TotallyAngelic
Disney Addict
- Joined
- Aug 14, 2005
- Messages
- 6,687
Totally Angelic and family Summer 2006 Disneyland Paris Trip Report
Cast Members:
Sarah: Totally Pirates of the Caribbean obsessed, Disney enthusiast, Pin
Collector, only rides indoor coasters!
Tony: Disney and POTC enthusiast, Pin Collector, Loves all extreme rides,
eats for the UK!
Taryn: Aged 15. Disney enthusiast. Pin Collector. Loves POTC. Tim Burton
Obsessed. Very theatrical and loves any excuse to dress up especially
Halloween!
Daniel: Aged 12. Disney Enthusiast but doesnt like meeting characters unless
it is spontaneous. Loves POTC. Nintendo player and Tim Burton fan!
Part One: Getting There or The Plane Journey from Hell!
Its a wonderful feeling .waking up with the realisation that TODAY is the day you have been working for, waiting for, anticipating and counting down to since you came back from the last trip! Yes .today was the day we were off to our second home, Disneyland Paris.
After an early lunch, we left hot and sunny Prestatyn at midday as planned, which was very unusual for us as we very rarely do things according to plan. Of course this was too good to be true, as when we pulled into the petrol station about 5 miles down the road, Daniel pipes up with arent we supposed to be dropping this DVD off on the way!! :doh So back to Blockbusters in Prestatyn we go to drop off the DVD!
Ten minutes behind schedule we headed back down the way we had just come, and 40 minutes later we were parking up in Cheshire Oaks, our local (ish) outlet mall. Now it is a major concern of mine, that when travelling I have enough clothing, and although I had packed enough clothing for possibly 8 days, I was worried that I might not quite have enough, but fortunately this problem was solved by Gap selling strappy tops for £1.99, and I promptly picked up 2 for myself and 2 for Taryn silly not to at that price
. We also picked up a couple of pairs of shorts for Daniel, and generally wandered round a bit, passing the time before heading for an early tea at the Old Orleans Restaurant. We had chosen to eat here, as it is only about 20-30 mins from the airport, and the airport eating establishments leave a lot to be desired. We had been given 2 for 1 main meal tickets for this restaurant when we went to see Dead Mans Chest 
and it turned out to be a really nice meal. I had a butterfly chicken in mushroom sauce with Monterey jack cheese and a lovely jacket potato and Cajun vegetables. Taryn had the same but without the mushroom sauce. Tony had a very big burger and Dan had ribs. No time for dessert, as it was getting close to our planned time of departure, so we paid the bill and hit the road to the airport.
We arrived at our car parking destination at 16:40, and found the place deserted, so we mooched about for about 10 minutes until the minibus arrived after an airport run. This car parking place is a real gem .about 5 mins from the airport and they only charge £20 for up to a week! We piled into the minibus and had a very bizarre journey listening to the driver talking on his hands free to a woman who had phoned up about her dog which was on its last legs ..turned out the car parking company also ran a pet crematorium . The woman was discussing her dogs funeral arrangements and the poor thing hadnt even passed away yet .and when the chap said it was £120.00 and they would deliver the ashes in a green cardboard box, I had to stare out of the window and concentrate very hard on not falling about in hysterics because it was just so bizarre!
We finally pulled up outside Liverpool airport at 17:00, and made our way to the Easyjet check in. Not much of a queue as we were early and we didnt manage to spot anyone from the TV show, so we had our usual conversation about them all being actors and the whole thing being staged! We then picked up our euros from Travelex, and headed upstairs to Starbucks, where I had a lovely coffee frappucino, the kids had caramel cream frappucin and Tony had a grande latte.
The kids then amused themselves on the massage chairs for 5 minutes...
and after that we wandered along to the shop to pick up a trashy celebrity magazine to keep my mind off the fact that I was going to be flying. We then sat down on some fairly comfy seats near the gate to await being called. The first indication that things may not be as hoped was when the delay of 30 minutes was announced due to thunderstorms in Southern England and in the Paris area.
Now my three major dislikes in this world are flying, thunder and lightning and wasps. As we were unlikely to encounter any wasps on the flight, this wasnt to present a problem, but a combination of the other two wasnt looking very good. Still, Tony assured me that pilots know what they are doing and they fly in thunderstorms all the time and know how to avoid them etc etc.
With a lot of reassurance and deep breathing on my part, I was finally on board the aircraft, and just kept reminding myself that it was only an hour! The flight proceeded without too much of a problem, and I immersed myself in the latest goings-on in the world of Victoria Beckham and her Z-list cronies, when suddenly the plane seemed to begin to veer downwards at a very alarming angle . It felt as though we were on a roller coaster drop, and I honestly thought it wasnt going to stop falling, and it really turned my stomach . So much so that I had to rummage in the seat pocket for the sick bag, which of course wasnt there, so I had to get one from Tony who was sitting in front of me. At this point I was sitting there clutching my stomach with one hand, my sick bag with the other, and must have turned a very dodgy grey colour as the next passing stewardess asked me if I was ok and then hurried off to get me a cold cloth which she put on my forehead. She then said you had better not be sick as we have to clean it up ourselves, this isnt Ryanair and I didnt really see the connection, do Ryanair not bother to clean it up or something!
Immediately after this unexpected drop, the pilot decided to announce that he was now commencing his descent into Paris bit of a belated announcement really I thought! He went on to announce that the descent may well be turbulent as we were descending into the depths of hell, well he didnt quite say that, but Im sure thats what he meant. This is one of those airplane moments when you wish you had summoned up the courage to go to the loo previously, as now they werent allowing you to go and you can guarantee that once they say you cant go, you cant think about anything else!
The next 15 minutes or so I dont quite remember, but how we made it down in one piece I will never know. The situation wasnt helped by Taryn looking out of the window shouting oooh you can see lightning all around the plane!! . I have never been on a plane bouncing around so much, and apparently at one point I was staring into my sick bag repeating the words oh s***, oh s*** over and over like some sort of therapeutic mantra. Finally, after what seemed like centuries, we landed, and I have never been so glad to touch my feet on solid ground. We were transported to the Terminal, through immigration and then had to wait ages for the baggage.
WE landed at 21:30 french time, and then had to go to the RER system as there were no VEA shuttles running at this time. The RER tickets were 56 euros, as both Taryn and Daniel were classed as adults. It was absolutely boiling hot on the train, particularly on the metro bit, and it felt like we were in a sauna. At one point we were entertained by a busker, complete with a mini amplifier and microphone, who stood up in the carriage and sang Crazy and Yesterday in a very dodgy English accent. I had to concentrate hard on not looking at Tony who was trying to make me laugh, but the busker passed a bit of the journey for us and I gave him a couple of euros for the entertainment value! Its strange how we always have a bizarre experience on the French RER system!
We changed at Chatelet Les Halles, and whizzed across the platform to wait for the Marne la Vallee train, which arrived at 23:06. I always love this last part of the journey, as we approach Marne la Vallee and all the familiar stations on the way, but this time I was beginning to feel disturbed by the constant lightning flashing around the train. I love arriving and seeing the lights of the Village and everything but this time I didnt even notice any of it. When we got off the train, the rain was bucketing down and the lightning was almost continuous, and we had to somehow leave the relative safety of the train station and get to the bus stop. I dont to this day know how I did this but in the end we just ran like crazy, and I dont think I have ever run so fast. When we reached the bus shelter I was physically shaking, but fortunately the bus arrived quickly and we were whisked off to the Holiday Inn and safety.
I was finally able to relax, and we checked in, and were given room 1518, on the 1st floor overlooking the ornamental pool and the courtyard. As it was now about midnight the kids were shattered, so they got ready for bed, while I unpacked and then Tony and I popped down to the bar for a traditional arrival glass of 1664, and I finally felt chilled and happy, looking forward to the next few days. I was home!!!!
Alarms were set for 06:00am, which basically meant 5 hours sleep for us, but we always like to take advantage of our annual pass early entry on our first day, and we finally got to bed at about 01:00am. See you tomorrow for our first Disney day!!
Cast Members:
Sarah: Totally Pirates of the Caribbean obsessed, Disney enthusiast, Pin
Collector, only rides indoor coasters!
Tony: Disney and POTC enthusiast, Pin Collector, Loves all extreme rides,
eats for the UK!
Taryn: Aged 15. Disney enthusiast. Pin Collector. Loves POTC. Tim Burton
Obsessed. Very theatrical and loves any excuse to dress up especially
Halloween!
Daniel: Aged 12. Disney Enthusiast but doesnt like meeting characters unless
it is spontaneous. Loves POTC. Nintendo player and Tim Burton fan!
Part One: Getting There or The Plane Journey from Hell!
Its a wonderful feeling .waking up with the realisation that TODAY is the day you have been working for, waiting for, anticipating and counting down to since you came back from the last trip! Yes .today was the day we were off to our second home, Disneyland Paris.
After an early lunch, we left hot and sunny Prestatyn at midday as planned, which was very unusual for us as we very rarely do things according to plan. Of course this was too good to be true, as when we pulled into the petrol station about 5 miles down the road, Daniel pipes up with arent we supposed to be dropping this DVD off on the way!! :doh So back to Blockbusters in Prestatyn we go to drop off the DVD!
Ten minutes behind schedule we headed back down the way we had just come, and 40 minutes later we were parking up in Cheshire Oaks, our local (ish) outlet mall. Now it is a major concern of mine, that when travelling I have enough clothing, and although I had packed enough clothing for possibly 8 days, I was worried that I might not quite have enough, but fortunately this problem was solved by Gap selling strappy tops for £1.99, and I promptly picked up 2 for myself and 2 for Taryn silly not to at that price
. We also picked up a couple of pairs of shorts for Daniel, and generally wandered round a bit, passing the time before heading for an early tea at the Old Orleans Restaurant. We had chosen to eat here, as it is only about 20-30 mins from the airport, and the airport eating establishments leave a lot to be desired. We had been given 2 for 1 main meal tickets for this restaurant when we went to see Dead Mans Chest and it turned out to be a really nice meal. I had a butterfly chicken in mushroom sauce with Monterey jack cheese and a lovely jacket potato and Cajun vegetables. Taryn had the same but without the mushroom sauce. Tony had a very big burger and Dan had ribs. No time for dessert, as it was getting close to our planned time of departure, so we paid the bill and hit the road to the airport. We arrived at our car parking destination at 16:40, and found the place deserted, so we mooched about for about 10 minutes until the minibus arrived after an airport run. This car parking place is a real gem .about 5 mins from the airport and they only charge £20 for up to a week! We piled into the minibus and had a very bizarre journey listening to the driver talking on his hands free to a woman who had phoned up about her dog which was on its last legs ..turned out the car parking company also ran a pet crematorium . The woman was discussing her dogs funeral arrangements and the poor thing hadnt even passed away yet .and when the chap said it was £120.00 and they would deliver the ashes in a green cardboard box, I had to stare out of the window and concentrate very hard on not falling about in hysterics because it was just so bizarre!
We finally pulled up outside Liverpool airport at 17:00, and made our way to the Easyjet check in. Not much of a queue as we were early and we didnt manage to spot anyone from the TV show, so we had our usual conversation about them all being actors and the whole thing being staged! We then picked up our euros from Travelex, and headed upstairs to Starbucks, where I had a lovely coffee frappucino, the kids had caramel cream frappucin and Tony had a grande latte.
The kids then amused themselves on the massage chairs for 5 minutes...
and after that we wandered along to the shop to pick up a trashy celebrity magazine to keep my mind off the fact that I was going to be flying. We then sat down on some fairly comfy seats near the gate to await being called. The first indication that things may not be as hoped was when the delay of 30 minutes was announced due to thunderstorms in Southern England and in the Paris area.
Now my three major dislikes in this world are flying, thunder and lightning and wasps. As we were unlikely to encounter any wasps on the flight, this wasnt to present a problem, but a combination of the other two wasnt looking very good. Still, Tony assured me that pilots know what they are doing and they fly in thunderstorms all the time and know how to avoid them etc etc.With a lot of reassurance and deep breathing on my part, I was finally on board the aircraft, and just kept reminding myself that it was only an hour! The flight proceeded without too much of a problem, and I immersed myself in the latest goings-on in the world of Victoria Beckham and her Z-list cronies, when suddenly the plane seemed to begin to veer downwards at a very alarming angle
. It felt as though we were on a roller coaster drop, and I honestly thought it wasnt going to stop falling, and it really turned my stomach . So much so that I had to rummage in the seat pocket for the sick bag, which of course wasnt there, so I had to get one from Tony who was sitting in front of me. At this point I was sitting there clutching my stomach with one hand, my sick bag with the other, and must have turned a very dodgy grey colour as the next passing stewardess asked me if I was ok and then hurried off to get me a cold cloth which she put on my forehead. She then said you had better not be sick as we have to clean it up ourselves, this isnt Ryanair and I didnt really see the connection, do Ryanair not bother to clean it up or something!Immediately after this unexpected drop, the pilot decided to announce that he was now commencing his descent into Paris bit of a belated announcement really I thought! He went on to announce that the descent may well be turbulent as we were descending into the depths of hell, well he didnt quite say that, but Im sure thats what he meant. This is one of those airplane moments when you wish you had summoned up the courage to go to the loo previously, as now they werent allowing you to go and you can guarantee that once they say you cant go, you cant think about anything else!
The next 15 minutes or so I dont quite remember, but how we made it down in one piece I will never know. The situation wasnt helped by Taryn looking out of the window shouting oooh you can see lightning all around the plane!! . I have never been on a plane bouncing around so much, and apparently at one point I was staring into my sick bag repeating the words oh s***, oh s*** over and over like some sort of therapeutic mantra. Finally, after what seemed like centuries, we landed, and I have never been so glad to touch my feet on solid ground. We were transported to the Terminal, through immigration and then had to wait ages for the baggage.
WE landed at 21:30 french time, and then had to go to the RER system as there were no VEA shuttles running at this time. The RER tickets were 56 euros, as both Taryn and Daniel were classed as adults. It was absolutely boiling hot on the train, particularly on the metro bit, and it felt like we were in a sauna. At one point we were entertained by a busker, complete with a mini amplifier and microphone, who stood up in the carriage and sang Crazy and Yesterday in a very dodgy English accent. I had to concentrate hard on not looking at Tony who was trying to make me laugh, but the busker passed a bit of the journey for us and I gave him a couple of euros for the entertainment value! Its strange how we always have a bizarre experience on the French RER system!
We changed at Chatelet Les Halles, and whizzed across the platform to wait for the Marne la Vallee train, which arrived at 23:06. I always love this last part of the journey, as we approach Marne la Vallee and all the familiar stations on the way, but this time I was beginning to feel disturbed by the constant lightning flashing around the train. I love arriving and seeing the lights of the Village and everything but this time I didnt even notice any of it. When we got off the train, the rain was bucketing down and the lightning was almost continuous, and we had to somehow leave the relative safety of the train station and get to the bus stop. I dont to this day know how I did this but in the end we just ran like crazy, and I dont think I have ever run so fast. When we reached the bus shelter I was physically shaking, but fortunately the bus arrived quickly and we were whisked off to the Holiday Inn and safety.
I was finally able to relax, and we checked in, and were given room 1518, on the 1st floor overlooking the ornamental pool and the courtyard. As it was now about midnight the kids were shattered, so they got ready for bed, while I unpacked and then Tony and I popped down to the bar for a traditional arrival glass of 1664, and I finally felt chilled and happy, looking forward to the next few days. I was home!!!!
Alarms were set for 06:00am, which basically meant 5 hours sleep for us, but we always like to take advantage of our annual pass early entry on our first day, and we finally got to bed at about 01:00am. See you tomorrow for our first Disney day!!
but hey, it's a disney trip 
I want to see the Pumpkin Men & Pink Witches in case Disney (in their wisdom) get rid of them.
