8 mile walk for dinner, locked out of park, but had a good time

[bluebaron]

Weekend 23,24,25 July 2009

Weather –
FRI – few showers
SAT/SUN – Sunshine

Overall Rating 8/10

FOOD

We used the Half board Plus (HBP) Voucher scheme which worked fine, you can’t upgrade to premium at the park and for Blue lagoon premium is better. Also on the menu were mains for 22 euros, the one we wanted was 23 euros you CAN’T pay the extra euro you can only get the value of the voucher (25 Euro for HBP) so for the extra 1-euro you have to pay 3 but then LOSE your starter/desert/drink! There was a pretty good set menu for 33 euros so we went for that and got 25 euro discount with the voucher.

Also DO NOT forget your vouchers. We did and had to walk back to the Hotel to get it. That was an 8 mile walk for dinner. (Hotel-Restaurant (2 miles) - Hotel- Restaurant –Hotel).

Quality was very good and service, although slow, it took 30 mins after waiting at table to be asked for drink order in both Walts and Blue Lagoon, was nice and friendly.

HOTEL – New Yorker

Pretty average 4* Hotel, nothing to write home about except the restaurant is closed for renovation so we had a pretty poor buffet in the ballroom.

Disney Express

This worked very well, we were given all our tickets and vouchers on the train and bags were sent to our rooms. In hindsight there is no point booking for you whole party, just do 1 and get the same result.

SHOPPING

All very expensive and a waste of time. Pound-Euro rate is poor but example of prices:

Helium Balloon - £7
3 scoop Ice Cream - £4.50
Mickey ears - £12.50
Bottle Coke - £3.50

Best advice is to buy some gear on-line at 1/3 price and take with you.

BIGGEST LETDOWN

I was told when I booked that if I was arriving on the Friday I could use my park tickets on all three days (Fri, Sat, Sun). Technically this is correct, it is a 2 day ticket VALID for the 3 days, so if you go in for 1 hour on the Friday you lose all day Sat, Sun) As I had booked a package arriving at 2pm Friday and leaving at 7:30pm Sun it would be pretty apparent that I would like to use the park on the 3 days.

As it was I planned on visiting Paris on the Sunday, as it was the end of the Tour de France and very busy we left early and tried to use the park at 4pm until 6pm before we left and they would not let us in.

This left us hanging around until 7:30 for the train home. There is not much to do in the Disney Village except eat and shop


BEST THING

Parades were great, Space Mountain, Tower of Terror, general ambience.

PS........take the kids next time!

 

[Jeccaboos]

OOoh, you may just have hit upon a question I asked on another thread.

Is it the Parkside Diner that is now closed? Is it now called Radio City?

Glad you had a good time - the forgetting the vouchers is something that I would do

I am a bit confused about your tickets - I assume you had a standard 2 night stay with a 3 day pass? Why on earth could you not get in? Or did you only have a 2 day pass?

 

[mommy2ash]

that is strange that you couldnt use your park tickets for all three days that is usually the standard. however on the disney website it sometimes says stay for longer and that can be without park tickets for the last day. that may be what happened to you.

 

[thelittlemermaid83]

Mickey ears £12.50, I'm sure they are only 9 euros and that doesnt equate to £12.50.

 

[liberty]

I also had the same problem with the park tickets a few years back. I had booked a 3 night 4 day package but wasn't let in the park on the last day! . Who did you book with?

 

[bluebaron]

thanks for the comments,

1/ yes i had a 2 day park tickets but still asked when i booked if this would get me in all 3 days and was told deffinatly yes, also the guy on the eurostar who gave me the tickets comfirmed i could as well?

2/ not sure what the res. in NYC hotel is called but was closed.

3/ Mickey ears wer 13.90 euro (about £12.50) for the sequin ones i believe the more standard furry ones are indeed 9 euros. (you can get the sequin ones for 8 euro in disney store Paris), we got some and got a refund on the 13.90 euro we had already paid.

4/ I booked with touchdown travel for £284.00 included £30 for disney express, and £84.00 for 4x HBP vouchers. Staying 2 nights in NY hotel. Eurostar leisure select class was £200 for 2. and £34 transfers from gatwick. All in around £600 and spent £200 on presents for kids/drinks/ice cream etc.

 

[mummybear]

We were in DLP January, April and the end of June this year, and over them months, I've noticed that the prices of some of the items and food/drink is steadily increasing.

We noticed the price of the Minnie Ears in April so we bought the same ones in local Disney Store for £4. before our June trip. I was asked about my daughters "Ears" by a young girl, as ours were pink and she had red but wanted pink (you can get pink at the Park) in a queue, and when I told her I got them from UK, she exclaimed that "I could have gotten 3 pairs for the price I paid for these!!"
But, hey, hindsight is a great thing

 

[liberty]

thanks for the comments,

1/ yes i had a 2 day park tickets but still asked when i booked if this would get me in all 3 days and was told deffinatly yes, also the guy on the eurostar who gave me the tickets comfirmed i could as well?

2/ not sure what the res. in NYC hotel is called but was closed.

3/ Mickey ears wer 13.90 euro (about £12.50) for the sequin ones i believe the more standard furry ones are indeed 9 euros. (you can get the sequin ones for 8 euro in disney store Paris), we got some and got a refund on the 13.90 euro we had already paid.

4/ I booked with touchdown travel for £284.00 included £30 for disney express, and £84.00 for 4x HBP vouchers. Staying 2 nights in NY hotel. Eurostar leisure select class was £200 for 2. and £34 transfers from gatwick. All in around £600 and spent £200 on presents for kids/drinks/ice cream etc.

I booked with Leger, and had the same problem, thats why i only book direct with Disney now!

 

[CRITCHK]

I would't never book with Leger again had 2 bad trips with them. Disney direct is the best way.

 

[Lisa_C]

I only got back last week and paid 2.70€ for coke - that's not the same as your prices ::confused

I think the problem with your ticket was with who you booked with. Direct with Disney they are valid the duration of your stay - including the first and last day. Sometimes other company's book out packages with the tickets that do not cover you for the last day as they "add" it on. Disney will give you special offers with a few days free but this does not include park passes, and it's always stated you will have to add your own tickets if you want to use the parks.

I don't understand what you are saying about the vouchers though - we paid extra on our vouchers in some restaurants, on one occasion only paying 5€ extra for all five of us. This seems mighty strange to me (but then again I've got severe Swine Flu and everything seems strange to me right now......)

 

[bluebaron]

i did book direct with disney, i just quoted a code from touchdown travel to get a saving of some sort.

I was told at the blue lagoon that my voucher was only worth 25euro. The main in the voucher menu had a 'price' of 23 euros on the main menu (same dish). I wanted something else that was 25 euro on the menu but was not allowed to pay 2 euros extra for it?

 

[Ware Bears]

Glad you had a good time overall

Is it really 2 miles from the HNY to the Blue Lagoon?? I think we forget how far we walk when at Disney, I read the other day that the average guest walks 10 miles a day!

Shame about your park tickets obviously Touchdown arranged a special deal with Disney as normally tickets booked direct are for length of stay. I just looked at Touchdown's advert and it states
2 or 3 day Disney Parks Hopper Ticket per adult, allowing unlimited access to both Disney® Parks
As you stayed 2 nights you were given 2 day tickets but the unlimited access means you can park hop to your heart's content, not use them over 3 days, a tad misleading.

 

[cap'njack.]

Glad you had a resonable trip. Sounds kinda odd with the tickets though!

Mickey ears £12.50, I'm sure they are only 9 euros and that doesnt equate to £12.50.

I'm sure we only paid £4.00 for Kacee's ears at the Disney store in Bluewater

 

[dlpSteve]

Is it really 2 miles from the HNY to the Blue Lagoon?? I think we forget how far we walk when at Disney, I read the other day that the average guest walks 10 miles a day!

Must admit I was trying to work which restaurant was 2 miles from NY Hotel, I thought it must be outside the resort to be that far away, pretty sure 1 mile is more likely, if that.

 

[davewasbaloo]

So many different things to respond to, so little time.

For the folks squabling about different prices, please be advised that prices of drinks vary dramatically at DLP dependent on where they are bought (carts, table service, counter service, different hotels and the vending machines at the car park).

Also, FYI it is one mile from the gates to Casey Jr, and nearly that from the gates to the HNY.

And the rule of thumb, buying stuff from home and bringing it is always cheaper unless it is merchandise on close out.

 

[cap'njack.]

Also, FYI it is one mile from the gates to Casey Jr, and nearly that from the gates to the HNY.

Is it really that far! It certainly doesn't feel like it when you are there.

I'd hate to think how far the walk is from the Santa Fe to the gates.