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[Riebi]

Hi!

Here some points of my DLP Trip in july:

Mid March I invited my family and friends to a birthday dinner at Disneyland Park. I was happy that 15 of my family members and friends had no problem with a birthday party inside the magic and so I + friend, my parents, brother + fiancée started on the 08. of july to my very special birthday trip. The rest of the group went a day later to the resort.

Before I go into details here some main points:

+++ The parks are in great shape (with just some ugly points that hardly need a refurb)
I was really happy to see the parks in such a good condition. It´s nice to see all the new floors, the shiny facades at main street, the good shape of the labyrinth or the new colors of dumbo. Esp. at the floor you can clearly see the diffrence: Before the refurb you would´nt think much about it and I think most would´nt even know how the floor should look like. But now you have parts where you can clearly see the diffrence between old and new floor. Great to see that they do now the floor in the parks with such endurance.
Two points of my list aren´t that happy ones: The treehouse leaves and of course the pirate ship. The leaves of the treehouse are so few now. The have to fix this. It´s not nice to see leaves go year by year. That something of this declining by degrees thing: You see it after years and then it´s really ugly. Ugly is the only word that can describe captain hooks former proud ship. I never saw something in such a poor condition inside DLP. It´s just sad. (And now the castle isn´t in such a bad condition if you take hooks ship and the treehouse)
+++ The cast members were all excellent, friendly and know again more languages then english and french (with a bit of spanish)
The cast members seems to make courses of you to be as a disney cast member. The were all great and what remembers me so much at the good ol´times around 1992-2000: The speak diffrend languages. AND that means not english and french. In the first years of dlp you hadn´t any problem to find someone how could clearly speak german,  Portuguese, spanish,... The CMs had even little flags on their name tags to show how much languages they know. In the year between it was hard to find someone who could speak more then english, french and since some years spanish. This time I was happy that much cast members told me "Sie können auch gerne deutsch mit mir sprechen" and that languages never was a problem (over the last years it often was one esp. for people inside my travel groups that couldn´t speak french or english). (By the way: germans are used that every hotel/resort/holliday stuff speaks german. It´s not normal for them to speak another language in their vacation destination  if they ask something at the hotel desk or at an restaurant)
+++ better quality and choice of food
The choice of food really made a step in the right direction. There are HOT POTATOS AGAIN!!!!! I missed them so much and that was one of this typical first years snacks for the lunchtime. Now you can buy them again with the choice of chili or cheddar sauce. But also the other food choices are much expanded. And that such a good thing if you not just have the choice between burger 1 burger 2 burger 3 and pizza, but between a half chicken, hot potato, pizza, pasta, rips, hot dog, fish....again a wonderful return to the first years of DLP.
++ They start to refurb the backdrops of hollywood bvd
The start to change the peeling parts of the H.bvd. backdrop and that´s something that I hadn´t expected. Some years before they hadn´t do that.
++ Studio 1 looks great
It´s great to see the facade again!
+ wonderful work of the greenery department inside the security area (fantasia gardens, DLP, WDS, area around WDS entrance)The landscaping and garden areas of fantasia gardens, DLP, WDS and the parts between fantasia gardens and WDS are again in great conditions. My uncle was extremly suprised by so much garden work (he loves gardens and greenery things). And I was it too. It´s good to keep this high standard.
+ Toy Story Playland doesn´t look that ugly as expected (much details and I think it won´t matter anyone after the expansion of the bvd
Toy Story Playland hasn´t shocked me. It´s a nice themed area with much much details as I could see it from the tram tour. For all skepticals:  I think after 3 years of bamboo you wouldn´t see much of it.
For me I have to say that I think there´s a deeper master plan behind it.
+ better choice of souvenirs and a beginning of diffrent things to buy at the diffrent shopsstept by step the choice of souvenirs seems to get again better. You also have much rubbish and less quality souvenirs (my mother was again searching for a watch but at DLP you only can get cheap looking ones) but I think you can see that they are working on it.
-power problems?
Haven´t they pay there bill? During my trip we went back from the parks mostly in the dark. Fantasia Gardens and the disneyland hotel facade (with all the small lights) were off (!!!Hard situation to walk with so much people nearly in the dark!!!) and also the lamps around lake disney at the NPBC area were all off. It was really dark there!!! Hope that no one get´s a damage or else.
- refurb fences during the high priced summer seasonYes I´m happy about new floors. But refurb fences during the summer season aren´t something that I want to see. You pay much money at the summer season so why should you accept any restrictions.
-- refurb, maintenance, greenery outside the security area (it´s getting uglier every year)Inside the deeper DLP Area (fantasia gardens, the parks) everything is OK. Outside it isn´t. Beside the light problems there seems to be bigger ones. For refurb: The lighthouse of NPBC has the same condition as captain hooks pirate ship. NPBC facade isn´t that hard. Sorry I know some call out for refurb for it but it isn´t that bad. It should do it for another year. What they should do is the floor/path between the lake and NPBC. It´s especially at the borders/rims/curbs nearly completly damaged. What they also have to do there is the roof of NPBC which is nearly gray and damaged (without flags and  weather vanes) instead of blue. The lake area is also not in best condition. For example
[list type=]there was a floor light on the first bridge toward Sequoia Lodge completly broken out of the bridge. It lay on the floor for my complete stay. Open cables went out of it.

• the little elephants on the HNY side were nearly completly gone
• At the big pillars are parts where the iron laid open. That´s not a problem for this year but it could be one next year(s) cause you will soon have ugly rust signs on the pillars. (maybe that´s the biggest problem because in my opinion they have to make the whole lake area new. The problem with the pillars is that they have now a very thin skin after years of cleaning work)

Also the autoroute entrance to the resort isn´t that nice anymore. Where have all the flowers, parks and nice landscaping gone? It looks a bit dull now. I know that one of the things visitors are much impressed is the way down the A4 to the resort]-- diffrent opening times of attractions[/b]
like the year before: That isn´t what I´ve paid for.
-- lack of shows with high quality at DLP and WDS
There is not much show spectacular at the moment. The new show on central plaza is better then the old one but the ugly stage even doesnt fit in year 2. What I really miss is the little high quality entertainment at the parks. I loved to have all this little diffrent street shows at WDS. Where are they now? gone.
--- fireworks
The Enchanted fireworks were once a wonderful idea and a wonderful concept with wonderful effects and a wonderful story. All that can´t get found anymore. It was sooooo sad to see this low budged firework this year. They changed so much and they made so much mistakes by changing it. For example they destroyed completly the calm end of the enchanted fireworks (before the big (now small) final) by taking some old often seen effects instead of the high quality magical ones. I was just disapointed. If you book the summer season because the firework: Nope.


So that were the first points. After a short break I think I make a report day by day.

[tubbsy]

So lots of good and some not so good then?
I am so sad about the pirate ship! I wish they would do something about it.  
Good news about the food selection-I am trying to lose weight and the idea of being stuck with pizza burgers or hot dogs for lunch didnt appeal, but a good hot jacet potato sounds good And just having more variety is great
And the fireworks? That is sad. I havent booked my holiady specifically for that but the fireworks and fantillusion were added extras as we'd never managed to see them.
Cant wait to see it all for myself

[Aurora]

Hi there,
jusz a quick question, where can you eat those potatoes?
Aurora

[Riebi]

So lots of good and some not so good then?
I am so sad about the pirate ship! I wish they would do something about it.  
Good news about the food selection-I am trying to lose weight and the idea of being stuck with pizza burgers or hot dogs for lunch didnt appeal, but a good hot jacet potato sounds good And just having more variety is great
And the fireworks? That is sad. I havent booked my holiady specifically for that but the fireworks and fantillusion were added extras as we'd never managed to see them.
Cant wait to see it all for myself

I think the most important thing is that I had a lot of fun! And that I never had such nice experiences with smaller family members at DLP. That was completly new too me. My little second cousins are 4 and 2 years old. It was such happiness for me seeing them cry out about THE CASTLE!! and A DRAGON!!! and all that things (for the dragon: always assuring theirs mother that the dragon isn´t really but you could clearly see that they didn´t believe what they were saying)
So for the good things: It´s a magical place were you can have much much fun. The not so good things are just the ones that you would see cause DLP isn´t totally new for you. For all the newbies of my family it wasn´t something that they could see. On the other hand you see clearly how important that little details are. my uncle was extremly amazed about the smoke effect of the indian tipis. Such things like the pirate ship are a shame cause that are crude negligences of the park assets and not just a disfunction of a effect or detail.
Lunch shouldn´t be a problem for you. They also have now real diffrent salats and things that aren´t comletly  deep-fried.
And for the firework: I think if you haven´t seen it before it shouldn´t be that big shock for you. I was just that disapointed cause I know the original show.

Hi there,
jusz a quick question, where can you eat those potatoes?
Aurora

There were some carts with potatoes out. The one for us was in front of the Cowboy Cookout BBQ barn. It´s a good place for a potato cause you can use here the seating of Cowboy Cookout. The right ambiance for a potato. The cart was on the left side of the area.

[bensmum]

Glad you had a good time, looking forward to the rest of your report
Looking forward to a baked potato on my next trip, lets hope the carts are not just high season [-o<

[Riebi]

I hope too that the potatoes will stay longer then the summer season. It´s the perfect lunch snack.

So let´s start with the days at Disney

Day 1:

We arrived Disneyland Paris around 10 am. Myself + friend, brother + fiancée had our room at the Newport Bay Club Admirals floor. My parents had a standard room at the Sequoia Lodge. This first day was just for us cause all the rest of your family and friends booked from friday to sunday. So we had enough time for our own special disney day with all things that we want to do. The welcome at Newport Bay was great. We get our lugage out of the cars and from this moment we hadn´t to do more. The lugage service at the Admirals Floor is something that I enjoy meanwhile. It´s wonderful not to stand in this long row in front of the lugage room.
At the Admirals Floor desk was also not much people but a very friendly CM that told us everything we had to know (even that we had to take the right side of lake disney this time cause the other is blocked)

Our room wasn´t ready cause it was to early in the morning, but we know that the hotel rooms need till 3 pm. So we decided to take a walk to the sequoia lodge to meet my parents. My parents esp. my dad wasn´t that happy about the CMs at Sequoia Lodge. He said that you can see the diffrence to the NPBC AF ones and that this welcome was like mass processing without any love. The CMs had less knowing about the resort then my dad. It was the second time they stayed at SL. Thanks god the expierence was getting better so maybe SL hasn´t saw them for the last time. But after our luxery welcome at NPBC we were a bit irritated about this story.

So after we made everything we needed into my bag (and after dad needed 3 efforts to get a safe at the reception (nobody seems to know what to do till an older CMs took the command)) we made our way through the lake area and disney village to the parks. Nice they have all this flowers in front of HNY. And nice how much the plants are growing at the village. I love the new plantings here. The lake area itself was not in the best condition as said in my mainpoints above. The Lighthouse is damaged all over. The walkways in front of newport bay are damaged. A floor lamp was completly broken out of the concrete with cables outside that could get touched by little fingers. So here not the best show for Disney. And the sad thing was that it was in this open cable stadium for my complete stay. Also the concrete around lake disney (pillows etc.) isn´t the best anymore. At HNY they had this absurd ice rink open. No one during summer season want to skate here. Let this area again live: That was onces a big outside eating area with sparkling lights in the trees, white tablecloth and a good meal from the HNY restaurants. And in the middel: The big fountain.

But OK. Good old times :lol:  After entering fantasia gardens my world was again pink. It´s nice that they spent much effort in this area. The plantings were wounderful, the fountains were all working and that´s the kind of opening you need for a disney park.

Inside disneyland the same: The shiny and clean facades of Main Street were looking so nice. At the Town Squares Photography store is everything new. Just the windows awnings are missing at the moment. The new generation festival deco is very descent and nearly the same the would do for DLR. The lamp decoration was not complete. The ribbons were all missing. Had they some problems with them?

The big stage on central plaza wasn´t gone but that was the only sad thing for me at main street. It´s so nice to see a castle without a big makeover at the end of main street. A dream came true. Second dream: The time for tinkerbelle should be over now. I know they use her for the fireworks but that would be the only thing that could get canceled without a big disapointement for the fans.

We made our tour through frontierland (Fast Pass at Big Thunder), Adventureland: Pirates of the Caribean (Good condition, even the big chain was working) captain hooks ship is a nightmare at the moment. We had a wonderful time at the park. It was sunny, warm and everybody was in a very good mood. Later we went on big thunder and on phantom manor and we watched at the shops for a big thunder pin (not to find in frontierland but at the pin trading cart at main street). My brother´s fiancée done Big thunder for the first time ever. She has big problems with all kind of rollercoasters. So after she make one she gets a pin for her pin trading hobby. Aaaand big thunder seems the first rollercaoster that she actually like and which she would make a second time. Go Disney go!

After this wonderful afternoon we went back to the hotel to get dressed up for the evening dinnnner (it was really hot and everyone of you was happy about a shower). At the hotel we had a nice surprise. We got an update. One of THE updates of your life. We had now lake view. So we were very happy at the reception but even more by entering our room. It was not only lake view. It was THE lake view. Center section, balcony, bigger room, blue sky, lake disney and HNY in the distance. Best room ever. We had also a bottle water, chocolate money and a very nice letter which welcomed us as special guests of the resort:

"Liebe Familie XXX,

unser Team heißt sie Herzlich Wilkommen an Bord des Disney´s Newport Bay Clubs.

Wir freuen uns sehr, Sie als unsere Ehrengäste begrüßen zu dürfen. Um Ihre Kreuzfahrt so angenehm wie möglich zu gestalten, steht Ihnen unser Team jeder zeit zur Verfügung.

Leben Sie den zauber im Disneyland Paris...

Freundliche Grüße,

Ugo Durand
Operations Manager
Disney´s Newport Bay Club"

Isn´t that nice? I was just happy happy happy! The Admirals Floor Room was also the best I had every. They had a kettle, a coffee maker, a safe.... Last time I missed all this things at my AF room. So we were the happiest kids on earth and after our shower also the best smelling ones.

We soon had to leave the room cause we had a date with my parents at Rainforest café.

Rainforest Café was wonderful as ever. We had our places next to the apes. I ask my mother if the had also an upgrate but the CM at the reception had forgett to say that. I just realized that they had one because they had also a lake view big balcony room at the main building and that wasn´t what they had booked. (Maybe the reception CMs at SL was a bit overworked this days).

So after our great meal we went back to Disneyland Park. We made some rounds on Big Thunder Mountain and then we watched the fireworks. Disapointing. The canceled soooo much or changed it to something not that beautiful. A shame.

But cause we know that we had this wonderful lake view balcony room we went happy back to the hotel and after watchting the lake area by night we went into our beds...just sleeeping...

[dagobert]

Hi Riebi!

Another great trip report from you!! It's always a pleasure to read your thoughts about Disneyland PAris. I can't wait to read more. Hopefully you are going to post some pictures!

[tubbsy]

Great report Reibi-the room sounds fantastic!

[Riebi]

It was the best room I ever had at NPBC Tubbs!  :mrgreen:

Let´s start now DAY 2:

We went to the breakfast really early this morning. We wanted to make our way first to the studios to get a ride on crush´s coaster. We had no problems with the breakfast. We get directly a table without any waiting time. CMs were all nice. Then we took our round to sequoia lodge to pick up my parents (the floor lamp was still broken, the lighthouse had the same stadium as capitain hooks pirate ship: again REFURB THE RESORT NOT ONLY THE PARKS).

Our parents had a bit longer waiting time and told us about a chaotic situation while they finished their breakfast. The guests the came around 20 minutes later then they did had to wait the whole staircase inside SL, around 30 minutes to get their step to the breakfast welcome desk.
Ok the early bird catch the worm but it´s hard to wait that long just to get a breakfast.

We made our way through the village and entered WDS around 9:30 am. The best: Crush´s coaster was running before official park opening. So we had a waiting time of 15 minutes to get to our turtle shell. It´s a good operating thing to open that ride that early. Last time there was always a long queue till the exit of studio 1 before park opening. Early opening, that´s how to handle such an beloved attraction.  =D>

After crush my parents had to make their first ride on ToT. It was quiet funny cause my brother had such big fear about the attraction. He always said things like "oh my god oh my god...it was so horrible last year..." and on and on. That scared my mother a bit. But I said to her "if you have no problems with Space Mountain you should do it". Thanks god she made her way to the tower. After the ride my parents had a new favorite attraction at WDS and my brother said the whole way down to the shop "it wasn´t that hard. I remembered it harder. But its fun. it wasn´t that hard. I reme......" They also loved the new Hollywood Bvd area. Last time it was a big construction side and they hadn´t much good things to say about the studios park. Now it was a theme park for them. (Last time they just went one day to the studios, to make everything they want and then they stayed for the rest at DLP. This time they went more often to the studios. Seems that the placemaking is/was a good idea. So go on with it)

We made the other highlight attractions of WDS through the morning (Armageddon, RnR Coaster: The lights are again gone. Shouldn´t they reinvent this attraction with more durable lights? LEDs or something??...).

Around 12:00 we had a big meeting with some parts of my family at the tourist information pavillion next to the train station. It was unreal and wonderful in the same moment to meet my godmother, my uncle, me cousin with son... at disneyland´s train station. It´s great to get people that didn´t know much about DLP into the magic. Godmother and uncle where sooo impressed by everything. My uncle is a big garden fan so he started to scream out about the wonderful planting as we entered fantasia gardens.

They were very impressed of disneyland hotel and the whole entrance area. And while we pass the train station I was sure that it was the right idea to have a late birthday party at Disneyland. We strolled around at main street, saw tiana and naveen and I explained them everything they want to know. We first entered Frontierland and there we choose Phantom Manor as our first attraction. They were very impressed by the details of the manor and after the attraction they had all the same opinion "Much better then Europa Park" which is the accolade for theme parks said by a german.

We then took a fast pass at Big thunder mountain made then a round with the Pirates and had then our lunch at cowboy cookout BBQ. I and my friend had then another fast pass at ToT so we hurried up to the tower. After ToT we met again our now really big family at discoveryland. (On the way we took a big sundae at gibson girl! Ben & Jerrys rules!) We had also a call from other parts of my family that they entered now WDS and we made the plan to have dinner together. There we took the train to make traditional round. We later had a big battle with ZURG and then it was time for me, friend, parents, brother, fiancée to went back to hotel (dressing for the evening) and for my godmother, uncle, cousin, son to go to Buffalo Bills.

For the family that wasn´t involved in buffalo bills wild west dinnnnner show with mickey and friends we had reserved a table at Walt´s for 7:45 pm. That was the perfect time. We met my other cousin, her husband and my little second cousins at Walt´s while the once upon a dream parade started to enter main street usa. Best part was the peter pan float cause my little second cousin (2 years old) couldn´t stop to scream out "RATES!!! RATES!!!" (which means "PIRATES" in his language). He was that happy about seeing real "RATES!!!". His older brother was happy about Toy story, THE CASTLE!!! THE CASTLE!!! and the dream of power float. But their happy ending was Baloo.

After the wonderful parade (I´m soooo happy that we have a parade instead of something silly that they have at DL california at the moment) we had a wonderful dinner at walt´s. Everything was delicious, the children menu was such fun. They were happy about everything, the mickey shaped plates, the melone juice....(it was the first time for them at Disneyland). We were placed at the Adventureland room, which was very cool because the "RATES" everywhere. Walt´s is a wonderful place for a nice evening dinner.

After the dinner my cousin + husband and the small ones had to go back to hotel (they choose also SL) cause the whole disneyland thing was very impressive for the little ones (for example: the older of the boys (4 years) was that impressed of the cars area that he stayed there for over 30 minutes, just starring at mater and lightning mcqueen).
They simply had to sleep now to get fresh into the next day.

We made rounds and rounds and rounds at big thunder till the last train arrived the station. I love this way to finish a day at disneyland.

[experiment627]

+++ The parks are in great shape (with just some ugly points that hardly need a refurb)

I tend to agree. Except for the things that were falling apart. (Like the "Mark Twain", for example)

+++ The cast members were all excellent, friendly and know again more languages then english and french (with a bit of spanish)

True. Once again I thought the CMs at DLP (in general) were much more cordial than their colleagues in Florida. I had one of *the best* CMs ever on ToT. She was hilarious. Great show.
And the only bad experience we had can not be really blamed on the CM, but more on Disney's sometimes ridiculously strict system.

 

+++ better quality and choice of food

I noticed that, too. Counter service food is still overpriced - but this time it was actually good!
Had a good chili at Fuente del Oro and a really great kebab sandwich at Hakuna Matata.
Lunch at Walt's was also wonderful, and Blue Lagoon wasn't too bad either. (Except for Disney's "strict system" mentioned above...)

 

++ Studio 1 looks great

It does. As long as you don't look at the in-park-side of the building.  

 

+ Toy Story Playland doesn´t look that ugly as expected (much details and I think it won´t matter anyone after the expansion of the bvd

Already commented on that one. This might turn out really nice.

 

+ better choice of souvenirs and a beginning of diffrent things to buy at the diffrent shops

Really? I didn't notice that... All the shops seemed to carry the very same items. And that guys like to wear motive t-shirts nowadays, too, has not been noticed yet by DLP's merchandising team...
Well, it saved me money that I then could spend at La Vallée.  

 

- refurb fences during the high priced summer season

Again, hadn't noticed... Where exactly?

 

-- lack of shows with high quality at DLP and WDS

This was the ONE big thing that bothered me a lot during an otherwise perfect trip. I, too, liked the show on Central Plaza (and really don't mind the stage, it fits nicely in my humble opinion). But I really, really missed a more adult show like "Tarzan" was...

 

--- fireworks

What got cut? As I was impressed with their display... Best since "Tinkerbell's Fantasy in the Sky", I'd say...

[Riebi]

+++ The cast members were all excellent, friendly and know again more languages then english and french (with a bit of spanish)

True. Once again I thought the CMs at DLP (in general) were much more cordial than their colleagues in Florida. I had one of *the best* CMs ever on ToT. She was hilarious. Great show.
And the only bad experience we had can not be really blamed on the CM, but more on Disney's sometimes ridiculously strict system.

That´s really interesting cause we made a similar experience at California. The CMs at ToT were all not really in their show. They talked to each other about what they do the evening and things like this. Nothing compared if you know the spooky ToT CMs of Paris. The CMs here at Paris are in general really friendly and great.

+++ better quality and choice of food

I noticed that, too. Counter service food is still overpriced - but this time it was actually good!
Had a good chili at Fuente del Oro and a really great kebab sandwich at Hakuna Matata.
Lunch at Walt's was also wonderful, and Blue Lagoon wasn't too bad either. (Except for Disney's "strict system" mentioned above...)

We had a great salad at Fuente. I first was on the way to take the chili. And the Kebab Sandwich looked great! I know what I will take next time  :mrgreen:

+ better choice of souvenirs and a beginning of diffrent things to buy at the diffrent shops

Really? I didn't notice that... All the shops seemed to carry the very same items. And that guys like to wear motive t-shirts nowadays, too, has not been noticed yet by DLP's merchandising team...
Well, it saved me money that I then could spend at La Vallée.

I wouldn´t say it´s excellent but it tender to get better again. Last year I couldn´t buy ONE souvenir cause I there was nothing for me. Now I had some little souvenir highlights. Not much but I would say comparing to the last years they seem to be on the beginning of the right way. (And with the motive t-shirts u´re absolutly right. I saw so much wonderful designed shirts for the girls. But they seem to thing that all men have the same size and style)

- refurb fences during the high priced summer season

Again, hadn't noticed... Where exactly?

There were a lot at adventureland, next to indiana jones (floor). It was hard to get to the attraction. Also it was better then last year (were I saw fences everywhere during the first week of summer season) that something they should keep an eye on. But on the other hand: Why saying something bad about refurbs. It´s nice that they have started to do this things again.

-- lack of shows with high quality at DLP and WDS

This was the ONE big thing that bothered me a lot during an otherwise perfect trip. I, too, liked the show on Central Plaza (and really don't mind the stage, it fits nicely in my humble opinion). But I really, really missed a more adult show like "Tarzan" was...

The show on central plaza is lightyears better then the show last year. It´s now entertainment. But I really missed something like push or cinefolies or cruella or else at the studios and I really missed big stage shows like tarzan or lion king. And then it was just silly for me to see the african tam tams at videopolis.

--- fireworks

What got cut? As I was impressed with their display... Best since "Tinkerbell's Fantasy in the Sky", I'd say...

[/quote]

The cut much of the best effects comparing to 2008. Last year they had fewer firework effects and this year again. That´s sad. It´s still a good firework but it´s not the enchanted I remembered some years ago:

[youtube:3c9icupr]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azZ8K6SF8BQ[/youtube:3c9icupr]

Just one example: I loved the first final around 5:25. The new one is just a retake of effects that we all saw earlier in the show and...it´s clumsy.