From one chateau to another trip report - take 2, or maybe not?

SandraVB79

<font color=deeppink> I am a Jungle Cruise skipper
Joined
Oct 7, 2005
Messages
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I am back at work after my short vacation, consisting of drinking champagne, visiting Disney and spending a day at home. Back at work means back being able to write on the DIS, so I'll work on my trip report, and add pictures later on.
In the meanwhile, I will also continue to have doubts about what to do professional wise...:sad2:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1925301
 
Short vacation sounds nice...

..... I hope you get your career plans sorted soon!

Bob xoxox
 
OT regarding the trip report, but on topic regarding the job situation:

an ex-colleague working at the consulting firm just called me. HR will call me today, so that I can do my tests today, have the interview with teh partner today and get the proposition today. Which means that if I want to, I can sign today, and tell my current boss that I am leaving before the end of the week.
October 15, I can start my next job!
 
OT regarding the trip report, but on topic regarding the job situation:

an ex-colleague working at the consulting firm just called me. HR will call me today, so that I can do my tests today, have the interview with teh partner today and get the proposition today. Which means that if I want to, I can sign today, and tell my current boss that I am leaving before the end of the week.
October 15, I can start my next job!

Thats great Sandra!! Are you pleased? :goodvibes

Bob xoxox
 

OT regarding the trip report, but on topic regarding the job situation:

an ex-colleague working at the consulting firm just called me. HR will call me today, so that I can do my tests today, have the interview with teh partner today and get the proposition today. Which means that if I want to, I can sign today, and tell my current boss that I am leaving before the end of the week.
October 15, I can start my next job!

That sounds great.

My main objective for when I come back from DLRP is to change jobs and unfortunatly its always easier said than done!
 
I hope I will be pleased by tonight. Good thing I bought a lot of champagne last week!
Still haven't received the HR call. I already mentioned to my client that I have to go to the office this afternoon/ evening. didn't say it's my future offive instead of the current one :rolleyes1:

Changing jobs is always difficult. It is OR difficult to find one, OR you find jobs, and you have to choose and don't know what to do!
Good luck to you!
 
Mods, one of these hours/ days, I WILL post my trip report, but for now I'll post another OT update.
First of all, man, I could never think people on the CB would post nasty comments because I can choose between two jobs with good benefits.
yes, yesterday afternoon, I went to the second company, took the tests, had the interview with the partner (he used to be my manager at the company I still work at now, it's not like he had that much to ask), and I ahve now the contract signed by them here next to me. I only have to sign it myself, call the other company and quit my current job.

Just a question. I know I am in a privileged situation (choosing between two jobs with rather good salary + nice beenfits), but should I not "vent" on teh DIS because there are people worse off then me? What about those who wonder whether they'll stay concierge or not? Shouldn't we then just say "people are starving, reconsider your question between you two luxury options"? I don't think so, but I have the impression some people are... I don't know... frustrated I guess... It makes me sad though :sad:
 
But anyway, let's have a drink on my new job!

Champagne.jpg
 
congrats thats great!!! im looking for a new job too heres hoping i get one as well lol (more spending money for dlrp)
 
here is some pixiedust: for you, I hope it'll help finding a job! Extra spending money for DLP is always a good thing! :teeth:
 
Mods, one of these hours/ days, I WILL post my trip report, but for now I'll post another OT update.
First of all, man, I could never think people on the CB would post nasty comments because I can choose between two jobs with good benefits.
yes, yesterday afternoon, I went to the second company, took the tests, had the interview with the partner (he used to be my manager at the company I still work at now, it's not like he had that much to ask), and I ahve now the contract signed by them here next to me. I only have to sign it myself, call the other company and quit my current job.

Just a question. I know I am in a privileged situation (choosing between two jobs with rather good salary + nice beenfits), but should I not "vent" on teh DIS because there are people worse off then me? What about those who wonder whether they'll stay concierge or not? Shouldn't we then just say "people are starving, reconsider your question between you two luxury options"? I don't think so, but I have the impression some people are... I don't know... frustrated I guess... It makes me sad though :sad:

Congratulations on the new job :thumbsup2

As for the other question - there will always be people in a better situation that you and there will always be people in a worse situation than you; so no, I don't think people should keep quiet about their problems simply because there will be people with much larger problems. If a situation is a problem to you, then it's a problem to you, regardless of how luxurious or not it is and you are (IMO) entitled to seek advice and comfort from people.
 
After all the job-posts, I’ll finally start my trip report!

The plan was to leave home on Wednesday, I would pick up my mum around 7 am, drive to Reims, visit the city a bit, visit a champagne house at Reims or Epernay, drive to the bed & breakfast we booked at, have dinner, go to sleep. Next day, maybe visit another champagne house, drive to DLP, spend Thursday, Friday and Saturday with Mickey and then visit Versailles on Sunday, before driving back home.
That was the plan. Then there was reality!

I have been very tired lately. I moved at the end of June, at the same time, I switched clients at work, didn’t have any vacation until now, had an intensive training session in July (the other trip report I wrote this summer), have been looking for another job (which you could read about in the previous posts), etc etc etc. I did a lot, except for sleeping :rolleyes:

On Wednesday morning, I had a hard time getting out of bed in time, but I managed. I was at my parents’ place to pick up my mom around 7.15, and then she told me there was an issue. I have a GPS system built in my car, but in only has the detailed maps for the Benelux. Since it’s a company car and could change at any moment, I didn’t buy the Europe-CDs, but we asked my brother if we could use his GPS (he never uses it). Except for this day! He is a truck driver and had to go to a new place on Wednesday morning, a place where none of his colleagues had been before, and he needed his GPS. Thank goodness we could pick it up around 7.30, when he would be back at the warehouse to pick up another delivery! So, we picked up the GPS, were on our way until… my dear mom mentioned she had forgotten some items, so we flipped a U-turn, drove back, got the items, and by then it was 8.30, and we made a stop at the bakery for some goodies!

By 9, we were finally on our way!!! We took the freeway until Mons, and there we took the smaller road to Reims. It was a nice scenic road, but it didn’t move. It was slooooooooooooow. But we saw some nice things!
By 1 pm, we finally arrived in Reims. There we did a quick tour of the cathedral, we visited the city a bit and then went to Taittinger to visit their cellars. It was very interesting, it are medieval cellars, and we all tasted a nice glass of their champagne in the end. I was lucky btw, since my mom didn’t drink hers, so I had two, woohoo!
They also sold their champagne, but IMO, it was just as expensive as in the grocery store at home, so we didn’t buy any.
WE continued our drive to Epernay, and by the time we arrived there, it was too late to visit Moët-Chandon. I saw it from the outside though. By that time, btw, it was too late to visit anything, and I was tired, so we programmed the GPS with the address of the bed and breakfast, and after another scenic drive, we found it. It was a very nice place, it’s a farm with a temple (think the Da Vinci code!), the people were very nice, great breakfast, and we will certainly go back!
Our dinner was at Dormans, and wasn’t very good. The food was so-so, the owner of the place did nothing else than saying rude remarks on everyone in the restaurant; not the most pleasant experience.
By 10, I was already in dream-land, and I had a good night sleep!
 
Oh Gosh!! Firstly, well done on the new job!!! :hug: :party: :hug:

Secondly, lovely start to the TR!! :goodvibes When I went to Epernay a few years ago, we visited some champagne places too..... If I remember rightly the Mercier Champagne Caves are there?? We did a tour there and that was AMAZING.... Even for a non-drinker like myself....

Bob xoxoxoxox
 
Next morning, after breakfast, we went to a smaller champagne house. We asked the people from the B&B on where to go. I wanted to buy champagne, but at a decent price. Apparantly, we were there on a bad moment, since they all were on vacation, except for one of their friends, who have their own champagne and were at home. She made a phone call, and we were welcome to jump in! Which we did! We were welcomed with a glass (multiple glasses) of champagne and pink cookies of Reims at their swimming pool, and after a nice conversation, we bought… too much… We had planned on buying 6, maybe 12 bottles… we bought 30… because we couldn’t fit any more in the car :rolleyes1:
But it was so cheap, we had no choice but buying!!!!! And besides, I need them for my homewarming party (which I have still not held yet) and to celebrate my new contract! There, I had good reasons to spend 369 EUR…

After this intermezzo and after getting all the bottles in the car, we told our GPS we wanted to see Mickey, and to get us there quick! Sounds not too challenging right? Well, it got challenging…
We had booked 3 nights with Mme Brut at Villeneuve-le-Comte, the B&B place where we have been a lot already. We like staying there, so she’s our first call when we want to go. She asked us to pick up the keys when we arrived, and to let her know when we would arrive, so that she could be sure to be home. We called on her home phone around 11.30 for the first time, and the home phone was forwarded to a cell phone and a voice mail. We left message after message, and didn’t seem to get in touch with her! When we were at the exit on the A4, we called her another time, still no answer, so we assumed she wasn’t at home, and went to the parks. Around 5, we went to Villeneuve-le-Comte, to see whether she was there, and to perhaps ask neighbours how to contact her. There we met the people who had booked the other room and asked them to pass a message with my cell phone number. After getting cake at the local bakery (and eating it, so yummy!!!!), we went back to the parks. Around 7 or so, she finally called on my mobile!! What a relief! Something had gone wrong with the cell phone, and she told us not to worry, she is a late night owl, and she would still be up by the time we would get there after the fireworks. End good, all good!!!

Back to the Disney part.
First thing to do was buy my mom a new AP. Last year, both me, my mom and brother got a reduction through my shareholders club card. So, while my mom went to the post office for stamps, I went to the WDS ticket booths to buy her a temporary AP that we would change later on at the AP bureau. Apparantly, she couldn’t get the 15% discount through shareholders club… OK… but she could get a 10% discount since I would “sponsor” her as an APholder, but I wouldn’t get her as a “credit” for my free AP next year. Fine for me. Just give me the discount!
I get the AP, wait for my mom (how long can it take to buy stamps?????), we get in the park, book our meal (Plaza Gardens buffet) and head to the AP bureau to change the temporary one. There they have a huge discussion because apparently she couldn’t get the 10% discount, yada yada, but in the end don’t make us pay the difference. I told my mom to ask my dad for 20 DLP shares as a Christmas gift, this will avoid these problems next year!

For rides… can’t remember what we did actually. Probably iasw, buzz, pirates. Definitely not BTMRR, Space Mountain, Indy. I didn’t do those for the whole trip actually.

In the evening, we had dinner at Plaza Gardens. It’s the first time I’ve been there, and it is so beautiful inside!!!!!! Appetizers and dessert were good, main courses… well… not so much. Actually, we decided we are more or less done with buffets (don’t hold this against me when a next time we go to Cape Cod again), but it was quantity over quality.
When we got out of the restaurant, we looked for a good spot for Fantillusion, waited about 1.5 hours for it to start (the place was packed!) followed by “Candellabration” (very very very short version, where were the flags and the dancing?????) and the fireworks, which was nice! And I am glad they don’t call it Wishes anymore. :rolleyes:

It was after midnight by the time we were at the B&B, but we got in, and had a good night of sleep! The room we were in had beds where you can electrically move the head and foot part => great!! Just like at home and so good for my miserable leg!!!!!!
 
After a nice sleep, it was time to get up, eat a huge breakfast, and enjoy a sunny Friday. Sunny??? Sun?? Hello sun?? No sun to be seen! :sad: It rained. And rained. And rained even harder. I am not too fond of rain, and certainly at that point… my hair was just coloured, and I didn’t want it dripping reddish drops on my clothes after being in the rain! :crazy:
We decided to go shopping at the Outlet Village first. I bought a pair of shoes at Puma, and a pillow and pillow cases at Anne de Solène. Exciting.
After that, we realised the rain wouldn’t stop, and we went to the parks. Where we first saw Animagique and Cinemagique. And Tarzan. And Pirates and iasw and some other rides that are inside and don’t have you waiting in the rain! It was a miserable day!
We had dinner at the Silver Spur Steakhouse, which was good as usual. I do have pictures, but I always order the same thing, and Cyrano doesn’t like it when I post pictures of the same food items, so…
After dinner we did some Fantasyland rides and then we had enough from the rain and skipped the parade/ fireworks and went back to the room.
Throughout the day, I also took pictures for a photo quiz. After a while, my mom really got into “it” and pointed out tricky little details. Hehe!
We were in our bed at a decent hour, and that just gave me a good feeling, it’s just what I needed: some rest!
 
You will see a repeat here, on Saturday. We slept, had a huge breakfast, wanted to enjoy a sunny day and guess what? It WAS a sunny day!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It was a great day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
We did all sorts of things in the park (= going on iasw, pirates, buzz and seeing Tarzan. Next to that we peoplewatched.), had a sandwich for lunch. It was the pastrami/mozzarella one, it’s twice as large as it used to be, and about 2 eur more expensive.
Btw, we each ate a Mickey pizza on the first day and we shared a shrimp and salmon pizza on the second day. The Mickey pizzas have gone up in price too!

In the evening, we had dinner at Walt’s. It was somewhat a not so good experience. We had a reservation at 9.30, checked in at 9, were told to wait 10 minutes and ended up waiting 50 minutes. Other people had reservations at 9, and had to wait until 10 to be seated!!! I think, at some point, the restaurant should be able to ask tables to leave after having eaten. Apparantly, many tables were just sitting there, waiting for the parade.
Our waiter was very very rude to us, kind of really threw our plates in front of us, and were told no when we asked for butter. At that point, I had had it and asked for the manager and complained. This is not the first time we have had bad service at walt’s (not the first time we had that waiter either), and we were done with it. The manager comped our drinks, but I was just glad I got it off my stomach (pun not intended).
We had missed Fantillusion because of dinner, but could watch the fireworks, and it was once again very nice!
Since we were parked on the HNY, it wasn’t too chaotic to leave the parking. This is one perk of the dream AP I really like!!!

While driving back, we discussed our visit to Versailles planned on the next day. And we decided to not do it. It would be at least noon before we would get there/ buy tickets. It’s not cheap, it involves a lot of walking (outside), it would rain and we still had to drive back home. And we were tired already. So we just decided to spend the day at Disney, leave at a decent hour and be home by a decent hour.
 
Sounds like you had a good time. Shame about Waltz. I've not been there since the original Light Parade times!!!
 
I’m going to repeat myself: good sleep, huge breakfast, then we loaded the car (had taken out the champagne, I didn’t want it to stay in the car on the parking lot), drove to the mouse, parked on HNY, walked through the Village, looked for umbrella because of the rain, did some rides in the park, went to see Tarzan, had enough from the rain and decided to have late lunch and then drive back home. Around 3.30, we ended up at Annette’s. I craved a hamburger so badly!!! I had the menu-deal with burger (the one with mushrooms, so good!) drink and brownie a la mode. My mom had the fajitas (also very good!) and I got her a Ben & Jerry’s chocolate ice cream for dessert.
The food at Annette’s was really good, the waiters were nice, the family at the table next to us almost made me loose my appetite.
In my job, when on training and at my current client, I have a lot to do with people from their nationality. I don’t really like them, they are very assertive but have no manners.
The family next to us, there 4 children were worse than pigs, really. And all the parents did was encourage them! Unbelievable what the floor looked like after they left. And if I were you, I wouldn’t touch that bottle of mustard, their youngest did nothing but sucking on the bottle. (mom gave the bottle to the youngest to “play” with. What happened to the “do not play with food” thing???)
But, apart from that, it was a nice meal.
It was around 5 by the time we got to the car, and 9 when we got back home.

We had planned to go from one chateau to another, but didn’t really get there. It’ll be for a next trip !
 
Sounds like you had a good time. Shame about Waltz. I've not been there since the original Light Parade times!!!

It's a good thing Walt's interior is pretty and teh food is good, but I don't remember ever having good service there.
The manager was nice though :)
 











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