Hi there!
Welcome to Magical DLP. I have decided after a few years of following Disneyland Paris news on social media, and in the press, to create a website to post my thoughts on everything DLP.
I have loved all things Disney from a young age. Like a lot of people born at the same time as me (1986), we were brought up watching Disney Animated films. I watched all the films released when I was a youngster like Aladdin, The Lion King and Beauty and the Beast. I also watched some of the older classics like the Sword in the Stone and Robin Hood.
When I was a child though I never had the chance to visit Disneyland in America like all my friends. I wasn’t really bothered but I would have loved to go.
Fast forward a few years to my time at Sixth Form (2002) and the chance came up to go on a Business and ICT trip to Disneyland Resort Paris. I put my name down but wasn’t 100% sure if I wanted to go, as I had just started going out with my girlfriend (now wife!) and I didn’t like roller coasters or big thrill rides. I decided I would go as this might be the only chance I might ever get to go to a Disney Park.
Once at Disneyland Paris I loved it! The first thing I remember when looking back at the trip (apart form the very long coach journey) was walking onto Main Street USA and seeing Sleeping Beauty’s castle. It was amazing. I loved it (although I didn’t tell my friends as that isn’t the kind of thing lads spoke about when we were 16 years old).
The rest of the visit involved us attending the conference in a big marquee. We missed the first speaker as we were late and then snook out early to go back into the park (don’t tell my students!) I will also remember this trip as the time of my life when I got over my fear of roller coasters. My friends managed to convince me to ride Space Mountain they told me it would be fine as it was in the dark. They were correct it was fine and I had a great time. I then had a ride on Rockin Roller Coaster that was easy. My hardest challenge came when queuing for the Temple of Peril. At the time this ride went backwards, this might of helped me as I couldn’t see where I was going. I hated and loved every second of it at the same time.
After Sixth Form I went to Uni to train as a teacher; never did I think that I would be back teaching at my old Sixth Form but I did. I joined as an ICT teacher and in my first year working there I was invited onto the trip to visit Disneyland Paris, this time for free! I was part of the trip most years then took over the running of the trip which I still do to this day. I am lucky that as things stand I have a chance to go to Disneyland Paris every year with some great students and staff able to mix work with pleasure. With out this chance I wouldn’t have felt confident enough to launch a website dedicated to All Things Magical and Disneyland Paris!
What does the future bring? Well, I am visiting Disneyland Paris again in March, and as well as leading the Sixth Form trip I will be gathering images, videos and reviews for this website. I cant wait as this will give the trip a different dimension and meaning. The biggest excitement for me this year though will be my first family trip to Disneyland Paris with my beautiful wife and gorgeous son. Disneyland Paris is a place that needs to be shared with family and this trip in May with mine is going to be my best visit to the parks yet. Of course I will also be taking as many images and videos as possible for this site and all the other Disneyland Paris fans out there.
