Back home again.

[hildasmuriel]

Lots of washing to do and all the boring stuff as well but I may do a trip report, if you can bear to read another one.

We had a wonderful time and enjoyed every moment of our time there.

Highs:

• MNSSHP - best one yet. Tons of characters. Nothing beats the feeling of walking on a ride that normally has queues of an hour or so.
  
• Kyriad - for such a cheap hotel it provides quite a lot.
  
• Weather - cold at times but mainly bright and NO RAIN (very welcome after our summer trip!)
  
• Food - oh, we had some scrummy meals.

Low:

• The journey home - I nearly cried with relief when we reached St Pancras and very nearly did a Pope by getting down and kissing the ground. I told my daughter we were never ever ever ever ever going again. She pointed out that we have a holiday booked in 7 weeks time. I said I didn't care and would lose the money rather than EVER go through that again. I may change my mind.

 

[zinderella]

We saw you and your DD on Dumbo, you both looked so at home...like you're 'never' going back.......come ON!!!!!!!!!

 

[poppie123]

Come on Hildasmuriel, what could have been sooooo bad with the journey to say you were never ever ever ever ever going back

 

[poppyolivia]

what happened on the trip home...what did I miss????...was it the fuel thing? I was stressing about that but we made it back ok!

 

[Asker Family]

Sounds like you had a great time! Can't wait to hear all about it especially the lovely meals you had

The journey must of been horrendous to say you didn't want to go back again, and if you went into st pancras you must have been on eurostar. I thought that would be less stressful!

You have got to do a trip report, please, I am waiting for all the fab details, good or bad

 

[Ware Bears]

if you can bear to read another one.

OK, OK, if I must .......

The journey home - I nearly cried with relief when we reached St Pancras and very nearly did a Pope by getting down and kissing the ground. I told my daughter we were never ever ever ever ever going again. She pointed out that we have a holiday booked in 7 weeks time. I said I didn't care and would lose the money rather than EVER go through that again. I may change my mind.

Oh my, what on earth happened?

 

[loladelorean]

Great to hear you enjoyed your trip and of COURSE we need a trip report!
But what happened coming home??!! It must have been really bad

 

[hildasmuriel]

All right - I know I sound like a big cow, but here goes.

It was horrible from beginning to end. The organisation was terrible at the other end. On the way out from St Pancras there are loads of security channels to go through and a big spacious lounge to sit in once you're through. Coming back - just 2 x-ray machines for everybody and there is always a queue for it, but this time it was queueing right back down the stairs to the main concourse. Of course at that time of night (6.30pm onwards) parents are getting frazzled and children are getting tired. I saw several parents who had children nicely settled into pushchairs, only to realise they had to put the pushchairs through the x-ray machine, which meant unloading the masses of shopping balanced on the handle, trying to hold the baby plus fold a pushchair, while the other parent tried to control the other children/granny etc. I was exhausted and hot just watching these struggles. Like everybody else I had too many bags of my own to offer to help.
Once settled on the train I thought it would be as normal - maybe half an hour of grizzly children before nearly everybody falls asleep. Not this time. Nearly everybody else in the carriage seemed to have a toddler or baby on their lap - of course that young they don't need a seat of their own. At any given time on the journey there were always at least 2 babies crying - sometimes as many as 6 - I swear I could hear the individual cries. The toddler opposite us cried for 2 hours straight - and I mean FURIOUS crying with back arching and body straining and feet kicking. I have never known a child have so much energy. I felt so sorry for him and his mother who tried singing loudly, rocking him - everything. But if I am being a real cow, I felt sorry for myself as well. It was like nails down a blackboard in the end and I wanted to cry with him.
Perhaps in the olden days I would have felt comfortable leaning over and asking if she wanted me to hold him for a while to give her a rest and then I would have walked up and down with him, but of course you can't do that to a stranger nowadays. Anyway she had her mum with her and she never suggested it, so I suppose she didn't think it a good idea.

So flame me - I know babies cry - I've had 2 of my own, but the sheer volume of them last night made the journey AWFUL.

 

[Ware Bears]

Yikes, that does sound like a nightmare journey. It's years since we've taken the Eurostar but I remember we always tried to board early on the way back to avoid the worst of the queues, once we weren't quick enough and got stuck on the stairs for ages.

I bet your ears are still ringing from that crying now.

P.S. I'm going to put my money on you changing your mind before 7 weeks is up!!!

 

[Skala]

That really does sound horrid- I bet your head was pounding
Your trip reports are fab - can you please do one!!!- and preferably before next Saturday - Now that really would get all of us November DISers in the mood

 

[Asker Family]

Oh no sounds shocking

Think we are probably best in our own car even though it takes longer.

Would love to read your report on the trip though

 

[zinderella]

No, you don't sound like a cow at all. we were on the Thursday night eurostar too and that was certainly one f the lows of our trip, luckily, now that we are back home and telling daddy all about the trip, the horror of the journey home has been eclipsed, but at the time it seemed to be the worst kind of torture.

It was our first time on the eurostar and our journey there was good,using Disney express was fab and all was smooth. Going back was hideous, and I could not believe the chaos and lack of organization. Just having one staff member to organise the queues would have been great and let families know what to expect. I was lucky enough to have granny with me, and slightly older kids, 4 and 8, who were troupers despite being crushed and queued to pieces. Isaw many fraught parents and desperate toddlers,luckily coach 17 was relatively quiet compared to your nightmare.
I had high hopes for eurostar, but am now looking forward to flying and using ezyshuttle for our visit at Christmas.
Sorry your trip was blighted by a shoddy return journey,hope the magic returns for you soon xxxxx

 

[TheTizardFamily:0)]

You don't sound like a cow at all, i have 2 young children, 2 and 4 and even i would end up pulling my hair out if i were in that situation.
Things like this are one of the reasons we go by car, the boys have their own space and if they have a temper tantrum it's only us they disrupt.....and we can turn the music in the car up

Anyway, welcome home....for 7 weeks anyway!! Can;t wait to read your next report, i always love reading them!!!

 

[Danauk]

No that doesn't sound awful. It is one of the reasons why we drive (well that and the fact that if we drive I can buy more things as I don't have to worry about it I can carry everything or not!!) Several hours of screaming children and babies is not fun.

Glad you had a fab trip otherwise though. Where are you staying at Christmas?

 

[loladelorean]

You don't sound like a cow at all - in fact, it's slightly given me the horrors, as I hadn't even considered cranky children for our return Eurostar journey. We don't even know any children, and I'm willing to bet I have a lower tolerance level than you for screaming ones! It's not the fault of the kids or the parents, but it is a horrible situation to be in.
We've got Disney DVDs to watch on the laptop, we'll just turn the sound waaaay up and hope for the best. I'm glad to have been pre-warned!

 

[Nubbedy]

Sounds like a nightmare journey, but I'm sure you'll change your mind about letting it put you off Trip report now then please (before you go again in 7 weeks)!

 

[poppyolivia]

aww right, I thought you got stranded in Paris or something with the fuel crisis!! That wouldn't have bothered me all the kids crying I would have just been chuffed it wasn't my kids!!!!lol..and no you don't sound like a cow! xx

 

[hildasmuriel]

@ loladelorean - it's never been like that before, so I wouldn't be worrying too much about it. It was probably just a bad night. I wish I had known it was quiet in carriage 17 because I would have gone and joined zinderella!

I wish my husband had been with us - then we would have driven and I could have bought the huge coffee table book I saw (for €55 ) as well as Elaine's colander.

@ Danauk - we are staying at Sequoia Lodge in December - we go home the day you arrive.

 

[Jonjo]

On our last trip DW and I turned up to the station very, very late and we got told off by the security staff and just made it onto the train with about 5 mins to spare before they closed the doors. We are taking a portable DVD player to watch some movies on the way there and back this time and the headphones will come in handy to bock out any noise.

 

[Danauk]

@ Danauk - we are staying at Sequoia Lodge in December - we go home the day you arrive.

Maybe we will see you and your daughter skipping down Main Street or on Space Mountain (your daughter, not you!!) like we did last time we were there!