Anxiety began to swell inside me; I could feel my stomach turning. A deep fear within was urging me to escape and free myself from this unknown. As apprehension hit the zenith, loud rock music started blasting from two speakers concealed either side of the headrest.
White smoke normally reserved for nightclubs began to fill the arena. The only illumination was from disco lights perched above and beside the track, the only clue as to where you were heading.
As the mechanism took up the slack and prepared to slingshot us into next week, my backside began to twitch as I realised we had gone past the point of no return. The coaster was now primed and nothing was going to stop it.
Then it happened. Without warning we accelerated with such ferocity your cheeks were sucked through your skull. It was impossible to raise your head to see where you were going. Not that it made any difference, smoke was everywhere and visibility was zero.
It seemed to be over in seconds. It was the best ride I had ever been on. I wanted to go straight back on but there was the whole of Disneyland Paris to explore and time was money. But I would return to the Aerosmith rollercoaster.
Perhaps what surprised me most about Disneyland Resort Paris was how much there was for adults. I went with the expectation of a child oriented theme park with little time for grownups. But Disney Village is superb, full of bars and restaurants, shops and even a cinema. The only downside is the sheer volume of tourists. Even out of season you can expect to queue endlessly for food and drink.
The Cheyenne hotel is a throwback to the days of the American Wild West. Suitably decorated, it offered all the taste and flavour of cowboys and indians. The saloon bar feels altogether authentic; country and western singers provide the entertainment as you down another bottle of beer.
If you can avoid the likes of Goofy and Mickey Mouse, you may just be able to suspend reality long enough to believe yourself in the world of Wyatt Earp.
As well as the successful animation and film subsidiary the Disney Corporation now boasts a multi-national presence encompassing TV, retail, sports franchises and of course theme parks. A worldwide phenomenon, the closest park to the UK is the one at Disneyland Paris, currently celebrating its 15th anniversary.
Armed with the strap line "Where dreams come true" the complex was opened in April 1992 to a glorious fanfare and undisguised derision in equal amounts, with a significant number of French individuals and organisations turning up their noses at the perceived uncultured attraction.
After finally recording its first quarterly profit in July 1995 the Disneyland Paris resort has gone from strength to strength and now attracts in the region of 13 million visitors each year, making it one of Europe's biggest tourist destinations.
The resort, situated in the Marne-la-Vallee some 20 miles outside Paris, features not only the two theme parks but an entertainment area, golf courses and themed hotels spread over some 140 acres.
The resort was situated near Paris for various reasons but one of the main attractions was that an estimated 70 million Europeans were within a four-hour drive with a further 300million able to reach it with a flight of two hours or less, making for a massive potential market.
But, as already touched upon it's not been an easy ride for Disneyland Paris. After the idea of developing a European park was originally mooted in the early 1970s there was an initial list of over 1,200 possible locations throughout the continent.
This was eventually whittled down to four locations in France and Spain and at that point Paris was the least favourite. However, a combination of stiff Mistral winds and hard bedrock and a general lack of confidence in the Spanish infrastructure ruled out the other three locations in Northern Spain and the south of France leaving Paris to pick up the big prize.
Since the resort opened its doors on April 12th 1992 it has been in a constant state of flux with numerous different attractions and hotel rooms being added over the years. Landmarks in the development have included the addition of Space Mountain in May 1995, the park's first quarterly operating profit in July of the same year, and the opening of a second park - Walt Disney Studios - in March 2002.
The amount of hotels rooms on site has grown steadily from 5,200 at opening and the total is projected to rise further to a staggering 18,500 by 2017. All on-site hotels are themed to areas of the USA, with Hotel New York, Newport Bay Club, Sequoia Lodge, Hotel Cheyenne and Santa Fe all surrounding Lake Disney.
A further Disney hotel, the Davy Crockett Ranch, is located outside the resort perimeter in woods but guests of the park aren't compelled to stay in Disney properties and instead can opt for one of the seven well-known, independent hotels on the fringes, all of which operate free shuttles to the parks' entrances.
With even more hotels planned the future looks bright for Disneyland Paris. It now draws the visitor numbers that will ensure continuance well beyond its 15th Anniversary Year.
Both Steven Cronin & Daniel Johansson are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Steven Cronin has sinced written about articles on various topics from Travel and Leisure, Football and Destinations. Steven Cronin owns the City Breaks website featuring city break special offers from luxury hotels to budget accommodations. For more information please visit