HELP!!!!!! More Disney Dreams to fulfill! 09/04 Exciting news!

[dizneeat]

Disneyland Paris, April 28 - May 1, 2012

Day 1, April 28

Business class and an Annual Pass - Part 8

We tried lots of different spots and finally found one that we thought might be nice.
Unfortunately this is Europe and people do not really care if they get in front of you and block your view, so we had to move sideways and forward quite a bit in the hour before the show was to begin.

When it finally started many people put their kids on their shoulders and why I don’t blame them to want their children to have a good view, it really is a pain as they block the view of MANY other people behind them. Tom and I had to move sideways again slightly to be able to see and take pictures and make a video. The show itself is out of this world good. They project moving images onto the castle and onto “water screens” in front of the castle. It is really pretty awesome. The music is catchy and there are fireworks to go along with the presentation.

To be continued ............

 

[dizneeat]

Disneyland Paris, April 28 - May 1, 2012

Day 1, April 28

Business class and an Annual Pass - Part 9

It was pretty long too and we were truly amazed by it. After the show the park resumed open for an hour but since we had been up until 3.30am we decided to call it a day and head back to our car. Main Street was packed with people leaving and it took a while until we made it to the exit.
The walk to our car was only about 5 minutes and we were on our way back to our villa pretty quickly. Tom parked the car in one of the tiny spots close to our villa and lobby again and we were sure that NO other car would be able to squeeze into the spot on the driver’s side as the next car was parked a bit over the lines.
We went back to our villa and talked about all that had happened all day. We snacked a little more and I tried the Eclairs I had bought earlier in the bakery.

There was a wonderful

Caramel Éclair and a

Mocca flavoured Éclair for me and Tom had a bit of his

“Chocolate baguette”. We watched an old episode of Hell’s Kitchen and around 1am we finally went to bed.

To be continued ............

 

[jenseib]

I can't believe that lady wanted you to move...the nerve of her.
I have watched that castle show on youtube. It looks amazing.

 

[HowieHowie]

Karin...I love your Disneyland Paris pictures, especially the castle fireworks ones. The show looks amazing and the mocca elcair looks delicious...I love anything mocca. I love the pictures of Passau too. I love the quaint cities that Europe has. Many years ago I went with my parents to Europe. The first trip was 6 weeks and my dad drove all over Switzerland, Germany and we went to Innsbruke & Salzburg.

 

[englishrose47]

Fabulous update the fireworks are amazing !!That eclair has me drooling , my apple is not cutting it !!

 

[Minnie&Nana]

Karin, what an amazing fireworks show!!! Your photos are fabulous!

You mentioned one of my few pet peeves when at WDW, DL or any sort of show or display like fireworks. Truly, I understand and sympathize with small children needing to see, but never would I find it appropriate to put on a child on one's shoulders - this will always block the view of others - which is terribly inconsiderate. A parent can lift a child and hold them in their arms for a better view without blocking others, or walk over to the side where it would be easy to life a child onto shoulders, but not block other guests.

While I'm at it, might as well mention my one other pet peeve at Disney. I wish Disney would ban strollers from home. Honestly. So many of the children in strollers are big kids, plenty old enough to walk the parks (I am not referring to children with special needs, even hidden ones, who require a stroller). We've gone several times with 4 yr olds and never once did any of them require ask for a stroller - they would have been embarrassed to be in a stroller.

If families would take their time, take the parks in small bites so to speak, children would not have as many melt downs or be so tired that 4,5,6 yr olds and even older need a stroller. I am not hardhearted, but rather looking out for the little ones.

I adore children - my life has been devoted to their care - I took many of my preschoolers to Disney, as my guest, for their 4th, 5th or 6th birthdays - we had so much fun! If I'd ever asked if they would like a stroller, they would have thought I'd gone a little loopy.

Okay, off my soapbox for the day.

 

[dizneeat]

I can't believe that lady wanted you to move...the nerve of her.
I have watched that castle show on youtube. It looks amazing.

It really is an amazing show and I so hope they will bring it to WDW too! They had the iced castle in Paris before they started doing it in DL and WDW.

Karin...I love your Disneyland Paris pictures, especially the castle fireworks ones. The show looks amazing and the mocca elcair looks delicious...I love anything mocca. I love the pictures of Passau too. I love the quaint cities that Europe has. Many years ago I went with my parents to Europe. The first trip was 6 weeks and my dad drove all over Switzerland, Germany and we went to Innsbruke & Salzburg.

I am glad you like the photos, Elaine.
The show is breathtaking - really wonderful and just right for their 20th anniversary!
All the eclairs they sell in that bakery are so good. They have a completely different filling from the supermarket ones and are so delicious!
And I am glad that you enjoyed your trip to Europe. There are so many beautiful old cities, full of history. I LOVE Salzburg - it is one of my favourite cities in the whole world. I know Vienna has more empirial history, but Salzburg is smaller and the musical history they offer is amazing.

Fabulous update the fireworks are amazing !!That eclair has me drooling , my apple is not cutting it !!

It is a really spectacular show. And it was very well received, you could see that by the crowds that showed up to watch it!
Hm, now let me see .... apple versus eclair - thinking long and hard .......


NAAAAAA .... eclair wins, hands down.

Karin, what an amazing fireworks show!!! Your photos are fabulous!

You mentioned one of my few pet peeves when at WDW, DL or any sort of show or display like fireworks. Truly, I understand and sympathize with small children needing to see, but never would I find it appropriate to put on a child on one's shoulders - this will always block the view of others - which is terribly inconsiderate. A parent can lift a child and hold them in their arms for a better view without blocking others, or walk over to the side where it would be easy to life a child onto shoulders, but not block other guests.

While I'm at it, might as well mention my one other pet peeve at Disney. I wish Disney would ban strollers from home. Honestly. So many of the children in strollers are big kids, plenty old enough to walk the parks (I am not referring to children with special needs, even hidden ones, who require a stroller). We've gone several times with 4 yr olds and never once did any of them require ask for a stroller - they would have been embarrassed to be in a stroller.

If families would take their time, take the parks in small bites so to speak, children would not have as many melt downs or be so tired that 4,5,6 yr olds and even older need a stroller. I am not hardhearted, but rather looking out for the little ones.

I adore children - my life has been devoted to their care - I took many of my preschoolers to Disney, as my guest, for their 4th, 5th or 6th birthdays - we had so much fun! If I'd ever asked if they would like a stroller, they would have thought I'd gone a little loopy.

Okay, off my soapbox for the day.

Christine, the show is so worth standing there, guarding your spot for an hour or more.
And I do agree with you on the issues mentioned. I think the "putting your kid on your shoulders" issue is worse in Europe than in the states. No one seems to care about everyone else - it's very sad.
And as far as the strollers go - as long as the adults push it, okay - use your stroller for your 10 year old. What I really have an issue with is, when the 10year old is INSIDE the stroller and the 4 year old pushes it through a crowd.

Okay, off MY soapbox now!

 

[dizneeat]

Disneyland Paris, April 28 - May 1, 2012

Day 2, April 29

Crowds, Disney Village and a trip to the countryside! - Part 1

We had hoped to be able to get an early start, but with getting to bed so late, we slept in a bit.
We got up around 7.30, got ready and left the villa to drive over to the bakery to pick up some breakfast goodies. When we got to the parking lot there was a huge lorry parked, blocking most of the cars parked there. We waited for a few minutes, then headed for the lobby to ask for how long the lorry was supposed to be there. And when we asked our question the lorry driver came forward and agreed to move his vehicle immediately.
Finally free to drive, Tom had to squeeze in from the passenger side of the car as someone else had parked his car too close to ours. But in the end we were on our way. The bakery is pretty small and it was full of people when we arrived. We picked up our breakfast fare, then drove back, parked at a further away location and headed back to our villa for breakfast.
Again we stopped at a spot in the walkway in front of our villa that looked like Mickey!

It made us laugh every time we walked by. Once back in our villa, we made some tea and coffee and put all the leftovers from the previous day on the table.

We had bought some fresh, crusty on the outside, and heavenly soft on the inside

baguette,

a filled bread which had ham and Roquefort cheese in it and

some sweet treats, another

Caramel Éclair and

a vanilla custard filled pastry, topped with chocolate sauce. We took our sweet time to have breakfast, then cleaned up and finally were on our way out.
The drive over to the parking garage is pretty short and in no time we were entering the garage and were shocked that the lower two levels were already full. So we parked on the top level and from there we had a wonderful view

of the building site of the new World of Disney

and the new plaza that is being built to connect it to the railway station.

After taking a few photos we went downstairs and over towards the entrance plaza. It seemed that a lot of people seemed to have the same idea and once we hit the bag check area the lines were very long. We quickly discussed what to do and decided against heading into a park and to go shopping instead. So we went away from the crowds and towards the Disney Village.

To be continued ............

 

[jedijill]

That's not very nice of you to post pictures of delicious eclairs and bread when I started a new diet and exercise program today! Everything looks delicious!

Jill in CO

 

[jenseib]

You guys crack me up...when the line is long...go shopping! I wish my DH thought like that.
Again...you guys get the best food!
I was just betting you would have a guy park too close to you, at least you got in though.

 

[dizneeat]

That's not very nice of you to post pictures of delicious eclairs and bread when I started a new diet and exercise program today! Everything looks delicious!

Jill in CO

Jill, I am so sorry to post those delicious food pics, but I promise there are more to come!
We had a lot of yummy food, as well as we had a fun time visiting the parks and doing some shopping.

You guys crack me up...when the line is long...go shopping! I wish my DH thought like that.
Again...you guys get the best food!
I was just betting you would have a guy park too close to you, at least you got in though.

That's the good thing if you go pretty often - if the crowds get too thick ... escape and help boost the economy!
You know I was sure NO ONE would be able to squeeze a car in next to ours. The spaces are tiny to begin with and I had to hold my breath to be able to squeeze out of the car and the car in the spot next to the one next to us parked his car a bit over the white line.
I nearly fell over when I saw that he actually was able to squeeze his car in!
All was well, when Tom had pulled out of it and we parked our car a little further away, where there were more spots!

 

[Minnie&Nana]

Ohhh, Karin....Europeans do have the best food, especially pastries and bread. Yum!

The Mickey on the sidewalk is your personal welcome from the Mouse Himself!

Great minds!! I'd go shopping too!

A p.s. about the strollers - it's not that I care how old the child is in the stroller (okay maybe it does annoy me to see older kiddos ), but that these days so many people bring strollers from home for kids of all ages and often many attractions are wall to wall strollers ....and of course, the being cut off continuously and hit at the back of the ankle...I just dread the strollers. Kids 4 and older are perfectly capable of walking - if parents aren't expecting them to walk from morning to night. Just today Sophia walked a good 3 miles as we shopped (yep, she is a pro), but we took breaks for lunch, then twice water and a snack. Too many American kids never walk at all...they go everywhere in cars. Grateful my kids grew up in the city. Disney used to only allow rented strollers at the front of each park - it was heavenly because most people would not pay to rent.

Oops...back on that darn soapbox...I'm going to put it away, far away!

 

[stmize]

Wow i love those dooney bourke bags pics are great keep them coming

 

[dizneeat]

Ohhh, Karin....Europeans do have the best food, especially pastries and bread. Yum!

The Mickey on the sidewalk is your personal welcome from the Mouse Himself!

Great minds!! I'd go shopping too!

A p.s. about the strollers - it's not that I care how old the child is in the stroller (okay maybe it does annoy me to see older kiddos ), but that these days so many people bring strollers from home for kids of all ages and often many attractions are wall to wall strollers ....and of course, the being cut off continuously and hit at the back of the ankle...I just dread the strollers. Kids 4 and older are perfectly capable of walking - if parents aren't expecting them to walk from morning to night. Just today Sophia walked a good 3 miles as we shopped (yep, she is a pro), but we took breaks for lunch, then twice water and a snack. Too many American kids never walk at all...they go everywhere in cars. Grateful my kids grew up in the city. Disney used to only allow rented strollers at the front of each park - it was heavenly because most people would not pay to rent.

Oops...back on that darn soapbox...I'm going to put it away, far away!

I just could not believe the Mickey shape when we first walked up to the villa, and made me smile every time we walked by!

for Sophia for being such a good walker.

Wow i love those dooney bourke bags pics are great keep them coming

I loved the Dooneys too, so I had to get the two of them.
More pics are coming soon!

 

[dizneeat]

Disneyland Paris, April 28 - May 1, 2012

Day 2, April 29

Crowds, Disney Village and a trip to the countryside! - Part 2

So we went away from the crowds and towards the Disney Village. It is so much more fun to explore the shops without having to fight your way through the shops, so we took our time and explored, picked up things here and there and literally enjoyed browsing. There was one shop we definitely wanted to have a closer look at. There is a nice clothes store, which we both were hoping would have some Dooney and Bourkes. We entered the shop and there they were. Yip, they were secured to the wall again, so we walked over to the counter and asked a Cast Member if we could have a closer look, as they had the styles I wanted to have, but they were not the design I wanted.
Now, the Cast Member had no idea what we actually wanted to have a look at until we showed her and she was happy to help. And once I had settled on the style of the bags I let her know that I wanted to be on the front of both bags and so she went off to the back to find some for me. When she returned she had two of the cutest bags ever with her and Tom was kind enough to buy them for me. Now, those first purchases in hand we were able to do some more shopping.
We got a some things for our cousin’s little boy and a few other 20th anniversary items, then picked up a few postcards and other items and headed back to the car. We were unsure about what to do, but when we saw all the people trying to get into the park, we knew that we didn’t want to join them. So we drove back to the villa to leave our new goodies there

and we took a little break. The overcast skies had cleared up and we decided to just take a joyride and see where it would take us. We drove out into the countryside and enjoyed the scenery for about two hours

until it was time to return. We knew that the parade was at 7pm and since we had cancelled our ADR for that day we just had a sandwich and some salad before heading back to the parks.

Again we parked at the garage and were pleased to see that by 5.30pm it had cleared out a lot. We strolled over towards Disneyland park and with little wait at the bag check we got to the entrance pretty fast.

To be continued ............

 

[annmarieda]

Disneyland Paris, April 28 - May 1, 2012

Day 1, April 28

Business class and an Annual Pass - Part 2

We stowed our luggage and settled in,

when the flight attendant approached us to check our tickets.
She then told us that something must have been wrong with the booking machine, as we had been seated in the wrong section and would we mind moving one or two rows forward or she would reset the curtain.
We were happy to move forward and were unsure where to sit, but since we were the only guests in business class we were allowed to sit anywhere. We chose row two, settled in, were offered newspapers and magazines

and within a few minutes we were off.

Now, this is only a 50 minute flight and we did not expect some big breakfast, but as soon as we were on a higher altitude, the flight attendant offered us some coffee, tea or cold drinks. Tom got some coffee and some water, while I only opted for some water and then we were served breakfast.

It consisted of a small container of

Yellied Yogurt with fruit in it, a very delicious, fresh and moist

Chocolate Chip Muffin and a

Ham and Cheese Croissant. The flight attendant checked on us a few times, but we did not need any other drinks. Once the trays were removed we were even offered some

Truffles, which we gladly accepted. The short flight was over before we knew it

and we arrived in Frankfurt.

The aircraft was parked on an outside position and we all had to transfer to a bus to take us to the terminal.

We only had about an hour for our stopover and all we wanted to do was find our gate. Frankfurt airport is large and it can take a while, so once we knew our gate had changed, we headed in the direction of the new gate.
We went past the Frankfurt Business Lounge but there was just not enough time to check it out. Once we had reached our gate there were only a few minutes left until it was time to check in again. This time we were seated in row two and there were only two more other guests in Business class.
We took off on time

and since this is another 50 minute flight the flight attendants were quickly there to serve another round of breakfast. This time we both opted for some water and were handed our breakfast trays.

This time there was a bowl of

Fruit Salad,

a Roll, some

Cream Cheese mixed with finely cut radishes and some Salami and Ham and a plate of

Pancakes served with Berry Compote and a cube of Green Apple Jelly. It was really yummy and we were stuffed after breakfast number 4 within a few hours.
In no time it was time to get ready for our descend on Paris Charles de Gaulle airport. Being in business class gave us the option of a quick start and we were in front of the baggage carousel within a few minutes. And the priority labels on the luggage were a huge hit as well, as our suitcases were within the first ten that were delivered.

To be continued ............

I am so far behind (again) So bear with me as I post responses to each update. Otherwise, I think i am going to lose track

I know I mention it often, but the food you get on a 50 minute flight?! During 9 hours of travel to MCO in December, I was super excited to get a more than one package of crackers. I think your airlines have the US ones beat in service!!!

 

[annmarieda]

Disneyland Paris, April 28 - May 1, 2012

Day 1, April 28

Business class and an Annual Pass - Part 3


we decided that it was time to do some shopping and then check into our home for the next three nights. So after leisurely strolling back to the parking structure we set off to drive to Val d’Europe to do some shopping at Auchan. It was Saturday afternoon and many people seemed to have the same idea as us, so we were lucky to find a parking space for our car fairly close to the entrance. Once inside the shopping centre we were disappointed to see the Disney store in there had been closed, so we decided to head right over to the supermarket to do some shopping.

To be continued ............

Don't you hate it when you find a store closed that you think will be open?

Disneyland Paris, April 28 - May 1, 2012

Day 1, April 28

Business class and an Annual Pass - Part 4

Once inside the shopping centre we were disappointed to see the Disney store in there had been closed, so we decided to head right over to the supermarket to do some shopping.
We had a few items on our list we wanted to bring home, so we went to pick those up first, then went on to pick up some groceries for our stay. We spent about an hour and a half in the supermarket, then loaded everything back into the car and went off to check in at our hotel.
On the way there we made a short stop at our favourite bakery to find out when they would open for the afternoon and luckily for us it was only about an hour later. Our hotel is just around the corner from the bakery so we went over there, parked the car close to the lobby and went to check in.
There was no one in line ahead of us, so it didn’t take long to check in and be handed the key to our “residence”. It was situated at the back of the property and we didn’t take any luggage with us when we went to check out the location. It was pretty easy to find and we were pleasantly surprised to see that it was a corner villa and that the bedroom and kitchen windows overlooked a nice park.



To be continued ............

Wow, your villa is quite large. It is an interesting contrast to many of the WDW resorts. Very clean looking... no bold theming.

 

[annmarieda]

Disneyland Paris, April 28 - May 1, 2012

Day 1, April 28

Business class and an Annual Pass - Part 5


taking in all the decorations for their 20th anniversary.

Once inside the park we were stunned.


To be continued ............

I love anniversary decorations! We went to the 50th in DLR and the ones you saw remind me of those at DLR.

Before I update, here are just a few bits of news!

I was able to secure another Palo brunch and dining reservation for the second leg of our back to back this summer!

We are now only 11 weeks away from our summer vacation!

And on Friday we drove to Germany, to Passau, a nice small town on the border to Austria.


Passau is an old city, located at a spot where three rivers meet, so it is very special.
But we did not just go there to do some sightseeing, we went there for a reason.

Two weeks ago, when we went there to do some shopping, Tom had seen some chairs and a table for our garden. He wanted to think about it and had now finally decided to buy them.
Shock horror when we checked on the internet and they no longer offered it. So, since it was a nice day we drove to the shop in Passau where we had seen it and low and behold they have one set left. But that was the set that had been sitting out and we were contemplating if we should buy it or not (the table has one or two light scratches). Now the sales assistant was quick to offer us a 20% discount on the whole set and since the scratches are really minor we went for it.

We got some pillows to go with the theme and here is the finished product!

on getting the Palo reservation.

Thank you for sharing the pics of Passau. It is funny... just when I got to the part where you wrote it was an old city... I was thinking "what a beautiful old city"

Very cute little table!!!

Disneyland Paris, April 28 - May 1, 2012

Day 1, April 28

Business class and an Annual Pass - Part 6

Once inside the park we were stunned.
The parade was just coming towards the town square. It was past 7pm and the afternoon parade was running? Well, it turned out they have changed the time of the afternoon parade to 7pm and we were lucky enough to see about half of it.

Score, as I had wanted to see it that day, but had been sure I had read it would be at 5pm. Tom took a lot of photos and when it was over we walked over to Guest relations to get some reservations for the next two days,

Reservations done we walked outside and when we past Duffy’s meet and greet area we were intrigued by the suitcases and labels on them. All of them were from Disney destinations and he had a blast finding them all.

To be continued ............

I am glad you got to see the parade! Looks like it was a bit of a stormy day.

I love Duffy's luggage!!!

Disneyland Paris, April 28 - May 1, 2012

Day 1, April 28

Business class and an Annual Pass - Part 7

Next stop Big Thunder Mountain.



Thanks, but no thanks as that line was really long. There are a few shops in the area and we went through to check on the merchandise and my eyes caught something. Bags, hand bags from Dooney and Bourke. We walked up to the display and while still trying to figure out I was ordered to step back as those bags were linked to an alarm system and touching them would result in an alarm.
Okay, dude, I didn’t want to steal them, just LOOK at them. So we asked if we could have a look and he told me that he would just be a second, as he had to finish serving a customer. Now three customers later, who had all come to his counter later than us I decided that I had had enough and we left.
We walked towards the Molly Brown,

but they had just closed the gates, so we walked over to the Silver Spur restaurant to check their menu. We had made a reservation for it earlier, but still wanted to think about it as the menu didn’t appeal to us as much as we wanted.
We looked over to Phantom Manor


After the ride Tom was determined to find Dooney bags for me in another store and so we went to hunt for them.
We thought about which one of the stores might have them and decided on one of the clothes stores along Main Street. Low and behold they had them on display as well and we asked if we could have a look at them and even though they were linked to the same alarm system we were allowed to have a closer look. They did only have one of the styles I was interested in and the bags on display did not have the icons on the front that I wanted, so I asked about other bags in the same design and was assured that they would all be the same and these were the only ones they had in the whole park.
Well, if you shell out all that money for a Dooney, then I want one, which has absolutely the right icons on the front. We left without purchase and strolled through some more of the shops on Main Street.
Back at the hub

we took a sharp right and headed towards Discoveryland.

We both decided against Space Mountain as it is a really bumpy and dark ride and I always bump my head at some part or another. The line for Buzz Lightyear was long, but what about Star Tours. We walked over and no line whatsoever until you hit the last room.

Finally we were put into rows and right when the doors opened the lady in the next row decided to “jump rows” and got right in front of me with her kid. Once we had all sat down she signalled us to get out of our seats so her family who were all in the row ahead of us could sit together. No way would they have all fit, so she had to move instead of us. The ride itself is cute, but not all that fun, as it is in French. After the ride we decided to stake out a spot for the show in front of the castle.

We tried lots of different spots and finally found one that we thought might be nice.

To be continued ............

BTMRR looks like it hits the water! It isn't like that in WDW, is it? I love how Disney can change up the rides... just slightly.

What a weird reaction from the cm regarding the "alarmed dooney bags"

Also...weird row jumping lady!

Phantom Manor looks fun though!!

 

[annmarieda]

I love all the castle and fireworks pictures!!! I too understand people wanting to have their kids be able to see... but courteous to others is still important.

The pastries all look delicious!!!

And the dooney bag...

 

[dizneeat]

I am so far behind (again) So bear with me as I post responses to each update. Otherwise, I think i am going to lose track

I know I mention it often, but the food you get on a 50 minute flight?! During 9 hours of travel to MCO in December, I was super excited to get a more than one package of crackers. I think your airlines have the US ones beat in service!!!

Easy to fall behind, Ann!
And I blame it on the phenomenon that we call "real life".

We really were VERY well fed on these two flights, but please keep in mind that we were flying business class.
But even on regular flights we at least get a sandwich or another little snack.

Don't you hate it when you find a store closed that you think will be open?

Wow, your villa is quite large. It is an interesting contrast to many of the WDW resorts. Very clean looking... no bold theming.

I really loved that little store and I still hope they will reopen and not close for good.

Ann, we did not stay on property. While at DLRP we rarely stay onsite. That villa was a lot cheaper than staying in the cheapest one of Disney's hotels. And we love the convenience of having a kitchen and a fridge.

I love anniversary decorations! We went to the 50th in DLR and the ones you saw remind me of those at DLR.

on getting the Palo reservation.

Thank you for sharing the pics of Passau. It is funny... just when I got to the part where you wrote it was an old city... I was thinking "what a beautiful old city"

Very cute little table!!!

I am glad you got to see the parade! Looks like it was a bit of a stormy day.

I love Duffy's luggage!!!

BTMRR looks like it hits the water! It isn't like that in WDW, is it? I love how Disney can change up the rides... just slightly.

What a weird reaction from the cm regarding the "alarmed dooney bags"

Also...weird row jumping lady!

Phantom Manor looks fun though!!

We were there for DLR's 50th anniversary too!

I loved to hunt down all the 50 signs!

The weather didn't really cooperate and show us many blue skies, but at least it didn't rain!

BTMRR sits on an island and you go underground/under water to get there - it is so much fun and it is the longest of the Thunder rides. An absolute favourite of ours.
And doesn't Phantom Manor look like the Psycho house? From one side you CAN see someone in a rocking chair - it is really creapy!

I love all the castle and fireworks pictures!!! I too understand people wanting to have their kids be able to see... but courteous to others is still important.

The pastries all look delicious!!!

And the dooney bag...

The new castle show is absolutely fantastic! They said it was only there for this summer, but I really hope they are going to keep it, as it is awesome!