HELP!!!!!! More Disney Dreams to fulfill! 09/04 Exciting news!

[dizneeat]

Saturday, October 8, 2011

Lots of new stuff - Part 3

We were still discussing what to do and on our way over to Phantom Manor when we realized that the Riverboat was just loading passengers and so we got in line and got on.

We hadn't been on the Riverboat in a long time and going round was really fun and interesting. While we were getting onto the boat we noticed that once again Big Thunder Mountain Railroad was stuck on an uphill climb and people were still "trapped" on it.

When we sailed by we could see them evacuating guests and the train was still stuck when we got off the boat. We thought about doing Phantom Manor, but since BTM was stuck the line had gotten longer.
So we decided to head back to the castle and explore the shops for a while.

We stopped and watched the Character Caravan go by

To be continued in the next post ..........

 

[dizneeat]

Saturday, October 8, 2011

Lots of new stuff - Part 4

and it took us quite some time to explore and check everything out and once we had finally made it to the Emporium and we had seen the crowd pick up considerably we decided to head to the Disney Village for lunch and some more shopping.

So after leaving the park our first stop was Annette's Diner.

There was no line but nonetheless we were taken to a small table near the fire exit. Our server wasn't the most attentive, but at least he came by every now and then. We both ordered Diet Cokes and Tom picked

the Double Rockabilly Burger,Double decker burger, fried onion ring, bacon, cheese, BBQ sauce and french fries for his entree. I had my heart set on

the Fabulous Blue Cheese Burger, Ground beef, spanish potato tortilla, bacon, blue cheese, sour cream, served with french fries and coleslaw. Both portions were huge and very good and hit the spot.
We were too full for dessert and wanted to have coffee at Starbucks to make use of their free internet. So after we had paid the bill we just walked over to Starbucks and ordered our coffees. Tom had

a Cappuccino, while I tried their new

Creme Brulee Macchiato. We both loved our coffees, but the internet connection was dreadful. So after some time we gave up, finished our coffees and decided to do all our shopping at the Village right away

and then drive over to Auchan and our favourite little bakery. We ended up with far more items from the Disney village than we had originally thought, and since they offered a special Disneyland Paris bag with purchases over a certain amount, we bought one, since I was sure I would need a second piece of luggage. Once we were done and had two huge bags full of Disney merchandise, we quickly walked back to the parking garage as it was about to start to rain. When we left the garage it was already raining and we started our drive over to Auchan, the supermarket.

 

[englishrose47]

DLP looks soo cute !!!One of these days !!!!!!

 

[annmarieda]

Phantom manor looks sooo spooky!! I love it!!!

 

[MAGICFOR2]

Okay, I posted this once before and got kicked out, so I hope it will stick this time! So fun to see DLRP - so much the same and yet so different!

Where's the pic of your new bag?

 

[Sunset Cliffs]

The Phantom Manor looks way more spooky that the WDW version! That makes me want to ride it, even though I'm sure that the actual ride is very similar to the other HM rides. It's interesting to see BTMRR even looks a little more spooky too. I think it's because the trains are a darker, and there isn't all of the bursts of color on them.

The hamburgers & coffees look great. Perfect vacation food!

 

[Stefy]

Great update

Is Jack only out at Halloween?

Uh oh they got Dooney bags, are they more expensive in comparison to WDW?

 

[dizneeat]

DLP looks soo cute !!!One of these days !!!!!!

Let me know when you want to tour, Rosie, I'd love to be your tourguide!

Phantom manor looks sooo spooky!! I love it!!!

It's more like the house from "Psycho" And they even have an old lady in a rocking chair in a window at the side of the building!
The ride itself is pretty similar, even though the story is a bit different!

Okay, I posted this once before and got kicked out, so I hope it will stick this time! So fun to see DLRP - so much the same and yet so different!

Where's the pic of your new bag?

I am glad you enjoy a few sights of DLRP. It started to rain on the next day, so we left Tom's camera in the suitcase, but I still took a few pics, so stay tuned.

As for the Dooneys ...... these two were they only ones we found and I am not a fan of the Princess Line!

The Phantom Manor looks way more spooky that the WDW version! That makes me want to ride it, even though I'm sure that the actual ride is very similar to the other HM rides. It's interesting to see BTMRR even looks a little more spooky too. I think it's because the trains are a darker, and there isn't all of the bursts of color on them.

The hamburgers & coffees look great. Perfect vacation food!

It looks like the "Psycho" house to me! So very different on the outside, but they have a few fun features as well. A cemetary with lots of fun inscriptions on the headstones and a tomb that if you knock at it, "someone inside" will knock back.

BTMRR is actually on the little island in the middle. The ride goes in a tunnel a speeds up while doing so ....... so much fun! It's my favourite out of the three BTMRR we have done so far.

Anette's has great food and you can't beat Starbucks for a taste of America, can you?

Great update

Is Jack only out at Halloween?

Uh oh they got Dooney bags, are they more expensive in comparison to WDW?

Thank you, Stefy!
I have only seen Jack out at Halloween and we ran into him a few times this year.

As for the Dooneys, I did not even check the price, as these were the only two we came across and I am not a huge fan of the Princess line. Now, had they offered the new comics one ...... that might have been a completely different ballgame!

 

[dizneeat]

Saturday, October 8, 2011

Lots of new stuff - Part 5

When we left the garage it was already raining and we started our drive over to Auchan, the supermarket. We had to drive around for quite some time to find a parking space, but finally we did. It was quite a walk to the entrance, but we were happy we had found a space to park our car in the end. Our first stop inside the shopping center was the Disney outlet store, but the merchandise was the exact same they offered in the parks so we didn't buy anything. We then walked over to the supermarket and started our shopping spree.

There were some things we wanted to pick up to bring home, like salt and their dark chocolate with nuts and candied orange peel and some things we needed for dinner. No trip to Disneyland Paris is complete without a nice picnic dinner in the room. Tom picked a few of this favourite beers, chips, ham, salami, several cheeses and a few other items. Once we had everything we wanted we paid for our purchases and headed back to the car.
Again, everything got loaded into the car and then we were off to the bakery. We picked up a few more staples there, then stopped at a new fruit and vegetable shop and were finally on our way back to the hotel.

We hauled everything up to our room

and decided to just take a little break before dinner and then head back to the parks, which were open until 10pm.
Tom tried to connect to the free internet, but it just would not work, so we took our netbook down to the lobby where there was free WiFi. It wasn't high speed, but at least it worked.
By then it was around 6pm and we decided to have dinner. There are a few staples we always have when in France and we were looking forward to them a lot.

Freshly baked baguette,

Boursin cheese,

Camembert,

Goats Cheeses,

ham and Serrano ham,

and the tomatoes we had picked up. We also opened the

packets of chips to nosh with dinner.

We nibbled and nibbled and nibbled some more and before we knew it, it was 7.30pm.

Now, what to do?

To get to DLRP would take about 15 minutes, then the walk to the park and getting in, we would have about 90 minutes in the park and was it worth it, especially since it had started to drizzle. Well, to cut the long story short, we did not return to the parks. The lack of sleep of the day before was catching up with us too, so we took a little break from eating, watched a little TV, planned out the next day and then had dessert.

Tom had decided on

a chocolate twist, puff pastry filled with chocolate and I had gotten not one but TWO

chocolate eclairs. I did finish them during the course of the evening. By 11pm we were both in bed and off to dreamland.

 

[Minnie&Nana]

Love these updates, Karin! DLP just looks so pretty and interesting - I must plan a weekend getaway one of these days - and you can be sure I'll ask my 2 favorite Austrians if they would care to join me.

DLP Haunted Mansion does look creepier than the WDW version. My favorite is the DL version - an old New Orleans Mansion - but that might be because I nearly had the life scared out of me twice when a Knight stepped up to my side of the Doom Buggie as we were rounding a corner inside the attraction.

Not a fan of the Princess Dooney either...but one of these days might finally get one of the Parks one....by then trying to find one might be next to impossible. Could never order one on line, even when there is a good sale - I'd want to be sure the characters and fireworks are just the right place on the bag.

Anyway, love the updates! French pastry.. sooo good!!!

 

[tinkmom2]

You always take the best food pictures! Did you have a hard time with the language barrier at the Parks?

 

[TanzUnited99]

Catching up - love the Main Street Transportation and Halloween decorations!

at BTMRR being stuck with passengers on it.

It's nice to see the differences in the character parades. Mmm starbucks - I was tempted to try the Creme Brulee Macchiato the other day but went with another choice. I need to return to try it soon.

Love the food pics and on getting the France staples. I love the look of Tom's chocolate twist.

 

[dizneeat]

Love these updates, Karin! DLP just looks so pretty and interesting - I must plan a weekend getaway one of these days - and you can be sure I'll ask my 2 favorite Austrians if they would care to join me.

DLP Haunted Mansion does look creepier than the WDW version. My favorite is the DL version - an old New Orleans Mansion - but that might be because I nearly had the life scared out of me twice when a Knight stepped up to my side of the Doom Buggie as we were rounding a corner inside the attraction.

Not a fan of the Princess Dooney either...but one of these days might finally get one of the Parks one....by then trying to find one might be next to impossible. Could never order one on line, even when there is a good sale - I'd want to be sure the characters and fireworks are just the right place on the bag.

Anyway, love the updates! French pastry.. sooo good!!!

DLRP is pretty neat, it's just not DL or WDW!
Let me know when you wanna come over to explore ...... your "tourguide" will be ready!

I love the DL version too! For us it is the memories we have there, we took our mum to DL and she loved it! I have never seen her laugh so much.

I hear you on not ordering a Dooney! When I bought the ones on the DREAM I just wanted them to be right for me and I checked ALL of the ones they had on display to find MY bag!

Christine, you should visit this bakery. It is tiny, but the breads and pastries they sell are amazing. People queue up outside to buy their bread there! It's just wonderful.

You always take the best food pictures! Did you have a hard time with the language barrier at the Parks?

I am trying my best when taking photos of the food, so I am happy to hear you like my style of food photography.
Most of the Cast Members in DLRP speak reasonably good English. They have a lot of international CMs so English is the spoken a lot. At the bakery and in the supermarket you use your hands to help out, when words are not enough!
But in the parks it's really easy.

Catching up - love the Main Street Transportation and Halloween decorations!

at BTMRR being stuck with passengers on it.

It's nice to see the differences in the character parades. Mmm starbucks - I was tempted to try the Creme Brulee Macchiato the other day but went with another choice. I need to return to try it soon.

Love the food pics and on getting the France staples. I love the look of Tom's chocolate twist.

BTMRR is stuck pretty often in DLRP and mostly at the same spot! Makes for some fun photos!

The Character Caravan is a fun edition to the parks. The little train takes the characters to the hub where they meet and greet.
If you can try the Creme Brulee Macchiato, please do so. It is really nice!

We love that French food. There is nothing better than fresh baguette and those cheeses are just wonderful!

 

[tinacaplan]

YUM! Oh, how I love all of the French cheeses! And the flavors of chips over there are too funny! Its interesting that they're different there. Can't wait to hear more and see more...and oh...do you remember that you have a February trip to plan for...just kidding! Sort of.

 

[Stefy]

Those tomatos look lovely and fresh and those eclairs

 

[annmarieda]

In DL, we were on BTMRR and one of the last carts "derailed" a bit and so the ride stopped. We had to be escorted off the ride. At that time in DL, it seemed like it was always going down. In fact, I think there was a bad accident around that same time. Thankfully, WDW doesn't seem to have the same trouble.

 

[Wicket's Mom]

Oh Karin that baguette is calling to me! I love fresh crusty bread more than anything!

Your picnic in the room is something we do on vacations. Especially when it's regional specialties.

 

[dizneeat]

YUM! Oh, how I love all of the French cheeses! And the flavors of chips over there are too funny! Its interesting that they're different there. Can't wait to hear more and see more...and oh...do you remember that you have a February trip to plan for...just kidding! Sort of.

You would love that store, Tina, so many yummy treats and their cheese display is enormous!
We found the flavours funny too - we had never seen them before. I guess Europe is following the US trend of adding flavours.
There's still a whole day to review, so stay tuned!

And yes, somehow I have a feeling that we are going away in February, thanks for reminding me!
Guess what, I get to make my Palo reservations on Sunday! I hope we can get what we hope for.

Those tomatos look lovely and fresh and those eclairs

We saw that fruit and veg show while driving by and just stopped and wandered in. It's like one of those very old stores where they have crates full of different fruit and veg and the smell in there was incredible.
I just love tomatoes, so we picked some up! They were yum yum!

Don't get me started on the eclairs - they were out of this world good, but just wait for the one I had the next morning for breakfast!

In DL, we were on BTMRR and one of the last carts "derailed" a bit and so the ride stopped. We had to be escorted off the ride. At that time in DL, it seemed like it was always going down. In fact, I think there was a bad accident around that same time. Thankfully, WDW doesn't seem to have the same trouble.

Ann, I remember that accident in DL - I think they had one or two fatalities. My gosh I didn't know they had had trouble with the ride beforehand too! Thank god nothing happened to you!
I don't know what it is with the Paris BTMRR trains, but IF they get stuck it's always on that uphill climb!

Oh Karin that baguette is calling to me! I love fresh crusty bread more than anything!

Your picnic in the room is something we do on vacations. Especially when it's regional specialties.

This is the best baguette ever! And it is "dead cheap". One baguette (about 2ft in lenght) is around 60cents (US cents!!) They are still warm when we pick them up in the bakery and are fluffy and light on the inside and crusty and crisp on the outside, so good! We have been known to munch one, while sitting outside the bakery in the car!

We love to have such a picnic. That way we get to try a lot of the regional stuff and can nibble for as long as we want!

 

[Teri1]

Again, I am loving the French desserts! That chocolate twist looks good and I absolutely love eclairs! I am hungry now.

 

[dizneeat]

Sunday, October 9, 2011

How much fun can one fit into one day ......... - Part 1

We got up pretty early and took showers, and by 7.30 were over at our favourite bakery shopping for breakfast. One of the shop assistants there speaks very good English and let us know that they would be closed the next day. This is when we got into a little conversation and we let them know that no trip to Paris was complete without a visit to their bakery.
She was pretty pleased to hear that and told the baker about our comment when he came out to stock up more baguette. Now, armed with warm baguette, that filled the car with its wonderful scent we were on our way back. We laid the table, sat down and indulged in one more wonderful French breakfast,

including baguette, camembert, goats cheese, Boursin cheese and the leftover ham.
It was a wonderful breakfast and once we could not eat any more savoury items, there were still a few sweets left, which we had gotten at the French bakery. Tom had decided on trying

a round puff pastry, filled with vanilly cream and a rim sprinkled with sugar. It was huge, and he enjoyed it very much. I had decided on trying

a Caramel Eclair, which was wonderful. There were lots of cubed pieces of soft gooey caramel on top and it was just delicious. I had not been able to decide between the Eclair and another shue pastry, so I had ordered both.

It was filled with vanilla cream and the icing had some kind of alcohol in it. Needless to say it was really tasty. Once we had finished breakfast I made sandwiches with all the leftover items and packed them for our trip home.
We went through the room one more time to make sure we hadn't forgotten anything and then finally took everything downstairs, where I waited in the doorway until Tom had gone to fetch the car. We loaded everything in the trunk of the car and hopped in to drive to the front desk to check out of the hotel. Once we had checked out we drove over to the parking garage, parked the car and headed over to the Walt Disney Studios.
The lines for bag check were pretty long and it took a while to get through. Our next line was at the entrance to the park. Again, it took some time to get in but the park had just opened and we still had a lot of time. Our first stop was the shop right inside the big building at the entrance.
We were on the lookout for a shirt for our friend Dave. We actually found it and we found two rain jackets for ourselves as well. We headed to the register and paid for our purchases, then headed into the park. We stopped in front of the tip board and checked the different rides.
Crush's line is always too long, it was raining, so we were not too keen on outdoor ride queues, but the Tower of Terror only had a 15 minute wait, so we hopped in line and were shocked to see that the line snaked all around the outside. Luckily it moved pretty fast and we were finally inside.

It didn't take long and we were in one of the library rooms and listening to the story about the twilight zone in French. The doors opened and we were in the line for the upstairs elevators.

Our bellhop was really in character and once we were seated and he had gone through his spiel in French and English he had everyone whose language was English raise their hands. The English speaking folks were the majority in the elevator, so the spiel during the ride was set to English, which I love, so much more fun than the French spiel. The ride was fun and when we left the elevator I handed the bellhop, who in Paris is the same who seats you, some chocolate. Now, the look on that CMs face was priceless once he realized WE were sprinkling some pixie dust HIS way.
You have to leave the ride through a gift shop, so we had a good look around before we left, but there was nothing we wanted to buy.