew up loving. When I went to Disney World with Tom and his family last year (coincidentally lining up with my birthday as well), I fell in love with the Magic Kingdom fireworks show, and I really, really, really wanted to see the Disneyland Paris fireworks.

In doing my research, I found an amazing deal for active-duty or retired US, UK, or French service members. You can purchase two-day, two-park tickets for the price of one. That means we could go to both parks as many times as we wanted over the course of 2 days for half the price. Disneyland Paris, overall, was a more affordable Disney with an easier and less frustrating skip-the-line system. Without any discounts, for example, a one-day ticket to visit Magic Kingdom on Saturday September 13^th is $154 while Disneyland Paris is $118. For a Disney World Park Hopper Ticket, the price rises to $216 while a two-park ticket in Disneyland Paris is $150. So, it is still cheaper, without any discounts, to visit both Disneyland Paris and Walt Disney Studios Park than to visit Magic Kingdom. If you’re looking to save more money, book your hotel through Booking.com instead of directly through the Disneyland Paris website. The savings were significant for us, and staying on property really helped us because of the early entry time. If you want to stay off property for the best deal, L’Elysee Val d’Europe had great reviews and is in very close proximity to the parks.

Tom booked us club-level rooms at the Newport Bay Club, a nautically inspired hotel just a 15-minute walk from the park. Because of our room category, we had a dedicated check-in area, and it unexpectedly became very helpful. Even though we had our ticket information emailed to us, we were struggling to access our tickets in the app. Oh, how I miss the days of an actual physical ticket rather than relying on our phones. We asked at check-in for assistance, and we ended up spending over 40 minutes getting that taken care of with the help of multiple staff members. What should have been just the tap of a button ended up being a whole troubleshooting process because, again, physical copies are better than apps. We were reliant on our phones to scan into the park, but once the problem was solved, it was a smooth process for us. I did not buy an E-Sim for our European travels and just relied on Wi-Fi instead. The hotel and parks did have Wi-Fi, but the parks could understandably be slow and less reliable. Tom had an international plan for his phone, so if we needed something done more quickly, we would use his device.

The Disneyland Paris app is easier to navigate than the Walt Disney World one, and there is far less advanced planning needed to make your trip a success. We didn’t need to book any rides or restaurants ahead of time, we didn’t need to mobile order our food, and we didn’t feel the need to schedule things out with much detail. We did end up purchasing some fast passes on our second day, but they were not a necessity for the majority of rides. Given how crowded the parks in Orlando have become and how reliant guests are on the app to plan out each aspect of their day, this felt more reminiscent of the simpler days of Disney trips past.

The staff were very helpful while we waited on our park ticket problems to be resolved. The check-in staff made me a hot chocolate with Donald Duck adorably designed on top while we waited, and they were honest and helpful with our questions. Every staff member we encountered could communicate with us in English, and it seemed that every staff member in the parks and hotels knew at least two languages.

We finally made it up to our room at 6:40, and while the check-in process took far longer than we wanted or expected, it all ended up working out. After getting changed, we walked through the Disney Village towards Disneyland Paris to squeeze in a few rides before the moment I had been so eagerly waiting for: fireworks. The Disney Village is like a much smaller Disney Springs and serves as a connector between the hotels and the parks. There’s a convenient train station if you are taking public transportation to or from Paris, and there are restaurants, shops, and a movie theater. The entrances to both of the parks are within eyesight of one another, and while there is a free bus to take you from the hotel to the park entrance, we always opted to walk because it was only 15 minutes and was honestly faster than waiting for a bus.

Disneyland Paris feels extremely American, with all the hotels having nods to America and Main Street USA still serving as the nostalgic gateway to the magic. We entered the park as a parade was marching its way down Main Street, and we made our way to our first rides. Despite our earlier issues with the app, it was a helpful tool to gauge wait times and to navigate our way through both parks. There was a nearly walk-on line for Phantom Manor (the French version of Haunted Mansion), so we headed there first. The ride system is pretty much identical to Disney World, but, like many of the rides in France, it was just a little more intense. The ride is located within Frontierland’s Thunder Mesa and follows Melanie, the daughter of the Big Thunder Mining Company’s owner. Her parents were both killed in an earthquake just before her wedding day, and the moving paintings before the ride starts showed the tragic fates of her four suitors. Melanie wanders in her mansion, still clad in a wedding dress, even though not a single man has survived to marry her. Ghosts come to dance and enjoy a lavish wedding that will never happen, but there’s an even more haunting presence to worry about. A skeletal figure with glowing eyes chillingly laughs as the ride takes you through the underworld to see the green and ghostly figures of Thunder Mesa. I looked it up and the creepy skeleton is Melanie’s dad, and wow is this ride darker and spookier than the more light-hearted Haunted Mansion! A small child was screaming as we boarded the ride, and I can see this being a more difficult one for kids. The narration was in French, so while we picked up pieces of the story during our ride, I watched this video to learn more afterwards.

Over in Adventureland, Tom barely had to wait for Indiana Jones and the Temple of Peril, which I skipped because of its upside-down loop. We stopped for some food to share at Casa de Coco, where we, surprisingly, got a really good burrito. Our lack of Chipotle in Guam has me missing fast-casual Tex-Mex, and it satisfied a months-long craving. The menu was split between French and English, making it easy for us to navigate. We were also pleasantly surprised by how fair the prices were, especially for it being a theme park. The burrito was 12 euros ($14.24) and was a very generous portion with good quality fillings. A margarita was 9 euros ($10.68) while one at Epcot’s Mexico pavilion would start at $14.50.

We crossed the park to go to Star Tours in Discoveryland, and it was the exact same as Disney World…just, you know, in French. Again, we had the joy of pretty much walking straight on a nostalgic ride. We wanted to get another ride in and walked all the way back over to Frontierland, only to see that the rides were being closed down in anticipation of the upcoming fireworks show. We hustled our way through the various lands only to discover that the only option left was to line up for the fireworks. WOW was it crowded! There’s a big employee presence in Magic Kingdom to make sure that there’s room to exit the line and that the paths remain clear, but it was a free-for-all in Paris. If you’re claustrophobic, you’ve been warned. Personal space is hard to come by, but even without being right near the front, we had a great view.

I was giddy with excitement as the show began, and I literally cried watching the show. It was more than just fireworks; there was fire, water, lasers, drones, and high-tech projections. It was so immersive and thoughtful with so many character appearances and some beautiful song compilations. It really left me with such a feeling of awe and wonder, and it was the best fireworks display that I’ve ever seen. If you could only do one thing in the parks, I would absolutely choose that. Disney is at its best when it focuses on artistry, innovation, emotion, and storytelling, and this experience was finally attuned to all of those magical components.

Once the fireworks ended, we followed the flow of the crowd into Disney Village with our minds set on getting some more food. My birthday desserts and a shared burrito were not cutting it after all that walking. Disney Village is filled with restaurants, so we were surprised and disappointed to discover that the only dining option that was still taking orders was McDonalds. We joined the massive crowd, and while fast food is fast food, the quality in Europe is higher than it is in America, at least. Greasy bag in hand, we settled into our room around midnight to close out the most magical of birthdays and to prepare for a full day in the parks in just a few short hours.

Staying on property meant that we could enter the parks at 8:30AM rather than the 9:30AM general opening time. We intended to get the most popular rides done during this time, and we had a lot to cover across two parks in one day. Along the way we had a magical breakfast that was full of thoughtful and touching surprises, rode what some reviewers think is the best version of Big Thunder Mountain, and had the absolute cheesiest potatoes ever.