Disneyland Paris Secrets

It’s no secret that Disneyland Paris is a magical place, but there are some secrets which Disneyland Paris itself hides. If you want to know some of the tricks of the trade, and what little gems to look/listen/smell for (yes, really!) when you visit, then read on! 

These Disneyland Paris secrets show the incredible level of detail gone into when creating all of the park’s features; no opportunity was missed when looking to surprise and delight all Disneyland Paris’ guests.

From the behind-the-scenes wizardry you’d never have known about, to the magic you experience without even noticing and the subtle things you can spot if you know where to look, take a look at our list of all the Disneyland Paris secrets we’ve been able to uncover...

Smellitisers (yep, really) throughout the park release subtle scents throughout the day to ensure full immersion in the different themed areas, e.g. on Main Street you’ll be able to smell baked goods, by the Pirates of the Caribbean ride there’s the faint scent of sea air. Some parade floats even disperse smells as they move through the parade route.

Elaborate soundtracks in each area add to this fully immersive experience - for example you’ll be able to hear a student practising piano (very badly…) by the ‘piano lessons’ building on Main Street, a dentist’s drill near the dentist, and there are pickaxe sounds coming from the well by the mines in Frontierland.

It’s easy to assume there’s a lot of fabrication around Disneyland Paris, but did you know the Gas lamps lighting the way along Main Street are genuine antiques? They date all the way back to the 19th Century.

All agricultural implements and tools that can be found in Frontierland are also authentic. One of the tractors was exchanged with an American farmer for an engagement ring designed by the imagineers. Another implement was exchanged for a television.

Similarly, the barbershop in Disneyland Paris, Dapper Dan’s, is decorated with authentic furniture and accessories from a barber in Chicago, who was retiring at the time the park was being created. All Disney parks also have a real barber working in the barbershop, because Walt Disney wanted to pay tribute to his father’s profession. Don’t fancy getting a trim for real, or want a completely new look? The Barbershop mirror will give you a new moustache or beard if you stop to have a glance!

You’ll find even more fun on Main Street in the huge dome of Harrington's shop; it has special acoustics, and if two people whisper from far ends of the dome, they can hear one another as though they were standing side by side. Then there’s New Century Notions which has a phone booth that plays old conversations if you pick it up to listen; you never know what you’ll overhear. And finally, the coffee cup at the coffee shop on Main Street has steam coming from it if you glance up on a still day.

Interested in some undisclosed foodie finds? There are actually secret options at some of the Disneyland park menus! For example, if you ask for ‘the grey stuff’ at the Be Our Guest restaurant then you’ll get a delicious chocolate mousse dessert as a nod to the famous song in Beauty and the Beast, but this isn’t actually shown as an option on the menu, so you need to be in the know in order to experience this particular delight.

Keep an eye out for the Hidden Mickeys all throughout the parks - you’ll see the famous three circles on things like manhole covers, plates on the table in Phantom Manor, stones in the floors, in tiling patterns, on clocks, railings, doors, or even as ventilation holes! All over Disney, Mickey’s symbol appears, so keep an eye out and maybe have a competition to see who can spot the most in your group! 

As you leave the Haunted Mansion (Phantom Manor), rather than following the path back to the entrance and the rest of the park, turn left and head up to the graveyard. Most people miss this part of the park but there are some exciting experiences there, for example a lot of the stones have very funny names and reasons for their occupant’s death and If you listen by the large tomb, you can hear someone’s heartbeat or even them scratching at the stone to get out!

Finally, in Fantasyland, you can find the Sword in the Stone and have a go at pulling it out. If you are successful, the nearest cast member will crown you!

Legend has it that Walt Disney himself went to other amusement parks and watched how far people walked before dropping their litter on the floor (tut tut). Supposedly this happened every 30-paces, so that’s how often bins appear along the streets of Disneyland Paris. You’ll also never see a Disney worker emptying the bins or see the bins overflowing, because the litter is vacuumed out of them through small underground pipes every 20-minutes!

The stockpile of costumes at Disneyland Paris is the largest in Europe, with 250,000 garments in stock. In the park's sewing workshop, which creates about 5,000 costumes per year, some dresses require over 200 hours of work to create; these are definitely outfits fit for a prince or princess.

There is a department at Disneyland Paris called ‘Wildlife’ whose job is to deal with the many animals that run wild in the park. For instance, the park is home to many wild rabbits (hundreds are caught and released each year), and once employees even stumbled across a fox hiding inside the Peter Pan ride. Maybe he was just annoyed that the Fox & The Hound doesn’t have its own ride..?

Bright lights and beautiful people! There are millions of lightbulbs throughout the park to ensure the attractions twinkle and sparkly magic abounds; even just in the 13 Disneyland Paris Parade floats, over 700,000 light bulbs are used for each show.

There’s only ever one Mickey in the park. Some other characters will have duplicates to increase the chances of guests getting to meet them, and they’re carefully kept away from each other to maintain the illusion, but there will only be one Mickey so there’s zero chance of two being seen together and the character’s special status is maintained for the kids - meeting Mickey truly is a unique experience.

Chewing Gum isn’t sold in any Disney parks. Guests can bring their own if they have it, but it’s never been sold there, with the aim of keeping the park spotless.

Sleeping Beauty’s Castle faces south in all Disney parks - this ensures it gets the most sun throughout the day, and therefore is best-placed for amazing pictures at any time of the day. An optical illusion called forced perspective is also used on the castle (and the whole of Main Street) to make the castle seem larger and more far away than it actually is when you enter the park. The castle is also built up on higher ground, and is the tallest of all the surrounding buildings.

The Disneyland Paris secrets aren’t just for Disneyland Park. You also need to keep an eye out for the Bins here too! ‘Push’ the talking trash can is often patrolling this area, rolling around and thanking all those that put rubbish in his bin. So even if all you have is a tiny piece of paper, it's worth throwing it in to have a chat with him.

As you head toward Rock ’n’ Rollercoaster in Walt Disney Studios, stop off at the umbrella on the corner of the wall. You can stand under it and press a button on the handle and it will begin to rain all around you.

As you come out of Studio 1, head right and right again and you’ll find the Scream Canisters from Monsters Inc. on the wall; try to scream as loud as you can to fill them up.

And finally, the limousine at the entrance of the Studio Tram Tour: Behind the Magic attraction is the actual limousine used by Cruella de Vil in the movie 102 Dalmatians! How cool is that?! (although we’d probably be happier if the puppies themselves were still there…)

So, there you have it! There’s loads to uncover here, but there’s probably loads we haven’t included as well, so if you’ve discovered any other secrets for yourself then let us know on Instagram, as we love learning about these as much as you do and can’t wait to go and find them for ourselves! And, if you’re lucky enough to be planning a trip to see this for yourself, remember to book your Disneyland Paris Tickets with Klook for super-convenient booking and the lowest prices.