The Most Magical Week - Complete Trip Report

[rottie155]

Day 1 – Monday 14th March 2011


After a restless sleep all night, finally the alarm started to ring. I jumped out of bed with the biggest grin imaginable and woke the house up with a loud “WE’RE GOING TO DISNEY!!”

Armed with suitcases that could only describe our visit as a “moving home mission” we were en route to St. Pancras and I was eager for caffeine so our first stop was Costa. The check-in procedure for the Eurostar is so quick and easy that before we knew it, we were on board the train and heading towards the magic that is Disneyland Paris!

En board the Eurostar I presented my parents with a typed letter explaining why this trip is so important and detailing a couple of my earliest life memories (which happen to be us as a family in DLP). After mum had finished crying, I then gave them a second letter confessing that we weren’t staying in Sequoia Lodge as I had told them, but in fact was about to make Mum’s dream come true and stay in the Disneyland Hotel! There were a lot more tears at this point...

Before we knew it, the moment had come and we were standing in front of the Disneyland Hotel mouths wide-open and Mum not being able to believe that she was about to, not only step inside the Pink Palace for the first time in her life, but also be staying there for the next 5 days.

As we entered we breathed in that beautiful fragrance and excitedly hurried towards the reception desk. The moment I gave the lady our name we were told that we are all staying in Castle Club and within seconds our cases were taken from us and we were whisked away to an elevator taking us to the private reception of Castle Club. The Castle Club reception was small and elegant. You sit opposite the receptionist on comfortable chairs and nothing is too much trouble to any of the wonderful Cast Members on this floor. The lady explained everything to us, gave us VIP Fastpasses (and mum was given an autograph book and pen after she saw a small child being given one next to us) and checked us into our room (we were taken to our room and also showed around and had to give our seal of approval before we were left to stay there). Waiting for us on the table next to our balcony (overlooking Fantasia Gardens) was a bottle of Champagne in ice (it took me all of 0.2 seconds to spot this) which we decided we would leave to chill until the evening. It was now 14:20 and we had unpacked at lightning speed and headed off to the park (where we bumped into Chip and Dale along the way).

Walking through the park gates I was ready to be slightly disappointed with the refurb of the Castle, but I was pleasantly surprised and (dare I say this) LOVED the picture tarp in front of it almost as much as I love the Castle itself!!

As POTC is under refurbishment (and this would usually be our first ride of any trip), we decided to head to Phantom Manor as this was one ride we could all enjoy (Dad doesn’t like anything high-speed). We walked straight onto Phantom Manor and it brought back some wonderful memories for us all. After PM, Mum and I needed a bit of a ‘rush’ so we used our VIP Fastpasses (even though there was no queue anyway) and beelined for Space Mountain! We love Space Mountain and mum has always fancied herself as a bit of a dare-devil, but this time she came off feeling really giddy – so we decided it was time to find a resting attraction and before we knew it we were sitting inside the theatre watching Captain EO. A lot of people seem to badmouth Captain EO, but we enjoy it for what it is. We all remember watching this together as a family when it first came out in the DLP park just under two decades ago – so for us this was a magical trip down memory-lane.
Not wanting to eat anything to big and also not yet fully understanding the “afternoon tea” perk of Castle Club, we decided to run into Videopolis to grab a few chips to see us through until our 7pm reservation at Inventions.
I ordered Chicken Nuggets, chips and a coke – and mum and dad both had a cheeseburger with chips and coke each. We had to send our chips back as they came out stone-cold. The nuggets made me feel a bit yukky and the burger was apparently REALLY bad too... The best part was the €34.00 price tag that come with it!! After declaring this the worst food we’d ever eaten, we made a mental note to never eat on a whim again!

It was now 16:30 and we thought we would have a little walk around the park before going back to get changed and ready for our evening meal. As we passed Peter Pan’s Flight we noticed that there was a 30 minute queue, but wait – VIP Fastpasses made this a walk-on ride for us all! Mum was feeling really embarrassed as she kept saying “I feel awful, we’re queue-jumping in front of these people who are waiting”, I on the other hand was happily skipping towards the smiling attraction host preparing to be seated. Afterwards we took a restful ride on It’s A Small World where we couldn’t help but notice a lot of new dolls had been added! I do love this ride, it’s just a couple of hours later when you find yourself humming the tune for no apparent reason you start to regret ever laying eyes on it!

As we passed Snow White’s Scary Adventure we saw there was no queue whatsoever and decided to have a ride on it. I can see now why small children may find this frightening. I’d never really took much notice before but it isn’t as sweet and innocent as I expected... I did enjoy it though!
Walking back though Main Street USA we caught the end of the parade and headed to the Castle Club Elevator by the park entrance!

Back in our room within 3 minutes from standing at the park gates (madness) we washed and changed ready for our meal at Inventions - whilst accidentally cracking open the bottle of Champagne that was nicely chilled for us! HEAVEN! Although, this was the start to Mum’s journey through a slightly tipsy evening (she doesn’t usually drink more than a glass of wine)...

We were at Inventions by 18:30 and I apologised that we were half an hour early but the lady kindly told us that it was no problem and showed us to our table. We ordered a bottle of red wine for the table (poor Mum) and went up for our first helping of food. To be completely honest, I wasn’t overly impressed with the food as I was on my last visit. It wasn’t like anything was bad – just not as much choice as I remembered there being. That being said, we still thoroughly enjoyed every mouthful we took. We were visited by quite a few characters here too; Donald, Tigger, Mickey, Gideon (who was playing around with us most of the night, he was so funny), Pinocchio, Pluto and Goofy. I was also able to meet the lovely Dis’er ICECUBEQUEEN who was armed with her Minnie ears!

After dinner, mum had decided she was feeling rather tipsy and refused to drink anymore of the wine on the table through fear of looking a mess in the DLH. We decided to have a quick stroll through Disney Village before heading back to bed... that was the plan anyway.

Our “stroll” took us to Billy Bob’s (I LOVE this bar) where we worked our way through the cocktail list, without even knowing what we were drinking. It came to the stage where our barman was making us cocktails that he thought we’d enjoy (and we certainly did).

A couple of hours later we were all staggering our way back to the Castle Club Elevator trying to act as regal and sober as possible whilst walking through the reception... The beds were an extremely welcome sight and we had crashed out before the clock struck midnight (no fear of turning to pumpkins tonight).

 

[rottie155]

Day 2 – Tuesday 15th March 2011


After a lovely long (well-needed) sleep we woke up relatively early (there was no change of us making EMH today after last night’s “stroll”) and were in the Castle Club lounge for breakfast by 8:50am.

The breakfast is presented beautifully. You have a selection of continental offerings, cereal, sweet cakes and pastries, along with pancakes, bacon, scrambled eggs and sausages. There is enough honey, jams and marmalades on each table to serve an army! A waitress then continuously serves and supplies you with whatever soft drink or hot drink you desire (this is all day, every day too – not just during breakfast or afternoon tea). So we all had a couple of cups of coffee and enjoyed sitting eating breakfast whilst looking out at the Castle.

We soon had a visitor in the form of a naughty little dog named Pluto! He was lovely and going around all of the tables and then he got to us... Now, anybody who knows me will know that I am very particular about my hair – and Pluto took great pleasure in using his paws to literally remove every last ounce of gel that was in my hair (I did run back and re-apply LOL). It was all harmless fun and was quite a nice way to start the day, although I did warn him that he wasn’t to make a habit of doing that to my hair each morning!

We stepped outside and the weather was beautiful! A lovely blue sky awaited us, and the sun was already beaming. We thought we had best make the most of the weather and try to see the shows in the Studios whilst we could. As the Disney Studios hadn’t been built when my parents last visited the park, today we decided to spend a bit of a family-day in there (when I say family-day, I mean one where all of us can enjoy the rides together and not leaving Dad waiting for us too much whilst Mum and I hit the thrill-rides). As soon as we entered the Studios my parents eyes lit-up (especially my Dad’s). They thought it seemed much more laid-back and quicker to navigate than the main park (which at the moment is a big issue for Mum). We did all have a big laugh as soon as we stepped towards the Walt and Mickey Statue – have you ever wondered how the colourful flowers around said statue remain so colourful? Check out the picture...

Dad said he was more than happy to wait about if Mum and I wanted to do a few “big” rides, so we rushed over to Crush... then Tower of Terror and Rock and Rollercoaster to get them done and out of the way so we could all enjoy the rest of the day together. Mum absolutely loved Tower of Terror – although she held onto me for dear life and screamed the entire way through it! Bless!

A small queue was building up for the Studio Tram Tour so we got in line for that and I endured a bit of an interrogation from my mum as she noticed her seat was wet – all I kept hearing was “WILL I GET WET ON HERE?!” and my only response was “no, it’s fine – must’ve been a bit of rain”. I didn’t want to give away the Catastrophe Canyon part... Luckily – nobody was drenched and Mum and Dad really liked the tour (Dad even asking if we could do it again in the week). Next stop – Armageddon. Nothing much to say here, we enjoyed Armageddon and it is what it is, a special effects show...

There was an English showing of Stitch LIVE! about to start so we went in for that and my parents were a bit baffled as to why I was so excited about watching a cartoon show... until they realised its uniqueness and came out ridiculously impressed by it! Hurrah!

I had never seen Cinémagique before and had always avoided it in the past, but after reading a lot of DIS’ers reviews on it I thought it would be worth taking a look. This was declared the BEST thing we had ever watched! It was extremely clever and we loved every second of it! The biggest disappointment of the show was having to leave when it ended! We could’ve sat and watched it over and over again! If you haven’t seen this – I don’t want to give anything away, but make sure you go! Try get a seat in the front section too, about 5 or 6 rows from the stage... We had a perfect view and was able to get totally lost in the performance.

It was now time for the Moteur Action Stunt Show. How on Earth do they fit in the amount of people that they do?! We had fantastic seats about a quarter of the way up in the middle – but we sat for literally 25 minutes watching a never-ending sea of bodies pour through the arena. Everybody was seated, quite comfortably too, but it was just amazing to behold! The show itself was simply amazing. There’s just no other word to describe the talent of the drivers and the stunts people on the show. By the end of this – Dad was in love with Disney Studios and it was hard to tear him away from the park.

However, I needed to run to Disney Village to pay for Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show which we had 21:30 reservations for that evening whilst Dad went to sniff out a beer in the Sports Bar. The poor soul came back sad-faced as the Sports Bar was closed and so we headed to Castle Club Lounge for our afternoon tea instead. This is served from 16:00 until 17:30 each day. There is a large selection of cakes and pastries along with cheese sandwiches and ham sandwiches (all with the crusts cut off them, of course). We were still not used to just “helping-ourselves” to things so we only took a couple of items and went and sat on a table with a direct view to the Castle. Beautiful! We were soon waited on with coffee and pots of tea. Still feeling a little peckish afterwards, we had now (very quickly) adapted to our surroundings and were back up for second helpings of pastries.

Once we had finished, we made our way down the elevator to seek out a spot for the parade. For us, the BEST place to watch the parade was from where it comes out at Main Street just by the Discovery Arcade. There were never any crowds there and we were able to watch the parade and leave before it had even reached the Castle (giving precious time to do some of the popular rides). The parade was just as colourful as I remembered. I love singing away to Just Like We Dreamed It! The only fault was the parade was far too short, but we understood why this was the case and still enjoyed it.

When the parade was finished at our end of the park, yet still moving down towards the Castle, we made a bee-line to Buzz Lightyear’s Laser Blast. My parents LOVED this ride and it was soon declared the family favourite with us. I did notice a bit of fierce competition building between Mum and Dad however and made a note that I would have to keep an eye on this... It was funny! After I had beaten the pair of them on Buzz we headed to Indiana Jones so that Mum and I could get a bit of a “rush”. No need for our VIP Fastpasses here as it was a walk-on ride!

Afterwards it was over to Phantom Manor so we could do another ride as a family and then we headed to Fantasyland where the Pinocchio ride was showing as 00 minutes, so we had a ride of that together too!

After another little wander through Fantasyland it was 18:30 and we decided to head back so that we could get changed and ready for BBWWS. Luckily the Paddy Wagon had just arrived so we all jumped on there with smiling faces (my parents had both said before we got to the park that they would love to have a ride on there at some point just to say they’d done it).
We then used the Castle Club Elevator (I know, I’m sorry – I just like saying it now don’t I!!) and headed back to our room to change for the evening ahead. I ran down to the DLH shop once I was changed and I thought I would share this with you all on here. I purchased something called “5 Photo Pack”. What it includes is 5 pre-paid vouchers so if you are to buy ride photos (usually €15 each) or the character photos taken by the official photographers in the park – you don’t have to keep forking out €15 a time – but instead use a voucher from the pack. The best part – the pack costs €35! I was really grateful when the lady in the DLH store introduced me to this because 5 photos at the regular price of €15 would work out to be €75... however, I paid €35 for the “5 Photo Pack” and was still able to walk away with the same photos from the rides etc. Mum told me to take photos of this to share with you all as she felt it very important information for the board, so I am doing just as Mother told me to here LOL... Sorry if you all knew about this, but I was really impressed.

Once changed we thought it would be rude of us not to visit Billy Bob’s for a quick drink before the show...

A couple of cocktails later we were being armed with Cowboy Hats (we were the Blue Moon Ranch) and were being seated for Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show. The food in here seemed endless and it was all cooked beautifully (not quite sure what a vegetarian would have to eat though?!), and I made the most of the beer refills too!

We all had a wonderful evening and came out with sore throats from the cheering and “yee-haa”’ing! We then headed to Gallerie Mickey to buy our photo and then it was a 23:30 stroll back to the room whereby we were now feeling wide-awake!

 

[rottie155]

Day 3 – Wednesday 16th March 2011



After last night’s late night we had a bit of a lay-in today. We didn’t get to the Castle Club Lounge for breakfast until 9:30. This morning we were greeted by Pluto (again) who thankfully left my hair in one piece, followed by Gepetto who popped in to say a quick ‘bonjour’ to us all.

Although being completely full from breakfast, my Mum and Dad wanted to see Salon Mickey. So our first stop was via Salon Mickey where we sat in the tranquillity of the shareholders room and all had just an orange juice each before we continued into the park. We had 13:00 reservations for Walt’s so we took things easy during the morning.

First stop was Buzz Lightyear’s Laser Blast where the fierce competing continued between Mum and Dad (honestly, you can’t take them anywhere). Mum and I then headed to Big Thunder Mountain where we queued no more than 15 minutes but felt guilty leaving Dad so we then dragged him to Fantasyland where we presented our VIP Fastpasses and took him on Peter Pan’s Flight! We are just so thoughtful!

We noticed that Storybook Land was open so we rushed into on to the Les Pays des Contes des Fées boat ride which we all really enjoyed. Then we noticed Casey Junior, coming down the track (sorry, couldn’t resist that one) and as it is extremely tame – Dad said he would “brave” it, which we all had a giggle over when we noticed 3 year olds running onto the ride ahead of us! It was a fun ride and we all laughed throughout.

Not having long left before our lunch reservation, we had a wander through Alice’s Curious Labyrinth where Dad celebrated his Un-Birthday (he thought this was genius, bless him).

No walk through Fantasyland would be complete without stopping to try and pull the sword from the stone!

The time soon came around and we were being seated at Walt’s (where we honestly did look out for Isila and ICECUBEQUEEN but couldn’t spot them – hope you all had a lovely meal though?). For lunch I had a glass of wine along with the steak and chocolate cake for desert – Dad had the same but with a beer – and Mum ordered off the express menu where she had a steak for dinner and ended with a coffee gourmand which she thoroughly enjoyed. We all had a lovely meal in Walt’s and were seated in the Main Street USA room (at least, we think it was?!) – oh and the potato gratin was to die for!

We discussed making another reservation here for Dad’s birthday lunch tomorrow but decided to hold-fire until we knew exactly what we were doing (this turned out to be a very wise decision).

After lunch, Dad wanted his fix of the Disney Studios so off we went and had a ride on Aladdin’s Carpet (which was so much fun, even if it is a child’s ride), caught a little of Stars n’ Cars and then rushed into Animagique.

Animagique is so lively and colourful and, although a bit short, is a wonderful show and something that everybody can enjoy. We were all pleased we watched this together. But all this sitting down made Mum and I crave a bit of excitement and off we rushed to Tower of Terror where, with our VIP Fastpasses, we got on within minutes! Result! We then had another ride of Rock and Rollercoaster and I popped my head around the door of the Blockbuster Café as I was dying to see the High School Musical and POTC themes. Just as I did, Mickey was there to say hello so I couldn’t resist a quick photo-op! I LOVED his HSM outfit! So cute!

It was now 16:50 and so we decided to go back to the Castle Club Lounge for afternoon tea. We were glad we went at this time as we sat and refuelled whilst being able to catch a glimpse of the parade! It was really fun watching it from a different perspective.

After coffee we went back to the room to change for the evening as this was to be Dad’s birthday meal at Café Mickey (purely because we couldn’t predict crowds for St. Patrick’s Day tomorrow on his actual birthday).

We didn’t wait long before we were seated upstairs in Café Mickey. We all ordered the Chip and Dale’s Fish and Chips and Dad was eyeing up the desert too (which panicked Mum and I as we’d ordered a birthday cake for him so we told him not to order anything until we’ve had our main courses first). We had a bottle of wine for the table (I love how I say it’s for the table when we all know I just wanted wine, why do I even pretend?!) and soon enough Goofy was over to say hello. Before our dinner had arrived we were also greeted by Pluto and Chip (not quite sure what happened to Dale). Just as our dinner appeared Mickey came over to wish us a Bon Appetit! The fish was cooked in a beer batter and the meal was lovely. I know there has been a lot of hit-and-misses with people’s reviews in Café Mickey, but we really enjoyed our meal. Mum fell in love with the mayonnaise on the table as it was mixed with Dijon mustard.

After dinner Dad ordered a beer and wanted to see the desert menu. I stalled here and told him that we’ve only just eaten and to have a bit of a rest first (in all fairness, we’d eaten 20minutes ago and the man was entitled to a bit of desert, but no way was I letting him near a menu LOL)! I noticed the waiter try to catch my attention from the kitchen area and he pointed at the cake and nodded at me (which was really nice of him as this gave me time to get the camera ready). Then, once I was armed with the camera – “HAPPY BIRTHDAY” was filling the room and Dad looked over clapping away thinking it was a little child’s birthday and his face was a picture when the cake landed on the table in front of him and Mickey Mouse (the main mouse himself!) was there with Goofy cuddling Dad and helping him blow out the candles.

Although it was all over within a minute or so, it brought a tear to my eye and was a magical experience. Who says that Disney is just for kids eh?! Dad had a beaming smile after and said “out of every character that was in here I can’t believe Mickey Mouse brought over my birthday cake!”

As we began eating the cake, Stitch came running over and was in a very playful mood! When he realised it was Dad’s birthday he gave Dad the biggest hug possible, then pushed him away, sat in his seat and pretended to drink Dad’s beer before feeding my mum her cake. It was really cute actually!

We then had an appearance from Tigger who was adamant he wanted a photo with each of us and a cuddle, and then I settled the bill and off we headed on a small bar-crawl.

First stop, Hotel New York where I enjoyed a Cosmopolitan and I’m not quite sure what Mum had? Dad had...wait for it...a beer!

We relaxed in here for a while before we had a little look around and then it was off to Sequoia Lodge for the Redwood Bar. One of my favourite cocktails in the resort is a Redwood, so I was really pleased when we arrived here!

We had a table in front of the fire... and believe me that fire was ROARING! The heat coming from there was crazy! But it was a lovely way to relax. We all enjoyed a drink in here and spent some time talking about the holiday and planning Dad’s birthday tomorrow, St. Patrick’s Day!

It was soon 23:00 and we were all feeling a little tipsy, so back we staggered to our room where we all crashed out almost immediately!

 

[rottie155]

Day 4 – Thursday 17th March 2011



Today was Dad’s birthday and St. Patrick’s Day. We had a bit of a late start again and didn’t get to the Castle Club Lounge for breakfast until 9:30. But it was nice to have another lay-in, and also seeing as it is Dad’s birthday it’s nice for him to have a slow and enjoyable day.

Dad had been saying that we have seen literally every character going and yet he still hadn’t met Minnie Mouse – so I promised that today we would hunt her down in any way possible and get a photo with her.

Instead of opening up his birthday cards in the room, I thought it would be nice if we took them to breakfast with us and Dad could open his cards whilst looking out towards the Castle.

I am so glad we did as it just felt so magical... and what a result! Guess who made a beeline towards us whilst Dad was opening his cards...

After breakfast, Mum and Dad popped back to the room to drop-off the cards and put on something warm (today was BITTER, absolutely freezing – which was such a contrast to the rest of the week). Whilst they did this I sneakily spoke to our concierge and asked if he could make a reservation for us at Auberge de Cendrillon for midday. Result! We got a slot! I wanted to treat my parents to a nice meal for Dad’s birthday so I thought this would be a bit special (a little anxious about whether or not we’d eat the food too).
We then got into the park for about 10:15 and joined a queue to meet Mickey Mouse dressed in his St. Patrick’s Day outfit. Dad wanted a birthday photo with Mickey Mouse dressed in green so we happily queued for this once-a-year opportunity.

I then confessed that we had midday reservations at Auberge de Cendrillon (which didn’t help as my parents had a blank look on their face as they’d never heard of it before LOL) so we decided to have a walk though the shops and visit the Dragon whilst waiting for our reservation.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t getting any warmed. It honestly felt like I had my head in a freezer and somebody had then turned a fan on to blow the ice into my face. Bitterly cold was not the word! Needing warmth we noticed there was a 25 minute queue for Pinocchio – we had never been so excited to see a queue in our lives! It was lovely standing in the warmth and we were all devastated when we had queued and got off the ride and still had 30minutes to kill!

We then discovered Merlin L’enchanteur shop in the Castle and stood mesmerised whilst the man was blowing glass and making glass slippers. The time soon passed and we were warm once more and just in time for our midday reservation too! Hurrah!!!

I have to say, Auberge de Cendrillon was the most exquisite, stunning, beautiful and delicious meal of our trip – Mum went as far as saying it was the best meal she had EVER had in her LIFE! We walked into the restaurant and was greeted by Cinderella who was absolutely adorable. She spoke with us for a bit and wished my Dad a magical birthday. We were then taken to our table which was next to where the characters came in and out, and we also had a fab view of the ballroom where they do the dance!

The first characters to come out were Suzy and Perla. Perla took a bit of a shine to me and kept telling me she was in love with me, kept kissing me and hugging me. But she was hilarious too. When the music began she lifted her skirt and kicked her legs high in the air. She was, without doubt, the funniest character we had come across in our lives!

We had a bottle of water brought out for the table, along with a soft-drink cocktail and a glass of wine each. This was followed by cheese pastries which were divine. A bowl of warm bread rolls and butter was also brought to the table.

An announcement was then made that the guests of honour had arrived and soon the Prince and Princesses appeared next to us (which for those in the know, was when an awkward glance-exchanging moment happened). Before I had time to settle my fast-beating heart, I was being physically removed from my seat by a huge mouse in a pink dress... PERLA!!! Whilst Prince Eric and Ariel danced, Perla ran me over next to them and we began to dance too. It was so much fun – apart from a couple of mutual daggers. Talk about stealing the spotlight!

I was then kissed some more from Perla and was safely returned to my seat in time for the starters, “The Three Fairies’ Delicacies” which was Duck foie gras, smoked salmon, duck breast and green lentils with walnut oil. This was simply delicious, no other words to describe it. Our waiter, Nicholas, was so much fun too. He would keep passing and making jokes with us, and because I couldn’t finish all of my starters he kept telling me I would have to wash the dishes and I was getting no desert.

Our first guest of honour to the table was Princess Aurora. She wished Dad a magical birthday and posed for photos.

We were then introduced to Snow White who was absolutely wonderful. She was really sweet and was talking to us and then was talking to Dad about his birthday. She stayed with us for some time before apologetically leaving.

“The moment” arrived when Princess Ariel and Prince Eric made a visit to the table. Ariel spoke to us and wished Dad a lovely birthday and then we all posed for photos and I must say I was glad when this was over.

Oh, Nicolas has arrived with – what’s that?! That’s our dinner?? We ordered the Roasted rack of lamb with thyme flowers served with compote of summer vegetables and creamy polenta. It smelled delicious, but it tasted – HEAVENLY!! We all enjoyed every morsel and I would’ve licked the plate if I could!! LOL

Perla then came running out to play with me some more when our waiter told her that she shouldn’t talk to me as I didn’t eat all of my starters and therefore am not worthy of being spoken to nor desert. She then pretend scorned me until we decided to turn against our waiter together! Hilarious!

Soon enough, desert appeared and it was a crème brullée, a chocolate casing with a biscuit base filled with whipped cream and a raspberry crunch on top, a raspberry shortcake desert covered in fresh raspberries and a white chocolate Cinderella coin – and to eat it with, an edible caramelised biscuit spoon! I admit, I completely cleared the plate here!! Delicious!!

After dinner we were presented with the photo we had taken with Cinderella at the entrance and were under no pressure to buy whatsoever – but being Dad’s birthday meal, and with the photo coming out beautifully, it was a keepsake we wanted!

Having spent two hours being wined and dined, we finally (but slowly) made a move. We used our VIP Fastpasses and had a ride on Buzz Lightyear Laser Blast and then sat ourselves down in front of the Castle Stage to watch the Irish dancers with Chip and Dale. It was nice to relax after such a big meal.

more coming...

 

[rottie155]

We then caught the Irish Pre-Parade and took some photos before we decided it was just too cold to wander around the park (especially on such a full stomach) and we still wanted to take photos from the hotel balcony. We then took a few photos before we made our way to the Castle Club Lounge for some coffees. These coffees turned into a Guinness for Dad and a Ponchielli cocktail for me. We sat and watched the parade from the lounge and it was a lovely way to end our day in the park. Dad declared his birthday to be unforgettable.

But wait, there’s more?! The fireworks would be starting within the next 90minutes so we went back to the room and changed into clothes a LOT warmer before returning to the lounge for another coffee before we braved the elements!

We were lucky enough to get a place just in front of the bandstand looking straight down Main Street USA towards the castle. 30 minutes soon passed and the firework display began! Smiles were beaming from our faces and I felt so overwhelmed being able to do something a lot of people take for granted – being with my family, celebrating my Dad’s birthday whilst watching fireworks illuminate over the Castle. This time not so long ago, none of us knew if we’d ever spend another birthday together or even go away on holiday together just one more time. But standing there, as a family on my Dad’s birthday next to the bravest woman I know – it was just magical, and a moment that will stay with me for the rest of my life.

After the fireworks, we walked together back to the Castle Club Elevator and took the lift to Café Fantasia where Dad enjoyed; you guess it, a beer, whilst both Mum and I sipped a Ponchielli. It was a lovely atmosphere in Café Fantasia and I got a little excited when I looked out of the window, looked up and saw the balcony for our room! We listened to the singers in the bar for a while too, who were both fantastic!

Then it was time for Disney Village. Dad wanted to have a drink in the Sports Bar for his birthday and we couldn’t begrudge him that. So off we went, only to find the entire Disney Village was packed solid with people! The atmosphere was wonderful, you just couldn’t get into a bar for love nor money. We then walked around to Newport Bay Hotel – the bar was shut... we then tried Sequoia Lodge’s Redwood Bar which was filled to the brim – and then counted our losses and headed back... However, it had emptied a bit in Sports Bar so we were able to sit in there and enjoy a couple of drinks to round off the evening.

Dad had a couple of pints of beer. Mum and I both had a Strawberry Colada and then a Cactus Jack.

Feeling more tired than ever before, happy that we had all had the most magical day possible, sad that tomorrow we would all be leaving and a little tipsy from the cocktails – it was time for bed!

En route to our room, I sneakily made another reservation for Auberge de Cendrillon for tomorrow. Well, we all enjoyed it so much – I couldn’t let the opportunity pass!

 

[rottie155]

Day 5 – Friday 18th March 2011



Well, today is truly a sad day for all of us. We are going back to London. We woke up around the same time again today and had packed practically everything last night so we were able to get up and get ready and head straight to Castle Club Lounge for breakfast. We were sitting down and eating by 9:25 so we didn’t do too badly today.

Who better to say ‘Goodbye’ to us on our last morning than Mickey Mouse himself? The best part was just as I was taking this photo – Tigger jumped in behind to join in! It was a lovely start to our final day.

Chip and Dale also came to say ‘Au Revoir’ to us during breakfast. It has been lovely as we have some wonderful memories and character photos – and we haven’t had to endure a single scrum in the park. Character meals and hotel appearances are certainly the way to go!

After breakfast we reluctantly took a final glance around the room and looked stood on the balcony for a final farewell and then took our cases and slumped towards the Castle Club Reception. We were instantly greeted at the reception with a smile and asked what we were doing with our bags. When we told the man we were leaving and have come to check-out, we were told we could’ve left our cases in the room and they would have had someone collect them for us later (wow, this really is 5 star)! I then handed over our room keys and we were given a temporary key-card which wouldn’t open our room, but would give us full access to the Castle Club Elevator and we could still enjoy the afternoon tea and all facilities. Brilliant!

Our only problem of the trip occurred today when Mum’s park pass wasn’t working. A rude lady named Dominique at the entrance told mum she would have to join the ticket queue to get it corrected. I explained to the lady (as me and Dad were already in the park) that we were leaving today and could they not do something at the gate as the ticket queue was, no joke, HUGE! I was then shouted out and spoken to extremely rudely – before I was able to reply Mum saw my face and told me to leave it and she will just queue. I’m not one for people being rude to me, especially when my Mum has to stand and queue for something that is an error on the park’s fault, not hers.

After a long wait at the ticket queue – the problem was rectified and we were able to try enjoy our last day. After a lot of talking to from Mum I finally calmed myself down and forgot about the rudeness.

I told my parents that as they enjoyed it so much yesterday, I will be taking them back to Auberge de Cendrillon again today for lunch – which they were really excited about, and then gave me a talking to for all of the treats I’d given them (I’m pretty sure they’ll soon get over it when they’re enjoying the meal LOL).

The park was very busy today, but we expected this and we had been on all of the rides we wanted to do so was happy having a wander around. Mum and I used our VIP Fastpasses to ride Space Mountain a final time, then all three of us used our VIP Fastpasses to get on Buzz Lightyear’s Laser Blast for our “final showdown”, of which you’ll all be pleased to know – I won, scoring 400200!

After Buzz we rode IASW and Peter Pan’s Flight (which a little help from the VIP Fastpass here) before we ventured over to Disney Studios to watch Cinémagique!

Cinémagique was showing at 13:00 which was perfect as our lunch reservation at Auberge was at 14:15. We, once again, thoroughly enjoyed Cinémagique and think it is so unique and clever. Dad wants a DVD of this! LOL

After the show we took a slow walk back to the Disneyland Park and Mum bought a few gifts from the Christmas Store in the Castle and I bought a glass slipper from Merlin L’echanteur. It was then time for our lunch at Auberge and we were all very excited for this! We kept joking that it would be so funny if we had the same waiter as he was excellent the day before.
We queued up and was soon entering those magical Auberge doors and having our photo taken with Cinderella. We were then shown to our table (we were given a booth away from the ballroom dance, but this didn’t bother us as we’d seen it yesterday...well, I was in it yesterday!! LOL) Soon enough we heard running and our waiter literally ran to our table to serve us – and, you guessed it, Nicolas!! We had the same waiter again today and couldn’t have been any happier about it if we tried!

I won’t type it all out again, but today we had the exact same as yesterday and loved every single mouth-watering piece! We also had a bottle of wine instead of a glass. Suddenly, I heard music and an announcement that Suzy and Perla would be joining us – and with that I turned my head and saw the doors swing open on the other side of the restaurant, caught eye-contact with Perla and she RAN like her life-depended on it towards me! I was in hysterics! When she came over I said, “I take it you remember us then?” and she laughed and nodded then kept kissing me and cuddling us. Our waiter re-appeared and said “I think Perla remembers you” and I said “yes, we’ve already been through that one” and then she motioned to me asking if I would dance with her again when the music starts in ten minutes time. Well, how could I refuse such a polite request?! Hehe! “OF COURSE!”, I beamed!

Our entrées were soon brought out and a different Princess Ariel and Prince Eric than yesterday (phew) came out and we had photos.

We were then joined by the same Snow White as yesterday, who was again as adorable and charming as ever. She came straight to our table and said “oh how lovely, you’ve come back to see us again! Did you have a wonderful birthday?” – my Dad was really touched that she had remembered, we all were actually.

The same happened when Princess Aurora came to visit, she asked about my Dad’s birthday and spoke with us for a while before posing for photos.

We had finished our entrées and mains and I was enjoying my wine when all of a sudden music echoed across the restaurant and I heard footsteps rushing towards me. Just like yesterday, Perla pulled me from my seat and rushed me to the dance floor. We had so much fun and were being a bit silly. After the dance Snow White rushed over and said to me “oh my, you are a wonderful dancer!” and I had to compliment my dancing partner by said “well, Perla was very good at leading!”

I was then taken back to the table where we enjoyed our desert. Along with a few more glasses of wine and before we knew it, it was 17:00. Our trip to Disneyland Paris was over and we couldn’t think of a better way to end our trip than the time we spent today in Auberge de Cendrillon. We posed for photos with our waiter and everybody promised to keep in touch...

We then headed our way back to the Castle Club Elevator where we went for a final coffee, watched the parade from the lounge and had our cases brought to us downstairs in the Hotel’s main lobby.

Cases in hand our time in the Magic was over and we stepped out of the Disneyland Hotel into rain. It summed up what we were all feeling at that point.

This has been one of the most magical Disneyland Paris experiences to date. I cannot thank the Cast Members enough for all they did for us during our stay. Every person we came across, baring Dominique, albeit cleaners – attraction hosts – sales assistants – photographers – waiters – receptionists – chamber maids or Characters were absolutely fantastic and gave it their all to make sure everybody’s holiday was magical.

Thank you all for reading and for all of your help during my planning!

 

[otwidalepda]

WOW - just read it all and it seems like all of you had a fantastic time! It also seems that the CM's made it truely magical - the Princesses remembering your Dad's birthday ! It put a smile on my face when reading - quality like that only comes from Disney.

 

[Dizulus]

That was an absolutely wonderful TR - I was feeling down today because of a cold but you have cheered me sooo much because I will be staying at the DLH for the first time in May.

Also thanks for sharing about the photo voucher pack - that lovely piece of info has gone straight into my Disney magic file

You have some gorgeous photos there and your dad seemed destined to have a great birthday

Thanks again

 

[jothp]

What a fabulous trip. I loved reading your trip report, how magical to be upgraded for your dads birthday

 

[Ms Poppins]

Awww that was lovely! The DLH is so nice and you were so lucky to get upgraded to Castle Club. You got loads done. A perfect trip, thanks for posting

 

[stargatebarbie]

my hubby is watching the rugby so ive just sat reading your report with a glass of wine in my hand what a lovely son you are ,hope my daughter does the same for me when she grows up and castle club WOW not jealous a bit:

 

[Mum to Belle]

Awwww, I didn't want it to end!!!

What an absolutely magical, perfect trip you had! I am so pleased!

You have certainly created some wonderful memories to last a lifetime there!

So many wonderful experiences, I love your time in Auberge and all the loveliness of the Castle Club makes me feel all warm & gooey inside!

Thanks you for sharing it all with us!

SO, which was your favourite cocktail, still the Redwood?

 

[rottie155]

Thank you all for your lovely replies!

Dizulus you're going to have a FANTASTIC time at the DLH in May!! And I'm glad it's given you an extra piece of info for your file, because if you're one who likes to buy a couple of the ride photos (like I do) then you will save a fortune!!

Stargatebarbie - leave a load of hints around as she gets older and I'm sure she will treat you too!

Mum to Belle - bless ya hun! I have to admit, despite of working REALLY hard through cocktails all week, the Redwood is still my absolute favourite!! I will say though, I developed a taste for the champagne in our room too - but at €50 a pop, I'm staying well clear for now

 

[Ware Bears]

What can I say but WOW what a fantastic time. You really are a lovely family. It was so considerate of you to make the holiday so magical for your parents and only right that you were sprinkled with pixie dust in return with your upgrade.

Your photos are making me wish I was there NOW instead of having to wait another two months! Thanks for sharing all this with us (you do realise you have set a precedent and we will expect such detail every trip now ) and thanks for the tip re the pre-paid photo vouchers, I've never heard of that before.

 

[loladelorean]

I've just read your whole magnificent trip report in one go - bless you for writing it so quickly!!
I had a smile on my face the whole time I was reading this, I got teary and some bits and laughed out loud at one *particular* bit too (aren't I cruel?! Your second Ariel/Eric photo looks waaay more relaxed....)
Seriously, I think this is my favourite trip report ever, what an absolutely perfect trip!
I bow down to your awesome cocktail consuming skills! I laughed at your "stroll" on the first night! Brilliant.
Your parents look like they're having just as much fun as you, and I'm so glad your dad had this perfect birthday Disney magic is for everyone.
Oh, and Castle Club... omg. Must. Stay. There.
I loved it so much I'm not even annoyed it kept me up til 2am after a long shift at work...I was hooked! Lol. Thank you Adam x

 

[ben1993]

What a wonderful trip, and the Castle Club is really amazing. Must get back to DLP nowww!

 

[Kazzabelle]

Wow Adam what a lovely tr. You actually made me have tears in my eyes when you told your parents where they were actually staying.
I'm loving the awkward moment in Auberge he he i really felt for you hun.
Im also loving the fact your mum can keep up with you with the cocktails, It really sounded like you had a lovely holiday and your parents really enjoyed it.

 

[m-tinkerbelle]

wow! DH,... Castle Club, Walt's, Auberge de Cendrillon... cocktails...

what an incredible trip!!!!

I loved every bit of your TR! I'm so glad you could all go there and enjoy DLP as a family and realising how you all love each other so much that's what makes these kind of trips so special

 

[rottie155]

What can I say but WOW what a fantastic time. You really are a lovely family. It was so considerate of you to make the holiday so magical for your parents and only right that you were sprinkled with pixie dust in return with your upgrade.

Your photos are making me wish I was there NOW instead of having to wait another two months! Thanks for sharing all this with us (you do realise you have set a precedent and we will expect such detail every trip now ) and thanks for the tip re the pre-paid photo vouchers, I've never heard of that before.

Oh Elaine it is most certainly worth the wait!!! Don't you worry, all future TR's will be as detailed It helps me live the magic just that little bit longer!!
You're more than welcome!! It was only that I was collecting one of my ride photos from the DLH shop (we used the deliver to your hotel service) and the lady asked me if I would be getting more photos throughout my trip. When I told her I still have another 3 days so I'm sure I would be, she showed me the "5 Pack Photo" Pass and it all instantly made sense!

I've just read your whole magnificent trip report in one go - bless you for writing it so quickly!!
I had a smile on my face the whole time I was reading this, I got teary and some bits and laughed out loud at one *particular* bit too (aren't I cruel?! Your second Ariel/Eric photo looks waaay more relaxed....)
Seriously, I think this is my favourite trip report ever, what an absolutely perfect trip!
I bow down to your awesome cocktail consuming skills! I laughed at your "stroll" on the first night! Brilliant.
Your parents look like they're having just as much fun as you, and I'm so glad your dad had this perfect birthday Disney magic is for everyone.
Oh, and Castle Club... omg. Must. Stay. There.
I loved it so much I'm not even annoyed it kept me up til 2am after a long shift at work...I was hooked! Lol. Thank you Adam x

Oh Lisa You know, I spent each night of the trip writing notes so I was able to do the TR with ease when I got home!

It's fine, that particular photo made me laugh a LOT too - although I was physically shaking when they came over and I have no idea why!! Maybe because I knew it wasn't somewhere I could storm-out from or argue in front of children, I was trapped! But you're right, the second day I looked (and felt) FAAAAAAAAR more relaxed in there!!!

I feel like I have let you all down re. the cocktails... True, I consumed MANY in the aid of research for the board... Just wish I could remember what they were!! One thing's for sure, my favourite is still a Redwood. Ponchielli is probably a second... But the fun way to enjoy a cocktail is to visit Billy Bob's in the evening, find a fun waiter and tell him exactly what you enjoy and let him make you various random masterpieces!!

Wow Adam what a lovely tr. You actually made me have tears in my eyes when you told your parents where they were actually staying.
I'm loving the awkward moment in Auberge he he i really felt for you hun.
Im also loving the fact your mum can keep up with you with the cocktails, It really sounded like you had a lovely holiday and your parents really enjoyed it.

Aww love ya Karen! We all knew that it was going to happen didn't we! The moment I set out purposely hoping to avoid an awkward situation, we just KNEW that it would seek me out! I just wish it happened on the Friday when I was dressed more appropriately to tackle the challenge, Thursday I was certainly not in my best - I am a little upset about this!

We all had such a wonderful time. It really did exceed all of our expectations - I think my parents are still in awe of it all! Mum can't believe she's been and stayed there!

wow! DH,... Castle Club, Walt's, Auberge de Cendrillon... cocktails...

what an incredible trip!!!!

I loved every bit of your TR! I'm so glad you could all go there and enjoy DLP as a family and realising how you all love each other so much that's what makes these kind of trips so special

Aww thank you! It certainly was a whirlwind - there was so much we wanted to fit in and do, and I think we gave it a really good go too! I would certainly recommend Auberge de Cendrillon to anyone! It was the highlight of our trip (along with the CC upgrade of course).

After all these years, the magic of Disney is still very much alive. And thank God it is!!

 

[ICECUBEQUEEN]

I am gonna be really nosey here, but I am so intrigued to know more about this awkward moment?? spill the beans Adam!!