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[AislingM]

After a 42 day countdown we were finally off! We left a cold rainy Irish morning behind us to arrive in a ridiculously hot 30 degree Charles De Gaulle at 10am on Tuesday morning. We had planned already to get the 11am TGV , and it was surprisingly straight forward. After collecting our bag and buying our TGV tickets it took us only 9 minutes to arrive in Disney. And its the same price as the shuttle bus! We practically ran to Cheyenne to check in and drop off our bags and we were standing in Main St USA by 11.40! Fantastic! It was so amazing to be back , and the first thing I noticed was how brilliant the castle looks after its paint job! It was simply sparkling  in the sunshine. The next thing I noticed was how busy the park was , I really was expecting it to be quiet but apparently french teachers were on strike on Tuesday so there were lots of kids and day-trippers about. But we didn't dwell on it and got on with our first ride..... Space Mountain. No better way to announce you have arrived! That was a walk - on and stayed that way for the whole trip ( good because its one of my faves) but the queue for Buzz was going right around the corner beside Cafe Hyperion , , , there were buggies piled up everywhere! We decided to skip it and landed over to Fantasyland to do Les Pays de Comptes des fees , which had a 25 min queue but I hadnt done it in years beacause its always closed in January . It was lovely , but the heat made it a little uncomfortable to be out under the sun for any length of time. We skipped Casey Jnr too because the queue was 120(!!!) minutes and decided we would do it the next day instead . After a skip around the rest of the rides we stopped for a Croque Monsieur in the Market House Deli and headed over to the Studios for TOT , Crush and RC Racer.The queue for Crush was 45 mins and seemed to be constant for our whole trip so we only did it twice . . Such a pity because its a fantastic ride , but Id rather go off and do other things than wait in a queue for the best part of an hour.What became apparent during the week was that it was the " Family Friendly" rides that had the longest queues , whereas we practically walked onto TOT , RC Racer and Space Mountain. By 6pm we were exhausted , so we headed straight to Annettes Diner for dinner . Hmmm . . . was not too happy with it and I usually love it. We both had the Annettes Classic Menu which is basically a burger , and then a brownie ( 17.50 each). Excellent Value but the service was so slow and the food was just thrown down in front of us. But we were so tired we just headed back to Cheyenne, collected our bags and got some Disney sleep for the next day ahead.. zzzzzz

 


Day 2 - Wednesday September 28th

Breakfast at 7am and then straight off for a few spins on Buzz and Space Mtn. And Peter Pan , Tea cups and Carousel while the queues were still bearable. I noticed quite a few people in suits going around the place... very interesting. And alot of american accents around . . and they were filming in TOT and just outside Adventureland. Anyone know whats going on? Lunch today was Hakuna Matata and it was yummy . . nice to have a choice of something other than burgers and chips. And the lion king music gives it a great atmosphere. The price was fine too , I think it was 9.99 for Menu1 which was chicken strips , Hakuna fries and a drink. Highlights of the day included Captain EO . . . not really. Its not exactly exciting, I think Honey I Shrunk the Audience was better but it gave us 20 mins in air conditioning so we decided to give it a go. Im sure at the time it first came out it was brilliant but now that we have seen so much more of 3D in films it just didnt feel like anything special. The next was Art of Disney Animation. I had never done it before and the 2nd part , where they show the clips of movies was so lovely I nearly started to cry! Its a beautiful attraction and the after show room is so interesting , its wonderful to see all the original concept art for the movies.  And then the Disney and Pixar characters come out for a meet `n greet at about 11am ish around Rock n Roller so we got to meet loads of them. Saw Remy for the first time , and the Incredibles. Its good to see something like this in the studios to brighten the place up a bit and give it more Disney magic.






The best characters were Cruella de Vill ( she was brilliant posing and kept saying " Fabulous Dah-ling!") and the Evil Queen. That woman is amazing! Her facial expressions are genuinely creepy! And Donald loved my " I love Daisy" t - shirt and kept pointing at it giggling. Spotted Mulan for the 1st time too but we didnt get a picture because she was being hurried away. Sob! Also did the Princess meet and greet in FantasyLand , we queued up at half 9 to be there for when the princess came out at 10am. Really wanted it to be Aurora but it was Snow White .
So myself and himself got our picture taken with her and then who should we meet walking down the path all on her own but Cinderella! So we got a photie with her too but unfortunately it didnt come out because the sun was right behind us. Dinner that night was at Cafe Mickey. We had the set menu each for 34.50 and I really enjoyed it. I thought the service was great , better than it has been on previous occassions and the food is really good too. All the usual characters were there , Mickey Minnie Chip Dale Goofy and Gepetto. . ( They do like to use Gepetto alot dont they?) Only thing that bothered me was the family who came in and were sat next to us. They had 2 young kids with them and before they had even ordered the Dad had sent the little boy off chasing Mickey ,clearly not realising the whole system that the character meals have. They will come to your table!! there is nothing worse than when its your turn and you have loads of kids pulling off the character when you are trying to get a picture! However I do think that maybe this needs to be made more clear somehow to guests when they come in. . With full and happy tummies we trotted around the shops , then went to the Red Garter Saloon for a much sought after San Miguel and off to bed!



Day 3 Thursday September 29

Started with the usual magic hour rides and started queuing for Casey Jnr as soon as 10am hit . We were the first ride to go so maybe its just me but it seemed a little slow. Today was a bit quieter thankfully and also we had a bit of a breeze which was nice. Everytime you buy drinks or a meal they give you a little voucher where you can get a free drink at certain restaurants between 3pm and 5.30pm which was a real bonus . We would get a bottle of Vitttel each and then just keep refilling it at the water fountains. Saves you a fortune really because a bottle of coke costs 2.60 in the park..Eeek!We did the usual rides in the park before heading to the studios, saw a bit of Stars and Cars and the back to the park for lunch at the Cowboy Cookout with the characters. This was definitely the highlight of my trip! It was 26 euro each for the meal which included : salad/chilli , texan platter ( ribs , chicken , sausage , wedges) drink , and dessert ( we had pecan tarts) It was really yummy but the characters were just incredible. The best of the whole trip. The place was surprisingly quiet so we really had them all to ourselves and the interaction was brilliant. Mickey and goofy were riding chairs around the floor as if they were horses and Woody and Pluto were dancing together across the room. After we had met all the characters many times and finished our food I went to the bathroom before we left . And when I came back out what did I see? Only Minnie and Mickey sitting at our table beside my boyfriend! I nearly died with excitement!!!! I had just been saying to him earlier how amazing it would be to get a photo with the 2 of them together but I didnt see how that would happen! And here they were! He said that when I went to the bathroom Minnie came over and gestured as to where I was and then sat down and pretended to drink from my coke. Then she gave Joey ( the boyfriend) a kiss so Mickey came over and started wagging a finger at joey and sat down too! It was absolutely amazing, they made the trip and Il treasure the photos forever!







After that we went to see Following the Leader with Peter Pan which was great ,really good fun and its great to see the audience interaction and face characters for Mr Smee and Hook. I reccomend everyone to see it. Also that day we saw the parade which had a few new additions since last year ( the princesses come down from the floats and dance with selected kids from the crowd. It was lovely , I cant get enough of " Just like we dreamed it" And we got a really good spot , opposite Pizzeria Bella Notte , on a bench with a lovely parasol over us!
 



We got a few more spins on all the rides , and that night we ate in the Rainforest Cafe as Joey had never been there before. Im not a big fan I have to say , I think the food is completely over-priced for what it is but they have an offer at the moment where their 2 course meal is down from 21.00 to 19.00 so we gave it a go. We had the roast chicken and the pasta which were ok but nothing special and then we both had raspberry meringue for dessert. A few more looks about the shops and a drink in the bar and another day was down. Only 1 and a half days left!

Im back to work in the morning so I need to leave the report for now but Il finish it tomorrow evening! I hope Im not too boring!

[alex]

Hi AislingM really loved the trip report and pictures! I definitely agree about the weather it was so hot when we were there we were trying to avoid the sun at all costs and stay in the little shade there was! Strange about the ride queues I didn't come across too many large ones I must of not been looking correctly but we got mainly fastpasses for BTM etc and went on crush only in the morning I agree I wouldnt wait for ages for rides either.

Shame about Annette's I intended to go but gave it a miss as we were so tired. I love the pictures of the cowboy cookout I wanted to go in it looks great!! Do you think it was worth the money for the food as well as character experience?

Can't wait to go back 4 months to countdown for me sadly..but thanks for the pictures

[Martin B]

Great trip report so far!

Can't wait for the next installment.

We are very excited for our trip next week!!!

Martin :thumbs:

[AislingM]

Thanks for the comments guys! Going to finish report now soon! Alex , Id definately reccomend the cowboy cookout , do you like tex mex style food? You could choose either a chilli con carne ( with corn bread) or a salad ( and roll) for your starter and then the main courses were a Texan platter , Ribs , Chicken and an Angus burger I think. Then the dessserts were either a pecan tart or a lemon meringue pie and you got a drink too. To be honest I didnt pay too much attention to the food , I was more focused on characters but I left very full! I was very disappointed with Annettes too, but maybe it was just an off night for them. I eat there every trip and that the only time I havent been happy . As for the queues , beacuse I usually go in January where u basically walk on everything maybe I just thought the queues were very long as Im not used to them! Did you watch any Peter Pan or see any of the shows? You must put up some photies soon!

[KITKAT]

Fab report me and my Son really enjoyed reading it and looking at your fab photos, it is really getting us in the mood for our next trip in 6 weeks time.  Can I just ask you a few questions about Cowboy Cookout, we have never been before but I am considering booking for our next trip.  Did you pre-book before you travelled?  Is it help yourself buffet or are you served? and finally what time did you eat there (interested as it seems not too busy when you went).  Sorry to ask so many questions but just after some advice.  
Thanx
Kat

[AislingM]

Hey Kat , no problem! We didnt pre-book any restaurant before we went , just booked them on the day ( Cafe Mickey included) in Town Hall. We did make a reservation for Cowboy Cookout alright , but we didnt really have to because it was very quiet and we ate at peak time , our reservation was for 1pm. We just decided to be on the safe side so Id recommend you do the same , you cant be too careful! Its basically the same as the other counter service places in the park , you order and pay at the till and then just bring your food down to your table. They also do a pastry buffet every day between 4.30pm and 6pm I think which is 19 euro per adult ( not sure of child price). I really think its the best character meal to do , its more intimate and less chaotic than Cafe Mickey. Hope this helps! And soooo jealous you only have 6 weeks to go! You will have an amazing time!

[alex]

Thanks for the comments guys! Going to finish report now soon! Alex , Id definately reccomend the cowboy cookout , do you like tex mex style food? You could choose either a chilli con carne ( with corn bread) or a salad ( and roll) for your starter and then the main courses were a Texan platter , Ribs , Chicken and an Angus burger I think. Then the dessserts were either a pecan tart or a lemon meringue pie and you got a drink too. To be honest I didnt pay too much attention to the food , I was more focused on characters but I left very full! I was very disappointed with Annettes too, but maybe it was just an off night for them. I eat there every trip and that the only time I havent been happy . As for the queues , beacuse I usually go in January where u basically walk on everything maybe I just thought the queues were very long as Im not used to them! Did you watch any Peter Pan or see any of the shows? You must put up some photies soon!

Ooh the cowboy cookout sounds perfect for me I love that food, I'll def give it a visit if it's open in February!! I managed to watch the Peter Pan follow the leader bit that was going on but was too far away to get a good picture but I uploaded one of a distant Captain Hook on my trip report! I saw the Disney Express train just as I was sat eating lunch at Bella Notte, was good timing! Other than that I didn't think the park had any shows on, did you see some then? Oh wait actually I was dragged to watch the Motor Spectacular at WDS.. :roll: I totally regret forgetting the camera charger, I had a lovely meal at Cafe Mickey as well but with no camera to get pictures with the characters  :oops:

[AislingM]

Part 2 Day 4 Friday September 30th

Friday was a good day because it was Payday! So I could finally go mad buying all sorts of fluffy merchandise that I had seen in the shops..Hurrah! We had a bit of a lie-in because we did Cafe Mickey again for breakfast and that was booked for 8am. What a breakfast! The hotel supplement costs 14.00 each but when you consider the amount of food on offer I think its quite good value. And its nice to get a choice other than croissants and rolls! The hot food consists of sausages , bacon , fried potatoes and scrambled egg. Then you have a selection of cold meats and smoked salmon , cheeses , rolls , yogurts , fruit and my favorite...pastries! Its just all so yummy , and we basically had the same characters from dinner on the Tuesday night. We did our hour of EMH and then went over to the studios for a few hours. Rock N Roller was closed for the 2nd morning in a row which was really disappointing , because when we first did it on Tuesday I was really delighted with the new lights they have put in. DLRP Today have a YouTube clip of it and it really is smashing. Thankfully we had already gotten our on-ride photo! We did RC racer a few times to make up for it and Crush and TOT . RC broke down when we were at the gates to be the next ones on but they kept the people already seated there while a group of men in black t-shirts ( The Men In Black!) casually walked over and started pushing buttons and nodding their heads! We stayed waiting , in the hope that it wouldn't take long , and we were up and away ten minutes later. Made me a teeny bit nervous that the Men In Black hung around watching the ride though heehee!




After that we went back to the park and because it was so lovely and sunny we took a stroll through Adventure Isle. It was like being on a tropical Island , absolutely stunning! Then we listened to the African Tam Tams being played beside Hakuna Matata where they had King Louie and Rafiki dancing with the kids. It was brilliant. Next stop was lunch at Colonel Hathi`s where we sat outside on the verandah. Joey had a 4 cheese pizza and I had penne with garlic bread . I was still so full from breakfast I could barely manage it but it was lovely all the same. Friday seemed quiter too , and we still had a nice little breeze so we took off on all the rides again and that evening at 6 we watched Mickeys Magical Celebration. Wow! Its a fantastic show , really well put together and all the princesses come out and join Mickey on stage with their Princes and introduce Rapunzel and Flynn. My favourite part is the Fairy Godmother who sings Bibbity Bobbity Boo. Its great to see that they are giving more focus to the classic characters again after last years New Generation festival.






This is the Filming outside Adventureland I mentioned.


And then another surprise! After coming out of Star Tours who did we meet only Darth Vader! Joey is mad about star wars so of course we had to get this pic!


That night we were in a toss between King Ludwigs Castle ( my personal favourite!) and the Steakhouse which we had never tried before. We decided on the steakhouse and Im so glad we did , it was really really nice! They had a pianist playing disney songs and the whole interior is beautiful , as is the food. I had the set menu for 24.50 which included a rump steak with pepper sauce and salad and chips , but I didnt even use my sauce because the steak was so delicious as it was on its own. Then I had a fruit crumble for dessert , also delicious! Joey had a kobe beef burger which was 27.95 but well worth it , utterly fabulous! Id give it 5 stars and its first on my list for January`s trip.

And then with very heavy hearts ( and tummys!) we hit the shops in the village for all our presents and souveniers because it was our last night... How did that happen so fast? I gave my debit card quite an assault , and headed to the Red Garter for a drinky and then off to pack and get ready to go home. But we still had 5 hours in the park on Saturday and " Let out a scream , , Hurray its Halloween - o -ween everybody!"

Day 5 Saturday October 1st
We practically ran to the park after breakfast to make the most of our last few hours. We did all the rides during EMH and then started to queue at half 9 for Frontierland to open so we could finally have a go on Phantom Manor ( It had been closed the entire trip so far ) And oh.my.god.... never again will I do Disney on a Saturday! It was bananas in the park! We ran to Phantom Manor once the rope came down only to be told to come back in an hour as it was still not open! So we decided to get a fast pass for BTM instead ( first fast pass of the trip) as even at that early stage the queue was snaking down the outer walkway. So while we waited we did Pirates again and then got ready to watch the Disney Villians show at 11am. I loved the Halloween decorations last year and the show so I was a little disappointed that their wasnt much decoration about the place. They didnt have the pumpkin man display in the middle of Frontier Land, nor the Ghost figures outside Phantom Manor. But the show was great , the dancers were amazing and the story was really enjoyable. It started with Dr Facilier and Malificent is teaching him the 5 rules of being a good sorcerer. Lots of good villians inculding the evil queen in old lady form , and Jafar , Hook and Cruella. At one point Facilier`s microphone got disconnected but he carried on like a pro! When that was over we used our BTM fast pass ( thank god we did beacuse queue was now 90 mins) and went back to Phantom Manor....Ive never seen such a queue! It came all the way down to the entrance , and we just didnt have the time so unfortunately we had to pass on it. Very disappointed! But we did get a glimpse of Jack and Sally as they came out for the meet and greet. Then we had just enough time for me to buy my Magical Moments Souvenier Mug ,and have one last croque monsieur in Main St before heading back to Cheyenne to collect our bags and get the 1.20pm TGV to Charles De Gaulle for our 4pm flight home.  Sad is not the word! It was a fantastic trip , a little busier than what Im used to but its nice to experience the park in sunny weather too! And to get to see the 2 shows ( Mickeys Magical Celebration and Halloween) in the one trip was pretty cool. Would I go again at that time of year? Probably not , I do like the quiet times , and the colder weather but it was still an amazing week!
Trip Highs: All the characters we got to meet
                                      The Magical Moments like Peter Pan , African Tam Tams , Princess Meet and Greet
                                      Lovely food!
                                      The toilets seemed alot cleaner than last year!
                                       The Hotel ( I think Cheyenne is always a winner )
                                       The fabulous cast-members
                                       The ease of getting to Disney via TGV from airport

Trip Lows:   The crowds
                                       The heat
Only 3 months to go until my next trip! Cant wait!

World of Disney Store Construction


Mickey randomly driving around discoveryland during EMH!


Princess Pavillion Construction


Hotel Cheyenne

Halloween Show

[KITKAT]

Thanks so much for all the info Aisling, you have talked me into the Cowboy Cookout, I am sure my 4 year old will love it and will make a nice change for lunch on our last day.  We are staying at the Cheyenne as well and I agree with you, its brill, we stayed there for St Patricks day this year for the first time and loved it, its now our first choice and we have previously stayed in Disneyland Hotel, NPB, SL and New York but at Cheyenne you just cannot beat the atmosphere.
Bet you cant wait for January!
Thanks again
Kat

[Martin B]

It looks like I am going to be a Cowboy Cookout convert too!!

That is fantastic!

I didn't even realise that they did the character lunch! I just thought it was a  tea party with characters.

Will book it when we arrive at Disney?

How much did it cost for the lunch?

Thanks for the trip report. Only a week til we go!

Martin

[AislingM]

Lunch was 26 euro each for adults and you can book at city hall or studio services! Aww Im so glad ye are going to go , its well worth it! When you consider the tea party is 19 euro I think it makes more sense to do the lunch. Wow Kat you have stayed at nearly all of them! I would love to stay in DLH  but that would take a lot of will power to save for me! I liked NPB and SL too but like what you said, I think Cheyenne is the one that says " Disney" the most cos its like staying in Frontierland. I hope you both have a fantstic time and put up some photos and reports when ye get back!

[Martin B]

Thankyou again!

I will definately do a trip report..

I feel so guilty enjoying everyone elses and never posting my own!

Martin

[Angel_Ariel]

Great trip report! Your photo's are lovely! I think I might have to have a meal at the Cowboy Cookout too! The character interaction looked amazing!

[lynny]

enjoyed reading your trip report and you have some lovely pictures.....made me excited for my trip in 12 more sleeps with my 10yr old and 18yrold thank you for sharing.x

[CafeFantasia]

@AislingM

This photo you took of Sleeping Beauty Castle is great. Well done.

I'm sure the €27.95 (£24.03) beef burger at the Disney Village Steakhouse was very nice, but you might want to look at the restaurants Byron and TGI Friday's in the UK, where you can get excellent burgers for about £10. I think Disney take the p*ss a little bit, with their prices.

http://www.byronhamburgers.com/
http://www.tgifridays.co.uk/