SandraVB79
<font color=deeppink> I am a Jungle Cruise skipper
- Joined
- Oct 7, 2005
Hey all,
Just back from a 3-day visit to Disneyland Resort Paris with my mom and my oldest brother M. Since I am only going to make 1 trip report for some different groups and boards, it will contain some inside jokes.
OK, here we go. On Friday morning, January 6, 2006 at 7am, our TGV with destination Bordeaux left in Brussels, to arrive 2 hours later in Marne-la-Vallée, aka Mickey station . Too bad all the seats on the Thalys we usually take were all sold out, since Thalys is cheaper and only needs 1hour and 30 minutes to get me to Mickey. Good thing about TGV is that it arrives half an hour earlier than the Thalys at Disney, and that not so many people in the TGV go to Disney. This means that check-in at the hotel goes a lot faster.
As usual, we stayed at the Santa Fe (block 50, room 022). Our room was ready upon arrival (GREAT!) and was in a black building. Que??? Black building? Building behind ours looked white? What is happening with the pinkish/reddish/brownish/whatever colour buildings the Santa Fe used to have??? Have those black and white buildings always been there?? Oh well
Our room was the same as usual; walls have been repainted, and there were new curtains and new wallborder. The room was clean as usual, but the bathroom needs a refurb.
After dropping off our bags, and putting on my Minnie ears, we headed for the parks; Disneyland actually. OK, I am going to admit: I didnt take notes about which ride we did when, because I dont care too much to remember afterwards what we did at what time!
When we entered Disneyland, we took our maps, and after walking under the train station, we saw Minnie Mouse between the Emporium and the Bookstore for pictures, WITH A LINE!!!!!!!! Yeay, they discovered the great concept of waiting in line!! Before, they only had this for Mickey and Pooh; for pictures with other characters, you almost had to fight.
The line for Minnie wasnt too long, so we waited. Well, my mom and I waited in line, my brother had the camera with clear instructions of what pictures I wanted. When it was our turn, I had a picture with Minnie, my mom and I went on the picture together with her, and then my mom with Minnie. My brother took pictures of everything, as did the DL photographer. I kept the tickets, with the idea of just checking out the pictures afterwards. In the end, we ended up buying the one with Minnie, my mom and I. We bought two of them, and used the Shopping Service to have it sent over to our hotel (no bent pictures!!!)
The park was not crowded at all, many rides were walk-ons or 10 minutes wait, with the exception of Pinocchio and Peter Pan of course. We (M and I) went on Space Mountain (2 or 3 times in a row, without fastpass), we all went on Dumbo, Snow White and Peter Pan (FP) and the Caroussel. Although Casey Jr was marked as temporarily closed on the map, it was open with no line at all. We also went on small world, POTC, Phantom Manor, BTMRR (we had fastpass, but were too late getting there, and since there was no one there, we didnt need it at all. Actually, when the train arrived back at (un)loading, we could just stay seated. This also happened at Small world, POTC and Indy). We watched the Christmas parade, the Enchanted Ceremony (Mickey Mouse is coming to town, lalala) and Fantillusion. After Fantillusion, we went a couple of times on Indy. Now, I never thought of this ride as scary. It was backwards, yes, it had a loop, yes, but it was just a short ride to me. Now that the ride is forwards again, OMG!!!! Now it is scary, because you actually see where you are going! Lol
During our first day at Disneyland, it snowed. There was of course the Disney-snow at Main Street, and there was many more snow during the rest of the day and the rest of the park. They did a special version of Fantillusion: no transformations, no stops, Just a quick parade. I guess it was better than no parade at all.
In the evening, we went to the Cape Cod restaurant at the Newport hotel. It is a buffet restaurant (25 EUR for adults), all you can eat, and the food was very good. What did I eat? Way too much of course! For first course there was all kinds of salads, smoked salmon, great dried ham, terrine de coquille St-Jacques, little sandwiches, smoked fish (trout?),
For second course there was a lot, and it changed the whole time. I ate Duck confit (sorry Donald) with a port sauce, pork something, I had roast beef, wonderful pasta, At some moments, I saw they were cutting pieces of a ham, It all depended on the time you got at the buffet, but everything was delicious.
For dessert, there were all kinds of cakes there were crepes with some kind of sauce on them, there was ice cream, yoghurt, pudding, fruit, there was cheese,
We enjoyed the food a lot in this restaurant, BUT Since it is a buffet, everyone is constantly running around. The restaurant was also very loud due to many children, en those children kept running around all the time. We all made the reflection that we have never been allowed to do that when we were young. We had to sit on our chair, and behave. Two hours at this restaurant seemed more exhausting than a full day at Disneyland.
Our second day at Disneyland, which we spent completely at the Disneyland Park. We did all kinds of rides, watched the parades and the Fairytale Ceremony again and went to see Mickeys Winter Wonderland show and Le Noël de Mickey, two great shows! The weather was very nice on Saturday. It was very cold, but sunny!
* In case you are from the Netherlands, you might want to skip the next paragraph *
Now, during our visit, we stayed two nights, and we had two Good Morning Fantasyland Breakfasts. During the first breakfast, which always takes places at the Chalet de la Marionette (Pinocchio restaurant), there were almost only people from the Netherlands there. It was awful.
First of all, there is a couple with small kids entering the restaurant. They go to a table, drop down their stuff, and then, the lady picks up her baby, a diaper, and goes to another table, puts the baby on the table and changes the diaper right there in the middle of the restaurant!! There are restrooms just next door!!!!! After that, the man drops the diaper in the trash bin, right next to our table. We say to him dont you know the concept of restrooms? Is that what you do in Holland, change babies on tables in a restaurant? His answer: I hope your food tastes better know that you can smell my childs ****. I went to look for a CM, tell him what happened and asked if they could change the trash bin. CMs reaction: Its always the same with those people from Holland.
I know you shouldnt generalize, but we found about 95% of all the people from Holland there to be very loud, very rude, impolite and without any education. They cut in lines, they make fun (in a negative sense) out of everyone (since they are always in group, they feel strong), throw their trash everywhere, dont flush after using the bathroom,
One man just plain said in my face I looked stupid with my Minnie ears on. My answer? I can take my ears off in the evening and look normal again. You are stuck with your face and will look stupid for the rest of your life. He didnt say anything after that again.
Another thing about the Dutch people: it is an all you can eat buffet. That menas you can take as much as you can eat at that moment, not take as much as you need during the next 5 weeks. They are well-prepared: they all take about 10 rolls, eat 3 of them, and take the others with them in ziplock bags they brought with them. They have Tupperware boxes with them, so they can stock on ham and cheese. They also stock on yoghurt, cereal, One table next to us: they took about 50 tea bags, and enough sugar to last a full year!!!! Unbelievable!! The only thing I once took with me is a bread roll. I was stuffed, and couldnt eat it anymore, and since it was on the table, I took it and fed the ducks. Usually, we also take the (used) knifes and forks and spoons. They are made out of heavy plastic, and are good to use when on vacation/ for a picnic. We take the ones we used during the breakfast (instead of throwing them away). Oh, I admit, I took about 3 paper cups with Minnie Mouse on them. But I didnt take enough food to live on during 5 weeks at home. They are so unbelievable!
So far my rant about them.
In the evening, we went to the Manhattan restaurant in the New York Hotel. I LOVE this restaurant, its very beautiful, classy and calm (just what I needed). We had the Rockefeller menu (34 EUR). M and I had smoked salmon cannelloni (smoked salmon filled with fromage frais with herbs, and some kind of delicious cucumber salad) and my mom had a salad with duck (magret de canard) and mango. After that, all three of us had the most wonderful chicken, with parmesan muffins and vegetables. As dessert, we had sorbet (apricot, green apple and raspberry or so, mmmmm)
Two tables further than us, there was a young couple, and at some moment, he pulled out a ring and proposed to her. It was very romantic!
The last day started with bringing our bags to the Bagagerie. I got a CM exclusive pin from a CM we know very well at the hotel, and then we headed towards the park for our Good Morning Fantasyland breakfast. I was the fourth guest in the park!!!!!!!! Instead of taking the train to Fantasyland, we walked. Just we and three other people on Main Street it was a weird thing! But also a good opportunity to take pictures from the castle etc.
After breakfast we went on Peter Pan since the line was very short (day before, even Fastpass return had a huge line!) and then we went to Walt Disney Studios. There we arrived just in time for the opening ceremony. Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Daisy, Woody and his girlfriend, the two bears from Brother Bear (Koda and???), Goofy, Chip & Dale, all come down the parade route in cars/ trucks, and then they do a signature/ autograph session. It was great!!!
After that, we went on the Studios Backlot tram tour (or however they call it) and then M and I went on Rockin Rollercoaster (no music, way too much light) and after a quick stop in the Animation store, we went back to Disneyland.
There we watched the parade, Mickeys winter wonderland and le noel de Mickey again, went on some rides, did some last minute shopping, and at 5.30 pm we left the park, went to the station, got our bags and waited for the train back home.
Oh, what did I buy? I bought a pin case (a thing where you can put all your pins in), a bag and strap for my camera, pins (some to keep, others to trade during my next Disneyland California visit), a pin box with Mickey and Minnie looking at their picture album, Belle and Snow White dress ornaments, and some kitchen stuff (in case one day Ill leave my parents house and go live by myself). I also bought two Beanie Minnies and the Chante CD (parade music).
It were a wonderful three days, too bad so many of those people from the Netherlands ruined the magic and the fun.
(Sorry the report is so long.)
Just back from a 3-day visit to Disneyland Resort Paris with my mom and my oldest brother M. Since I am only going to make 1 trip report for some different groups and boards, it will contain some inside jokes.
OK, here we go. On Friday morning, January 6, 2006 at 7am, our TGV with destination Bordeaux left in Brussels, to arrive 2 hours later in Marne-la-Vallée, aka Mickey station . Too bad all the seats on the Thalys we usually take were all sold out, since Thalys is cheaper and only needs 1hour and 30 minutes to get me to Mickey. Good thing about TGV is that it arrives half an hour earlier than the Thalys at Disney, and that not so many people in the TGV go to Disney. This means that check-in at the hotel goes a lot faster.
As usual, we stayed at the Santa Fe (block 50, room 022). Our room was ready upon arrival (GREAT!) and was in a black building. Que??? Black building? Building behind ours looked white? What is happening with the pinkish/reddish/brownish/whatever colour buildings the Santa Fe used to have??? Have those black and white buildings always been there?? Oh well
Our room was the same as usual; walls have been repainted, and there were new curtains and new wallborder. The room was clean as usual, but the bathroom needs a refurb.
After dropping off our bags, and putting on my Minnie ears, we headed for the parks; Disneyland actually. OK, I am going to admit: I didnt take notes about which ride we did when, because I dont care too much to remember afterwards what we did at what time!
When we entered Disneyland, we took our maps, and after walking under the train station, we saw Minnie Mouse between the Emporium and the Bookstore for pictures, WITH A LINE!!!!!!!! Yeay, they discovered the great concept of waiting in line!! Before, they only had this for Mickey and Pooh; for pictures with other characters, you almost had to fight.
The line for Minnie wasnt too long, so we waited. Well, my mom and I waited in line, my brother had the camera with clear instructions of what pictures I wanted. When it was our turn, I had a picture with Minnie, my mom and I went on the picture together with her, and then my mom with Minnie. My brother took pictures of everything, as did the DL photographer. I kept the tickets, with the idea of just checking out the pictures afterwards. In the end, we ended up buying the one with Minnie, my mom and I. We bought two of them, and used the Shopping Service to have it sent over to our hotel (no bent pictures!!!)
The park was not crowded at all, many rides were walk-ons or 10 minutes wait, with the exception of Pinocchio and Peter Pan of course. We (M and I) went on Space Mountain (2 or 3 times in a row, without fastpass), we all went on Dumbo, Snow White and Peter Pan (FP) and the Caroussel. Although Casey Jr was marked as temporarily closed on the map, it was open with no line at all. We also went on small world, POTC, Phantom Manor, BTMRR (we had fastpass, but were too late getting there, and since there was no one there, we didnt need it at all. Actually, when the train arrived back at (un)loading, we could just stay seated. This also happened at Small world, POTC and Indy). We watched the Christmas parade, the Enchanted Ceremony (Mickey Mouse is coming to town, lalala) and Fantillusion. After Fantillusion, we went a couple of times on Indy. Now, I never thought of this ride as scary. It was backwards, yes, it had a loop, yes, but it was just a short ride to me. Now that the ride is forwards again, OMG!!!! Now it is scary, because you actually see where you are going! Lol
During our first day at Disneyland, it snowed. There was of course the Disney-snow at Main Street, and there was many more snow during the rest of the day and the rest of the park. They did a special version of Fantillusion: no transformations, no stops, Just a quick parade. I guess it was better than no parade at all.
In the evening, we went to the Cape Cod restaurant at the Newport hotel. It is a buffet restaurant (25 EUR for adults), all you can eat, and the food was very good. What did I eat? Way too much of course! For first course there was all kinds of salads, smoked salmon, great dried ham, terrine de coquille St-Jacques, little sandwiches, smoked fish (trout?),
For second course there was a lot, and it changed the whole time. I ate Duck confit (sorry Donald) with a port sauce, pork something, I had roast beef, wonderful pasta, At some moments, I saw they were cutting pieces of a ham, It all depended on the time you got at the buffet, but everything was delicious.
For dessert, there were all kinds of cakes there were crepes with some kind of sauce on them, there was ice cream, yoghurt, pudding, fruit, there was cheese,
We enjoyed the food a lot in this restaurant, BUT Since it is a buffet, everyone is constantly running around. The restaurant was also very loud due to many children, en those children kept running around all the time. We all made the reflection that we have never been allowed to do that when we were young. We had to sit on our chair, and behave. Two hours at this restaurant seemed more exhausting than a full day at Disneyland.
Our second day at Disneyland, which we spent completely at the Disneyland Park. We did all kinds of rides, watched the parades and the Fairytale Ceremony again and went to see Mickeys Winter Wonderland show and Le Noël de Mickey, two great shows! The weather was very nice on Saturday. It was very cold, but sunny!
* In case you are from the Netherlands, you might want to skip the next paragraph *
Now, during our visit, we stayed two nights, and we had two Good Morning Fantasyland Breakfasts. During the first breakfast, which always takes places at the Chalet de la Marionette (Pinocchio restaurant), there were almost only people from the Netherlands there. It was awful.
First of all, there is a couple with small kids entering the restaurant. They go to a table, drop down their stuff, and then, the lady picks up her baby, a diaper, and goes to another table, puts the baby on the table and changes the diaper right there in the middle of the restaurant!! There are restrooms just next door!!!!! After that, the man drops the diaper in the trash bin, right next to our table. We say to him dont you know the concept of restrooms? Is that what you do in Holland, change babies on tables in a restaurant? His answer: I hope your food tastes better know that you can smell my childs ****. I went to look for a CM, tell him what happened and asked if they could change the trash bin. CMs reaction: Its always the same with those people from Holland.
I know you shouldnt generalize, but we found about 95% of all the people from Holland there to be very loud, very rude, impolite and without any education. They cut in lines, they make fun (in a negative sense) out of everyone (since they are always in group, they feel strong), throw their trash everywhere, dont flush after using the bathroom,
One man just plain said in my face I looked stupid with my Minnie ears on. My answer? I can take my ears off in the evening and look normal again. You are stuck with your face and will look stupid for the rest of your life. He didnt say anything after that again.
Another thing about the Dutch people: it is an all you can eat buffet. That menas you can take as much as you can eat at that moment, not take as much as you need during the next 5 weeks. They are well-prepared: they all take about 10 rolls, eat 3 of them, and take the others with them in ziplock bags they brought with them. They have Tupperware boxes with them, so they can stock on ham and cheese. They also stock on yoghurt, cereal, One table next to us: they took about 50 tea bags, and enough sugar to last a full year!!!! Unbelievable!! The only thing I once took with me is a bread roll. I was stuffed, and couldnt eat it anymore, and since it was on the table, I took it and fed the ducks. Usually, we also take the (used) knifes and forks and spoons. They are made out of heavy plastic, and are good to use when on vacation/ for a picnic. We take the ones we used during the breakfast (instead of throwing them away). Oh, I admit, I took about 3 paper cups with Minnie Mouse on them. But I didnt take enough food to live on during 5 weeks at home. They are so unbelievable!
So far my rant about them.
In the evening, we went to the Manhattan restaurant in the New York Hotel. I LOVE this restaurant, its very beautiful, classy and calm (just what I needed). We had the Rockefeller menu (34 EUR). M and I had smoked salmon cannelloni (smoked salmon filled with fromage frais with herbs, and some kind of delicious cucumber salad) and my mom had a salad with duck (magret de canard) and mango. After that, all three of us had the most wonderful chicken, with parmesan muffins and vegetables. As dessert, we had sorbet (apricot, green apple and raspberry or so, mmmmm)
Two tables further than us, there was a young couple, and at some moment, he pulled out a ring and proposed to her. It was very romantic!
The last day started with bringing our bags to the Bagagerie. I got a CM exclusive pin from a CM we know very well at the hotel, and then we headed towards the park for our Good Morning Fantasyland breakfast. I was the fourth guest in the park!!!!!!!! Instead of taking the train to Fantasyland, we walked. Just we and three other people on Main Street it was a weird thing! But also a good opportunity to take pictures from the castle etc.
After breakfast we went on Peter Pan since the line was very short (day before, even Fastpass return had a huge line!) and then we went to Walt Disney Studios. There we arrived just in time for the opening ceremony. Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Daisy, Woody and his girlfriend, the two bears from Brother Bear (Koda and???), Goofy, Chip & Dale, all come down the parade route in cars/ trucks, and then they do a signature/ autograph session. It was great!!!
After that, we went on the Studios Backlot tram tour (or however they call it) and then M and I went on Rockin Rollercoaster (no music, way too much light) and after a quick stop in the Animation store, we went back to Disneyland.
There we watched the parade, Mickeys winter wonderland and le noel de Mickey again, went on some rides, did some last minute shopping, and at 5.30 pm we left the park, went to the station, got our bags and waited for the train back home.
Oh, what did I buy? I bought a pin case (a thing where you can put all your pins in), a bag and strap for my camera, pins (some to keep, others to trade during my next Disneyland California visit), a pin box with Mickey and Minnie looking at their picture album, Belle and Snow White dress ornaments, and some kitchen stuff (in case one day Ill leave my parents house and go live by myself). I also bought two Beanie Minnies and the Chante CD (parade music).
It were a wonderful three days, too bad so many of those people from the Netherlands ruined the magic and the fun.
(Sorry the report is so long.)
