We invite you, if you dare, to join us for 116 days of fun vacations (so far) this year!

[dizneeat]

Dinner looked quite delicious! Great way to ring in the new year.

It was really good! But it took a looooong time to wrap up. Even for European standards.

Wow that dinner was amazing! The only time I had that many courses was at Victoria & Albert’s. That was a fantastic way to ring in the new year.

We very much enjoyed it. But we enjoyed the previous years even more. Unfortunately we were too late to book the hotel in St. Wolfgang and had to go to Strobl.
Here are a few quick pics from the year prior.

I would love to watch fireworks from my balcony.

Best way to watch them!!
These are from the year prior as well. Really loved being so close to the fireworks!

​

 

[ddluvsdisney]

Those dishes look like works of art! Beautiful

 

[dizneeat]

Those dishes look like works of art! Beautiful

Thank you! They were as good as they looked. And, we are already booked at that same place for this year's New Year's Celebration. They were a bit stunned when we booked for New Year's in late May.

 

[dizneeat]

New Year's Vacation

Day 3: January 1 – New Year’s Day:

We woke up around 8.30 to a picture perfect day and took our sweet time to get ready and go down to the restaurant for breakfast.

They had a huge breakfast brunch buffet, but unfortunately after our first plate we forgot to take more pics.

We had one more day to enjoy the area and decided to check out St. Gilgen, the third of the Wolfgangsee villages.

They also still had their Christmas decorations up and it was interesting to see the difference.

While St. Wolfgang is a huge lifesize Christmas village, Strobl has all different nativity scenes on display (in many shop windows and even in regular houses’s windows). St. Gilgen is the village of candles, HUGE candles.

We parked the car and walked through the village. Easy that day as January 1st is a holiday and everything was closed.

After walking around for a bit we decided that it would be fun to drive over to Fuschl on Fuschlsee (lake Fuschl).

On the way there you pass a viewpoint where you can see most of Wolfgangsee and the view is truly wonderful.

Photos taken we moved on to Fuschl, where we showed Elfi the headquarters of “Red Bull” which is something you have to see. Very impressive what Mr. Mateschitz had built there.

We stopped for some lunch at one of the restaurants and had really good

“Schweinsbraten” (roast pork).

Since we still needed to pack up as we wanted to leave early the next morning we decided to head back to Strobl, showed Elfi the apartment house that Tom’s union had bought and now rents out very cheaply to post office employees



and around 5 pm we arrived back at the hotel.

Quick showers and then we just packed up our stuff and got everything prepared for leaving the next day. And yes, we don’t travel light not even for a weekend trip.

At half past seven we headed down to the restaurant for dinner. Not that we were really hungry, but half board had been paid in advance and we could at least get a taste.

Our table was all prepared and we were quickly served our wine and water and had a look at the menu. The

potato and forest mushroom soup sounded good and did not disappoint. Main course was

herb crusted port loin with polenta and parmesan crisps. And we were happy we had not skipped dinner as it was delicious. But after our main course we were stuffed and skipped dessert.

We all sat in our room and chatted for quite some time until we were all tired and went to bed.​

 

[rdkeim]

What a lovely way to celebration New Years! Beautiful scenery, good food. Love the little villages - so picturesque. Glad you're back on the Boards!

 

[ddluvsdisney]

Love all your pictures! What a great New Year’s trip!

 

[dizneeat]

What a lovely way to celebration New Years! Beautiful scenery, good food. Love the little villages - so picturesque. Glad you're back on the Boards!

Welcome!
Wow! Another familiar name!
It was so much fun to spend the New Year's Celebrations with Elfi in such a nice area. And the food wasn't bad either.

 

[dizneeat]

Love all your pictures! What a great New Year’s trip!

Thank you! I am very happy you all enjoy, even though it's not Disney - YET!!

 

[dizneeat]

New Year's Vacation

Day 4: January 2 – Departure Day:

This one is going to be a short report.
After we had gotten up and ready we headed down to the restaurant and had some breakfast. The buffet was well stocked again but we all forgot to take photos.

After breakfast we took our luggage to the car, checked out and off we went.
There was one more stop that we wanted to take, we wanted to pick up some cakes from Zauner in Bad Ischl.

Zauner is one of the KuK (Kaiser und Königliche) Hofzuckerbäcker (Patissier to the Emperor and King). Their cakes and confections are still some of the very best and sought after. We stopped in Bad Ischl and hotfooted it over to Zauner, picked up some of their cakes

and off we went towards home. As I mentioned in the beginning, the drive is not very long

and we arrived back home around midday.
​

 

[ddluvsdisney]

Why do I always read your reports when I’m hungry!!?? That cake looked delicious!

 

[dizneeat]

Why do I always read your reports when I’m hungry!!?? That cake looked delicious!

Sorry, didn't want to make you hungry. But the Zauner cakes are ALL sooooo yummy. I just had to share.

 

[dizneeat]

I have not forgotten about the TR! We just travelled to the US and you can tell that you are old, when it takes you two days to adjust to the time change - haven't gotten used to the HEAT!!!!

 

[ddluvsdisney]

I had trouble with a 3 hour time change from here to California. I can’t imagine adjusting to your time change quickly.
So glad you made it to Disney. We travel a lot in the summer to Disney so we have adjusted to the heat. It is sooo HOT!! My DH likes that not many people are on the golf course.

 

[suse66]

Joining in for all the fun! I've always enjoyed your trip reports ( even though I was more of a lurker) and am happy to see you back on the boards!

Fun fact....I've always wanted to visit Austria since I read a school story series called "The Chalet School" as a child. They were set in the mountains above Spartz in the Tyrol and I always loved the descriptions of the mountains and lakes. Your description of your New Years trip brought those stories to life again for me, especially the description of the salt caves.

 

[dizneeat]

I had trouble with a 3 hour time change from here to California. I can’t imagine adjusting to your time change quickly.

Boy, adjusting to the time change was hard this time. We usually flew into Orlando, but this time because of Lufthansa no longer flying in themselves, but using their lesser service for the same price "Discover Airlines" we flew into Miami. Arrival time at MCO is always evening and we just go to bed and kind of have a few rough mornings, but we got into Miami in early afternoon and we had to try and not sleep (which we did not succeed at) in the afternoon. It really got our rhythm of sleep mixed up. But we had eight weeks to get used to it and we got there in the end.

We travel a lot in the summer to Disney so we have adjusted to the heat. It is sooo HOT!! My DH likes that not many people are on the golf course.

We have not been in September for a few years and the heat really hit us. Thankfully we had access to a washer and dryer as we went through our T-shirts quickly.
Can't imagine to play ANY sports in that heat. Your husband is brave.

Joining in for all the fun! I've always enjoyed your trip reports ( even though I was more of a lurker) and am happy to see you back on the boards!

Welcome!
The more the merrier! And thank you for sticking with me through my previous TR. Retirement is wonderful, we get to travel a lot and I still promise to make time for the TR now that we are back home.

Fun fact....I've always wanted to visit Austria since I read a school story series called "The Chalet School" as a child. They were set in the mountains above Spartz in the Tyrol and I always loved the descriptions of the mountains and lakes. Your description of your New Years trip brought those stories to life again for me, especially the description of the salt caves.

Well, I guess you'll have to come and visit and see it all for yourself. Austria is a country of so many different areas even we are so small. And the Tyrol is really beautiful - all the mountains and very picturesque views.

​

 

[dizneeat]

A new nighttime show? We have to see it!!

Trip 2: January 6 - 14
Disneyland Paris

Vacation Day 5: January 6


Last fall when we returned from our WDW trip we were discussing squeezing in a short trip to Disneyland Paris.
We usually drive but I really don’t fancy driving over 1000 km in freezing weather, so we checked, found flights, booked a hotel and were happy with our decision.
As luck would have it, just a few days later we realised that there was a new nighttime show,

Disney's Electrical Sky Parade

set to premiere right when we would be there. Christmas decorations AND a new nighttime show - perfect!



So on January 6th, a holiday here in the Catholic parts of Europe, we headed to our tiny little airport to fly to Frankfurt, where we would connect to Paris.

The 6.10am flight was on time and we took off on our 65 minute flight. We both skipped the Air Dolomiti breakfast and soon we landed in Paris.

Those small airplanes are usually “parked” at the furthest off spots and we had to get on a bus to be driven to the terminal and once we arrived we checked that our connecting flight was still on time before heading to the lounge.

We grabbed some breakfast and charged our phones and about half an hour before scheduled departure we headed to the gate, where we waited for about 10 minutes before being able to board the plane.

There was a short delay and we lost our slot to get airborn and sat there for another 20 minutes before we finally moved and got going. The flight itself was uneventful and we enjoyed the 2nd breakfast we were served during the flight.
​

Not much longer and we were ready to land at Charles de Gaulle airport. Got off the plane and walked the long walk/moving walkway to the main terminal to pick up our luggage. And for once our luggage was one of the first to be delivered. Yippie, off to the rental car counter.

Well, we joined a pretty long line and there was only one employee to help so it took quite some time to get to the front of the line, but since we had a pre-paid voucher our rental process was short and sweet.

Off to the elevator we went and in search of the car. Took us a bit to find it, but finally we were able to load our luggage into the boot and walked all around the car to check for any damage. (Years ago an employee told us that we had done some damage to one, but since I had the photos from when we picked it up, we could make sure that it had not been our doing. Ever since that experience we take even more care when picking up a rental.)

And off we went. Unfortunately our GPS took quite some time to connect and we missed our exit and had to do a d-tour. But then we were on our way. The drive from the airport to the hotel is about 45 minutes and we made good progress.

There was just one more stop that we had to make – at our favourite little bakery
which closed at 1pm as it was a holiday. We made it with time to spare and they welcomed us back and soon we had our baguette and some sweet treats.

We made it to the hotel and headed inside to do the actual check in and were told that our room was actually already ready at 12.30! And it was on the ground floor just a few steps from the lobby. Win-win!

We headed outside and grabbed our luggage, dropped it off in the room,

took a restroom break and then headed off to the parks. We had been able to secure a park reservation (you only get three with an AP) and didn’t want to waste it.

Arriving at the parking garage we knew that the parks would be packed as the garage was full and we had to really search for a spot to park the car. But once parked we headed right to the security check which had another long line and then we were actually able to walk towards the parks. But wait, there is the World of Disney, we can’t just walk past a gift shop! So we walked inside and did some window shopping of things we would like to take home.

​

And then finally we were ready to dare the crowds in the Magic Kingdom. And yes, it was crowded.

We took our sweet time to take in the Christmas decorations which were to come down starting the next day,

strolled through the shops and walked all the way to “It’s a small world” and through the castle and over to Adventureland, but no way would we get in line for a ride for 90 minutes. So, around 5pm we left and set out to do some grocery shopping.

The Auchan market is just a 10 minute drive away, but we had not expected the crowds being shopping on a holiday. Took quite some time to find a space to park the car and to get finally on the way.

Shopping took way longer than expected and we were tired and hungry by the time we left the store. Didn’t take long to get back to the hotel and haul all our groceries into our room. And a short while later after having unpacked and put away our shopping we sat down to have a feast.
That baguette and some Boursin cheese and ham and salami are just too yummy.

And after that travel day we were just done and watched a little TV before going to bed.

​

 

[ddluvsdisney]

Even though you didn’t ride anything looked like a nice day taking in all the Christmas decorations. I’d be happy just doing that.
It’s so funny to me to have a meal on a flight so short. Is that just common in Europe? I think the longest flight I’ve been on is almost 3 hours and all I get is a snack and drink. Haha
A baguette and cheese is all I need!

 

[dizneeat]

Even though you didn’t ride anything looked like a nice day taking in all the Christmas decorations.

We often just walk through the parks without riding anything. Let's say it's an age thing. We have ridden all the rides so many times that sometimes all we want to do is enjoy the smells, sights and sounds and watch the crowds.

It’s so funny to me to have a meal on a flight so short. Is that just common in Europe?

No, it's not common in Europe. In economy class you would be offered a drink and a small snack, but we mainly travel in Business Class as it is more comfortable with an empty seat next to you or having seats that turn into beds on international flights. And especially in Europe if you book early enough Business is just a little more (around 100 Euros) than Economy.

A baguette and cheese is all I need!

I am with you all the way on baguette, some Disigny butter and nice cheeses.

 

[dizneeat]

A new nighttime show? We have to see it!!

Trip 2: January 6 - 14
Disneyland Paris

Vacation Day 6: January 7

We were up and ready to head to the bakery

for more baguette and treats. About half an hour later our breakfast table was prepared, coffee and tea brewed and we were enjoying our breakfast.

Around 9.30 we were on our way to the parking garage, found a convenient spot and off we went.

Both parks are only a few steps away from the parking garage but there is the hurdle of security. While we are very happy with the one at WDW, it’s different at Disneyland Paris because if you have a stroller, many things in the bottom basket are often overlooked and make it into the security area without checking. Also, most of the people looking at the screen are way too busy joking and smoking to look at the screen at all. Rant over.

Once through the scanners we headed towards the Magic Kingdom park, walked right over to the Annual Passholder entry and soon made it into the park.

It was pretty busy and we took our sweet time to check out the stores on both sides of Main street, then walked over to Frontierland. Checked the wait time for Big Thunder Mountain

and it was too long, so we checked if we could buy a Fastpass and low and behold there was one for about 2 hours later. 36 Euros later we headed back over to the Phantom Manor.

The line was only 15 minutes and it moved faster than we had thought. Soon we were seated in a doom buggy and off we went to visit the 999 ghosts.

When we got off the ride we walked through the graveyard

and decided to wander a little more.

We walked over to Adventureland and on to Fantasyland, but most rides had too long a wait and we were not in the mood for such a long wait, but we got in line for “It’s a small world”. And when we were almost at the point where you board the boats the ride stopped and went down. We decided not to stay and left the line and walked through the castle, checked out the Christmas store and visited the dragon before heading back over to Big Thunder Mountain. We still had a while to wait, so we sat on a bench and checked the internet.

Once our window for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad opened we walked right over, signed in and got into that line. Took us about 15 minutes and we were finally on our way to enjoy the wildest ride in the wilderness.

After we had gotten off the ride we still had quite some time left before what we had planned on doing that day. It was busy so what to do? Well, we decided on leaving the parks in order to have lunch at Annette’s Diner. It is just a short walk into the Disney Village and there was also a line for walk ups that we joined and a short while later we were taken to a table. We ordered some Diet Coke and Tom had the

Onionburger while I had the

Avocadoburger. It took a while for the food to come out and we took our sweet time to eat as well but after we had settled the bill we strolled back to the park and got in line for the Christmas Carol Sing along.

And even though we were there about half an hour early we were lucky we made it into the line.
About 10 minutes before the show was supposed to start we were let into the theatre and found seats. The show was only half an hour long but it was really cute with all the characters, even though the “choir” effect of the audience changed when languages changed from French to English and vice versa.

When we left the theatre the weather had changed drastically and it had started to snow and drizzle. So we decided to call it a day and pick up some dinner on the way back to the hotel. They still had the Christmas Market stalls open in the Disney Village

and Tom tried one of their

Glühwein and even deemed it pretty nice.

We headed over to Earl of Sandwich and picked up two sandwiches and then walked back to the car and drove back to our hotel.

I wrapped the sandwich bag in a towel so they would stay warm longer and we watched a little TV before preparing some salads that we luckily had picked up at the grocery store and had our sandwiches. Both, the

Chipotle Chicken and the

Original were as good as we remembered them.

We spent the rest of the evening watching TV and snacked on some of the yummy treats we had picked up at the bakery in the morning.
​

 

[dizneeat]

A new nighttime show? We have to see it!!

Trip 2: January 6 - 14
Disneyland Paris

Vacation Day 7: January 8

We slept in a little and only got out the door to buy some baguette around 9am. Our little bakery is closed on Mondays so we had to drive a little further to another small artisan patisserie. We picked up some more baguettes and some yummy little treats

and headed back to the hotel for a late breakfast, well let’s call it brunch.

Around 11am we were finally ready to get out the door and head to the car to drive over to the parking garage. Yes, the hotel has a shuttle bus, but we prefer having a car.

Car parked we went through security and today made a right into the Walt Disney Studios Park.
We first walked toward the new Marvel area, but not without getting a Fastpass for Tower of Terror and then, since the Spiderman ride only had a 20 minute wait posted, we got in line.
Well, the 20 minutes turned into 45 minutes, but we made it on the ride and had good fun. We walked towards the Pixar area

and saw that the Remy ride was down so we checked out the shops nearby and just as we left we saw that the line opened again. Needless to say that we just jumped in line

and it really didn’t take more than 20 minutes and we were on the ride.

The ride ends in Bistro Chez Remy which is a nice little restaurant where you will be “rat sized”. We have had dinner there several times and the menu doesn’t change and food quality isn’t always the best either, so we were not too unhappy that we could not score a reservation.
By then we were way inside our Fastpass window for Tower of Terror

and walked right over, scanned our phones and got in line. We needed to wait a bit as they did not use all the elevators, but after another 20 minutes we got onto the elevator and off we went into the Twilight Zone. And after getting off we just had little time to walk over to the theatre where we saw the Frozen show. We easily got into the roped off area and it didn’t take long and we were taken inside the theatre.

It's just a short little show, but it was cute and well done.

By then we had enough of the hustle and bustle of the parks and walked back to the car. Time for a little break at the hotel.

Around 7pm we left the hotel again and parked at the parking garage again. We had a dinner reservation at the Steakhouse at the Disney Village. We were a little early and had to wait but were seated within 15 minutes.

We both had ordered Diet Cokes and were quickly served some

baguette rolls and some

D’Isigny butter. We both ordered Steak and Fries. Mine was a

Filet and Tom had a

New York Steak. Both were really good and I had been intrigued by their

Chocolate Fudge cake, so that was what I ordered for dessert. Unfortunately it turned out rather dry and overly sweet. Tom got the better deal by just ordering an

Espresso.

After dinner we had actually thought about heading into the park again, because that day the Electrical Sky Parade premiered, but there were so many people still heading towards the parks and we didn’t want to fight our way through, so we decided to just head back to our hotel and watch it another day.

Back at the hotel we made ourselves comfortable in front of the TV and finished off the yummy sweets we had gotten in the morning.​