Disneyland Resort Paris is celebrating its 15th birthday with a year-long extravaganza that includes new rides, an extension to one of the theme parks, a new parade and ceremony, plus a summer programme of Mediterranean Disney cruises.

For visitors, this means the largest expansion of what's on offer at the resort since the Walt Disney Studios park opened in 1992. And for thrill ride fans, the celebration reaches its climax with the European debut of a Disney signature attraction, the highly-anticipated Twilight Zone Tower of Terror.

The resort has come a long way since the early days when EuroDisney opened to poor reviews and disappointing attendance figures. The Walt Disney Company was thought to have miscalculated European tastes and culture and was widely criticised in the press.

Certainly, there was some fine-tuning to be done as Disney expanded its theme park operations into a fresh continent and confronted European holiday habits on home turf for the first time. But what families and theme park fans rapidly realised was that Europe was home to the most detailed and modern Disney park ever created, and crowds soon flocked.

A name change to Disneyland Paris was ushered in during the 1990s with the addition of major rides such as Space Mountain and Indiana Jones and the Temple of Peril. And in 2002, with the opening of the Walt Disney Studios park, the name was changed once again to the Disneyland Resort Paris.

Five years on and the resort is cranking things up a gear once more – making this the best time to visit the park in its 15-year history. But, timing your trip is crucial because not all the additions are yet open.

To kick off the party, the ambitious new One Upon A Dream parade processes through the Disneyland Park at 4pm every day. Designed to tantalise all five senses, outlandish new floats are emit synthetic scents that alter as the parade passes. And the sense of taste is stimulated by good old fashioned boiled sweets which are passed out to the waiting crowd.

Research carried out during in the build-up to the 15th birthday revealed that park guests crave more opportunities to meet the Disney characters, which have traditionally been kept in limited supply. So, for the anniversary year the characters will appear in the parks more frequently than before.

Several times each day, the loud toot of a whistle on Main Street USA marks the arrival of Disney's Characters’ Express – a white, blue and gold train that glides into the park and releases an army of characters on an unsuspecting public.

What follows is a swarming autograph and photo frenzy as eager fans, both young and old, rush to greet them. If you'd prefer a more relaxed opportunity to meet and greet the famous faces, particularly with small children, a Character Breakfast at one of the hotels or at Cafe Mickey in Disney village is a more civilised option.

Also new and already underway in the Disneyland Park is a candle-lighting ceremony on the castle itself, called Candleabration. The turrets of Sleeping Beauty Castle have been adorned with golden statues, each holding a large candle. During the ceremony, projections play across the front of the building while the candles light up one by one and a shower of glittering pixie dust blasts from Tinker Bell's wand at the very top. It’s a spectacular moment to end the day, and one of those occasions that only Disney would spend time and money creating.

For ride fans, June 2007 is the key month when the second phase of the birthday celebration kicks in at the Walt Disney Studios park. A new area, called Toon Studios will open with two new rides that are unique to Disneyland Resort Paris.

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