Back from DLP...and the brink of disaster!!

[rosh]

Arrived back from our first trip to Disneyland Paris, after becoming addicted to Disney following our Orlando trip last year, on Wednesday night.

However we very nearly didn't make it at all!!

We booked within a couple of weeks of arriving back from Florida as we couldn't bear to wait.

We were packing on Saturday, driving down to the Eurotunnel crossing early Sunday morning - the 11th September, when I sorted out our passports only to notice mine expired on the 12th September!!

All sorts of panic ensued, tears from my 6 year old daughter, and our hopes died that we would be able to make it at all. Phonecalls to the passport office were no help - the earliest appointment for a emergency 1 day passport was Wednesday. I phoned the travel agent to see if the booking could be moved back a few days - no go.

They suggested I take the risk and try to travel, so we did. Absolutely no passport check on the way out and the British border control on the way back checked them but didn't even mention the fact it was expired!

Such a relief and we had a great time, now looking forward to returning to Florida next October - with a fully renewed passport!!

 

[kizzabel]

God, you were so lucky!!!
Tell us all about your trip!!?

 

[minnie_x]

british border control....make you feel proud don't they

welcome back, good to hear you had a nice time. Looking forward to hearing about your trip

 

[Ware Bears]

Phew!

Hope you had a great time!

 

[MazdaUK]

I was once coming back through and the border control wished me happy birthday for the next day - lucky he wasn't on checking duty!!

 

[markpsych]

I applied for my 1st UK passport last summer (previously had a Canadian one), and there was a processing delay, and then it was delivered to the wrong address.

Risked it like you and benefited from no passport check on the way out.

A family member kindly collected it and posted it directly to the Davy Crockett Ranch.....it arrived on the day we were leaving

A little anxiety provoking isn't it!

 

[smallpig]

Eek, that must have been stressful! Glad you had a good trip!

 

[Florida2012]

Bloody hell! We're going Orlando next year, so can we go with you and hope some of your luck rubs off on us! Lol

I bet when you had them checked on the way back it felt like a scene from The Great Escape!! Praying your "dodgy" papers would hold up to scutiny!!! lol

 

[Johnny_boy]

You were very lucky!

When we went via Eurotunnel this year, DW opened all the passports at the photo pages and put them 1 inside the other to make it easier for them to see, they just glanced at the outside and didn't even take them from us to check.

On the way back, they were a lot more thorough and even counted the number of people in the car. DS is only 4 and he was 1 when his was taken, still has the same red hair though but otherwise difficult to see that it's him. DD's which was replaced this year had her with blonde hair, it's now dark brown, all the kids in my family (except DS) have had blond(e) hair when they were born.