Show No Fear! DIS Exclusive Viva Italia+DLP TR Sept 2014*COMPLETE* New TR link added 7/3

[khertz]

I really don't want your TR to be done. Say it isn't so?????

What a gorgeous view of the park from breakfast.

Talk about the perfect EMH! WOW! What a dream come true.

I had no idea Space Mtn had an actual launch. Cool. I wonder how many unsuspecting guests have been startled by THAT?

Lovely pics inside Peter Pan and inside the entire park. Those Main Street / Castle pics are gorgeous.

I feel like it has been going on FOREVER!!! lol And I'm ready to recap our Disneyland trip. But I'll still be sad to see this one come to and end.

It was absolutely perfect. A beautiful view to start the morning.

We were one of those unsuspecting guests startled by the launch on Space!! lol It definitely got me.

Thanks!

Perfect view while enjoying breakfast. And as always, the pictures are phenomenal.

Wow. I guess the French just don't get in a hurry? Good news for the crazy American tourists!!!!

That is just unreal!!!!

Great picture!

No... it can't be. Where is everyone???????

This is one of the reasons I'd really love to visit DLP. I really want to ride this version of Space Mountain!

This is just unbelievable!!!

You can really get through things when you're the only ones in the park, can't you???

I couldn't believe the lack of people that early in the morning! Not sure if it was luck or what, but we were pleased as punch about it, as it certainly made the morning productive.

Space Mountain is just one of the many reasons I could recommend a trip to DLP.

Would you recommend the Trastevere food tour, even for non-foodies? My daughter and I are vegetarians, plus she is a picky eater. I'm trying to decided if it's worth it, knowing we may not eat a lot of the food. I'm imagining 4 hours of non-stop food. Do they give you a ton of food, or is it small portions and then a lot of walking in between places? I've really been enjoying your TR. We leave in less than a month and are also doing DLP. Can't wait!

I can't even tell you how much DH and I are NOT foodies!! The vegetarian aspect shouldn't be a problem. I can only think of one single stop that had meat, so it will be easy to avoid. As to the picky situation, DH and I are pretty picky too, but we both agreed before the trip to be more open minded and we tried everything except a salad at the wine cellar stop. If you don't think your daughter would be willing to try new things, it may not be worth the price, as it is really paying for the food. All of the stops except for the last one at a restaurant with 3 pastas to try were small portions. We also spent a nice bit of time at each stop which broke up all of the walking. It was not non-stop food, and I would say it was very well paced. We didn't feel stuffed after, but were definitely satisfied. I hope that can help you make a decision!

 

[khertz]

Day 11 Continued: Thursday September 25th

I forgot to post this picture with my last update, DH riding Space Mountain with a really lively group of fellow park-goers...

DLP 2-088 by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

It was getting to the end of the magic hour, and there wasn't really a whole lot else open that we hadn't done yet. So we wandered back to the Castle to take some more pictures with the Halloween decorations out front.

DLP 2-089 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


DLP 2-091 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


DLP 2-092 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


DLP 2-093 by disneymom1024, on Flickr

DLP 2-094 by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

Then we remembered that this Castle has a walkthrough too, so we decided to check that out. This ended up being one of the coolest things, well, EVER, and it totally made me wish DS was with us because he would have absolutely loved it!

DLP 2-095 by disneymom1024, on Flickr

DLP 2-099 by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

​

There is a real freaking dragon down there! Well, as real of a dragon as Disney Magic can make.

DLP 2-097 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


DLP 2-098 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


DLP 2-100 by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

The dragon was just amazing. Every few minutes, it would lay down and close its eyes so it just looked like it was sleeping. Then it would wake up and look around and snarl for a few minutes. What an awesome touch!

There was a short set of stairs with, I think, a shop at the top.

DLP 2-101 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


DLP 2-102 by disneymom1024, on Flickr
The dragon from above


DLP 2-103 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


DLP 2-104 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


DLP 2-105 by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

Somewhere along the way, we bought a couple of coins and a magnet to bring home, either at the shop in the Castle (if one exists, my memory is a little fuzzy now 8 months later) or down Main Street, where we headed next. We took our time walking out of the park, DH snapping a few pictures as we went.

DLP 2-106 by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

Since the magic morning was over, and we wanted to check out the headliners at the Studios park, we wanted to get over there as close to opening as possible. Along the way, we stopped in front of our hotel and tried to use the wifi signal to check in for our flight.

DLP 2-107 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


DLP 2-108 by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

But the wifi signal was bad outside of the building, and as we got through a couple of prompts, we needed to add in our passport info. So we made a quick run up to the room to add all of that in. Just one more benefit of the hotel being practically inside of the park! It took no time at all and then we were headed over to the Studios.

The setup of the two parks is similar to Disneyland and California Adventure, but instead of just an open plaza, there are lots of little walkways with topiaries. It's a pretty little walk between the parks! Now, we both didn't have very high expectations of this park, because the reviews say it is pretty terrible. But it did have two big attractions we were eager to try, Crush's Coaster, and the new Ratatouille attraction. Even Dusty told us those two were the only reason to visit the Studios.

DLP 2-110 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


DLP 2-111 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


DLP 2-112 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


DLP 2-113 by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

The entrance leads you into Disney Studio 1, which is an enclosed area of shops and restaurants that are to look like a Hollywood soundstage. It was actually pretty cool, so I started thinking maybe we had been wrong to judge the park before we had given it a chance.

DLP 2-114 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


DLP 2-115 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


DLP 2-116 by disneymom1024, on Flickr
They had a Cars attraction, so we took this one for DS.


DLP 2-117 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


DLP 2-118 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


DLP 2-119 by disneymom1024, on Flickr
This Toy Story Playland looked pretty cool, but we didn't venture inside.​

Instead we headed right for Crush's Coaster to try to get on, but the ride was down. No worries, Ratatouille was right nearby, so we went there next. The outside of this attraction is really fantastic!

DLP 2-120 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


DLP 2-121 by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

Oh, guess what? That attraction was down too! Well, at least this park has Rock'n'Roller Coaster, so we went to ride that and see if by the time we were done, one of the other two would be up and running. Along the way, we passed a vehicle from Armageddon that DH was excited about for some reason.

DLP 2-123 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


DLP 2-124 by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

DENIED. That attraction was also not working!! We passed Tower of Terror, but by then we were so annoyed, we skipped it and decided to go back to Disneyland.

DLP 2-122 by disneymom1024, on Flickr
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It was a complete waste of nearly 40 minutes as we wandered around the park and found every single headliner was not operational. By then, we were starting to think Studios had lived up to its less than stellar reputation.

DLP 2-125 by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

That's the last photo we took inside of the Studios on our way out. They may have gas, but they don't have much else!!

Continued in next post...

 

[khertz]

Day 11 Continued: Thursday September 25th

We went back across the courtyard and into Disneyland, where we headed straight to Frontierland.

DLP 2-126 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


DLP 2-127 by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

Take note, WDW, you should decorate the rest of the park with the fall/Halloween decorations, not just Main Street!

It was finally time to ride Big Thunder Mountain! We had missed out on it the day before because it was starting to rain, and I don't think it was open during the early entry hour, if I am remembering correctly. There was still no real wait for anything, so within a few minutes, we were boarding our train. The queue was pretty cool.

DLP 2-128 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


DLP 2-129 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


DLP 2-130 by disneymom1024, on Flickr

DLP 2-132 by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

Once we were on our train and took off, it was very similar to its U.S. counterparts. However, as it kept going, we both thought it seemed longer than either of those versions. And it's already a long attraction to begin with!

DLP 2-133 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


DLP 2-135 by disneymom1024, on Flickr
View of Phantom Manor from the top of the hill​

We stopped in a shop on the way out of Frontierland and found a cute DLP shirt for me and one for DS. Then we started talking about lunch. We figured since we had gotten a lot more accomplished the afternoon before than we had planned, we could take the time to use one of our vouchers properly and have a sit down meal. We have never eaten at the Blue Bayou restaurant in DL, and since there is a similar restaurant in DLP called Blue Lagoon that is inside the Pirates attraction and the park was so dead, we thought we might be able to make it in for lunch as a walkup. So we made our way towards Adventureland.

DLP 2-137 by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

But before heading straight to the restaurant, we were sidetracked by a 5 minute wait at Indiana Jones, so we decided to ride again. Better to do it before lunch than after, am I right??

DLP 2-138 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


DLP 2-139 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


DLP 2-140 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


DLP 2-141 by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

Sufficiently rattled by Indiana Jones, we continued on towards the restaurant. We found a couple of Wilderness Explorers along the way. Caw Caw! Rawr!

DLP 2-142 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


DLP 2-144 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


DLP 2-145 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


DLP 2-146 by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

We made it to Blue Lagoon, and sure enough, there was no wait. Because the restaurant was closed. REALLY?! I guess there are some trade offs when you go at what is apparently such a slow time. I doubt we will ever dine inside of the Pirates attraction because this menu appealed to us a lot more than Blue Bayou, and we had the vouchers. We consulted the map quickly and saw another option on Main Street, so we made our way there.

DLP 2-147 by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

We ended up at the Plaza Gardens Restaurant, which is a buffet. If you have ever been to Disneyland, it is situated exactly where the Plaza Restaurant is located in regards to Main Street.

DLP 2-148 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


DLP 2-149 by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

The vouchers completely covered each of us for the buffet and our drinks. So at least we got one to use at full value! The selection was great. Lots of meats, pastas, and sides. Plus, there was an entire dessert buffet that I was eyeing for once I finished my food.

DLP 2-150 by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

We both ate a ton of food, but made sure to save plenty of room for dessert! I think between the two of us, we sampled one of everything.

DLP 2-151 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


DLP 2-152 by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

After a great lunch, we rolled ourselves out of the restaurant, but we didn't slow our pace. We still had plenty to see and do!

UP NEXT: An Afternoon in Fantasyland

 

[marDgreen88]

That dragon is so awesome! But that also reminds me of that random dragon that WDW hyped for months that only appeared for one night. Do you remember that? Most random thing ever! Anyways, I'm glad this dragon is more permanent.

Wow, what a headache about everything being closed! It's too bad you didn't get to do anything there, I'm sure those rides would have been cool. Then again, it's great that you got to spend more time at the park you really enjoyed!

 

[hokieinpa]

I love that dragon! That is seriously cool. Take notes, Disney World!

I'm sorry Studios was such a disappointment. I can't believe all of the major rides were down!

Lunch looks really yummy - different than most of the buffets at Disney World it seems!

 

[missangelalexis]

DH all by himself! He sure does look happy though!

The pumpkin heads are too cute, I especially love Minnie.

The walk-through looks SO cool.

Awesome shots of your hotel, looks so beautiful.

Disney Studio 1 looks so interesting!

OMG what bad luck you had at Studios, all 3 big rides down!? I would've been so dissapointed

Wow what an awesome picture you got of Phantom Manor while on BTMMR!

Bummer about Blue Lagoon being closed, but the alternative sounds like it was good!

 

[afwdwfan]

I forgot to post this picture with my last update, DH riding Space Mountain with a really lively group of fellow park-goers...

That is awesome. I still can't get over how dead the park was for you guys!

The dragon was just amazing. Every few minutes, it would lay down and close its eyes so it just looked like it was sleeping. Then it would wake up and look around and snarl for a few minutes. What an awesome touch!

I've heard there was a dragon there, but I had no idea what exactly it was/did. Thanks for the pictures and description!

The entrance leads you into Disney Studio 1, which is an enclosed area of shops and restaurants that are to look like a Hollywood soundstage. It was actually pretty cool, so I started thinking maybe we had been wrong to judge the park before we had given it a chance.

It does look like a pretty cool area.

Oh, guess what? That attraction was down too! Well, at least this park has Rock'n'Roller Coaster, so we went to ride that and see if by the time we were done, one of the other two would be up and running.

Wait a minute. How terrible can a park be if it has Rock n Rollercoaster in it?????

Along the way, we passed a vehicle from Armageddon that DH was excited about for some reason.

Ok, this one just seems completely random. Was it in the Rock n Rollercoaster area? Maybe an Aerosmith themed land?

DENIED. That attraction was also not working!! We passed Tower of Terror, but by then we were so annoyed, we skipped it and decided to go back to Disneyland.

Wow. That just stinks. I can't believe everything was closed!

It was a complete waste of nearly 40 minutes as we wandered around the park and found every single headliner was not operational. By then, we were starting to think Studios had lived up to its less than stellar reputation.

Such a waste. Especially when you only have a limited amount of time to begin with.

Once we were on our train and took off, it was very similar to its U.S. counterparts. However, as it kept going, we both thought it seemed longer than either of those versions. And it's already a long attraction to begin with!

Awesome! More BTMRR is always a good thing!

We made it to Blue Lagoon, and sure enough, there was no wait. Because the restaurant was closed. REALLY?!

You just can't really seem to catch a break.

After a great lunch, we rolled ourselves out of the restaurant, but we didn't slow our pace. We still had plenty to see and do!

Your Plan B for lunch looks great! I'm glad that you were able to take advantage of your voucher and sit down and relax a bit for lunch.

 

[DisneyKid4Life]

It was getting to the end of the magic hour, and there wasn't really a whole lot else open that we hadn't done yet.

You know, that's not a terribly bad problem to have. Means you accomplished a lot.

There is a real freaking dragon down there! Well, as real of a dragon as Disney Magic can make.

​

Holy wow!!!!!!! What was it? Animatronic? Projection? Something else? That is so cool!!

Hmmm, interesting that the partners statue is in the Studios park.

DENIED. That attraction was also not working!!

Well, I can see why this park doesn't get much love. Wow.

Take note, WDW, you should decorate the rest of the park with the fall/Halloween decorations, not just Main Street!

So true. And I think this applies to all the seasons. Such a shame.

Oh look, someone taking buffet pictures. Must be a DISer.

 

[Cousin Orville]

I feel your pain about Disney Studios. If you want to see what happens to a Disney Park with minimal budget... this is a prime example. Sorry that the only things worthwhile were closed. That stinks. Especially about Ratatouille. I haven't seen it yet, but it looks impressive. Certainly the exterior looks amazing. I'm hoping it's the first of a greater movement to redesign the park. Back in October it was reported Disney was about to spend some serious cash to do so.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/artic...ro-bailout-proves-paris-parks-too-big-to-fail

 

[MEK]

WoW - that dragon is SO super cool. I had NO idea that existed.

OK - I love the SM picture with no one on it but your DH. Too funny!

The pictures of the castle and the halloween decorations in the foreground is just captivating. Wow! Actually - all of the pictures in this update are just amazing.

It's hard for me to believe BTMMR could be any longer, but I'll take your word for it.

I agree with you - the MK should definitely add more Halloween decorations throughout the park. Each year they seem to do a tad bit more, but there's still room for more additions.

 

[khertz]

That dragon is so awesome! But that also reminds me of that random dragon that WDW hyped for months that only appeared for one night. Do you remember that? Most random thing ever! Anyways, I'm glad this dragon is more permanent.

Wow, what a headache about everything being closed! It's too bad you didn't get to do anything there, I'm sure those rides would have been cool. Then again, it's great that you got to spend more time at the park you really enjoyed!

I do remember hearing about that random dragon...What was that even about?! lol Even without seeing the other one, I have to say this one is waaaaay better because you can see it without having to be part of a media event.

We definitely weren't too upset about spending more time in Disneyland Paris as it is clearly the better of the two parks. If park hoppers hadn't have been included we wouldn't have even ventured over to the other park anyway, so it was all lagniappe. It was just annoying that we wasted so much time walking from attraction to attraction and finding them all down!

I love that dragon! That is seriously cool. Take notes, Disney World!

I'm sorry Studios was such a disappointment. I can't believe all of the major rides were down!

Lunch looks really yummy - different than most of the buffets at Disney World it seems!

It was seriously the coolest thing I have ever seen inside of one of the Castles. WDW's is at the very bottom of the totem pole when it comes to Castle entertainment, that's for sure. The Sleeping Beauty walkthrough in DL is great, but can't come close to that DLP dragon!

We couldn't believe the bad luck that we went over there and ALL of the major attractions weren't working.

It was a really delicious buffet, with so much to choose from! We don't usually do buffets for lunch and dinner in WDW because they are more expensive than the breakfasts, but it was totally worth doing with the vouchers to cover everything!

DH all by himself! He sure does look happy though!

The pumpkin heads are too cute, I especially love Minnie.

The walk-through looks SO cool.

Awesome shots of your hotel, looks so beautiful.

Disney Studio 1 looks so interesting!

OMG what bad luck you had at Studios, all 3 big rides down!? I would've been so dissapointed

Wow what an awesome picture you got of Phantom Manor while on BTMMR!

Bummer about Blue Lagoon being closed, but the alternative sounds like it was good!

LoL I know, his huge cheesy smile all by himself just cracks me up!

The Minnie pumpkin was my favorite too, and I love how DH got that great shot with just Minnie and the castle in the background. The dragon walkthrough was the most amazing thing I have ever seen in a Disney park!

Studios was a HUGE disappointment. All of the things we went for not working was a big dent in our plans. I hated that we wasted so much time away from DL just for that.

That is awesome. I still can't get over how dead the park was for you guys!

I've heard there was a dragon there, but I had no idea what exactly it was/did. Thanks for the pictures and description!

It does look like a pretty cool area.

Wait a minute. How terrible can a park be if it has Rock n Rollercoaster in it?????

Ok, this one just seems completely random. Was it in the Rock n Rollercoaster area? Maybe an Aerosmith themed land?

Wow. That just stinks. I can't believe everything was closed!

Such a waste. Especially when you only have a limited amount of time to begin with.

Awesome! More BTMRR is always a good thing!

You just can't really seem to catch a break.

Your Plan B for lunch looks great! I'm glad that you were able to take advantage of your voucher and sit down and relax a bit for lunch.

Although the crowds picked up throughout the day, it was still relatively dead compared to WDW on an average day. It was really great though to have those first few hours with almost NO ONE else there.

I didn't know there was a dragon at all until DH said we needed to go see it. It was SO cool to see in person! Glad I could share it with you!

OK spoiler alert, Rock n Roller Coaster stunk. I will definitely stick with the WDW version! I didn't even think of the Aerosmith connection to Armageddon, but suddenly it makes SO. MUCH. SENSE. They must really adore Steven Tyler there!! It was pretty close... Those crazy Parisians.

We were flabbergasted that all of the good rides were down at rope drop. It really sucked that we had wasted so much time when didn't have much to begin with. I would have been even more upset if we hadn't gotten so much time the afternoon before.

Blue Lagoon being closed was a bummer, but I don't think we did too bad with our backup lunch either. It was really good food! And it was even better because it was all covered with the vouchers.

You know, that's not a terribly bad problem to have. Means you accomplished a lot.



Holy wow!!!!!!! What was it? Animatronic? Projection? Something else? That is so cool!!



Hmmm, interesting that the partners statue is in the Studios park.



Well, I can see why this park doesn't get much love. Wow.



So true. And I think this applies to all the seasons. Such a shame.



Oh look, someone taking buffet pictures. Must be a DISer.

That's very true! We really got a lot done between the afternoon before and the extra magic hour.

It was an enormous animatronic! Really awesome!! The head would swing around, and the eyes would look all around, and I think the tail even moved. It was incredible!

I thought so too. And it wasn't really in a spot of prominence like it is in the U.S. parks. It was still cool to see it though.

Exactly. There is hardly anything there to begin with, but seriously, all the headliners down first thing in the morning?! Just ridiculous.

As wonderful as they do with Main Street, you know they are totally capable of making the rest of the park look great at Halloween and Christmas! DL does a better job with it, but WDW can do WAAAAAY better.

I can't even imagine what the Europeans thought of us taking pictures of the buffet and our plates.

I feel your pain about Disney Studios. If you want to see what happens to a Disney Park with minimal budget... this is a prime example. Sorry that the only things worthwhile were closed. That stinks. Especially about Ratatouille. I haven't seen it yet, but it looks impressive. Certainly the exterior looks amazing. I'm hoping it's the first of a greater movement to redesign the park. Back in October it was reported Disney was about to spend some serious cash to do so.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/artic...ro-bailout-proves-paris-parks-too-big-to-fail

I almost couldn't believe it was Disney with how pitiful it was in terms of attractions. While it does have those three headliners, there really isn't a whole lot to do there. The themeing left a lot to be desired, especially in the common areas. It could definitely use a huge overhaul. The Ratatouille ride looks totally out of place because the facade is so perfect to the movie!

WoW - that dragon is SO super cool. I had NO idea that existed.

OK - I love the SM picture with no one on it but your DH. Too funny!

The pictures of the castle and the halloween decorations in the foreground is just captivating. Wow! Actually - all of the pictures in this update are just amazing.

It's hard for me to believe BTMMR could be any longer, but I'll take your word for it.

I agree with you - the MK should definitely add more Halloween decorations throughout the park. Each year they seem to do a tad bit more, but there's still room for more additions.

I had no clue it was there too! I hadn't really done any research on the DLP attractions because I wanted everything to be a surprise. The dragon was definitely a GREAT surprise!!

I love it too. He is having a blast, all by himself!! lol

Thanks! He did a great job capturing the atmosphere.

They could do SO much more with the decorations at Halloween and Christmas! It's really kind of sad that they pretty much limit it all to Main Street. We all know they are capable of so much more!

 

[khertz]

Day 11 Continued: Thursday September 25th

After a delicious lunch at Plaza Gardens, we decided to head to Fantasyland to finish up the attractions there that we hadn't done. Much to DH's dismay, I kind of insisted on doing It's a Small World first. Yes, the song is a total earworm, but it doesn't bother me like it does some people (coughRobcough).

DLP 2-153 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


DLP 2-154 by disneymom1024, on Flickr
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The facade is not as impressive as DL's, but it is definitely a few notches above WDW's.

DLP 2-155 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


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DLP 2-157 by disneymom1024, on Flickr
Hey, we just saw that a few days ago!!


DLP 2-158 by disneymom1024, on Flickr
And took a ride on one of those!


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DLP 2-163 by disneymom1024, on Flickr
SOBER hippo?!


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DLP 2-169 by disneymom1024, on Flickr
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Okay, up next there was an extensive "America" area that really cracked us both up with its portrayals of the American people.

DLP 2-166 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


DLP 2-167 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


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We thought the whole thing was pretty funny, but by the time we got to the little football player, we were just cracking up laughing!! Once we were done with Small World, we moved on to a ride that has a similar counterpart in DL. There, it is know as the Storybook Land Canal Boats, but in DLP it is...

DLP 2-174 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


DLP 2-176 by disneymom1024, on Flickr
And then I'll brush and brush and brush and brush my hair!


DLP 2-177 by disneymom1024, on Flickr
Didn't know Rapunzel was called Raponce in France!


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Continued in next post...

 

[khertz]

Day 11 Continued: Thursday September 25th

DLP 2-190 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


DLP 2-191 by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

DLP 2-192 by disneymom1024, on Flickr
"Ooooohhh, isn't this amazing?!"


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The Emerald City!


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DLP 2-196 by disneymom1024, on Flickr
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It was such a cute little ride, and I loved that they had little scenes with the characters happening in some of them instead of just the buildings like the DL version has. And a few of the scenes overlapped with DL's version, but a lot of them were unique, which was fun to see.

After that, we went over to ride Snow White, which we walked right on to. On the way, we passed Cinderella's fountain.

DLP 2-197 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


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DLP 2-203 by disneymom1024, on Flickr
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After Snow White, we started back towards the front of the park. Since we had stopped in the stores on one side of the street the night before, we peeked in the ones on the opposite side on the way out and made some interesting discoveries. They had a little mini museum exhibit, and then a row of really cute city posters.

DLP 2-204 by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

DLP 2-205 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


DLP 2-207 by disneymom1024, on Flickr
Of course I had to pose by this one!
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We came out on the other end and noticed Hertz sponsored the stroller rentals. We had quite a bit of fun with that.

DLP 2-210 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


DLP 2-212 by disneymom1024, on Flickr
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We exited the park and stopped by the hotel to drop off the purchases we had made that day in the room.

DLP 2-214 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


DLP 2-215 by disneymom1024, on Flickr
Never got tired of that view!​

When we left the room, we decided to give the Studios one more chance, just because we REALLY wanted to ride those headliners. So with no idea of what was waiting us there, and hoping it wouldn't be another grand waste of precious time, we headed over to Studios.

UP NEXT: Will we EVER get on the rides?!

 

[hokieinpa]

Aw, I'm a Small World lover so I love the pictures of the DLP version! The "America" section is too funny, cowboys and football players eating popcorn? But didn't you miss the drunk hippo, just a little?

The storybook boats look amazing. The DL version looks so cute in pictures. But I'm loving these even more! I love the mini scenes and characters!

Great pictures from the whole afternoon! Can't wait to read about your (hopefully successful) evening!

 

[missangelalexis]

I love all the pictures from IASW! Omgosh the football player

Aww the Canal Boats seems so cute, I love the Wizard of Oz scene!

Oh I really hope you finally get to ride those Studios headliners!!

 

[Carrie_Cat]

Ok what does your IASW have for the US (and for France) as I'm curious to know the difference ?

 

[afwdwfan]

After a delicious lunch at Plaza Gardens, we decided to head to Fantasyland to finish up the attractions there that we hadn't done. Much to DH's dismay, I kind of insisted on doing It's a Small World first.

Always fun to ride a classic. But that song can really grate on you!

We thought the whole thing was pretty funny, but by the time we got to the little football player, we were just cracking up laughing!

That is awesome! It looks like it has a lot of different scenes in it. I'd love to ride that version and check it all out.

Once we were done with Small World, we moved on to a ride that has a similar counterpart in DL. There, it is know as the Storybook Land Canal Boats, but in DLP it is...

Looks interesting. Is there a narrator like DL? If so, is it all in French?

It was such a cute little ride, and I loved that they had little scenes with the characters happening in some of them instead of just the buildings like the DL version has. And a few of the scenes overlapped with DL's version, but a lot of them were unique, which was fun to see.

I noticed that. I really like the touch of characters being in there.

That is just creepy-awesome!!!!

We came out on the other end and noticed Hertz sponsored the stroller rentals. We had quite a bit of fun with that.

You couldn't leverage that into any kind of VIP treatment could you?

 

[DisneyKid4Life]

Yes, the song is a total earworm, but it doesn't bother me like it does some people (coughRobcough).

I'll be honest. Part of me does regret a little not riding on my one Disneyland visit though. But only a very small part.

Nice little tribute to Canada. We do nothing if we're not playing hockey or ice fishing.

Small World seems to be a little like World Showcase. All stereotypes, all the time.

Awwwww, I miss Snow White.

DLP 2-207 by disneymom1024, on Flickr
Of course I had to pose by this one!

OK, that's pretty cool. I bet you didn't expect to see that.

 

[khertz]

Aw, I'm a Small World lover so I love the pictures of the DLP version! The "America" section is too funny, cowboys and football players eating popcorn? But didn't you miss the drunk hippo, just a little?

The storybook boats look amazing. The DL version looks so cute in pictures. But I'm loving these even more! I love the mini scenes and characters!

Great pictures from the whole afternoon! Can't wait to read about your (hopefully successful) evening!

The America section was so big and so full of stereotypes, but it made us laugh. I'm sure people from other countries feel the same way when they see how their culture is represented. I absolutely missed DRUNK HIPPO. She's my favorite!

I liked that the scenes were mostly different and included characters and music. Made it even cuter than the DL version!

I love all the pictures from IASW! Omgosh the football player

Aww the Canal Boats seems so cute, I love the Wizard of Oz scene!

Oh I really hope you finally get to ride those Studios headliners!!

I'm sure that's what French people think all Americans do all year round...watch football and eat popcorn! lol

The Canal boats had such cute scenes, and some of them were pretty underrepresented movies from the parks, so that made it more interesting to try to figure them out. Some we didn't recognize at all, so we had to google it! lol

Ok what does your IASW have for the US (and for France) as I'm curious to know the difference ?

At WDW, they don't have a representation of the US in Small World. For France, there is a big red white & blue Eiffel tower with little dancers surrounding it that say "Oooh la la!" with some fleur de lis decorating around the bottom. I want to say at DL the France scene is similar. At the end of the ride there is a little western scene which I assume is the US and it incorporates Woody, Jessie & Bullseye from Toy Story.

Always fun to ride a classic. But that song can really grate on you!

That is awesome! It looks like it has a lot of different scenes in it. I'd love to ride that version and check it all out.

Looks interesting. Is there a narrator like DL? If so, is it all in French?

I noticed that. I really like the touch of characters being in there.

That is just creepy-awesome!!!!

You couldn't leverage that into any kind of VIP treatment could you?

DH can't stand the song! lol It totally doesn't bother me at all. DS and I have fun singing it in the car!

The canal boats don't have any kind of narration, and there is no guide. It's pretty much like Small World boats that are propelled with the water. Most of the scenes played music from the movies represented as you passed them.

I KNOW! I love how she's just staring down at you. Pretty creepy when you look up and notice it!

Unfortunately not, although that could have been the motive behind that amazing Disneyland Hotel upgrade! lol

I'll be honest. Part of me does regret a little not riding on my one Disneyland visit though. But only a very small part.

Nice little tribute to Canada. We do nothing if we're not playing hockey or ice fishing.

Small World seems to be a little like World Showcase. All stereotypes, all the time.

Awwwww, I miss Snow White.

OK, that's pretty cool. I bet you didn't expect to see that.

Haha! You would probably actually LIKE that version (okay, maybe not like, maybe just not hate so much) with all of the Disney characters incorporated!

It's definitely all stereotypes, which I have noticed before, but it was REALLY obvious when taking in the America part!

Totally not expecting the big New Orleans poster. Loved that little touch!!!

 

[TheMaxRebo]

That dragon is really cool! I can see kids getting pretty scared of it though!

That really sucks that basically every good ride at the studios was down! They almost should refund money when it is that bad.

That sucks that the Blue Lagoon was closed too. I get shutting down some of the smaller counter service places during slow periods but you'd think they'd keep open one of the main table service spots Seems like it worked out in the end though as your lunch looks good - and definitely filling!

It's a Small World looks really cute there - I like some of the different scenes. Does make you wonder what people who come from other countries think of their part of the ride if you found the Americas part so funny. I mean, I know if I am not playing football I am cooking a hot dog over an open fire. I guess to be more accurate and current they could just have a bunch of figures staring at their smartphones

Sounds like a fun time just taking in some of the more classic rides - love the canal boat type ride and agree about having the little figures in there is a nice touch.