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One iconic Disney movie now has its own official area at Disneyland Paris, and we got to enjoy the incredible opening ceremony as well as enjoying the brand new ride that Disney fans have been long anticipating

It’s difficult to believe that 13 years have passed since Frozen first graced our cinema screens. The adventures of Elsa and Anna soon became one of the most commercially successful animated pictures ever made, with its follow-up arriving in 2019. This means virtually every parent with primary school-aged children will, at some stage, find themselves able to reel off every word to Let It Go.

My seven year old daughter has kept the Frozen films on constant repeat on Disney+ for years. There’s something about the heartwarming stories of the two sisters that proves utterly captivating for her generation, even though she wasn’t born when the films originally came out. So when the opportunity arose to visit Disneyland Paris for the launch of Disney Adventure World featuring the World of Frozen – previously known as Walt Disney Studios Park – I responded with an enthusiastic yes.

The attraction forms part of ambitious expansion schemes for Disneyland Paris, and features stunning landscaped gardens surrounding a lake, brand-new dining venues and retail outlets, and arguably most importantly, the opportunity to enter Arendelle itself and become immersed in the magic. Not only was this my maiden voyage to Arendelle, it was also a first Disney adventure for both myself and my daughter, which made it all the more exciting.

Before the official opening back in March, we were treated to an exclusive preview, allowing us to explore the town at leisure, and it’s genuinely breathtaking. While Frozen is set in an imaginary kingdom, it draws heavily on Norwegian influences, and the park has recreated this flawlessly.

Against the striking backdrop of an enormous artificial North Mountain — where you can spot Elsa’s frozen palace shimmering in the distance — charming wooden structures are dotted throughout, packed with little nods to the film that will thrill Frozen fans.

Following a stroll around the lake soaking up the scenery, we kicked off our day with a visit to get my daughter’s hair styled. There’s a rustic wooden cabin beside the lake where children can select from an array of Scandinavian-inspired hairstyles including plaits and updos, finished with Frozen-themed hair embellishments. Face painting and flower crowns are also available for that authentic Arendelle style.

We also had a look inside the new Nordic Crowns Tavern, a welcoming spot at the heart of the park offering fast-service dining choices. The menu featured meatballs, fish, and other foods that complement the overall Scandinavian atmosphere of Arendelle.

But the star attraction is undoubtedly the World of Frozen ride, and so climbing aboard a boat, we set off into the unknown. The experience perfectly retells the story from the first film, guiding you through various scenes where you’ll spot familiar faces from the trolls, or love experts, to Sven, before going up a steep incline towards Elsa’s frozen fortress.

As the melody of Let It Go echoes around you, your boat suddenly hurtles backwards at pace, before you’re hurled from the North Mountain by the fearsome Marshmallow down a dramatic plunge. One tip for riders – don’t leave anything you don’t want soaked on the floor. I ended up having to use a hairdryer on my passport after my backpack got drenched through.

You then enjoy a firework display accompanied by delightful Frozen songs. My seven year old absolutely adored the experience, and it proved to be a trip highlight. And yes, we took a second spin — it would have been rude not to.

Time your arrival well and you can catch a Celebration in Arendelle, where beloved characters perform a spectacular show on boats across the water, and naturally, you can arrange a meet and greet with Anna and Elsa – although advance booking is required for this.

For those wanting to enjoy more Disney princess encounters without the lengthy waits, the new Regal View Restaurant is essential. I must confess, it feels somewhat strange stepping into an upscale restaurant after a morning spent at a theme park, and I felt rather underdressed compared to the elegant interior adorned with oil paintings and Disney-inspired ceramics.

That said, the staff were nothing short of delightful. As we settled in and enjoyed a three-course French meal, complete with charming nods to Disney princesses — from edible rose petals to dainty crowns — the princesses strolled between the tables to meet guests.

We were lucky enough to meet four princesses from the comfort of our seats, including Jasmine and Mulan, and each one was brilliantly professional and wonderfully engaging. My little one can be on the shy side when meeting characters, but they soon had her chatting away and practising princess twirls, and we had ample time to snap plenty of photos.

It’s certainly not a budget option, at €100 for adults and €50 for children for the set menu (roughly £86 and £43), but it made for a thoroughly relaxed and enjoyable experience — one that’s truly worth saving for a special occasion.

Amid all the buzz surrounding the World of Frozen, the brand-new Tangled ride was somewhat overlooked, though it’s an absolute gem for younger children. On Raiponce Tangled Spin, you gently drift around on spinning boats beneath a canopy of lanterns, making it the ideal attraction for little ones.

That evening, we made our way to the opening ceremony, where in a spectacular burst of glitter and confetti, the gates were flung wide open. Much like the iconic moment in the original film when the gates of Arendelle parted, there was an electric rush of excitement as we followed a brass band belting out beloved Frozen tunes.

French singer Santa took to the stage to perform Let It Go, amongst other songs, officially marking the park’s opening, with visitors making a beeline for the new ride and the chance to meet the princesses.

Rounding off the experience at the World of Frozen is a brand-new night-time spectacular, Disney Cascade of Lights, set on the lake. Combining drones, fireworks and pyrotechnics, it’s a breathtaking achievement and the ideal way to close the day for any Disney fan.

All in all, World of Frozen made for a magical experience and stands as one of the crown jewels of Disneyland Paris. As a first-time visitor to Disney, expectations were high, and the extraordinary attention to detail and outstanding entertainment on offer in Arendelle more than delivered. But above all else, watching my daughter wander around wide-eyed with wonder throughout the entire visit made every moment of the journey absolutely worthwhile.

Find out more on disneylandparis.com.

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WASHINGTON — President Bush left many viewers mystified last week when, answering a question in his debate with Democratic challenger John F. Kerry, he invoked the 1857 Dred Scott decision that upheld slavery.

The answer seemed to be reaching far back in history to answer the question about what kind of Supreme Court justice Bush would appoint. But to Christian conservatives who have long viewed the Scott decision as a parallel to the 1973 Roe vs. Wade ruling legalizing abortion, the president’s historical reference was perfectly logical — and his message was clear.

Bush, some felt, was giving a subtle nod to the belief of abortion foes, including Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, that just as the high court denied rights to blacks in the Scott case it also shirked the rights of the unborn in Roe, which many conservatives call the Dred Scott case of the modern era.

“It was a poignant moment, a very special gourmet, filet mignon dinner,” said the Rev. Louis P. Sheldon, chairman of the Traditional Values Coalition, a prominent conservative advocacy group based in Washington. “Everyone knows the Dred Scott decision and you don’t have to stretch your mind at all. When he said that, it made it very clear that the ’73 decision was faulty because what it said was that unborn persons in a legal sense have no civil rights.”

Sheldon, who said he confers frequently with Bush and his senior campaign advisors on outreach to religious conservatives, though not in this instance, credited the use of Dred Scott with raising the abortion issue to “a very high level” and “back to the front burner.”

“It didn’t just slip out by accident,” Sheldon said.

Douglas Kmiec, a Pepperdine University constitutional law professor who served as a lawyer in the Reagan and first Bush administrations, said the reference instantly struck him for its appeal to abortion opponents, advocates for judicial restraint and even civil rights advocates who regard the Scott case as the court’s all-time worst moment.

“I thought it had so many constituencies that could applaud that comment; it was one of the most intelligent things that I heard in the debate,” he said.

Bush’s remark Friday came after a questioner in the St. Louis debate — which occurred just miles from the courthouse where Scott filed his lawsuit seeking his freedom — asked whom he might appoint to the court should there be a vacancy.

Kerry and other Democrats, looking to mobilize their base, have warned that Bush would fill vacancies with judges who would overturn Roe. Bush has often said that he believes in appointing justices who would not legislate from the bench.

He repeated that refrain Friday night but did not mention abortion in his answer. Instead, he pointed to Dred Scott as an example of a court action he found objectionable, along with another favorite citation of religious conservatives: the 9th Circuit Court of Appeal’s ruling that the reference to God in the Pledge of Allegiance was unconstitutional.

“Another example would be the Dred Scott case, which is where judges years ago said that the Constitution allowed slavery because of personal property rights,” Bush said. “That’s a personal opinion. That’s not what the Constitution says. The Constitution of the United States says we’re all — you know, it doesn’t say that. It doesn’t speak to the equality of America.”

That answer left many wondering what he meant.

Bush campaign spokesman Scott Stanzel said Tuesday that the president did not intend to draw a parallel between the slavery and abortion cases, but that he was merely giving voters an example of a case in which he felt the court erred.

But Bush has a history of using language with special meaning to religious conservatives, a critical portion of his base that senior strategists have said will assure his reelection only if they turn out in larger numbers than in 2000.

Bush himself is an evangelical Christian, and his speeches are frequently sprinkled with phrases that sound merely poetic to many, but to others sound a more spiritual theme.

His reference in many campaign speeches to his belief in a “culture of life” often draws the loudest applause from his largely conservative audiences.

In his State of the Union this year, he spoke of the nation’s “grace to go on” despite its grief over terrorist attacks, and in a subtle reference to religious texts that refer to divine service as a time “set apart,” he said: “Having come this far, we sense that we live in a time set apart.”

Activists and legal scholars on both sides of the abortion debate said Tuesday they believed the president was sending a signal to that base.

Bush, who opposes abortion, has walked a careful line on the issue in a campaign in which women make up a large portion of undecided voters. Abortion has been overshadowed this year in the culture wars by gay marriage, but activists say it remains a motivating force for many.

Polls show a majority favor abortion rights. Critics say the Dred Scott reference was an attempt by Bush to make his point without alienating moderates who might decide the election.

“The minute he said it, I said to myself, ‘Here he goes,’ ” said Eleanor Smeal, president of the Feminist Majority. “He’s not going to say to anybody that he would pick a Supreme Court justice that’s opposed to Roe vs. Wade because he’s afraid that would cost him. So he’s trying to keep his base riled up in a way that won’t offend moderate women.”

Harvard University law professor Laurence Tribe, a Bush critic who has written extensively about the abortion debate, said Bush was signaling that he believed there was a direct parallel between women who would abort a fetus and slave masters of the 19th century.

Tribe pointed to Scalia’s dissent to a 1992 ruling that upheld Roe, in which the justice drew the parallel. Scalia wrote that both cases focused on issues of “life and death, freedom and subjugation.”

“He’s talking in code, but it’s not obscure code,” Tribe said of Bush. “This has been a fixture in the talking points of the religious right for years.”