After years of considering a trip across the Channel to meet Mickey and co, we finally took the plunge during the weekend of our youngest daughter's seventh birthday.

With her older sister being 10, we thought they were at the perfect age to enjoy Disneyland Paris to the full and, to be honest, mum and dad were looking forward to the visit too.

As it was a long weekend (arriving Friday afternoon, departing Monday evening), getting there quickly and comfortably was a must and as driving and flying are neither of these, there was only one real option - Eurostar, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary in November. There is no hanging around airports hours in advance then waiting for luggage after the flight, no laborious driving, no rocky ferry crossing, just a comfortable, relaxing three hour ride from St Pancras directly into the Disneyland complex.

On arrival at the station in Disneyland Paris, expectation and anticipation levels were through the roof. After a tantalising glimpse of the big Disney gates, we got a free shuttle bus to check in at our hotel of choice - the Dream Castle.

We decided to book this hotel as it was away from the hustle and bustle of the parks, but easily reachable thanks to the shuttle buses, which take only 20 minutes in their constant circular route around the hotels on the fringe of Disneyland.

Managed by Vienna International, the Dream Castle is a welcoming, spacious hotel with plenty of arcade games and entertainment for the children in reception, where we rapidly checked in, eager to get to the parks. Our room was spacious with a double bed, bunk beds for the girls, a sparkling bathroom and cable TV - not that we needed the latter this weekend.

Back on the shuttle bus, we made our way to the parks, choosing to visit Disneyland Park for the remain of the day (the Studios Park would be explored on the Saturday).

Entering Main Street USA, the reception to the park where masses of souvenir and food shops are based, was like being thrown into a live-action Disney film. Colours, noises and aromas of popcorn filled our senses, while the our breath was taken away by the first sight of the castle, towering over Main Street in resplendent pink. It really was a magical sight and a sign we had finally arrived.

With our map to the park safely in my back pocket, we headed towards the nearest section - Discoveryland (the other three areas being Fantasyland, Adventureland and Frontierland).

In Discoveryland, we enjoyed the Buzz Lightyear Laser Blast and Autopia (the opportunity for children to get behind the wheel of a car) and the Orbitron rocket ships. The queues weren't too bad, being a Friday late afternoon.

The main event in Discoveryland is Space Mountain, a white knuckle roller coaster, which starts with a blast into space and continues with a breathtaking ride through darkness.

Being my daughter's birthday treat, she was eager to get into Fantasyland, a section geared towards the smaller ones, with the many rides including a carousel, Mad Hatter's Tea Cups, Dumbo the Flying Elephant ride and the world famous It's A Small World tour, but the firm favourite here was Peter Pan's Flight, a ride which takes you zooming around the skies of London and Neverland.

We retired to our hotel via shuttle bus for the evening and woke up early in the Dream Castle, eager to get going again. But not before a wonderful buffet breakfast at the hotel, where even the most fussy child (and adult) is catered for, whether it's cereal, fresh fruit or continental and English breakfasts, it was a perfect way to fuel up before the day, also meaning there was no real need for lunch in the resort, just a few snacks throughout the day before an evening meal.

We decided to call in at Walt Disney Studios in the morning and headed for the French resort's newest attraction - Ratatouille: The Adventure. The queue was immense, but worth it. The simulator-style ride is taken from the perspective of the cartoon rodent as he runs through legs, both human and table, in the Paris restaurant where the film is based. We enjoyed this ride a few times during the weekend, but nothing will come close to the experience the first time round.

There are plenty of other decent rides in the Studios park, including a few white knuckle rides like the sudden-drop Twilight Zone Tower of Terror and two roller coasters - the dizzying Crush's Coaster and the Rock N Roller Coaster.

But what this park does best is tell the tale of Disney from the early days, in the Cinemagique and Animagique shows, and how movies and cartoons are made. How stunts are filmed are also covered in depth (there are explosions aplenty in the Moteurs Stunt Show Spectacular and Armageddon, where you take part in a scene from the Bruce Willis blockbuster).

Not to be missed is the Studio Tram Tour, with an epic surprising centre-piece that takes everyone by surprise first time round. There are also scenes from films such as Reign of Fire and Pearl Harbor to be seen, as well as many props and vehicles from famous Disney films.

Also in the Studios are two shows, Disney Junior and Stitch Live. We kept missing the Disney Junior shows, but Stitch Live is a very clever interactive film which was actually very funny for the adults as well as the children - be warned though dads, you may have to dance in front of everyone if you are picked out by the cartoon monster.

In the evening we enjoyed a meal at the Rainforest Cafe, found in Disney Village, just outside the two parks. Here you will find restaurants ranging from Planet Hollywood and McDonald's to New York style diners and, unexpectedly, the prices were not astronomical. There are also a number of Disney shops to wander around to walk off a burger and chips, a highlight being the Lego shop where you can make characters of family members to take home.

Sunday and Monday were spent between the two parks, mainly visiting the lands of Disneyland Park we had not yet ventured into.

Adventureland become one of the most visited areas for us for one reason - the Pirates of the Caribbean ride. The indoors log flume ride was, outside of Ratatouille, the family favourite and the one we went on the most. Looping rollercoaster Indiana Jones and the Temple of Peril was also in this land, but our otherwise daring daughters chickened out of this one.

There are a number of play areas in Adventureland, ideal for adults craving a well-needed sit down, and there was also one of four stations where you can catch the train on the Disneyland Railroad, which runs around the park.

We almost did a full lap on the train to arrive at the final area, Frontierland, a Western-style setting where the smell of barbecues seemed to fill the air. We were disappointed the Thunderboat Mesa Riverboat Landing was not operational, but the roller coaster Thunder Mountain was a great ride and more than made up for it.

The ghost train-style Phantom Manor did not quite live up to its spooky start, but to be honest the queue was so long to get in, by the time we got on the ride, we were just glad of being able to sit down.

By 8pm on the Sunday, while running between our favourite rides for last-minute thrills (at this time there are hardly any queues), we decided to get a spot at the front of Main Street USA for the stunning end of day show, held at closing time every day in the park.

It seemed thousands were at the front of the park to watch the show, where the castle is used as a screen for an amazing light show, which transforms the building into scenes from favourite Disney films. Fireworks, flames and fountains of water also add to the very impressive spectacle. A tip for those with small ones though - get to the front of the crowd an hour before the show starts or children may struggle to see what's going on through the cameras, tablets and phones filling the skies, tourists eagerly filming the show.

We headed home next day, back to the comfort of Eurostar for our journey home and bags laden with sweets and souvenirs. As we headed towards London, back to reality, the conversation was filled with all things Disney. What was our favourite ride? What was the best moment? Would we want to live in Disneyland?

Parents and children may have had different answers to these questions, especially the last one, but there was one thing we easily agreed upon - a weekend in Disneyland Paris is magical, no matter what age.

Disneyland Paris is open throughout the year, but opening times can vary. For full details of opening times, ticket information and all the attractions, go to www.disneylandparis.co.uk.

Dream Castle:

  • Upcoming events at the hotel include a Halloween Party on October 31, a Russian Art Exhibition from November 8 to 30 and a Christmas Holidays special from December 24 to 31.
  • For full details on these and for a full list of rates, go to www.dreamcastle-hotel.com or Facebook pagewww.facebook.com/Dream.Castle.Hotel.
  • There is also a free app providing information on the hotel and the destination with plenty of tips at https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/hotel-dream-castle/id891295976?mt=8&ign-mpt=uo%3D2 and https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id+com.gofindit.paris.dreamcastle&hl=en.

Eurostar:

  • Eurostar operates a daily direct service in each direction to Disneyland Resort Paris (daily direct services to the resort do not operate on Tuesdays and Saturdays except during school holidays).
  • Fares are from £69 standard class return (adult) £49 return (child aged 4-11 on day of travel).
  • Children under four years old travel free (not allocated a seat)
  • Standard Premier travel is from £159 return for an adult and £111 return for a child aged 4-11. Connecting fares available from more than 200 stations in the UK.
  • Travel time is 2h 47 from London, 2h 27 minutes from Ebbsfleet and 2h 03from Ashford, Kent.
  • Tickets are available from eurostar.com or from Eurostar’s contact centre on 08432 186 186