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[meathjen]

So we are home since Friday and devastated that our trip has come to an end, but we are left with the most fantastic memories & can't wait to arrange to go again - the sooner the better!

We set off on Sun 13th March; our flight left on time (from Dublin) and arrived 20mins ahead of schedule in CDG: we walked the looonngg walk to train station & got our TGV tickets and headed off; I'm so glad we chose TGV over VEA, no way could we of contained our excitment for much longer.

So at 4.15pm we arrived and we were beyond excited; we ran out of trainstation just to breath in the air and immed saw our bus stop for Hotel Santa Fe; it wasn't too busy so we hoped on & straight to hotel. Thankfully they had 7 receptionists checking  in & before we knew it we had park passes, room key & were on our way.

We dropped bags in our room & had a quick freshen up before heading off. We jumped back on bus & got to parks ASAP.

After a very smooth & quick baggage check we walked quickly to park entrance & as we arrived at 5.02pm the parade had started - well I thought my daughter was going to burst with excitement (mum & dad were much the same). She was in shock that all her favorite characters & princesses were REAL!

After taking in the parade & getting in the true Disney spirit we spent the next few hrs exploring Main Street USA & Fantasyland - Dumbo was DD's 1st ride & became her favorite - she even got a Dumbo teddy during our visit  :mrgreen:

At 7pm, very weary & tired (we had a 6am start) & hungry so we made our way to Disney Village & Annettes Diner; we were lucky we did when we did as we got seated right away but when leaving there was approx 50 people waiting to be seated  :shock: After been fed we made our way back to our hotel & by 10pm it was lights out.

The following few days were spent going from land to land & park to park to take in as much as possible and then of course return again & again to our favourites.

For OH & me - the big kids we LOVED Space Mountain & OH was freaked out by Tower Of Terror but I avoided that one as I'm chicken  :oops:
DD - whom of course this was all in aid loved every minute of it;  her favs were Dumbo & Buzz Lightyear Lazer blast, which we got on approx 10times!!! She also loved the Toy Soldiers Parachute Drop - seeing as it was the only "thrill" ride she could go on (she was a few cm's short for Crush & Thunder Mountain).

The Highs

The above named rides went down well with all the family, as did most in fact; for me Crush was AMAZING! I'm only sorry it had an average wait time of 40mins as it meant we didn't go on it as often as we'd have liked.

Annettes Diner was our 1st dining experience & it left us very happy; the food was good quality (and a good price!) and the staff very helpful & patient.

St Patrick's Day - been Irish was a highlight; it's just a pity the lovely weather we'd had on Tues & Wed didn't follow suit; instead it was dull & damp - typical Irish weather really  :lol: but the atmosphere was great & green Mickey & Minnie was a lovely touch. The fireworks were for me so amazing; I'm a big fan of fireworks & as it was the last thing we'd see in Disney it was a brilliant touch to our last moments.

The Lows

Cafe Mickey - never have I been let down in such an astounding way. We had booked a day previous & were so excited, however we were left with a sour taste in our mouth & I will never, ever recommend to anyone. To start we were sitting 20mins before anyone came near us for drinks/food order; then when waiter appeared he never made conversation with us, instead he was more interested in looking around the room at what else was going on. Fair enough, I'm not asking for him to be our new best friend but a bit of conversation wasn't going to kill him. When our food did eventually arrive mine & DD's was fine, OH's was disgusting; he had ordered Bagheera's Favourite and he said it was like a day old lamb chop in salty water. We did of course try to get the attention of our or any waiter but of course we were ignored.

It also took an AGE for the characters to come to us; we were in a corner and they of course hit the other tables before us, but they kept getting called away for Birthday celebrations ( for adults I may add, not even children) and then on the way back they'd be hi-jacked again by the same people; I do think some organisation needs to happen with this area; however eventually Mickey, Tigger & Eyeore made their way over to us - Minnie however walked by us 3times & never even looked in our direction  :evil:

We gathered our things to leave & I asked for manager/supervisor to complain but was left waiting 20mins until someone came over, he then looked so bored I was obvious barking up the wrong tree; we paid bill and left. I did go back the next day & re-complain but again my complaints fell on deaf ears.

It was shocking how badly we were treated and I have sent off emails to various people about our experience.

It was such a shame that this happened as up to then & afterwards we were having an amazing time; but we put it down to bad experience & won't ever, ever darken their doorstep again.

Hotel Santa Fe

We chose this hotel because of price, at the time the Cheyenne was looking for €1,200 where as Santa Fe was half of this, so on a budget we took it; I had been worried as reports on Trip Advisor were far from complementary but as it was just for sleeping & breakfast I just got on with it.

We were left very happy with our choice; the room was spotless, the Mickey Mouse toiletries in the bathroom were a lovely touch. The beds were made every day & fresh towels left. The reception & check in were fast & smooth and very nice.

We had dinner one evening here & it was lovely; loads of choice, very fresh & tasty food and they didn't even charge for DD (3) which was nice.

The breakfast was vast in quantity; I'm glad I read about taking the 7.30am slot as otherwise I'm sure we'd still be queuing. I was shocked at how big the queue was when we left after our 1st morning; The added tip of taking rolls & ham/cheese for lunch was great, it meant we saved a lot of money during the day.

The grounds are shocking looking & really do need to be upgraded and for this reason alone I would look else where in the future, however if I was stuck & the price was right I'd have no problems returning to the Santa Fe.

All in all we had an amazing time. Each day was different & there was always loads to do. Best of all is DD who keeps talking about it & how she is now a real princess  :lol: and she really can't wait to go back. We hope to visit again in Sept & if not it will be early next year.

[kelly.dylan]

Glad you had such a lovely trip. I can't believe the poor service you got in Cafe Mickey! We have had slow service before but on a whole has been great! Looks like you had plenty of great moments to remember though x

[davewasbaloo]

Glad you had a great trip overall. For future advice, if on a budget, off site is often a far better option. Also, I agree, I too would never advise someone to go to Cafe Mickey either - poor service, poor food. It was much better when it was LA Bar and Grill IMHO.

[DutchBrit]

Sounds like you had a great time! We were there in November and have to say, I agree with you about Cafe Mickey. It was not so much the characters - they did all come over and give autographs and Goofy even sat down and tried to feed my son's chocolate mousse to him. But the waiter was pretty uninterested, didn't explain anything or make any sort of conversation and he was also slow. Then the food generally was not good. My son's hamburger was extremely dry and his chips were over-done. My husband's steak was also overdone, and wasn't good quality meat. Both their meals were very badly presented - just plonked on the plates all higgledy-piggledy. We adults didn't have deserts, but my son's chocolate mousse was clearly shop-bought and rather artificial-tasting. And the decorating area was an absolute disgrace, with sweeties and toppings all over the counter and floor. Not sure how often they cleaned it, but I didn't see any of the staff go near it for the 2+ hours we were there.

So I think we'll look for somewhere else to get near the characters next time we go!

[dagobert]

I'm sory to hear that you had such a bad experience at Cafe Mickey. We have been there twice for lunch and we always had a great tirme there. Both times the food was great, better than at Walt's, the service was quick, we have never spent more than an hour there, and we got pictures with all characters. We didn't go there for the characters, we went there, because friends recommended the restaurant to us, since it offers better vegetarian food than most other table service restaurants.

The waiters are in general not European standard in Paris. I wonder how many of them have an education in that profession. A friend of ours who worked at Disneyland was so disappointed with his staff that he left for a better place.

[meathjen]

Glad you had a great trip overall. For future advice, if on a budget, off site is often a far better option. Also, I agree, I too would never advise someone to go to Cafe Mickey either - poor service, poor food. It was much better when it was LA Bar and Grill IMHO.

So I believe, but sure been our 1st trip & not knowing anyone who has been before mistakes were made but sure next time we'll be more educated  /

[MrsPirate]

Sounds like you had a wonderful time. I love it when the children see characters for the first time and realise they are 'real'.

Totally agree with you about Cafe Mickey, service was slow, the waiters were rude and the food was a disgrace. We are going to try Cowboy Cookout for characters this year. Cafe Mickey will not be seeing my money again!!

[lorrig]

We went to CM in November for dinner and also were dissapointed. We had booked an early dinner time as our 2 year old is used to having her dinner at 5pm and is in bed by 7pm. Even though we had booked a time slot we were left standing outside in the cold for nearly an hour before we were let in. It was freezing - it snowed that week and we had a very hungry 2 year old and I was 4 months pregnant. I was disgusted to see that even though we had booked they were letting people with no reservations in before us. I don't care how long they had waited - if you have a reservation especially if it's way after your booked time then you should have priority.
 The place was packed, extremely noisy and looked dirty. Everything felt sticky. We waited ages to get our order taken and by the time the food arrived our daughter was past eating and was getting sleepy and grumpy. We had the fantasia mushrooms which were so salty, but the steak was OK.
We did get lots of time with the characters which was the main reason for going but they shouldn't overbook, they should at least let you inside if they can't provide a table at your allocated time and they if they are that busy they should just turn away people with no reservations.
I am very relieved to get that off my chest!!!!

[mr gibbs]

Glad you enjoyed your trip.
We used to go to Cafe' Mickey all the time, but over the past few years the service and food standard has declined so much that we will not return.
Even a couple of the long term staff that we have come to know have abandoned ship. :cry: