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[lauramumof3]

cant wait for the next bit all the photos, especially about auberge de cinderiilon-because we are going in a couple of weeks!! please put it on before next sunday.................!

[RockNRoller]

Thats not a good start, been delayed myself and airports can be very boring, especially when youre going to somewhere like Disney when you tend to be more hyped up. Looking forward to the rest of the report

[Laura678]

Waiting in anticipation for the rest of your report!!

[disneyloverjessie]

That delay must've been horrible...
Can't wait for rest of report

[disneyrules]

Great trip report so far!
Sorry to hear about the delay
Cant wait to
read the rest :thumbs:

[Javey74]

Just thought I would put a little apology here, as this Trip Report is really taking it's time. I am trying my best to speed things up, but with work and one thing and another at home it's taking a lot longer than I imagined. Don't worry though it will happen, I've got all my notes together, just the photos to upload to DisneyMagic then choosing the ones to link to my report..  :oops:

Hang in there everyone, thank you for your patience..  :oops:  :|

[Javey74]

Nearly sorted, but not quite..  :oops:  :oops:  :oops:  :roll:

[smurfy74]

any news??

[Javey74]

any news??

Funny you should say that smurfy74, as of today I've finally finished uploading all my photos after weeks of editing, sorting and naming and renaming them..  :mrgreen:

I'm gonna start my first main day in the parks this week..    

[never2old]

any news??

Funny you should say that smurfy74, as of today I've finally finished uploading all my photos after weeks of editing, sorting and naming and renaming them..  :mrgreen:

I'm gonna start my first main day in the parks this week..    

Ah, all the hard work that goes into a report... Really looking forward to it!!

[Javey74]

If I could type 'Sorry' a million times here I would, but there have been further delays, we've been redecorating Jen's room and it wasn't supposed to be happening till 21st of February, but it's been brought forward to the past 2 weeks, so again the typing has been put on hold, just as I was about to start..  ](*,)

I will get it done if it kills me..  :roll:

[Javey74]

Day 2 - Thursday 4th November 2010

Weather>>
Morning: Mild with a little drizzle on and off
Mid/Afternoon: Dry, mild with broken cloud
Night: Dry, mild with broken cloud

Part 2..The Magic Begins

Well my Donald 'Deck the Halls' rang out on my phone to wake us up at 6.30am, we got up but after the previous days flight problems we were all really tired. Still we got ourselves up and dressed, freshened up and headed to the Chuck Wagon for our breakfast, we'd managed to get 7.00am breakfast tickets. After our fill of food and drink it was straight off to the Cheyenne Bus Stop. Jen decided to remind us which hotel we were in seen as it was now daylight..  :mrgreen:



In came the bus for that few minute journey to the Magical Kingdom..  /  /  /

Anyway we arrived at the bus station and headed straight down towards the Disneyland Park, passing under...



Then onto the security tent, and yes they wanted a look in my camera back, however I picked up a little trick with this one as the days wore on.. Well that famous view appeared, the one with the fountain just in front of the main entrance..  



It was then that I spotted the Fantasia topiaries, which I can't remember being there in our February 2010 visit.. :-k





Now it was time to head to the side entrance to gain early entry to get in on those extra magic hours. We went through the turn stiles just after 8.00am to a welcoming Donald voice, only on my ticket aswell..    

Then looking up at the Mainstreet Station to see L'Annee Nouvelle de la Generation signage, a hint of what was instore on this trip..  



I can say with no word of a lie that looking into town square is such a great feeling of 'I'm here, I'm here, I'm here' even though I've been here 6 times already and on every previous occasion there were no large green boards hiding the main central area which was obviously being prepared for the Christmas Season. We wasted no time in heading off down Mainstreet, it was then I noticed the Christmas globes..  







Heading past the globes I started taking in the most spine tingling view of all time, as it is every time.. Yes you've guessed it, the Castle in the distance..      



Falling short of reaching it we headed right at the Plaza Gardens, but just before that right turn, look what I spotted above me..  :mrgreen:



Anyway that short cut through Plaza Gardens heading towards Discoveryland was still put on hold when a beam of light to my left caught my eye, I realised that the sun had broken through a little cloud and for some reason illuminated the front of the castle with a golden glow..  :shock:  



Eventually we got to Discoveryland and funnily enough our first ride was the same as last time, Buzz Lightyears Laser Blast, another blast from the past, pardon the pun..  :mrgreen:



After a good old firing session for all of us defeating Zurg and his allies we decided to have a quick look at some of the 2010 merchandise by entering the boutique just outside. We do this every year so we have an idea of must buys and final buys before we leave..    

Jen headed off to her favourite ride of Discoveryland next... Orbitron, and I must admit I think this was one of the few times she has gone on it and it wasn't raining and also the first time she went on it by herself..    





We decided to head back towards the Castle through into Fantasyland with the idea of getting onto the 'Extra Magic Hours' open rides very quickly..  

Passing through the Castle I decided to get a shot of the fantastic ceiling architecture..  







Passing the jeweled covered golden book of Sleeping Beauty..  



Coming out the back of the Castle looking onto Fantasyland again always gives me that tingling feeling. The first ride on reaching Fantasyland was Le Carrousel de Lancelot, always a regular one for us all, I find it a good ride to do a bit thinking on, since it's easy flowing and peaceful..    





Then for Vanessa and Jen it was the Mad Hatters Spinning Teacups, not for me since I cannot stomach waltzer type rides..  :sick:



While they were on the teacups, I noticed the serpent to my right, loved this bit of topiary..  



We then decided to wander over to the Castle so I could take a few more rear exterior shots and remind ourselves just how beautiful the architecture is..  







You can see looking at this angle that the Castle needs a re-paint urgently..  :roll:



Got this one of some of the hidden side upward lighting..  



The famous Bell Tower..  



We headed back inside..  







Loved this Christmas door display, so traditional..  



Heading out to the side of the Castle we headed round towards 'La Taniere du Dragon'..  



Thought we'd have a check on the Dragon..  :mrgreen:



Yep, still there and ok..  :lol:  :mrgreen:
 
After that we decided to have a walk back up Mainstreet taking in the smells and sounds as you do, but on reaching town square we noticed Mickey doing signings and autographs near the Liberty Arcade entrance..  



We decided to head over there and wait in a queue which was not too long, half way through the wait we heard a familiar train whistle and an even more familiar tune that started with Choo Choo Pa Pa Choo Choo Pa Pa Ooooooooo. All Aboard!! Well instinct told me, 'The Character Express', though this time 'The All New Character Express and through the gates next to the Kodak shop out it came, I quickly ran over to get a few quick snaps for now while Jen and Vanessa were nearing the front of the queue. Always gets me footing tapping does that tune..  :-"  :-"

Just made it back for this..  



Once we got the shot of Jen with Mickey we quickly headed down to the Central Plaza to try and catch some more characters and as luck had it we did..    

First up>>

Same head gear..  :lol:  :mrgreen:



Don't worry Vanessa was sober, just a bad facial capture..  :lol:  :mrgreen:











Then as the Characters got back on board I got a few more shots..    

















Next it was a stroll over to Adventureland and the torches were lit..  



Through we went..  



No sooner we had got there who did we see, more characters.  Here's another line up..    







Then I noticed Chip heading off into the bushes, I thought surely not... But no he was up to his usual tricks in the art of camouflage..  :lol:  :mrgreen:





After heading through Adventureland again taking in the sights and smells we ended up in Frontierland and as I thought before the trip we were just in time to see the last of the Halloween decorations, I noticed a few new ones amongst them I hadn't seen before..  



























You can see more here>> http://public.fotki.com/disneymagic/pum ... n-vs-pink/

In the meantime Vanessa and Jen took off to get our Fast Passes for 'Big Thunder Mountain'. Once we all met up again we headed up into Woody's Roundup and again to my surprise had the winter scenes, lit by fluorescent lighting which really adds to the whiteness of the snow and the other decorations..  















Well this time in Woody's Roundup I thought I would get into the action aswell as Jen..  :mrgreen:





On our way back passing under the CottonWood Creek signage we were blessed again with some more characters this time..













We headed back towards the Central Plaza where again where 'The All New Character Express' was parked up and we managed to catch Remy this time..  



Being close to the main entrance to Frontierland we decided to have a walk around a place we had never walked before, this being Fort Comstock upper gantry, which was open, I think a lot of previous visits it's been closed due to bad weather with surfaces being very slippy. But alas not this time..    



Passing the 'Legends of the Wild West' signage, up the steps we went..  :thumbs:











Now for the ride we had all been waiting for 'Big Thunder Mountain', with two minutes to the 12.00pm time on our tickets we swiftly headed off. Straight through the Fast Pass entrance and we were on in no time, bypassing all the queues. It still amazes me why people still queue for ages on this particular ride, we always get Fast Passes for this one..  :?

A ride that always gets your adrenaline flowing, and what was even better, we ended up getting in the first car behind the train which has brilliant frontal views..    

There was something I have come to learn about 'Big Thunder Mountain' which I wasn't sure at first but I'm most certain now and that is the speed. I always used to think that the first drop through a windy dark tunnel was the fastest point of the ride, only to find it isn't. It's the last run before the end, I'm positive it's faster than the beginning..    

Anyway after a thrilling ride, just to catch our breath and orientation we decided to head up Mainstreet and have a little browse in the boutiques. On approaching the bottom end of Mainstreet we noticed Winnie the Pooh doing photos and autographs near Caseys Corner, another favourite of Jens, so off we went..  



We were aware that today was the day that we had pre-booked Auberge de Cendrillon, a first for us with it being an extra treat for Jen and her love of Princesses. The time for this was 2.30pm and looking at my watch is was 2.05pm; the only problem was that we had bought a few bits of merchandise and we felt that if we could drop the bags off at the hotel it would be better. We made a quick decision to get the next bus back, run straight in with the bags and head straight back on the next available bus, but on nearing the top end of Town Square who did we see walking around... Princess Tiana and Prince Naveen, well we'd never seen these two in the park before being new characters. Jen was luckily enough to catch there attention first running up to them with her autograph book and pen, whilst I was standing by with camera in hand..  /



By now it was 2.14pm, we knew we were pushing it and hurriedly headed towards the bus station. Reached the hotel, dumped the bags and headed straight back to the bus stop, only just to see the back of a yellow bus.. Oh no, a flash back of our February 2010 visit came to mind being late for the Café Agrabah. We waited another 14 mins for the next bus and arrived back in the bus station 2.40pm we didn't reach Auberge de Cendrillon till 2.53pm..  :shock:  :shock:



When we got there our names weren't on the list, but we were asked to wait in the waiting area instead. I was beginning to wonder that we must have missed our time slot, especially when other customers were arriving for the 3.00pm slot and were getting straight in. Eventually at 3.15pm we got in and got our free photo with Cinderella in the foyer, which was a nice surprise for Jen, even more so if it had been Snow White..  :mrgreen:



We got seated shortly afterwards and from then on the attitude of the staff around us was very regal, one little elegant touch was when the waiter served the wine, he poured a little drop in the glass and asked if I would taste it first to make sure it was ok then he poured the rest into the glass, then Vanessa's. We were situated on a side table looking up towards the dancing area..  



And what a spledid and detailed ceiling there was above us..    



For refreshments both of us started with a Prince's cocktail, which consisted of banana nectar, orange juice, blue curacao and malibu, added with a side order of mini prawns and French bread. Vanessa and myself had ordered the Three Fairies' Favourites, consisting of foie gras, salmon and mini tomato mozzarella. We found this really nice, especially the way the salmon was cut. Jen had Tomato and mozzarella carpaccio with basil for hers. Before the main courses were to be served out came the Prince and Princesses aswell as Perla and Suzy. They do spend time with you making you feel important with all of the Prince and Princesses asking Jen a few questions each time..  

Here is the order of the meet and greets..  











Onto the main course; Vanessa had the rack of lamb with herb creme and a selection of seasonal vegetables and potatoes au gratin. I had loin of veal with morille sauce with a selection of seasonal vegetables and potatoes au gratin. Jen had beef burger with meat gravy, mashed potatoes and season's vegetables, for refreshment she chose to have a coke lite. We all enjoyed our dishes, the only problem is that I now have a taste for veal aswell as the salmon which I didn't have before. I'll often have a joke when going shopping now about going to the pre-packed salmon and veal section, to relive the moment..  :lol:  :lol:  :mrgreen:

Onto the desserts; Vanessa and myself had the Cinderella's Delight and Jen had Cinderella's Slipper, yummy is the best word I can use for these desserts..  =P~  

Once we had finished everything we sat a while just to digest what we had eaten soaking up the atmosphere at the same time, watching the Prince and Princesses wandering around talking to other families, at one point down the other end near the fireplace I watched Belle and her Prince dancing a little while..  /

I must admit for getting Prince and Princess photographs this is an ideal way of getting them, though unfortunately for Jen Snow White wasn't one of them, but it didn't really matter as she saw plenty others and I couldn't fault the food in any way, the presentation of it was really elegant. To me it's one of those meal occasions you must do at least once and savour the memories of your time in there, we all really enjoyed it..    

We eventually left the Auberge de Cendrillon taking a glance at Cinderella's carriage located in the courtyard on the way out..  



Our next port of call was to catch the 'Once Upon A Dream' parade, starting at 5.00pm, which was only about 15 mins away. Most of the best view points were already gone, so we had to make do with the left side of the seating area at the Castle Stage, not an ideal photo view point, but I managed to get a few extra ones which I've added to my existing album, which you can view here >> http://public.fotki.com/DisneyDavid/dis ... ce-upon-a/

After the parade we headed into Fantasyland and decided to have a wander around Alice's Curious Labyrinth, and after about 15 mins of still getting a touch lost we all eventually reached the Queen of Hearts Castle. We all made the climb up to the top of the castle, it was then I realised what a beautiful sunset was being created above me as dusk loomed in. I decided to get some shots as well as some views looking out over Fantasyland..  



















After leaving the labyrinth we headed back up towards Central Plaza to catch 'Disney's Showtime Spectacular' at 6.00pm on the main stage, again we got to the Plaza a little late and our view point wasn't great, but adequate for watching..  :mrgreen:

After it had finished we headed back up Mainstreet calling into some of the boutiques for a few more purchases knowing we were heading back to the hotel for a much needed break, we were all exhausted by now and this was only our first main day in the park. We got back to the hotel about 8.40pm, firstly sorting a few of the goods we had just purchased then relaxing with a few snacks we had brought with us. I then lay on the bed doing a little planning for tomorrow, which we knew was going to be another early start and with that in mind it was off to bed. It must have been just a few minutes till we were all in cuckoo land..  

What an exhilarating day, couldn't have wished for better..  /  /  /

:donald: ...Day 3 Following Shortly...

[SnowWhite2000]

Ohhh at last Dad I can start reading your report, I'm nearly a year older the time it's took for this..  

[davewasbaloo]

Thanks for sharing Javey, it looks like you guys had a great time, and some of the resort looked in great condition. But there is one bit I must say. You sir......have a terrific eye. Your photos are truly stunning, the framing, the lighting, a real gift!!! Thanks for sharing and I look forward to the rest.

[treble]

great photos! especially like the distant shots. love those globes /