Minnie works her magic

Then we spotted her, sitting on the floor with several other smiling children, watching two large chipmunks perform a slick dance routine in the Hotel New York foyer. Minnie Mouse was there too.

This was just a taste of things to come as Disney characters seemed to appear around every corner, their movements usually tightly choreographed and access to them controlled to varying degrees. In fact, the whole experience seemed to depend on a well-rehearsed formula, although this in no way detracted from a thoroughly enjoyable and exciting day exploring the Disneyland Park and Walt Disney Studios.

After a leisurely breakfast, we set off through the brash and vibrant Disney Village, which really comes alive at night, on the short walk to the heart of the resort.

We headed for Disneyland Park first and strolled down Main Street, where all the shops look different on the outside, but are filled with the same incredible array of merchandise inside. Tasteless and expensive rubbish to some, exciting must-have souvenirs to others.

Arriving at the Central Plaza, we were faced with a choice of four different themed parks to explore.

Straight ahead was Sleeping Beauty's Castle, the spectacular gateway to Fantasyland and a remarkable fairytale world. Cynical adults might sneer at the sentimentality of such a place - and the endless Disney tunes merging together as you walk around do start to irritate - but it's a magical place of wonder for children and it's hard not to share their simple enjoyment.

Our daughter had a fantastic time, equally taken by the bright lights of It's A Small World and the dark, slightly sinister rides like Pinocchio's Fantastic Journey, Peter Pan's Flight and Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (or, as we say in Paris, Blanche-Neige et les Sept Nains).

The long queues were daunting at first, but they moved fairly quickly and we never had to wait longer than 15 minutes. However, it was early September and we suspected that waiting times would become a real issue at the height of the season. The Fastpass system which is available on the most popular rides, seemed to work well though.

We moved on to Adventureland and headed for Pirates of the Caribbean, one of the most thrilling rides we could take our daughter on as she was too small for the big roller coasters like Indiana Jones and the Temple of Peril, Space Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain.

Part of the watery Pirates of the Caribbean ride floats gently past diners in the Blue Lagoon restaurant, to which we returned to book a table for an early evening meal. This is a wonderfully atmospheric place to enjoy a meal. Specialising in Caribbean seafood, it is expensive, but the food is delicious.

We also found time for a quick look inside Jules Verne's submarine Nautilus in Discoveryland before making our way to the Walt Disney Studios.

This has a different feel to the Disneyland Park, concentrating much more on the technical aspects of making films, but is no less exciting.

The highlights for us were the Studio Tram Tour - which includes a close-up and slightly scary look at the special effects used on a film set, including an earthquake, exploding petrol tanker and a lot of water - and Cinemagique.

We thought at first this was going to be a straightforward film about the history of cinema - we should have known better. People started to get annoyed when someone's mobile phone went off, there was a commotion at the front of the theatre and then the people in the black and white film on screen started to take an interest.

To cut a long story short, the man with the mobile phone found himself magically transported into the action on screen, where he became involved in a series of scenes from famous movies.

The way the action moved seamlessly from film to film - with spaghetti westerns, romantic comedies, sci-fi blockbusters, horror films and animated favourites among the genres - was great fun. A fine drizzle descended on us as the characters stumbled into Singing In The Rain and it was hard not to duck when a knight on screen flung his sword straight at us as he tried to help the hero break back through to the real world. There was a bang and a flash and a giant sword appeared buried in the stage in front of the ripped screen - wonderful stuff.

There was still time to return to the Disneyland Park for one of the regular parades of Disney characters - again superbly choreographed and a joy for the youngsters.

We ended up in Frontierland as dusk began to fall - the perfect time to visit Phantom Manor. This might be too spooky for very young children, but Frances is made of stern stuff and loved it. We returned the next morning but there wasn't enough time to see everything before it was time to go.

Naturally, Frances wanted to stay longer and the tears were beginning to flow as we arrived back at the hotel to pick up our bags. As we approached the door, out came Minnie Mouse. Most of the time, the characters are surrounded by hordes of children, but Minnie was on her own. She spotted our distressed daughter and soon cheered her up with kisses and cuddles.

Disneyland may not be everyone's cup of tea and the unending gaiety and in-your-face sentimentality can wear you down, but children - and clearly some adults - don't care about that. For them, it's a place of magic.

TRAVELFACTS

TICKET PRICES (valid from Nov 7 to March 31, 2006). One-day one-park ticket (entry into Disneyland Park or Walt Disney Studios): adult 42 euros, child* 34 euros.

One-day park hopper (entry into both Disney parks): adult 51 euros, child 43 euros.

Two-day park hopper: adult 93 euros, child 77 euros. Three-day park hopper: adult 113 euros, child 92 euros.

*Children 3-11 years; under threes admitted free.

ACCOMMODATION. See www.visitdisneylandparis.com for hotel prices and packages.

GETTING THERE. Bmibaby fly from Durham Tees Valley to Charles de Gaulle, Paris. Regular bus service from the airport to Disneyland Resort Paris, approximately 45 minutes.