TotallyAngelic
Disney Addict
- Joined
- Aug 14, 2005
- Messages
- 6,687
Summer 2007 Disneyland Paris Trip Report : Part 3
Cast Members:
Sarah: Totally Pirates of the Caribbean obsessed, Disney enthusiast, Pin
Collector, only rides indoor coasters!
Tony: Disney enthusiast, Pin Collector, Loves all extreme rides, eats for the
UK!
Taryn: Aged 16. Disney enthusiast. Pin Collector. Loves POTC. Tim Burton
Obsessed. Very theatrical and loves any excuse to dress up
especially Halloween!
Daniel: Aged 13. Disney Enthusiast but doesn’t like meeting characters
unless it is spontaneous. Loves POTC. Nintendo player and Tim
Burton fan!
Stephen: Aged 17. My stepson. Not really mad about Disney but loves
extreme coasters.
Louise: Aged 16. My stepdaughter. Loves Disney and dressing up.
Part Three: The “Crush” Crush.
We woke up a bit later today as we were heading to Disney Studios which didn’t open until 10am with no EMH, so we were a bit less regimental and allowed the kids time to get ready without using the stopwatch! We finished off our breakfast supplies and got dressed. The weather once again looked very promising. By about 9:30 we were waiting for the bus, and by 9:45 we were heading into Disney Studios. Excellent timing!
The first thing we noticed was the large amount of people in Studio One. In previous trips to the Studios the people have been a bit thin on the ground at opening, so I suppose it was the lure of the new rides Cars and Crush’s Coaster. We weren’t too concerned about riding Cars, especially after my teacups encounter, so the plan of action was to ride Crush, and preferably without too much of a wait. We wandered into the café area in Studio One and noticed a few people lingering by the side doors at the far left, which would lead you straight into the area facing Crush’s Coaster and would give you a 10 second head start over the crowds if they opened these doors at the same time as the main doors. I could feel a plan of attack forming, so we joined this group of people. The doors were being heavily guarded by a single cast member, as apparently they were not locked!
The music started up, indicating the doors were about to open, and everyone shuffled forward. Suddenly, some very brave individuals darted through one of the unlocked doors while the cast member was occupied at the other set of doors. They started running towards the ride but were cornered by cast members and escorted back inside with their tails between their legs. They started the countdown …“Lights, Camera, Action……RUN!!!! Everyone pushed through the doors and literally started sprinting towards the ride. We had arranged that if we became split up we would wait for each other inside the ride queuing area, so more feeble people like myself wouldn’t have to embarrass themselves by running in public! There was an enormous bottle-neck to get into the queuing area, and after lots of pushing, shoving and squashing we all made it through in one piece and we reunited. At least I know now why they called it Crush’s Coaster. We were all herded along the queuing line and came to a stop just before the line entered the building. I anticipated a 10-15 minute wait, which was a mission accomplished!!
So we waited, and waited and waited and before too long half an hour had passed and the line hadn’t moved at all. Still, nobody said anything or did anything and we just carried on waiting. After about 45 minutes an announcement came over the speakers, which gave us the devastating news that the ride was temporarily closing – after all that! I was gutted! So we left the queuing area, with the plan of popping back every so often to see if it had opened. I must add here that there is no FASTPASS provision on this ride, which explains the desperation. If you don’t get on in that first ten minutes you can expect a 60 minute wait at the very least!
To try and minimise our disappointment at this point we went over to R & R coaster and on the way we had a look at the new advertising for The Tower of Terror.
Tony is very keen to get on TOT....
The building work has really come on since last October and you can see some of the distressed finish being painted on at the top:
There was no wait for R and R, so 4 of us rode it twice, while the founder members of the Wimp Society, Taryn and Daniel, mooched about taking photographs. After this we went to watch Moteurs Action, which is still good, even after seeing in 5 times in 2 years. On this occasion a lady from the UK was the volunteer who drives the remote controlled car, and she was really funny. She was pretending to attack the cast members when the joke was revealed!!!!
We then decided to grab some lunch at Backlot Express, our favourite Studios lunch venue. Taryn and I shared a ham and cheese baguette, Tony had one all to himself and the other 3 had Mickey pizza. Dessert was a selection of brownies, cookies, donuts and muffins and Tony and I shared this:
After lunch, Tony, Ste and Louise went back on R&R Coaster and I sat this one out, just a little bit too soon after lunch for me. Instead, we watched the antics around the talking bin, which was very entertaining, as a lot of people exiting from the ride were caught unawares! We then decided to go and see Cinemagique and I sat on the seat immediately in front of the Martin Short guy! We came out of here and caught the High School Musical show, which was very upbeat and entertaining. I have never seen the film but the songs were really catchy and Louise and Taryn enjoyed it, although Daniel spent the whole time being very condescending as it was way too cheesy! The kids grabbed a photo oppotunity on the waverunners:
We wandered over to Toon Studios and had a look at the theming in the new area
and we investigated the wait time for Crush, which was 90 minutes – no way was I joining that line, so we decided to go back to the house for some chill time and battery recharging (the kids not the cameras!). While the kids were chilling, Tony and I decided to have a wander down to the local village and pick up breakfast supplies from the supermarket. On the way to the village we passed a few apartment buildings, and then a few more authentic French village houses, which were very nice. The supermarket was fairly small, and we picked up chocolate chip brioche buns, pains au chocolat and some orange juice. The shop owner was very friendly, and I made an effort to speak French, and much to my amazement he didn’t break out in hysterical laughter.
After all this heavy shopping we needed some well-earned refreshment, and what an amazing coincidence, there was a little bar next door to the supermarket. We sat outside the bar and had a couple of 1664s. It was very relaxing, as we could just sit there and watch the French village life, without the kids asking ..”what are we going to do now? where are we going next?” etc. The weather was still really gorgeous!
Before too long it was time to go back and round up the troops for the return trip to the parks. We caught the bus again, and once we arrived at the parks we thought in our wisdom, that as the Studios was close to closing time, we might get on Crush’s Coaster without too much of a wait. Bad call – as the wait was 75 minutes, which was a bit strange as the park was due to close in 45 minutes! So we left the Studios and went to Disneyland Park, where we grabbed some fastpasses for Big Thunder! It was then time to go and stake out a good spot for the Once Upon a Dream Parade, and we headed to our favourite parade viewing spot outside Pizzeria Bella Notte. We picked up some drinks from the restaurant and sat up on the wall.
About ten minutes to wait until the parade, so we just people watched and chatted. It never seems to get busy here at parade time, and it’s easy to take photos and video without too many heads in the way. You also do not need to stake out your spot an hour in advance, as people seem to be on Main Street! The parade was absolutely stunning, and the music was addictive. I loved it!
A soon as the parade had passed, we exploited the other good reason for watching the parade here if you want o eat in the village after the parade. As you get to see it first, you can then whiz up across the central plaza and into the Discovery Arcade. If you are quick you can reach the finishing gates of the parade, and cross over the road here before the parade had reached this point and before they rope it off. This means you can be in the Village for dinner before the crowds who are watching on Main Street! – it has worked for us every time – we have been straight into Village restaurants, and 15 minutes later there can be a long wait to get it.
Anyway, this plan was followed to the letter, and we were straight into our chosen dinner venue, Billy Bob’s buffet, without a wait. This was our first time to try this buffet, and I was really impressed. There was an enormous selection of food, a lot of it Tex Mex in nature, but there also seemed to be a lot of other things there – carved meats, roast potatoes etc. There was a huge hot buffet and another salad buffet and finally a dessert buffet. For 25 euros per person it was amazing value. I had a selection of different melon slices for my starter, and then I had a selection of Mexican dishes: chilli, rice, salad, guacamole, tortilla chips with cheese etc. For dessert I had a slice of the most delicious light pineapple gateau and a piece of very rich chocolate mousse cake. I can’t remember what everyone else had as they were up and down to the buffet so many times! We all really enjoyed our meal and I would highly recommend it. With drinks the meal came to 176 euros, with our 10% AP discount.
After dinner we whizzed back into the Park, just in time for our BTM fastpasses. It was now just getting dark, so the ride was even more exhilarating! A chap in the line gave us two fastpasses which he couldn't use, and so the girls rode again. We then rode POTC twice in a row, and I would have stayed on again as it is my favourite time to ride Pirates, but we had plans to watch Candleabration and Wishes, so I reluctantly left the boat. We had a look in the shop and met a very nice CM called Julien who was interested in our pins. I wanted to trade one of my POTC duplicates for a really nice POTC one he had, but he wasn’t for trading that one as he said he had only just bought it.
We then went to the Central Plaza and saw Candleabration, which was really atmospheric and the castle looked amazing when the 15 candles were being lit.
This led almost straight into Wishes, which was as amazing as ever! I attempted to take some firework photos with my new camera, but as I hadn’t really got to grips with the settings etc they weren’t as good as I hoped, but here are a few of my better efforts:
After Wishes we wandered up Main Street and browsed in the shops on our way out. We had a long wait for the bus, as there seemed to be a lot of cast members who had finished work getting on our bus. When it came the driver opened all the doors, rather than just the front one as normal, and everyone just piled on and the driver didn’t ask anyone for money, so we had a free bus ride home. After a brilliant day we were finally in bed by about 1am! Tomorrow: The “Crush” Crush Revisited.
Cast Members:
Sarah: Totally Pirates of the Caribbean obsessed, Disney enthusiast, Pin
Collector, only rides indoor coasters!
Tony: Disney enthusiast, Pin Collector, Loves all extreme rides, eats for the
UK!
Taryn: Aged 16. Disney enthusiast. Pin Collector. Loves POTC. Tim Burton
Obsessed. Very theatrical and loves any excuse to dress up
especially Halloween!
Daniel: Aged 13. Disney Enthusiast but doesn’t like meeting characters
unless it is spontaneous. Loves POTC. Nintendo player and Tim
Burton fan!
Stephen: Aged 17. My stepson. Not really mad about Disney but loves
extreme coasters.
Louise: Aged 16. My stepdaughter. Loves Disney and dressing up.
Part Three: The “Crush” Crush.
We woke up a bit later today as we were heading to Disney Studios which didn’t open until 10am with no EMH, so we were a bit less regimental and allowed the kids time to get ready without using the stopwatch! We finished off our breakfast supplies and got dressed. The weather once again looked very promising. By about 9:30 we were waiting for the bus, and by 9:45 we were heading into Disney Studios. Excellent timing!
The first thing we noticed was the large amount of people in Studio One. In previous trips to the Studios the people have been a bit thin on the ground at opening, so I suppose it was the lure of the new rides Cars and Crush’s Coaster. We weren’t too concerned about riding Cars, especially after my teacups encounter, so the plan of action was to ride Crush, and preferably without too much of a wait. We wandered into the café area in Studio One and noticed a few people lingering by the side doors at the far left, which would lead you straight into the area facing Crush’s Coaster and would give you a 10 second head start over the crowds if they opened these doors at the same time as the main doors. I could feel a plan of attack forming, so we joined this group of people. The doors were being heavily guarded by a single cast member, as apparently they were not locked!
The music started up, indicating the doors were about to open, and everyone shuffled forward. Suddenly, some very brave individuals darted through one of the unlocked doors while the cast member was occupied at the other set of doors. They started running towards the ride but were cornered by cast members and escorted back inside with their tails between their legs. They started the countdown …“Lights, Camera, Action……RUN!!!! Everyone pushed through the doors and literally started sprinting towards the ride. We had arranged that if we became split up we would wait for each other inside the ride queuing area, so more feeble people like myself wouldn’t have to embarrass themselves by running in public! There was an enormous bottle-neck to get into the queuing area, and after lots of pushing, shoving and squashing we all made it through in one piece and we reunited. At least I know now why they called it Crush’s Coaster. We were all herded along the queuing line and came to a stop just before the line entered the building. I anticipated a 10-15 minute wait, which was a mission accomplished!!
So we waited, and waited and waited and before too long half an hour had passed and the line hadn’t moved at all. Still, nobody said anything or did anything and we just carried on waiting. After about 45 minutes an announcement came over the speakers, which gave us the devastating news that the ride was temporarily closing – after all that! I was gutted! So we left the queuing area, with the plan of popping back every so often to see if it had opened. I must add here that there is no FASTPASS provision on this ride, which explains the desperation. If you don’t get on in that first ten minutes you can expect a 60 minute wait at the very least!
To try and minimise our disappointment at this point we went over to R & R coaster and on the way we had a look at the new advertising for The Tower of Terror.
Tony is very keen to get on TOT....
The building work has really come on since last October and you can see some of the distressed finish being painted on at the top:
There was no wait for R and R, so 4 of us rode it twice, while the founder members of the Wimp Society, Taryn and Daniel, mooched about taking photographs. After this we went to watch Moteurs Action, which is still good, even after seeing in 5 times in 2 years. On this occasion a lady from the UK was the volunteer who drives the remote controlled car, and she was really funny. She was pretending to attack the cast members when the joke was revealed!!!!
We then decided to grab some lunch at Backlot Express, our favourite Studios lunch venue. Taryn and I shared a ham and cheese baguette, Tony had one all to himself and the other 3 had Mickey pizza. Dessert was a selection of brownies, cookies, donuts and muffins and Tony and I shared this:
After lunch, Tony, Ste and Louise went back on R&R Coaster and I sat this one out, just a little bit too soon after lunch for me. Instead, we watched the antics around the talking bin, which was very entertaining, as a lot of people exiting from the ride were caught unawares! We then decided to go and see Cinemagique and I sat on the seat immediately in front of the Martin Short guy! We came out of here and caught the High School Musical show, which was very upbeat and entertaining. I have never seen the film but the songs were really catchy and Louise and Taryn enjoyed it, although Daniel spent the whole time being very condescending as it was way too cheesy! The kids grabbed a photo oppotunity on the waverunners:
We wandered over to Toon Studios and had a look at the theming in the new area
and we investigated the wait time for Crush, which was 90 minutes – no way was I joining that line, so we decided to go back to the house for some chill time and battery recharging (the kids not the cameras!). While the kids were chilling, Tony and I decided to have a wander down to the local village and pick up breakfast supplies from the supermarket. On the way to the village we passed a few apartment buildings, and then a few more authentic French village houses, which were very nice. The supermarket was fairly small, and we picked up chocolate chip brioche buns, pains au chocolat and some orange juice. The shop owner was very friendly, and I made an effort to speak French, and much to my amazement he didn’t break out in hysterical laughter.
After all this heavy shopping we needed some well-earned refreshment, and what an amazing coincidence, there was a little bar next door to the supermarket. We sat outside the bar and had a couple of 1664s. It was very relaxing, as we could just sit there and watch the French village life, without the kids asking ..”what are we going to do now? where are we going next?” etc. The weather was still really gorgeous!
Before too long it was time to go back and round up the troops for the return trip to the parks. We caught the bus again, and once we arrived at the parks we thought in our wisdom, that as the Studios was close to closing time, we might get on Crush’s Coaster without too much of a wait. Bad call – as the wait was 75 minutes, which was a bit strange as the park was due to close in 45 minutes! So we left the Studios and went to Disneyland Park, where we grabbed some fastpasses for Big Thunder! It was then time to go and stake out a good spot for the Once Upon a Dream Parade, and we headed to our favourite parade viewing spot outside Pizzeria Bella Notte. We picked up some drinks from the restaurant and sat up on the wall.
About ten minutes to wait until the parade, so we just people watched and chatted. It never seems to get busy here at parade time, and it’s easy to take photos and video without too many heads in the way. You also do not need to stake out your spot an hour in advance, as people seem to be on Main Street! The parade was absolutely stunning, and the music was addictive. I loved it!
A soon as the parade had passed, we exploited the other good reason for watching the parade here if you want o eat in the village after the parade. As you get to see it first, you can then whiz up across the central plaza and into the Discovery Arcade. If you are quick you can reach the finishing gates of the parade, and cross over the road here before the parade had reached this point and before they rope it off. This means you can be in the Village for dinner before the crowds who are watching on Main Street! – it has worked for us every time – we have been straight into Village restaurants, and 15 minutes later there can be a long wait to get it.
Anyway, this plan was followed to the letter, and we were straight into our chosen dinner venue, Billy Bob’s buffet, without a wait. This was our first time to try this buffet, and I was really impressed. There was an enormous selection of food, a lot of it Tex Mex in nature, but there also seemed to be a lot of other things there – carved meats, roast potatoes etc. There was a huge hot buffet and another salad buffet and finally a dessert buffet. For 25 euros per person it was amazing value. I had a selection of different melon slices for my starter, and then I had a selection of Mexican dishes: chilli, rice, salad, guacamole, tortilla chips with cheese etc. For dessert I had a slice of the most delicious light pineapple gateau and a piece of very rich chocolate mousse cake. I can’t remember what everyone else had as they were up and down to the buffet so many times! We all really enjoyed our meal and I would highly recommend it. With drinks the meal came to 176 euros, with our 10% AP discount.
After dinner we whizzed back into the Park, just in time for our BTM fastpasses. It was now just getting dark, so the ride was even more exhilarating! A chap in the line gave us two fastpasses which he couldn't use, and so the girls rode again. We then rode POTC twice in a row, and I would have stayed on again as it is my favourite time to ride Pirates, but we had plans to watch Candleabration and Wishes, so I reluctantly left the boat. We had a look in the shop and met a very nice CM called Julien who was interested in our pins. I wanted to trade one of my POTC duplicates for a really nice POTC one he had, but he wasn’t for trading that one as he said he had only just bought it.
We then went to the Central Plaza and saw Candleabration, which was really atmospheric and the castle looked amazing when the 15 candles were being lit.
This led almost straight into Wishes, which was as amazing as ever! I attempted to take some firework photos with my new camera, but as I hadn’t really got to grips with the settings etc they weren’t as good as I hoped, but here are a few of my better efforts:
After Wishes we wandered up Main Street and browsed in the shops on our way out. We had a long wait for the bus, as there seemed to be a lot of cast members who had finished work getting on our bus. When it came the driver opened all the doors, rather than just the front one as normal, and everyone just piled on and the driver didn’t ask anyone for money, so we had a free bus ride home. After a brilliant day we were finally in bed by about 1am! Tomorrow: The “Crush” Crush Revisited.
especially the dark castle one .
