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[ilovedisneylandparis]

Hi everyone, this is my first trip report following my visit to Disneyland Paris this week! Lots of people on here have such amazing professional photos and I'm afraid mine aren't quite as good to look at, partly because I just have a standard digital camera and partly because I don't know much about photography, but I hope you enjoy seeing my photographs anyway – I always think it's nice to see recent photos from the parks!

Me and my boyfriend booked this trip in January. I'm a bit (a lot) obsessed with Disney and have been to DLP six times (including this trip), the first time being when I was 6 in 1996! My boyfriend isn't really a Disney fan as such but loves coming to DLP with me because it's my favourite place in the world and we always have such a lovely time when we're there, we look forward to it all year!



We booked a 3-night 4-day stay at the Cheyenne, which we stayed at last time as well. I think it's one of the best Disney hotels for theming, and it's in a bit more in our student budget than some of the other hotels (although we dream of one day staying in the Disneyland hotel  ). We'd had some problems with booking that weren't our fault and had had to get in touch with DLP quite a few times because of this (I mentioned it on here //http://www.magicforum.eu/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=13511) but it was all sorted out eventually a few days before we left.

(I was going to do a day per day but honestly we didn't do too much on Day 1 so I've whacked it all together to make it more interesting  :oops:)

DAY 1:

We woke up at about 6am ready for our flight from Birmingham at 9.40am. The flight went well and we arrived at Charles de Gaulle at about 11.45am local time. We got all excited and thought we'd be in DLP before we knew it, but as we reached the end of the corridor we saw a MASSIVE queue of people and realised we had spoken a little too soon, haha. We found out it was the border control/passport check queue and there were literally thousands of people waiting for it. I'm not sure if it's just because CDG is such a large airport or if there was a problem, or if a lot of flights had landed at the same time? I would presume it was a problem of some sort because it wasn't like that when we went last year but then again we did fly at 6.30am last year so maybe it was just quieter? Who knows. The staff at CDG seemed a bit confused and disorganised; one of them said "This way!" to us and a group of about another 30 people so we presumed they were opening up a new queue but as soon as we got there, another member of staff said "No, no, just for families with babies, go back!" so we had to go and rejoin the end of the queue, which added to the wait and got everyone really grouchy.

Eventually we got to the front of the queue at about 2pm, and were able to go and look for our bags. After that we had a quick search for the VEA shuttle and found a coach. We got a bit sleepy on the way until a woman next to us said "Look, it's the Tower of Terror" to the person she was sitting by, and I got a bit overexcited! I would never have seen if she hadn't have pointed it out but I guess cos it's so high you can see it from quite a distance away. I love when you're on the coach and you get to Disneyland and start to see all the hotels in the distance, it's so exciting. We didn't get to the Cheyenne until about 3.45pm, which was a bit later than we'd expected but we didn't mind because we were just happy to be there, and we never do a huge amount on the first day anyway.



The staff at the Cheyenne had left us a VIP welcome pack and a greeting letter, which we thought was really sweet of them. The letter had some Mickey and Donald chocolate coins on top of it, which were arranged in the shape of Mickey – I'm not sure if this was deliberate or not but I like to think that it was and that I know a Hidden Mickey when I see one  






 
After we'd had a quick look round our room we headed straight out to the shuttle bus waiting area, where I got very excited and took some photos. Despite us being in our twenties my mom had still insisted we take our kag-in-a-bags (!) but when we got there it was sunny so we were happy. It stayed really nice for the rest of the week and the kag stayed in its bag in the suitcase – it was a bit cloudy on the Tuesday and Wednesday morning but sunny other than that, and we only got rained on once or twice.

As we got off the bus and saw the parks I got very overexcited again and cried every time I saw my favourite things (the Disneyland hotel, Main Street USA, Le Chateau de la Belle au Bois Dormant, etc). It's the weirdest but best feeling seeing it for the first time in real life again when all you've done for a year is obsess over it and pore over photos and videos of it; it almost doesn't feel real.

Anyway when I had stopped crying we realised we were really hungry – with all the queuing and travelling we hadn't eaten since about 7am. We headed to Au Chalet de la Marionnette (we actually headed to Hakuna Matata and then Last Chance Cafe first but they were both well and truly 'ferme' so we went to trusty ACDLM which always seems to be open and fairly quiet). After that and having a look round the parks, we decided to head back to the hotel – we were both really tired and after not eating for hours and then suddenly gorging on burgers we felt a bit rough. So we got the bus back to the hotel and had a shower etc, did a bit of unpacking and got comfy in the room.



















Then we thought it'd be nice to have a walk round the hotel site and the gift shop, and take some photos. I love the Cheyenne for all of the differently-named blocks and how the facades are from different areas of a town, like the bank, and the inn, etc.

























We couldn't sleep very well that evening – I think we'd been put in a VIP room in Wyatt Earp which was lovely of the Cheyenne to do for us, but it was right by the top of the stairs on the first floor, which meant we could hear every time someone came through the ground floor door, walked/ran up the wooden stairs, and came through the first floor door (which happened a lot).

With the window open we also got woken up every time people came back from the parks on the bus, which we hadn't really realised would happen. We were in Wyatt Earp last year, too, but right down the other end of the corridor and it was so quiet, so we were a bit shocked by how loud it was right next to the stairs. I guess this is the case for a lot of the rooms though, and I think it's more likely that we just got really lucky last year than we were unlucky this year.

At about 11pm we heard music and realised it was Dreams! It was so weird but quite nice being able to hear it from the room but we did shut the window at that point, haha. I've seen Dreams a lot online and watched the first night on the DLP site but I remember there being a few people on this forum who said they wanted to avoid watching Dreams on YouTube and wanted to wait to see it in person/find out what songs were in it – so I just kept thinking that I hoped no-one's surprise got ruined by leaving the window open! Most people are back from Dreams by about 12am I think, so after that we slept fine.  

DAY 2:

We had breakfast at 10am and decided to walk straight to the parks afterwards. I've never walked before and wanted to see how long it took – I reckon it's only about 10 minutes, and it's a really nice route. We walked past Hotel New York and Newport Bay, through Disney Village and into the parks from there. As soon as we got into Main Street my boyfriend spotted Duffy at his usual meet 'n' greet area! I know a lot of people on here don't like Duffy but I think he's so sweet, and he always seems really shy and unsure of himself (I think I am probably overanalysing him haha). Especially because not many people seem too fussed about meeting him, I think it makes me like him more and just want to give him a hug. So I did  



Because he has paws (or maybe because he's a teddy, I'm not sure) he can't write (AW!) so you get a Duffy stamp in your autograph book (not that I have one but I did consider it). I felt a bit silly queuing up to meet him with all the kids but the cast members working with him were lovely and made everyone feel welcome.

After that we headed to Phantom Manor first – I think we did anyway, I can never quite remember what order things went in but I am fairly sure we went on Phantom Manor first. The ghosts at the end that appear in the mirrors over the doom buggies weren't working – does anyone know why? I hope it was just a short thing that'll get fixed soon. My favourite bit of that ride is the Grim Grinning Ghosts bust statues at the end, I love that song so much.











We went to Fuente del Oro for lunch (fajitas!) and after that we headed to Adventureland for Pirates of the Caribbean, which is our favourite. The queue said 5 minutes and it was a walk-on! I love the queue area that you walk through – the smell is amazing, I don't know what it is but it makes me so excited. I love the ride water smell, too.



Later we went on It's a Small World - another favourite - then had a look round the shops and went for food at the Rainforest Cafe at about 5.30/6pm. I would really recommend this restaurant – the food's not amazingly special but it's very nice, and it always seems to be speedy service which is good if you need to be back out for anything quickly. Plus it's so much fun to look around and see all the animals moving and stuff – we were by a cute little monkey who dropped down from the ceiling occasionally.



As we came out of Disney Village we decided we'd head back into the park to have a look round the Main Street shops and maybe try some rides.  We'd forgotten the time, and as we walked in we realised the parade was on!

I'd seen the parade a few times online and had sort of dismissed it – I still don't think it's anything on the OUAD parade, but having seen it in person I feel like I was a bit harsh about it. I guess on YouTube or whatever it doesn't have the same feel to it, but in person it's a lot more exciting and the song isn't quite as annoying. I still don't understand why they chose to incorporate Disney songs in with Just Like We Dreamed It for the OUAD parade but then didn't for Magic on Parade – everything in OUAD flowed so well, whereas Magic Everywhere just plays for 3 minutes and then stops and then plays again awkwardly. I still enjoyed watching it a lot though, and it was well worth it for the end float with Mickey and Minnie and Duffy – I was so glad we stumbled across it.











After that a lot of people seemed to leave the park or rush to the rides, so we went for a little look around Sleeping Beauty's castle. I'd never been up into the Galerie before so I was v excited, and when they played the music to Once Upon a Dream from the movie it made it even better.

















We went back to rest at the hotel for a while and wait for Disney Dreams. We got into the park at about 10.45 and the show started at about 11.10pm. It was SO GOOD. Seeing it on a computer doesn't do it justice, it's so magical. I love the bit in Be Our Guest where the bubbles start coming up with the characters in, and at the end where different characters flash onto the screen, and all the Peter Pan music! I wish I could watch it again, I hope it's on next year so badly.

I forgot to take any photos in the end, because I was so engrossed – I do like taking pictures but I find I either focus so hard on taking photos that I can't enjoy what's going on around me and start feeling like I've got a job to do, or I love what's going on around me so much that I completely forget to take photos. I prefer the second one, although it's lovely to have photos to bring back with you. We got back to the hotel room at about 11.45 and slept much better! We'd walked back, which I'd definitely recommend after Dreams – we presumed that the shuttle buses would be full/overloaded so we just walked instead and it was fun!



DAY 3:



We had an earlier breakfast this morning – we were in the Chuck Wagon for 7.45am which meant we got to use our Extra Magic Hours after! I don't think I'd do this every day because there's only so many rides that are open, but it is really nice to be in the park when it's quieter even if you're not using the rides. We went on Buzz Lightyear's Laser Blast which we loved – I'd been geekin' it up reading about how to get extra points so I somehow went from about 500 to 25,000 after shooting the special Z on Zurg . When we came out we had a look round the gift shop, I love that shop! The lighting is so good.











It was just on 10am when we finished in the gift shop and the CMs were just starting to let people in past the ropes into the parks so we ran to Fantasyland to get in the queue for Meet Mickey! Although I'm 22, Mickey is pretty much my idol so I was very excited. The queue only had about 20 people in and the cast members outside told us that it wouldn't be opening til 10.30am. We figured we may as well stick around – we knew we'd be some of the first people in at half 10, and we weren't sure if the queue would be a lot longer later in the day.

The cast members were so lovely with all the kids, they played loads of games outside with them so they wouldn't get bored and made sure everyone was entertained. We got in at 10.30 as promised and went straight into the bit where all the cartoons play. It was really hard to get any good photos because we were all walking really quickly to get in but all trying to take photos at the same time, so they were all really blurry! We got our photo taken with Mickey and he gave us a hug













After that we decided that we hadn't really taken many photos and that it would be nice to have some to look back on, so we had a little trek round the park taking photos.











































After lunch, we sat on a bench just off Main Street (Central Plaza?) and took some pictures of the castle and the area around us.




















As we walked back through Main Street we saw Duffy looking restless and saw that there was no-one in the queue to meet him! So I went to meet him again



We went to Annette's Diner in the evening which was so yummy – the service and the food was great and the theming (I'm really big on themes as I'm sure you can tell) was amazing.





We had a browse round Disney Village and then walked back to the hotel to pack everything up. Time in Disneyland seems to go about ten times faster than anywhere else, I am always dreading when we have to go home and it comes so quickly.

DAY 4:

We got up to do a last bit of packing and put our suitcase in the baggage room at the Cheyenne. Then we walked to Disney Village for a character breakfast at Cafe Mickey! Because of the problems we'd had with booking and sorting it all out, the admin team had sorted us out with a complimentary breakfast. It was quite busy because we didn't go in til about 9.30am and I suppose that's one of the busiest times to be there, but it was lovely to see all the kids so excited to meet the characters. We met Eeyore and Gepetto and saw Mickey and Donald – poor Mickey was getting mobbed, haha.

After that we wanted to see if we could get another go in of POTC so we walked over to Adventureland. I'm not sure what the problem was but it was closed so we decided to do the teacups and It's a Small World again. We only ever really go on four or five favourite rides – I do love the rides but I hate it when people say Disney is just a themepark, to me it's really not and it's the shops and the music and the general atmosphere in addition to the rides which make it so special. I would still pay full price to go for 4 days and just sit on a bench on Main Street!





We went to Walt's for lunch – we'd never been before but wanted somewhere special for our last day. I know there are different 'lands' in Walt's and I thinkkk we were in Discoveryland because our chairs had planets on them! We were lucky because we were put right by the window so we had an amazing view of Main Street. The food was amazing too – it's expensive but it's definitely worth it for a treat. Even the bill-holder-thing was special!











It was really packed on this last day – Wednesday was the quietest day which I didn't expect but I suppose as it's midweek it does make sense. Thursday seemed to be a really popular day for school trips, there were SO many groups of school kids around, maybe they do long weekends or get a discount on Thursdays or something? Because of this (and just general busy-ness) the queues were really long – Buzz was about 45 minutes and so was Pirates when it opened again. By this point we figured we'd done every ride we wanted to (bar Casey Junior but the queue for Casey was HUGE, I didn't know he was so popular!) so we just decided to have a last look around the shops and the park itself. We dropped into Walt Disney Studios for a bit and then went to sit in Fantasia Gardens. It was such a nice day and the Disneyland Hotel looked so beautiful.















We had a last look in the park and then headed back to the hotel to get the VEA to CDG. We were so sad to leave We'd been so excited for so long and it was so sad to think it was over and we'd be back at home in a few hours. We got back to Birmingham airport at about 9.30pm and it was raining and I cried again and thought how only a few hours before we had been in the best place in the world in the sun :cry:. My boyfriend said he'd come round the next day so we could look at all of our photos together and look at our souvenirs and plan our next holiday, and that made me feel better. I just always want to be back there as soon as I leave, I think it's called Post-Disney Depression but whatever it is I definitely get it.



These are my souvenirs! I used to buy clothes and stuff but now I just don't really buy anything other than food throughout the year and just save all my money for Disneyland Paris merchandise :')

I think that's everything...I used up all my Flickr allowance so I didn't get to post all the photos I wanted but hopefully the ones I did include are enough. I hope you've enjoyed the report  

[ecila]

Such a good trip report! You've made me so excited for my trip now haha, it's nice to know that someone else cries when they arrive and leave too! Really enjoyed your photos aswell, if anything I prefer normal trip photos to professional ones, your photos really show the atmosphere in the park

[ulak]

Very nice report! I read him with pleasure from start to finish and thought of it on my own way ... (and want be back ) Also, nice images and atmosphere. Thank you and have a quick return to Disneyland Paris!

[ilovedisneylandparis]

Such a good trip report! You've made me so excited for my trip now haha, it's nice to know that someone else cries when they arrive and leave too! Really enjoyed your photos aswell, if anything I prefer normal trip photos to professional ones, your photos really show the atmosphere in the park

Aw, thank you so much! I quite like normal trip photos too, it's nice to see people's memories I think Haha, I am such a crier when I'm there, it's just so overwhelming when you arrive and then when you have to leave again isn't it  :oops: I hope you have an amazing time when you go I'm jealous - I wish I could go back already!

[ilovedisneylandparis]

Very nice report! I read him with pleasure from start to finish and thought of it on my own way ... (and want be back ) Also, nice images and atmosphere. Thank you and have a quick return to Disneyland Paris!

Thankyou very much ulak! I'm glad you liked it I can't wait to be back too, I think I'd go every day if I could! I hope you get to go back very soon!

[babe ruth]

A lovely read with some wonderful pictures! You should write professionally

[carrydee38]

we were there on the 10th of june to the 13th and were in cheyenne sitting bull and we got the little bottles of water and coins and biscuits.  With a lovely note which was really  nice touch we were also in a room beside the stairs on the first floor...like yourselves the weather was dreadful sunday and monday but we got to see dreams on monday which was totally amazing...but the parade on monday was a speed through as a dreadful downpour..but we love the place great trip report though

[MrsPirate]

Lovely trip report and great photos. It sounds like you had a really good time and I'm glad the weather wasn't too bad for you.

[ilovedisneylandparis]

A lovely read with some wonderful pictures! You should write professionally

Aww! Thankyou very much babe ruth! I'm so glad you enjoyed it :ears: A new magicforum member I see!

we were there on the 10th of june to the 13th and were in cheyenne sitting bull and we got the little bottles of water and coins and biscuits.  With a lovely note which was really  nice touch we were also in a room beside the stairs on the first floor...like yourselves the weather was dreadful sunday and monday but we got to see dreams on monday which was totally amazing...but the parade on monday was a speed through as a dreadful downpour..but we love the place great trip report though

Thankyou and glad you had fun carrydee38 - we loved the bottles of water and coins/biscuits too! Dreams was so good wasn't it, I hope so much that we'll be able to see it again next year, I feel like I missed parts that I would love to see again in person! Have you got another trip planned soon?

Lovely trip report and great photos. It sounds like you had a really good time and I'm glad the weather wasn't too bad for you.

Thanks so much! Glad you liked it We were really lucky with the weather, we expected quite a bit of rain but it worked out so well for us - we even got a bit sunburnt on the Thursday haha. I can't wait to go back!

[15MagicalYears]

Great trip report & photos! I was hoping I'd spy myself in the background of some of your photos as we were there the exact same time. No luck though  :lol: .

[gemma2806]

That was a really lovely trip report! I really liked your photos and it has made me really excited for my trip now (still got 81 days to wait!) I only have a standard digital camera too but I think that the photos are wonderful and they're your memories so don't think badly of the standard just cause they aren't professional! I'm hoping to do my first trip report when I come back as well so I just hope it turns out as well as yours. Glad you had such a wonderful time and yes I cry too and i'm 29!!

[Aurora1]

Thanks for the report! Nice pictures! Showed them to my daughter (she sometimes comes, when I`m at computer and ask to see pictures) as just about looking throu your. And she noticed on the one from the shop un Discoveryland, that they still sell Angel-T-Shirts and jackets! So she got her first shopping wish!
Glad you enjoyed your time despite the weather!
Aurora1

[Epcot_Boy]

but I hate it when people say Disney is just a themepark, to me it's really not and it's the shops and the music and the general atmosphere in addition to the rides which make it so special. I would still pay full price to go for 4 days and just sit on a bench on Main Street.

I absolutely know what you mean, and believe me i have spent many a relaxing hour sitting on a bench in Town Square taking in the atmosphere
Great TR, thanks for sharing your hols with us :thumbs:

[carrydee38]

Thankyou  and glad you had fun carrydee38 - we loved the bottles of water and coins/biscuits too! Dreams was so good wasn't it, I hope so much that we'll be able to see it again next year, I feel like I missed parts that I would love to see again in person! Have you got another trip planned soon?

no i dont have another one planned we have been there a lot in the last few years 3 time in the space of a year...so were a little disney'nd out which is the first time i have said that.  We thoroughly enjoyed the trip and please people go see tarzan which was amazing out of this world.  But I have to say there was a lack of characthers out and about a lack of shows and a lot of restaurannts closed.  And for the first time i had to complain in cafe mickey...service and food have gone down a lot but prices have gone up.  All in all I love disney paris it holds a special place in my heart but i do feel it has got to expensive and the quality and service has gone down.

[ilovedisneylandparis]

Great trip report & photos! I was hoping I'd spy myself in the background of some of your photos as we were there the exact same time. No luck though  :lol: .

Oh wow, a couple of people have said that now, it's so weird to think we may have walked past each other or been next to each other in the queue! Haha, I always wonder the same about other people's photos but never seem to be in them! Thanks for reading the report

That was a really lovely trip report! I really liked your photos and it has made me really excited for my trip now (still got 81 days to wait!) I only have a standard digital camera too but I think that the photos are wonderful and they're your memories so don't think badly of the standard just cause they aren't professional! I'm hoping to do my first trip report when I come back as well so I just hope it turns out as well as yours. Glad you had such a wonderful time and yes I cry too and i'm 29!!

Thanks so much Aw, that's a good point, I like to think of them as being memories too - and for me they are a bit more personal  :oops:. I hope you have a magical time when your trip comes around, really looking forward to reading your trip report! P.S. That has made me feel better! I don't think I will ever grow up enough to stop crying so I might even still be that way at 40, I just can't help it, I even cry at the start of Disney films where the castle comes up and they play Wish Upon a Star because it reminds me of Disneyland :oops:  

Thanks for the report! Nice pictures! Showed them to my daughter (she sometimes comes, when I`m at computer and ask to see pictures) as just about looking throu your. And she noticed on the one from the shop un Discoveryland, that they still sell Angel-T-Shirts and jackets! So she got her first shopping wish!
Glad you enjoyed your time despite the weather!
Aurora1

Thankyou Aww yes they do, lots of Stitch and Angel stuff still actually, some cuddly toys etc as well! They seem to be quite popular there so I'm sure she will find lots of Angel merchandise

I absolutely know what you mean, and believe me i have spent many a relaxing hour sitting on a bench in Town Square taking in the atmosphere
Great TR, thanks for sharing your hols with us :thumbs:

Thankyou very much! I am the exact same, I think it's so special and sometimes just sitting there having a look round is my favourite thing to do, the Main Street music is magical - I've still got it in my head now!

no i dont have another one planned we have been there a lot in the last few years 3 time in the space of a year...so were a little disney'nd out which is the first time i have said that.  We thoroughly enjoyed the trip and please people go see tarzan which was amazing out of this world.  But I have to say there was a lack of characthers out and about a lack of shows and a lot of restaurannts closed.  And for the first time i had to complain in cafe mickey...service and food have gone down a lot but prices have gone up.  All in all I love disney paris it holds a special place in my heart but i do feel it has got to expensive and the quality and service has gone down.

Three times is a lot! I would love to go that much but I can imagine if you are staying for more than a night or two it might become a bit much, especially with travelling. Sorry to hear it wasn't the same for you this time We felt the same about some of the restaurants - quite a few were closed and we weren't sure why? I guess it's because it's not peak season but it does make it quite hard to plan where to eat. We just always end up sticking with Fantasyland now cos the restaurants seem to be more reliable? The only other issue I had was about the merchandise - I really do miss when the merch in each different land was a bit more unusual - now it feels as if one shop is the same as any other shop There are a few differences but not much, from what I could see. That being said I still would choose it over anywhere else haha  :oops: I hope if you go again in a while that you enjoy it as much as you used to!