It's A Small World ~ Pre Trip Report

[ariel2007]

Our Spooky Disney Celebration
Day 4 ~ Paris Tour and Bonfire Fireworks​

We were up at a more reasonable time of 7.45am, got showered and dressed and had breakfast. We left for the Hotel New York just after 8.45am where we were meeting for our tour into Paris. We met our tour outside the hotel, we were going in a Cityrama coach which was really nice. We sat upstairs which had big glass panels in the roof so we could see out of the top too.

The drive in to Paris took about 45 minutes and then the commentary started as we started seeing the sights. We went through the Bastille, past Notre Dam, the Champs Elysees, Arc de Triomphe, the National Library, Trocadero, the Great and Little Palace, Luxumburg Gardens and the Eiffel Tower. It was so pretty with all the nice Parisian building and little streets with patisseries and cafes, it was a bit like France in Epcot, but for real.

Some pictures around Paris, sorry I can't remember what everywhere was but we saw so many places from so many views:

River Seine

Notre Dam - it looked very small from this point

The National Assembly

The Eiffel Tower in the background ~ Sophie's first view

I think this is the Luxumburg Big Palace

Oh look what I spotted

The Arc de Triomphe

 

[ariel2007]

The traffic was surprisingly clear and after seeing the sights by coach we arrived at the Louvre at 11.45am. We were given 2 hours free time at the Louvre, there was the museum in one direction and shops and restaurants in the other all inside one big building. We went to the food court first for some lunch, there was a good selection with Moroccan, Asian, Japanese, Tapas, Panini’s, crepes, Mexican, a burger bar and chicken place. Sophie and I got nacho’s with chilli served with a side and a drink and the others had burger and fries. It was all quite nice.

Mine and Sophie's nacho's and chilli

After lunch we walked outside and around the Louvre, it was absolutely huge, it went on for ages. It was very pretty outside with the fountains and different buildings, quite different to what I expected.

We walked around by the fountains and then walked to the front and around some of the little streets. There were some lovely cafes with people sitting outside, it looked so nice and very Parisian.

Inside the Louvre ~ the museum

We went back inside and looked around the shops for a bit before meeting back up with our guide. We got back on the coach and headed down to the Seine for our boat tour. We only had to wait for about 5-10 minutes and then we boarded, we managed to get some good seats on the back, outside part of the boat with a great view. We got to see the Pont Neuf bridge, the oldest Bridge in Paris, and got close up views of the Eiffel Tower and Notre Dam. It was lovely floating along in the sun with great views and the bells of Notre Dam playing for us. Again there was commentary on little machine things but half of them didn't work and it was quite hard to here.

Notre Dam

 

[ariel2007]

Coming back up to the Eiffel Tower ~ this is where the boat dock is

The boat trip was an hour and when we got back we walked up to the Eiffel Tower which was a 5 minute walk away. We waited a bit until our booked time of 4pm, it was quite busy and there were lots of queues for all the different legs of the tower. It didn't help that one of the legs were having work done so only 3 were open. But still I was surprised how busy it was for a Monday.

The lift

We then caught the lift up the North leg of the tower to the first floor. It was Mum, Dad and Sophie's first trip up the tower and I even though Mum was a bit scared about the lift they all seemed to enjoy it.We had a bit of a look around the first floor, the view was quite good from here and there was so much to see.

Going up in the lift

We then decided to walk up to the second floor. This was a bit of a mistake as it was far between the two and pretty hard work, when we finally reached the second floor we were all quite tired. The views however were much better from the second floor though and we could see across most of Paris.

I love the reflection of the tower in this one

And I just thought these were really cute

 

[ariel2007]

It was a shame we didn’t have enough time to go to the top but we had less than a hour and the wait time for the top was at least 45 minutes. Last time Nick and I did it, it took us 4 hours to get to the top and down again, and although it was a great experience we didn’t have the time. We caught the lift back down again, which is pretty cool, you get quite a good view as you sail down the leg.

The mechanics of the lift

Back at the bottom we got a few souvenirs and then walked over to the coach. The coach left just after 5.15pm and we got back to the Hotel New York just before 6.30pm. Everyone fell asleep on the coach, although it was nice seeing the sights by night.

The tour coach

The view from the coach roof

It had been a great tour and gave us a real insight into Paris. Last time Nick and I came to Paris we only saw some of the more grotty areas and the Eiffel Tower, we were not very impressed with the city although we loved the tower and views from the top. We managed to see all the main sights, most of which none of us had seen before, and the boat tour was great, as well as the trip up the tower. The coach was very nice and the tour guide spoke several languages which was good. I definitely think this tour was worth the money and it was a great way to see Paris.

Back at the Hotel New York we walked back to the Disney Village and went to King Ludwiq’s Castle for tea. I had never had any interest of trying this place before as I don’t like German food really but Mum wanted to try somewhere different and this was the only place in the Disney Village we hadn’t yet tried. We were seated straight away upstairs in a lovely booth with a stained glass window behind. The restaurant was lovely with patterned ceilings, candelabras, stain glassed windows and dark wood, it was quite fairytale-ish.

For drinks Mum had wine, I had a pina colada and Nick and Dad had beers, which they didn’t realise were BOGOF. For food Nick, Mum and I had the set menu, 2 courses for 17.90E. Mum shared a flatbread with Dad to start and then had Pork shank with sauerkraut and a Grand Marnier crème brulee, Nick ordered French onion soup to start, then the castle steak which was rump steak with fries and onion rings and crème brulee, and I had creamy leak and potato soup, castle steak and then crepes. Dad shared the flatbread with Mum and finished my soup as it was so thick and creamy and had beef bourgonon (sp?), and Sophie had spinach pasta. It was all very good and really reasonable too compared to the other meals.

My leek and potato soup

Mum and Dad's flatbread

Nicks French Onion soup

Sophie's spinach pasta

Mum's pork shank

Dad's beef bourgonon (sp?)

Nick and my Castle steak

Grand Marnier creme brulee

Crepes suzette

Whilst we were finishing our desserts Dad took Sophie over to the ice-rink at the Hotel NY. After we paid the bill Nick and I did some final shopping, we brought a few Disney Christmas decorations and a lovely Christmas Dumbo teddy. Then Nick took me into the art shop and brought me a Walt Disney Classic Collection piece, it was the chef from Little Mermaid, one of the collections I have. It wasn’t the best deal with the exchange rate (185E) but it’s a retired piece and he wanted to treat me, he is so lovely.

 

[ariel2007]

With WDCC in hand we walked over to the NY Hotel. There was a bonfire display on the lake tonight, Nick and I stood there and watched it and it was a great way to end the holiday. There were fireworks set to the music from POTC, the Disneyland Paris advert, and the British National Anthem, and a big bonfire on the lake.

These fireworks looked like pixie dust falling down

The bonfire

After the fireworks ended we went and watched Sophie ice-skating for a bit, she was showing us what she had learn't at her lessons and was having a great time.

Look at the concentration on her face

My new christmas Dumbo

And a few pictures from the NY hotel ~ I loved these tree decorations

The NY taxi out the front

We then headed back to Davy Crockett where we packed and had some wine before bed, our final sleep at Disney.

 

[retiredkid]

another great update and pics.

i hope that French (from France French, even) Onion Soup tasted as good as it looks.

I have never seen actual pictures of the Louvre . thanks for sharing.

 

[ariel2007]

another great update and pics.

i hope that French (from France French, even) Onion Soup tasted as good as it looks.

I have never seen actual pictures of the Louvre . thanks for sharing.

Thanks

I tasted a bit of the soup and it was pretty good. The soup itself was really tasty and had soooo much cheese on. Nick really enjoyed it.

 

[disneydusted]

The pictures of Paris are so beautiful! When I went to Paris after high school I only had enough money to get to the first level of the Eiffel Tower the views were so amazing. It was fun to see it all again in your pictures.

 

[lmillercrew]

I can't believe it was cold enough for ice skating! Sophie looks like she's having a great time though.

 

[ariel2007]

The pictures of Paris are so beautiful! When I went to Paris after high school I only had enough money to get to the first level of the Eiffel Tower the views were so amazing. It was fun to see it all again in your pictures.

Thanks

The tour only included the lift to the first floor but once we got to the first floor you could take the stairs to the second floor. I didn't realize you could do this but there was no-one there to stop you. Then again when its that hard work they should be paying you

I can't believe it was cold enough for ice skating! Sophie looks like she's having a great time though.

It wasn't actually too cold. The ice-rink is artificial, it never really gets cold enough over here to make a real ice rink

 

[ariel2007]

I will get the last update up soon guys, I promise

 

[lmillercrew]

So it never gets cold enough to freeze the lakes and stuff? What about snow? I'm just ignorant when it comes to the weather in other countries. I know it rains a lot in England, but does it snow? A lot? We've had snow flurries already in Toledo, OH and Cleveland, OH has already seen 7 inches and it isn't even Thanksgiving yet! I wonder every winter why I live up North. I used to live in Minnesota and the last year we were there we had 50 below wind chill! BRRRRR

 

[ariel2007]

So it never gets cold enough to freeze the lakes and stuff? What about snow? I'm just ignorant when it comes to the weather in other countries. I know it rains a lot in England, but does it snow? A lot? We've had snow flurries already in Toledo, OH and Cleveland, OH has already seen 7 inches and it isn't even Thanksgiving yet! I wonder every winter why I live up North. I used to live in Minnesota and the last year we were there we had 50 below wind chill! BRRRRR

TBH I'm not that sure about weather in other countries too, apart from the ones I have been too. I mean until we went to WDW in January 2005 I thought Florida was always hot but boy was I wrong. I of course had to find out the hard way when I had no jumpers of warm clothes packed .

In England we have what I call 'proper seasons'. We generally have warm and sunny summer, although we have been seeing more and more rain in the summers lately. And when I say warm we don't ever really go above 30C, and thats at the warmest . Then autumn begins to get colder, it gets darker much earlier, the leaves all turn lovely colors and fall off and it can get quite cold. Winter is pretty cold, and we sometimes get snow around christmas, but usually it doesn't start properly until February and sometimes lasts till up to April. We have been sledging on the moors at Easter time before which is quite funny to think . When we have snow though we don't really get much. Most of the time its not even enough to lay and if it does it is only a few inches which only lasts a day. Luckily I grew up near the moors and snow is thicker there as it is higher up, and there are fun hills to sledge down . Spring is actually when we get our best weather these days. It begins to get warmer, the trees get all their leaves back, we get lovely flowers and baby animals and quite often our nicest days of the year will be late April/early May. And of course this is stupidly when Nick and I will be out the country

Anyway enough of the Geography lesson, I just thought I would give you a little insight into our lovely British weather . So are you from Ohio? What is the weather like year round there

 

[ariel2007]

Our Spooky Disney Celebration
Day 5 ~ Hard Rock Cafe and Going Home​

Dad and Sophie got up early, went and got breakfast and then went for one last swim. The rest of us got up around 8.30am, got showered and dressed and finished packing. Once Dad and Sophie got back we all sat down and had our last breakfast. It was a special breakfast as Sophie brought some characters to visit us, Christmas Chip and Dale and Remy, it was quite funny.

Our plates were all set up for us

Nick doesn't look too impressed

After breakfast we packed up our last few things, got the car packed up (and it really was packed to the brim) and said goodbye to Davy Crockett Ranch one last time.

Our own version of Snow White

And Cruella De Ville

We drove into Paris which took about an hour. It was a bit of a nightmare as everyone is so pushy and cars end up pulling out and in at all angles, it got quite scary .

We drove past Notre Dam

And look what else we passed

We parked in an underground car park near Hard Rock Cafe, I was worried it was going to be hard to find but it was really easy and just around the corner. None of us were very hungry at this point and we still had over 8 hours till we had to be at Calais for the Eurotunnel so we had a look around some shops. We had a look down some little shopping precincts, they were really old fashioned with book shops, cafes and ornament shops, they were really pretty.

Um look at all the yummy cakes

After we had wondered round for a bit we walked back to Hard Rock Cafe. We were told there would be a 15-20 minute wait, not bad, but then they saw our All Access Pass and told us we would get the next table . We had a look in the shop and within 5 minutes our buzzer was going off. We were seated in a nice booth in the back of the restaurant, right near lots of interesting memorabilia. We ordered some cocktails, in souvenir glasses of course, I tried a Southern Rock which was new for me and very nice.

Uh oh, look what Piggle's has spotted

Unfortunately we waited forever, first to get served and then for our food. Our drinks didn’t even come till right before our food so we were so thirsty. For food Dad got the SOB burger, Mum got the club sandwich, Nick had the BBQ brisket sandwich and I had the pulled pork sandwich. All the food was very yummy but Sophie was brought the wrong thing so ended up waiting for quite a while, Mum’s was wrong too and the service was very slow despite the restaurant being not that busy.

Nicks Brisket sandwich

Mum's Club sandwich

Paul SOB burger

 

[ariel2007]

My pulled pork sandwich

Nearly 2 hours after we first entered we left Hard Rock even though we had only had mains, but we didn’t do so without doing some shopping first and getting the compulsory HR pins and shot glasses. We stopped at Starbucks to get a caramel latte and a Paris and France mug and then back to the car.

We wanted to see the Moulin Rouge and still had loads of time so we drove over and got some pictures from the car. The area around was really nice with pretty houses and buildings.

It then took ages to get back out of Paris, there didn’t seem to be as much traffic as we get in London but its all so disorganised and everyone is so pushy and rude. We finally got on the main road to Calais. We stopped quickly for a coffee and then arrived in Calais at 6.45pm. We had a bit of time and Nick and Dad wanted to go to a hypermarket so we went to the nearest one. We didn’t buy much, just a few snacks and some chocolate for Nicks Dad to thanks him for looking after the cats.

We had to be at the tunnel by 8.07pm, we got their a little early, checked in and this time went through passport control. We waited about 10 minutes and then boarded. After another 30 minutes wait we were on our way. The journey was about 40 minutes in which time we amused ourselves by playing some games and before we knew it we were back in England.

It was so weird as we arrived back at 8.17pm, 20 minutes between we left France, the time difference is weird coming back. We then drove home which took about 2 hours, we were sad to be back but our little kittys were happy to see us and I was excited to see them. So thats it, another Disney holiday come and gone... what will come next....

 

[disneydusted]

Great ending! I can't believe you had Nutella on your plate for breakfast! Yum! We go crazy in our house for that stuff! You should try a peanut butter and Nutella sandwich... then when you are feeling really adventurous have a pbj sandwich, they really are good!
Love the wig on Nick!
When you go through the tunnel back to England are you just riding in your car or is there some sort of train?
We've had some snow flurries here. It's been so cold! Our dog is a yellow lab and she gets so fired up when she gets out there in the cold weather... she's a wild thing racing all over the yard!

 

[ariel2007]

Great ending! I can't believe you had Nutella on your plate for breakfast! Yum! We go crazy in our house for that stuff! You should try a peanut butter and Nutella sandwich... then when you are feeling really adventurous have a pbj sandwich, they really are good!
Love the wig on Nick!
When you go through the tunnel back to England are you just riding in your car or is there some sort of train?
We've had some snow flurries here. It's been so cold! Our dog is a yellow lab and she gets so fired up when she gets out there in the cold weather... she's a wild thing racing all over the yard!

Thanks

Sophie used to love Nutella loads but ate so much of it last time we went to France and hasn't had it since. We ended up having about 20 sachets of it left at the end of the holiday.

The tunnel we took (the EuroTunnel) you take your car into the train. Once your in there you basically just sit in your car. There are some toilets and you can walk through the carriages but there is not much to see. There is another tunnel, the Euro Star which is just like a train. It has seats and refreshments etc. This one can go straight to the train station at Disney which is just opposite the Disney Village. This is very convenient if you are staying in the Disneyland Hotel of one of the ones round the lake.

Ah you have a yellow lab, whats her name? We have one too, she is called Honey. I love her, she is so cute. And she too goes wild with snow, although she doesn't see it too often.

 

[disneydusted]

Awwww, you have a Lab too! Ours is 5 1/2 and her name is Tanner. I am so crazy about her, actually we all are! She is so loved here! She even sleeps on our bed! She is a bit shy with other dogs and hangs her head, she's so submissive. She's a whiter color than Honey. Ok, obviously I could go on and on about her! I'm hopeless!

 

[ariel2007]

Oh labs are so sweet, especially yellow ones. I don't really like dogs, but always wanted a yellow lab. My little sister from the day she was born wanted a dog but it wasn't until she was nearly 7 that we decided to give in and get her one. And then did it all as a surprise. I went with my parents to look at them as I didn't like dogs so it was important I liked it and when we got there we were surrounded by 7 tiny, gorgeous little labs. It was easy to choose Honey though as she was the only yellow girl, both Sophie and my criteria. Sophie was so surprised when she came home from School and all her yellow lab teddies were scattered all over the floor (she had millions) and then one started moving . She instantly fell in love, as I did

She is 5 1/2 too, and also quite submissive with other dogs, apart from her bf Scotty (a gorgeous Golden Retriever guide dog). Normally when other dogs come to play she tries to hide, she much prefers humans. She is also really scared of cats which is so funny. When she comes to my house she is scared of my 2 little kittys and they are half her size. And watching them together is so funny

 

[ariel2007]

Since I finished my DLP trip report i've neglected this thread a bit, so firstly sorry . I've just been so busy with my Disney World PTR, and didn't really have much to update here, but I started this thing and I am dam well going to finish it . Well you may have already guessed or heard that our holiday plans have changed, which is luckily a good thing. But I have yet to share all my new plans with you so thought it was about time. First off though I will remind you what we originally had planned:

Holiday Planning... The What, When, Who, Why?
~ The Original Plan

1.
WHEN: 23rd August – 2nd September 2008 – 9 nights
WHERE: The Smoky Mountains, Tennessee
WHO: Nick and Me; Mum, Dad and Sophie
WHY: To celebrate Mum’s 50th birthday
CURRENT STATUS:COMPLETE

2.
WHEN: 31st October – 4th November 2008 – 4 nights
WHERE: Disneyland Paris
WHO: Nick and Me; Mum, Dad and Sophie
WHY: For Halloween and to celebrate Nick and My 5 year dating anniversary
CURRENT STATUS: COMPLETE

3.
WHEN: Beginning of January 2009, dates to include 11th January – probably for 7 nights
WHERE: Las Vegas
WHO: Nick and Me
WHY: To celebrates Nick’s 25th birthday
CURRENT STATUS: In the mid planning stages


4.
WHEN: End of April, beginning of May 2009 – 2 weeks
WHERE: Mexico
WHO: Nick and Me
WHY: For a nice relaxing holiday with a bit of culture and a lot of pampering
CURRENT STATUS: In the late planning stages

5.
WHEN: July 21st – 27th 2009 (approximate dates) – 4 nights
WHERE: New York
WHO: Nick and Me; Mum, Dad and Sophie
WHY: To celebrate Dad’s 50th birthday
CURRENT STATUS: In the late planning stages

6.
WHEN: Late August 2009 – 2 weeks
WHERE: France and other European countries
WHO: Nick and Me; Mum, Dad and Sophie; Grandma and Grandad
WHY: For a family holiday
CURRENT STATUS: In the early planning stages



So this was our original holiday plans for the next year. And then we decided to go to WDW again which changed pretty much everything. Well that along with the fact that we loved the Smokies and were desperate to go back there too. So after some discussions, and some initial planning, we have come up with a new plan for our vacations:

Holiday Planning... The What, When, Who, Why?
~ The New Plan

1.
WHEN: 23rd August – 2nd September 2008 – 9 nights
WHERE: The Smoky Mountains, Tennessee
WHO: Nick and Me; Mum, Dad and Sophie
WHY: To celebrate Mum’s 50th birthday
CURRENT STATUS: COMPLETE

2.
WHEN: 31st October – 4th November 2008 – 4 nights
WHERE: Disneyland Paris
WHO: Nick and Me; Mum, Dad and Sophie
WHY: For Halloween and to celebrate Nick and My 5 year dating anniversary
CURRENT STATUS: COMPLETE

3.
WHEN: April 26th - May 18th 2009
WHERE: Disney World
WHO: Nick and Me
WHY: Because we love it
CURRENT STATUS: Accommodation booked, ADR's and tours yet to be booked


4.
WHEN: July - August 2009
WHERE: Brittany, France
WHO: Nick and Me
WHY: For a nice relaxing holiday with a bit of culture and a lot of pampering
CURRENT STATUS: Accommodation booked, ferry to be booked

5.
WHEN: August 22rd - September 8th (17 nights)
WHERE: Tennessee, Georgia and Alabama
WHO: Nick and Me; Mum, Dad and Sophie
WHY: To celebrate Dad's 50th birthday
CURRENT STATUS: In the planning stages


Stick around with me please as I will enlighten you with more of our plans for these vacations in a bit