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

[Pinkocto]

I missed the end of the 5K trip. Thank you for sharing that. Congratulations again

The parade was very cute. I'm not much of a day parade person, I much prefer the night ones. And have seen the WDW day time parade too many times now. All the ones you've shown at DLP however are very cute.

The castle is so pretty. Is the dragon underneath like the walk through at DL? That looks so cool!



How lovely right back for your Halloween getaway. Fun to go right to the park.

The decorations are fantastic!

The good neighbor hotel sounds very convenient.

 

[dolphingirl47]

Congratulations again

Thanks.

I'm not much of a day parade person, I much prefer the night ones.

I am normally with you on this. I did not even enjoy the one at at Magic Kingdom last year. However, the parades at Disneyland Paris are truly special.

Is the dragon underneath like the walk through at DL?

It is long time since I have done the castle walkthrough at Disneyland, but from memory, this is completely different. Disneyland Paris has something similar on the first floor of the castle. The dragon just guards the castle and every not and again it wakes up and moves.

The good neighbor hotel sounds very convenient.

I liked it well enough, but I don't think it was any more convenient than the one we normally stay at. If this ended up being cheaper than our usual hotel, I would not hesitate to stay there again, but otherwise, I prefer the Ibis.

Corinna

 

[dolphingirl47]

Day 2

I got up bright and early ‪at 7:00 as I had the ambition to make it to the beginning of Extra Magic Hours, which I still had not managed since I had my annual pass. I did not have long to wait for a bus and got a seat. We picked up at the other three hotels before heading to the bus station for Disneyland Paris. Security was quiet at that time and I reached the gate on the path heading down to the Disneyland Hotel at 2 minutes to 8 - and found it locked. Somebody from security came to unlock shortly afterwards. We headed down the path and near the entrance; cast members were checking hotel passes and annual passes. Then we could head for the entrance.

When I was inside the park, I spotted that Mickey and Minnie were out by the house that Minnie and Marie share. There were only about half a dozen people in line so I stopped for a photo. Chip and Dale were out by the pavilion on Town Square. So this is where I headed next. Dale in particular seemed to have taken a shine to me.

















I made my way up Main Street, which was surprisingly empty. I took photos of some of the ghosts along Main Street. Near the top of Main Street, Donald was meeting people so I stopped there for some photos before heading over to the Plaza Gardens restaurant as I had seen Goofy in that area. He was with a family at that time, but there was nobody else waiting. That was really nice.





































Once I had said goodbye to Goofy, I went to do Buzz Lightyear Laser Blast twice in a row. It was nice that Buzz had recovered from his half marathon. Then it was time to cross over into Fantasyland. I was disappointed how little was open. Riding Peter Pan's Fight with a 5-minute wait was rather sweet though. Other rides that were open were Mad Hatter's Tea Cups, Dumbo and Sir Lancelot's Carousel. The Tea Cups do not agree with me and Dumbo looked pretty busy so I headed for Sir Lancelot's Carousel.

After this, I headed back to Discoveryland. I did Buzz Lightyear Laser Blast one more time. Then I headed to the Annual Passport office. This was not due to be open ‪until 10:00, but pretty much as soon as I got there, they let people in. I was second in line. It did not take me long to get my pass. If you renew a pass at Disneyland Paris, you get an extra 6 months free. That is rather sweet. I assumed they would just give me a new pass with the new validity date and cut up the old one. Instead I have two at the moment. I still have to use the old pass ‪until 10th November when the new pass will become valid.

With this sorted, I headed back to Fantasyland. I checked out the waiting time for Princess Pavilion, but with 90 minutes, I just smiled and moved on. I decided it was time for some coffee. I got a Cookies and Cream coffee from the Old Mill, which was lovely. While I was standing in line for this, I noticed that they had started to let people into the area where the Fairy Tale Canal Boats and Casey Jr. are. As this is also we're the Cheshire Cat is meeting and greeting this Halloween season, I decided to head down there once I had my coffee.

I had seen photos with very long lines from the weekend, but this was not too bad. There were 10 people ahead of me. The Cheshire Cat was fashionably late coming out. He was worth the wait though. At all of the special meet and greets for the Halloween season, they had a cast member with a basket of bags of Haribo. Some of them only gave to children, but some gave to everybody.

 

[dolphingirl47]

I went to pick up some Alice ears for a friend. She had tried to get them when she recently visited Disneyland Paris, but they had been sold out. Today, they were everywhere. The Queen of Hearts was about to come out so I stopped to get some photos with her. Then I decided that is was lunchtime.





I ended up at Au Chalet de Marionette. I had the Bavarian hot dog, which was a Bratwurst with pretzel roll and curry wurst sauce. I had some fries and Coke with it.



After lunch I picked up a Jasmine soft toy that my boss had asked me to get for her daughter. Then I got in line for Maleficent. It was such a treat to have her out for meet and greets. They had set up a spooky spot for her, which even came with fog. The line was not particularly long, but did move slowly. It was worth it though.





Once I had seen Maleficent, I headed back to Main Street as seeing Stitch was high on my priority list. Just as I came down the drawbridge, I saw the Halloween parade come up Main Street. So I decided to stop for this. Even though I had left it until the last minute, I managed to get a front row space just where the parade turns off Main Street. This turned out not to be a very good spot for taking photos as the sun was in the wrong place. I got a few though. I absolutely loved the parade. It is very high energy with a lot of performers, some roaming characters and three floats. Although it is called Mickey's Halloween Celebration, the emphasis is more on harvest than on Halloween.























When the parade was over, I went over to where Stitch was meeting and greeting. He was wearing a costume and was in fine form. While we were in line, a cast member came round giving out a leaflet with various puzzles. I thought that this was a nice touch.





Once I was done with Stitch, I headed to the opposite end of Main Street, where Marie was meeting and greeting. Her line was surprisingly short. I then had a look around the shops. When I came out, the parade was coming up Main Street again so I stayed and watched.

 

[franandaj]

You make traveling sound so easy. I wish we didn't have so much extra baggage to always schlep around!

Nice pictures with Jack, and they way you keep going there, pretty soon I'll understand my way around this park when I finally get there! What was with that bacon and porridge in your room do they leave you that as a welcome gift? The cookie I understand.

Sounds like you are off to a great trip!

 

[dolphingirl47]

I then headed back into Fantasyland, as I wanted to see Goofy in his Halloween outfit. After this, I decided my back would appreciate a rest and headed over to It's A Small World. What happened there was downright bizarre. I know that at theme parks, if there are two lines, you should head left. Normally this works a treat. However, when I got to the point where the lines split, the line on the left looked very long. So I headed right. I am glad I did, as this was a walk on whereas there were enough people for at least three loading cycles on the other side. As I came off the ride, I spotted a crow perched on one of the topiary. This made me smile. There seem to be crows everywhere in the park at the moment. I thought that worked rather well with the Halloween theme.













I headed back over to Main Street, as I wanted to meet Daisy in her Halloween outfit. She looked precious. Then I headed back to Buzz Lightyear Laser Blast and managed to do this three times in quick succession. By then I was all parked out for one day and headed towards the exit.









I quickly went inside the Disneyland Hotel. They had amazing displays for Christmas and spring. I was hoping that they also would have a display for Halloween. Unfortunately that did not turn out to be the case. I left and headed to Disney Village. I had a look at the menus of various restaurants, but decided that I did not fancy a sit down dinner. I ended up at Earl of Sandwich. I had a meal deal with a Coke, the Philly Cheese Steak sandwich and some cheese and onion crisps. I also had a cup of tomato soup. The crisps came back to the hotel with me.

Once I had finished my dinner, I walked back to the bus station. I got lucky this time as the bus arrived as soon as I got there and it was relatively empty. I managed to get a seat. It did not take long to get back to the hotel and I headed straight back to the room. I got caught up online, spoke to Graham on the phone and read for a bit. Then I got ready for bed and had an early night.

 

[dolphingirl47]

You make traveling sound so easy.

What can I say, I have plenty of experience.

Nice pictures with Jack, and they way you keep going there, pretty soon I'll understand my way around this park when I finally get there!

Thanks. Blast, I may spoil my chances of being your tour guide at that rate.

What was with that bacon and porridge in your room do they leave you that as a welcome gift?

This was not porridge, but pasta carbonara. This photo was taken at the bar where they are serving light meals. When Disney Dreams was over, I just wanted to go and check into the hotel. With hindsight, it may have made more sense to grab something to eat at Disney Village and then go to the hotel. The food was tasty though.

Sounds like you are off to a great trip!

It was a truly amazing trip and at the same time you were posting, I posted the next day.

Corinna

 

[franandaj]

I forgot to say in my last comment that those ghost figures out on Main Street are a little bit creepy (IMO).

You got a lot of character meets in on this day and some really rare and unique ones! How great for that!

You really did turn in early! Nice to know they have an Earl of Sandwich there as well. I'm not sure how Fran is going to do with the food there, but she'll probably do better there than Tokyo, Hong Kong or Shanghai!

 

[dolphingirl47]

I forgot to say in my last comment that those ghost figures out on Main Street are a little bit creepy (IMO).

They are, but I still really liked them.

You got a lot of character meets in on this day and some really rare and unique ones! How great for that!

Disneyland Paris is fabulous for meeting rare characters. There are more to come.

Nice to know they have an Earl of Sandwich there as well. I'm not sure how Fran is going to do with the food there, but she'll probably do better there than Tokyo, Hong Kong or Shanghai!

I don't think she will have an issue. There is a wide variety of food available at Disneyland Paris. As far as international chains are concerned, they have Starbucks, McDonalds, Rainforest Cafe and Earl of Sandwich at Disney Village. Next year they will add Five Guys. As far as the parks are concerned, there is typical theme park food (burgers, hot dogs, pizza, etc.), but also French food, Mexican food, Italian food, German food, African inspired food, barbecue, etc.

Corinna

 

[tiggrbaby]

Great character pics! Their costumes are precious!

Love the parade; is Halloween as big of a deal over there as in the US?

 

[Pinkocto]

You definitely got some fabulous character pictures today, wow! Love all their special outfits.

The Cheshire Cat is too cute for words! And how fun that they have thorns set up at Maleficents area.

The decorations around the park are top notch. I think much better than WDW.

 

[dolphingirl47]

Great character pics! Their costumes are precious!

I was very happy with the character photos that were available.

Love the parade;

The parade was truly amazing.

is Halloween as big of a deal over there as in the US?

That is the strange thing. It really isn't, especially not in continental Europe, but yet it is a really big deal at Disneyland Paris.

Love all their special outfits.

Me, too.

The Cheshire Cat is too cute for words!

I was so excited when I found out that he would be hanging out at Disneyland Paris for the Halloween season.

And how fun that they have thorns set up at Maleficents area.

This was really cleverly done.

The decorations around the park are top notch. I think much better than WDW.

I thought so, too. The Halloween season at Disneyland Paris also seems to be much more immersive than at the US parks. They only have a single Halloween party, which takes place on Halloween, but they do have the parade and show a few times every day and there are more special characters around.

Corinna

 

[Flossbolna]

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

Oh! That sounds interesting! Would you share the recipe. Sounds like a healthy version.

I really need to quite my DLP resort hotels addiction. Stayin off site really is the way to go as I see from your reports. I am happy to hear that Dreams started to grow on you! I hope the replacement will be wonderful. I am really excited that they are designing a new show.

As Polly said, one of the great things about the show (and I think other shows at DLP as well) is how they integrate French and English so that you understand the show with only understanding one of the two languages.

 

[Flossbolna]

And now I realised that you posted another full day that I missed... Lots of wonderful pictures! I love all the special characters and the decorations!

However:

I had the Bavarian hot dog, which was a Bratwurst with pretzel roll and curry wurst sauce. I had some fries and Coke with it.

My comment as a Bavarian:

(to be fair, it does sound tasty, but also all kinds of wrong... curry wurst with pretzel. )

 

[dolphingirl47]

Would you share the recipe.

I will dig it out over the weekend. It is panic stations here all week.

Stayin off site really is the way to go as I see from your reports.

It works for us. We love our little Ibis.

As Polly said, one of the great things about the show (and I think other shows at DLP as well) is how they integrate French and English so that you understand the show with only understanding one of the two languages.

This has been perfected in Mickey and the Magician.

I love all the special characters and the decorations!

I was in heaven.

My comment as a Bavarian:

(to be fair, it does sound tasty, but also all kinds of wrong... curry wurst with pretzel. )

Yes, I know it is not authentic, but it does work together and is yummy.

Corinna

 

[franandaj]

My comment as a Bavarian:

(to be fair, it does sound tasty, but also all kinds of wrong... curry wurst with pretzel. )

Please explain to a non Bavarian, what is wrong? I dont think I would like curry wurst as I don't like curry, but I don't understand.

 

[dolphingirl47]

Please explain to a non Bavarian, what is wrong? I dont think I would like curry wurst as I don't like curry, but I don't understand.

To start of with, curry wurst is not Bavarian. It was created in a suburb of Berlin although you can now get it all over the country. Usually it is served with fries, but is also served with either a plain roll or some slices of German bread. The curry powder that you can get in Germany is very different from any curry that you may have come across. It is not particular spicy, but is just a mix of aromatic spices with a slightly earthy flavour.

Corinna

 

[Flossbolna]

Please explain to a non Bavarian, what is wrong? I dont think I would like curry wurst as I don't like curry, but I don't understand.

As Corinna said: It is two dishes combined which each have a very distinct history. In Bavaria (and also Thuringia and Saxonia) bratwurst served in a bun is a very traditional snack. If you want it authentic, it would be a crusty roll, not a pretzel bun. But the pretzel is Bavarian as well, so that works. The condiment to go with this would be mustard (and here where I live horseradish is very popular, too). The other dish is currywurst. Again, a bratwurst type of sausage. But traditionally it is served cut into pieces and then covered with he sauce. The sauce is ketchup based and I would say the spices are more like a flavorful barbecue sauce (without the sweetness and the smoke) than anything Indian real curry. The name comes from he generic "curry powder". The currywurst is mostly served with fries or bread. It comes in a little paper tray with a tiny plastic fork to eat. It was invented after the war by a lady who had a sausage stand (so goes the story) in Berlin. Berlin even has a Currywust museum.

This is a picture of a Berlin currywurst:

 

[dolphingirl47]

I wish I could have a portion of this right now.

Corinna

 

[Flossbolna]

I wish I could have a portion of this right now.

Corinna

Maybe you should look into cruising on a Mein Schiff or Aida ship, I would be surprised if they don't offer it somewhere on these ships! Not sure you want to be on a ship full of Germans though... (I have to admit, I would not, I prefer the more international atmosphere of English speaking lines).