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[MrsPirate]

DAY 1 - SUNDAY 17TH JULY

The alarm went off at 5.15am, we had a quick breakfast and had just finished packing the hand luggage when the taxi arrived. We got to Brighton station at 6.30am and boarded the train to Victoria, at Victoria we took another taxi to St Pancras and checked in at 8.45am. We boarded the Eurostar on time and finally we were off!





When we arrived at Marne La Valle it has stopped raining but was still very wet. We headed over to Starbucks in the Village where we had arranged to meet my brother and his wife who had arrived the day before and then made our way to the Newport Bay club. After a very fast and efficient check in we went to our room to unpack. We were staying in room 6185 on the Admirals Floor, my brother and his wife were in the room next door. We then went to Earl of Sandwich and after a quick snack headed over to the park at 3pm.

As we walked into the park I got the warm fuzzy feeling I always get at Disney. My brother wanted to buy Ollie a Mickey Balloon but Ollie has a thing for pink and was only interested in the Minnie one.



We walked under the station and I got the first glimpse of the castle which was looking fantastic with both golden towers in place. It was so beautiful I felt quite emotional.





We walked up Main Street and decided the best ride for Ollie to start with would be IASW. He loved it, his eyes were wide and he kept saying wow. By the end of the ride he was singing the song. However, when it came to getting off he cried and cried and wanted to go back on.



Next we went to Le Pays des Contes de Fees. My Brother and his wife went to the disabled exit so she could use her pregnancy pass and we went to walk round to start queuing but the Cast Member called us over and let us go through too. I felt bad as there was quite a large queue but we would have been silly to say no especially as it had started to rain slightly  

Next we headed for PoTC picking up a Fast Pass for PP on the way. Pirates was a walk on and Ollie was very excited as he is a massive pirate fan and was wearing his pirate costume specially. He was a little unsure of the drops but really enjoyed it and wanted more when it was time to get off. We went to the shop and bought the photo and it was only when we got outside we noticed his face.



By now it was time to make our way to the Cowboy Cookout for our character tea party. We have never done a character meal before so I was not sure what to expect. It got off to a bit of a dodgy start, we were overcharged, Ollie should have been free, I was not allowed to use my shareholders discount and we were put right at the back of the restaurant by the doors away from the main action. However we didn't need to worry. The characters were Woody, Mickey, Pluto and Eyeore they made sure they came to the table and spent time with Ollie and were really good at ignoring any other children who came over to the table. There was plenty of food and drink. Around 5.50pm everyone left apart from us and one other family so we had the restaurant and the characters to ourselves until 6.30pm. They played chase and follow the leader and spent ages having photos taken with us. It was just like having a private party and made it a really special occasion.



After the meal we decided on a trip on the Molly Brown and took a slow walk in that direction. However when we got there we found out the last trip of the day was 6pm and we had just missed it, so we went on Phantom Manor, my new favourite ride. My SIL was feeling very tired at this point and decided to use her pregnancy pass although there was not too much of a queue. We took her round to the side door by Boot Hill and once again we were all allowed in. Bit of a shame as I really enjoy the theaming of the gardens. The ride was the fastest I have ever known it, we didn't even slow down when we got to Madame Leota or the ballroom scene. Also there were no glowing eyes in the wallpaper and the ride was so dark in some places it was hard to see anything. Ollie didn't like PM very much and hid his head in his pirate hat and decided now would be a a good time to feel sick, luckily he wasn't. After the ride SIL went back to the hotel as she was tired, as there was no queue I went on PM again and left Ollie and DH to walk round Boot Hill. This time it kept stopping, and at one point we had been stationary for so long I thought we had broken down. When I came out it was raining heavily and Ollie had scratched Mels nose and it was bleeding badly.



Now it was time to head over to PP and use the Fast Passes we had picked up earlier. Ollie loved PP and wanted to go on again but the queue was too long. Next we went on Pinocchio, Snow White and and the Carousel. In the past I have found Sunday evenings to be really quiet but this year it was busy. By now it was around 8.45pm and we were beginning to feel hungry so we thought we would give Casey's Corner a try but when I looked at the menu there was nothing for a veggie so we went over to Market House Deli instead. We had 3 rolls, 2 salads, 3 packets of crisps, a banana, 3 beers and an orange juice and it came to almost 50 euros!!. By now it had stopped raining so we took our food and went outside to get our place for Fantillusion. It was lovely just sitting there soaking up the atmosphere and watching people walk by. Shortly before Fantillusion began Ollie feel asleep and his missed it and the fireworks. Such a shame as this was the only night the weather was good enough. After Fantillusion and the fireworks, which were as good as I remember them, we walked back to the hotel and as Ollie was still asleep went to the hotel bar and had a drink. By the time we got to bed it was 12.30am and we had been up since 5am, we were exhausted but it had been a brilliant first day.

[minnieme]

Great report so far! Looking forward to reading the rest. The pictures are really good - the castle looks beautiful and the look on Ollies face on PoTC IS priceless!!!

[mattboywonder]

Looks like Ollie has that same backpack/lunch bag as my nephew.  People kept asking my sister where she bought it (assuming she had bought it there) and she had to tell them it was from the Disney Store in the UK.  Did you have anyone ask you about it?

She made she did not leave it on the pushchair outside anyrides tho as it is so nice.  They have both a backpack and lunch bag and they are really colourful

[Wendy]

Thanks for the trip report, I'm really enjoying the read and the pics.  Fantastic pic on POTC! lol Poor Ollie looks a 'little' shocked!

[MrsPirate]

Looks like Ollie has that same backpack/lunch bag as my nephew.  People kept asking my sister where she bought it (assuming she had bought it there) and she had to tell them it was from the Disney Store in the UK.  Did you have anyone ask you about it?

She made she did not leave it on the pushchair outside anyrides tho as it is so nice.  They have both a backpack and lunch bag and they are really colourful

A little girl on the Eurostar had the same bag but apart from that no one mentioned it. Then again I don't remember taking it into the park, I think we only used it for lunch on the train on the way there. I'm glad we didn't we might have lost it!

[claire2281]

His face in that photo is absolutely priceless

How did you find NPC? We're staying there for the first time in a few weeks - with the flash sale, an Admiral's Floor room there was actually cheaper than SL!

[MrsPirate]

His face in that photo is absolutely priceless

How did you find NPC? We're staying there for the first time in a few weeks - with the flash sale, an Admiral's Floor room there was actually cheaper than SL!

Before we went I had read some rather bad reports so I was a little worried but it was fine. We were close to the lift, had a lovely view and although the room was not large it was clean and comfortable. I particularly liked having a seperate breakfast room which was much less manic than the main one and also had the benefit we could have breakfast anytime we liked. There was a free box of tea and coffee available from the concierge. The staff were friendly and helpful, we would definately stay there again.

Enjoy your trip, I wish we were going again soon.

[claire2281]

Before we went I had read some rather bad reports so I was a little worried but it was fine. We were close to the lift, had a lovely view and although the room was not large it was clean and comfortable. I particularly liked having a seperate breakfast room which was much less manic than the main one and also had the benefit we could have breakfast anytime we liked. There was a free box of tea and coffee available from the concierge. The staff were friendly and helpful, we would definately stay there again.

Enjoy your trip, I wish we were going again soon.

The room size doesn't particularly bother me - 3 adults going and we'll spend little time in there apart from sleeping and getting ready. I didn't know we got a separate breakfast room. That is extremely handy indeed. Although we often are at breakfast by 7:30 anyway since we want to take advantage of extra magic hours.

[MrsPirate]

DAY 2 - MONDAY 18TH JULY

When the alarm went off at 7.15am I still felt a little tired from the long day before but was ready for EMH, however, when I looked out the window it was raining heavily  :cry: Ollie was still asleep and Mel said he was too tired to get up so we decided to give EMH a miss. My brother and his wife were going home today so after breakfast we waited for them to pack and check out. By now it was 10am and time to head off to the park. It was raining even harder so we dressed in our wet weather gear and caught the little train that runs round the side of Lake Disney to Disney Village. As we walked through the Village the rain started to ease off and by the time we got into the park it had stopped and the sun was begining to come out  /



So he could make the most of his last day, my brother bought 2 Premium Fastpasses and the first ride we used them on was BLLB. The competition between Mel and my brother was fierce with Mel eventually winning on Level 6, my brother and his wife level 5 and me and Ollie level 4. Then we went on SM:M2, I love coasters but the ride on this is so rough I won't be going on it again! Whilst I was recovering Mel and my brother went on Star Tours which they said was good but would have been better if it had been in English. Then onto Ollie's favourite ride IASW and then we decided to check out the newly refurbed castle and had a good look around the gallery and outside. What an amazing job, it looks great.







Then we did a little present shopping and tried out my shareholders card  / a quick ride on the Carousel and it was time for lunch at Walts. We were shown into the room with the tented ceiling which also had a view out the window onto the side street. The staff were friendly and the food was amazing. For starters my brother and his wife had caesar salad, I had the smoked salmon and coconut wasabi and Mel had chirizo and cheese with asparagus.







For main course I had asparagus risotto, and the others had the steak. Ollie had fish and chips but was so tired from the long day before fell asleep almost as soon as it arrived.









For dessert I had the creme brulee Mel and my brother had cheesecake and his wife had chocolate brownie







We just about managed to finish our bottle of wine, paid and bill, again using my shareholders discount, and headed out for some more rides.



After eating so much there was only one thing we could do and that was take a gentle trip on the Molly Brown. As we went past PM we noticed it was closed with a couple of cast members at the gate turning people away. We were going to go on BTM next but my neck still hurt from SM:M2 and I was too full so Mel and my brother went on Indy twice using their fastpasses. A gentle stroll through Frontierland took us to the station where we boarded the train for a ride round the park. Whilst we were waiting for the train to leave we watched Donald Duck with a group of children. One of the children kept trying to push him over and in the end Donald got so fed up he shoved him back and the child ended up on the floor!



We got off at Main Street Station and had a quick look in the Bookstore before walking back to the hotel where my brother and his wife collected their bags before leaving for the airport. It felt very quiet once they were gone so we headed back to the park for some more rides starting with  PoTC, then onto PP using the fastpasses, Le pays de Contes des fees where we saw rabbits on the grass between the scenes and then onto Casey Jnr where there was no queue. Ollie decided he wanted to go on Dumbo, but after queing for about 10 mins he changed his mind and asked for a chocolate crepe instead. Sitting in Fantasyland eating the crepe was the first time we had been bothered by wasps and there were lots of them. Then onto IASW which had the longest wait ever, 15 mins, as for some reason they were only filling one in every three boats.



By now Ollie was very tired so we took a walk through the Village and stopped at the Earl of Sandwich. I had the veggie, Mel had the cannonball and Ollie had the grilled cheese. I have to say they are the best sandwiches I have ever had. We took them back to the hotel and ate them looking out the window over lake Disney. We fell into bed at 11.30pm after another brilliant day.

[Martin B]

Super Duper!

[minnieme]

Brilliant, again!!  Really enjoying reading this report. x

[stacey-claire]

loving your report, lovely pics, looks like you had a fab time, just a quick question how do you go about buying the premium fast passes :belle: xx

[MrsPirate]

loving your report, lovely pics, looks like you had a fab time, just a quick question how do you go about buying the premium fast passes :belle: xx

We bought them from the concierge in the hotel, they were 60 euros each which was expensive but worth it as at one point fastpasses for BTM and PP were for use almost 6 hours after issue and my brother and his wife would have left for the airport by then. We also used them the next day but don't tell anyone  :-"

[fly_with_me_dumbo]

Hi i was there that monday!!! I got wet in the morning, around 10 ish, they opened the studios early, so i got in the park at 9.30 and not staying at disney that was a plus!!  lovely photos

[MrsPirate]

DAY 2 - TUESDAY 19TH JULY

(There are not many photos today because I didn't want to get rain in the camera.)

The alarm went off at 7am I shot out of bed to check the weather, it was raining heavily :cry: Once again we decided to give EMH a miss and after breakfast at 9.30am got ready. We put our wet weather gear on, bought ponchos from the hotel shop and made our way to the park. We started with the usual rides PoTC, PP, IASW and BLLB. At the exit to Buzz two cast member were arguing so loudly people stopped to watch. When we came out of Buzz what had been heavy rain had turned to torrential.

http://youtu.be/wHInjk3u0GI

Despite wearing rain coats and ponchos we were cold and wet through, and were no longer having fun so went back to the hotel. Ollie fell asleep in the pram on the way back and stayed asleep for several hours, I hung our clothes over the bath to dry and Mel who was coming down with a cold and felt rough went to sleep.



The rain did not let up it continued for hours, It was torture being stuck in the hotel room so close to the park. Around 5pm the rain became a little lighter so after trying my best to dry my trainers with the hairdryer, Ollie and I set out for the park leaving a sneezing Mel in bed.  Much to my surprise Ollie decided he wanted to go on PM so we made our way there. I was sure once he saw the house he would change his mind but he ran up the steps and joined the queue. It was only when he got to the door he changed his mind, but after some gentle bribary he agreed to go in. When we came out we walked through Frontierland with Ollie splashing in the puddles and having a great time, there was hardly anyone else around. We had a good look at the Aladdin photo point and the Peter Pan photo point and went for another ride on PoTC and PP. Next we headed for Pinocchio and Snow White, when we got to Snow White the cars were moving and a couple of Cast Members were standing around but there was no one else there, I asked if it was open, it was. It was a little erie being the only ones on the ride. Then another go on Ollies favourite IASW and the sun began to come out although it was still raining. Next we headed over to the castle for a good look round, then a wander through Adverntureland to Frontierland Station and a ride on the train. When the train stopped at Fantasyland Station Ollie saw the castle, pointed to it and with a big smile on his face said Disney Mummy. It was really sweet. We got off at Main Street Station and after a little struggle managed to get the pram and Ollie down the steps in one piece.

The rain was beginning to get heavy again so we left the park, walked through the village stopping at EoS to pick up some sandwiches to take back to the hotel. Mel had the Beef n Blue, I had the Veggie again and Ollie had the grilled cheese. I also bought  some yummy mini brownies. Mel was feeling a little better so after eating we went to the hotel bar for a cocktail or two. Around 9.45pm it stopped raining and there was a beautiful sunset. Bed at 11.30 keeping everything crossed there would be better weather for our last day.