glastocat100
Earning My Ears
- Joined
- Aug 2, 2006
- Messages
- 10
So, it was our last day at Disney. As we wanted to see the parade we decided to start packing in the morning, and head to the Parks around lunchtime, as we would be staying until closing time. So we visited the donkeys for the last time, taking them a load of apples and carrots [good way to clear out the fridge!]. We packed up most of our stuff, had breakfast and another lovely swim [oh, how I loved our pool especially as we had it all to ourselves! 
]. By then we could wait no longer adrenaline would have to keep us going somehow! 
We got to the park around 1, J running up the walkways the wrong way for the last time. It was very hot and humid, so we went to the Village for a fortifying beer before nipping into the Studio Park, as my dad wanted to go on Armageddon [he loves the movie!]. Anyway, I didnt give him any warnings of any *ahem* surprises, so he jumped a mile it was very funny!
Anyway, he loved it. Meanwhile S took J down to see the go-carts on the lake, but they were closed. We met up again at the Cafe opposite Armageddon, and S and I had another go on the Rock n Roller Coaster, while dad and J had an ice-lolly. I loved this ride so much, we even bought the photo [with Micky and Minnie in the back-seats of course!]. 
So, that was the end of the Studio Park for us [for this visit anyway]. I was sorry to have missed both Ciemagique and Animagique, especially as dad and J enjoyed Cinemagique so much. But, hey, next time, you know?
So, back to do more rides! We hadnt seen a whole lot of Adventureland so far, so off we went! We wanted to head straight for Indiana Jones and get some fast passes, but we found this part of the park really easy to get lost in. It was very atmospheric as the weather was very humid almost tropical. I thought the theming of this area was fantastic. Anyway, we found ourselves outside POTC again, and as there was no queue [again] decided to have another go. We all loved this again, and my dad bought the photo for both of us I have quite a collection, as we bought the Buzz photo too! We had a look around the shop where J talked Granda into buying him a pirate gun, and S bought himself a Pirate bandana [the great eejit! I told him he still wont look like Johnny Depp! ]
S, J and I then had a look at the Swiss Family Robinson house, while dad rested too many steps for him. I loved this, probably because it was one of my favourite books as a child although it was a LOT bigger than I had imagined. After this we had a wander around Adventure Island, and Pirates beach [some of those caves are very dark dad was a bit scared of falling]. Jude liked the Pirate Ship, but I thought they could have made a little more of this. We even went over the rope-bridge and floating bridge which was quite an adventure for dad and J. We finally found Indiana Jones, and saw that the fast-passes were for 50 minutes time, so we grabbed some, and decided to go for a sit-down, as dad was feeling the pace a bit.
So, we spotted Colonel Hathis pizza place [for the first time made us wonder where else we had overlooked!], and sat on the veranda relaxing, and wishing we were sipping pink gins while a punka-wallah wafted up a breeze with a palm branch. We had to settle for cokes though! By now it was getting very humid a storm was a-brewing! S and I went over to Indiana Jones, leaving dad and J to wait for us.
So, we went straight on to our last coaster, and hooray we got the front seats at my request! S was laughing at my bravery, but I told him I only trust Disney coasters not to kill me! Anyway, the ride start and I was screaming my head of as usual when we got to the top, and it stopped. I said to S, well the book says it stops and starts. So we waited. And waited. I wasnt scared at all [to my amazement as I said, I trust Disney not to kill me
]. Also, we were stopped beside a platform and stairs, and not upside down on the loop! Eventually we heard on the Tannoy that the ride had been stopped for safety reasons, and next thing an cast member turned up to lead us down this stairs. So I did all the coasters except the second half of Indiana Jones! Oh well, next time! We were chatting to some Spanish kids who told us it was the second / third time the ride had broken while they were on it. They also told us they were upside down on the loop for ages before being rescued, so they may have been exaggerating a bit!
So, we went back to dad and J, and told them what had happened. By then it was time to stroll down to see the Buffalo Bill show which we had booked previously [forgetting to get our 15% discount! ]. There were some big drops of rain as we walked down, but we got there quite unscathed. We wanted to get to Buffalo Bill early to get seats near the back, as dad has asthma, but we were allocated seats on entry. We didnt bother asking to be changed, and went in and had a drink in the bar. We were given green hats to wear, and J instructed all that cowboys say Yee ha! a lot, and practised shooting with his new gun. Walking past the little souvenir shop he shot at the shop assistant, and was surprised and delighted when she whipped out two shooters, shot him back, blew away the smoke, twirled them round her fingers, and stuck them in her pockets! They really do things SO well at Disney I think!
So, we went in [seated near the back - phew], and waiting in the heat J took off his hat. When the server came round he asked him where his hat was J said I dont have a hat, but I have a gun!, so the guy said if he used it to help the green team, he would get him extra treasure later, but only if he wore his hat, so we would know he wasnt a bad guy. J,of course, agreed instantly.
Anyway, the show was great fun. S was probably most amazed at how still the cows and bison stood [hes from a farming family and thought training a cow to do anything would be pretty damn impossible!]. The food I thought, was a bit basic cowboy grub I know but my ribs were pure fat definitely not a gourmet experience! Anyway, at the end our team didnt win, but happily there was treasure for everyone, and our waiter gave us all a few coins, except J, who got a dozen! He was delighted to find out it was chocolate money too.I did think this show was quite expensive, very enjoyable, but having seen it I wouldnt really go again.
When we came out we couldnt believe our eyes everyone was wearing rain ponchos! It must have totally bucketed down while we were in the show great timing! Dad and I decided that, since it was our last night, and all the big rides had been done, we would have a sneaky cocktail [poor S was on lemonade]. So dad had a long Island Ice-Tea, and I had a Margherita yum! So, it was time to have a last look at the park.
We strolled back through the puddles, and did a little last minute-shopping on Main Street before deciding to have a look at the Pink Castle [sorry J, I meant to say Light Red castle man does that boy HATE pink!]. We asked J if he wanted to say goodbye to the dragon he didnt! [Did I mention our visit to the dragon on day one? J hid behind my legs, claiming he wasnt scared at all, but when the dragon roared at him he legged it! ].
We walked up to the back of Fantasyland, and straight on to Casey Jones train J thought this was great. I wanted to have a go in the maze, but dad got last call on another ride on Its a small world. This was just as good second time round. When we came out of this fantasyland was closing to prepare for the fireworks, so we cut through Adventureland, and had a look at Aladdins passage nice treasure! BY now people were getting into place for the parade, so we found a spot by the railing on the hub in front of the palace, and a welcome sit down. Dad had brought J a new book Disneys Scarey stories, so he sat for the entire time a whole half hour looking at his new book! To be fair, he was pretty tired too. Anyway, the parade started a little after 10.30, and J was goggle eyed, especially when his pal Mickey waved at him! There werent many dancers, only the floats and some dragon fly dancers I heard later that usually the parade is much bigger, but they scaled it down due to the rain. Anyway, we all thought it was great! After that, came Wishes, the fireworks display. I have to say, I was expecting this to be good, but it absolutely blew me away I was almost in tears! I started off taking photos, but then I just watched I cant see how that could ever be portrayed adequately by photo or video! Even S was absolutely gob -smacked and admitted he had a wee tear in the eye too! I definitely wouldnt miss this again! Anyway, it was a fitting end to an amazing trip.
So, we strolled down Main Street for the last time, all of us a little bit sad. J even cried a bit until we promised him some day we would come back again! He told me he wants to live in our French house with the pool and go to Disneyland every day, and no, he would never get bored! I didnt like to tell him I felt the same way! Au revoir Mickey!
Anyway, trying to prolong the magic, we had a last beer in Billy Bobs, [to avoid the crowds leaving honest!]. Eventually, we went to the car, down the walk ways for the last time, then home. J was asleep within 5 seconds of getting into the car!
So, home we went.
Saturday Going home
So, we packed up, and said goodbye to our lovely gite and pool. We took a last trip to Val dEurope where I went to Auchan to get some treats to bring home, and everyone else had a half hour shopping. I thought Auchan was fantastic why cant we have that much choise and SO cheap!]. We then drove back to the airport, gave back our fancy car, and flew home, back to reality, back to Cork.
THE END
Anyway, thats it hope you enjoyed reading my trip report. I had a lot of fun writing it, it was great to get it all down as it fixes the memories in your head so much better I think. Now, to get the photos actually IN an album I dont want to lose such happy memories.
Ill be honest, before the trip I was a bit of a Disney cynic but now Im a total convert, and Ill definitely be back before my annual pass runs out [maybe twice!]. It really was the holiday of a life-time we all thought so!
]. By then we could wait no longer adrenaline would have to keep us going somehow! We got to the park around 1, J running up the walkways the wrong way for the last time. It was very hot and humid, so we went to the Village for a fortifying beer before nipping into the Studio Park, as my dad wanted to go on Armageddon [he loves the movie!]. Anyway, I didnt give him any warnings of any *ahem* surprises, so he jumped a mile it was very funny!
Anyway, he loved it. Meanwhile S took J down to see the go-carts on the lake, but they were closed. We met up again at the Cafe opposite Armageddon, and S and I had another go on the Rock n Roller Coaster, while dad and J had an ice-lolly. I loved this ride so much, we even bought the photo [with Micky and Minnie in the back-seats of course!]. So, that was the end of the Studio Park for us [for this visit anyway]. I was sorry to have missed both Ciemagique and Animagique, especially as dad and J enjoyed Cinemagique so much. But, hey, next time, you know?
So, back to do more rides! We hadnt seen a whole lot of Adventureland so far, so off we went! We wanted to head straight for Indiana Jones and get some fast passes, but we found this part of the park really easy to get lost in. It was very atmospheric as the weather was very humid almost tropical. I thought the theming of this area was fantastic. Anyway, we found ourselves outside POTC again, and as there was no queue [again] decided to have another go. We all loved this again, and my dad bought the photo for both of us I have quite a collection, as we bought the Buzz photo too! We had a look around the shop where J talked Granda into buying him a pirate gun, and S bought himself a Pirate bandana [the great eejit! I told him he still wont look like Johnny Depp!
]S, J and I then had a look at the Swiss Family Robinson house, while dad rested too many steps for him. I loved this, probably because it was one of my favourite books as a child although it was a LOT bigger than I had imagined. After this we had a wander around Adventure Island, and Pirates beach [some of those caves are very dark dad was a bit scared of falling]. Jude liked the Pirate Ship, but I thought they could have made a little more of this. We even went over the rope-bridge and floating bridge which was quite an adventure for dad and J. We finally found Indiana Jones, and saw that the fast-passes were for 50 minutes time, so we grabbed some, and decided to go for a sit-down, as dad was feeling the pace a bit.
So, we spotted Colonel Hathis pizza place [for the first time made us wonder where else we had overlooked!], and sat on the veranda relaxing, and wishing we were sipping pink gins while a punka-wallah wafted up a breeze with a palm branch. We had to settle for cokes though! By now it was getting very humid a storm was a-brewing! S and I went over to Indiana Jones, leaving dad and J to wait for us.
So, we went straight on to our last coaster, and hooray we got the front seats at my request! S was laughing at my bravery, but I told him I only trust Disney coasters not to kill me! Anyway, the ride start and I was screaming my head of as usual when we got to the top, and it stopped. I said to S, well the book says it stops and starts. So we waited. And waited. I wasnt scared at all [to my amazement as I said, I trust Disney not to kill me
]. Also, we were stopped beside a platform and stairs, and not upside down on the loop! Eventually we heard on the Tannoy that the ride had been stopped for safety reasons, and next thing an cast member turned up to lead us down this stairs. So I did all the coasters except the second half of Indiana Jones! Oh well, next time! We were chatting to some Spanish kids who told us it was the second / third time the ride had broken while they were on it. They also told us they were upside down on the loop for ages before being rescued, so they may have been exaggerating a bit!So, we went back to dad and J, and told them what had happened. By then it was time to stroll down to see the Buffalo Bill show which we had booked previously [forgetting to get our 15% discount! ]. There were some big drops of rain as we walked down, but we got there quite unscathed. We wanted to get to Buffalo Bill early to get seats near the back, as dad has asthma, but we were allocated seats on entry. We didnt bother asking to be changed, and went in and had a drink in the bar. We were given green hats to wear, and J instructed all that cowboys say Yee ha! a lot, and practised shooting with his new gun. Walking past the little souvenir shop he shot at the shop assistant, and was surprised and delighted when she whipped out two shooters, shot him back, blew away the smoke, twirled them round her fingers, and stuck them in her pockets! They really do things SO well at Disney I think!
So, we went in [seated near the back - phew], and waiting in the heat J took off his hat. When the server came round he asked him where his hat was J said I dont have a hat, but I have a gun!, so the guy said if he used it to help the green team, he would get him extra treasure later, but only if he wore his hat, so we would know he wasnt a bad guy. J,of course, agreed instantly.
Anyway, the show was great fun. S was probably most amazed at how still the cows and bison stood [hes from a farming family and thought training a cow to do anything would be pretty damn impossible!]. The food I thought, was a bit basic cowboy grub I know but my ribs were pure fat definitely not a gourmet experience! Anyway, at the end our team didnt win, but happily there was treasure for everyone, and our waiter gave us all a few coins, except J, who got a dozen! He was delighted to find out it was chocolate money too.I did think this show was quite expensive, very enjoyable, but having seen it I wouldnt really go again.
When we came out we couldnt believe our eyes everyone was wearing rain ponchos! It must have totally bucketed down while we were in the show great timing! Dad and I decided that, since it was our last night, and all the big rides had been done, we would have a sneaky cocktail [poor S was on lemonade]. So dad had a long Island Ice-Tea, and I had a Margherita yum! So, it was time to have a last look at the park.
We strolled back through the puddles, and did a little last minute-shopping on Main Street before deciding to have a look at the Pink Castle [sorry J, I meant to say Light Red castle man does that boy HATE pink!]. We asked J if he wanted to say goodbye to the dragon he didnt! [Did I mention our visit to the dragon on day one? J hid behind my legs, claiming he wasnt scared at all, but when the dragon roared at him he legged it!
].We walked up to the back of Fantasyland, and straight on to Casey Jones train J thought this was great. I wanted to have a go in the maze, but dad got last call on another ride on Its a small world. This was just as good second time round. When we came out of this fantasyland was closing to prepare for the fireworks, so we cut through Adventureland, and had a look at Aladdins passage nice treasure! BY now people were getting into place for the parade, so we found a spot by the railing on the hub in front of the palace, and a welcome sit down. Dad had brought J a new book Disneys Scarey stories, so he sat for the entire time a whole half hour looking at his new book! To be fair, he was pretty tired too. Anyway, the parade started a little after 10.30, and J was goggle eyed, especially when his pal Mickey waved at him! There werent many dancers, only the floats and some dragon fly dancers I heard later that usually the parade is much bigger, but they scaled it down due to the rain. Anyway, we all thought it was great! After that, came Wishes, the fireworks display. I have to say, I was expecting this to be good, but it absolutely blew me away I was almost in tears! I started off taking photos, but then I just watched I cant see how that could ever be portrayed adequately by photo or video! Even S was absolutely gob -smacked and admitted he had a wee tear in the eye too! I definitely wouldnt miss this again! Anyway, it was a fitting end to an amazing trip.
So, we strolled down Main Street for the last time, all of us a little bit sad. J even cried a bit until we promised him some day we would come back again! He told me he wants to live in our French house with the pool and go to Disneyland every day, and no, he would never get bored! I didnt like to tell him I felt the same way! Au revoir Mickey!
Anyway, trying to prolong the magic, we had a last beer in Billy Bobs, [to avoid the crowds leaving honest!]. Eventually, we went to the car, down the walk ways for the last time, then home. J was asleep within 5 seconds of getting into the car!
So, home we went.
Saturday Going home
So, we packed up, and said goodbye to our lovely gite and pool. We took a last trip to Val dEurope where I went to Auchan to get some treats to bring home, and everyone else had a half hour shopping. I thought Auchan was fantastic why cant we have that much choise and SO cheap!]. We then drove back to the airport, gave back our fancy car, and flew home, back to reality, back to Cork.
THE END
Anyway, thats it hope you enjoyed reading my trip report. I had a lot of fun writing it, it was great to get it all down as it fixes the memories in your head so much better I think. Now, to get the photos actually IN an album I dont want to lose such happy memories.
Ill be honest, before the trip I was a bit of a Disney cynic but now Im a total convert, and Ill definitely be back before my annual pass runs out [maybe twice!]. It really was the holiday of a life-time we all thought so!
I've really enjoyed reading them. I do hope you get back to DLRP soon. 
