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[SophieD]

another great installment!! You were really lukcy with CC!! I am once again very Jealous  :lol:  :lol:

Cannot wait to read the rest But can't believe it will be the last  :cry:  :cry:

[burntsienna]

Wow! Another fantastic day! I would very much like you to go back again!!!  :mrgreen:

[Javey74]

Day 4 Continuation....

Ok, after Crush we headed over to the...



Studio Tram Tour, since the queue didn't look too bad, although after waiting in what seemed a smallish queue, it took ages to go down..  :roll: This was partly down to one: For every Tram Tour Train that stopped, the CM's seemed to close off one of the rear carriages. Not exactly sure why.. :roll:  And two: I'd only just realised that there was two queues, I was in one of them, and the other queue feeds from the opposite side. I thought the carriages seemed to fill up quick and yet the queue didn't seem to move much.. :mrgreen:

Well we set off around the tour, seeing and hearing what most of us know, which was the same as last time.  Though an air of curiosity remained with me passing all those blue facia boards, catching an open part revealing some diggers and the rear of the CM's car park.. I still like the Tram Tour though no matter how many times I go on it. Saying that, it could do with the ultimate upgrade which is already in progress..  :wink:  

Getting off the Tram Tour, we headed over to the Toon Studio Photo Location areas to find Remy..



In the distance we saw Jafar, but when we eventually got up to him he was leaving with a CM, as he was walking away down a side alley he kept waving and bowing to the people he'd left behind.  I managed to catch him though on his walk down..  :wink:



Well, we headed back over to the Place des Stars Stage, for another showing of the Toon Train, whilst we waited Jen got up onto the stage..  :mrgreen:



Well the Toon Train came around, with the same characters as before, but there was still the crowd scrums once the scenes came to a halt..  :lol:  :mrgreen:  

Jen wanted to try the Ice Throne from the Narnia Scene in the Backlot.  It's only after getting back, that I compared a photo I'd taken from August 2006 to my present one.  It was strange to see just how much Jen had grown between the two photos..

Aug 2006>>



Feb 2009>>



Now it was time to say farewell for now to the Studios, till our next trip..    Making our way out of the Studios Park back to the Disney Park..  

We walked down Main Street, just in time for the next rendition of the Character Express. We followed it down to the Central Plaza, waiting for the stop, then our opportunity was nigh.  We headed over near the Castle stage and got..



Alice, who was sweet as ever..  :wink:

Then Baloo..  :wink:



Onto Woody..  :wink:



Pinocchio and Geppetto, oh and the sun getting right in Jen's eyes..   :lol:  :mrgreen:  



Heading across for Eeyore.. :wink:



I thought at this point it would be nice to get a photo with a couple of CM's from the Character Express..  :wink: By the way, the one on the right was the train driver..  



Getting that shot got me thinking about an area of the Character Express that a lot of people seem to overlook, I wouldn't say intentionally, but I don't think the Character Express would be quite the same without them, If you haven't guessed already, I'm talking about the CM's used on the Character Express, their uniforms are a brilliant contrast against the colouring of the train itself, making their whole presence as important as what's going on around them. After already getting Jen with Eeyore I noticed another CM standing just to the side against the railings, keeping an eye out for him incase things got hectic with the crowd. I wandered over to the CM to get a photo of her with Jen. On asking her if it was ok, she seemed suprised, saying "Me, not Eeyore", then she laughed! She seemed shocked, but at the same time overwhelmed and honoured. Awhh, bless her. But yes they should be more appreciated for sure! Here's the shot>>



Let's all give a round of applause for the overlooked and well needed CM's on the Character Express, aswell as all the other CM's who do a fantastic job around the parks..  =D>  =D>  =D>  =D>  =D>

Right....That was that, now it was off to Frontierland, for Phantom Manor..  :twisted:  :twisted:

Heading up to the gates..  :twisted:



Passing the..



Little conservatory, I wonder if there was any Earl Grey in that teapot on the table.. :mrgreen: Also passing the..



Eagle statue..    We walked further on moving through the extra queue lines coming to an abrupt halt, standing in the actual queue at the side of the Manor..  :wink:



Looking back down at the front garden area..  :wink:



Anyway we went through the main doors into the stretch room, listened to the room narration in French.  Waiting intently for the lightning to start flashing on the ceiling to take a look at the newly improved Phantom seen hanging Melanie's Fiancee. I wasn't disappointed, it had really been improved from previous visits where I'd never noticed anything in the lightning at all.  You could see the image as plain as day, or should I say night..  :lol:  :mrgreen:

Heading past the picture changing room into the doombuggy loading area, we headed off into the darkness of the Manor.  I can honestly say throughout the whole ride that you can tell it's been refurbished, everything was working and there is a lot more use of back lighting making things even more eerie.  All the ghosts were twirling in the ballroom scene, really clear images.  When we reached Madame Leota scene, it really is a vast improvement to the original one, especially with the use of the new 3D imagery..  Brilliant..  =D>  =D>  We had a few stops during the ride, one of which was around this scene, with the other being right infront of the singing heads..  :mrgreen: Now I'm not sure if this scene has always been included but I can't for the life of me remember the card game scene where there was a game of cards being played at a table, but the cards were being lifted by an invisable force, then being played backwards and forwards on the table by themselves. It's located at the Boot Hill scene just before you reach the evil red eye'd skeleton dog..    :shock:

Coming back to the loading bay again we got out and headed to the exit, stopping to take a look at the newly imaged Phantom Bride, with a need of a little face correction..    But you can't have everything.  Top class refurbishment on this attraction for sure..  /  /  /

Heading out into Boot Hill cemetary to the...



Black Tomb..  :twisted:  I wanted to hear that heart beat that I'd never heard before..    I wasn't dissappointed.  It was there..  / The sound resonance was astounding, really loud, so much so that you didn't have to put your ear to the side of the tomb to hear it, but if you did you knew about it.  It sounded like a heart beating 10,000 feet below the sea, really echoey with a dull thumping sound, quite creepy really..  :shock:  :twisted:

Turning around to look across at..



Big Thunder Mountain, closing in on the train, just on it's way up..  :wink:



Ok, a bit closer to the train..  :mrgreen:



Anyway, walking back down from Phantom Manor we went over to Fantasyland to see if Les Voyages des Pinocchio was attemptable to ride, without too long a queue.  Passing the Plaza again, we noticed the Character Express heading back up Main Street.  You cannot help but join in on the words and some of the actions..  :-"  :oops:  :oops:  :mrgreen:

Well... Les Voyages des Pinocchio attraction wasn't to be, the queues were colossal..  :shock:    Oh well never mind, you can't do everything all in one go..  :mrgreen: Even though we do try at times..  :lol:

Looking at my watch it was nearing lunch time and we'd used all our HB vouchers up, so we headed back into Frontierland to the...



Cowboy Cookout Barbeque for a Texan dinner, the queues in here were really long aswell, but we were prepared to wait to get some grub..  :mrgreen:  We managed to get a table just to the right of the stage, listening to some Bluegrass background music. Now this is my sort of place to sit, eat and then chill a little, surrounded by everything Country & Western.  /  To my suprise just as we were finishing our dinner, three musicians got up onto the stage, one with a fiddle, another with a banjo and the third with a double bass.  They started playing away some quite nifty bluegrass music.  Well I was truly in my element by this point.  Tapping my feet..Yee-Ha.. =D>  /  =D>

Take a look>>









Day 4 further continuation to follow, which includes a real visitor to the Pocahontas Indian Village play area, and the superb 'Mickey's Winter Wonderland' show..  /

[The Butlin Boy]

Ok, a bit closer to the train..  :mrgreen:

Well now you're just showing off :wink:  

Another great update, I'm looking forward to the rest

[Javey74]

Ok, a bit closer to the train..  :mrgreen:

Well now you're just showing off :wink:  

Had to laugh at this comment BB..  :lol:  :lol:

Another great update, I'm looking forward to the rest

Thanks again BB for your endearing comments.. :wink:  

[Aveen2008]

Omg you met Alice...that's it now I am totally jealous :shock:  hehe!!

Jen reminds me so much of my cousin when she was younger, the resemblance is amazing really! The comparison of the photos of her in the space of those 3 years is astonishing too, they grow up so quick!!

 =D>  =D>  =D>  =D>  =D>  I will join in the applause for the cast members of the character express and for most of the cast members in the park as they are pretty great!!

your photos are so clear and crisp, it's a great camera and of course a great photographer :wink: !! I wish you had stayed for a month because I am going to be so sad when yoru report is over , I love reading it! =D>  /

[Javey74]

Omg you met Alice...that's it now I am totally jealous :shock:  hehe!!

Jen reminds me so much of my cousin when she was younger, the resemblance is amazing really! The comparison of the photos of her in the space of those 3 years is astonishing too, they grow up so quick!!

 =D>  =D>  =D>  =D>  =D>  I will join in the applause for the cast members of the character express and for most of the cast members in the park as they are pretty great!!

your photos are so clear and crisp, it's a great camera and of course a great photographer :wink: !! I wish you had stayed for a month because I am going to be so sad when yoru report is over , I love reading it! =D>  /

Awwwh, thanks Aveen, those comments were really touching..  

Well since I was young, people used to say that I had a vivid imagination, and a way of telling particular stories.  I possibly could continue the trip as though I was still there, but somehow I don't think it would work in this instance..  :mrgreen:

[DLP-Photos.com]

=D>  =D>  =D>

Amazing continuation of an amazing trip report!

Once again the photos and stories are awesome and very detailed.

The refurbishment of Phantom Manor sounds great and I will also give an  =D> to the CMs on Characters' Express and the parks in general.

[davewasbaloo]

Javey, thank you for this great trip report, I always enjoy reading your views. I thought I would wait to comment until I got to the end, but I am only at day 2 and have to comment.

I do really recommend the Steakhouse for future visits, it is one of DLP's best restaurants and indeed one of DIsney's bests anywhere!

As for your ToT write up, you had me rivotted. I have had the pleasure of riding WDW's, DCA's and WDSP's many times, and I love ours the best. I am glad you like it too. I remember we went on it right after it opened in Paris, and there was a French man in his 50's clinging to his wife and screaming for his life to my left. I thought he was going to have a heart attack. When we got off, he no only hugged her, but me as well, shouting super! Super! encore! As he ran to get in line again.

For me, this was an example of true Disney magic. My 5 year old wants to go on in May and is mad because I have said no.

But you told your story in such a great way.

As for Remy, I was really hoping we would see him in May, but it now sounds like they have shipped him off to Florida.

[davewasbaloo]

Day 3 - Another Day, Another Dream.. /

Well the alarm went off at 6.30am again, we all got ourselves out of bed and started to get ready for breakfast, though as we had planned we were going to try and get in for 7.25am, instead of the card time of 7.45am.    

Rule of thumb, to have a civilised meal at DLP either opt for room service or be there for the very first seating. We often do this even if it means showers after breakfast.

[Javey74]

Javey, thank you for this great trip report, I always enjoy reading your views. I thought I would wait to comment until I got to the end, but I am only at day 2 and have to comment.

I do really recommend the Steakhouse for future visits, it is one of DLP's best restaurants and indeed one of Disney's bests anywhere!

As for your ToT write up, you had me rivotted. I have had the pleasure of riding WDW's, DCA's and WDSP's many times, and I love ours the best. I am glad you like it too. I remember we went on it right after it opened in Paris, and there was a French man in his 50's clinging to his wife and screaming for his life to my left. I thought he was going to have a heart attack. When we got off, he no only hugged her, but me as well, shouting super! Super! encore! As he ran to get in line again.

For me, this was an example of true Disney magic. My 5 year old wants to go on in May and is mad because I have said no.

But you told your story in such a great way.

As for Remy, I was really hoping we would see him in May, but it now sounds like they have shipped him off to Florida.

Thankyou for your kind comments davewasbaloo, I'm pleased you are enjoying my report..  :oops:  

You've also inspired me to try the Steakhouse next time aswell..  /

It's great to hear I kept you rivotted on my TOT account.  :mrgreen:  I think the reason I could write it the way I did was purely due to not being able to forget the experience in a hurry, I think it's one of those memories that will remain with me for the rest of my life..  :lol:  :mrgreen:  But yeah, it was fantastic, I'd definitely go on again and again..  :wink:  

I also hope you and your little one get the chance to meet Remy, he really is super and really cute.  Hopefully they will postpone the shipment for a little while longer..  [-o<

I'll bear the breakfast theory in mind, thanks for reminding me of the alternatives..  :wink:  :mrgreen:

[davewasbaloo]

WOW!  Your first time.  I am glad you tried it, but as a DLP vet, I am sorry to hear you missed out on the majesty that was Space Mountain au la Terre a la Lune. But it sounds like you enjoyed it?

[davewasbaloo]

Day 4 Continuation....

Cowboy Cookout Barbeque for a Texan dinner, the queues in here were really long aswell, but we were prepared to wait to get some grub..  :mrgreen:  We managed to get a table just to the right of the stage, listening to some Bluegrass background music. Now this is my sort of place to sit, eat and then chill a little, surrounded by everything Country & Western.  /  To my suprise just as we were finishing our dinner, three musicians got up onto the stage, one with a fiddle, another with a banjo and the third with a double bass.  They started playing away some quite nifty bluegrass music.  Well I was truly in my element by this point.  Tapping my feet..Yee-Ha.. =D>  /  =D>

Take a look>>

As someone who grew up at the original Disneyland, this is as much a part of the Disney difference as any characters and why I get grumpy when I see the entertainment disappear. Besides the excellent food for a counter service, these guys are a part of why CCBBQ is always on our lists of must dos. Glad you enjoyed.

The Bluegrass guys, marching band, and African Tam Tams are essential to my Disney experience (as is the barber shop quartet, not that I have seen one at DLP since 1993).

BTW - the card players in Phantom Manor have been there since day 1 and are the main reasons why I prefer Phantom Manor to the American and Japanese versions (as well as the awesome score).

[Riebi]

So much fun to read that! Thank you sooo much for this great trip report!

[Captain Pan]

Mr Javey, Sir... you have set phasers to stun, and provided the story which has captured my attention and imagination!

You have no option but to provide me with the itinerary for my next visit!  :wink: