A Tale of A Thousand and One Trips - The Never-Ending Trip Report

[dolphingirl47]

When I came out of Pirates of the Caribbean, I quickly had a look at around the Frontierland Mercantile, which is usually the best spot for seasonal merchandise and then headed to Main Street. People were lining up for the parade. As it looks like that this will go away early next year, I decided to watch this. I slowly made my way down the parade route and in the end; I found a front row spot near the end of the parade route with about 15 minutes to go. This is what I call a result. It was not the best spot for taking photos as I was looking straight into the sun, but I thoroughly enjoyed it.



























Once the parade had finished, I had a quick look at the shops along Main Street and then I headed back to Discoveryland. I did Buzz Lightyear one last time with a 15-minute wait. U I then headed for the exit. It was still a bit early, but Graham was already at the agreed meeting point. Our plan had been to go to have dinner at the Steakhouse at Disney Village as we had a discount voucher for this that came with our bib. Unfortunately this was closed for a private function. Café Mickey had a huge line so we decided on the Rainforest Café. We used to eat there quite regularly when visiting Disneyland Paris, but had not been there in ages. We were seated straightaway. It turned out that they were offering the same discount for runners that the Disney owned restaurants did.




We ended up sitting with the gorillas so every now and again, it got quite noisy. Graham had a beer and I had a large Coke. Graham fancied the mixed grill and I had chosen the steak. Unfortunately they had run out of steak. So I went with the mixed grill, too. This consisted of corn on the cob, ribs, sausage, smoked beef, chicken and fries. This was very nice, but a lot of food and I did not manage to finish it all. When we had finished our meal, we paid and headed for the station. This time the wait for the train was not too bad and we were soon back at the hotel. We packed and spent some time catching up online before heading to bed as we had an early start the next day.

 

[dolphingirl47]

You did great on the 5K! Glad you got the photopass and wverything. You looked very happy running over the finish line.

Thanks. I think I am still missing quite a few of the race photos. I need to do something about this. This was on the to do list for this weekend, but this did not go entirely as planned.

Corinna

 

[tiggrbaby]

You ended up with a pretty good day! How cute that Peter and Wendy had an interaction at the cafe! that meal was humongous!

 

[franandaj]

What a nice day after the race, thanks for showing us IASW, it looks different than both US parks. The parade looks great and your meal at Cafe Agrabah and the Mixed Grill platter you had both seemed really tasty. I'm glad you got so much done!

 

[Paula Sedley-Burke]

Oh lovely an update!

Sometimes the alarm on my iphone even though it is set does not sound at all. Most strange!

I am glad you were not put off by the weather forecast. You made the most of it. Those pumpkins are amazing. I love the character faces. Better than WDW I think.

That was so cool getting to see your pal Buzz thrice.

3 scoops for the price of 2 yes please. How cool that Wendy and Peter Pan got their ice cream fill.

I love IASW also. I like the Tower Bridge on the UK at DLP. Great photo!

Love the photo of Ariel. That's cute your tail is royal blue. I note a different outfit for Ariel compared to WDW. It is less revealing. I love that touch of the elblem for the Princess too. So pretty those windows.

Lunch and dinner look nice. I love rain forest cafe. The chairs at Disney Springs make me laugh that have tails of an animal dangling down at the bar stools.

Great day!

 

[dolphingirl47]

You ended up with a pretty good day!

I really enjoyed it.

How cute that Peter and Wendy had an interaction at the cafe!

It was such a magical moment and I cannot imagine something like this happening in the US parks.

that meal was humongous!

If I had know how big it would be, I would have shared with Graham.

thanks for showing us IASW, it looks different than both US parks.

It is very different. They used to have a walkthrough attraction at the exit, too with European landmarks, but that has disappeared. I am pretty sure that this building was what is Princess Pavilion now.

he parade looks great

Parades is something that they really do well in Paris.

and your meal at Cafe Agrabah and the Mixed Grill platter you had both seemed really tasty.

I love Cafe Agrabah and dinner was nice, too.

I'm glad you got so much done!

It was a lot quieter that day so covering a lot of ground was easy.

Sometimes the alarm on my iphone even though it is set does not sound at all. Most strange!

I hope my iPhone does not take lessons from yours as this is my daily alarm clock.

I am glad you were not put off by the weather forecast.

Rain is very much part and parcel of a Disneyland Paris trip.

Those pumpkins are amazing.

I really loved them.

How cool that Wendy and Peter Pan got their ice cream fill.

I was absolutely smitten with this.

I note a different outfit for Ariel compared to WDW. It is less revealing.

At Paris, she is in her princess version rather as a mermaid.

I love rain forest cafe.

I really used to love it, but kind of have gone off it.

Corinna

 

[dolphingirl47]

Day 5

I had set the alarm for 6:30 and I woke up about half an hour before this. I had a quick shower and packed the last odds and ends. When the alarm went off, Graham got up and ready and then we headed out. There was nobody at reception, but as we had prepaid everything, we just left our key on the desk and left. It was a little sad leaving the hotel and taking the train back to Disneyland Paris. Not only was this the end of an amazing weekend, but also on the next trip I would cheat on Champs sur Marne and our regular hotel by staying at a Good Neighbour Hotel. Suddenly that no longer sounded like such a great idea.

Things worked like clockwork this morning. We did not have long to wait for the train and then it skipped two stations so we arrived in plenty of time. They like to wait until the last minute to announce the platform so we found a seat near the escalators and watched the world go by. Once the platform for our train was listed, we headed down and we ended up in the furthest coach again. The coach where we ended up was strange. Most of it was first class and there were just two tables that were second-class. Somebody was sat in one of our reserved seats. Normally I would not have minded as the journey only takes 10 minutes, but there was nowhere to stand. So I moved her on swiftly. I really don’t understand how this could have happened as even if you buy the ticket at the very last minute; it comes with a seat reservation.

Another advantage of flying with Easyjet was that they fly out of terminal that is a lot closer to the station. This terminal is not as elegant and does not have the fantastic views that the Air France terminal has. Indeed it is positively quirky. However, the easy access from the train station makes more than up for this. We were again able to bypass check in and headed straight to security. There they had screens with an estimated waiting time as well. It showed two minutes and indeed, it was all very quick and smooth. I had seen a McDonald’s when we arrived and we figured that this would work for breakfast. Unfortunately we must have been in a different part of the terminal. There was nothing really that caught our eye. After we had walked for a while, we came to passport control. Graham was worried that this would bring us out to land-side again, but there was a sign with our gate number so we went through. We ended up in a little area with half a dozen or so gates that they use for flights outside the Schengen area. Graham found a seat and I went off in search of some food.

There was not a great deal there. In the end, I settled on Brioche Dorée. They had something that looked like a huge oblong donut. I got one raspberry filled one for Graham and a chocolate filled one for me. They were very nice and indeed tasted like donuts. We washed them down with some coffee. Once we had finished our breakfast, we found some seats by our gate. There is free Wi-Fi at Charles de Gaulle airport and we both made use of this. Our boarding time came and went and nothings seemed to be happening. I went to where I could see the screens and our flight was delayed. In the end the delay was about half an hour, which was no problem as I was heading straight to work anyway and had plenty of time.

Once they started boarding, it was a quick process and we were soon airborne. The flight was smooth and quick. Passport control looked really busy, but did not take too long. I was surprised just how many Run Disney bags and t-shirts I saw. When we got through passport control, I got some lunch to take to work from a convenience store in the terminal. I then handed my luggage over to Graham who was heading home and went to work. A magical trip had come to an end.

 

[Paula Sedley-Burke]

Sad you had to leave after such a memorable weekend for both of you. The hotel sounds like it really worked for your stay.

Sounds like the morning went mostly to plan which is always positive. How strange you had a ghost hitchhiker in your train seat.

I hope work was not too tiring that say. Those donuts I have tried that type they are very nice!

Reallly enjoyed reading this thank you. Again congrats on the 5k run.

 

[franandaj]

That was really quick! I'm glad you were able to do you first 5K successfully and hope you're able to conine your journey!

 

[dolphingirl47]

Sad you had to leave after such a memorable weekend for both of you.

Fortunately the next trip was right round the corner.

The hotel sounds like it really worked for your stay.

I love that little hotel. It is nothing fancy, but it is clean, comfortable, has free Wi-Fi, friendly staff and the location is amazing.

Sounds like the morning went mostly to plan which is always positive.

It did on this trip. Cue ominous foreboding music...

How strange you had a ghost hitchhiker in your train seat.

Yes, this was very strange. The only way this can happen is if the person does not have a ticket at all.

I hope work was not too tiring that say.

I can't remember much about that day so I assume it was OK.

Those donuts I have tried that type they are very nice!

I really enjoyed mine.

Reallly enjoyed reading this thank you.

Thanks for reading along.

Again congrats on the 5k run.

Thanks.

That was really quick!

I have to be organised this time round. In two weeks, I should hopefully in Southampton after the first day of our next adventure.

I'm glad you were able to do you first 5K successfully and hope you're able to conine your journey!

Thanks, I hope so, too.

Corinna

 

[dolphingirl47]

This is Halloween

Day 1

The day I had eagerly awaited since coming back from our last trip was finally here. I was heading off to Disneyland Paris again. I had a bit of a slow start although I was up before my alarm went off. For some reason packing was a slow process. The fact that I had no idea where the Halloween ears were that I had bought for the trip last year and never got around to wearing did not help either. In the end I found them and I was ready to leave. I ended up on a train two trains later than I had planned. This sounds worse than it was as there was only 13 minutes in it.

The train was on time and I met some people from work that were heading for the late shift. I chatted with one of them. I had printed my boarding pass and was travelling with hand luggage only so I could head straight through security. The line for this was insane. I am kind of hoping that this was the longest line I will encounter this trip. They kept it moving though and I was through and in the departure lounge 30 minutes later. I had a quick look at the MAC Cosmetics concession and they had a lipstick that perfectly matches one of my gowns. I decided to think about this and go back for it if I end up with time to spare.

The departure lounge was really busy. To my surprise, there was nobody waiting to be seated at Giraffe so I decided to get some lunch there. My gate was not due to open for another hour. I decided to try something different this time round. I had the Huevos Rancheros with a Coke and I side of fries. I have had Huevos Rancheros a few times in the USA and this was very different. The version here was almost like a pizza with a whole tortilla as the base. It was then topped with chorizo, cheese, black beans, sweet corn, two fried eggs, salsa and avocado. It was absolutely delicious and definitely hit the spot.





By the time I was finished with lunch and had paid, there was still 25 minutes until the gate was due to open. So I quickly used the bathroom and then headed back to the duty free shop to get my lipstick. By the time I came back, the gate was still not open. So I headed towards the gate that our A380 uses to see if I could get a decent photo. Unfortunately there were no windows facing the right direction, but by then the gate was open and I headed there. There was another long line.





We boarded on time, but there was an announcement that we were waiting on a member of cabin crew who had been called in from standby from Liverpool. I thought that this would mean a delay, but we took off only 5 minutes late and arrived 10 minutes ahead of schedule. The flight was smooth and I was reading Bridget Jones Mad About The Boy for the whole of the flight.



Passport control took about 10 minutes. I only just missed the previous train. I got my train ticket and something to drink and then sat down. I reorganised my bag and caught up online. When my train was listed, I went downstairs. The train was on time and I was soon at Disneyland Paris. The line for security was pretty short. As I headed towards the park, everybody else seemed to be heading in the opposite direction.





I took some photos of the Railway Station all dressed up for Halloween and some photos around Town Square. I quickly went inside a shop to check if they had a Jasmine soft toy for the daughter of somebody at work, which they did. I quickly emailed her a photo to check if this was the right one. Then I headed over the Frontierland.















The only character that was still out at that time was Jack Skellington. As I really like him and he draws serious lines, I wanted to go see him. The line was not too bad, but he did head in for a short while. He loved my Jack Dooney. Meeting him was really fun again.









As I was in the area anyway, I headed for Phantom Manor next. This was a walk on. I enjoyed this very much and then headed to Buzz Lightyear. The posted waiting time was 15 minutes, but I don't think it was even half that. For some reason the ride photos don't seem to be working at the moment.



By then, it was time for Disney Dreams. Indeed, it started as soon as I found a spot. This is starting to grow on me. There were segments with Rapunzel and Dr Facilier that I did not remember from May.

 

[dolphingirl47]

As soon as the show was over, I made my way to the exit. I quickly nipped into a shop to get the Halloween ears that I wanted. Then I went to retrieve my bag and headed to the bus station. There were a lot of people waiting for the bus, which considering it was just past closing time and the bus is shared between 5 hotels, is not all that surprising. Two buses left very full indeed. I got on the third one and even managed to get a seat. The Kyriad was the second hotel on the route.

I checked in and then headed for my room. This is kind of strange. The room had a huge l-shaped corridor. It was clean and comfortable. I got settled in and called Graham. Then I went in search of some food. I ended up in the bar, where they are doing a meal deal. I had pasta carbonara, a Coke and a cookie. Once I had finished my dinner, I headed back to my room. I got caught up online and read a couple of pages in my book and then I settled down for the night.

 

[tiggrbaby]

Wow! Finished one and right into another!

You always do such a good job of getting in lots in a short period of time. The Disney Dreams pics are very pretty!

 

[Paula Sedley-Burke]

I saw your photos on FB but it is nice to put the flesh on the bones here.

Any trip starting off with lunch at the long neck cafe ( Giraffe ) sounds like a good start to me. That spanish dish looks fantastic. Jo loves the pizza they do in Pizza Express with spinach and an egg on top. She would be all over that like a rash.

I am pleased you only had a short wait till you were in the sky heading to the French mouse.

I just love those character shadows on the railway station. I looked at them for some time transfixed. The pitchfork and the illusion they are sneaking along. Adorable!

Nice score on seeing Monsieur Skellington. Great photos of you both. Nice to get in Phantom M and Buzz too. Shame the ride photos were down.

That show Disney Dreams does look good. I recall when we went for Halloween many moons ago I became obsessed by the Halloween parade music. Tried to buy the CD. Could not. I eventually found it on the internet.

That is good your hotel is the second stop. How odd your room l shaped. Corner room maybe. Nice to speak to Graham.

Your dinner looks good. Carbonara is my favorite meal but I can't eat cream. I say to Jo if I find out I am checking out of this life Carbonara , Lasagne and Ben and Jerry's Phish food is on the menu. With a large strawberry shake with ice cream and cream on the top. Jo said it would ensure a swift departure lol.

Can't wait to read more! Halloween is the best!

 

[dolphingirl47]

Wow! Finished one and right into another!

I want to finish this before I go on my next big adventure, which is only 11 days away.

You always do such a good job of getting in lots in a short period of time.

During the week, the park is often really quiet and that definitely helps.

The Disney Dreams pics are very pretty!

Thanks. This show is on its way out. There will be a new show for the 25th anniversary.

I saw your photos on FB but it is nice to put the flesh on the bones here.

I agree.

Jo loves the pizza they do in Pizza Express with spinach and an egg on top.

I love an egg on top of a pizza, but hate spinach.

I just love those character shadows on the railway station.

I had not even noticed that.

Shame the ride photos were down.

It stayed like this all trip.

I recall when we went for Halloween many moons ago I became obsessed by the Halloween parade music.

I think it probably was different then, but I love the music for this parade and quite often have a You Tube video with this on loop.

Tried to buy the CD. Could not.

On my very first visit to Disneyland Paris, I became obsessed with the song from the Christmas parade. I was lucky enough to get this on CD and it is now on my iPhone. I still love it.

Corner room maybe.

I think you are right. I had to walk right to the end of the corridor.

Carbonara is my favorite meal but I can't eat cream.

Can you have any fat at all. I have successfully made this dish with Quark (German very low fat fromage fraiche).

Halloween is the best!

I agree with you there.

Corinna

 

[Paula Sedley-Burke]

Can you have any fat at all. I have successfully made this dish with Quark (German very low fat fromage fraiche

Thank you I have tried Quark and it did not agree with me either sadly. But thanks anyway.

 

[dolphingirl47]

Thank you I have tried Quark and it did not agree with me either sadly.

What a shame.

Corinna

 

[Paula Sedley-Burke]

What a shame.

Corinna

Wow I just watched Disney Dreams on YouTube! It is amazing and I actually really enjoyed that part of it is in French. It certainly plays well in Beauty and the Beast. I thought it was fantastic but the Lion King was my favourite part. I want to see this live! Do they show it every night? I hope the new show in WDW once upon a time starring Mrs Potts and Chip is as good as that!

 

[dolphingirl47]

I want to see this live!

You will need to hurry up in this case. It has been announced that Disney Dreams will replaced by a new show, Disney Illuminations as part of the anniversary celebrations, which start at the end of March. I have previously heard that Disney Dreams will go dark on 24th February.

Do they show it every night?

Yes and no. They show Disney Dreams every night at park closing from early January to early November. During their Christmas season, it is replaced by Disney Dreams of Christmas, which again is shown nightly at park closing.

Corinna

 

[Paula Sedley-Burke]

You will need to hurry up in this case. It has been announced that Disney Dreams will replaced by a new show, Disney Illuminations as part of the anniversary celebrations, which start at the end of March. I have previously heard that Disney Dreams will go dark on 24th February.



Yes and no. They show Disney Dreams every night at park closing from early January to early November. During their Christmas season, it is replaced by Disney Dreams of Christmas, which again is shown nightly at park closing.

Corinna

Oh thank you for that information. As ever you snooze you loose! Can't see us getting there before the end of it going dark. Have to plan to see the new show which I am sure will be just as good. I am excited by their anniversary celebrations.