Trip report January 2008

[tinkerbell 766]

Okay as promised,here is a trippie. Sorry no pics yet
Day 1 21 Jan

Today we are going to DLRP (yippee!!!). We are me (11th trip to DLRP, I think), DH (DLRP virgin but has been to WDW), DMIL (complete Disney virgin), DS 8 (5th trip to DLRP) and DD 20 (8th trip to DLRP - will meet us at train station as she is coming from Uni in Surrey by Eurostar). We are up very early as our flight from Liverpool is 0730 and we need to leave home in Cumbria at 0330 Still all adds to the excitement I guess.
Uneventful flight all on time and no major upsets. We arrive at CDG and are extremely lucky to walk out of the terminal building and straight on to a waiting VEA shuttle. I really enjoy this bus ride as the anticipation is so intense and I get so excited when we get near and I catch my first glimpse of the castle, space mountain etc. Enjoy pointing them out to DH and DMIL who is bemused by my obvious statee of euphoria and thinks I've lost my mind!!! Quote from DMIL "but I have been to Blackpool".
Get dropped off at the train station as this VEA shuttle does not go direct to Explorers. Decide to wait out the hour before meeting DD off the Eurostar at DV and get a sandwich and a coffee. Yummy
Meet DD off train and get on pink blamanche bus to Explorers. Check in (a very slow process) and dispatch DD to display to get park maps (unfortunately none left in English, and this was not rectified whilst we were there). Went up to our rooms (Me, DH and DS in one room and DMIL and DD in another). Won't go into my opinion of the rooms as I have already made my feelings clear previously and I don't want to upset Explorers fans as I am sure we were just unlucky. No park tickets today so plan to go swimming. Running out of space. Continued in next post.

 

[tinkerbell 766]

Cannot go swimming as the pool is closed. Oh well, never mind. DH is soooo tired so he has a nap and the rest of us explore the hotel (excuse the pun) and DS plays on the playarea. We have a coffee and go to look around the hotel shop but that's closed as well. Go back to room, wake up DH and decide to go for an early dinner at Rainforest Cafe. Wait 20 mins for a bus and arrive at DV absolutely frozen. Have an excellent dinner and look around DV before heading back for an early night.
Day 2 Breakfast in the Plantation Restaurant is very nice, although appauled by the stencilled snowmen and santas on the windows. Go back to the rooms and gather luggage, fill in feedback questionaire for hotel and wait for bus(20 mins again) to go to check in at Disneyland Hotel Check in smooth and easy and pleasently surprised to find rooms ready at 0930. Get passes, dump bags, make appreciative noises about lovely room and head for Disneyland Park Do some character greets at the bandstand etc and catch horsedrawn trolley to the Hub. Go through castle and down to see the dragon, ignoring DMIL's cries of "oo isn't it dark. See you in next post

 

[tinkerbell 766]

Head for Fantasyland and do Snow White, Pinnochio and PP flight. Trying all the time to get DMIL interested in the attention to detail etc. I am fighting a losing battle. I find it so frustrating when people are obviously not Disney fanatics like me. It must be them who are off their trolleys, right? Head for the Labyrith as this is one of DS's favourites. Get half way round and DMIL complains that she has had enough. I say "okay we'll do something else "and she says "No, I've had enough of the whole thing. My feet hurt" So we have another coffee and head for Pof the C as it is a sit down ride. Great I love this ride but it does not seem to impress DMIL. She now wants to go back to the hotel and "unpack and get sorted". Poor DH has to escort her back and I have to virtually gag DD to stop her saying something she will later regret!!! Arrange to meet DH in half an hour at BTM. Ride this and Phantom Manor before getting a good spot for the parade. Quote from DMIL "seen one parade, you've seen them all. I watch Keswick Carnival parade every year". Parade is brilliant, brilliant, brilliant. Ride Space Mountain which is ace as usual and watch Candlellabration. Fantastic

 

[tinkerbell 766]

Go and have dinner after retrieving DMIL from the hotel. Decide to try the buffer at Billy Bob's. Excellent and even DMIL is impressed. DS is a little quiet and says he feels unwell so we leave DH watching footie at the sportsbar and go back to hotel. All go to bed only to be woken about an hour later by DS vomiting all over the beautiful carpets of the DLH Must admit I was more worried about the carpets than DS who had perked up nicely after vomiting!!! Spent the next 45 mins scrubbing carpets whilst DH pretended to be asleep. DS sick all night, though thankfully into toilet not on carpet. Next morning DS still not well and leave him with DD whilst we get breakfast. DD never eats breakfast anyway. Breakfast is yummy. Decide that DS had better stay in the room this morning so do hourly shift in room with him. First, shift is mine so wait in room watching Disney Channel in French with DS. When the others return, DS announces that he feels better and wants go to the Studios Promise to hire him a stroller so he doesn't get too tired. This we do, cover in ablanket and press on. Do BL tour, Cinemagiique and RR Coaster. DS refuses to go on any rides as he still feels unwell

 

[tinkerbell 766]

Do TodT (brilliant), Crushes coaster and Art of Disney and sob because Animagique is closed Watch LMA and parade (even DMIL enjoyed it) and head back to hotel. DS seems to be better and is hungry so head for dinner at Annettes (Oreo cookie milkshake is to die for). End of another day.
Last day (sob). Head back to DLP and do all rides we can again and again DMIL heads back to hotel after two hours. Meet up with her later and have lunch at Agrabar Cafe which was excellent. Have to check out of hotel, and wait for bus back to airport. First say goodbye to DD who is heading back on the Eurostar. Very depressed on bus and crane neck until castle etc is completely out of sight!!!!! Vow, as usual to come back to my spiritual home very soon but without the unbeliever (DMIL), who incidently spent the time at the airport and on the plane being sick. Divine intervention?????
Sorry this is so long but hope you all enjoy it. Good trip over all despite everything.

 

[Cyrano]

Just popping your post over on to a new thread

 

[meeko cat]

loved your report

sorry to hear about your son .....but as you said shame on those that dont

believe

shame about explorers as we had a great stay there

hope it didnt spoil your trip.....

 

[Orion33]

oh good god your holiday is like a mirror image of my last one my niece had serious diarrhoea the first night we got there - i think it was excitement but she was going to the loo every half an hour all night then when she managed to sleep she had an accident all over the bed nightmare!!!! this was my first experience of a child in disney! not a good start

My bro also came and he announced on the first night (we had been there approx 1 hour) that he didn't think he could cope with it for three days and it was doing his head in. Luckily at 6pm on our first day in the park it had done his head in enough for him to disappear back to the hotel and plan going into paris the next day instead leaving the rest of us to have a good time! As it is the 5 of us who were Disney mad just pretend day 1 never happened as having someone who was so anti Disney nearly killed the holiday.

Looking forward to my trip in may minus Dishater!!! so i can restore the magic.

 

[Ware Bears]

Your poor DS and what a shame about your first day but at least it was at the start of your trip and not at the end.

Glad you had a great time and hope DMIL soon recovered. Hopefully being ill will have put her off going with you again!

 

[jillrobinson]

It's always such a shame when someone's ill on holiday, so unfair. Glad that despite the misfortunes you managed to have a good time.

 

[poppyolivia]

Awww hope you return again soon!! Maybe ditch the MIL though..people like that drag you down!...Shame they got sick...I did too for 2 years running and the amount of people we saw ill was quite scarey......

take care and thanks for sharing your holiday with us, its nice reading other peoples experiences

~Katrina~

 

[thelittlemermaid83]

Great report, cant wait to see the pics.

I agree with poppyolivia ditch the MIL next time, i know what its like to go with someone who moans and just doesnt believe.

 

[marcus.ka]

All go to bed only to be woken about an hour later by DS vomiting all over the beautiful carpets of the DLH Must admit I was more worried about the carpets than DS who had perked up nicely after vomiting!!! Spent the next 45 mins scrubbing carpets whilst DH pretended to be asleep. DS sick all night, though thankfully into toilet not on carpet.

Thank you for your Trip Report.

I found the part about your son vomiting on the carpets of the DLH so funny, although it was not funny for you when you experienced it.

Did you inform housekeeping about this incident? They do have some special machinery and cleaning stuff to make the carpets as good as new.

 

[britchic4]

Love the quotes from your DMIL. She sounds exactly like my grandma was - she travelled around the world about 3 times, got shot at in the Lebanon, was on the first cruise ship let in to China but nothing was as good as Manchester!

 

[thelittlemermaid83]

Love the quotes from your DMIL. She sounds exactly like my grandma was - she travelled around the world about 3 times, got shot at in the Lebanon, was on the first cruise ship let in to China but nothing was as good as Manchester!

Shes had a busy life then