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[Andybear]

I intended writing this a couple of weeks ago but came home with a souvenir I hadn't bought – a bout of Norovirus which resulted in me spending Saturday 20th in hospital!  And I haven't felt like doing much as a result.  Anyway .....

Sunday 14th

I left home at 6.00 am to catch the Eurostar in London, so excited about this holiday.  The Eurostar left London at 10.15 and arrived just before 2.00 pm French time.  I had Disney Express but decided to go to the hotel to choose my breakfast times.  I did so and then went for a stroll around the hotel before checking in at 3.00.  I was travelling alone and had booked a Montana room in the main hotel instead of a Lodge room as I didn't want to walk though the woody area on my own in the dark.  Unfortunately on checking in I was told there were no Montana rooms available!  I was not happy and made my feelings known, in a very polite way, and explained my reasons for booking a Montana room.  The staff were very apologetic and to cut a long story short I agreed to stay in a room in Big Sur Lodge and was given a VIP Fastpass for the whole of my stay as compensation. 

I went to my room and have to say I was impressed with it.  There was mild Bambi theming, including borders on the walls with Bambi characters, wall lamps with wooden stags on them and a beautiful woodland scene painting of Bambi and his pals on one of the walls.  This Bambi décor fitted in well with the woodland theme of the hotel.  I had a quick shower, changed then went out to have some fun! 

Due to the hassle over the room it was 4.30 by the time I got to Disneyland Park.  People were starting to stake their claims for seats to watch the parade.  I thought about doing that but felt hungry so went to The Lucky Nugget where I had a decent meal of pork ribs, onions rings and chips in barbecue sauce followed by a caramel nutty ice cream sundae, all washed down with Sprite.  This revived me and I decided to go on some of the rides, leaving the parade till the following day.  My first port of call was Pirates of the Caribbean which I loved!  Then I went to Phantom Manor.  From there I went to Fantasy Land, where I headed for Peter Pan's Flight.  There was a 45 minute wait but thanks to my VIP Fastpass I was able to get on it straight away.  Next was Dumbo.  By then it was 7.00 and I was starting to flag.  I had planned on staying for Dreams but, as with the parade, decided to leave it till the following day.  So I headed over to the Studios for a ride on Ratatouille before heading back to the hotel.  As I suspected, there was a 1 hour wait for Ratatouille but thanks to my VIP Fastpass I was able to get on it straight away – twice!  By then I was starting to feel pleased that I hadn't got the type of hotel room I'd booked as I could see that the VIP Fastpass was going to come in very handy 

After leaving the Studios I took a gentle stroll back to Sequoia Lodge where I had an extremely delicious Glow-tini cocktail in the bar.  After that I went to bed, so excited about finally being there 




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[Andybear]

Monday 15th

After breakfast in the hotel I headed to the Disneyland Park where I arrived at about 8.45.  I took a stroll down Main Street, USA then sat down on a bench near the Castle to have a look at the park map and get my bearings.  As I was doing so a very pleasant chap came over and asked me if I was Andybear.  I said I was – DisneyRon had found me!  We chatted for a few minutes and took some photos to prove we had actually met! 

We then went to the Market House Deli where we chatted some more over a refreshing drink of coke.  After we went our separate ways I took a stroll over to Discoveryland to go on Star Tours and on my way over I bumped into a couple of pals near the Plaza Gardens restaurant 

After that I went to "Meet Mickey Mouse" which was a laugh.  Unfortunately I got lost on the way out and arrived back at the entrance to the actual room!  A CM showed me to the door to make sure the same thing wouldn't happen again! 

From there I strolled around Fantasyland, looking round the shops and I went on Dumbo, Peter Pan, Snow White and Pinocchio rides. 

By then it was 2.00 and time for something to eat.  I went to Hakuna Matata where I had a tasty meal of chicken and rice in an African sauce followed by a pineapple tart, all washed down with Fanta Orange. 

From there I headed over to Frontierland where I went on Big Thunder Mountain and Phantom Manor.  Then I had a look round the shops in that area.  Then it was over to the Castle where I had a look around the crystal shop and had a chat with the dragon!  By then it was about 4.30.  I was feeling tired so I popped into Market House Deli and got a drink.  I then staked my claim on a piece of pavement on Main Street, USA in readiness for the parade.  And what a parade!  It was brilliant.. 

From there it was back to Fantasyland where I went on several of the rides.  I then headed back to Main Street, USA and staked a claim on a piece of pavement on the hub area to watch Dreams.  It was worth the wait – I was in awe the whole time and in tears when watching the Hunchback of Notre Dame section – this is one of my favourite films and always get teary when I watch it.  I loved the feeling of camaraderie there and the fact that everyone was happy to sit on the pavement to watch it.

After Dreams had finished I headed back to the hotel where I went straight to bed.


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[Andybear]

Tuesday 16th

Today was Disney Studios day so I left the hotel a bit later.  On my way through Disney Village I had a look round some of the shops including the Lego shop which I was well impressed with – the pictures on the walls and models were amazing.

I arrived at the Studios at 9.45.  First off was a visit to Toon Plaza where I had a photo taken with Buzz Lightyear.

I then went to see Animagique which I loved    I then had a look around a couple of shops.  From there I went to see Cinemagique which I laughed at all the way through!   

By the time I had come out of Cinemagique the Stars 'n' Cars meet and greet had started.  This was great fun and I had photos taken with Smee, King Louis, Pinocchio and the wonderful Remy   

From there I headed to Toy Story Playland.  I had a couple of rides on Slinky.  I thought about going on Toy Soldiers Parachute Drop but bottled it!  From there it was a short stroll to Place de Remy where I had a couple of rides of Ratatouille – the VIP Fastpass was great! 

From there I went to Armageddon which unfortunately had technical problems so wasn't open.  I went from there to Tower of Terror which I had planned on going on but, yup, I bottled it!  So I went on the Studio Tram Tour.  I loved this and the splashing during the special effects bit was very refreshing! 

By then it was 3.00 and I was hungry.  I wasn't particularly interested in any of the Studios eateries so decided to go Disneyland Park for a late lunch.  Feeling tired I got on the train at Main Street and tootled around to Frontierland on it.  From there I headed to Hakuna Matata where this time I had spicy coated chicken strips and fries – totally delicious but I couldn't eat it all as the portion was so huge! 

By the time I'd finished eating it was 4.15 so I took a stroll back to Main Street, USA where I staked my claim for a spot on the pavement to watch the parade.  After the parade it was over to Fantasyland where I went on Peter Pan, Dumbo and It's a Small World.  I then went on the two Storybook Land rides – twice each without getting off them after the first go!  This part of the park was virtually deserted and it was great to relax on those rides away from the hustle and bustle. From then back to Peter Pan which I also went on twice – I went on there whenever I could! 

By then it was 7.00.  I fancied a rest so took a stroll over to the hub and sat on one of the benches.  People were starting to sit on the pavement and benches for Dreams so I stayed on that bench.  I watched Dreams then headed over to the Disneyland Hotel to meet Ron in the Fantasia bar for a drink.  We had a lovely relaxing evening, chatting and drinking cocktails.   

I left at midnight and on my way back to Sequoia Lodge I went wrong somewhere and ended up at the Cheyenne!  I managed to get my bearings and ended up at Sequoia Lodge at 12.30 and went straight to bed. 


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[Andybear]

Wednesday 17th

After breakfast I went to Disneyland Park where I went on Dumbo and Peter Pan.  After that I went to Alice's Curious Labyrinth.  I loved the quirkiness of this maze though I did feel a sense of panic when I hadn't got to the Queen of Hearts' castle after half an hour.  Eventually though I made it and went to the top of the tower from which the views of Fantasyland were great, including looking down onto the maze itself. 

From there it was another stroll to Frontierland where I went to Phantom Manor again.  Then it was to Storybook Land where I rode the train and boat rides – I love both those.  Then I went to Adventureland where I spent a pleasant half hour on Adventure Isle.  This was one of my favourite parts of the whole trip – the scenery was beautiful including some lovely waterfalls.  I then had a photo taken with Captain Hook and Smee.  By then I was starting to feel hungry so decided to have lunch.  Unfortunately I wasn't able to go to Hakuna Matata as it was shut for the rest of my trip.  So instead I went to Cowboy Cookout Barbecue where I had a tasty meal of chicken and chips in barbeque sauce followed by a brownie, washed down with Sprite. 

By then it was 3.30 and I decided to go to the Studios.  I didn't feel like walking to the entrance to the park so I went to the Frontierland train Depot to get a train to Main Street.  I bumped into Chip n Dale on the way to the station 

First stop was Armageddon which was operational.  This doesn't have good reviews but I really like it.  From there it was the Studio Tram Tour where I got another refreshing splashing   I then went to Toy Story Playland for a ride on Slinky.  Unfortunately it broke down and after about 10 minutes we all got off.  I went to Place de Remy and discovered  Ratatouille was also not working.  While I was there I found out that all the power had gone down in both parks.  I went from there to Toon Plaza and had a photo taken with Buzz Lightyear's pal Woody 

By then it was 5.00 and I went back to the hotel.  I packed my suitcase, generally tidied my room then spent a relaxing couple of hours sitting on a lovely decking area outside, which faced Lake Disney. 

At 8.30 I hopped on a shuttle bus and went to the Disneyland Hotel where I met Ron for another drink in the Fantasia Bar at 9.00.  We had another lovely, relaxing evening, chatting into the night.  At 12.30 I decided I'd better go and Ron walked me back to Sequoia Lodge, where I went straight to bed. 


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[Andybear]

Thursday 18th

Sadly this was my last day    I had an early breakfast then went back to my room where I did some last-minute packing.  I then left my suitcase in the left luggage room, to be taken to the railway station via Disney Express. 

I decided to spend the day going on my favourite rides in both parks.  First stop was the Studios.  I headed straight to Armageddon then after that I went on the Studio Tram Tour.  From there it as over to Toy Story Playland.  I went on Slinky and this time I didn't bottle the Toy Soldiers Parachute Drop!  From there it was Place de Remy where I went on Ratatouille twice! 

By then it was 11.45 and I went to Disneyland Park.  When I got there I headed straight for Pirates of the Caribbean and found out that it was closed due to technical problems.  I wasn't very happy as it had been shut on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday for refurbishment.  Anyway there was nothing I could so I went to Fantasyland where I did Peter Pan, Dumbo, It's a Small World and the Storybook Land rides.  I then went back to Adventureland and Pirates of the Caribbean was still shut!  By then it was 1.15 so I decided to have lunch.  Hakuna Matata and Cowboy Cookout Barbecue were both shut so I went to Au Chalet de la Marionnette where I had chicken and chips followed by fruit salad, washed down with Coke.

From there it was back to Adventureland and Pirates of the Caribbean was open, woo hoo!  There was hardly any one there and I went on it twice!  I then headed to Main Street, USA where I did some shopping.   

Then it was time to say good bye   I went to the railway station and the Eurostar left at 6.02, arriving in London at 7.45.  From there it was a half hour train ride from Kings Cross to my local station followed by a five minute taxi ride home where I arrived at 9.00.  I did some unpacking then went to bed, shattered but happy, what an amazing trip 

[DisneyRon]

A lovely trip report Andyear That VIP pass certainly earned its keep.
It was a blast meeting you in the park, and our evenings chatting over cocktails in Bar Fantasia were a highlight of my visit.

[Andybear]

Thanks Ron.  I wrote it all in one go last night and thoroughly enjoyed doing it – it brought back so many lovely memories  
Yes the VIP Fastpass was great – there were always 45-60 minute waits for Peter Pan and Ratatouille and I wouldn't have been able to go on those as often as I did without them. 
Likewise, it was great meeting you and I really enjoyed the time we spent together – you're brilliant company

[DisneyRon]

I know what you mean about the Ratatouille wait times, I was so glad to have a DLH Hotel FastPass every day to use on that.

[Uragano Tati]

Lovely trip report Andybear!!! 

[Andybear]

Lovely trip report Andybear!!! 

Thank you!!  I wish I was back there, doing it all again 

[BlackPearl]

Nice trip report! Thanks for sharing it. 
You really did a lot of things.

[Andybear]

My pleasure    Yes I did loads, it was during an off season so it was often possible to walk straight on a lot of the rides.