To say that Miniminx was star struck was an understatement and she’s been talking about it ever since. She’s on first name terms with them all and has bagged their autographs too.

Big thanks to the Disney team for a massively memorable and fun weekend and more to follow on what to do and where to go while you’re there.

We’ve just spent two days at Disneyland Paris and two days recovering have now had our Disney fix for another year or so.

I am a lover of anything kitsch and pop, so Disney really does it for me – you can’t beat the iconic images of Mickey Mouse around the place and the great retro signage on Main Street. That said, I’ll go to any lengths to avoid crowds, queues, tantrums and wasps – which of course is quite a challenge in a theme park.

My main concern was to make sure we got the best out of a short trip, with as little stress and as much fun as possible. Our group consisted of my daugther (10), her 8 year old friend and her Mum – an expat American – so it was a well balanced. We took the Disney Express train from Kings Cross which brings you straight into the resort so you don’t even have to worry about transfers and taking the train is a lot less hassle than flying. Last time we went direct to Paris and stayed the night there so we could do some sightseeting, then we got the TGV the next day. Both times we travelled using Leisure Traveller which means you get fed and watered and have more space.

My top tips:

Travel Smart
Make sure you put on suncream and have water with you. Take a back pack, sunglasses, change and a fully charged camera. Ask at your hotel what park services they offer such as restaurant bookings, so you can save on queues when you’re there and plan out where you want to go. Don’t be afraid to take five minutes or so and get your bearings; it’s a big day out.

Hate Queuing?
Buy a Fast Pass Premier ticket; it’s 60 Euros each but if you weigh up waiting time in the heat versus going to the front of the queue and getting on the rides you like a couple of times it is well worth it – especially if you are short on time. Some rides have over an hour waiting time so if you want to pack in the experience it’s worth the investment.

Don’t like fast food?
We nipped out of the Park and into Hotel Disney where we had drinks and supper in the bar; you don’t need to be a guest to go in there and the bar snacks are ok too. Best of all there were no crowds and the hotel is intensely Disney, so you can shop inside and of course use the nice facilities. It’s a good way to rest before the evening Parade as well.

Want to see the fireworks?
Head over to the Disney Castle about 9.30pm and park yourself there for the Parade and then turn around for the fireworks show. It’s quite a sight to behold and a real treat if you have girls with you. It also means you don’t get stuck in the rush to leave the park when it closes.

Want to have dinner at Disney?
Make sure you book – you can book restaurants in the hotels or at the station and you will not be able to get in anywhere other than the fast food places if you don’t.

Meeting Characters
If you want to collect autographs and do meet and greets you will spend a lot of time waiting around. It’s not really my daughter’s thing so we didn’t bother.

Getting to your hotel
There are lots of free shuttle buses to the Disney hotels and they’re really good in the day but very crowded when the park closes, so you might want to grab a taxi home. There are no queues and they will cost about 10 Euros.

Day 1
Our first day was a leisurely but packed. After checking into our hotel and grabbing a lunch time snack, we took the shuttle bus to the park and arrived at around 4pm. Sounds late I know, but I wanted to see the fireworks and the evening parade which meant leaving at closing time so we still had six hours.
As you arrive at the park, there are no marauding crowds at the entrance and the walk is staggered by a park and large pools which means it’s nice and shady and cool. The rides at that time are generally easier to get on to, so we went on Pirates of the Caribbean twice and It’s a Small World (a song that you can’t get out of your head for days after either!). My daughter still really likes the Alice in Wonderland labyrinth which seems a lot more popular than last time, possibly due to the film.

Day 2
We bought Fast Pass Premier tickets from the Disneyland hotel and set out to go on as many rides as possible. It was really hot so we were slowed down by the heat and we didn’t have time to take the Disney train around the park or go to Frontierland – so looks like we’ll be going back again. We did a brief tour of the Disney studios which is good for shopping because it has an air conditioned mall with cafes. It tends to attract a much younger audience and we still love the Monsters Inc. area which has Boo’s door and also scream catchers to measure your screams. The New Generation attractions are under construction and look like they’ll be great fun – especially if you’ve just seen Toy Story 3.

We’re not really into white knuckle rides so we chose Buzz Lightyear, Pinnochio and Peter Pan – we were too late to get on some of the rides at the Disneyland Studios.

The good, the bad, the ugly
What we loved about the park is that there is so much to do and it’s not overly crowded. The rides are really good but there’s plenty to look at as you walk around. The staff are not all as helpful as they should be. Some of them were incredibly charming and helpful but the security guards around the Disney Castle were rude and aggressive which was not appropriate around children. We wanted to sit down after the fireworks and wait for the crowds to disperse and they wouldn’t let us. I think there should be a paragraph or two in the map explaining the security and where to look for help. The Disney guy on the Disney Express train was really helpful.

The Hotel

We stayed at the Radisson Blu hotel which has it’s own shuttle bus. We had to get taxis because the bus was not often around. The service in the hotel was really bad; we had booked a family room and had to have it changed because it stank of cigars. Some of the staff were quite rude and unhelpful; the breakfast was a pain since we got a table and by the time we got food, someone had nabbed it and there was no service, just staff running around and not helping. We also got our cab nicked by a guest and when we were trying to get some assistance the concierge made no bones about the fact she was not going to help us, so the experience was not what I would expect from a Radisson.

The hotel pool was nice and we had a relaxing morning swim on our second day. Last time we stayed at the Dreamcastle hotel, which is on the bus route, and it’s much more fun and vast as well. It’s got loads for kids to do around the place so much more family friendly so check it out.

Thanks to Eurostar customer service for walking us through our ticket booking and Disney for the passes.

And another one is coming out soon, 28 years after the first one. This is one film I can’t wait to see, TRON Legacy. Jeff Bridges, one of my favourite actors reprises his role as Flynn; and he’s been stuck in void for 20 years until his son hears a signal emanating from his arcade…and the plot unfolds from there.

While the first Tron had me spellbound, even though it was pretty lo fi with handpainted sets and UV effects; this new one is in 3D and Daft Punk has done the sound track. I wasn’t sure I’d be that excited by it until I saw the trailer. Planned release date is December 17.

It was at the fine and dandy Mayfair Hotel in town which is very swish and glam, and famous for it’s famous guests. It is gorgeous hotel, and the decor is sleek and pristine except of course, when you invite high profile adults and their kids- many dressed as Princesses and frogs – along for an afternoon of entertainment. I’m a great believer in access for all so it added a nice touch of chaos and vibrancy to a very sophisticated afternoon reception and private screening.

Even better is that children just don’t hold back when they spot someone really famous and my daughter went absolutely crazy when she spotted Stacey Solomon. She was quite scared of Peter Jones, who was all smiles, but she’s seen Dragons’ Den and her mind would not be changed. A real highlight was that she got to meet the wonderfully talented Anika Noni Rose who is the voice of the main character Tiana and even had a photo taken with her. There were face painters on hand too to give the girls and boys a make over – I was hoping I could get my face painted too but Miniminx wouldn’t let me!

And on to the film, it’s coming out in cinemas in two weeks and I think it has all the right ingredients to make it a modern classic. It didn’t escape me either that it’s located in New Orleans, an area which has suffered greatly since the floods and I hope this high profile film will help regenerate it through tourism.

What’s great about the animation is that it has taken the studio back to its roots and the images are hand drawn. The beautiful gowns worn by the main characters have a translucent, starry effect which always sent my childish imagination soaring when I was very young and the magic still remains.

The film is great, and full of over the top characters, I was very taken with the firefly call Ray myself.

This felt more like the old school Disney – the story is a roller coaster journey and there are ghouls, baddies and of course a love story and lots to laugh about. The animators really know how to fill a screen and the imagery combined with the amazing music made it a great experience for all ages.

The music is good and the story is really one of friendship between two girls, Charlotte the daughter of a mega rich businessman and Tiana the daughter of a hard working man with a dream, as they grow up.

Charlotte is white and Tiana black and they live in an integrated society at the turn of last century in New Orleans against a backdrop of jazz, Mardi gras, voodoo, poverty and wealth. They both have dreams, one to marry a Prince, the other to open a restaurant but as always, things don’t go according to plan and Tiana finds herself transformed into a Frog which is where the story starts and the adventures begin.

I won’t spoil it for you but here’s a trailer.