No one does festive sparkle quite like Mickey and company. LIZ BIRD and her five-year-old daughter Bea discover the magic of Christmas at Disneyland Paris

HUNDREDS of thousands of lights were twinkling in the thick, black November night. As Disney's latest heroine golden-haired Rapunzel and her love interest Flynn Rider made their first public appearance, Sleeping Beauty's pink confection of a castle glistened in the background, as if giving the new arrivals her seal of approval.

Five-year-old Bea was smitten, and so was I.

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By day, Disneyland Paris can look a little kitsch with its mock colonial buildings and fairytale castle but by night it takes on a magical sheen, particularly at Christmas when a million sparkling lights line the route from Town Square, along Main Street USA to Sleeping Beauty's Castle.

We witnessed the first tree-lighting ceremony of the season. Mickey, Pluto and Goofy were there to watch a little girl plucked from the crowd switch on the 500 lights adorning the 78ft-high tree decorated with toy soldiers, red bows, drums and candy canes. As the crowd cheered, more "snow" fell on Main Street.

There's a variety of shows including the Once Upon A Time Parade, followed by Dreams of Christmas.

"Look Mummy, it's Ariel and Princess Tiana, " said Bea, who was in girl heaven, goggling at the long shiny tresses and satin dresses of some of her favourite Disney characters as they waved from their floats to a tuneful accompaniment of 'Tis The Season To Be Jolly.
Finally it was time for the main man and along came Santa Claus riding high on his present-laden sleigh pulled by six dancing reindeer.

We spent the next morning in the park, wandering between the various "lands". Bea was the perfect age for Fantasyland, one of the five areas that make up the Disneyland Park. She loved riding on the carousel's gleaming gold horses and on Dumbo the Flying Elephant, pulling the lever to go higher in the sky. Peter Pan's Flight was also a big draw. We hopped aboard a pirate ship and flew through the twinkling night sky over London's rooftops to the fantastical world of Never Land.

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The only low point was getting stuck in Alice's Curious Labyrinth in the drizzle (yes, it can rain at Disneyland). When Bea and I failed to find our way through the maze we returned to the entrance, only to be told we weren't allowed out. I had a sense of humour failure, trying to negotiate our way through miniature doors, peering over the heart-shaped topiary and being harangued by the foul-tempered Queen of Hearts leaping out at us from behind a hedge and berating us in French.

Bribery in the form of pink candy floss was the only way I could get Bea out of the park on the first day. It certainly eased the whingeing during the 15-minute walk back to the art deco-style Hotel New York, past skaters twirling on the outdoor ice rink.

After a swim in the pool and a club sandwich in our large, comfortable room, a very tired Bea and her equally tired mum, fell into a blissful sleep.

Disneyland Park is vast, so it's advisable to study the map and make a plan for the day. A Fastpass ticket is a wise buy for those with little time, shooting you to the front of some very long queues.

There are height restrictions on some of the rides, also a good indicator of the scare factor. At 3ft 11in Bea was only just tall enough to ride the RC Racer in the new Toy Story Playland.

The giant car whizzes up and down on half a loop of a Scalextricstyle track. As soon as it headed for the sky I was praying for it to end. I took a quick peek at Bea, whose bottom lip was trembling as she gripped my hand and realised I would have to forgo some rides on my hit list, including the aptly named Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, where you plummet in an elevator.

Toy Soldiers Parachute Drop proved the perfect compromise. It was great fun whizzing into the sky under a green camouflage canopy, getting a quick panorama of both parks before shooting down to the ground. We adored it so much we rode it five times.

Another hit was space ageinspired Discoveryland. We had our own laser guns to shoot aliens on the Buzz Lightyear Laser Blast ride.
On the flight simulator Star Tours we hurtled through space while being jostled in our seats.

Autopia was the most fun. Bea steered a mini 1950s-style car around a winding course while I revved the accelerator.

Later in the afternoon we finally got to It's A Small World and we joined the snaking queue (sadly the Fastpass only covers a selection of rides). It was worth it.

Hundreds of dolls in colourful international costumes moved jerkily along to the catchy tune It's A Small World, seasonally interspersed with Jingle Bells, as we passed by on our little boat.

It would have taken hundreds of return visits to take in every intricate detail, from the Hawaiian surfer and the Hula girls, the Chinese dragon, the winking hippo and Can Can dancers.

The last scene, a sparkly white fairground attraction, was suitably festive with high-kicking Russian dancers in fur-lined outfits, a Ferris wheel and Father Christmas looking on.

As the attendant helped us out of our boat he said, without a hint of irony, "Have a magical day".

We already had.
 
GETTING THERE:
Disneyland Paris (0844 800 8111/disneylandparis.com) offers a two-night break from £412 per adult, £178 per child (seven to 11 years) B&B.

During Disney's New Generation Festival (until December 31) children under seven years are free. After that it is £65 per child for four to six-year-olds. Price includes return travel with Eurostar (0843 218 6186/eurostar.com), accommodation in the Hotel New York and three-day hopper tickets to both parks.

French Government Tourist Board: 0906 824 4123/ franceguide.com