The "I don't want to wait longer than 20 minutes" trip report

[SandraVB79]

We went tp DLP last weekend; "we" being my mom and I. My brother was supposed to go with us, but since he was sick, he stayed home. I was also sick (very bad cold), but I was in denial about that fact the days before departure day

We left Friday around 6.30 am in Brussels, filled up the car with luggage and then filled it up with diesel at the Total gas station on the Brussels' ring. This was also the time to wash the windows, because I could hardly see through them! In a better lifetime, my car was red, now it's just dirty. Oh well!

After two stops (once for breakfast we brought from home, once a restroom stop for mom) and a non-eventful drive, we arrived at ... uhm, not DLP, the little village that is just a little further away than DCR. We stayed at a B&B there, with madame Brut, and we had said that we would come to pick up the keys in the morning. When we arrived there around 10.30, the coffee was ready and some nice cookies were waiting for us! I love staying at her B&B, she is so nice and so thoughtful! (and breakfast there is really really good, lol!) I have already once posted a link to her B&B, if anyone ever needs it again, I'll look it up. She has 1 room for two people (the one we slept in this time and past August); very beautiful in white and yellow. She also has a family suite, with 1 double bed and 3 single beds.

Anyway, after some chatting and drinking coffee and eating cookies, we drove to DLP and parked the car at the NBC. Why there? Well, with a dream AP you can park at the hotel parkings, and we planned to eat at the Cape Cod that evening, so the NBC seemed like the best choice to park the car!
We then took the bus to the train station, where we first went into the post office to buy stamps.

Then it was bag check, walk through Fantasia gardens, through the entrance gates, under the train station and WE WERE THERE! First stop was, of course, the restroom and second stop City Hall to make our dining reservation (9.15 pm at Cape Cod). Third stop... shopping. What can I say?

After some window-shopping (i.e. we didn't buy anything), I went to the AP bureau to take advantage of the special offer I received. When I renewed my AP, I would get 6 months for free => you pay 12 months and get 18 months. Works for me! So I now have an AP that is good until September 2009!!! WOOHOO!!!!

After that, we got FP for Buzz Lightyear (my mom loves this) and in the meanwhile, we went on iasw (we both love this, even the song) and on the Storybookland boats (I still don't know how it's called in French). By then it was time for Buzz, and I got some decent score, especially keeping in mind that I switched seats/ guns in the middle of the ride since the gun didn't work. My mom and I always go in a different... vehicle (what do you call it?) and we steer left and shoot right. Well, the right gun didn't work in my case. It was big fun anyway.

At some point we ate lunch. We wanted a sandwich, but at the Market House Deli, the line was so long, and at the Cable Car place, there were no sandwiches left (can you believe Disney doesn't have sandwiches left around 3 pm? I can't either, but it was the case). So, we ate fish and chips at Mr Toad's. My mom held a table outside while I went inside (about no one in line, woohoo!) and by the time I was outside, it started raining, so we moved everything back inside, where it was a "fight" to get a table. By the time we were finished, it was about time for the parade and we watched it from around the entrance to Frontierland. The parade was strange: there was music coming from the floats, but the "overall" music didn't play. Strange.

When the parade was over, we went to see the Lion King, and by the time we left the theater, it rained so hard! Unbelievable! I ran to go on Space Mountain with a FP (the ride was so rough that my head/ shoulders/ back really hurted afterwards) while my mom waited for me at Constellations. When I was back from Space Mountain, it was still raining so hard, that we decided to go see the Lion King again. The theater itself was filled, so we went to sit in the restaurant. View wasn't very good, but we could here. And we were out of the rain, so all was good!

After the second Lion King, we did POTC, twice! Because we could stay on, there was no one in line, woohoo! That night, they were also preparing for a special party at the Blue Lagoon. The tables were set in a different way than usual (more Caribbean-like, and less formal), some band was practicing, and servers weren't wearing there normal costumes. I asked a CM what was going on, but they didn't tell. It looked cool though!
After the second POTC, we went on Snow White and by that time, it was time to leave, and head over to the NBC!

We had dinner at Cape Cod; in my case it consisted of: way too much appetizer! I love the appetizers here Than I had chicken with 3-pepper sauce and a piece of the huge roast they were carving. And by then I was too full for dessert, and well, there weren't really desserts that appealed to me (but then, there are not so many desserts I like).

We went to the car, drove to the B&B and had a good sleep!

2 more days to come!

 

[cantwait!!!!!!!!!!!!]

Glad you had a good time, sounds like you packed a lot into your first day. We were also disappointed with the lack of sandwiches at DLP, we looked at the place on main street but they looked all fancy ones and not the sort my children would eat. I didnt know about the other place.
Look forward to reading about your next day.

 

[ema74]

Great start - look forward to day 2 & 3!

 

[britchic4]

Sounds like fun - especially with an AP good for so long, LOL!

 

[mulan1]

good stuff! shame about the rain though!

 

[jillrobinson]

Sounds like you had fun, despite being ill

 

[SandraVB79]

Glad you had a good time, sounds like you packed a lot into your first day. We were also disappointed with the lack of sandwiches at DLP, we looked at the place on main street but they looked all fancy ones and not the sort my children would eat. I didnt know about the other place.
Look forward to reading about your next day.

They basically have 3 types of sandwiches:
- baguette mixte: white baguette with ham/ cheese/ butter/ pickle
- some sort of roll with mixed grilled vegetables
- ognion roll with mozarella, pastrami etc etc. This is the one I like!

The market house Deli serves them, as does the Cable Car Bake Shop, both on Main Street. I think the Old Mill also serves the "mixte" one.

 

[Bolanette87]

Sounds like a good first day other than the terrible weather!

Bob xoxoxox

 

[NULAH]

Looking forward to reading more . DLRP must be the only place in the world where you can enjoy yourself even in the rain

 

[tigger300686]

Looking forward to hearing more- shame about the weather

 

[RoosMomKanga]

Thanks! Can't wait to read the rest! I especially appreciate the detail on the roughness of Mission Space. I've been wondering whether to try this one as I have a bad back, but have risked it a few times with very smooth coasters. I've read a few other reports here from people that this one is very rough, but in the "Brits Guide..." I just bought, it says..."This is one of the smoothest coasters you will ride"! Hmmm....I think I'm listening to your description and I'll stay off it this trip.

 

[SandraVB79]

We woke up Saturday morning around 7.30 am. That is: I mumbled to my mom she could use the bathroom first, while I was still for 95% asleep. After her, I showered and got ready, and breakfast was served at 8.30 (as we had asked). Fruit juice for both (in a carafe, do more than 1 glass per person), coffee for DM, tea for me and then: a croissant, white baguette (2 big pieces), multigrain baguette (2 big pieces) and brioche (2 slices) per person! With 5 different kinds of jam/ jelly and butter. I love the breakfast part of our day!

After spending way too much time enjoying this, we took up our stuff, and drove to the Hotel New York! Whenever we don't know where we'll have dinner, we park at the HNY. IMO, it's the closest parking to the parks, and the walk through the Village is more pleasant than that walk from the regular parking lot.
Not only is it a walk through the Village, but also a shopping moment!
My brother had asked us to bring a watch for him (actually the same watch as he has but for a colleague). It was a LE. And in the whole freaking resort was only one left, and we found it at the clothes store in the Village (next to the Gallery). So, we bought that, and I bought a towel and robe, matching the other bathroom stuff I had gotten there in January. When we had spent our money, I decided I was going to bring everything to the car, and my mom waited for me there in front of the store. During my walk to the HNY, I suddenly heard "hello Sandra"! What the $@#% ??? Am I nowhere safe? And OMG, I am wearing my ears, don't tell me it's a client or a manager or whatever?
Nope, it's "just" people from the golf club who happened to be there at the same time and who happened to recognize me (it has been 7 months since the last time I was at the golf club, lol!)
After a small chat, I continued my walk, and walked back to my mom and then we walked to teh Studios (a lot of walking he!)

Once there, we made our dining reservation (weel, technically, we first used the restrooms, that is ALWAYS our first stop ). 9 pm at Beaver Creek Tavern, Sequoia Lodge. This was going to be the first time we would eat at the Lodge! Exciting!
Than we walked to the ToT: standby time: 80 minutes => I don't wait more than 20 minutes for a ride! FP return time: around 5 pm. No thank you.
We tried Nemo: standby time: 90 minutes (but I know from that point it's closer to 2 hours) => no thank you (because I don't want to wait longer than 20 minutes) and this ride doesn't have a FP! Unbelievable!
We stood there and watched the clams for a couple of minutes, and I decided it was warm enough to just wear my jacket, no sweater. My mom didn't wear a tshirt under her sweater, so couldn't take it off. But she took the fleece lining out of her jacket.
We decided there was nothing we wanted to do in the Studios, and decided to go to the main park. Once there, we put our sweater and fleece in a plastic bag and gave it to consignment => first time we used this, but it was very practical!
Than, once in the park, we started shopping: we both needed some "stuff" from Lilly's Boutique, and had it shipped to HNY (to pick it up in the evening), and then my mom told me that my homewarming party gift could also be a frame, and not necessarily an appliance or something => woohoo!!!! Appartments needs decoration too, you know (3 more sleeps before I get the keys!!!!) So at Harrington's I chose a BatB framed pin, the one with the sketch background and the Belle in yellow dress and Beast dancing pin. We also had this shipped to the HNY.
By then, I was hungry again. Well, not hungry. I just needed Disney food
Before we went on our search for food, I offered to go get FP for Buzz. When I got there, the line for just getting a FP was HUGE. As was the FP return line. And the regular line. No way am I waiting 45 minutes to get a FP! Back to Mainstreet I go (where I left my mom) and while she got a table outside Victoria's, I went to get our sandwiches from teh Cable Car takeout window.
I think Disney has the ride-logistics down, but not the counter service logistics. I don't get why it has to take that long to grab two sandwiches (pre-packaged) and a bottle of Diet Coke and pay. Should be an easy proces,s right? Not at Disney! Oh, how I wish we could do a logistics project at the food department at DLP with our consulting firm! That should be fun!!!
So, after a lot of waiting, I get our food, and we enjoy it in the sun.

And then the big decision: What next? Well, the previous day, we didn't go to Frontierland, so off we go. And there we notice that the situation is dramatic. Usually one of the big ships is running. And it's empty. Now both were running and both were packed. If that happens, you know the park is packed and that the wait times at all rides will be loooooooooooong. Phantom Manor is about 60 minutes. I don't want to wait that long. So my mom suggests we go on the Molly Brown, it has been long since we did that. Well, OK, there is almost no wait, so off we go to the Far West! And while on it, we see the Keel Boats are running, and I also notice the spot where you can get ON THEM! I have a mission!!!
Once we are off the Molly Brown, we go to the keel boats and the wait is... 30 minutes. Grrrrrr. But OK, I'll wait. It's probably a once in a lifetime experience
I like dit. It has a Jungle Cruise factor. And as you can see in my tag, I just LOVE LOVE LOVE the Jungle Cruise. And I liked the Keel boats. But not enough to wait another 30 minutes.
Maybe we could go for a round around the park by train? When we enter that part of the park, some sign says that the petting zoo is open!! Bunnies!!!!! Well, there used to be bunnies, and I LOVE bunnies! I don't know where they hid the bunnies or any of the other animals but I didn't see them. Just heard the recording of a goat.
And we saw the wait for the train was LOOOOOOOOOOOOOONG. SO we decided against it, since I don't like waiting.

I don't know exactly WHAT we did after that. At some point, we enjoyed sitting in the sun while watching people. We also waited 30 minutes for Phantom Manor (I gave in, I had to do it once this trip) and we waited 20 minutes for iasw (pathetic, I know).
We also watched the Lion King show again. I think even twice. In a row.
And we looked for restrooms. Restrooms without a 30 minute line! NO exaggeration. Can you by the way believe that the restrooms behind Autopia were closed? I almost peed my pants because of it!

Around 7, we left the park. We picked up our bag from consignment and strolled back to the HNY, where we picked up our shopping bags from that afternoon.
BTW: if you don't stay at a Disney hotel but are parked there and want to use this service: in the store, when they ask your room number, tell them you haven't checked in yet, and that you don't know the number yet. When you pick it up, and they ask a number, just say that you have already checked out. They don't always ask it, but just in case...
Also, I know you can pick it up at the Village. In this case, that could have been possible, since we didn't have that much. Last time, that wasn't possible. We had two full tableware sets. For 16 people/ settings!!!!!! So we had lots of big boxes and bags, and not only were they big, but also heavy! That's when this system comes in handy

We put our stuff in the car, and then walked to the Sequoia Lodge. And we were there way too early. Which is not aproblem, since my mom had to use the restrooms (for the umpteenth time that day). And the restrooms at the Sequoia Lodge are cleaner than the ones at the HNY!
When she was done doing her business, we went to see if they could seat us earlier (like 45 minutes earlier) and yeay! That was possible!!!

This restaurant is a mix between buffet and table service. Appetizer and dessert are served as a buffet and then you can choose one main course à la carte.
It had a mixed grill, a seafood stew, some pasta with scampi, roasted chicken, vegetable lasagna and some other things I can't remember.
We both had the seafood stew with risotto (which was just regular rice) and green asparagus. I have pictures, and will (probably) post them soon, once I get online at home!

Appetizer buffet consisted of: all kinds of different salads (cole slaw, potato salad, pasta salad), all kinds of rabbit food (carrots, lettuce, tomato, ...), sliced meat (ham, salami, chorizo, ...) and some seafood.

Dessert buffet consisted of billions of assorted calories.

All was good, and I was glad we had a short walk to the car. BUt not before mom used the restrooms AGAIN!

The rest of the night was uneventful, except for the fact that I started to feel really sick, and my mom drove the car to the B&B, which involved her moving the driver's seat since her legs are only half as long as mine, and changing about every other setting in my car!
Once at the B&B, we first changed all our watched, meaning we had one hour less to sleep => me no likey!

And that was about it for the day.


It was a very nice, sunny day, but way too crowded. More than an hour wait for POTC and iasw, close to two hours for BTMRR and Buzz, ToT and Nemo. You had to wait in line to go through Alice's maze!!!!!!! => I just can't do that anymore. I am spoiled, I know, but I don't wait that long for something at DLP. I do at DL and WDW, but not at DLP, I go too often and my reasoning is: I'll do it the next time.

One more day!

 

[SandraVB79]

Thanks! Can't wait to read the rest! I especially appreciate the detail on the roughness of Mission Space. I've been wondering whether to try this one as I have a bad back, but have risked it a few times with very smooth coasters. I've read a few other reports here from people that this one is very rough, but in the "Brits Guide..." I just bought, it says..."This is one of the smoothest coasters you will ride"! Hmmm....I think I'm listening to your description and I'll stay off it this trip.

IMO, it gets rougher every time! It's the roughest coaster in the park. My back hurted so much, unbelievable! BTMRR is also somewhat rough, but RnRC is actually smooth. Nemo is too, but that one spins.
Oh, and Indy i way smoother too, I like that one, but since my back already hurted so much (and since I didn't want to risk to be "blocked" in my back) I didn't do any more coasters.

 

[fan of the TTA]

nice report!. i like reading them

 

[thelittlemermaid83]

Great report...i dont like waiting more than 20mins for a ride so i understand your pain lol.

 

[Ware Bears]

Great reports Sandra, sorry you were feeling ill.

I guess by now you have moved into your apartment ~ yay!!

 

[SandraVB79]

WHY IS THAT ALARM GOING OFF IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT????
And why is my mom half in panick that it's already 8 am? (when we said we wanted breakfast at 8.30)? OH, that's right, we have one hour less to sleep

You can use the bathroom first mom => that way I can be 15 more minutes in bed. Only 15 minutes pp to get ready, since we got up too late. NO washing my hair, I'll put my ears in and nobody will notice I look like a miserable sheep!

Once again a wonderful breakfast is served. After breakfast, we pay Mme Brut (118 EUR for 2 nights for 2 people including a huge breakfast), and she has a gift for us: some special Mustard made in the region! I had told her I went to hotel school, and she wanted to give us that, because it's one of the authentic regional products. It was very nice from her.
We pack all our stuff in the car (unbelievable how full my bigcar gets, 2 people away for 3 days and you'd think we are gone for at least 6 months!).
Today, we'll start at La Vallée Outlet Village. We have promised my mom a Lo,ngchamp purse for her birthday (which was 2 weeks ago) and I want to check out the stores that sell house stuff (like Anne de Solène, Villeroy & Boch). Once we get there, it starts raining. Once we leave there (with just a purse and nothing else) the rain is pouring!
We park once again at the HNY and by the time we are at the park, we are soaked. No kidding.It's almost 1 pm by then, and we run the Discoveryland to catch a Lion King show. While I hated this show at first, I like it now. The first time I saw it, I had just seen the Lion King musical. I was too much in awe of the musical and those costumes then. Now that that memory has faded a little, I can really appreciate this Lion King show.
We once again enjoy it (my favorite parts are Scar's parts. I like the dancing hyenas) (I took many many many dance classes when I was younger, and that hyenas dance just... I love it) (btw, the water buffle must work 7 days a week, each time I see teh show, it's the same water buffle, whereas the rest of the cast changes once in a while).
After the show, we didn't know what to do. We ran back to Main Street, purchased some postcards and decided we were sick of the rain. Quick run to City Hall to see if Cafe Mickey had a table for us around 3 and that was it. That's what we did that day: eat, shop, see Lion King, shop, eat. We are exciting people, aren't we?

We hurried to Cafe Mickey through the rain, where we just saw the end of teh characters (they are there until 3 pm and we arrived at 2.45. I like it better without characters => it's more quite and less migraine-provoking!) Robin hood posed with the two of us, and Mickey just with my mom. He wasn't wearing his cook outfit though.

The menu had changed since the last time we were there, and I discovered some new dishes on the menu!
Previous times, we always had Pinocchio's pasta. Not this time (Cyrano, I won't post a picture of the same dish again )
We started with Mickey's garlic bread. It's pizza dough with garlic butter and (on request and with a surcharge) cheese. This appetizer is huge! We're glad we shared it.
Mom had then Timon and Pumba's something. It was ravioli filled with scallops, it had a lobster sauce and a salmon "brochette". It also came with green salad.
I had Ariel's delight (or someone else's delight): Pasta with shrimp, broccoli, spinach, some other things and a creamy dill sauce. All was very good! And pictures will be posted later on! We skipped dessert.

After our meal, the rain was still pouring so we hurried to the HNY. My mom still had to write the postcards so we searched for a free seat in the lobby. After some waiting, one of the chairs was available. Next to us was a family. Or well: two adult women and some kids. One or two of the kids stripped down until they were buttnaked. The women did nothing else than screaming and yelling. Very classy act in the lobby of the HNY (right in the middle between the bar and check in, where that big apple is on the ground!)
Once the cards were written and handed to concierge, and my mom had use dthe restrooms (all our days are filled with going from restroom to restroom), we decided we wanted to leave. We hurried to the car, installed ourselves for the rather long drive, and left the House of Mouse. At first, there was a lot of rain and traffic, but as well the weather as traffic got better once we were near Charles de Gaulle. My GPS (built in in the car) decided to crash down at least 3 times, so I had to stop at a parking, stop the car, wait a little, start the car again and hope it wouldn't crash. That built in piece costed 2000 EUR, so it should work better than that. Once we're at Charles de Gaulle, I know how to drive (always straight ahead), but i like to know hw many more kilometers, plus I need the help of the GPS in the beginning. Technology never works when you needs it.

But we found our way home, and were home around 8 pm. And now I am back at work , being bored as usual and counting teh hours until I can start decorate! And remodel.

 

[SandraVB79]

Great reports Sandra, sorry you were feeling ill.

I guess by now you have moved into your apartment ~ yay!!

Not yet, unfortunately. Administration goes very slow in Belgium, so once you decide you want to buy a house/ appartment, it takes about 4 months before it's yours. Thursday, it will be mine, and I'll finally be able to start working in it (i.e.: tell my dad what he has to do! )

 

[SandraVB79]

Great report...i dont like waiting more than 20mins for a ride so i understand your pain lol.

There is only one ride where I'll be happy to wait for: a Jungle Cruise with that one hot sexy skipper at Disneyland! I'd be willing to wait all day for that
But other than that: I waited 2 hours for Nemo. Won't do that again. I waited 1 hour+ for Indiana Jones at DL, that is the most I will EVER wait for that ride. 1.5 hours is the most I'll wait for Splash Mountain. And that's about it. Really.

I'm too lazy.
And in case of my health problems, it is not that good for me too, and can be dangerous.
And I enjoy just as much people watching as doing rides. Or just enjoying a drink while sniffing the atmosphere and looking at the attractions (especially at DCA).

 

[SandraVB79]

Oh, btw, the restaurant Manhattan has changed menu, it's now an Italian-inspired restaurants.
I took pictures of the menu (people think I'm really crazy), and I'll also post those!