It's A WONDERful 2015 - Feb Cruise, May WDW grand tour, and France/DLP! NEW 10/25 Nice & End!

[Imagineer5]

Sounds like a great day in Paris! Can't wait to hear about Disneyland and your last full day in Paris!

It was!! The next day was really fun too

What a bizarre sign! I cannot figure it out, but I think that Aria might need to get rid of her dress if she intends to hold hands with an adult.


Cute shot!


Aw, Aria got to teeter tot with Maya.


Very nice photo!


What a gorgeous restaurant!


Oh, geez, sorry that happened!


Mmmm, sounds good!


Just tell her it's how the French make pepperoni. Izzy is still a weirdo who insists that she doesn't like pizza, despite having never tried it. She is certain she will like it when she grows up, though.

LOL I laughed at your teeter totter with maya coment! Too cute. Yeah no clue on the sign, that's why we took a photo haha.

HOW does izzy not like pizza? Scratch that. HOW has she never tried it?!!??! Every single Friday is pizza night at our house. I get my own pizza since I like cheese with Jalapenos and Andrew & Aria like pepperoni lol.

Ok- your sign had me perplexed, but my googling tells me it may mean
"End of Mandatory Pedestrian Path"

Hmm I didn't even try googling lol. Interesting! That's possible, considering we were in a pedestrian area, but the sign still seems strange!

 

[TheMaxRebo]

All in all sounds like a nice day and you definitely got to see some classic sites like Notre Dame and Moulin Ruge and of course the park by the Eiffel Tower

Looks like things worked out in the end with the change of dinner plans which is nice

Overall it seems like, other than the Holocaust Museum being closed, touring on a Sunday was good with less traffic

 

[DVC-Cassie]

Around 5:35 we headed out for dinner. Aria saw this Ariel statue and fell in love!


Our first evening was at Parrot Cay (where we had had buffet lunch earlier) on Deck 3. There was a short line up outside the doors as they didn't open until 5:45PM, but we all were scrubbing our hands with the provided towels and soon were led inside. We quickly found out that we were sitting at a table for 8!
Now, I toyed with the idea of requesting a table by ourselves (and also looked into dining rotations). I never did request a specific table nor rotation. From the main cruise TR's I read, Disney does a pretty good job pairing up families with similar aged kids and I hoped that'd be the case for us. As far as dining rotations, this one meant we'd be eating in Parrot Cay twice as there are 4 restaurants aboard and 5 nights. I don't think this is a preferred rotation, but we had to eat in them all and decide on our favorites for the next cruise
Anyway, shortly after being seated we met our servers. I made a faux pas for attempting to order drinks from the waiter. Apparently this was the first cruise they were working together, and they were a bit off but not bad. BTW, as a general rule, I drank my wine in my cup during the day and ordered a fun drink or two at dinner.

You can see here, that we had our bread and drinks before our tablemates joined us. The bread was a warm banana bread with banana butter - and it was delicious!! Aria had been seated next to another kid's spot (they had kids menus and different water cups) so we were anxious to meet the family. Soon they arrived - it turned out to be grandparents, parents, and a little girl named Riley who had turned 3 in October, so only a couple months older than Aria. It seemed like Riley was also fighting a cold, so at least we didn't feel too bad with the occasional cough Aria was doing at the table.
We soon ordered our appetizers, I had the St. Maarten Stack which had grilled calabaza, zucchini and mozzarella with a tomato-basil vinaigrette.


And Andrew had the Ahi Tuna and Avocado Tower. Apparently he did NOT read the description: "with crispy noodles and wasabi dressing". This will come into play within about a minute of receiving.



Now at this point we were making small talk with the family and learning they were from Wisconsin (I THINK?!). The grandparents sat next to Andrew and were really nice, and the parents sat across from us so we didn't talk with them as much just because it was harder to hear them. Aria enjoyed sitting next to Riley and they were both doing their fair share of coughing - turns out the day before Riley had been really sick and had a fever...

Anyway Aria had a chicken noodle soup as an appetizer and corn dog nuggets as her main dish. Notice the mickey head shaped ketchup



So now, we were all worried about the people we might sit with. Thankfully they seemed really nice and it was nice having another kid Aria's age. Well, Aria loves Avocado and asked Daddy for some of his appetizer - he had only had a little bite so deemed it okay to give her. Well apparently the big green dollop of "avocado" he dipped her bite into was actually wasabi and soon we had a little girl throwing up in her seat. Apparently she inherited my dislike of wasabi, while I LOVE super spicy, wasabi is just disgusting to me! We had every napkin at the table and she filled them all. UGH! What a first impression for us to give them!! Absolutely mortified I took her out to the bathroom while Andrew rolled up all the napkins and cleaned up her area.

I had ideas of running back to the room to get her changed, but we were on the opposite side of the ship so I thought we could just clean her up and finish out dinner. She was fine once we were at the bathroom and her hands were all clean, thankfully.

A bit of foreshadowing, but this dress makes another messy appearance at our May Disney trip. I should just burn it but I spent a lot on it (Matilda Jane Platinum piec) and I am curious to see if she will throw up again the 3rd time she wears it LOL.

Back to dinner. I made it back and our main dishes had arrived. One big issue we had was the timing of the meals. Remember how we had our drinks & bread, and our meals ordered before our tablemates sat down? Well they slowed down our service through the dinner so we had a 2+ hour meal each night, even though we were more than ready to be done much faster. We also arrived a good 20 minutes before them each night. That was my main qualm with having tablemates I guess.

Anyway, Aria was happy and enjoying her meal and it seemed like our tablemates were not totally disgusted with us (though we joked with them they'd probably be at another table the next day!). My main dish was the Caribbean Roasted Chicken Breast - Chicken served with mashed sweet potatoes, corn and bell pepper stuffing with a spice glaze.



It had a nice flavor and I really enjoyed it.

Andrew had the Mixed Grill which had beef tenderloin, lamb, bacon wrapped sausage, and shrimp on mashed potatoes with asparagus and tomato.



He also enjoyed his meal.

As a special surprise, I had ordered a Mickey cake for Aria's birthday. The smallest one served like 8-10 people but I figured we would share it with the table. I didn't anticipate the episode earlier nor did I anticipate them having her bite out of the cake - but it was fun nonetheless.







And he had her bite it! LOL





We offered the cake to our tablemates but no bites (ha ha) so after eating a grand total of an ear, we brought the rest back to the room. It would have been really awesome if they could have stored it for us for each night, but they couldn't, and the fridge couldn't fit it, so it sat out in the room for the next few days. We did bite off of it here and there, but for the $65 price tag, I don't think we would order it again.

Aria was a bit crabby after dinner so Andrew took her back to the room while I decided to get some shopping done. I picked up Chip and Dale cruise stuffed animals, a cruise mug and a Wonder ornament and was happy with my purchases. I also spied some cruise PJ's but didn't buy them at this time. I got back and Andrew had left out the towel animal and navigator for me to see.



After a classic Mickey cartoon, Aria went to sleep in her little pull down twin and we pulled the curtains shut - we were able to rotate the TV so it was on our side of the curtain and we watched a little more before going to sleep ourselves. So this first night we missed the first show of the cruise - All Aboard! Let the magic begin. Hopefully we didn't miss too much!

One other thing to note - we did sign up for the free small amount of data. (you had to do this during a small window of time on this first day). Unfortunately that data went very, very quickly. Due to the new pet sitter and our snow situation, we did end up paying for some data during the cruise to check emails.

Coming up next - At Sea day! Some great character meets, a fever, and some fun

Your photos are great and I love your trip report! The cake looks delicous and the picture of Aria looking at the Ariel Statue defiantly melted my heart!

 

[Dugette]

HOW does izzy not like pizza? Scratch that. HOW has she never tried it?!!??! Every single Friday is pizza night at our house. I get my own pizza since I like cheese with Jalapenos and Andrew & Aria like pepperoni lol.

I know, it's ridiculous! She won't even try it, but insists she "doesn't like it, but will like it when I get as big as Daddy." Whatever, more for me. We actually ate pizza tonight, but don't have a regular night or anything. Izzy ate apples and cereal.

However, this afternoon, I did actually find the one pizza in existence that she actually liked and ate:

 

[cindianne320]

:haha: Oh, Izzy!

 

[khertz]

Despite the changes in plans (and the topple from the stroller...ouch!) it sounds like a lovely day! Aria intent on drawing her sun at dinner is just precious. And for a restaurant in France, that pizza looks darn good!

 

[Imagineer5]

All in all sounds like a nice day and you definitely got to see some classic sites like Notre Dame and Moulin Ruge and of course the park by the Eiffel Tower

Looks like things worked out in the end with the change of dinner plans which is nice

Overall it seems like, other than the Holocaust Museum being closed, touring on a Sunday was good with less traffic

It was a great day and fun to drive around too. SUnday wasn't bad at all!

Your photos are great and I love your trip report! The cake looks delicous and the picture of Aria looking at the Ariel Statue defiantly melted my heart!

Aw thank you so much!! I want to do another cruise SO BADLY!

I know, it's ridiculous! She won't even try it, but insists she "doesn't like it, but will like it when I get as big as Daddy." Whatever, more for me. We actually ate pizza tonight, but don't have a regular night or anything. Izzy ate apples and cereal.

However, this afternoon, I did actually find the one pizza in existence that she actually liked and ate:

View attachment 179439 View attachment 179438

LOL that pizza does look good!

Despite the changes in plans (and the topple from the stroller...ouch!) it sounds like a lovely day! Aria intent on drawing her sun at dinner is just precious. And for a restaurant in France, that pizza looks darn good!

It was!! It was nice to have so REALLY good pizza, too, despite all the amazing French food around!

 

[schmass]

Just catching up now! That is amazing that you saw the Mona Lisa with no one else around! I'm sorry about your fall off the stroller, but I have to say you look amazing in your photos. I wouldn't even know you were pregnant just by looking at them. I hope to be around here more frequently - work has been crazy, plus I'm planning Lola's FIRST BIRTHDAY party - don't know how that is happening already!

 

[Imagineer5]

Just catching up now! That is amazing that you saw the Mona Lisa with no one else around! I'm sorry about your fall off the stroller, but I have to say you look amazing in your photos. I wouldn't even know you were pregnant just by looking at them. I hope to be around here more frequently - work has been crazy, plus I'm planning Lola's FIRST BIRTHDAY party - don't know how that is happening already!

I feel like Maya doubled in size during the trip, by the end of it you won't be saying that! WOW, can't believe it, although I guess Maya's is just 4 months away. Eek.

 

[Imagineer5]

Sorry for the delay, again, summer has been so super busy between weekend's away and our Cape Cod family vacation week and all that. But here we go on to our final full day in Paris.

This morning we had a later start since the first museum we wanted to visit didn't open until 11. We planned to be out all day though so that was nice to relax (and pack) this morning. Also a visit to the local Patisserie was in order for breakfast.

We brought the goodies back and enjoyed them on the deck

And soon we headed out. Our first stop was a short 10 minute walk away - we were visiting Paris' sewers! I read this is a fun activity for kids (and it was included on the museum pass) so we decided to check it out. We left the stroller up above and soon descended below the city.

At first it wasn't too bad under there

But then...we found the stink!

It was REALLY bad so at that point we hightailed it out of there for the fresh air above. We walked along the Seine heading for the bridge across to our next destination

We were heading to a maritime museum, knowing Andrew would really appreciate that!

On the way we found another carousel though, and Aria needed a ride

She chose this one - it rocks back and forth

We had a bit of a walk ahead of us, but behind us was the Eiffel tower so we had to grab some photos of the view

continued in next post...

 

[Imagineer5]

Pretty soon we made it to the Maritime museum and headed inside (again, it was part of the museum pass). It was pretty empty and we didn't opt for the headsets and instead just perused the museum on our own. We saw this beautiful Japanese royal boat

We love globes and they had a beautiful display of them at the museum

Can you imagine wearing this?

This trophy for Jules Verne was literally hanging in this case. We could not find any strings or any way for it to be suspended inside. (I just looked it up and it's in a magnetic field)

A rendition of the solar system

This ended up being a really neat museum and we all really enjoyed it! I would definitely revisit it. It was also not busy as it isn't high on the touristy list so that seemed to help.

After our visit, we found a spot to sit outside and ate our leftover pizza that we'd brought with us (stuffed it under the stroller lol). Made for a quick and free lunch! Then we laid Aria's stroller down and she took a nap while we strolled towards the Arc de Triumph. We had about 2 hours until we planned to meet Marina & Eric there and head up together, so we meandered our way there while Aria napped.

We saw many business people on lunch and it seemed like a very local area of Paris - much less touristy than other areas we'd walked.

But soon we were seeing this sight, though we had arrived an hour or so early and Aria was still soundly sleeping, so we opted to find an outdoor café and order a snack.

I wanted to try the Parisian favorite, a tarte tatin (apple cake sort of). I had a sprite type thing and Andrew had a beer. They also brought out little cups of olives and peanuts to snack on. We people watched and just relaxed for quite some time.

Eventually at about 10 minutes to 3 we woke up Aria and I took her in to change and use the bathroom, and then we wound our way to the Arc. It's at the center of a very busy roundabout, so you actually have to find stairs that go underground to walk underneath the roadway and then come back up. At the Arc de Triumph, our Museum Passes get us in free, but for some reason you have to stop and get a free children's ticket. The line was crazy long for tickets so I sort of flagged someone down and asked about the free ticket and she ran and grabbed us one immediately - so nice!

It was hard to capture the true size of it!

Once inside we saw Marina coming over to tell us they still needed to buy tickets. To get up to the top, there are stairs - but a hidden elevator is available for those with strollers or wheelchairs - so we headed there and told them we'd meet them at the top (they are very athletic and wanted to climb the steps).

What a view!

continued in next post!

 

[Imagineer5]

Soon Marian & Eric joined us and we got a family photo

Aria loves Eric!

After checking out all the angles and taking more photos we headed down, this time they took the elevator with us. We were spending the rest of the day with Marina and Eric- I wanted to "shop" along the Champs Elysees, which was the largest street in one of the photos above - and it ends at L'Orangerie, which *typically* has an amazing Monet exhibit with his water lilies painting...

So off we went - here is the Swarovski store

We also saw a store with a 3-story slide that looked really cool (10 euros to ride) and a Mercedes shop which was decked out with Jurassic World jeeps since I guess they helped sponsor that movie. And of course - we had to stop at the Disney Store!!

This store was SO much fun. So this Mickey statue (above) was in the stairway between the main floor and the lower floor of the store. Aria saw him and yelled " MICKEY!! I LOVE MICKEY"" super loud. It made me SO excited for where we were headed the next day!

We didn't buy anything in the store, but looking back on it I wished we had. I thought I had read that the Disneyland parks had more merchandise than the paris store so it was a waste to buy them there, but they actually had some really cute shirts that I never did see again! boo

Anyway we ended up at the end of the Champs Elysees and came upon some beautiful fountains

Near here, I saw a twinkling Eiffel tower thing that I thought would make a really cool ornament, it was 26 euros though so I decided to pass. Man would I regret that later on!

And then found the entrance to L'Orangerie museum. Only to be told that the Monet's Water Lilies room was closed for renovations!! There isn't much else to the museum so Marina & Eric opted to stay outside (they didn't have a museum pass) and we went inside for 5 minutes just to see the rest.

photos were allowed, and we liked these:

But it wasn't the same. This is what I had come for:

I guess we'll have to revisit some other time!

The museum is in the Tulieres Gardens and now we had quite a bit of time to kill. It was 5PM and dinner wasn't until 7 (the restaurant opened at 7!). So naturally we went in search of a playground for Aria.

And we found a carousel! LOL. This time, Aria chose a tea cup like ride (she was able to twirl the cup as it went around)

It was a beautiful carousel

And then we found a really cool playground

BTW, this was free as well, and very clean and well kept!

There was also a trampoline area that you pay about 5 euros and get 10 minutes to jump. Aria loved this! This ended up being a really fun and relaxing afternoon.

Nearby I had it in my notes there was the highly rated Angelina's Hot Chocolate so we decided on a pre-dinner treat there!

Outside, Andrew had his own sort of eye candy

And inside we bought some chocolates, hot chocolate to bring home, and shared a hot chocolate as well

We decided to make our way to dinner, although it was still closed - restaurant Le Souffle

Across the street was a little garment shop with some really nice coats in the window that caught my eye. I didn't take any photos, but ended up buying a really neat coat after trying a few on. The elderly lady running the shop spoke no English but was really friendly and sweet despite our lack of French.

And soon we were able to go to dinner. I had made reservations here for their first seating. They have a menu chock full of Souffles. They offer a 3 course Souffle menu for around 30 Euros and the food, wait staff, and ambiance are very nice.

Aria started off with some milk (no kids cups here). The candy on her plate was from the garment shop and she had to eat her dinner in order to get it...

I had a tomato and basil soufflé to start with

Just to give you an idea, here are the savory soufflés offered:


NOS SOUFFLÉS SALÉS


OUR SAVOURY SOUFFLES


Soufflé fromage cheese 14 €

Soufflé aux épinards spinach 14 €

Soufflé jambon & fromage ham & cheese 15 €

Soufflé tomate & basilic tomato & basil 15 €

Soufflé chèvre & tapenade goat cheese & olive tapenade 16 €

Soufflé forestier mushrooms 16 €


Soufflé Henri IV sauce volaille aux champignons


cheese souffle with chicken & mushrooms sauce


17 €


Soufflé boeuf bourguignon beef bourguignon 17 €

Soufflé brochet aux écrevisses pikefish souffle & crayfish sauce 17 €

Soufflé feta & saumon feta cheese & salmon 17 €

Soufflé aux asperges vertes & blanches green & white asparagus 18 €


And the dessert ones:


NOS SOUFFLÉS SUCRÉS


OUR SWEET SOUFFLES


Soufflé Grand Marnier Grand Marnier 12 €

Soufflé chocolat & sa sauce chocolat chocolate 11 €

Soufflé pomme & calvados apple & calvados 12 €

Soufflé abricot & pêche apricot & peach 11 €

Soufflé rhubarbe rhubarb 11 €


Soufflé crème brûlée coeur chocolat blanc


crème brûlée with white chocolate heart


11 €


Soufflé aux framboises raspberry 11 €


Soufflé vanille, amandes & glace caramel


vanilla, almonds & toffy ice cream


11 €


Soufflé marquise chocolate with fresh cream & rum 12 €

Soufflé antillais & ses raisins au rhum vanilla, rum & grapes 11 €

Soufflé pistache & sa sauce chocolat pistachio nut & chocolate 11 €

Découverte du Grand Marnier tasting plate with Grand Marnier

(Supplément aux menus de 3 €)





We all opted for the 3-course, and Andrew and I shared ours with Aria vs ordering her a whole meal too.

Andrew started with the broccoli and cheese

For our mains, I had the chicken and mushroom, and Andrew had the beef. Mine was delicious and Andrew really enjoyed his too. Mine was sort of like a French chicken pot pie lol, and Aria really enjoyed it (could have gotten her her own)

Dessert soufflés were the chocolate with chocolate sauce for me and the apple with calvados for Andrew - it came with a short of calvados which was fun for him lol!

This meal was one of my top 3 during our time in France. I would 100% want to return when we go back to Paris! Plus it was fun with Marina and Eric as they are just really fun company.

Afterwards, we had to make the very long trek back to our apartment. I really wish I had my Fitbit then! Aria fell asleep during the walk back, and again the city felt "safe" even through all the different neighborhoods.

We made it back just as the 10PM Eiffel tower twinkling lights started so it was a magical way to end the evening.

 

[cindianne320]

Sounds like a fantastic day! Sorry the museum room was closed- bummer! I love all the carousels and fun outdoor parks! And YUM- that food looks delicious!

 

[Dugette]

It was REALLY bad so at that point we hightailed it out of there for the fresh air above.

So, worthwhile or not?

Nice family picture!

This trophy for Jules Verne was literally hanging in this case. We could not find any strings or any way for it to be suspended inside. (I just looked it up and it's in a magnetic field)

Wow, that's very cool.

I wanted to try the Parisian favorite, a tarte tatin (apple cake sort of). I had a sprite type thing and Andrew had a beer. They also brought out little cups of olives and peanuts to snack on. We people watched and just relaxed for quite some time.

Sounds lovely. How was your apple cake thing?

What a view!

So off we went - here is the Swarovski store

Well, that is one sparkly staircase. I feel like Aria should be wearing a princess dress or something.

This store was SO much fun. So this Mickey statue (above) was in the stairway between the main floor and the lower floor of the store. Aria saw him and yelled " MICKEY!! I LOVE MICKEY"" super loud. It made me SO excited for where we were headed the next day!

Awww, you've trained her well!

And then found the entrance to L'Orangerie museum. Only to be told that the Monet's Water Lilies room was closed for renovations!!

Oh no! What a bummer! I mentioned this to Dug (he loves Monet too) and he said it's very high on his list, as he's never seen it in his previous trips.

I guess we'll have to revisit some other time!

Well, yes, I guess you have to now.

And we found a carousel! LOL.

Ha, I'm starting to think there are just carousels at every street corner in Paris.

BTW, this was free as well, and very clean and well kept!

There was also a trampoline area that you pay about 5 euros and get 10 minutes to jump. Aria loved this! This ended up being a really fun and relaxing afternoon.

Looks like a really fun park!

Just to give you an idea, here are the savory soufflés offered:

Mmmmm, yum! So many things sound good!

This meal was one of my top 3 during our time in France. I would 100% want to return when we go back to Paris!

Thanks for the recommendation - I would love that place.

I really wish I had my Fitbit then!

I bet that day would have earned you some badges or something!

 

[chookie94]

That restaurant sounds amazing. I didn't realise there were so any different types of Soufflé! That has gone on my list for must dos in paris

 

[Imagineer5]

Sounds like a fantastic day! Sorry the museum room was closed- bummer! I love all the carousels and fun outdoor parks! And YUM- that food looks delicious!

Despite ALL the planning, we still hit a road bump! Oh well!

So, worthwhile or not?


Nice family picture!


Wow, that's very cool.


Sounds lovely. How was your apple cake thing?





Well, that is one sparkly staircase. I feel like Aria should be wearing a princess dress or something.


Awww, you've trained her well!


Oh no! What a bummer! I mentioned this to Dug (he loves Monet too) and he said it's very high on his list, as he's never seen it in his previous trips.


Well, yes, I guess you have to now.


Ha, I'm starting to think there are just carousels at every street corner in Paris.


Looks like a really fun park!


Mmmmm, yum! So many things sound good!


Thanks for the recommendation - I would love that place.


I bet that day would have earned you some badges or something!

We had fun in the sewer - it was memorable at least and agree that it was neat for aria. Since it was free (with museum pass) I think it was a worthwhile stop.

Eh I can take or leave the Tarte Tatin lol!

Seriously, Aria got to ride practically a carousel a day during our trip.

 

[Imagineer5]

That restaurant sounds amazing. I didn't realise there were so any different types of Soufflé! That has gone on my list for must dos in paris

I know! I make a chocolate one with hazelnut and I've done a goat cheese one before. But I'd much rather leave the work up to chefs lol! It was fabulous.

 

[schmass]

I would not be able to handle the sewer tour - I would be way too scared of rats!

Wow, the view from the Arc are amazing! You got so many great family pictures that day as well.

SO many carousels! Lucky Aria!

That glass of milk would make me so nervous!

Sounds like you had a great day!

 

[Imagineer5]

I would not be able to handle the sewer tour - I would be way too scared of rats!

Wow, the view from the Arc are amazing! You got so many great family pictures that day as well.

SO many carousels! Lucky Aria!

That glass of milk would make me so nervous!

Sounds like you had a great day!

Hahaha, yes, even at 4.5 I like Aria getting kids cups in restaurants (and at home, lol). This was at 3.5! Luckily there were no incidents though and she enjoyed her "adult" glass.

the Arc was a fun thing to do, and we wanted to do it in the daytime since we'd gone up the Eiffel tower at night.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Looks like a really nice day and good mix of getting quite a bit done but not being jammed packed so you had some rest time as well

That playground looks really fun as do all the carousels

Bummer that a couple of times you decided against buying something but later wished you had pulled the trigger - always a tough decision to make

Dinner looks great! They each look quite large too - did they taste light though?