A prominent mountain dominates Frontierland at Disneyland Paris. This is Big Thunder Mountain. It’s also the name of an air-conditioned attraction that I tried out, but not without strong emotions. This Halloween-esque adventure involves speeding up and down the dizzying heights of the hill, sometimes plunging under waterfalls reminiscent of Wild West rivers in a mad dash. You’re on board a small wagon.
A unique experience
This crazy train takes you through a mining ghost town in the American Far West. We passed through an obscure cavern. Then I heard a bang. I thought my heart was going to stop! Everything was shaking all around us. A mine shaft collapses, and it makes a lot of noise, not to mention the rails that seem to be coming loose. Then there are those animals flying towards you. They’re probably bats. This Disneyland Paris attraction is actually classified as a roller coaster.
Disney Premier Access service
I was in a hurry to test Big Thunder Mountain, so I used the Disney Premier Access service to skip the queue. Book online or at the park entrance. It cost me €24, but I think it was worth it, because I also got to see two other attractions during the day. If you want access to all the attractions, you’re bound to pay more. You have fast Disney Premier Access to all attractions whenever you want. It was only after a little more information that I was made aware that this pass is free if you stay at one of the Disney hotels. In this case, there are just time slots to be respected. For my part, I scanned my ticket in the fastpass machine, then the time was indicated on it.
PhotoPass Plus service
By the way, there’s also the PhotoPass Plus Service. I asked about it, because it was offered to me. It allows you to take photos alongside Walt Disney film characters on your adventure, thanks to professional photographers. These photos will be kept in a digital file for one year, but you must have an Internet account. The icing on the cake is that you can then personalize your photos.
On the same train, in addition to adults like me and young people, I saw children… and a pregnant woman! So this one, I thought, was really too reckless. Luckily there was no sudden stop at the end of our route, but she was blown away. So if you’re brave and like to get your adrenaline pumping, I recommend this attraction, but above all, come with your family. I warn you, it’s noisy, but reassuring. Ah! Here’s a detail I almost forgot: I’ve been told that you need to be just over a metre tall to be able to attempt this adventure. This includes children.