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[andrewuk]

The players:
Andrew (Me) 36, Sixth trip to DLP
Janine (My wife) 35, Sixth trip to DLP, also has 1 to WDW
Jack (Our son) 6, second trip to DLP, first time he was only 7 months old though!
The dates: Tuesday 26/5/15 – Saturday 30/5/15
Context:
We spent our honeymoon at DLP in 2003 after Janine loved her trip to WDW in 2000. We fell in love with the place and visited regularly up until our last visit in 2009. Our son Jack was born in early 2009, and then we moved house in late 2010. What with the toddler years, dealing with the new house issues and going to Lapland at Christmas, we hadn't made it back to our other home for far too long.  Along with this being Jack's first trip as a child it was really exciting! We are trying to get through all the hotels, so this time we were giving the Cheyenne a go. We thought it would be fun for the little guy. We did go at May half term in 2004 and it rained all week, so we were a little apprehensive about the weather, but even so, we were super excited! We really wanted to see what Jack would make of it all. He has been to a few theme parks in the UK, but really only Alton Towers and Paultons' Park have been of any quality at all, but even those are nowhere near what he was about to see!

Day 1 Tuesday 26/5/15
We got up at what would normally be a crazy 4:30am, but the adrenaline kicked in pretty quick. We had everything packed the night before, but had to get the house sorted before leaving. Father-in-law gave us a lift to Reading station. Then we got on a train to Paddington. And of course it was a commuter train. So we get on to a carriage full of all these workers, who are sitting in complete silence! We looked all out of place in our Disney and Star Wars tops! Fair play to Jack, though, he stayed quiet the whole time. I dragged the cases to the London Underground and we had an unexpected change at Edgeware Road to deal with, and then made it to St Pancras, hooray! We got a second breakfast in at Pret a Manger and then checked in for the Eurostar just after it opened. It was a huge relief to get sat down in the departure lounge; the hard part was done now. Jack settled down with his tablet: he looks like a teenager already (!) and I go off to get the cups of tea in. I look very pleased with myself for some reason!

All went well on the Eurostar. The Disney guy came by with the paperwork and tickets just as we went into the tunnel. So we missed the fantastic horse drawn into the side of the hill. Never mind, I managed to point this out to Jack on the return journey.
We arrived at Marne-la-Vallee on time (about 2pm) and it was like we'd never been away, everything so familiar. We didn't bother with Disney express and went straight to the Cheyenne to check in. Our room was ready which we appreciated.  The room was pretty nice but is looking a bit dated now. Paint was peeling from the bathroom door and ceiling and a drawer was broken too, but the theming was very nice and it certainly felt homely. Walking around the hotel outside and in the main area was lovely.



OK, so we got settled in and headed off to the Disneyland Park. We walked in along the Rio Grande as we had never seen it before, and we were most impressed with it.



As we entered into DV we had our bags scanned and then heard 'Just Like We Dreamed It' playing. A good omen or what?



As we got into Main St Jack's little face lit up when he saw the castle! Jack really wanted a Duffy, so we went to the Emporium first – fail. The CM said to try Disney & Co. – fail again! We were starting to worry, but we told Jack we'd try in DV later on and he was ok with that. Then we went to buy Photopass + from New Century Notions and it was off to fantasyland for the first rides. It's a bit weird going into the park in the late afternoon, it was a bit busy, the weather was OK but we didn't have the beautiful blue sky that you always see behind the castle in your favourite photographs. Anyhow, we headed to IASW as this is something of a family tradition for the first ride for each member of the family: it was Janine's in Florida in 2000, so she made it mine on the honeymoon  in 2003 and so Jack had to have this one first now. We all loved it and next went round to do Pays de Contees de Fays and Casey Jr. Good again, but PdCdF could really do with a bit of weeding and a tidy up.  We had planned to go to Toad Hall next as we had read Wind in the Willows to Jack and he loved Mr Toad, but unfortunately it was shut all week , so we delayed eating and went on POTC (amazing as ever, duelling pirates were on but the swinger not) and PM.



PM was incredible, but Jack was a bit spooked and although he was ok he didn't want to ride it again during the holiday.  Now we were planning a full day tomorrow so we leave the park and go up to DV to finally get this Duffy. No luck at WoD either! But we struck gold at the Disney Store, and have one happy little traveller with us! As we left to get the bus back I figured out how the secured zone works. It's impressive; especially as a few years ago you got checked at the park end of DV but could just walk in at the other! Also the X-ray bag scans are a lot better than the old manual searches, a big thumbs up from me on that one. We went back to the Cheyenne to clean up and rest, the shower was amazing! So that's day 1 over. We managed to do a lot and we were just getting started, more days to follow

[Mileto]

Great story, Andrewuk!

Like your smiling face and all the traditions and memories you have.

Greeting to the happy Duffy family!

[andrewuk]

Thanks Mileto, stay tuned for Day 2! Jack certainly goes to sleep much quicker now that he has Duffy to cuddle! 

[BlackPearl]

Great start of your journey! Thanks for sharing! 

[andrewuk]

Day 2 Wednesday 27/5/15

We skipped the hotel breakfast as they didn't have any early time slots left on check in. We had a quick bite to eat in the room and then off to spend the day in DLP. We got in early and joined the queue to meet Mickey and Minnie. The weather was fantastic, and I managed to do a Baymax fist pump with Mickey! We walked down to Discoveryland next and did Buzz Lightyear twice.









Note that the 'Mission 2' has gone! Will it be back?

This quickly became Jack's favourite ride. We'd only been on it once before, but now I really have come to appreciate it  (I would still take le Visionarrium back in a second given the choice). We went on Orbitron next. Never bothered with this before, but WOW, flying up over Discoveryland is incredible, and it's not an uncomfortable spinner either. Great ride and it will become a regular from now on, I'm sure. It will be even better once the refurbs are done and the fences are down.
Next it was off to Fantasyland. The plan was for me to queue up for Peter Pan fast pass while Jack and Janine ride Dumbo, but the queue for Dumbo was too long and they came back. We explored a bit of Fantasyland next and walked through the Labyrinth. I can't remember going up the little castle before, but it was great and the view from the top is breath-taking (will be better without the fences).





Peter Pan was great and we went on Pirates next (still no swinging Pirate ) . Ten we saw Goofy's garden Party and Welcome to Spring show which were both good.



Then we went to see to see the dragon, who was wonderful, though he spooked Jack a bit. We went in some shops and did Snow White and Pinocchio. Love the charm of these rides, they have such an authentic and classic feel to them. Next it was time for the Minnie Spring Train and WOW. The music, 'Sunny Bunnyland' is incredible, I'd say it is the true successor to the genius of Dancin a Catchy Rhythm and Just Like We Dreamed It. The cast member Michael did a hilarious job of clearing the way for the train by making a squeaking noise whilst doing animated gestures with his big Mickey hand. The train goes by and suddenly I notice that a Flashmob has formed in central plaza and a dance to this great tune is going on! I try to get Jack to come and join in but he's not keen, but I go over and jump on in. It was so much fun I couldn't quite believe it. It was so great to be dancing with the castmembers and everyone had a great time.
After that excitement we headed off to explore Frontierland. We got on Rivers of the Far West, loved how relaxing this is, and went to have a look at Boot Hill. Really hope they fix the geysers sometime soon.



Then we went to explore Adventureland and went up the Swiss Family Robinson Tree House. There are super views from up there, although they really need to replace the broken water wheel.



Another go on Pirates next, picked up a bite to eat in Fantasyland and found a spot to watch the parade near to the towers on the parade route. I was a bit worried about this parade, as I didn't love 'Magic Everywhere' when I heard it, and I would still say that it's weaker than the other parade songs that DLP have had. However, seeing the whole thing working together was incredible, it really does all work together brilliantly. The best was seeing the characters and dancers singing along, and Characters coming out to play with the kids. Brilliantly done, really enjoyed it.



After a quick ride on IASW we headed down the Discovery Arcade and back to the hotel. So there's day2. Day 1 was really good, day 2 was pure Disney magic, loved it.

[AliceJustbelieve]

Thanks for the cute report! Keep up the traditions, they sound amazing!
I'm glad Jack found his Duffy^o^
Beautiful pictures by the way, it looks absolutely stunning!
Can't wait to read the rest:)

[TattyOwl1]

REALLY enjoying reading your trip report as we were there at the same time as  you (24th - 29th)...... so imagine my surprise when I look at the 1st picture of your 2nd day and we are in the picture!! My husband is the one wearing the black t-shirt stood behind a buggy carrying my 3 yr old daughter and my 8 yr old is in the pink coat! What afreaky coincidence that is!!! Really look forward to reading the rest of your report!!!!

[andrewuk]

Thanks for the cute report! Keep up the traditions, they sound amazing!
I'm glad Jack found his Duffy^o^
Beautiful pictures by the way, it looks absolutely stunning!
Can't wait to read the rest:)

Hi AliceJustbelieve

Thanks, he really loves the bear. Keep watching for days 3-5 and more pictures!

[andrewuk]

REALLY enjoying reading your trip report as we were there at the same time as  you (24th - 29th)...... so imagine my surprise when I look at the 1st picture of your 2nd day and we are in the picture!! My husband is the one wearing the black t-shirt stood behind a buggy carrying my 3 yr old daughter and my 8 yr old is in the pink coat! What afreaky coincidence that is!!! Really look forward to reading the rest of your report!!!!

Hi Tattyowl 1 and congratulations on your first post. Yes, I agree, it's more exciting to see what other people were up to while you were there. Such a freaky coincidence about the picture as you say. We just finished putting a photobook of the holiday together, I checked after seeing your post and that picture's in the photobook too!

[andrewuk]

Day 3 Thursday 28/5/15

The original plan for this day was to go into Paris, but in the end we were enjoying Disney so much that we decided to stay. We'll do a dedicated Paris holiday in the future (which will probably turn into one where we spend most days at DLP!).  So we got breakfast at the Cheyenne for the first time. It was not as calm as say the HNY breakfast but certainly not too manic. It was a standard breakfast really so we ate the fruit and rolls and bagged up a couple of rolls to take out.
We headed into DLP for EMH again and met Donald. He was a naughty duck and threw Jack's pen! Then we caught the bus down to central plaza. We had never done this before either! When we were sitting on the top deck of the bus I noticed this window.


I started to freak out going, 'It's the imagineers!' I think Jack thought I had lost the plot, but I got the picture and was so pleased to see that. (Must be how Marty McFly felt when that postman turned up in the middle of the road: a message from the past!)
The bus ride was a bit bumpy, but it meant we got a different look at everything.





We had more EMH rides on Buzz and then on to Star Tours. I enjoyed it more than ever this time. Although I was much more into Star Trek when I was a kid, since having Jack we've learnt a huge amount about the Star Wars galaxy, and so it meant more being able to share it with him. I noticed that Tony Baxter is the guy at the end almost getting hit by the shuttle and got all excited over imagineers again!



Star Traders didn't open until 11 and Autopia had a big queue already so we decided to mop up what we hadn't yet done or wanted to repeat in DLP. We got BTM fast passes and headed off for more pirates (everything was working now). We bought a few nice things from the shop and I talked to the CM there, Serena I think it was, who said that she just spends all her money in there as the merchandise is so good! We meet Timon in adventureland: he was great.  We did Big Thunder Mountain and Jack really liked it, it was his wildest ride to date! He wasn't so keen on the lift hills in the tunnels but otherwise loved it. We did the sword in the stone and the castle gallery. Keeping another tradition from all of our previous visits, we bought a Christmas decoration from the castle shop. Next it was IASW and then on to Star Traders. We came back to central plaza to join in with the Flashmob again. This time I was going to do it right, and danced the whole way through, and Jack joined in on the second half too. So much fun again. I really love the whole idea: it's really free-spirited and anyone who wants to can easily join in. I was not a dancy person when I was younger so this was quite a moment for me, but then that's the Disney magic!
We walked down Main Street and did a bit of shopping. Then back to the hotel for a little rest as the park had got quite busy. We headed off to the studios next. We thought en Coulisse would be quite quiet by 3pm, but no the queues were huge and the only seats left were upstairs. Still, at least we had a brass band playing Star Wars music as we waited for our chips! We went to see Place de Remy and were blown away with the beautiful new area.



We nearly went on Ratatouille but the queue length doubled while we used the toilets (!), so we had our first ever go on Cars instead. Jack used to love the film a couple of years ago, so he enjoyed it and it was pretty quick so lots of fun. We walked through TSPL and had a ride on Slinky. Loads of seats were out of order, they really should have shut the ride and fixed it, but it was good enough for what it was. Left TSPL and went on STT next. Now I do like this one, Jeremy Irons' sense of humour tickles me and the relaxing music and slow ride are something of a WDS equivalent of Rivers of the Far West. However, the ride through the wood at the start was a bit too long without anything to see other than trees. Nice enough, but a bit odd! If they put a bit of Return of the Jedi stuff in there with tree houses, stormtroopers and Ewoks it would fit just right, though. Catastrophe canyon was great, although the earthquakes weren't working. The fire effect in London was working really well and we got a face full of heat! We get off and it is five minutes to closing time. Janine suggests that I run to RNRC (she knows how much I love it) so I get there and soon I'm hurtling along on my favourite coaster. Absolutely amazing ride but the photo didn't come out: I'd just have to go on again later in the week!  We left WDS after closing time and it was weird to be walking through a nearly empty WDS with most of the music off. Back in 2003 the CMs used to line up at the main gate with it open and applaud the guests out. It doesn't look like they do that anymore  .

Back to the Cheyenne for a rest and a drink in the bar, another magical Disney day done!

[andrewuk]

Day 4 Friday 29/5/15
We got up and headed over for breakfast. I think I managed to put 4 rolls away! It's funny how we never really do a continental breakfast at home, but I enjoy it much more than cereal, full English or American. We headed for the bus and it started to rain. Only light rain, but enough to put a dampener on things so we quickly took a detour back to the room to get our waterproofs. More EMH today, so we managed to meet Goofy and Pluto and then more rides on Buzz. I sat the last one out and browsed Constellations instead, such a lovely shop. We left DLP at 9am and head to WDS as it's time to ride the Rat! We were let into WDS at 9:30 and by 9:50 we were on the ride.  We got through a little too quickly if anything and didn't get to experience the queue area at the intended pace, but it did look good and reminded me of the queue for POTC. What did we make of the ride? It is undeniably an amazing experience. The technology is astounding, I really had no idea how it was doing what it was doing. The pace is great, really exciting. The only negative is that it did seem to lack a bit of fun, odd really as the film had that in abundance. Maybe I need to ride it more times; I definitely will do so on future visits. Janine and Jack liked it too, but it did set off her motion sickness and I don't think she'll be desperate to ride it again. Funnily enough, back in 2007 I got her to go on Crush, thinking it was going to be quite a mild Casey Jr type coaster, and I couldn't have been more wrong there! So I think she'll have to watch a youtube before trying any future rides. Overall a super ride but it wasn't anyone's new favourite thing in the world. 9/10 from me!
I picked up a ToT fastpass on the way to queue to meet Spiderman. The queue lasted forever and you spend about an hour in a room waiting for each person to go in. It was really dull. In fairness, Spidey himself was terrific and was Jack's favourite character meet. But (oh no!) my fast pass expired while we were in the queue!  Got to confess that the combination of a tedious queue and missing my slot on my beloved tower elevator ride did make me a bit grumpy for the next few hours and I needed a firm talking to!
Managed to see Animagique next (nice to see it one last time before it goes), then on to Disney Junior.  I've got to say that I felt a bit sorry for the girl doing the show, because Handy Manny and Little Einsteins are barely on TV now, and My Friends Tigger and Pooh has vanished without a trace. The show is still very good, but needs to include the modern TV shows to get the kids in the audience excited. When we saw it back in 2009 all the kids were into it, but not so much anymore. We saw a Stars 'n' Cars, which was pretty cool.





Then we headed off for the stunt show. This was Jack's favourite show; it is incredible what those drivers manage to do every day. I really can't forget seeing the man walking while on fire, just incredible!  We went to Stitch Live next and I think Stitch picked Jack to talk, but the CM put the mic in front of another boy and they just went with it. It was a brilliantly funny show, as ever. We took a few more photos and left WDS.




After all that excitement we head back to the Cheyenne for a rest and to pack up. Jack tells us that, 'We've only been here for a few days but it feels like home!' Always has for us too little guy! Jack watched a bit more Safety Smart on the TV while we got everything sorted out. (Safety Smart is a series of programmes on safety and responsibility with Lion King Characters.) We were really well organised this time, well done us (mostly Janine really!).

Then we get the bus back to the park for Dreams. We get off the bendy bus, walk towards the station and NO! The police are putting a cordon around the walk between the bus station and the secured area. It turns out that someone has phoned in a bomb threat to that area, not to the parks. We tried walking back up to go through HNY but the big gate was locked and I couldn't find a way out of the car park, so we walked back down and waited. By now a small crowd had gathered.  But almost straight away the police said it was ok and let us all through. I feel really grateful to the police for keeping us safe!
Anyway, we soon got into DLP and I got to take some cool night pics.





Jack got yet more Duffy stuff, including the book; from the storybook store (we finally found the Duffy shop!). Jack said goodbye to the big Duffy bear and we went to find a place to watch Dreams. We thought that in front of the green cart in front of Plaza Gardens was best and we had a great view. I got a bit worried as the clouds behind the castle seemed to be getting closer, but no rain arrived, phew!



I don't know if I have the words to describe Dreams, it's beyond incredible, left me feeling so emotional and even more in love with DLP. Jack had the wand and I think it worked, but I didn't see as I was holding him the whole time. Somehow, between bad weather, crying babies, planning to do other stuff, going at the wrong time of year and just plain bad luck we have managed not to see a fireworks show since our first night at DLP in 2003! This was something else though!
I carried little man most of the way back to the Cheyenne, although he wanted to walk through DV as he could see other kids his age walking. It's pretty late when we get back to the hotel.  By the way, we were in Cochise. I'm ashamed to say that I had never heard of him before, but now I have read his Wikipedia page and what a guy he was, a real legend.
So that's day 4 all done. A couple of less than magical moments, but certainly another unforgettable day!

[samuelvictor]

I'm loving reading this - really nicely written and feels like we're there with you! Thanks for sharing, and so glad you had such a great time.  Also, this makes me want a Duffy bear even more than I already did 

[TattyOwl1]

Really enjoyed reading your report. Well written. I felt exactly the same about Ratatouille ride. I'm not sure whether my expectations were too high after reading such great things about it or whether it was because I was sat by my 3 yr old who really wasn't keen. Very clever ride and def worth doing but didn't blow me away!

[andrewuk]

I'm loving reading this - really nicely written and feels like we're there with you! Thanks for sharing, and so glad you had such a great time.  Also, this makes me want a Duffy bear even more than I already did 

Thanks, I'm glad people are enjoying it. Not everyone is into Duffy, but I think he's good!

[andrewuk]

Really enjoyed reading your report. Well written. I felt exactly the same about Ratatouille ride. I'm not sure whether my expectations were too high after reading such great things about it or whether it was because I was sat by my 3 yr old who really wasn't keen. Very clever ride and def worth doing but didn't blow me away!

Thanks I'm glad you're enjoying it. I think I'm the same, I'd been following the ride since it was first rumoured all those years ago and I think my hopes were just a bit too much.