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[DisneyChris11]

Disneyland Paris – First Ever Visit - 23rd – 28th June 2015

Hi, everyone, We got back from our first ever trip to Disneyland Paris last week and it was also our first ever trip abroad so quite a big deal for us. I found this forum very helpful in planning for our trip so I hope you enjoy my trip report from our stay.
We stayed at the Hotel Cheyenne for 4 Nights, 5 Days – Wed 24th June to Sunday 28th June 2015, but was staying in London at a travelodge on the Tues Night as our Eurostar left quite early Wednesday morning and we are coming from Yorkshire. Our trip was in between all the Eurostar delays due to the Calais problems so were so grateful (and lucky) we got there and back safe with no problems. On the trip was Me (19), Parents and brother (13), Have never been a Really Big fan of Disney films and was more a fan of theme parks but after this visit we have the magic and been totally Disneyfied!

Day 1 - 23rd June 2015

We caught our train from Leeds at 2pm to London Kings Cross, was quite a good journey & went pretty fast. Arrived at Kings Cross for the first time, then tried to find our travelodge and after a some time looking at the map, we followed a road and found it pretty easily. Checked in and unpacked a few things and then went to find some dinner and have a look around the stations. Went to Kings Cross and found the Harry Potter Platform 9 ¾ shop, Then, we got a call from a family member saying that eurostar had been cancelled today so we went to St. Pancras station to check it out, overheard a staff member say that there were no trains to Paris until Thursday so was really worried so went to Eurostar departures and there was a lot of people waiting, lots of staff answering questions and all the screens said cancelled!    So we finally got to ask a woman about tomorrows train and she said that all trains were scheduled to be running tomorrow and if you have tickets for tomorrow you should be fine. So that was a big relief! With it being our first trip abroad, I thought it was going to be a disaster so was thankful we avoided the delays but felt for the people we saw sleeping in St. Pancras who had to wait a few days until they could get another train. Went back to our travelodge for the evening, watched the news about eurostar, had a cup of tea and a mickey mouse biscuit which we had baked at home before we came and then went to bed.









Day 2 - 24th June 2015

Today's the day we will be in Disneyland Paris and we woke up at about 7.30am and got out at 8.30am, Walked to the station and called at sainsburys and got a sandwich for the eurostar. Then went to eurostar departures and went through the checks and then it was time to board our eurostar! We went up to the platform area and first impressions is it was a bit old and outdated but inside it was very comfy and functional. It set off and we were very excited, we were on the direct service so there was lots of families with Minnie ears on and Disney costumes and suitcases which made it better. Stopped at Lille and then next stop was Disney! The only thing we could see as we were getting closer was the Panoramagique balloon above. It was all so well hidden.





Arrived and got off the train into Marne la vallee Train Station, We was here! Made our way to the exit and the weather was brilliant, We saw ahead the bus station with bus stops and found the Hotel Cheyenne stop, my first impressions is that it felt so American but that is probably down to the fact it was our first time & the company is American! The bus was already in so we jumped on it with our cases and it was a ratatouille bus! It didn't take long to get to the Cheyenne, Got off the bus and there was the Cheyenne, looked brilliant and couldn't believe we was here after looking at the pictures in the brochures. Checked in and then set off to find our room. Walked down into the main  area and found Doc Holiday - our block. We were upstairs so had to carry all our stuff up there and then went into the room which was great, was a very nice themed room, nice beds, TV, loved the mickey soaps & shampoos. Also, were surprised it had a shower as we had read that the Cheyenne only had baths and as we don't have a shower at home, it is a real luxury to us!

Around 5pm we then set off to the parks, I thought it was back past the reception but it wasn't as the balloon was the other way so we walked in that direction and found a sign saying 15 min walk this way to Parks and village so followed the signs along the river and it was so peaceful and quiet. Then we got to the main lake and the 2 hotels and saw Disney village ahead. Went through bag check and then saw the amazing village which was really impressive. Really big buildings and it looked brilliant. We then saw King Ludwigs and had our first dinner there. Went in and it looked like a small bar from the outside, but the waiter took us into a grand castle which was great. The food was very nice and it was a lovely setting.







Next Went in World of Disney and got a photpass and we were all set. Walked towards the parks and  we could see Tower of Terror from Walt Disney Studios on the left and it was huge ! Turned right to Disneyland park and there was the disneyland Hotel. Went through the turnstiles and there was main street U.S.A, It was beuatiful, just like the photos and the music and atmosphere made it 10 times better. The castle looked amazing and it was heaven strolling down looking at all the little details and all the different shops and places. Then turned into discoveryland, Autopia was on 20 mins so I thought it would be a good ride to go on first. Then, we headed to Buzz's Laser Blast. It was 20 mins but was much faster. The buzz animatronic was brilliant and we got our first photo on the photopass. We then went up into fantasyland where Frozen : A royal Welcome was just starting, so we watched that. Let it go sounded much better in the park !







Then did some of the rides in Fantasyland including Mad Hatters Tea-Cups and Dumbo and then did Pinnochio Ride. Our first thoughts was that the park and areas seemed pretty small, but later on in the week we realised we hadnt explored half of the areas and found that they were massive and so much to explore. Went into Billy Bobs, and there was dancing, but then the Billy Bobs band came on and they were great, Had a good view on the balcony and thought it was a great place and enjoyed our first night.







Will upload the next days soon

[Zee79]

An interesting read so far. Its always nice to read first timers reports, seeing their point of view.

How many of you went? Family/friends? Because I think experiences can be different depending on who you go with.

Looking forward to read the next installment.

[norhel]

Nice report so far :-)

[andrewuk]

Nice report so far, lovely pictures. 

[littlebitofpixiedust]

Great report so far 
We absolutely love king ludwigs I cannot believe it took us do many visits to try it! We've never visited since without going at least on one occasion foods lovely atmosphere great too.
Good photos too 

[lovindisney87]

Great report so far looking forward to the rest xx

[DisneyChris11]

Thanks for the comments everyone, we went as a family of four - Me (19), Parents & brother (13) but we are all big kids! and yeah we were surprised with how good King Ludwigs was, would definitely recommend it

Day 3 - Thursday 26th June

Our first full day at Disneyland Paris started off with our breakfast, the selection was quite good for a continental breakfast – lots of croissants, pain au chocolat, rolls, ham, cheese... also, loved the announcements and music telling you the parks are open ! Missed a Full english breakfast, but it was a nice change !







Went to Disneyland Park again to explore more as we had only done part of Discoveryland & Fantasyland. Was Lovely to walk down Main Street again, this time at the bottom we turned left into frontierland where the theme totally changed and went up to phantom manor, was really looking forward to this, Was an interesting ride, not that scary but more haunted and had excellent theming and effects. Then we went down to the Thunder Mesa Riverboat, Was a lovely ride around the lake and went past the BTM entrance, was on a 70 min queue so got fastpasses for 7.30-8.00 that evening.









Next we walked into Adventure land where the scenery totally changed again. Went to the Indiana jones caves which was really fun getting lost in the caves and exploring skull rock. Then went to Pirates of the Caribbean, Enjoyed it and had some good effects, loved the part where the pirate swung over you on a rope and liked how it went through the blue lagoon restaurant as well. Then, ventured into fantasyland again and went in Alice's Labyrinth, was a lot bigger than expected as we spent quite a while in there and had some good elements in it, but I thought it would have been an actual maze, where it was more of a walk through. We then went back around to peter pan but it was having technical difficulties so went to meet mickey ! Took around 25 mins and watched the cartoons on the screen which was quite good and passed time. Went in and had some photos, the photographer was good and told us to do different poses, got a few photos for the photopass and then had a ride on le pays des contes de fées, didn't know about this & the Casey Jr Train so was a pleasant surprise and the boat ride was a nice relaxing ride away from the excitement of the park. Then went on the Railroad train round to Main Street U.S.A. as we had a reservation at Plaza Gardens that evening.



















Plaza Gardens was a nice place, very old american themed and grand, and the buffet was very good, all the dishes looked fresh. Kept getting wet everytime I walked past the water fountain near the buffet !  It was very quiet when we got in but soon filled up after the parade. The desserts section was my favourite, some really nice tarts and they were in little portions so I filled my plate with one of each ! Also, found that you can get Ice cream lollies like magnums if you ask the person behind the dessert counter and they get them out of a freezer for you. We only found out as someone asked in front of us and they got one out. Wasn't very pleased with the cast members in plaza gardens, they were a bit slow getting refills for the drinks and was hard to get somebodies attention. The food was very nice though. Then had to go to BTM for our fastpass slot. Was still a long wait for the main queue and they brought another train on while we were queuing. Ended up getting front row !! The speed it generated was brilliant and it must have been a lot more intense at the back ! It was much better than I anticipated and we scanned our photopass at the end. We all loved it and it was a great ride to end the day on.







We then walked out back to the hotel to get ready for Disney dreams. Had a little rest and went back. We stood just in front of central plaza at the bottom of main street. It was very busy and a frozen taster came on at about 10.45pm, then at 11pm the main show started, It was brilliant, you have to actually be there and see it to know how good it is. At one point the castle was on fire and It looked so real, you could really feel the heat as well. It was a great show and was emotional at times, one of the best things I've ever seen. We then followed the crowds back down Main street, which was looking fabulous in the dark and back to our hotel.











Next up, Walt Disney Studios Park

[SophieMiddleton]

Lovely trip report! Do you recommend Plaza Gardens as good value for money? 

[Zee79]

Lovely trip report! Do you recommend Plaza Gardens as good value for money? 

I was going to ask the same thing. Even thought we've been quite a few times to DLP we've  never eaten here & we are trying to get rough prices for out trip next year.

[DisneyChris11]

Thanks Sophie, I've enjoyed making it
Plaza Gardens is definitely worth the money yeah and compared to the other restaurants on resort, it is very good value for what you get. Plus, you get unlimited refills of drinks and there is a very great variety of dishes - Pasta dishes, plenty of meat - burgers, Chicken, Gammon, Sausage, good selection of salads, fish, stews...
Nice setting too, It was the only Buffet restaurant I experienced though so cant compare it to other restaurants.
Zee79 the price we paid was 27.99 euros each with drink refills. The location is very convenient too, but make sure you book as it can get very busy.

[Zee79]

Thank you. Refills are a good bonus as other buffet restaurants only provide 1 drink.

[DisneyChris11]

Day 4 - Friday 26th June
Today, we headed to Walt Disney Studios for the first time, There was quite a big queue waiting to go in through the turnstiles, finnaly got in and we got fastpasses for Ratatouille & got a slot for 5pm. Then went into toy story playland and went on slinky dog zigzag spin which was 20 mins queue, not worth the queue for a such a short ride. We then headed back through the park to the entrance and queued for Art of Disney Animation but it closed as we was waiting so then saw that Stars n Cars was on, Got a pic with Chip & Dale (My favourites) and thought it was really good and loved the way they all spent time with everyone and moved around in a cricle, meant you could see a lot of your favourite charcters in a short space of time and choose who to see.











Cinemagique was closed as it was reopening at the weekend so did animagique instead, was just about to start so we rushed over there and just got in before they shut the door, the theartre was huge, I didnt expect it to be that big, the show was great as I didnt expect mickey mouse to feature. Then, we went up around the other side of the park and decided to do armegeddon effect spectacular before the Moteurs, Action stunt show. Had a long wait to go in and once in there was a long show with a woman speaking and we wathched some film clips. It was all in french which none of us are great at, so it was funny as we didnt really know what was happening. We went into the spaceship and I was very scared as I knew something big was going to happen but didnt know what. The effect was great at the end but thought it was a big build up to one effect. Liked the big wind machine outside which was fun.





It was 35 mins before stunt show then so got in the queue and went into the stadium, was very big, (everything was much bigger and a higher capacity than I imagined, they could have been brilliant attractions by themselves, but I suppose everything needs to be big to hold the crowds) The stunts were amazing and I like the flow of the show, there was always something to watch. Would really recommend anyone visiting to see this show. Then on our way out saw the tram tour so went there next. Was a short queue and very impressive effects in the canyon section. It was very hot by then, 30+ degrees so we found a place to refill our water bottles and stood under the misters which was very nice. We then took some photos in front of the Hollywood sign and Walt Disney statue. We went into studio 1 and went into the shops and had a look around, got a few pin badges we had our eye on.







Then we went back to Place de Remy and it was our fastpass time for Ratatouille. Got into the station which was very interesting watching the ride system and the cars doing spins and weaving in and out of each other ! I was amazing how it all worked. The ride was really immersive with the effects and the combination of theming and screens. Next, we decided to go to tower of terror as it was on 25 min queue. The theming and soundtrack made it very scary and I couldnt believe the size of the building,  We got sent to the library and watched a video which set the scene. We got seated on the front row again. (This becomes a theme on the rides throughout the trip, We got so many rides on the front row by luck) Now this was the scariest ride I have been on in a while, I dont usually get scared on rides nowadays but the theming and height did make me nervous ! It was a brilliant photo, which we got on our photopass. Went to studio store on our way out and found lots of clothes on sale. I think the sale started the day we arrived so perfect timing ! Good quality stuff for cheap prices like 7.79 euros for t shirts, 8.99 for bags and 17.99 for coats so got a load of stuff each and spent quite a while in there. We then were hungry after a long day in Studios so went to Mcdonalds, it is the best Mcdonalds I have ever been to very nice seating upstairs and a great view too. Then walked back to our hotel (didn't bother with the bus apart from when we had our luggage with us, was such a nice walk anyway and probably quicker) We went to the hotel shop and then went to Red Garter Saloon bar. It was pretty quiet inside the bar as everyone was sitting outside so we joined them and got some nice cocktails. Then, headed to bed for another day in Disneyland Park tommorow.

[HildeKitten]

awesome trip report and lovely photos

[BlackPearl]

Great report and photos, too!! Thanks for sharing! 

[DisneyChris11]

Day 5 - Saturday 27th June

Woke up at 8am today, went for breakfast, today sat in the main area near the food, enjoyed it much better in there as we were in the side room the other days. Planned to stay out all day today, and take everything in at a more leisurely pace. Explored the hotels facilities and had a walk round Cheyenne for a while first – tepees, Fort Apache, Games Arcade etc. then went to some shops in Disney Village and then to Disneyland Park. It was brilliant to be back in this Park and today headed straight to the castle, can't believe we hadn't been underneath it yet ! Went straight through to the other side, would come back and explore later on, and queued for peter pan, was a big queue and it took about an hour, but it went quite fast as we entertained ourselves with an app on my iPod. Expected it to be more unique than it was because it had such big queues, but it was it still a good ride. Then went on Snow white ride which I enjoyed better than Pinocchio and then went to Toad Hall for lunch, we finally got a seat outside after wondering around for a while, We got 2 x Double portion of fish & chips, each one was enough for 2 to share and worth it as I think it was 9.99 euros for fish & Chips and 11.99 for a double portion so a very good deal. Also, got a fruit cake & a drink. Was very nice and sun was very hot too, the theming for a fish shop was great, a lovely setting.























After, we went to Its a small world and got front row again:) Was really good and I loved how it went through different countries, also the end room was great. Next we went to the Castle and in the shops and explored it for the first time. The detail was brilliant and the shops were impressive. Went on the balcony and then went down to see the dragon. Took some photos in front of the castle and then was going to see the frozen sing a long but missed it, so went to the Big Green Tree (as we call it) instead. Loved the area around it and loved the tree itself, it really made me appreciate where we was and how lovely and brilliant everything was. We saw what we think was Eiffel tower from the top, has anybody seen this before ? We werent sure if it was !





















Then it was around 4.40pm so we headed back to the castle to get a spot for the parade. Everybody was sat on the pavements already and it didn't look like we could get a front row space anywhere. But there was a rope at the bottom of main street next to central plaza which nobody was at so we sat there and it very quickly filled up behind us, so the rope must have just gone up. It was a brilliant spot and was nice to just sit down and take in main street and the castle, then I went to get some ice creams for us all and ended up going half way up Main street to Ice Cream company as it had the most nice looking ice creams and shortest queue but it still took ages, I got 2 choc ice cream sundaes with choc sauce & Oreo pieces for me and my brother and one vanilla ice cream with strawberry sauce & oreo pieces for mum – 3.79 euros each. Each had a Mickey Wafer in too, (its the little things!) Don't know how I got back with them through the main street crowds but just about managed ! and the pre parade band was on. Just had enough time to eat our ice creams and then it was time for Disney Magic on Parade, which I loved, the music was great, character interaction was great, so were the floats, the costumes and everything. So magical ! Even got a pic with Pinnochio. Then, we headed to Discoveryland which we hadn't been in since the start of our holiday. Went to star tours, saw Wall-e on the way and it was about a 20 min wait, the theming in the queue line was amazing, it was day 4 and we were still being surprised and blown away. Probably the best queue line Ive ever been in We knew it was a simulator of some sort, but the queue seemed to be building it up to be something bigger. The ride was alright in the end but a bit old and needs a refurb but that is what it is getting soon ! We then went on orbitron, Not very comfortable at first but once it got up it was ok, was a good ride, a lot faster & higher than dumbo and was good views across discoveryland, could also see over the fence into the space mountain area

Love this photo




















Me & brother then went to Indiana jones and mum & dad went out to billy bobs. When we got to Indiana jones it was on a 5 min queue ! We read on the sign that it had a 360 degree loop which we weren't expecting, we ended up with front row again ! We realised everyone was taking there bags on and couldn't believe it - Its got a loop in!!! You can't take your bags on some tame rides in the UK ! It was quite forceful and once we got to the loop it was quite scary knowing we had a bag in the carriage but it went very fast around it. After, we were surprised you didn't get a photo as we really wanted one, the queue was still on 5 mins so we was going to go around again but we went and saw the queue was a lot bigger so we went back to the entrance via a few shops instead. Got a glass from Indiana jones outpost and then we went to constellations to get a specific pin badge we had seen. Then we kept going in shops all the way down main street as we walked through discovery arcade. We didnt want to leave as this would most likely be the last time in Disneyland park this holiday. After looking in quite a lot of shops and listening and seeing the frozen parade as it followed us up main street, it got a bit emotional for me and then we exited, I loved the park so much. We met mum & dad at billy bobs and sat on the balcony near the stage, it was very quiet even though it was concert night but then the band – Di Loop came on and it got increasingly busy from then. Di Loop were great, played some great songs, had a really good last night listening and dancing to the band.









The park was very busy today with it being a Saturday but we managed to do the high capacity rides and the walk through attractions instead as we had planned. Overall, I think this was probably the best day of the holiday, only just though as everyday was amazing !
Last few hours in the Walt Disney Studios tomorrow before we set off home !