From Saturday 6 December to Tuesday 9 December, 44 students joined Surrey Students’ Union on a magical Union Trip to Disneyland Paris, travelling together by coach for a few days of rides, shows, and shared memories.

Amber, VP Community

Recently, I was lucky enough to attend the Surrey Belonging trip to Disneyland Paris alongside other Sabbatical Officers and students. As if a trip to Disney wasn't magical enough already, the entire park was covered from top to bottom in Christmas decorations, with festive music, seasonal food, and of course, the incredible parades Disney is known for. All of our favourite characters were dressed in red and green, singing and dancing along to classic Christmas tunes, while colourful floats passed by and (fake) snow fell all around, it genuinely felt like stepping into a Christmas film. Of course, the rides were amazing, with something for everyone. Even if, like my boyfriend, you aren't a huge ride enthusiast, there was still plenty to do and lots of rides that were fun without being too intense, so no one felt left out. 

To end the trip, we watched the unforgettable fireworks show and drone display, set to a mix of classic Disney songs. Clips from some of our favourite childhood films were projected onto the iconic castle, making it a truly special way to finish the day. 

Overall, it was an incredibly magical experience, and we were so lucky to be able to attend, especially at such a festive time of year, and for how affordable the trip was (all things considered!).

Luana, VP Voice

Disneyland is one of my favourite places to visit. It's such a vibrant, colourful and exciting place; like your childhood coming to life. There's a fun ride for everyone, whether you enjoy the adrenaline of a roller coaster like Big Thunder Mountain, the aesthetics of visual storytelling like Peter Pan's Flight or a themed adventure like the Pirates of the Caribbean ride. 

I made the most of our trip by spending the first day at Disneyland from 11:00 until 23:00 to see the parade and fireworks. There's never a dull moment, as you can always find a new ride to go on or take a break to enjoy one of the cafes and restaurants. One of my favourite parts was trying the Mickey themed food and snacks, like the pizza at Colonel Hathi's Pizza Outpost or the cookies at Cookie Kitchen. 

Overall, this trip was truly wonderful and good value for money. There's nothing better than exploring such a magical place with good company. I definitely recommend checking out our upcoming Union Trips in Semester 2 and making the most of these opportunities to expand your horizons.

Matt, Union President

I love theme parks and Disneyland is up there with the best for me so I booked my tickets the moment they got released! After an overnight coach to France, we arrived in the morning, and while fuelled by coffee, had an amazing day in the two parks.

There’s so much to explore, with two huge parks full of rides, attractions, shows, and parades. You could probably spend a whole week there and still discover new things. For Christmas they had put up a huge Christmas tree on the entrance plaza, and decorated all of Main Street in a very festive vibe, with a bit of snow appearing every so often too!

The rides are my favourite activity at Disneyland, one of my highlights is Big Thunder Mountain, a runaway minecart style roller coaster taking you on a very fast and corner ridden ride on a desert island. I made sure to get a few rides on that, even at night. The park being open until 10pm makes for multiple experiences on some rides as you can ride them at night, which adds a bit more excitement when you can’t see what is coming up!

Another highlight and classic is the Tower of Terror, a mysterious hotel struck by lightning invites you in and up the service elevator, except all is not as it seems… Quickly into the ride power goes out and you’re plummeting to the ground faster than gravity! Makes for quite an exhilarating experience!

At the end of the last day we watched the fireworks and light show on Main Street, with projections onto the castle of many different Disney characters and stories, plus the accompanying music and even a drone show, it was incredibly impressive!

After a busy two days none of us wanted to leave at the end but we couldn’t stay forever, hopefully we’ll be back soon to experience some more of the magic…