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[strawjaw]

Trip report:

Day 0 - Travelling.

We arrived at Manchester Airport - very excited, at 1pm. And joined the very long queue for check in with Air France.
I possibly had the grumpiest check in assistant ever. Who forgot to give me back my passport, and when I realised, and went back for it, looked at me like it was my fault.  :roll:
We killed time in the airport - our gate had a great view of the runway, so we sat in the window, and watched the planes coming in and taking off. Zoe loved it all.  

The sun was shining, it was a beautiful day, until, 55 minutes later, when we arrived in Paris, where it was cloudy and raining.  

Then came the madness of the concrete jungle that is CDG airport....  :shock:

I was pretty confident that I could remember from our last trip, where I needed to go, and what I needed to do. WRONG!
We were on an Air France flight, not the Flybe one, that I had booked, so we came into a different gate, in a different place.
Oh boy!! Was I confused?!!
 I tried to keep up with everyone else, but soon lost the faces I recognised from our flight after Passport control.  
I started getting stressed and a little upset when I got to baggage claim, but couldn't find out where our baggage was going to come from, I eventually found a little TV, that gave me the info, and went to the numbered carousel.

Luggage collected, (followed by the panic of waiting for my pram to come, but then it doesn't... before eventually managing to find out it will come through oversized baggage), we were on our way for the VEA shuttle.

We caught the shuttle and arrived at the Hotel Santa Fe, at around 6.45pm.
After dumping everything in the room, I walked over the the Esso garage, and got some drinks, and a sandwich to eat.
We were still in plenty of time to go to the parks, but it had been a long day, we were tired, and we wanted an early start for EMH in the morning.  

So, we watched Playhouse Disney for a little while, (Why do the TVs give you a language option, and then only have the occasional programme in English??) before going to sleep.  

Day 1 - to follow.

[strawjaw]

Day 1

After me only sleeping for approximately 2 hours, we woke up at 7am when the alarm went off.
A quick shower, dressed, and off for the bus,
We were staying in a room that overlooked the canal, and I was hoping to walk into the parks from there, but I couldn't work out which way Disneyland was, didn't see any signs indicating it,  so I gave up, scared of going the wrong way, and got the bus instead. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, not as much pushing and shoving as last year.  :thumbs:

We arrived at Disneyland Park, and were walking up Main Street at 8.20am.  
The sun was out, and the sky was blue, indicating the lovely day that was to follow.

We headed to Discoveryland first, and straight onto Buzz. There were a couple of people ahead of us waiting to get on, but that was it.
Zoe and I really enjoyed it. Zoe preferring to enjoy the sights instead of shooting, ha ha.
I won't divulge my score, as it was absolute pants. We then bought 2 photos for 20 Euros, as a keepsake.

After Buzz, we headed into Fantasyland, where we went on Dumbo, (after a short queue of around 5 minutes), followed by Peter Pan, where the queue was starting to get quite long, and we waited for around 15 minutes.  
We then headed over to the Teacups, which Zoe loved, then on to the carousel.
It was then I realised that Pinocchio was open, and the queue didn't seem that long, so dashed into there. In actual fact, the queue was longer than I thought, but we stayed in it anyway, and were on the ride within about 10 minutes,so not too bad at all.
Then it was over to Its a Small World, where we came across the longest queue so far, but were still on the boat in 15 minutes.
Zoe wasn't overly fussed on this ride - I think it was a bit too tame for her. Poor mite looked bored out of her head, but at least we could say we'd been on it.

We then decided to go to Toad Hall for a drink, and a sit down, where I got Zoe a fruit salad and some muffins.
After a nice sit down, I decided to check out some shops, and have a nosey around.

We headed back for Discoveryland, where I promised Zoe we would find Wall-E and Eve.

On the way, we passed Le Chambre de Sept Nains, or whatever its called, and I noticed some lovely jackets for Zoe, that had fleece jackets zipped inside them that could be removed if need be, so, after breaking the zip on her brand new jacket that morning, I bought her one. When we went in to pay, Zoe picked up a Mickey Mouse soft toy, that had on Pluto pyjamas and slippers, I asked her if she wanted it, and she got very excited and said yes, so I went back and paid for that. 25 euros, which wasn't too bad, (but I later saw them in a different store for 12.95...  #-o  , I was not impressed.)

We took some photos of Wall-E and Eve, before heading over to the Star Wars shop,and having a mooch about in there.
Here we picked up some bits and bobs, such as an autograph book, pens, and a couple of Birthday presents for Zoes upcoming Birthday.
Then, I made the mistake of agreeing to have them sent back to the hotel. Not a mistake because I wanted to carry them around, but I'd forgotten I'd bought the Autograph book there, and they sent that. Not the best idea when I had reserved our tea at Inventions for 6.30!!
So, I ended up buying another book that was cheaper, and another pen, with the intention of carefully ripping the pages out, and sticking them in the original autograph book, with the photos I took.

We had a nice stroll back down Main Street, when I noticed Zoe was suddenly looking very tired, so I decided to head back to the hotel, and let her have a sleep before heading back to the parks for the parade at 5, and then Inventions for tea at 6.30.

We got back to the hotel around 1.30, and luckily our room had been cleaned etc, so we had about an hours sleep, and woke up feeling slightly more refreshed, before heading back to the parks, where we saw people gathering for the parade.
We found a space, and I lifted Zoe on my shoulders so she could get a better view.
The parade, as always, was wonderful, but the Lion King/jungle book float was completely out, and none of the characters were in the parade at all, and the Princess float seemed to have been changed, with the majority of the Princesses walking along, with only Ariel and Jasmine on a float. We watched it pass, then had a look in some of the shops where we stood.We bought some Minnie Mouse ears, and headed over to the clothes shop by the emporium, as the coat I had bought Zoe in the morning had a broken press stud, so I wanted to go and change it.
The parade was on its way back down Main street, so a very nice British lady saw me stood with Zoe, and moved away to make space for Zoe to watch the parade from the kerb. Zoe loved the parade and got very excited by it,especially when one of the parade dancers stopped to shake her hand and talk to her.  

After they had passed again, we then went into a few more shops, before heading for the Disneyland hotel for tea at Inventions.  
Dale was at the doorway as we taken to our seat, so Zoe stopped and had her photo taken with him.
We were seated at a little table near the window, so had a lovely view of the castle.
Throughout our time in there, we were visited by Mickey Mouse, Pluto, Goofy, Minnie Mouse, Eeyore, Chip, (who quite frankly was wandering around, with a 'can't be bothered' attitude, it was almost comical watching a character mooning about like Kevin the teenager, but a tad unprofessional I thought),  and finally Launchpad McQuack.
Zoe had a wonderful time, and we really enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere there. :thumbs:
The food was pleasant enough, but I didn't think it was worth the 51 Euros I was charged. Luckily Zoe's was free, as she's still 2, but it still cost me 75 Euros, for the buffet, 2 apple juice, and 2 Coca Colas. (And then I had to add the tip!!)  :shock:

We then  had a look in the Disneyland Hotel shop, where Zoe took a shine to the Snow White outfit they had there, so I bought that, along with a present for the hubby, and a Mothers Day Present for my Mum.  
We then headed back to the hotel for a well earned sleep, and rest. Ready for an early start the next day.  

Day 2 - coming soon......

[strawjaw]

Day 2

We again woke to the sound of the alarm, and I dragged myself out of bed, and into the shower to wake myself up.
We were back in Disneyland again by 8.30.  

So, it was straight onto Buzz, and on leaving that, Zoe saw Orbitron, and asked to go on the 'spaceships'.
Does anyone else feel like they're going to fall out when it gets to its highest??
Even my fearless little girl said it was too high, so we pushed the lever to lower it slightly.

From here, it was on to Fantasyland for Dumbo, the Teacups, and the Carousel.
We walked straight onto all rides this morning, which was great!!!  
We gave Peter Pan a miss, as the queue was massive, and I found out the hard way, Zoe,does not like queuing.   :lol:

We had a stroll around Fantasyland, looking around at different things. Before heading out and towards studios about 11.
Zoe decided she was hungry, and as she hadn't eaten her breakfast that morning, I took her into Casey's Corner for something to eat. I got her some chicken nuggets and fries, and I had a hotdog.
The food was OK, can't really say it was something special though. After reading the reviews, I think I expected it to be better than that.

Anyway, we were watching Winnie The Pooh out the window while we were eating, so I asked Zoe if she wanted to go and see him, and she said yes, so we finished up, before joining the queue. (Which was longer than I had first thought)
We queued for the longest time yet, for about half an hour. Zoe started playing up a little in the queue, as she was tired, and incredibly bored. Its terribly hard trying to entertain a small child in a queue.

We eventually got to the front, but not without fighting to stop people trying to push in front of us. I had waited long enough - I wasn't letting anyone push in this time!

We had photos taken with Winnie the Pooh, and then left to head to the Studios.
We went into the Studios, and headed straight over to Playhouse Disney. The show wasn't due to start for another 50 minutes or so, so we went to have a drink at the cafe a little further down.

We headed back, and straight into Playhouse Disney. We managed to sit about half way down.
Now, I don't know whether I'm right in remembering this, but when we went to see the show in Florida, the kids sat at the front, and the adults sat on benches around the room, or on the carpet at the back. I was quite annoyed that here, everyone sits on the carpet, and you have to see past a sea of large heads, and camera screens.
We managed to get a spot where Zoe could see, without too much of a problem, and we watched the show.
Apart from the seating arrangements, I thought this was the one of the best shows I had ever seen!! It was so well put together, and very entertaining. My little girl,who loves Playhouse Disney, was incredibly excited by the whole thing, and despite getting a handful of leaves, was still trying to pick up every single leaf she saw. (We never managed to get hold of a streamer though)

We left Playhouse Disney, and went straight on to Stitch.
Another excellent show. Fascinated by how they do it, but it had me in fits of laughter, and made me, and Zoe a huge fan of the little blue mischief maker.  

Zoe was really tired at this point, so I decided to head out of the studios and take her for a sleep in the hotel room before we went to Cafe Mickey for her Birthday tea, at 6.30.
We got back to the hotel room, had a nice rest, and dozed off. Unfortunately, by the time we dozed off, it was only about 10 minutes before the alarm went off again, to get refreshed, and changed and head to Cafe Mickey.
Zoe was a little grumpy, as she was still so tired, so I tried getting her motivated but she didn't want to know.
So, we got dressed, and I asked Zoe if she wanted to wear her new Snow White outfit, she told me No, but asked to wear her Rapunzel dress, that we had taken with us, so we got dressed,and I re-did her hair, before heading back out for the bus.

As I left the hotel building, I realised it was raining!!  :shock:
I was shocked, as it had been clear skies, and blazing sun when I had gone in!! Now, 2 hours later, it was thundering, and raining!!

We arrived at Cafe Mickey ahead of time, about 6.
But despite the queue for walk ins, they seated me within about 5 minutes, which was great. Our waiter was called Akim, and he was excellent.

Zoe had the Plutos chicken sticks, and fries, and I ordered Plutos steak.
Zoe ate every bit of her food, which was great to see, as she rarely finishes anything, and i have terrible problems getting her to eat enough. (Maybe we need to go Cafe Mickey every night,   :lol: )
I ordered the steak well done, and to be honest, It was like rubber, so I only managed to eat half, but I enjoyed the fries.  

While we were eating we saw Tigger, Mickey, The Genie, Chip and Dale (this Chip in a much better mood than the previous one, thankfully) Eeyore, and Goofy.
The genie was excellent, and great fun. He was bounding around, getting up to mischief. It was just so entertaining.

I ordered Dessert, (the profiterole - nice, but quite bizarre in the way it was served), and the waiter double checked that after dessert we had ordered a birthday cake, so I told him yes.  

The tables on either side of me had english families on them, so I was able to have a conversation with both tables.  
The table on my left were a family of 4, from Newcastle, whose little girl was 5 that day, so they too had ordered a Birthday cake, she even had the same Rapunzel dress as Zoe on.  

As I was half way through dessert, the Birthday music came blasting out, and my heart stopped for a brief second, in excitement, before I realised there was another Birthday girl a few tables over, and the cake was for her.

Then, just as I finished my last mouthful of dessert, the music came blasting out again, and I looked up to see our waiter bringing the cake over.
Zoe was really excited about the cake, and had the candle blown out before I managed to take a picture,  :lol:  and Mickey had only just got there!! Mickey danced around Zoes chair to the music, while Zoe was in complete amazement by the fuss being made of her! She loved it so much, and the look on her face brought a tear to my eye.
Then, we took a couple of photos with Mickey, before the music blasted out again, Mickey looked around trying to work out who was next, when a member of staff told him to stay where he was, and our waiter brought out the little girl on the next tables cake.
They took some photos too, and we all had a laugh and cut into our cakes.
I gave the mother and daughter sat on the other side of me a piece of cake each, as I had no intention of eating all that chocolate cake,however nice it was!

I also offered the waiter a piece, and he was made up!! Obviously this doesn't happen to him often.  :lol:
Just then, the 'Think' song blasted out, and remembering our previous trip there, I got excited, as I love watching all the waiters getting up dancing along.  

Our waiter, Akim, came over, and got hold of Zoes hand, and the little girl on the next table, (and the other Birthday girl just further over) and danced them all through the restaurant, before lifting them up on the waiters table, and jumping up on it with them, and he had them all dancing. Zoe thought this was absolutely brilliant, and her face said it all.
I only wish I had taken my camcorder, I had left it at home, as I had enough to carry, and didn't want anything to happen to it, but I wish I had it to film that, because it was just excellent.

While we were finishing up, and waiting for the bill, the 2 little girls from the table on my left, and the little girl on the other table to my right, all started playing together, and it was so sweet to watch them.

The bill came to around 74 euros, and I have the waiter 85 euros. I hoped this was sufficient enough tip, as I couldn't remember how much it is expected to leave. (is it 10%??)
Just as I was zipping up Zoes coat, our waiter came over, shook me by the hand, and said, thank you so much. I was quite surprised, but guessed the tip must have been enough.  :lol:

We walked back to the bus stop, stopping in a few of the shops along the way, where Zoe insisted I buy her a Minnie Mouse rain hat, as it was raining and it would keep her head dry.    So i bought her it, and she loved it.

We then added back to the hotel, where we flopped into bed, tired, aching, and looking forward to tomorrow.  

Day 3... coming soon.....

[mdw]

loving your trip report. Our youngest little girl will be nearly 2 when we go in june. Was zoe scared of any of the characters?

mdw

[strawjaw]

loving your trip report. Our youngest little girl will be nearly 2 when we go in june. Was zoe scared of any of the characters?

mdw

Aww, thanks.  
None of the characters bothered her at all. They didn't bother her when we went last year either, and she was still 1 then.
I haven't seen any young children get freaked out by the characters, so fingers crossed your little should be fine, most of them are like giant teddy bears,and just look so cuddly.  

The only thing that freaked her out, the whole time we were there, was a scene in the 3D movie, Captain EO, where the baddie looks like shes reaching out of the screen, this really scared her,as she thought the baddie was trying to grab hold of her,and she got ever so upset, but luckily it didn't really stay with her, she told me she loved Michael Jackson, and thought the 'witch with the spider fingers' was very naughty.  :thumbs:

Let me know if theres anything else you want to know, if I can answer it, I will.  

[strawjaw]

Day 3

We again woke up to the sound of the alarm, and I went straight into the shower to wake up.
And again we were back in the parks for 8.30.
The weather was mainly cloudly, with a couple of light showers, but nothing major. It had also dropped a couple of degrees in temperature, so was feeling a bit cooler, especially without the sun.

We had now got into our own ritual, so it was Buzz first - again, straight on with no queue, and Zoe enjoyed it so much, she immediately asked to go on again, so we went round, and jumped on again.
As with the previous 2 days, it was then onto Fantasyland for Dumbo, the Teacups, and the carousel. (Yet again, Zoe was trying to get me to put her on the tallest horse, but I compromised, and popped her on the second one in.)

we then headed toward Adventureland for rope drop at 10.
From here, we passed BTM, so I measured Zoe up against the height chart. She was just below the marker.
I looked at the CM, in the hopes he would take pity, and let us on for the sake of a centimetre, but it was not to be, and we walked away, gutted, cause I knew how much she would love this ride.

We continued walking, until we reached Phantom Manor - saw no queue, so went straight on that, and got to the doors just as she was about to shut them, so she let us in,
Zoe was a little bit wary in the first room, after it stretched, and then went pitch black, as she is unsure of the dark at the best of times, but luckily, I had picked her up so she could see the paintings, before the lights went off.

Zoe enjoyed the ride, but, even though I thought it was OK, I think I preferred the one in Florida.
This one seemed quite a bit darker, and even though I thought it followed the storyline better, I thought parts of it were a bit scary for smaller children, although Zoe was completely unphased by it all.
I missed the hitch hiking ghosts that are present in the Florida one.

Just as we left Phantom Manor, we saw Mark Twain was boarding, so we quickly jumped aboard for a nice leisurely sail around BTM. It was lovely.

I then asked Zoe if she wanted to go and see Woody's Roundup- knowing full well what the answer would be, as she is a huge Toy Story fan.
So, not quite knowing exactly where it was, I went searching. I found it reasonably easily, but was gutted, and a little fuming when I got there, and it was all shut up!!! I went and asked the CM who was stood at the Frontierland station if it was open, and he told me it only opens in the summer months. I had a feeling this was wrong, but it obviously wasn't opening that day, so I turned to go. He also told me the station was closed until later on, which made me wonder why they didn't have signs up warning people, before letting them traipse all the way there, before finding out they're all shut up.

We decided to head back over to Discoveryland, and on to Captain EO, stopping at WallE and Eve again, so Zoe could have her photo taken in front of it.

We went into Captain EO, which was ready to start.
I again had trouble keeping Zoe from getting bored, while they did the preshow stuff - I understand them doing it, but its not easy trying to entertain a disinterested 2 year old.

we both enjoyed the film, but Zoe did get freaked out when the baddie is reaching out with her hands, as she thought she was trying to grab her. I comforted her, and managed to calm her down, but, luckily it never had a lasting effect, as she was telling me how she loved Michael Jackson, and how the  witch with the spider fingers was naughty.

After exiting the show, we heard the whistle of the train, so ran up to the platform, just in time to catch the train to Main Street, so we could head into the studios again.

We arrived in the Studios,and saw Sulley,so, totally against my beliefs, and my nature I joined the crowd of pushing parents, to see him. When people were pushing their kids past me, I got annoyed, so I nudged Zoe in Sulley's direction, when there was a gap, and she gave him a big hug before posing for a photo. I only got the one, but one was enough, and Zoe got to cuddle Sulley,so she was happy too.

We then went to Playhouse Disney again, but there was another wait, so we went into Stitch again, Zoe loving it just as much as the first time, and then went for a drink to the Blockbuster cafe to kill some time, when who should greet us the second we walked through the door?? HSM Mickey!! Zoe was elated, so she ran for a hug, and posed for a pic, then we went to get a drink. Mickey was then taken away, and a few minutes later,Minnie appeared.
As did half the park it seemed.I eventually waited until there was a gap,and took Zoe over for a picture.

By then, it was time to head back to Playhouse Disney, so we went back, parked up the pram, and went in.
I was wiser to the tricks people play to get better seats this time, so went and sat near the doors.I was determined this time.
Sure enough when the doors opened, I was one of the first through, however, a VERY rude family pushed me out of the way, to ensure their seats at the front, and Zoe and I were pushed into the second row.
Not too bad - still a good view.But what annoyed me the most about this family, (that had only walked in just before the doors opened), was that it consisted of a Mum, a Dad, and 3 children. And? you ask. Well, the 'children' were around 16, 14, and the youngest was around 11.Not exactly Playhouse Disney age.
Then, the part that made me nearly explode,was when the Mother,who had to sit next to me as there wasn't enough room on the front, asked her 16 year old daughter to move up, so the small child who was sat next to her on the other side could sit on the front row,as she was struggling to see. The daughter said she couldn't move up, so that was that. Wouldn't you have thought the older kids would have swapped so the smaller kids could see??? Unbelievable.

Anyway, gripes aside, it was still a great show, and Zoe enjoyed herself immensely.

Once the show was finished, we walked outside, and decided to  head for something to eat.
I thought I might go back into the Disneyland park, and try Plaza Gardens, before the parade, and hope it would be a little quieter.
As we were walking through Studio 1, Zoe saw the Face painting, and asked if she could have her face painted.
So I went into the shop, and bought a ticket for 12 Euros, before coming back out. Zoe chose the lion, and it was brilliant. It was so well done, and it took her less than 5 minutes, I was seriously impressed.
Zoe was very proud of her Lion face, and proceeded to roar at me from her pram for the next 5 minutes, before crashing out.
As she was so tired, I decided against waking her, and wondered what I should do about our tea. I didn't fancy going back into the Disneyland park, as it was nearly parade time, so I decided to wander over to Disney Village.
Zoe had been asking for a Happy Meal, but I didn't really want to go in McDonalds, but I thought, I suppose I could do. Just this once.
So I went in,and queued for 15 minutes,and in that time the queue had barely moved, so I ended up walking out, and decided to go into the New York Sandwich shop,where I ordered some chicken nuggets and fries for Zoe,and I had a chicken burger, which was basically just 4 chicken goujons on a burger bun with cheese and salad, but it was still really tasty.
Zoe was none the wiser that her nuggets weren't from McDonalds, as her dinner was put in a similar style box,that had Disney characters on, and she got a pack of Disney playing cards (a Happy family type game) as a free gift. (Incidentally, she got the same gift from Cafe Mickey the night before)

We took our tea back to the hotel, and ate in our room, before watching some Playhouse Disney, (in french again), and finishing packing up my suitcases.
By 9.30pm we were both fast asleep.... In preparation for our last day....

[MrsPirate]

Brilliant trip report, we are also taking a 2 year old so I'm reading with interest. I hope you don't mind if I ask a couple of questions.

Am I right in thinking under 3's eat for free in buffet restaurants, if so did you have to prove her age or did they take your word for it?

Were you worried about leaving the pram, we have hired one in the past but this year are taking our own and although it's not a very expensive one, I would be annoyed if it got taken.

I can't think of anything else but I'm sure I will. Do you have any good tips?

What a shame Zoe didn't get to ride BTM, but what a good excuse to have to go back when she is a bit taller!! I know what you mean about people pushing in front. The first year we went it took us by surprise, but now we are at the front with the rest.

Looking forward to reading the rest of your report.

[strawjaw]

Brilliant trip report, we are also taking a 2 year old so I'm reading with interest. I hope you don't mind if I ask a couple of questions.

Am I right in thinking under 3's eat for free in buffet restaurants, if so did you have to prove her age or did they take your word for it?

Were you worried about leaving the pram, we have hired one in the past but this year are taking our own and although it's not a very expensive one, I would be annoyed if it got taken.

I can't think of anything else but I'm sure I will. Do you have any good tips?

What a shame Zoe didn't get to ride BTM, but what a good excuse to have to go back when she is a bit taller!! I know what you mean about people pushing in front. The first year we went it took us by surprise, but now we are at the front with the rest.

Looking forward to reading the rest of your report.

Thanks for your lovely comments, I wasn't sure whether I was rabbiting too much.. I'm trying to be relatively brief, but it doesn't appear to be working out that well, ha ha.

Yes, under 3's eat free in Buffet restaurants. They tried charging for her in Inventions, but I just told the waiter she was 2, and he rectified the bill, no questions asked, no proof required. Same with Restaurant Des Stars, when I paid as I went in, I just asked for an adult, and a 2 year old, and she put it through the till, but I wasn't charged for Zoe, and I didn't have to prove there either.
I would definitely take your own pram.
I was worried about mine going walkabout too, so I went on Amazon and bought myself a buggy lock, and i managed to lock it to metal fences nearly everywhere I wanted to go on, so it stopped me worrying about whether my pram would still be there when I came back.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/My-Buggy-Buddy- ... 608&sr=8-1

I can't think at the moment if I have any good tips really, other than buying a buggy lock! Ha ha, but its been a very long day today, and I'm exhausted, so if I think of any, I'll definitely let you know.  

Last day is coming soon....

[Aurora]

wonderful report. Thank you for sharing.I`m glad you had a great time!!
Are you uploading any pics? I admit, I loe to see pics :oops:
Aurora

[strawjaw]

wonderful report. Thank you for sharing.I`m glad you had a great time!!
Are you uploading any pics? I admit, I loe to see pics :oops:
Aurora

Thank you Aurora - I have around 500 photos to sort out, then I will put a link on to share them - I promise.  

[strawjaw]

Day 4 - Last day...

Originally, we were going to pass on the EMH this morning, and enjoy a bit of lie in,as we had a late flight, but as we'd both been asleep so early the night before, we were up at 7 again, so I thought, ahh, what the heck, and we got up, showered and dressed, and decided to head into the parks.    But not before heaving my luggage across the hotel, to drop off first though! One person trying to manage a pram, a 2 year old, a large and medium sized suitcase, and 2 pieces of hand luggage, is not easy!! But I somehow managed it!  :thumbs:
We dropped our keys off in reception, checked our luggage into the luggage place, and were on the bus for the parks!  /

We were in the parks for 8.25, and again, we did our usual routine.
Buzz Lightyears Laser Blast - twice, and no queue for either!
Then Dumbo, the Teacups, and the Carousel.
It was then getting on for 10, so we headed back up Main Street, feeling a little sad, as we said goodbye to the castle.

I had to call into the Town Square photography, as I had bought some photos of Winnie the Pooh with Zoe, and some frames, but hadn't put the photos in, and when I attempted to do it in the hotel room the night before, well, they very nearly went out the window!
So, I called into there to see if they'd do it for me - being the experts and all.
The CM was lovely, and did all 5 of my pics for me.
While I was waiting I suddenly noticed the Tangled (Raiponce) DVD in a cabinet!!

I knew it had been released on the 29th, but I hadn't been able to find it anywhere in the parks!! Even when I asked, the CMs had no idea what I was talking about.
So I was incredibly excited, and when she came back with my frames, I bought it for 19.95. Yay!!!  /

We then left Disneyland Park, (hopefully to return again very soon.... ), and went into the Studios.
We headed over to the Flying Carpets of Agrabah, as it had no queue, so we went on that, before going over to the Toy Story Playland. We hadn't had chance to get here yet, and I've been dying to take Zoe, as she loves Toy Story.  

So, we waited to take a photo standing underneath Buzz, and of the Playland sign, before going in..
It was wonderful. A bit cramped together I thought, but still greatly themed, and Zoe thought she was in paradise.
We went on the Parachute drop first.
Zoe was well above the height restriction, but I was still very worried about her on it, but she was adament she wanted to go on them, so we joined the queue.
We queued for around 25 minutes, which didn't go down well with Zoe, who decided she needed the loo halfway in, the queue had gotten even longer since we joined,so I had to tell her to wait, as if I took her to the loo, she wouldn't be able to go on Parachutes.
Bless her, she managed it, and we were soon on the parachutes.  :shock:
Good grief - while I was suffering a mini heart attack on the thing (It goes so high!!), Zoe squealed and laughed her way through it... She loved it. When it stopped, she asked if we were going on it again, and was met with a very firm No.
I don't think it would have bothered me at all, had I gone on it on my own, but i was so worried about whether Zoe would be safe enough in it. To be fair, she was, and none of us even moved a centimetre in the seats, but I think un-necessary worrying comes with the territory when you have kids.  :lol:

After a quick loo break, we joined a 15 minute queue for Slinky. Another favourite of Zoes.

We then waited for Rex to become free, so Zoe could have her photo taken with him, as she loves Rex.
There were 2 people already having their photo taken, so we waited, another couple came and stood next to me, and then this other family came along, and while the first people were still taking their photo, their kids started running all over the dominos around Rex, everyone looked at the parents, and she ended up calling them back. Then, she decided to push in, (surprisingly, she wasn't English  :roll: ), and took photos of her kids next. So, the other couple and myself waited patiently.
Then, after she had photographed kids, she turned to her friend, and started holding a conversation, while her kids played all over Rex. It was obvious she wasn't prepared to move them, so I shouted her...
"Excuse me", and gestured towards her kids, who she then started screaming at... I was thinking, why are you shouting, you should have told them to come off straight away, you knew there were other people waiting.

Anyhow, we managed to take a photograph, and then the other couple finally had their chance too.

From the Toy Story playland, we moved round to Playhouse DIsney, and Stitch.

There was still 116 minutes to Playhouse Disney, so we went into Stitch, who was fast gaining a huge new fan in Zoe.
Then, we went to the Blockbuster cafe for a drink and sit down.
It was then I realised it was 12.50, and Animagique was due to start at 1, and we hadn't seen that yet, so I grabbed the pram, and we ran over to it, and we went straight in, and sat down.
Zoe loved it - she was a bit scared of it last year, as we were sat at the side near the speakers,and it was terribly loud for her, she didn't like the parts that go really dark either. But luckily, she was fine this time round, and loved it.  :thumbs:
As we left, I realised that Playhouse Disney was now due, so it was another sprint over to there, and we just managed to make it in, with 2 minutes to go.  /
Unfortunately, they'd already let into the theatre part, so we had to sit near the back.
Even though Zoe couldn't see over the sea of Adult heads, and cameras, as noone was sat behind me, I let her stand up.
And boy did she love that - she was dancing and singing along, and, as she had seen it twice already, she knew what was coming, and was waiting for the leaves, and the bubbles.

After we left there, we realised we had more or less done everything we wanted to in the parks, and had an hour to kill before our reservation at Restaurant Des Stars.
Just then, they announced the Moteurs stunt show was due to start, so I thought we'd see that. We fought through the crowds, being pushed around everywhere, and finally got 2 seats on the front row.
Unfortunately, Zoe got incredibly bored, cause of all the talking they do in between, and we only got to see the first part of stunts, as she started whinging she wanted to go, so we had to traipse up the 60 steps, walk along the back, and back down the other side, just so we could leave.
We ended up going into the restaurant early, and ate lunch.
Zoe loved the Ratatouille theme, and got very excited when he paid a visit to her table.

We left the restaurant after our lunch, and I realised we only had a little time left, so I took Zoe round to the Toon Studio to meet Buzz Lightyear. We queued for around 20 minutes, but luckily the people in front of us in the queue were scottish, so we got talking, and our children played together, so it made the queuing much more bearable.
And they took a photo of both us with Buzz too.

Then, after we'd met Buzz, it was time to head back to the hotel, so, as we walked for the bus, we turned, and waved bye bye to Disney, promising we would see it again soon.

We got back to the hotel, picked up our cases and waited for the 5.25 bus to CDG.
It arrived more or less on time, and we loaded our cases and pram onto the bus (Luckily,a very nice VEA staff member - not the driver - helped me with my cases, so I didn't need to struggle.)
we arrived at the airport, and there were trolleys available, so I was relieved I didn't have to lug my stuff everywhere, as I wasn't entirely sure where we were going.
We were dropped off at terminal 2F, and we needed to get to Terminal 2E. SO the trolley was a God send.
We found our way fairly easily actually, and checked in our luggage.
Everything was nice, and new looking, when we went last year, it looked dirty, and the place we sat while waiting to board was horrible - and didn't have any shops, only a coffee counter.
This time, we were in a lovely part of the airport, with lots of shops, and a really nice waiting area. I thought I was in a different airport!!
We were eventually called for boarding at 8.10, but I didn't realise we had to get on a bus, that drove us to the plane. (Although, I did wonder where our plane was hiding)
So we were crammed on the bus like sardines, before being driven, (And I use that term very loosely) to the plane. We then had to wait for about 10 minutes before they'd let us off the bus to board. Which wasn't good.
We finally got on the plane, to be told we weren't able to have our seats, as they were on the emergency exit, and children aren't allowed to sit there. Which was fair enough, so we went and sat there anyway, and she said she'd get someone to come and swap before take off.
Luckily the man behind overhead me telling Zoe not to fasten her seatbelt, as we needed to swap, and he swapped with me.  :thumbs:
We were worrying about taking off on time, as the steward told us if we didn't take off within our 5 minute slot, we would incur a huge delay, and there were still loads of people messing around, and not sat down!!
I started panicking, as it was late enough, but luckily, we made it, and took off for home.
The flight back was fine, until we landed... We didn't so much bump the tarmac, as stomp on it. It was the worst landing I have ever experienced by far, and everyone had the same shocked reaction.
But we were home, and this meant back to reality.

This country and normal life is so boring.....  :lol:

[strawjaw]

Trip Summary

The good bits

Zoe's Birthday tea at Cafe Mickey
The Toy Story playland
Buzz Lightyears laser blast
Being able to buy Tangled
Zoe's face when she saw characters, and went on rides
Playhouse Disney Live
Stitch Live
Zoe having her face painted
People taking pity on me on my own and striking up conversation.  :thumbs:
Wall E and Eve statue
And 99% of the trip.

The bad

Snow White and the 7 Dwarves - we were third in the queue at 9.45 waiting for it to open... Unfortunately there were techinal problems, and first being told it would open 10 minutes late, someone then came out, and told us (in french, no translation) that it could be 2 minutes, it could be 2 hours, so we left the queue at 10.30 as Zoe needed the toilet, and I wasn't prepared to queue any longer.

Being pushed and shoved around cause some people just won't wait
No character express
No Lion King float on the parade (My favourite)
Playhouse Disney seating arrangement, (and pushy families determined to get front row, regardless of their age and size)
Alices Labyrinth closed
Woody's Roundup closed
Lack of Tangled merchadise... A costume, and a figure set was all they had (Which she already has both)
Pirates of the Carribean closed


Rides / Attractions we did

Buzz Lightyears laser blast
Dumbo the flying elephant
Its a Small World
The Carousel
Mad Hatters Teacups
Pinocchio
Phantom Manor
Thunder mesa riverboat
Autopia
Captain EO
Main Street railroad
Le Passage De Aladdin
Flying carpets of Agrabah
Parachute drop
Slinkys zigzag spin
Playhouse Disney Live
Stitch Live
Moteurs stunt action - well, 10 minutes of it.
Animagique


Rides / attractions we missed out on

Pirates of the Caribbean
Snow White and the 7 dwarves
Casey Junior
Le Pays de Contes (I do believe both of these were open at 11, but I didn't get chance to go back and see)
The castle gallery

Characters we saw / got autographs from

Mickey Mouse - in Cafe Mickey, Inventions, and Blockbuster Cafe
Minnie Mouse - in Inventions, and Blockbuster Cafe
Pluto - in Inventions
Goofy - in Cafe Mickey, and Inventions
Launchpad McQuack - in Inventions
Winnie The Pooh - At Casey's Corner
Eeyore - in Inventions, and Cafe Mickey (No autograph, as Eeyore can't sign   )
Tigger - in Cafe Mickey
The Genie - Cafe Mickey
Buzz Lightyear - at the Toon Studio
Chip - in Cafe Mickey, and Inventions
Dale-in Cafe Mickey and Inventions
Sulley - at the Scream Academy (No autograph though   )


We hoped we would see some soft openings, but the only things we saw from the new festival, where the Tangled photo point, The Mad Hatters tea party 3d photo location - which both sprung up over night, and were there on Wednesday, and the Rhythms of the jungle photo location in Adventureland.
On our last day - the stage in front of the castle had grown balls overnight - literally, and lighting rigs had been put up.

I have got photos of all of these, and when I sort them out, I will post the link to my account...  

[MrsPirate]

Very enjoyable trip report, it sounds like you and Zoe had a fantastic time. Looking forward to seeing the photos.

[kelly.dylan]

Great trip report, sounds like you had a lovelty time, cant wait to see some photos

[strawjaw]

I've uploaded some photos to my Flickr account.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/disneystrawjaw/