GLOBAL warming doesn't bother Mickey Mouse - at Disneyland Paris it will snow every day throughout the Christmas and New Year season, no matter how mild the weather.

And it's not pretend plastic snow either, real snowflakes fall in Main Street as Tinkerbell lights the Christmas tree and the lamps on her way to sprinkle fairy dust over the Sleeping Beauty Castle.

The festive celebrations will be in full swing until January 7 at the Disneyland Resort, just 32km east of Paris.

The resort is lit by more than a million seasonal lights and Mickey magic is less than three hours away by Eurostar's high speed link direct from Ashford to the gates.

Up to December 19, Disneyland is offering an extra day and night for free, until it is full.

Prices begin at £243 per adult and £152 per child for a three night, four day package, based on two adults and two children aged from three to 11 years, sharing a family room.

This includes accommodation, continental breakfast at Disney's Hotel Santa Fe, direct return travel on Eurostar, and four days unlimited access to both Disneyland Park and Walt Disney Studio Park.

Disney's Fantillusion night time parade is already pulling in big crowds, and the park's latest attraction - the Buzz Lightyear Laser Blast - is proving to be a real hit.

Buzz is on a mission to save the toys is Discoveryland and adults and children climb aboard two seater space cruisers to help him shoot at 88 targets with dual laser pistols - even better, everyone has their own score, so they can keep trying to beat the last one.

On busy days, one of the best things you can do is use the free FastPass system on the six most popular attractions: Big Thunder Mountain, Peter Pan's Flight, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Peril, Star Tours, Space Mountain and Buzz Lightyear.

To reduce queuing time, insert the theme park ticket into a FastPass terminal at each attraction and get a time slot ticket in advance.

And it does get busy - last year, Disneyland Paris had twice as many visitors as the Eiffel Tower!

During the quieter season from January 7 to March 29, Kids Go Free in a package starting at £278 for a family of four, including ferry crossing. There is also an extra nights and days for free option from January 7-21 and March 6-13, so the two can be combined for extra value.

Mickey magic is the reason that the resort is the number one tourist destination in Europe, whenever you go.

FACTFILE: Disneyland Resort Paris reservations and information: 08705 030303. See www.disneylandparis,com.

Eurostar runs a daily service through Ashford to Disneyland at 10.32am, arriving at 1.30pm, returning at 6.43pm from Marne la Valee, arriving Ashford at 7.37pm. To book call 08705 186 186, See eurostar.com.