First Solo Trip Complete
 

Time to start my Pre Trip Report! I am off next Monday and I wonder if this will be a looooong week waiting to go!:rolleyes1


Who is going?
That would be me on my very first solo Disney trip! I am a teacher:teacher:, American expat living in Turkey who has recently developed a Disney addiction after taking my Mom on a trip to WDW for her 70th birthday back in September 2009.
http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47b9...D550/ry%3D400/

It has been 6 months now and it is time to return to the magic!:wizard: The last time I was at DLRP was 1994 :scared1:a very long time ago and it was still called Euro Disney then! Time has come to go and I don't live so far away!:idea:No excuse for a "disneyless" life!:rotfl:

So I am really looking forward to seeing all the changes - I am sure there are lots of them! I am also excited to stay on property for the first time:thumbsup2 - the Santa Fe. Last trip was a very short day trip out from Paris.

So hopefully in a very short while I will be starting my trip report!

Have a great time :goodvibes

ooooohh, only a week to go now!!! :yay:

I think you'll see quite a few changes on your trip, hopefully all good ones! :goodvibes I'll look forward to reading your TR :thumbsup2

I hate waiting! So to help the time pass more quickly I'll post some of my preliminary plans.:surfweb:

We've had some snow here this morning (mostly rain) - which just reminded me to check that I am taking enough warm clothing with me! I've got the thermals ready but need to check the rain gear - wondering if I should buy a rain poncho there - do they have them? How much are they?

I'll be flying into Orly noonish on March 22-
Taking the VEA shuttle to my hotel - Disney's Santa Fe

After checking into my hotel - I will head to Disneyland Park to soak in the magic of Main Street USA - and maybe get a little "homesick" and have something for dinner that I can't usually get here in Turkey - a croque monsiour, or bbq from Cowboy Cookout (Texas girl here) or a hot dog from Casey's:rotfl:!

I may start in Fantasyland for rides if it is not too crowded - "It's a Small World"! Just gets me in that Disney mood!:goodvibes:wizard::goodvibes

Head back to the Santa Fe for a good night's sleep in a comfy bed. (I hope!):rolleyes: I am looking forward to that - I am not on friendly terms with my mattress at the moment (very poor quality bought 6 years ago at the used furniture pazar - I know bad:sad2:).

One of the things I am looking forward to as this is my first solo trip is being able to change my plan as I choose. I have loose plans with general ideas of rides to hit first/EMH/Fastpass but I am looking forward to going on a whim!:woohoo: We'll see how that works!

Your plans sound great! Looking forward to hearing more. :)

Hope you have a great trip ... we will just miss you! We are arriving late on the 25th March, hope we have some good weather, the UK is lovely at the moment :goodvibes

I am a little nervous about the weather - I hope it is good too! I keep checking the weather reports - well, how can I not enjoy Disney even if it is raining!?:lmao:

Have a great trip!

Shoe Advice Anyone?
 

I have been looking at the weather report which calls for light rain on one day.

Are ponchos better than umbrellas?

Are crocs really dangerous in wet weather - has anyone worn them at DLP in the rain?

I was thinking to wear all weather walking shoes and bring my winter crocs for comfort - and my mickey crocs if I can fit them in my suitcase - just because it is Disney!

Three pairs of shoes for 4 days sounds a little excessive to me but I can't decide which to leave at home!:rolleyes1

Always take extra shoes so that you're covered for when one pair get wet in the rain!

What are Mickey crocs?? (Am I going to regret asking?!!)

You probably won't want to be carrying a wet umbrella around with you when the rain stops? :confused3 We opted for very attractive pac-a-macs which fold up into a small pouch & can be kept in a handbag. That said some umbrellas are quite compact and it's not like you'll be holding hands of small people or pushing a buggy like I was!! :)

Oh, decisions, decisions! Always take as many shoes as you can possibly fit into your luggage!! :thumbsup2

Thanks for your help! I am not sure if I can find a pac-a-mac but I can look anyway. If I take my mini umbrella I guess I should take a sturdy plastic bag to put it in so my purse doesn't get water logged.

These are mickey crocs - very comfortable but probably not practical - especially if it is cold and rainy!:rolleyes: Mine are dark blue.

http://demandware.edgesuite.net/aadb..._angle_643.jpg

Now I may seriously consider bringing all three pair!:goodvibes

Time is Flying!
 

Oh my goodness - time is almost here and I am sooo excited!:yay: I can hardly stand it!

I am off to the city center to get some more Euros - I have decided I want to have enough to buy an annual pass if I decide I really want one - right now I am leaning towards a Francilien annual pass. I have been considering a June trip and it looks like the off site hotels are heaps more affordable for that time period. Also need to pay some bills - water, phone, internet, natural gas and once that is done just the last minute shopping left!:goodvibes

I have packed and the Mickey crocs must be left behind.:sad2: The fashion police should be happy!:rotfl: It was between the crocs and my hair dryer and the hair dryer won! I will take my mini umbrella though and a good zip lock bag.

Have a Disney Day Everyone! :wizard: :wizard: :wizard:
It's a Disney State of Mind!

Only 3 more sleeps for you! You must be getting VERY excited! :dance3:

:woohoo::yay::dance3::banana::cool1::goodvibes: :cheer2::worship::cool1::goodvibes:dance3:

Shame about the Mickey Crocs - they would have been perfect!! Still, they won't be in many of the photos - but your hair will!! :rotfl2:

Have a fab time :cheer2: and good luck getting some sleep before you go!! :lmao:

I'm Back!
 

Hi Everyone!:goodvibes

I got back late last night around 11:00pm - so a long day but a good night's rest did wonders! I had a GREAT time and thoroughly enjoy DLRP! Hope to be getting the TR with photos out fairly soon.

In a nutshell:
The weather was FANTASTIC!!! :goodvibes:goodvibes And I had packed a ton of cold weather gear - :rotfl: - oh well - be prepared as the scouts say!

I loved the Santa Fe - for the price can't be beat! I had a room in building 14 - near the parks and the river with a lift. I LOVED this location!:thumbsup2 I really loved the walk from the Santa Fe to the village. When you walk by the Sequoia Lodge there is a smell there that I recognize from Muir Woods - a forest of redwoods in San Francisco where I lived a few years. So I am wondering is a "magical addition":wizard: or does is come from the trees themselves?

DLP is so beautiful and I am ever amazed at the artistry and creativity - the imagineers really have done some of their best work in this park. Main Street USA is so detailed and lovely. I thought the arcades were perfect examples of this and I spent some time taking photos of tiles, windows, displays etc. Discoveryland too - love the HG Wells influence there. Fantasyland - gorgeous really- right out of a picture book.

Pirates of the Caribbean is really well done - as is Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. A++++ again to the imagineers! These attractions are really top notch!

I was able to ride my favorites several times! This was a happy discovery!

Not so happy moments:
I developed an excruciating migrane :sick:after riding Space Mountain. Hmmmm - not so young anymore. I thought how bad can it be - I've been on Superman at Fiesta Texas - is it worse than that ?- in a nutshell - YES! Superman is smooth - flying type of feeling - Space Mountain - is jerky and bangs your head around while doing all the cork screws and loops- I spent all of my energy trying to keep my head in a safe position the whole ride and didn't enjoy it one iota! Now I am sure there are many who find this to be their favorite ride but I will stay away from that one from now on. Lesson learned. I spent four hours in my hotel room recovering -:sick: - but on the plus side the room was comfortable, dark and very quiet.


Well - all in all a wonderful trip! On Wednesday I went to the annual passport office at around 10:00am when the park opened to the general public. It took about five minutes and now I am a happy owner of a Francilien Annual Pass! I was amazed at how pleasant the CM's were - very helpful and the process was so easy! So now - must decide when I will go again!:yay: