DREAMing, some MAGIC and a little bit of Paris! Trip report link!

[dizneeat]

Hope you and Tom had a wonderful Easter!

Thank you, Mary Ellen! We had a lovely weekend - the weather was fine and we enjoyed the time off (I had 10 days, Tom only had the weekend and today) a lot.

Trying to get caught up on my subbed TRs this morning and finally posted on my own. I'm getting to be such a slacker.

Love your new update! I was just over to read and don't worry about falling behind, happens to me daily.

Love the pictures from the Christmas parade! What an adorable parade and its looks like a perfectly beautiful day.

We loved that parade and saw it a few times. It was so neat to see them enhance the parade with more floats and having some great new things, like the tree lighting and the Dreams show.

Is your Italy trip really that close? Awesome!

Yes, we are leaving in 9 days! I cannot believe we are going back so soon.

And, yes, I would love to come visit that spa some day! Stunning!

We'll see you there! No, honestly, if you ever consider a trip to Europe, you have to come to Austria. It's a small country, but it is really beautiful.

Wow...lots of things down or long lines.... I have had similar issues on a few trips to WDW...it really is frustrating.

Things down - we are used to things down - some do not run well when it is really cold outside, and Indy has a history of being down.
And as far as long lines - we knew that beforehand, as it was a holiday weekend and schools were still out. So we kind of needed to run with that, as I can only travel in my school holidays too.

I am determined to do a Christmas season trip to DLRP this year

Great news, Linda!

 

[dizneeat]

Day 2, January 4
Christmas is still in the air ……- Part 6

We were stunned to see that even that had quite a line, but we hopped in anyway.
We have not been in there in a long time, so it was fun to look around and especially to enjoy the view.













































It took us about 15 minutes to check everything out and head over to Pirates of the Caribbean.
A 45 minute wait was far too long for us so we continued on to just stroll around. We enjoyed our walk through Fantasyland and finally decided to stop in at Sir Mickey’s and the Christmas store inside the castle before heading out. Again, we took quite some time checking out the stores and were ready to head towards the Main Square when we heard the announcement that the Christmas Parade was on its way again. They were now coming up Main Street. We were still on the castle walkway and I spotted one of my favourite parade watching spots completely empty. There are small alcoves on both sides of the walkway and you can watch the parade from there.

To be continued .....​

 

[dizneeat]

Day 2, January 4
Christmas is still in the air ……- Part 7

There are small alcoves on both sides of the walkway and you can watch the parade from there.





Yip, there is a bit of space between you and the parade, but it is a great viewing point. I claimed our spot while Tom took a few more pics of the parade coming up Main Street.





Once those were done we got in position in our little alcove, I was in charge of the camcorder, while Tom took a lot more photos.

























It was fun to watch this parade from another angle again.
Once the parade was over and the crowds had left the hub we walked down there and took photos of the fun “snowmen” they had “built” in front of the castle.













Our next stop was the tipboard, but wait times were pretty long for all the attractions, so we decided to leave the park for the moment and do some shopping.

To be continued .....​

 

[dizneeat]

Day 2, January 4
Christmas is still in the air ……- Part 8

Our next stop was the tipboard, but wait times were pretty long for all the attractions, so we decided to leave the park for the moment and do some shopping.
So, on our way out of the park we stopped at one of the small shops next to the exit,







before heading into the Disneyland Hotel to have a look around. And while the hotel was nice we were not overly impressed with it.









So after a good look around we left the hotel and slowly walked towards the Disney Village again. There was a brief talk about having lunch at one of the Village restaurants, but none of us was really hungry so we just walked through the Village and up to our hotel.





When we got to the lobby we stopped for a biological break and then Tom suggested, why not asking if our room was already ready. So we walked up to the front desk and a very sweet cast member looked up our new stateroom, smiled and said, that it was ready and waiting for us.
I handed her our one and only key and she gave us two of them for the new room, shaking her head and mentioning that two people needed two keys. She was so cheerful and friendly and even more so when we handed her two “Merci” chocolate bars.
Now, key in hand we headed up to our new room, which was in the Brownstone building. We opened the door and were happy to see two beds.





















Our luggage was there and the view was a bit to the side but great none the less.

To be continued .....​

 

[dizneeat]

Day 2, January 4
Christmas is still in the air ……- Part 9

Our luggage was there and the view was a bit to the side but great none the less.









We walked through the room, checking a bit and then Tom noticed, that the bathroom door would not stay shut from the outside. Okay, we can live with that. So, after a short break we went downstairs and out to the parking lot to go to Auchan to do some shopping.
Soon we were on our way over to Val d’Europe and entered the huge parking lot. We were lucky and found a spot quite close to the entrance, got a cart and went inside. First we went upstairs to the non-food department to have a good look around. We have often found fun Disney articles there at a discount price, but this time we were out of luck.
So we went back downstairs to do some grocery shopping. There are always some things we want to take home and this time was no exception. It took quite some time to fill the cart with dinner staples like cheese and prosciutto and some salads and quite a few drinks. There are some beers Tom enjoys and we still had room in our suitcases, so he would be able to get a few extras to take home.
About an hour and a half after we had left the hotel we were done with grocery shopping and got in line for the register. It takes forever to get through the line, no matter if there is a lot or just very little in your cart and that day was no exception. So finally when we were all done and on the way out to the car again we knew we were right on time for the little bakery we love so much.
So, we quickly drove over there and headed inside.



Since it was late afternoon we were the only shoppers there











and got some wonderful, still warm baguette and some more eclairs for myself.





This bakery does speciality eclairs and I always need to try some. Finally when all the shopping was done we drove back to the hotel, showed our guest pass and were allowed in.
Again, we were lucky and found a parking spot close to the main entrance. We had brought one of our bags to transport our shopping upstairs and now we “rolled” everything towards the entrance. It was already getting a bit dark and since we only had had breakfast and we knew what we had just purchases we started to get really hungry. Back in the room we unpacked our purchases and decided to have an early dinner before heading back to the parks. So we laid the table, Tom found something to watch for us on his pad and we finally sat down and had a very late lunch or early dinner, whatever you want to make it.













I finished off my yummy meal with one of the eclairs, the Speculatius one. Éclair heaven.





But there was now a problem, a huge one. We were both dead tired.
So first we thought that we might head out anyway and explore the Disney Village a bit more, but somehow we never got ourselves out the door. Instead we decided that it was time for a little downtime and so we thought that watching a little TV while trying out the new beds would be great. And yes, you guessed it, when it was time to head out for the first tree lighting we were just too tired and lazy to get out of the room, we never made it to the second one, but we watched the tree lights change colour from our room.







In the end we decided that we were on vacation, and even on a short one like ours we needed some time to catch up on lost sleep. So by 9pm we were in bed, still watching a little TV but sooooo tired already. And we justified our early bed time with an early breakfast time the next morning. By 9.30 Tom was fast asleep and I didn’t last that much longer either.

To be continued .....​

 

[perfectmatch300]

You had to show those pictures of the bakery! Good thing it is almost dinner time here!

Loved the parade pics! Maybe we will get to DLP some day. So many trips I would like to make, so little time.

I can hardly keep up with you and your travels. It's already almost time for you to head to Italy. I am very impressed with your travel planning!

 

[LuvEeyore]

Karin,
I just love your pre-trippies and trip reports. What I love the most is your visits to other places and hearing about your beautiful home, Austria.
Thank you for sharing your country with us and your beautiful Europe.

Can't wait to hear and see more.

 

[dizneeat]

You had to show those pictures of the bakery! Good thing it is almost dinner time here!

And those pictures were taken in the afternoon - lots more goodies there in the morning!

Loved the parade pics! Maybe we will get to DLP some day. So many trips I would like to make, so little time.

It IS a lovely place, a bit different from the US parks, and then so similar in layout. The cast members are not like the ones in the US though - this is Europe, we do not grow up with Disney the way you do - here it is just another theme park.
Keeping my finges crossed that you will be able to fit it in one day.

I can hardly keep up with you and your travels. It's already almost time for you to head to Italy. I am very impressed with your travel planning!

Neither can I!
And yes, Italy is just around the corner - Thursday next week to be precise. Good thing is, it does not require any planning. We have our room, we are driving and that's it. We'll do whatever we feel like once we get there.
Well, maybe we'll fit in a day in Venice, we'll see.

Karin,
I just love your pre-trippies and trip reports. What I love the most is your visits to other places and hearing about your beautiful home, Austria.
Thank you for sharing your country with us and your beautiful Europe.

Can't wait to hear and see more.

Ah, thank you! It's good to hear that I don't bore everyone to death with my pics of Austria and other European destinations.

More coming up shortly. I need to get this TR done, we're off to Italy next week.

 

[jenseib]

Good thing I am eating breakfast as I read that!

I totally understand. There are times i really want to do things but I just am too tired....especially in the last few years. I used to go and go, but now I am finding times I really do need to just sleep a little earlier than in years past.

 

[dizneeat]

Good thing I am eating breakfast as I read that!

I totally understand. There are times i really want to do things but I just am too tired....especially in the last few years. I used to go and go, but now I am finding times I really do need to just sleep a little earlier than in years past.

Ah, I should have posted the food pics at a different time, to torture you more.
That little bakery is just so beautiful and the things they sell are SO good!

We were both so tired from arriving late and getting up early the first day. And we did not even have the time change to blame.

 

[Wicket's Mom]

The spa was gorgeous, but I would never walk across the suspension bridge. I know I would get to the middle, stop & get stuck there!

The church was so beautiful, but it seems Europe has cornered the market when it comes to awesome churches.

Your food for dinner at DLP looked fey good, love me some good French baked goods!

Maybe our paths will cross again in 2015, depends on your dates in September.

 

[dizneeat]

The spa was gorgeous, but I would never walk across the suspension bridge. I know I would get to the middle, stop & get stuck there!

The church was so beautiful, but it seems Europe has cornered the market when it comes to awesome churches.

Your food for dinner at DLP looked fey good, love me some good French baked goods!

Maybe our paths will cross again in 2015, depends on your dates in September.

That bridge was breathtaking. And well worth the shaky knees, while crossing it.

We just love some good French munchies. We do have really nice bread here, but nothing as light and fluffy with an awesome crust as a baguette.

It would be awesome if we could get together in 2015 again. So far our dates are August 17 to September 13. (might change by a day or two.)

 

[dizneeat]

Day 3, January 5
Don’t you just love it, when things work out …….. - Part 1

Today we were up pretty early. The early night the day before had helped a lot and around 7am we were up and about. Getting ready took a bit longer than we had thought, but we made it down to the restaurant for breakfast, shortly before 8am. Again we were seated in the Manhattan restaurant



and this time I did not forget to take photos of the buffet, well, the cold part of it anyway.



























I missed to take photos of the hot items. Photos done, we picked up some coffee and hot chocolate and some orange juice,



then went to fill our plates with nice hot breakfast items. We both had scrambled eggs, bacon, breakfast potatoes and veal sausages and some baguette





and butter.



Tom had another plate with cold items as well,



while I had went and got a chocolate croissant or two. It was nice as it was still early enough for the room to be pretty empty and quiet.
When we left there were a lot more people coming in. We walked through the shop when we had finished breakfast and finally got in line for the lift to go up to the fifth floor again.
Back in our room we got our things ready to leave for the parks but one of the eclairs was calling my name, so we took another little break and I tried the Noisette one





of my eclairs. Yummy says it all.
Finally we were ready and headed outside, just to see a lot of people with suitcases lining up for the lift. We were lucky as the second one had just space for the two of us, so we took advantage of the fact that we didn’t have any luggage and were soon on our way out of the hotel.
Again, we had our bags scanned, while people with strollers full of bags just passed us by without being checked. We then slowly strolled through the shops again and when we finally made it to the other end of the Disney Village, we were shocked at how many people were heading towards the entrance of both parks.
We quickly discussed if we should get in line for the Walt Disney Studios, but since the park would not open for another 30 minutes and there were long lines in front of the turnstiles already we just headed to the Magic Kingdom. They had extra magic hours and so we went to the entrance for hotel guests where we found absolutely no lines and were inside the park in no time.





To be continued .....​

 

[dizneeat]

Day 3, January 5
Don’t you just love it, when things work out …….. - Part 2

They had extra magic hours and so we went to the entrance for hotel guests where we found absolutely no lines and were inside the park in no time.
It was nice to see the blue skies behind the castle





and took in the atmosphere on the Main Square when we noticed that they had the horse drawn streetcar in use.







So nice to see, as they don’t always use it. We slowly wandered up Main Street,











then headed towards Discoveryland



as there are not many rides open for Extra Magic Hours but we just love to walk around and take in the different areas.
We walked into one of the shops, then over to the Hyperion, where we noticed that they still offered their special Christmas menu and then walked back to Startours, which even though it had not even opened yet, already had quite a line. We walked around Space Mountain



and up to the front of it again.









The line for Space was huge, they used up all the line space outside the ride, so we knew that was a no go. Instead we walked towards the Annual Pass office and past the castle to Fantasyland.
It was still nice and non crowded back there and when we got up to It’s a Small World



Tom pointed out that there was a Santa Hat above the “clock” at the attraction.





It then dawned on us that they might have a Christmas overlay in the attraction. There was a 15 minute wait posted, but it did not look like that was really the case. So we got in line and when we went through the turnstiles we saw that there was really no line. They were slowly but surely filling the boats and the line kept moving all the time.









We were soon seated.

To be continued .....​

 

[dizneeat]

Day 3, January 5
Don’t you just love it, when things work out …….. - Part 3

We were soon seated and on our way and indeed they had a lot of Christmas hints hidden along the ride.















Even the music changed and had some Christmas songs included as well. It had been a brilliant idea to take that little cruise in the end.
Once we got off we strolled past Peter Pan, but the line had grown to over an hour and fastpasses were for the afternoon, so we gave it a miss.
We slowly walked past Pirates of the Caribbean, which was down at that time and over to Big Thunder Mountain.
The standby line was long, so we entered the Fastpass line. Yes, there is a Fastpass line and it can get very long. Waiting in line for a fastpass for 10 minutes is nothing uncommon. There needs to be said, that the fastpass machines are different to the old ones we were used to at WDW.
Here, you either scan your ticket or have to slide it through a scanner. It does not work nicely, let me tell you that much, so it takes up a lot of time to pick up your fastpass, especially since there is usually only one cast member manning the machines. Finally we had our fastpasses in hand and we had to wait for about an hour for our ride, so we checked out the shops in Frontierland and in the end decided on heading over to the Haunted Mansion.





There was just a very short line,



so we were only stopped at the entrance for a minute or two and soon we found ourselves in the stretching room. We had chosen our spot wisely and were right at the exit into the room where the doom buggies don’t wait for you. So we walked over there and got into our ride vehicle and off we went onto our ride through this haunted house. Tom had tried to take some photos on the ride, but without flash most came out a bit blurry.



We both had a good laugh when the ride came to a stop and now Tom WAS able to get some nicer pics.







Ride over we went over to the cemetery,



which is always fun to walk through. Lots of headstones to read



















and there is even a huge tomb which, if you knock at it, will knock back at you.

To be continued .....​

 

[dizneeat]

Day 3, January 5
Don’t you just love it, when things work out …….. - Part 4

Lots of headstones to read





and there is even a huge toom which, if you knock at it, will knock back at you. There was just a little more time left until our Big Thunder fastpass, so we took the short cut to Main Street and explored some of the shops again, picking up a few bits and bobs along the way. And in no time it was time for our ride on Big Thunder.









So we headed over to the fastpass return and hit the long line.
It went nearly back to where the actual fastpass machines were. Every so often people would walk past us and then try to get to the cast member at the head of the line, just to be reminded that there WAS a line to get in. One of the problems it takes so long is that some people don’t understand the fastpass concept, they pick up a pass, then immediately head to the return and are stunned they are not allowed to ride right away. Holds up the line big time. But even without those the line was just long.







It took us about 25 minutes from the time we got in line until we reached the actual building, but then we soon were assigned a row, and after asking if we might go to the back were assigned seats in the last but one car. The ride is so much fun.









First you get into a dark tunnel as you have to cross under the “lake” then the actual Thunder Mountain ride starts and then back in the dark tunnel until you reach the boarding area again.



We got off, looked at our watches and decided it was time to leave. It was Sunday and the little bakery we still wanted to visit was only open until 1am. We did not want to run a chance for them to run out of their heavenly baguette, so we needed to be there in time.
So we used the walkways behind the shops to leave the park, making a pit stop at the restrooms and through the exit. One more thing we needed to get done before we headed for the car. We needed to have a look at a carry-on for Tom, which had caught his eye. So off to the World of Disney we went. We looked around the shop and finally found what we were looking for, picked out the one we really liked and took it to the cash register. I wanted to have a look inside and the nice cast member there, opened it up for us. While he got our receipt ready I asked if they no longer sold the Duffy bears, I mean just the regular one without any special outfits. They did not, which stunned me, as they sold the outfits everywhere, just not the bears. So once we had paid for the carry-on





we headed back to our hotel, put it in our room and headed right back out to drive to the bakery. When we left the parking area we noticed how full it had gotten and even commented on it. A few minutes later we had made it over to the bakery and found the line going out the door.
Once inside we saw the baskets of baguette getting more and more empty and were afraid that we might run out of luck. But then they brought another basket full of the hot, crispy on the outside, soft on the inside goodness and we were able to get what we wanted. Needless to say that back in the car we had to have a taste of it and it was as good as it looked. We were missing some drinks, so we made another pit stop at the Auchan to pick up some more drinks before we headed back to the hotel. Upon entering the parking lot we realized there were several cars circling the parking lot! They were full and everyone was on the lookout for someone to leave, so they could park their car. On our third round around the parking lot I thought I had seen an empty spot behind a tree in the corner. Tom decided to drive over to this little cul de sac, hidden by trees and low an behold there was an empty spot. So Tom quickly parked the car, we loaded all our groceries into a shopping bag and off we went up to the room.





We wanted to have a bit of late lunch, chill a bit and then head back to the parks to finally see the parade, the tree lighting and the castle show. And while we were washing our hands we noticed that the water in the toilet didn’t stop running. We thought that maybe we could get it working again by flushing, but no, it continued gurgle. We closed the door and remember, this is the door that won’t stay shut, so it was impossible to do and you could still hear the running toilet. Not being fluent in French I didn’t want to run a risk, so we decided to mention the issue lateron at the front desk. Then it was finally time to sit down and enjoy a bit of late lunch.





And after that we decided to take a little rest on our beds while watching a little TV. We were tired and it was hard not falling asleep but we were determined to make it to the park and all the entertainment we wanted to see.
Once we had gotten ready to leave we had about half an hour until the parade and we knew we were cutting it close. So off we went, but not without a first stop at the front desk. The cast member was super friendly and helpful and promised that both issues, the toilet and the door would be taken care of when we would return from the parks. Needless to say that she got rewarded with some chocolate. Then it was time to head to the parks. Again, there was a line at the security checkpoint and again, we did see how people pushed their strollers right past the checkpoints without having its contents screened. I bit my tongue, but was boiling inside. We hotfooted it through the village and were at the turnstiles about 5 minutes before the parade was supposed to start. The area around Town Square was pretty packed, so we decided to use the walkways behind the shops to head further up the parade route. We passed the Annual Passholder Bureau and right at the entrance to Fantasyland there was a little opening in the crowd, so we squeezed in there.
And it was right about time, the parade was already on its way. It was nice to see it again as there a new Frozen float and the catchy new theme song even had a few Christmas touches. We were lucky with our spot even though some people tried to push in front of us. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mind a kid in front of me if you come late, but don’t expect me to step back so you can get in front of me to block my view if I have been in that spot longer than you. But we did not let it get to us and enjoyed the parade.









To be continued .....​

 

[MEK]

​

This is such a beautiful picture. I love how the wreaths are all Mickey Shaped. Nice touch.

Nice mega update!

Yikes to the crowds. Glad you got in easily, managed to find a parking space on the way back, and get back in just in time to see the parade.

Space Mountain exterior looks so cool. Very, very different from WDW.

And I love the HM. I've seen pictures of the exterior before but I think those of the first inside and graveyard pics I've seen. Very cool!

Your lunch looks yummy!

What an adorable carry-on!

Great update! Can't wait to see the entire parade!

 

[MEK]

I almost forgot - BTMMR looks really cool, too! In those pictures it looks like that track over the water is going to fall apart. Very realistic.

 

[jenseib]

Mega updates!!!!!
It's crazy how packed the place is. At least you got a few rides in. The Christmas small world overlay looks fun!
All the food looks very good!
I hope they took care of your running toilet and door issue. Thats so annoying.

 

[LuvEeyore]

Karin,
Loving the updates. I love how you have your in room picnics and how much fun they appear to be. I am ready for my Disney fix!!! Still 8 months away....wish the 2015 rates would come out. I think they should release rates and prices a year at a times so in Jan 2014 I can plan my 2/15 trip. Oh well I don't know why Disney doesn't agree with me