jodyb
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Oct 15, 1999
- Messages
- 788
Trip Report
Disneyland Paris
Jan. 26 through Feb. 2 2004
Cast:
Liav (12)
Jody (Liav's mother and old enough to be that!)
Day 3, Thursday, Jan. 29, 2004
Well, today still isn't sunny and mild, but the Concierge assured us that the guided trip to Paris was still on, regardless of weather. We had our breakfast (don't worry I'm not going to whine about it anymore) and walked over to the New York Hotel. This was our first look at the inside of this hotel, and it is quite impressive. I don't think it would be my choice to stay. I prefer cozy, like the SL or really convenient like the Disneyland, but the New York is obviously a very nice place. Only 2 other families were waiting for the tour, both Spanish speaking. The double decker bus picked us up at 9:45 and of course we all sat upstairs! The bus is equipped with a restroom and panoramic windows, and taped commentary in 16 languages, happily including Hebrew! Liav and I tried the English but switched to the Hebrew which was easier for us to understand since it was recorded by a native Hebrew speaker. The English track was heavily accented and hard for us to follow. The headphones were not necessary until we reached certain areas of Paris. We had a live guide with us on the bus and she provided commentary in English and Spanish, telling us when to plug in and listen to get more info. It actually worked out very nicely. Our first stop was Notre Dame. When we got off the bus we were hit full force by high winds, and realized the sidewalks were extremely icy. We wished we'd borrowed some of the ice skates from the Rockefeller at the New York Hotel! Walking the short way to the entrance to the cathedral was painfully cold and slippery, but we made it. Liav was terribly disappointed when they told us the climb to the tower was closed because of the wind, but when we went inside she was enthralled with the stained glass windows and took a lot of photos. In fact she got so caught up in the beauty inside that we almost forgot to find someplace to have lunch! We had to meet the bus again about 2 hours after it left us off. If the weather had been nicer, it would have been nice to wander about the area along the Seine, and certainly we would have enjoyed going up the tower.. but as it was we ducked out heads and ran to the nearest café to escape the blinding wind and cold. The café we ended up in was actually very nice. It was right across the river from Notre Dame (this was the one day I didn't have my notebook and of course I forgot the name of the place, sorry) on the corner. The service was very friendly and the food was delicious. (We had an open-faced grilled cheese and tomato sandwich, fries (chips for you Europeans and Israelis!) and a Liav had a chocolate crepe with whipped cream (which I coveted but the waiter only brought one fork!) for dessert. We had just enough time to run the two blocks back to where the bus picked us up to continue the tour. I was glad to be in a bus that day because of the cold, but I kept thinking that I WILL return to Paris in springtime (they don't say that for no reason!) and just walk, walk, walk!! Paris is so beautiful! It was our first time, and we were enthralled everywhere we looked. We drove around the Arc d'Triumphe and down the Champs Elysees (am I spelling these things right?) and again I wished I was on foot, but not today! Everyone we saw walking had their heads down and scarves wrapped around their faces! The bus let us off near the Eiffel tower and the boat ride on the Seine is right there. The boat rides were open and it was a nice hours ride down and back, past the major museums and other sites, but the tower was closed! Another disappointment, but not surprising given the conditions. There were quite a few tourists milling around the base of the tower, and Liav and I joined them, and she took some photos. The sun had come out, so everything looked lovely.
Our guide was apologetic that we had come on a day when so much was closed, and as "compensation" she added a little jaunt to Monmartre. We rode the cable car up to the Sacred Heart church, and by then the winds had died down enough to stand outside for a while and enjoy the view which was absolutely fantastic! Liav thought it made up for not being able to go up the Eiffel tower, but of course she still wants to do that next time! We did have about an hour to walk around here and since the weather felt milder, we enjoyed it. Then it was 5 PM and already time to meet the bus again and head back to Disneyland. I felt it had been a great first taste of Paris and it definitely left me wanting to come back very soon! Of course at that point I thought we'd come back the next day...but it wasn't to be... (stay tuned to this report!)
We got back to the New York Hotel at around 6 and did some shopping in the hotel's shop, which Liav swore had merchandise she hadn't seen in the parks (I'm not so sure that's true) and we bought some small items like Mickey notebooks and pens, and a couple of Disney coffee mugs. Back at SL we went into the gift shop there as well and picked up the items we'd had sent there from the Studios the day before. Again, Liav watched a Disney movie on TV and I had a drink and read my book by the fire. This is the life. I felt totally "on vacation" which is exactly what this trip was all about...
I can't remember what we did for dinner that day. Could it be that the roasted chestnuts we bought on the street while walking around Monmartre was it???
Evaluation of Disney's guided tour of Paris for guests: I enjoyed it. I thought it was worth the money, and appreciated having this option for a first look at the city. The bus was very comfortable, the guide was knowledgeable and personable, and the tour well-rounded and well-executed. I would recommend it.
Stay tuned for tomorrow...
Disneyland Paris
Jan. 26 through Feb. 2 2004
Cast:
Liav (12)
Jody (Liav's mother and old enough to be that!)
Day 3, Thursday, Jan. 29, 2004
Well, today still isn't sunny and mild, but the Concierge assured us that the guided trip to Paris was still on, regardless of weather. We had our breakfast (don't worry I'm not going to whine about it anymore) and walked over to the New York Hotel. This was our first look at the inside of this hotel, and it is quite impressive. I don't think it would be my choice to stay. I prefer cozy, like the SL or really convenient like the Disneyland, but the New York is obviously a very nice place. Only 2 other families were waiting for the tour, both Spanish speaking. The double decker bus picked us up at 9:45 and of course we all sat upstairs! The bus is equipped with a restroom and panoramic windows, and taped commentary in 16 languages, happily including Hebrew! Liav and I tried the English but switched to the Hebrew which was easier for us to understand since it was recorded by a native Hebrew speaker. The English track was heavily accented and hard for us to follow. The headphones were not necessary until we reached certain areas of Paris. We had a live guide with us on the bus and she provided commentary in English and Spanish, telling us when to plug in and listen to get more info. It actually worked out very nicely. Our first stop was Notre Dame. When we got off the bus we were hit full force by high winds, and realized the sidewalks were extremely icy. We wished we'd borrowed some of the ice skates from the Rockefeller at the New York Hotel! Walking the short way to the entrance to the cathedral was painfully cold and slippery, but we made it. Liav was terribly disappointed when they told us the climb to the tower was closed because of the wind, but when we went inside she was enthralled with the stained glass windows and took a lot of photos. In fact she got so caught up in the beauty inside that we almost forgot to find someplace to have lunch! We had to meet the bus again about 2 hours after it left us off. If the weather had been nicer, it would have been nice to wander about the area along the Seine, and certainly we would have enjoyed going up the tower.. but as it was we ducked out heads and ran to the nearest café to escape the blinding wind and cold. The café we ended up in was actually very nice. It was right across the river from Notre Dame (this was the one day I didn't have my notebook and of course I forgot the name of the place, sorry) on the corner. The service was very friendly and the food was delicious. (We had an open-faced grilled cheese and tomato sandwich, fries (chips for you Europeans and Israelis!) and a Liav had a chocolate crepe with whipped cream (which I coveted but the waiter only brought one fork!) for dessert. We had just enough time to run the two blocks back to where the bus picked us up to continue the tour. I was glad to be in a bus that day because of the cold, but I kept thinking that I WILL return to Paris in springtime (they don't say that for no reason!) and just walk, walk, walk!! Paris is so beautiful! It was our first time, and we were enthralled everywhere we looked. We drove around the Arc d'Triumphe and down the Champs Elysees (am I spelling these things right?) and again I wished I was on foot, but not today! Everyone we saw walking had their heads down and scarves wrapped around their faces! The bus let us off near the Eiffel tower and the boat ride on the Seine is right there. The boat rides were open and it was a nice hours ride down and back, past the major museums and other sites, but the tower was closed! Another disappointment, but not surprising given the conditions. There were quite a few tourists milling around the base of the tower, and Liav and I joined them, and she took some photos. The sun had come out, so everything looked lovely.
Our guide was apologetic that we had come on a day when so much was closed, and as "compensation" she added a little jaunt to Monmartre. We rode the cable car up to the Sacred Heart church, and by then the winds had died down enough to stand outside for a while and enjoy the view which was absolutely fantastic! Liav thought it made up for not being able to go up the Eiffel tower, but of course she still wants to do that next time! We did have about an hour to walk around here and since the weather felt milder, we enjoyed it. Then it was 5 PM and already time to meet the bus again and head back to Disneyland. I felt it had been a great first taste of Paris and it definitely left me wanting to come back very soon! Of course at that point I thought we'd come back the next day...but it wasn't to be... (stay tuned to this report!)
We got back to the New York Hotel at around 6 and did some shopping in the hotel's shop, which Liav swore had merchandise she hadn't seen in the parks (I'm not so sure that's true) and we bought some small items like Mickey notebooks and pens, and a couple of Disney coffee mugs. Back at SL we went into the gift shop there as well and picked up the items we'd had sent there from the Studios the day before. Again, Liav watched a Disney movie on TV and I had a drink and read my book by the fire. This is the life. I felt totally "on vacation" which is exactly what this trip was all about...
I can't remember what we did for dinner that day. Could it be that the roasted chestnuts we bought on the street while walking around Monmartre was it???
Evaluation of Disney's guided tour of Paris for guests: I enjoyed it. I thought it was worth the money, and appreciated having this option for a first look at the city. The bus was very comfortable, the guide was knowledgeable and personable, and the tour well-rounded and well-executed. I would recommend it.
Stay tuned for tomorrow...
