Trip Report Mam, Can we go now? PTR & TR (Post #28) DONE AND DUSTED

[Isila]

good luck and stay warm

 

[Disneyfanswicklow]

Hope you were on 6:50 flight out this am as I see it got out some of the later flights were cancelled! Have a fab holiday x

 

[kizzabel]

Hiya Jo not off until 6.50 in the morning eeek fingers crossed!
Thanks Isila

 

[Disneyfanswicklow]

Hiya Jo not off until 6.50 in the morning eeek fingers crossed!
Thanks Isila

Oops thought you went yesterday! Have a ball and take lots photos to help tide me over til June! X

 

[kizzabel]

Seeing as I'm now the proud owner of a new ticker I think its time to start this TR!
Slacking as usual but at least I'm consistent!

I will do as previously and carry one from here.

 

[Disneyfanswicklow]

Seeing as I'm now the proud owner of a new ticker I think its time to start this TR!
Slacking as usual but at least I'm consistent!

I will do as previously and carry one from here.

Looking forward to being entertained! Delighted for you!!

 

[kizzabel]

Thanks Jo. I'm just going to start now!. Have some bits typed and just want to see if photobucket will play nicely!

 

[kizzabel]

And so I'll finally start this TR! I'll just start with a little reintroduction from the beginning!


I had decided I wanted to bring my DS, James to DLP before he starts big school in September and so decided to bring him for his birthday in January. As always my cousin and best friend Elaine is joining us. So heres our PTR:::


When
Monday 21st January 2013 : Dublin
Tuesday 22nd - Friday 25th January 2013 : Disneyland Paris

Where
Hotel New York - so excited. Myself and DH loved it in May and I'm thrilled to be staying a decent lenght this time!

The Cast

James - The birthday boy and his mammys little chicken. Turns four on the Thursday. Loves Ratatouille, Toy Story and Monster Inc. Wants to meet Mickey Mouse, Pluto, Buzz, Woody and Sully.

Elaine - my cousin and as DH calls her, my partner in crime. Apprehensively wants to finally conquer her fears and do Parachutes! Loves Beauty and the Beast and likes a nice fish and chips in Toad Hall.

Me - Kizzy - also debating doing Parachutes! I love Mary Poppins and Monsters Inc. Looking forward to making James' birthday super awesome (his favourite saying!)

Elaine is on the left, Im on the right.

The Plan
We are leaving for Dublin on Monday about 11am and staying in a lovely hotel near the airport and just across from a lovely shopping centre so the plan is to get the last few bits for the suitcases and have a nice dinner in TGI Fridays and then get to bed early for an early flight Tuesday.

On Tuesday we fly to CDG and should be at the HNY before 11am.
We plan on doing BTM if James is up to it and that will be our gauge with his tolerance for the thrill rides and generally spend the day in DLP.

Wednesday will be a Studios day and we hope to meet Buzz and Woody or some more of James' favourites and maybe get a swim in at HNY. And we are going to watch Dreams that night.

Thursday is completely in the hands of the birthday boy so its whatever he wants! So lunch is at Res Des Stars as he is a Ratatouille nut!

Friday will be a redoing of the favourites day before we head home on a late flight back to Dublin for around 11pm where we are staying the night so we are well rested for our journey home.

The Meal Plans

Monday:
Dinner: TGI Fridays

Tuesday:
Lunch: EoS
Dinner: McDonalds

Wednesday:
Lunch: Cafe en Coulisse / Cafe des Cascadeurs / Blockbuster Cafe
Dinner: The Chuckwagon Cafe @ The Cheyenne Hotel

Thursday:
Lunch: Bella Notte or the Last Chance Saloon
Dinner: Cafe Mickey

Friday:
Lunch: Restaurant des Stars
Dinner: take out sandwiches so maybe EoS or the New York Sandwich Bar.

I've also gotten James some colours and a Cars colouring book to keep him occupied on the plane.

I don't have a huge amount to get before we go, just the usual toiletries and we are fairly set. James has his little Toy Story trolley case at the end of his bed ready to go. Going to pack over the next few night and attach our luggage tag and the stroller tag for his stroller and then we are good to go!

And that's our plans!

And so the Trip Report begins.........


Monday 21 January Day 0

We were up with the larks doing our last few bits and pieces and walked Jemma to school and said goodbye until Saturday.
All packed and ready we then said goodbye to DH and collected Elaine. We made great time to Dublin and tried checking in early at our hotel for the that night but our room wasnt ready yet so we headed over to the shopping centre and bought a few bits and bobs. We then checked in.
We stayed at the Crowne Plaza in Blanchardstown and I have to say it was a really lovely hotel. We settled in and watched some telly and headed down the road to a little Italian restaurant called Dante. I ate from the set ¬12.50 menu as did Elaine and James ate from the kids menu which was a bit steep at ¬8.95. I had bruschetta which was delicious followed by stuffed chicken and salad. James had pizza, chips and ice cream and we were suitably stuffed then so we headed back to have showers and get to bed early. Well that was the plan but we sat up when James fell asleep and had a couple of drinks to get into holiday mode!

 

[kizzabel]

Tuesday 22 January  Day One - Part One


We were up a little before 3am as by now we know to leave some extra time for my utter stupidity during the early hours. James who is not a morning person was raring to go!



I did of course make a vital mistake and while trying to check us in for our flights on my phone (very tech savvy) I checked us in for exit seats and couldnt understand why James couldnt be checked in. I rang Aer Lingus and they warned us to arrive early and they would try to seat us together. We got to the airport at 4am for 4.50am check in and managed to get two seats together for us with Elaine in the row behind. We had a quick breakfast in Burger King (vile, yuck, never again!) and wandered down to our gate. The flight was uneventful. Myself and DS did some colouring but mostly he just wanted to watch out the window and was very excited. We landed and had a little wait for James stroller as I forgot to get it from the tarmac (see, no good in the mornings!) and RS Transport met us and whisked us off to HNY. We checked in, added Elaine to the room and dropped our bags off and skipped down to Salon Mickey for a lovely cup of coffee and some biccies and we met the lovely Ann Sophie who had brought myself and DH on our DLP tour. She remembered us and we had a good chinwag. After we finished our drinks we headed out onto Main St and got our first view of the castle. We practically ran up Main St to get to Fantasyland as the Carousel was the first ride James wanted to do. Now Ill admit its not a favourite but this guys excitement was so so infectious that we all three were grinning like loons!



We then went and got James AP made up. He was very shy but the CM cajoled him into it and we was very proud of his little card. We turned right and walked straight onto iasw where we had music to match our smiles.



Teacups was our next stop and James chose this rather nice blue cup for us all.



Which was closely followed by Dumbo. Here is a pic to show you what weather we were dealing with!



We then picked up some FPs for Peter Pan and sauntered over to his new spot to meet the main mouse. It again was a walk in like pretty much everything today. Mickey was very friendly and tried to give James a big hug but James was a little wary!



We were about to brave BTM but alas it was closed so we opted for Phantom Manor instead. James loved it once he got past the stretching room. There were a few students making serious trouble there. They pushed, shoved and hit all around them when the lights went out and I forcibly pushed back as it was getting a bit riotous and panicked and I was terrified James would get trampled. The students spoke some English and I gave out to them once the door opened and they apologised. It just wasnt good enough, they hurt and scared both kids and adults and all this in a family park. The CMs saw what happened and told them they were not to come back on PM.
We were a little shook up and decided to sit and relax for a few minutes over by Pocahontas Indian Village then doubled back to Fantasyland and were in time to take our flight to Neverland. Well James thought this was the best thing ever! We left DLP to get lunch once we were safely back from Neverland (saved Tiger Lily, left Hook to fight off the croc). We went to the Casino shop in the train station and spent about ¬10 on salad, crisps, chocolate and drinks and were still eating some of them on the day we left! We got so much for what we spent and it worked out perfect for snacks over the next few days. We walked back to the HNY to get our key and settle into our room and have lunch. Our room was 5256 and it was perfect. On the beds were a plush Minnie, a Christmas stocking full of sweets (bit odd in January but so very generous) and loads of balloons! James was not just sprinkled but covered in Pixie Dust!

 

[Disneyfanswicklow]

Yay great start! Wow forgot about the snow! Love the pixie dust! Had you let HNY know it was s special trip? Love your admittance to morning brainlessness....hate early mornings myself! Your photos are great! Scary pushy peipkevon pm....well done you tackling them. Looking forward to more! Especially HNY info....heading there in June!

 

[Disneyfanswicklow]

peipkevon!

Oops people!!!

 

[kizzabel]

Jo, I love love love HNY. The smell, the rooms everything is lush! I do agree that it is a bit grown up perhaps for little ones but I'd love to wake up there everyday.

The rooms feel spacious and it being so close to the parks, village and station meant that we popped back and had rests which helped us pack so much in on this trip. You are going to love it. As regards tips for your stay, try for breakfast in the Manhattan instead of the Parkside as it is by far more luxurious but other then that I can't say much more as the hotel was great in every aspect. The pool could have been warmer and the change room was small but we didn't go to swim and it was really only to fill an hour before dinner. Oh and have a cocktail! They are yum. Mine had raspberries and that is the sum of my memory! I may have had another in the Sports Bar before that and been tipsy We did email before we went too, very subtly

Oh in general I'm very organised in every way I possibly can be but early mornings and airports stress me no end and it is tradition that I make a mess of something be it driving to the wrong car park, nearly going the wrong way on a one way street or messing up online check in. I'm hopeless!
Being off the cigerettes has made me more so dodo brained. Its not fun but I don't crave or need to smoke anymore so I hope this scattiness goes soon cause it drives me nuts!

 

[kizzabel]

I forgot to mention there was snow everywhere but it wasn't slippy and all the paths were clear. It was only above 0 one day and to be honest it wasn't too bad! We didn't mind the cold and it wasn't the type that freezes the face off of you. Very manageable with coats, hats, scarves and gloves.

We ate lunch and had a little rest before going back out to face into WDS. We tried ToT as DS was mad to have a go but alas he was a hairs width too short. We thought Parachutes may just give us that thrill that we were missing! EEEEEEK! I love thrill rides but this just freaked me out. It looks like a park bench suspended on a bit of twine. I was a mess but I ignored the panic and did it just because it was the only ride I hadn't done in DLP..... And I loved it!
So did my little man!



Next was a go on Slinky Dog. We had to beg DS to get off it as he totally loved it. We were getting hungry again and decided to head out of the parks and see what took our fancy. I stopped on the way to get James' photo with Mickey Mouse printed and we ended up at La Grange for dinner.
The selection was ok but didn't seem as plentiful as I thought it might be.
There were soup, salads, pasta and sauces, potatoes (gratin and new boiled ones in skins) chicken legs (maybe turkey - very big), wings, ribs, veg, carved ham, sauces and a couple of fish dishes (I'm forgetting some meats here too) etc and then desserts..... YUM! On the kids section there was nuggets, fish shapes, pasta, pasta sauces, veg and pizza. They really need to do chips though because Elaine didn't like new potatoes, gratin or pasta so I think chips are maybe a bit more universal. Myself and James enjoyed our but Elaine not so much. It came to €59 for the three of us with SHC discount.

We had a drink in the Sports Bar as it was still early and had another in the HNY bar as the 1st was so nice! I cannot remember the names of the ones in the HNY but I think Elaines is probably a Pina Colada and mine had raspberries in there somewhere.





We headed up to our lovely room after them and tucked James into bed and we weren't too far behind him.

Day Two will hopefully be uploaded tonight!

 

[kizzabel]

Wednesday 23 January – Day Two

We were awoken by Mr. Mouse at 7am which was horrendous! The cocktails had a knock on effect but breakfast in the Parkside Diner sorted us out and we were ready for our first full day in the parks. We had the usual continental set up with rolls, croissants, pain au chocolate, cereals, spreads, juices and hit drinks. On the hot side were sausages (not my thing) bacon (I did eat it but not really my type of thing either) scrambled eggs (could have been cooked more) and potato slices (very nice). There was also cold cuts and cheeses and yoghurts. So a very substantial spread.
We skipped and jumped through the Village to the gates of DLP and we happened to be the first guests in that day! It was very dark and looked so pretty.











Next we headed for the Carousel again and James wanted to stay on so the very nice CM allowed us to. It was time to Roll Up! Roll Up! and fly with Dumbo again.





And then we flew again with Peter Pan (much more reliable then Ryanair) and yet another ride on the Carousel! James did a lot of sweet talking to get me back on it but I had to do the same next to get him to go on Star Tours, which he ended up loving!





We then had two goes on Orbitron (how squashed is that ride!) before we retired to Salon Mickey for a hot drink and more scrummie bikkies!



We met this lovely fellow near the Main St station just before we went to Salon Mickey.




The next instalment with lunch, WDS and dinner will be along either tonight or in the morning. Thanks for reading.

 

[Ms Poppins]

Really enjoying this

So happy that someone else loves HNY too - it always seems to be me banging on about it

EMH in the dark looks fantastic! I love seeing the parks all lit up!

Look forward to more

 

[Disneyfanswicklow]

WOW another fantastic day! Loving the empty park for EMH....it looks so lovely in your photos! Great to hear such good things about HNY....making me so excited for my trip! Will definately try a cocktail or 2 while there! Your little boy looks so happy in the photos!

 

[kizzabel]

Really enjoying this

So happy that someone else loves HNY too - it always seems to be me banging on about it

EMH in the dark looks fantastic! I love seeing the parks all lit up!

Look forward to more

I would stay @ HNY every time if I had my way! Couldn't fault it at all. Would love to try DLH soon and its between that and SL in May next year depending on what kind of deals are on. I would love to do just one stay at DLH!
It was lovely doing EMH in the dark, it was like we snuck in!
Should get the next bit up in the morning, fingers crossed!

WOW another fantastic day! Loving the empty park for EMH....it looks so lovely in your photos! Great to hear such good things about HNY....making me so excited for my trip! Will definately try a cocktail or 2 while there! Your little boy looks so happy in the photos!

He never looks at the camera!! I swear he was so keen to get onto the next thing! He kept saying 'Mam, come oooooooooooooon, we need to go'.

Now if you feel like you need to bring me, to like show you around HNY or something like that, its no problem, Im sure I can fit in another few days.... I wish! We got the best deal, it was like €420 for 3N/4D for 1 ad 1 ch and we added my friend at check in. Bargain! Love flash sales
I was just looking back over our TRs and I swear it looks like we have a problem with the cocktails! But its a holiday and I suppose its nice to unwind after a long day in the park plus it won't be happening next trip as its just me and the kids, so excited

 

[kizzabel]

We then moseyed on over to WDS and who should we meet but Goofy! James became very nervous and shy and Goofy was fantastic. He spent ages coaxing James and eventually he lost his shyness and was all for playing with Goofy.



After that we decided another flight but this time over Agrabah, was in order. James thought it was hilarious to be in control of the carpet. Next up was Cars, which again being a Mc Queen fan he loved. Me not so much! I lost weight but its still a bit of a snug fit for adults.



James gave me his angry face…..



But perked up considerably when he saw Remy and Emile. His room has a Ratatouille theme and he was so excited to see them but wouldn’t go too close, I think he was just starstruck! They say you should never meet your heros! So we got some autographs and took some photos for his album but without James as he was attached to my leg!





It was time for Slinky Dog again and then we had a look around the shops and picked up some bits for the following day – James’ birthday - and some of the presents for DD and our family. We were keen to have a sit down and we noticed Stitch was about to start in English. Perfect timing! It was hilarious and James was really awed by it all. We continued on in similar fashion next door in PHDisney. James was up singing and clapping and he really enjoyed this show, especially at the end where he tried to gather all the bits that came down from the ceiling and stuff them in his pockets… magpie!
We were getting hungry and a little tired so we left WDS for the Village and we picked up lunch in NY Sandwiches. I had the Jackys Big One with fries and a muffin and James had the kids meal with nuggets. It came to €18 with discount and was very tasty. I tried the sweet iced tea there for the first time too and I am still on the lookout since! It was peach flavoured and so so nice!
We trotted back to HNY for a bit and had a lovely snooze… And woke up quite late so instead of heading back for the park we decided to have a swim. We found the change rooms to be small and badly laid out but the pool was a good size. I wouldn’t rave about it as regards appeal for kids as it is definitely more for the adults but James was happy playing with floats and messing about. Afterwards we were hungry (AGAIN!!! I know!) so we went as far as McDonalds which was madness and instead stopped at the Sports Bar. This was one of our best value meals of the trip and also was so very tasty.
I ordered pizza and a kids bolognaise pasta meal which James and I shared and both were warm, tasty and fresh. The kids pasta is actually very nice and filling In total this came to around €16. I did have another cocktail (definitely need to address this fondness for cocktails!) which was a sex on the beach if I’m right and it was very good. We did a bit more shopping after we were fed and watered and headed up to bed supposedly for an early night but we were chatting for hours after James fell asleep which was fine as we had decided to lie on the following morning

 

[kizzabel]

Day Three – Thursday 24 January – James’ 4 th Birthday

Part One

So again Mickey woke us up – but not that early this time! We were up after 8.15am and it was time for James’ presents! He tore off the paper and was delighted with his pressies!









We were down for breakfast at 9am with his new Woody and Mc Queen in tow. Thankfully they didn’t eat much.

Breakfast was very nice again and once we were done we went straight to City Hall for James to take a phone call. It was Mickey ringing to wish him a happy birthday! And Martin the very nice CM who we always meet at City Hall gave James a voucher to get a balloon later on that day! James was thrilled!
It was James’ day so he dictated the run of events and yes, you guessed it first up was the Carousel but to be fair he loved it!



Next came Dumbo and we managed to get an ok mammy and son shot!



And then another spin on Tea Cups. But then my brave boy saw BTM and it was open….. So we queued after the CM at the entranced checked his height and deemed him tall enough and 10 minutes later he had his first go! Elaine was so scared and he kept telling her its ok, its ok! He loved it more then everything else! I think I have a little thrill lover We had another go and spent an hour on Main St looking at all the shop windows and I pointed out bits to Elaine that myself and DH were shown on our tour last year.

We wandered back to Fantasyland and had a cruise on iasw. We were peckish again and seeing as Bella Notte was so close it would have been rude to go any further!

I had pizza and James had the kids bolognaise and we did share again! It was very tasty (not as much so as the Sports Bar) and came to about €19.

Next instalment – WDS, Val d’Europe and Café Mickey!

 

[kizzabel]

Part Two


We were really really feeling the cold by this stage. It was less then -10C, for some reason I think perhaps it was -14C and it was far too cold to be comfortable going around the park so we returned to the hotel and freshened up and decided to go have a look around Val D’Europe for the first time.
We enquired about kids ages/prices in the info office at the station and the lady asked James’ age. I said 4, she said no, no, no nearly four and said no charge, just to walk him through the stile with me! Who was I to argue the point!?

We bought the tickets from the machines, it really is so straight forward, my only regret is not having done it ages ago. We were soon at VDE and managed to get off at the wrong side so we were a bit down past the centre but found it quickly enough. We had a good browse around the shops and bought a few bits. I was delighted to see a HEMA store as I had bought tiny cups in the one in Amsterdam but had broken one and I find them to be the perfect size for my cuppa! At less then a euro they are a bargain too. We found another shop that does the coolest underwear, pjs and swimming togs/bikinis and then we came across PAULS. It was our best find. They do gourmet patisseries and breads aswel as sandwiches, tarts and every carb laden nice thing you could ever imagine. Get the train, get to PAULS and get a canele. I dream about them! Plus it wasn’t expensive. We sat and people watched and ate before heading ‘home’ to get ready for dinner at Café Mickey as was the birthday boys choice!

We had an 8pm booking and were seated as soon as we arrived out in the terrace. I ordered mushrooms and garlic bread for myself and James to share which we followed with pizza but to be honest we were stuffed by the time it came and only managed a little bit. The food was good but the characters were brilliant. Friar Tuck did the whole dance to gangnam style and was a show worth watching all on his own. Rabbit and Mickey were also lovely.












We then ordered the chocolate cake from the dessert menu and while James and I went to the toilet Elaine put candles into it and we sung him happy birthday. He was smitten with the cake I think!



We retired to our room after dinner to pack for the morning and get ready for our last day

Our final instalment will be up tomorrow. Thanks for reading.