The Dis Exclusive City of Knights and Lights Trip 10/8 - 10/17/2012

[LionKingRules84]

It does seem we have options on this tour the itinerary mentions a drop off back in Paris after the Versailles tour thus skipping the bike ride and lunch in the gardens. Considering that option but at the rate I'm going I may end up just making the decision on the fly when I get there.

I finally have airfare, will be flying with British Airways, and paid the trip off. Still in the midst of planning my adventure after the adventure. Got my International driving permit, still not sure how it will work driving in France now that will be an adventure! Once I have that done I can fine tune the details for what I'm doing on my own time in London and Paris.

 

[me_minnie_me]

I have finally paid off the balance of the trip .

My only problem now is to book my airfare. I not sure what is holding me back at booking - maybe it the thought that there has to be a better deal than what is being offered at the moment. Right now it's a toss up among Delta, Lufthansa, United, British Airways and Air Canada (my last choice). Any opinions on the first 4 carriers? I know I should book by the end of this month - at the latest - since paper work still needs to be sent in.

Karen

 

[LionKingRules84]

I have finally paid off the balance of the trip .

My only problem now is to book my airfare. I not sure what is holding me back at booking - maybe it the thought that there has to be a better deal than what is being offered at the moment. Right now it's a toss up among Delta, Lufthansa, United, British Airways and Air Canada (my last choice). Any opinions on the first 4 carriers? I know I should book by the end of this month - at the latest - since paper work still needs to be sent in.

Karen

I'm terrible to ask because I basically went with what I know (british airways). Everyone has a different experience with different airlines so it depends. As far as price it's hit or miss, tuesday and wednesday afternoons seemed to be the cheapest my husband and I found. The airlines seem to change every year on when is the best time to buy tickets at the lowest price. I've come to the conclusion that you will always find a better deal after you buy so dwelling on it won't help. We found flight times we were happy with and waited till we could get the cheapest seats without them selling out.

I don't travel as much as others so I'm sure someone will have better pointers than me on this but wanted to share if it helps.

British Airways are ok but they have crazy, weird fees tacked on to their ticket prices that bothers me. Plus none of their flights will go non-stop from any other city but London(Heathrow airport) so you have to fly there to go back to the states. Only airline, for me, that went non-stop from Paris home was USAir but then their hub is PHL(where I am) so that's why. I decided on British Airways since I had flown with them before and the negative reviews weren't as scathing as USAir so they won and they had decent flight times including a non-stop flight to london from PHL.

I've heard a lot of negative things about United but again they seem to be hit or miss like any other American based Airline. Same goes for Delta but I've heard great things about them from people on The Dis, and negative things when I searched online or from people I know. Neither worked for me even if the reviews were positive since they had Zero non-stop flights to Europe and were often paired with another airline sometimes(some of the layovers were reaching into almost 3 hours and beyond and the price was no cheaper than a non-stop with BA)

Again I'm far from an expert but wanted to share my experience in case it at all helps.

 

[WebmasterMike]

We flew United and It was a great experience flying to London.

 

[SingingMom]

We flew United and It was a great experience flying to London.

We also flew Newark to Heathrow and Charles de Gaul to Newark, both non-stop with United and we luckily had no problems! Of course "you never know"! Lol. Good luck!

 

[DisneyKevin]

We've flown US Air to Europe several times and were quite pleased.

On one trip, there were six ABDers on the same flight.

 

[me_minnie_me]

Finally booked my airfare with British Airways. I think that I got a pretty decent price. Just have to drop the airline forms in the mail to ABD in the morning. Now to really buckle down in prepping for the adventure. So much to do in so little time.

 

[LionKingRules84]

Well finally sealed the deal for my 'Adventure after the Adventure' and pretty excited about it! I'll be doing a two night 3 day horseback ride in Ceton/Perche hills area of France. I've been taking weekly English riding lessons and some local trail rides to prepare for it since I'm terribly out of shape and still am, not great at controlling the horse beyond a walk but it will just be my husband and I so I'm not to terribly worried. Two days of 6 hours on horseback will be interesting though, I guess I'll be going home sore.

I went through a European travel agent Ride in France to book which was interesting but they were very helpful and patient which is all I can really ask for in a travel agent. I hope it's ok to share them here they mainly offer horseback riding vacations only not something Disney offers. A lot of them are for advanced riders, I really wanted to do the one where they do a ride around Mont St. Michel but that one stated several times 'advanced riders only'. If this turns out well I'll most likely go back and do that, I'd rather drive there the first time instead of riding around it on horseback anyway. Perche Hills sounds nice and I even found a tripadvisor reviews for the place we are staying but the reviews are in french and they are all positive and most of them were beginners and novice riders so it sounds like a win!

Also keep in mind anyone looking into above for anything they are a European travel agent so as Americans the insurance they offer won't work you will have to find a travel insurance that at least offers repatriation. I went to our local AAA office and got something through Alliance. I didn't realize this before trying to book this so it took forever to get this booked because of it. It's deceiving since the site is in English, I think it's set up for English speaking residents of Europe who want to vacation to France. So if you are planning to do something after the adventure be aware you may need travel insurance since I think the ABD travel insurance ends after the adventure does.

I still plan on doing other tourist things in Normandy but not sure when and in what order. It seems everything is exactly 2 hours from where I'll be staying so I can only do one thing a day. Better get planning!

 

[SingingMom]

Well finally sealed the deal for my 'Adventure after the Adventure' and pretty excited about it! I'll be doing a two night 3 day horseback ride in Ceton/Perche hills area of France. I've been taking weekly English riding lessons and some local trail rides to prepare for it since I'm terribly out of shape and still am, not great at controlling the horse beyond a walk but it will just be my husband and I so I'm not to terribly worried. Two days of 6 hours on horseback will be interesting though, I guess I'll be going home sore.

I went through a European travel agent Ride in France to book which was interesting but they were very helpful and patient which is all I can really ask for in a travel agent. I hope it's ok to share them here they mainly offer horseback riding vacations only not something Disney offers. A lot of them are for advanced riders, I really wanted to do the one where they do a ride around Mont St. Michel but that one stated several times 'advanced riders only'. If this turns out well I'll most likely go back and do that, I'd rather drive there the first time instead of riding around it on horseback anyway. Perche Hills sounds nice and I even found a tripadvisor reviews for the place we are staying but the reviews are in french and they are all positive and most of them were beginners and novice riders so it sounds like a win!

Also keep in mind anyone looking into above for anything they are a European travel agent so as Americans the insurance they offer won't work you will have to find a travel insurance that at least offers repatriation. I went to our local AAA office and got something through Alliance. I didn't realize this before trying to book this so it took forever to get this booked because of it. It's deceiving since the site is in English, I think it's set up for English speaking residents of Europe who want to vacation to France. So if you are planning to do something after the adventure be aware you may need travel insurance since I think the ABD travel insurance ends after the adventure does.

I still plan on doing other tourist things in Normandy but not sure when and in what order. It seems everything is exactly 2 hours from where I'll be staying so I can only do one thing a day. Better get planning!

Our DD is an avid horsewoman, rides on the collegiate level. She would LOVE this add-on!! She's already asking to do the Scotland tour because it includes horseback riding! One of our guides pointed out every horse we passed during our Knights and Lights tour for her! There was a famous riding school outside of Versailles that he showed her. She couldn't convince him to drop her off there, however! ;-).

 

[LionKingRules84]

Our DD is an avid horsewoman, rides on the collegiate level. She would LOVE this add-on!! She's already asking to do the Scotland tour because it includes horseback riding! One of our guides pointed out every horse we passed during our Knights and Lights tour for her! There was a famous riding school outside of Versailles that he showed her. She couldn't convince him to drop her off there, however! ;-).

That's very cool! I read about Versailles and the school your speaking of but wasn't sure if it was still there. I'm tempted to ask them to drop me off there and pick me up on the way back myself but I'm sure that's not possible. I think that would be cooler to see than Versailles but I'm sure I'm in the minority there.

I wanted to do Scotland for the same reason but I also have always wanted to visit Scotland and that itinerary really was one of the best I've seen for that country. My husband is pretty sure he is of Scottish decent I'm of course Irish so I love the Scots!

Again though keep in mind the travel agent I went through for this was European so it's slightly more complicated than anything you can book through Disney and there was a slight language barrier. My husband is pretty sure our agent was using a translator to communicate with us. This didn't bother me but it's something to keep in mind. I keep wondering if I'll be able to know horse commands in French by the time I return.

 

[LionKingRules84]

Actually out of curiosity I went to the Versailles page and they do shows at the Equestrian center which is near the gate and out Versailles tour is on a Saturday which is when they do their big show there...though the site mentions needing reservations and the site is in French and when translated I'm unable to bring up the page to make reservations. I may have to wait and decide on that when I get there and hope they have seats available if there is a show before the bus leaves.

 

[SingingMom]

Actually out of curiosity I went to the Versailles page and they do shows at the Equestrian center which is near the gate and out Versailles tour is on a Saturday which is when they do their big show there...though the site mentions needing reservations and the site is in French and when translated I'm unable to bring up the page to make reservations. I may have to wait and decide on that when I get there and hope they have seats available if there is a show before the bus leaves.

That would be amazing! Although, I would never have missed out on the visit to Versailles - that was one of the highlights of our trip! The palace was beyond amazing, the luncheon was delicious, but the best memory for me is the walk our guide and I took when my bike pedal fell off and we pushed our bikes around the canal for the rest of the way! We had such a special heart-to-heart chat that I will never forget!

If you do attend the Equestrian center, please post photos!

 

[DisneyKevin]

Well folks....it's almost officially your turn!

Tonight is the last official Backstage Magic Chat.

Starting August 2nd, the ABD Chat Room belongs to y'all on Thursday nights...beginning at 8:00pmish EST.

I'll be there on August 16th...so if you have any questions....write them down and save them for me!

Talk to y'all soon!

Kevin

 

[LionKingRules84]

I'll be very busy this week up to but not including Thursday the 2nd so I'll try to make it this week if I remember.

 

[DisneyKevin]

I'll be very busy this week up to but not including Thursday the 2nd so I'll try to make it this week if I remember.

We have a couple of months to chat.

 

[LionKingRules84]

This past week has been a nightmare so I did not make it to chat this week, I plan on trying to do so this week though granted I'm in better spirits then.

I think London is pretty much planned at this point not so much for Paris. Though I won't be to upset if I don't plan Paris. I'm more than certain I'll enjoy myself even if I plan when I get there. It's one of the few cities I've visited where being there is enough to enjoy it, even if all I did was sit at a cafe the entire three days and people watch.

 

[SingingMom]

This past week has been a nightmare so I did not make it to chat this week, I plan on trying to do so this week though granted I'm in better spirits then.

I think London is pretty much planned at this point not so much for Paris. Though I won't be to upset if I don't plan Paris. I'm more than certain I'll enjoy myself even if I plan when I get there. It's one of the few cities I've visited where being there is enough to enjoy it, even if all I did was sit at a cafe the entire three days and people watch.

Oh I agree! What is better than people watching in a Parisian sidewalk cafe?!?! <3

 

[Sarabi's Cubs]

I think London is pretty much planned at this point not so much for Paris. Though I won't be to upset if I don't plan Paris. I'm more than certain I'll enjoy myself even if I plan when I get there. It's one of the few cities I've visited where being there is enough to enjoy it, even if all I did was sit at a cafe the entire three days and people watch.

On last year's ABD, I planned the London part like crazy - mainly because I am obsessed with British history and really had no interest in the Paris part of the trip (I know!!! I can't believe it myself!) So we spent alot of our free time strolling around the Latin quarter and Montmartre and it was amazing!!! Can't wait to go back and not plan anything again!

Laurie

 

[fsufan53]

This past week has been a nightmare so I did not make it to chat this week, I plan on trying to do so this week though granted I'm in better spirits then.

I think London is pretty much planned at this point not so much for Paris. Though I won't be to upset if I don't plan Paris. I'm more than certain I'll enjoy myself even if I plan when I get there. It's one of the few cities I've visited where being there is enough to enjoy it, even if all I did was sit at a cafe the entire three days and people watch.

What are your plans for London? Kevin, how much free time will we have after Harrod's on Tuesday? We are going to try and do a Beatles tour.

 

[LionKingRules84]

What are your plans for London? Kevin, how much free time will we have after Harrod's on Tuesday? We are going to try and do a Beatles tour.

I've basically planned my pre-nights since I will be there that Saturday and Sunday before the adventure actually starts in London. London Walks is doing their 'Magical Mystery Tour' for The Beatles so I will be doing that Sunday when it is scheduled.

I plan on doing Camden Lock Markets and SoHo either day I have time too. Other things on the list are a visit to Baker Street(Sherlock Holmes) The British Museum and The National Gallery. I haven't looked up what days those places are open but I know that they apparently are free and I'm sure I could do either during the adventure on our free time. The National Gallery has one of my favorite Van Goghe paintings and The British Museum has a lot of Egyptian artifacts I'd like to see(including the Rosetta Stone).

I'd love to see the British Library but not sure I will have time but that is free too and they have a ton of things I'd like to see. I've wanted to do madame tussauds except the lines are long all the time(I know from experience they are that way)and it's not free like all the other things above I mentioned and I think I'd rather walk around some of the markets then waste time in a line to see wax sculptures of celebrities, as neat as that would be, it's not an ideal use of time and I don't know when I will be back to London.

This will sound weird but I've also always wanted to 'walk' across The Tower Bridge so I plan on doing that when I have time.

I don't have a lot on the list of things I must do in Paris besides some of the Markets and eating lots of food and drinking lots of wine. The Orsay Museum would be nice to do again especially since I love Impressionism. I was more impressed by that collection then The Louvre, which I would like to walk around in some more as well this time. Otherwise just enjoy some night walks since as a teenager I didn't get to do that in Paris much but I can now. Paris has that vibe about it though that you just want to sit back and enjoy as opposed to rush through everything. Basically Paris tells you 'I know you will be back so just enjoy!' and I just can't argue with it.