Day 3
Now forgive me but the facts are now merging and becoming confused so (and I know you wont know but I feel obliged to confess) bear with me...
Up with the proverbial lark 0700. Sophie had to be woken so was a tad grumpy until she realised she had another fun packed Disney day ahead of her.
We headed along for breakfast and ......who was that? Pluto!!!!! He was sitting chilling by the fire waiting for what the day would bring. Pluto is Sophies favourite and a pretty cool dude it has to be said.
We were seated in the main Inventions area for breakfast where there was much more room and it seemed more relaxed. Same delicious choice, the little sugar donuts were a particular favourite. Lucy loved the sausages and beans.
Tried to make a quick break for the parks but this plan was foiled by an encounter with Tigger in the hallway darn those Disney conspirators!
Headed for the Peter Pan ride which is very popular but I am glad we only queued for 10 minutes as I found it quite disappointing. It is looking a bit past it in my opinion. We managed to get another Dumbo ride before the queue became massive. There was a very busy feel to the park. I think Wednesdays are traditionally busy because the French schools have a day off. However, on the positive side the weather was gorgeous so queuing was really sunbathing standing up.
Managed a 20 minute wait for Buzz and all our scores improved.
It was nearing 10am so it was time to walk across to the Studio to do Crushs Coaster. It all looked promising on the approach, didnt look too busy at all but then we saw the queue for Crush - 85 minutes already. We bit the bullet though and joined it. We hadnt intended taking Sophie on the ride as we thought she was too small but as you see...she passed.
She is a recent fan of Finding Nemo and wanted to go on the ride but we werent sure when we saw the description of it which was fast, twisting, dark. However there were loads of kids her age and she was up for it so it was a go-go-go. It was a long wait but the queue does move along and the kids were very patient. Sophie got on the shell with her mum and dad and Lucy and I got on after them. Then we were off. O-M-G! Lucy was whooping in my ear and it was amazing but all the time I was thinking we have killed Sophie or at the very least traumatised a 4 year old for the rest of her life. I couldnt imagine how she survived it. Lucy thought the same and we both turned round at the end of the ride to see how Sophie was and she was unperturbed. Enjoyed it and wanted to go on it again her favourite ride - who would have thought? No danger of joining the queue again though. Maybe tomorrow.
Really busy now and we were trying to manage timings, trying to place ourselves for the StarsnCars parade and show and take in a few more rides and eat and everything else. Looking at the queue times we saw that the Studio Tour Tram was only 15 minutes so we went there. Honestly? Not worth it. The first of the two special effects (the oil tanker and the flood) was OK and it was nice to get a seat but frankly none of the kids seemed impressed. There was a temptation to shout that to the waiting queue when we disembarked but that wouldnt be fair (plus they would then join another queue somewhere else!!).
The queue for the Toy Story Paratroopers was still long and having just come off the Crush wait we couldnt face it. We thought the times would come down a bit. Lisa and Sophie went to the Flying Carpets and Stu, Lucy and I used our Fast Passes on Tower of Terror. Lucy was getting a bit creeped out by it all, made all the worse by our bellboy who thought he was in line for an Oscar I think. We also had a woman in our group, who I thought initially had Tourettes, but it turned out that when she laughed she let out a high pitched squeak/whoop and she laughed all the time!! I think Lucy was more freaked out by the thought of the ghostly figures that appeared when the doors opened than the sudden drops but she said she kept her eyes shut the whole time (surely worse?). Seriously good ride.
Got positioned for the parade and then decided to buy some food for lunch. I dont like to criticise but some of the service in the park was less than efficient. I can see how some Americans especially get annoyed with the inefficiencies at some of the shops/food outlets. Queued for ages for fairly tasteless hotdogs but Im sure my impatience was due partly to the heat and slight queue fatigue!
Watched the StarsnCars parade and show in the blazing sunlight. Again, a bit unfortunate with positioning as we were far from the Woody and Jessie area but thems the breaks! The best position is undoubtedly at the back of the stage area where many of the characters sign autographs etc. Sophie hated the princesses!!
Next up - Playhouse Disney Live on Stage. Warning you have to sit on the floor during the show so if you have creaky joints beware!! Im sure most of you are aware of the shows, Mickeys Playhouse, Handy Manny, Little Einsteins etc. Now Sophie had some very disparaging remarks about Handy Manny (not for repeating) and was annoyed that we hadnt gone on the Paratroopers so wasnt coming at the show with a particularly sunny disposition but there were a few surprises that lightened her mood. I thought it was going to be characters but it was actually an above stage puppet show of the characters and very well done.
The queue still horrendous for Paratroopers so decided to go on Cars Quatre Roues Rally which looked a bit like Teacups in cars. Sophie still not happy but it was getting warmer and she was getting tired. Lucy was being a trooper and just annoying her sister enough to amuse her (bless). I was very proud of them we saw a few junior nuclear meltdowns but we didnt reach those proportions. Maybe another day would have done it. All was well once we boarded the cars. They were much faster than the Teacups and there was much whooping and shouting (was that just me?).
Somewhere around this time No.2 on the list was purchased Crush and Squirt. Very cute see last photo of the day.
Okay, decision time. We were never going to walk onto the Paratroopers so it was now or never. I think it was showing 40 minutes so we decided to go for it. Tip if you are happy to ride alone then there is a single rider queue which pretty much was a walk on. Not an option with a 4 year old though so we joined the main queue. Question why dont they have screens showing the movie the ride is derived from for the waiting crowd? It cant be a copyright issue. It would surely soften the blow? Just a suggestion. There were however a few distractions along the way
.
As we were waiting we timed the actual ride which was 45 seconds at best but it did look quite spectacular and we all enjoyed it. If you start analysing the wait/ride ratio you will drive yourself nutty and spoil the whole experience.
Time to eat (we decided to eat early) and we went back to Annettes Diner. Walked to the Village and went through security (bags x-ray) and walked into Annettes. There was a huge group of teenagers in front of us but that didnt affect service which was fast and friendly. I am not denying we were all cream crackered and a little cranky but the burgers were good and fries plentiful and not a healthy vegetable in sight (oh well we are on our holidays). One kids meal, 3 burgers, one fries, 3 beers 95 Euros. A bit pricey but in my opinion this was better quality and value for money than the Rainforest Cafe. Nice touch seeing some of the waiters scooting about on roller skates.
We (Lisa and I) conjured up a sneaky plan which involved sending Stu back into the studios to check the Crush queue time. If it was reasonable(?) we would go for it. In the meantime we girls went shopping. Sophie needed to buy the third on her list a box of Toy Story characters (with a very cross-eyed Jessie) and Lucy wanted to buy a Lanyard and some Disney Pins. The shops are wonderful and full of temptation but you have to be strong!
News from Crush was not good over an hour wait. No-one had the strength at this point! Back to the hotel to take our shoes off and relax for a wee while.
Girding our loins we returned to the park to do Thunder Mountain but that didnt work out so we pretty much walked right on to Pirates of the Caribbean. It was far too scary for Sophie (she does fast and furious not dark and creepy) so Stu, Lucy and I went on. It is one of the longer rides in the park and very well done but there are very dark themes and depending on your child, not one you should automatically go on. Lucy was of an age to enjoy it, especially having seen the movies.
Decided on a last Small World and were on within 5 minutes and I pretty much videoed the full ride. Was going to post it on You Tube but I think it has been done pretty well there.
Cocktail time!!! Lisa and I were determined that we were going to have a cocktail and the girls decided to treat us from their spending money so it was back to the hotel. It was quite busy but we were served very quickly. Two cocktails, one virgin cocktail, one beer, one water 43 Euros (sharp intake of breath).
.
All part of the experience of course.
We all retired to the room to pack, finish the wine and prepare a most cunning plan for the next day. Just time to cuddle up.
Now forgive me but the facts are now merging and becoming confused so (and I know you wont know but I feel obliged to confess) bear with me...
Up with the proverbial lark 0700. Sophie had to be woken so was a tad grumpy until she realised she had another fun packed Disney day ahead of her.
We headed along for breakfast and ......who was that? Pluto!!!!! He was sitting chilling by the fire waiting for what the day would bring. Pluto is Sophies favourite and a pretty cool dude it has to be said.
We were seated in the main Inventions area for breakfast where there was much more room and it seemed more relaxed. Same delicious choice, the little sugar donuts were a particular favourite. Lucy loved the sausages and beans.
Tried to make a quick break for the parks but this plan was foiled by an encounter with Tigger in the hallway darn those Disney conspirators!
Headed for the Peter Pan ride which is very popular but I am glad we only queued for 10 minutes as I found it quite disappointing. It is looking a bit past it in my opinion. We managed to get another Dumbo ride before the queue became massive. There was a very busy feel to the park. I think Wednesdays are traditionally busy because the French schools have a day off. However, on the positive side the weather was gorgeous so queuing was really sunbathing standing up.
Managed a 20 minute wait for Buzz and all our scores improved.
It was nearing 10am so it was time to walk across to the Studio to do Crushs Coaster. It all looked promising on the approach, didnt look too busy at all but then we saw the queue for Crush - 85 minutes already. We bit the bullet though and joined it. We hadnt intended taking Sophie on the ride as we thought she was too small but as you see...she passed.
She is a recent fan of Finding Nemo and wanted to go on the ride but we werent sure when we saw the description of it which was fast, twisting, dark. However there were loads of kids her age and she was up for it so it was a go-go-go. It was a long wait but the queue does move along and the kids were very patient. Sophie got on the shell with her mum and dad and Lucy and I got on after them. Then we were off. O-M-G! Lucy was whooping in my ear and it was amazing but all the time I was thinking we have killed Sophie or at the very least traumatised a 4 year old for the rest of her life. I couldnt imagine how she survived it. Lucy thought the same and we both turned round at the end of the ride to see how Sophie was and she was unperturbed. Enjoyed it and wanted to go on it again her favourite ride - who would have thought? No danger of joining the queue again though. Maybe tomorrow.
Really busy now and we were trying to manage timings, trying to place ourselves for the StarsnCars parade and show and take in a few more rides and eat and everything else. Looking at the queue times we saw that the Studio Tour Tram was only 15 minutes so we went there. Honestly? Not worth it. The first of the two special effects (the oil tanker and the flood) was OK and it was nice to get a seat but frankly none of the kids seemed impressed. There was a temptation to shout that to the waiting queue when we disembarked but that wouldnt be fair (plus they would then join another queue somewhere else!!).
The queue for the Toy Story Paratroopers was still long and having just come off the Crush wait we couldnt face it. We thought the times would come down a bit. Lisa and Sophie went to the Flying Carpets and Stu, Lucy and I used our Fast Passes on Tower of Terror. Lucy was getting a bit creeped out by it all, made all the worse by our bellboy who thought he was in line for an Oscar I think. We also had a woman in our group, who I thought initially had Tourettes, but it turned out that when she laughed she let out a high pitched squeak/whoop and she laughed all the time!! I think Lucy was more freaked out by the thought of the ghostly figures that appeared when the doors opened than the sudden drops but she said she kept her eyes shut the whole time (surely worse?). Seriously good ride.
Got positioned for the parade and then decided to buy some food for lunch. I dont like to criticise but some of the service in the park was less than efficient. I can see how some Americans especially get annoyed with the inefficiencies at some of the shops/food outlets. Queued for ages for fairly tasteless hotdogs but Im sure my impatience was due partly to the heat and slight queue fatigue!
Watched the StarsnCars parade and show in the blazing sunlight. Again, a bit unfortunate with positioning as we were far from the Woody and Jessie area but thems the breaks! The best position is undoubtedly at the back of the stage area where many of the characters sign autographs etc. Sophie hated the princesses!!
Next up - Playhouse Disney Live on Stage. Warning you have to sit on the floor during the show so if you have creaky joints beware!! Im sure most of you are aware of the shows, Mickeys Playhouse, Handy Manny, Little Einsteins etc. Now Sophie had some very disparaging remarks about Handy Manny (not for repeating) and was annoyed that we hadnt gone on the Paratroopers so wasnt coming at the show with a particularly sunny disposition but there were a few surprises that lightened her mood. I thought it was going to be characters but it was actually an above stage puppet show of the characters and very well done.
The queue still horrendous for Paratroopers so decided to go on Cars Quatre Roues Rally which looked a bit like Teacups in cars. Sophie still not happy but it was getting warmer and she was getting tired. Lucy was being a trooper and just annoying her sister enough to amuse her (bless). I was very proud of them we saw a few junior nuclear meltdowns but we didnt reach those proportions. Maybe another day would have done it. All was well once we boarded the cars. They were much faster than the Teacups and there was much whooping and shouting (was that just me?).
Somewhere around this time No.2 on the list was purchased Crush and Squirt. Very cute see last photo of the day.
Okay, decision time. We were never going to walk onto the Paratroopers so it was now or never. I think it was showing 40 minutes so we decided to go for it. Tip if you are happy to ride alone then there is a single rider queue which pretty much was a walk on. Not an option with a 4 year old though so we joined the main queue. Question why dont they have screens showing the movie the ride is derived from for the waiting crowd? It cant be a copyright issue. It would surely soften the blow? Just a suggestion. There were however a few distractions along the way
As we were waiting we timed the actual ride which was 45 seconds at best but it did look quite spectacular and we all enjoyed it. If you start analysing the wait/ride ratio you will drive yourself nutty and spoil the whole experience.
Time to eat (we decided to eat early) and we went back to Annettes Diner. Walked to the Village and went through security (bags x-ray) and walked into Annettes. There was a huge group of teenagers in front of us but that didnt affect service which was fast and friendly. I am not denying we were all cream crackered and a little cranky but the burgers were good and fries plentiful and not a healthy vegetable in sight (oh well we are on our holidays). One kids meal, 3 burgers, one fries, 3 beers 95 Euros. A bit pricey but in my opinion this was better quality and value for money than the Rainforest Cafe. Nice touch seeing some of the waiters scooting about on roller skates.
We (Lisa and I) conjured up a sneaky plan which involved sending Stu back into the studios to check the Crush queue time. If it was reasonable(?) we would go for it. In the meantime we girls went shopping. Sophie needed to buy the third on her list a box of Toy Story characters (with a very cross-eyed Jessie) and Lucy wanted to buy a Lanyard and some Disney Pins. The shops are wonderful and full of temptation but you have to be strong!
News from Crush was not good over an hour wait. No-one had the strength at this point! Back to the hotel to take our shoes off and relax for a wee while.
Girding our loins we returned to the park to do Thunder Mountain but that didnt work out so we pretty much walked right on to Pirates of the Caribbean. It was far too scary for Sophie (she does fast and furious not dark and creepy) so Stu, Lucy and I went on. It is one of the longer rides in the park and very well done but there are very dark themes and depending on your child, not one you should automatically go on. Lucy was of an age to enjoy it, especially having seen the movies.
Decided on a last Small World and were on within 5 minutes and I pretty much videoed the full ride. Was going to post it on You Tube but I think it has been done pretty well there.
Cocktail time!!! Lisa and I were determined that we were going to have a cocktail and the girls decided to treat us from their spending money so it was back to the hotel. It was quite busy but we were served very quickly. Two cocktails, one virgin cocktail, one beer, one water 43 Euros (sharp intake of breath).
All part of the experience of course.
We all retired to the room to pack, finish the wine and prepare a most cunning plan for the next day. Just time to cuddle up.
.
