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[jj554]

Hi all

I don't do big long trip reports with photos (although I love those done by other people) but I wanted to share a few thoughts and experiences from our trip last week.

- We stayed in a standard room at DLH. I kept it a surprise right up until we got there. I told my OH we were staying at Santa Fe but we would head over to the parks and drop our luggage off "somewhere" and I sort of headed over to the DLH entrance and said "hmmmm I think the luggage storage is over here.....oh by the way this is where we're staying, not Santa Fe" - I think he was genuinely surprised and delighted! Was it worth the extra £££? Yes it was, even with the room itself being a little tired. It just has a wonderful, relaxed atmosphere and felt really special; the service was great, we checked in early without a problem, breakfast is a step up from the other hotels. And of course the location was ideal. We weren't too desperate to spend all day every day in the parks (blasphemy I know!) as we have been several times in recent years so it was nice to have a convenient base to pop back to for a rest/nap. The free wi-fi was acceptable, not the fastest but we were able to stream some things on Netflix etc so adequate for what we needed. There was an espresso machine and kettle with teabags etc in the room which was great too. I would stay again in its current form, and if the rooms are refurbished I would be there in a heartbeat.
- We were very kindly shown around the Sleeping Beauty Suite - we asked on day 2 because my other half is a major Michael Jackson fan and of course this is the room MJ used to stay in. We were told that it wouldn't be possible but we asked again on day 4 and a delightful lady took us up for a tour and some photos including the MJ autograph on the underside of the piano. Wooooow would I love to stay in that suite! To some people this might be a bit lame but for us it was just a little thing that really made our trip extra special by them showing a can-do attitude.
- I am delighted by the various shows and little mini parade type things, like Frozen Royal Welcome, Wishes, Tree Lighting etc. Not all of it appeals directly to me but I was just pleased to see plenty of things to see and do to create the Disney magic for everyone. The tree lighting was fun, having a little singalong!
- Having said that I thought Dreams! of Christmas was totally meh. I only saw it once and wasn't bothered after that. Compare that to "normal" Dreams! which I will watch each night I am there without fail! Not sure why i didn't love it but
apart from Let It Go I wasn't overly impressed.
- Another new experience which didn't blow my mind was Ratatouille! It is a solid family ride and I probably enjoyed it more the second or third time (the first time I felt seriously motion sick) but I wasn't left totally wowed. We used our Hotel Fastpass for this each day and I'm glad I didn't queue for ages. (Additionally I nearly spent a fortune to go to the Shareholder's Opening for a day trip last year and I'm realllllly glad I didn't). Anyway it's not a bad ride at all just not the 10/10 experience I was hoping for. I actually feel a little bit nauseous thinking about it now so maybe it's just a motion sickness issue for me.
- This sounds like I didn't really enjoy myself but I truly did. Just soaking up the festive atmosphere, hearing the Christmas music on Main Street, watching the parade - it all fills me with happiness. I am gutted that my favourite BTM is closed for refurb and hope it's worth the long wait until I try it again. Glad to have ridden Star Tours for a last time before update and likewise we saw Animagique for the first time (and last time before its update).
- This is a great week of the year to go (we are childless so not restricted to school hols) as the Christmas season is in full swing and there was enough people to create an atmosphere and buzz but no major queues for anything. The longest queue we had was maybe 30 mins for Tower of Terror and I don't mind waiting for that because it's my favourite!
- May I recommend the Starbucks Chai Tea Latte - absolutely delicious and would make a great hand warmer whilst waiting for the parade/Dreams! if only I didn't drink it so quickly!

I'm sure I could say more but I won't bore you with my disjointed ramblings! We are all DLP'd out now for a good couple of years. I am torn because I do want to go back for 25th anniversary but we are buying a flat so money will be tighter and there are lots of other places I want to see (DL California!)......decisions decisions. I know to a lot of you DLP wins every time but I might wait for our nephew to grow up a bit (not even 2 yet) and then we can take him which means we will experience the park in a different way and do things like character meets that don't generally appeal to me.

If you have any questions about our time at DLP I will do my best to answer, happy to help anyone where I can.

Anyway, Happy Christmas to everyone, I hope you have all enjoyed or will enjoy your DLP trips and long may the parks, hotels and village continue to grow, thrive and flourish!