A few of us on the Laughing Place staff loved Disneyland Paris so much that we opted to become annual passholders! Just like at the domestic parks, that means we’re entitled to special perks, discounts and, every once in a while, an exclusive party. For its final big passholder event of the year, Disneyland Paris invited Magic Plus and Infinity passholders to join them in turning the clock back to the start of 2019 to relive favorite moments from this year’s festivals.
For the Annual Pass Spectacular Soirée event, we had the entire park to ourselves as each land had a select number of attractions open and plenty of character meet and greets. Over at the Hub, the Infinity Clock was projected on the castle and each hour the projection changed as we celebrated a new season. During this changing of the seasons, characters came out to for a stage show recapping the highlights of past events and festivals.
Springtime Celebrations
Spring made its way through Fantasyland where guests could enjoy meet and greets and attractions.
Princess and Pirates
Festival of Princess and Pirates is a spring event but the special 20-minute show was held at Videopolis in Discoveryland. For just a short time, guests could once again choose their side: Team Pirate or Team Princess?
Characters
We spotted Miss Bunny and Bert during our trip, and heard that Mickey, Minnie, Mary Poppins and Thumper (Pan Pan) were also frolicking through Fantasyland.
The Lion King and Jungle Festival
Adventureland was is where guests were reminded of this summer’s The Lion King and Jungle Festival that celebrated Disney animals, exploration, adventure and more!
Characters
Disney pals were dressed in their cultural and explorer outfits from the summer fest and this group of characters seemed to be having quite a fun night!
Halloween Celebration
Are you brave enough for Halloween? Frontierland was home to the fall celebration where characters were out and about and classic Disney Parks songs were playing on loop, including the amazing villains’ number, “It’s Good to Be Bad.”
Characters
Scrooge McDuck, Clarabelle Cow, and Goofy (Dingo) were among the characters hanging out throughout the land sporting their best fall attire and Halloween costumes!
Thanks to lighting and an overcast nighttime sky, Phantom Manor’s look was especially creepy—and altogether fitting for the Halloween setting.
Christmastime
Starting at the park entrance and along Main Street was a celebration of all things Christmas! With seasonal decorations already in place, it made perfect sense to host the winter holidays right here!
Characters
Mickey and friends were posing for pictures with guests in front of the park’s giant Christmas tree and over by the central hub. Decked out in snowflake sweaters, tinsel, and Santa hats, each character was full Christmas cheer!
Passholder Gift
As a thank you for being a passholder and attending the party, each guest received a Passport of the night’s events, a medium-sized poster featuring the logo of the party, and a sheet of sticker decals with the symbols for each season.
Wrapping it up
When we arrived at the soiree, there was already a decent line to get into the park and we didn’t start moving for several minutes. Because of the entry lines, it took awhile for us to get in and we missed the first (spring) Castle/Hub show. Aside from that, lines weren’t bad at all.
Character meet and greets were continuous through the night and there was no excessive waiting to meet any character. The Pirates and Princess show proved popular, but with four showings and ample seating, guests had no problem getting to see the show. Also, some dining locations and carts were open and had moderate lines throughout the night, however there were no party exclusive treats at this experience.
As for the event itself, it was no FanDaze (RIP) but it had a clever theme that was well executed. Jumping through the seasons with the Infinity Clock was a lot of fun, and seeing a few minutes of the special shows added to the magic. Our tickets were €45 each which we felt was a great price for the Spectacular Soirée.
With nearly the entire park open for five hours, live entertainment, and dozens of character meet and greets, this experience was worth what we paid. Hopefully, we’ll be able to visit Disneyland Paris during a future annual passholder event and can discover more of the resort’s magic!