Dimplenose
Stranger from the outside
- Joined
- Apr 2, 2002
- Messages
- 5,956
Santa Fe Trip 11-02-07 to 14-02-07
Those travelling
Me 45 in love with Mickey
DH 45 puts up with my Disney obsession
DS 16
DD - 13
Background Information
4 years ago DD and I visited Disneyland Paris along with one of my friends and her daughter leaving our sons and husbands at home. If youre desperate to read about it my previous trip report is here
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=347379
That trip was excellent the lack of crowds and lack of rain made it a really special time. I had always wanted to go back with DH and DS but we had never got round to it. In October I mentioned it again to DH and we agreed that now DS was 16 it would be now or never as a whole family (we have already pencilled in a family trip to WDW in 2009) so we started looking into the cheapest way to get there.
Peevingly the time that we wanted to go was the same time that Disney were offering free child places but neither of our children are considered children for that offer. We also decided that we wanted to stay in a Disney hotel as we had stayed in a villa in WDW on our third trip and really, really missed the Disney atmosphere when we were out of the parks. Another thing on our wish list was to fit in a day trip to Paris itself.
So after much research, and pleading with the children to share a double bed we ended up booking 3 nights at the Santa Fe hotel with expedia, 2 day hopper passes at the Disney Store and Eurotunnel crossings. The cost, including car insurance and breakdown cover (but not petrol or food), was £618. I dont know if we got the best deal nut I was happy with it. (My best guess is that we spent £60 on petrol.) (We went on to spend a little under 700 on food and train tickets to Paris and an open top bus tour.)
Well with the background info out of the way on with our trip
Sunday February 11th
Id packed the night before. We got up a little after 6am and put the luggage in the boot, then a little later than planned at 7:15 am we were on our way. We had an easy journey as the M25 was very quiet that early on a Sunday morning. We arrived at the Maidstone service area and had breakfast. We had timed this very well as by the time we were seated a coach party arrived. After breakfast we filled up the car with petrol I had read horror stories of British credit cards not working at French filling stations on a Sunday.
We arrived at the Eurotunnel check-in at 8:25am 5 minutes after our scheduled check-in time. The automatic check-in was a doddle and we were soon heading to our scheduled train. This was the first time DH had used Eurotunnel and he was a little surprised when we were directed to the upper deck of the train. The journey ran on time. During the crossing I went to find the loo. The timing of opening the doors between carriages was quite an art. The loo in the next carriage was out of order (it didnt occur to me until the journey home that I should have gone downstairs to the loo there) so I walked 3 more carriages to find another.
When we got of at Calais we found it easy to follow the Michelin route that we had printed out from the internet. The roads were empty (are lorries allowed on the French roads on a Sunday?). We passed lots of interesting battle sites including the site of Henry VIIIs camp of the cloth of gold. Not far from Calais we stopped to collect a toll road ticket.
After 2 hours we decided that it would be a good idea to take a break. A couple of stops had been recommended on the DIS so we tried to stop at Asevillers. There was a lot of building work going on there and although the café was open the car park was partially blocked off and we missed the entrance to it so we just carried on through the petrol station and back onto the motorway. A little later on we stopped at another service area and bought sandwiches and used the toilets. The hot food being served looked very nice but we were keen to make this just a quick stop.
The weather had been raining off and on all our way from Calais, now it was getting colder too. By the time we reached the pay stations for the tolls it was hailing very large stones. The hail got heavier and heavier and by the time we had paid the stones were the size of ball bearings. DH coulnt see to drive so he pulled over to the parking area next to the pay stations. The ground was so white that he couldnt even see the low kerb which he drove straight over. It was very scary but only lasted about 10 minutes. Once we were on our way again the weather soon cleared and we were able to carry on as normal.
Our route was going well until we got as far as Charles de Gaulle airport. Here our instructions didnt match the road signs and we ended up on local roads heading off to Chantilly. At a large roundabout we turned round and retraced our steps and using a mixture of printed routes and maps were able to get back on track again. This part of the journey was very stressful because of the very aggressive drivers around Paris. During our journey we kept passing and being passed by the same coaches from Camarthen and now we saw them again. We guessed they were going to DLP but were worried when our instructions told us to leave the motorway and the coached stayed on.
We travelled along some local roads and soon we could see the Hotel New York in the distance but couldnt work out how to get to it. After a couple of U-turns and much retracing of steps we could see the entrance to the Santa Fe (at this point we saw the Camarthen coaches coming from the other direction and heading towards the non-Disney hotels nearby). We were surprised to see a petrol station so close to the hotel.
We drove into the car park and left the car to go and check in. The minute we walked through the door we knew we were right to choose a Disney hotel. The atmosphere was just so good. We went to check in and were handed an envelope that we were asked to check. We thoroughly confused the CM at the desk because there were no tickets. We had booked a room only deal and he had a little trouble understanding what was going on.
All the early hotel breakfasts had gone for the next day so we accepted a Fantasyland breakfast for 10:15. Rather later than wed hoped but we were told to turn up at 9:45 so we would still be in before the park opened officially. We chose to have hotel breakfasts for Tuesday and Wednesday and these were available for whatever time we wanted.
Our room was on the 2nd floor of building 48. We were fairly close to the reception and restaurant so we were quite happy. The room was getting rather shabby but was OK. There was no in room safe but there was free use of a safety deposit box at reception.
After settling in and unpacking we discovered we had forgotten to pack our warm coats. (At least wed brought fleeces and cagoules.) We werent going to the parks today but decided wed go exploring. We found the walking route to the parks, it was much bigger than Id imagined. The Hotel Cheyenne was very close, it was almost an extension of our Hotel. We crossed the bridge and had a look around there. It was much more attractive than the Santa Fe, but our kids had been to big for the bunk beds so wed had to reject this as a place to stay. It looked like a ghost town at this time of day.
We continued our walk to the Disney Village on the Cheyenne side of the canal and watched some people skating on the ice rink outside the Hotel New York. We had a look around the shops and at the restaurant menus. I had vaguely planned to eat at planet Hollywood and had brought my copy of the Brits Guide with me for the discount but the children had other ideas. DS liked the look of the menu at Café Mickeys. We carried on exploring the Village and at just before 6 we went to Café Mickeys to see if we could get in without a reservation. We were lucky and were shown upstairs to our table straight away. S and DH had ribs, I had fish and chips and DD had pizza.
I hadnt realised that all the meals at this restaurant were with characters we had decided not to have a character meal this trip so I was pleasantly surprised when character after character came out. The food was very good and reasonably priced considering this was a character meal it cost 98 for 4 main courses and 4 drinks. A few things werent so good firstly there was a baby crying in the restaurant nearly the whole time of our meal and the room is very echoey, secondly it took ages to get the bill as the waiters seemed to avoid our table and thirdly and most worryingly our credit cards wouldnt be accepted by their machines. It must have taken the best part of an hour from finishing our meal to actually leaving the restaurant having had to pay in cash. The waiter had assured us it was their machines and not our cards causing the problems. On the way out another English couple were complaining because they had had 4 different cards rejected.
We were now worried if we would be able to use our cards at all this break. DH had phoned Barclaycard to let them know wed be using the cards in France but hed got through to a foreign call centre and didnt think the person he had spoken to had understood him. So we thought wed try and buy something in one of the shops. DS (who is 16) wanted to buy a toy gun he was deprived of toy weapons as a small child as I dont approve of them so hes making up for it now! DH paid for the gun with his credit card and it was accepted without problem so we were very relieved.
After this we went for a walk all around the lake. We popped into Newport Bay Club to show DH and DS where DD and I had stayed before. We then continued past the Shed as DS referred to Sequoia Lodge and back to the Santa Fe.
It had been a long day and we were glad to watch TV for a bit before going to bed.
By the way there are only so many times that I can watch the irritating woman on the Disney advert and I do NOT believe that a girl of her age would find the baby care centres her favouwite thing in the top ten of things to do!
Libby
Those travelling
Me 45 in love with Mickey
DH 45 puts up with my Disney obsession
DS 16
DD - 13
Background Information
4 years ago DD and I visited Disneyland Paris along with one of my friends and her daughter leaving our sons and husbands at home. If youre desperate to read about it my previous trip report is here
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=347379
That trip was excellent the lack of crowds and lack of rain made it a really special time. I had always wanted to go back with DH and DS but we had never got round to it. In October I mentioned it again to DH and we agreed that now DS was 16 it would be now or never as a whole family (we have already pencilled in a family trip to WDW in 2009) so we started looking into the cheapest way to get there.
Peevingly the time that we wanted to go was the same time that Disney were offering free child places but neither of our children are considered children for that offer. We also decided that we wanted to stay in a Disney hotel as we had stayed in a villa in WDW on our third trip and really, really missed the Disney atmosphere when we were out of the parks. Another thing on our wish list was to fit in a day trip to Paris itself.
So after much research, and pleading with the children to share a double bed we ended up booking 3 nights at the Santa Fe hotel with expedia, 2 day hopper passes at the Disney Store and Eurotunnel crossings. The cost, including car insurance and breakdown cover (but not petrol or food), was £618. I dont know if we got the best deal nut I was happy with it. (My best guess is that we spent £60 on petrol.) (We went on to spend a little under 700 on food and train tickets to Paris and an open top bus tour.)
Well with the background info out of the way on with our trip
Sunday February 11th
Id packed the night before. We got up a little after 6am and put the luggage in the boot, then a little later than planned at 7:15 am we were on our way. We had an easy journey as the M25 was very quiet that early on a Sunday morning. We arrived at the Maidstone service area and had breakfast. We had timed this very well as by the time we were seated a coach party arrived. After breakfast we filled up the car with petrol I had read horror stories of British credit cards not working at French filling stations on a Sunday.
We arrived at the Eurotunnel check-in at 8:25am 5 minutes after our scheduled check-in time. The automatic check-in was a doddle and we were soon heading to our scheduled train. This was the first time DH had used Eurotunnel and he was a little surprised when we were directed to the upper deck of the train. The journey ran on time. During the crossing I went to find the loo. The timing of opening the doors between carriages was quite an art. The loo in the next carriage was out of order (it didnt occur to me until the journey home that I should have gone downstairs to the loo there) so I walked 3 more carriages to find another.
When we got of at Calais we found it easy to follow the Michelin route that we had printed out from the internet. The roads were empty (are lorries allowed on the French roads on a Sunday?). We passed lots of interesting battle sites including the site of Henry VIIIs camp of the cloth of gold. Not far from Calais we stopped to collect a toll road ticket.
After 2 hours we decided that it would be a good idea to take a break. A couple of stops had been recommended on the DIS so we tried to stop at Asevillers. There was a lot of building work going on there and although the café was open the car park was partially blocked off and we missed the entrance to it so we just carried on through the petrol station and back onto the motorway. A little later on we stopped at another service area and bought sandwiches and used the toilets. The hot food being served looked very nice but we were keen to make this just a quick stop.
The weather had been raining off and on all our way from Calais, now it was getting colder too. By the time we reached the pay stations for the tolls it was hailing very large stones. The hail got heavier and heavier and by the time we had paid the stones were the size of ball bearings. DH coulnt see to drive so he pulled over to the parking area next to the pay stations. The ground was so white that he couldnt even see the low kerb which he drove straight over. It was very scary but only lasted about 10 minutes. Once we were on our way again the weather soon cleared and we were able to carry on as normal.
Our route was going well until we got as far as Charles de Gaulle airport. Here our instructions didnt match the road signs and we ended up on local roads heading off to Chantilly. At a large roundabout we turned round and retraced our steps and using a mixture of printed routes and maps were able to get back on track again. This part of the journey was very stressful because of the very aggressive drivers around Paris. During our journey we kept passing and being passed by the same coaches from Camarthen and now we saw them again. We guessed they were going to DLP but were worried when our instructions told us to leave the motorway and the coached stayed on.
We travelled along some local roads and soon we could see the Hotel New York in the distance but couldnt work out how to get to it. After a couple of U-turns and much retracing of steps we could see the entrance to the Santa Fe (at this point we saw the Camarthen coaches coming from the other direction and heading towards the non-Disney hotels nearby). We were surprised to see a petrol station so close to the hotel.
We drove into the car park and left the car to go and check in. The minute we walked through the door we knew we were right to choose a Disney hotel. The atmosphere was just so good. We went to check in and were handed an envelope that we were asked to check. We thoroughly confused the CM at the desk because there were no tickets. We had booked a room only deal and he had a little trouble understanding what was going on.
All the early hotel breakfasts had gone for the next day so we accepted a Fantasyland breakfast for 10:15. Rather later than wed hoped but we were told to turn up at 9:45 so we would still be in before the park opened officially. We chose to have hotel breakfasts for Tuesday and Wednesday and these were available for whatever time we wanted.
Our room was on the 2nd floor of building 48. We were fairly close to the reception and restaurant so we were quite happy. The room was getting rather shabby but was OK. There was no in room safe but there was free use of a safety deposit box at reception.
After settling in and unpacking we discovered we had forgotten to pack our warm coats. (At least wed brought fleeces and cagoules.) We werent going to the parks today but decided wed go exploring. We found the walking route to the parks, it was much bigger than Id imagined. The Hotel Cheyenne was very close, it was almost an extension of our Hotel. We crossed the bridge and had a look around there. It was much more attractive than the Santa Fe, but our kids had been to big for the bunk beds so wed had to reject this as a place to stay. It looked like a ghost town at this time of day.
We continued our walk to the Disney Village on the Cheyenne side of the canal and watched some people skating on the ice rink outside the Hotel New York. We had a look around the shops and at the restaurant menus. I had vaguely planned to eat at planet Hollywood and had brought my copy of the Brits Guide with me for the discount but the children had other ideas. DS liked the look of the menu at Café Mickeys. We carried on exploring the Village and at just before 6 we went to Café Mickeys to see if we could get in without a reservation. We were lucky and were shown upstairs to our table straight away. S and DH had ribs, I had fish and chips and DD had pizza.
I hadnt realised that all the meals at this restaurant were with characters we had decided not to have a character meal this trip so I was pleasantly surprised when character after character came out. The food was very good and reasonably priced considering this was a character meal it cost 98 for 4 main courses and 4 drinks. A few things werent so good firstly there was a baby crying in the restaurant nearly the whole time of our meal and the room is very echoey, secondly it took ages to get the bill as the waiters seemed to avoid our table and thirdly and most worryingly our credit cards wouldnt be accepted by their machines. It must have taken the best part of an hour from finishing our meal to actually leaving the restaurant having had to pay in cash. The waiter had assured us it was their machines and not our cards causing the problems. On the way out another English couple were complaining because they had had 4 different cards rejected.
We were now worried if we would be able to use our cards at all this break. DH had phoned Barclaycard to let them know wed be using the cards in France but hed got through to a foreign call centre and didnt think the person he had spoken to had understood him. So we thought wed try and buy something in one of the shops. DS (who is 16) wanted to buy a toy gun he was deprived of toy weapons as a small child as I dont approve of them so hes making up for it now! DH paid for the gun with his credit card and it was accepted without problem so we were very relieved.
After this we went for a walk all around the lake. We popped into Newport Bay Club to show DH and DS where DD and I had stayed before. We then continued past the Shed as DS referred to Sequoia Lodge and back to the Santa Fe.
It had been a long day and we were glad to watch TV for a bit before going to bed.
By the way there are only so many times that I can watch the irritating woman on the Disney advert and I do NOT believe that a girl of her age would find the baby care centres her favouwite thing in the top ten of things to do!
Libby
