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[WillN]

Before I start, I must apologize for not having posted our trip report sooner... There's no excuse (well, there is one: six-month post-honeymoon laziness...). As some of you may know, I got married in March and went to DLP and Paris for our honeymoon. It was the second time for me (first trip was in 2001) but the first visit for my girlfr... wife.  

I don't promise any great or funny report: just a recap of some facts that happened during those days. Luckily I kept a diary of (almost) everything we did during the honeymoon (I said almost...) so I'll try to be as accurate as possible. Sometimes I assume it will be a bit boring, that's why I'll also try to include pictures to make it easier to read.

We had been planning the trip since early October 2009 and are more than grateful for all the members of this forum, who helped us (directly answering questions or indirectly with their posts we read) during the preparation of the trip.

Anyway, without further ado, let's get on with it, starting with the...

DAY 0 – Sunday, March 7, 2010

We live in a town near Barcelona and we had to be at the airport by 6am in the morning, cause our flight was departing at 8.15am. That's why on Sunday, the day after the wedding, we went to my parents' home in Barcelona to sleep. Even though we had a wonderful weather during our wedding on Saturday (not a single cloud and reasonably warm temperatures being March), on Sunday evening it started to rain a little, but it was nothing to be worried about.

Or was it...?  8-[

[WillN]

DAY 1 – Monday, March 8, 2010

Alarm sets off at 6am. We got out of bed, had a quick shower and a cup of coffee. The taxi arrived at 6.30 as expected and we went downstairs carrying our luggage (which, by the way, was already prepared since before the wedding). That's when we notice it hadn't stopped raining for the whole night and also felt how the temperatures have decreased noticeably. It's ok, though, the rain was not heavy and there was no snow forecasted... or so we thought, because while going to the airport we heard on the taxi radio that it had just started to snow up north in the mountains (Barcelona is next to the sea and it almost never snows).

We got to the airport by 7am and did the check in. We wanted to peruse around the new terminal (really huge) and luckily all stores were already open.



Since everything was on schedule we grabbed a couple sandwiches and waited till they called our flight number. Once in the plane we saw extremely white clouds above us... will it snow...? Well, it DID, and a LOT, in all Catalonia.

Here's a video of Barcelona during the heavy snowfall of that day:
[youtube:2qtmekga]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWN5OPcfoa0&feature=related[/youtube:2qtmekga]

It may not seem that much for people accustomed to this weather, but I'm telling you, this was completely unexpected to happen in Barcelona...

However, we were lucky enough to depart before everything started to get worse and we had a very smooth flight, arriving on time at Orly airport just a few minutes before 10am.  So, what about the Parisian weather? NOT A SINGLE CLOUD!!!  

Actually, we enjoyed a wonderful weather during our entire honeymoon (despite the low temperatures, for which we were more than prepared...).

The baggage collection was quite fast and at 10.30 we were already going to the VEA desk to purchase our shuttle bus tickets to DLP (17€ each for a single trip). Our bus left (half-full) around 11:15, and by 11:45 we started to see some well-known buildings of the resort... is that building the Tower of Terror...? We are already there!

First stop, New Port Bay Club, then the Sequoia, Cheyenne and Santa Fe... Nerves increasing, only 5 people remaining in the bus and finally our stop came: Hotel New York.



The check in was fairly quick. In about 15 minutes we were ready to go to our room. Even though the CM spoke a bit Spanish we had decided that during our trip we would try to speak (and listen to) French only, so we asked her to address us in that language (which only my wife had studied, and that was 7 years ago...). Strangely enough, we were happy to realize that we could understand almost everything and we even actually spoke French (with an effort, of course, and sometimes switching to English when there was no way to communicate what we wanted).  :thumbs:

The CM took her time to explain to us everything we needed to know about the hotel and its facilities, the parks, how the half board worked and other stuff... things we already knew thanks to this excellent forum. However, we were so excited that we listened to her advice anyway, and we were given all the info, passes and vouchers inside a nice envelope.  Just before we left she said: "Oh, and enjoy your lune de miel" with a strange smile. We looked amazed to each other, as we had only mentioned that some months before, when we booked our stay by telephone. Odd...  :shock:

Anyway, it's time to get to our room, so we took the elevators on the left (our room was on the Brownstone side of the hotel), up to the 7th floor, to our standard double room, number 7230.
We put in the card, opened the door and, as some of you (if not all) already figured, we got the first surprise of the trip. We had been upgraded to a lake view room!!! With that splendid sunny day and being on the one but last floor, the views were amazing!

The room


And the view (Artist's impression...   )


However, we didn't have time to enjoy the views because we heard someone knocking on the door... who might that be...?

...Mickey...?  :roll:

No. It was the cleaning lady.  :?

But she brought two small packages and an envelope. "Monsieur, pour vous". Well, "merci"... but we hadn't ordered anything, had we? She left and I entered the room again, curious to discover what were those wrapped items.

And, once again, the magic popped in.

One of the presents was the toiletry set that is given to some rooms (or all, not sure) in the Disneyland Hotel, the one with Snow White and the Prince on the cover and inside seven boxes with the seven Dwarfs, each for an item.

Left to right and top to bottom:

1.   Toothpaste and toothbrush
2.   Shower cap
3.   Razor and shaving foam
4.   Cotton pad and swab
5.   Sewing kit
6.   Comb
7.   Emery board

What about the other package? We unwrapped it and... a set of two wine glasses, where the stems are Mickey and Minnie.

Here's a picture of them.  :thumbs:


Inside the envelope was a letter from the hotel manager wishing us a great stay and hoping we would enjoy their presents.

We surely did!

We tried not to leave things in the middle of the room, so we left our luggage in one of the closets so we could leave the two queen-size beds clean.

Is it 1 pm already? Time to go to the park! The unpacking can wait...

So down we went, passing by the concierge and out we were. We turned right and passed next to the new synthetic ice-skating rink. The first thing we see is the Disney Village, which I didn't know yet. Restaurants on the left, shops on the right, the Disney Village radio playing all around. There's no time now to stop now, though, not even window shopping. To the park we go!



We left the RER train station on our right and already saw the signs showing us the way (even though it's impossible to get lost), when we noticed some dark green tents on the path and wonder what they are. Security check. Nothing to be worried about, just a quick look inside your bags and they let you go.

The Fantasia Gardens look beautiful, even though it's March, really cold, and there are no flowers, yet. How will it be in late April or May...? The Disneyland Hotel is right in front of us, so elegant and majestic, the best way to get in the park.

[WillN]

DAY 1 – Monday, March 8, 2010 (Continued)

Finally! Disneyland, here we are! Across the passage under Disneyland Railroad's Main Street Station and Main Street, USA, is waiting. Some refurbishing is going on, but the scaffolding shows the building that is being renewed. This is the special touch that other parks don't have.

We arrive at the Central Plaza and without a doubt turn left to Frontierland. Big Thunder Mountain has only a 10 minute wait, so we go straight to the queue. This is my wife's first ride in a Disney park. We loved it! The themeing is great, compared to the other park we go more often (Port Aventura). To our eyes everything appears so detailed, so precisely done, that you really can feel you entered another world. Even CMs seem to belong there, as they are dressed according to the area or ride they are working in. This is something we've only seen there.



After BTM we go to one of my favourites: Phantom Manor. Again, so well themed, and best of all, NO queue!   The doombuggies are the best invention for a ride like this one. You just sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride. We have a quick walk around the cemetery, listen to the creepy thumps coming from within the big black tomb, and laugh at some of the epitaphs, especially the ones from the servants Jasper and Anna Jones ("Kept the master happier" LOL  :lol: ). Again, attention to details is one of the strengths of Disney.



Leaving Frontierland we got lost sometimes in the caves of Adventure Isle in Adventureland. Important notice: watch out with the ice in winter!  :!: These caves are fun and hide many secrets, but they can also be very slippery during winter... there are many warning signs, but one must be careful, anyway...

Unfortunately POTC was closed for refurbishment, so we head north to Indiana Jones et le Temple du Péril, which is a nice coaster, but it's so far and hidden that we only rode it twice during our stay. Both times there was almost no queue (5 min or so) and it didn't seem as rough as some people say. Besides, for me it was the first time I rode it forwards, because last time it was still "à l'envers" (BAckwards. And I'm glad they changed it again, 'cause and I didn't like it).

Fantasyland was our next stop. Alice's Curious Labyrinth was OK, and I tried to turn the rock where the Dodo stands, so that it turns against the direction you turn the rock (again, something I learned here). In a matter of 10 seconds I was surrounded by kids who wanted to turn it after they saw me doing it.



The labyrinth was quite well-kept despite  being March and not having all the vegetation and flowers it probably has in spring or summertime.



It's a Small World only had 5 minutes of waiting (even less, I have to admit), so we went for a ride. Since I bought the CD "Un Journée à Disneyland Paris" last time, my wife already knew the tune, but she hadn't suffered yet the different ethnic tones it has along the tour. It's the kind of ride my grandma would love: slow, smooth, no drops, catchy music and singing dolls...  :lol:

Then we went back to the central hub of the park, where the beautiful castle stands.



Unfortunately the bridge was still being rebuilt, so we had to use the back entrance.



The inside is breathtaking, I must say, even for Europeans, more accustomed to this architecture than other people. All the details, the splendid stained glass windows, the elaborated tapestry on the walls, the sleeping (and snoring) armors, the red-eyed crow (only when you use flash), the ceiling...





Since we got earlier a couple Fast Passes for Peter Pan's Flight and it was our time, we went for a ride. I must admit this ride made me feel a bit dizzy...  :?  Everything is quite dark and you don't know which way you're moving sometimes (since you're hanging from a railing, you not only move forwards but there are also little ramps that are a bit tricky in my opinion...). All in all, however, the ride fulfills its storytelling purpose quite well.

We were a bit hungry and we went to the Chalet de la Marionette for a snack: a Mickey brioche, popcorn and a hot Nesquik for 7€. With more energy we headed to our next stop: Discoveryland.

The first ride in this land was also a first time for both of us: Buzz Lightyear's Laser Blast. The audioanimatronic Buzz at the beginning is awesome and very realistic, by the way.



It was our first time, yes, but I had read some tricks to get more points and I tried to win... but I miserably lost against my wife...!  :shock: I don't know how, but she got a great  score the first time!!! She must have hit some really hard target without even knowing while I was trying to shoot at the important ones... well, this opened the doors for revenge...  :twisted:

And from Buzz's alien infested outer space we thought we could try and reach for a Supernova in Space Mountain: Mission 2. I rode it back in 2001 when it was still based on Jules Verne's novel and of course with the old, more classical soundtrack. Two things I didn't like this time: the volume was soooo low you almost couldn't hear anything but the bass beats (sometimes) of Giacchino's beautiful and more modern soundtrack. The other thing we found a bit upsetting was the roughness of the ride... our backs were banging on all sides and our necks were struggling not to be separated from our bodies... however, the (audio)visual effects were great.

Now, if we weren't already tired of stars we headed to Star Tours for some more... We almost didn't have time to see the themeing of the queue because, once again, it was empty. The ride looks a bit old now, so I guess it wouldn't do any wrong if they updated it (I think they are preparing some Star Tours 2 or something like that in the US, right?). Anyway, having seen all Star Wars movies, it's nice to feel you're in one.

So many trips to the outer space made us feel a bit tired. That's why we took the Disneyland Railroad for a complete tour of the park, which lasted around 20 minutes, from Discoveryland's station.
 


We sat at the very end of the train and enjoyed every moment of it (especially our feet...!). While doing the tour, even though POTC was closed, we could take a sneak peek inside the caves of the ride, where there's a skeleton guarding and a treasure (poor little guy... all his life guarding something he couldn't enjoy... what's the point?). :-"

Back in Discoveryland we went for Autopia, where we suffered the longest line of the day... 15 minutes! (Yes, it's not that much, but compared to the 0 to 5 minutes wait...   ). We took the same car and I drove pretty well at 10km/h.



There was a traffic jam at the end of the ride, so it took a bit longer, but even so I thought it was a short ride.

It was a bit cold and we went to the Videopolis to watch some classic Mickey cartoons (there were no show performances in March, just screenings). Afterwards we went for our last ride of the day, another Laserblast in which I finally managed to... loose (again...).  :-"

We walked through the Disney Village to the hotel, left our backpacks and had a quick shower. We noticed somebody had left 4 Mickey chocolate coins on our pillows! However, we didn't eat them yet, and went back to the Disney Village for dinner. We had purchased the Half Board Plus meal plan and one of the restaurants we were interested in was there: the Silver Spur Steakhouse.



The HB menu we had comprised the following:

-   Caesar salad (watch out! No chicken included in the HB menu!!!)


-   Rumpsteak with pepper sauce, plus side salad and fries.


-   Traditional curried chicken with rice and mango chutney



-   Ben & Jerry's Cherry Garcia ice cream (3 balls)


-   Bailey's Crème Brulée    


-   Fanta orange

Everything would have cost 64.80€, but with the HB we saved almost 12€... not bad...

We were so full and tired that we would have run to our beds (if we hadn't been so full and tired, that is...), so when we arrived to our room we went straight to sleep. I was a bit worried because my wife has problems to sleep, but the beds and pillows were so comfortable that it took her no more than five minutes to fall asleep (it took me less, though!). Good night!

Night shot. Panorama from our window.


End of Day 1. Day 2 coming soon.

[norhel]

Like your pics! Sound like you had a great start of your day. :-)

[WillN]

Like your pics! Sound like you had a great start of your day. :-)

Thanks! I'll tell my wife (she's the one who took the pictures)  

I'm finishing Day 2, will post ASAP...

[figaro]

looking forward to day 2! looks like you had a great time!

[WillN]

So, on with...

DAY 2 – Tuesday, March 9th, 2010

We woke up at 7:30 and by 7:45 we were already having breakfast. While there, we met this forum's member "never2old", which we already knew was there with her husband.  

The variety of food in Hotel New York was superb! Both hot and cold dishes, sweet and salty, healthy and.... naughty? And no queues either neither time slots for breakfast. I must admit we ate a LOT but when you're walking the whole day around the parks, you really need a full stomach.

We left the hotel and walked to the right of the Disneyland Hotel, where we saw some Cast Member's checking the visitors' tickets, as only hotel guests have the privilege of entering before the others. Thanks to these Extra Magic Hours, and even though we entered the park at 8:45, we were able to spend a good hour wandering around Fantasyland and enjoying two of the rides we couldn't do the day before.

In Dumbo the Flying Elephant the first thing I noticed was the state of some of the elephants, with peeled paint on their ears and on the seats. So I was quite glad to see they refurbished before this summer. The ride itself is very simple, but it's amazing to see the success it has among the younger ones. Maybe it's because you can control the height at which you "fly" or the cute little elephants, don't know.



By the way, while we were waiting for the ride I was checking the machinery, which is surprisingly full of nice details.

The Carrousel de Lancelot is, as all carrousels, an old type of ride, but this one's very large and the "carrousel-like" versions of popular Disney songs make it different.



When we were there we heard the "Colours of the Wind" song from Pocahontas and the "Is this love" from Cinderella (or Sleeping Beauty??? Please correct me!). Other tunes that can be heard are "Gaston"  and "Be Our Guest" (Beauty and the Beast) or "Chim-chim-cheree" (Mary Poppins). I'm sure there are more, but these are the ones I noticed.

Before leaving the park we decided to take a look at the courtyard next to the Auberge de Cendrillon, where we saw some nice tables (this must be great when it's not so cold) and Cinderella's carriage, something I didn't notice the first time I was there. That's one of the things I like about these parks, that you always have something new to discover.





It was past 10 and more visitors were arriving at the park. We felt like salmons swimming against the current while we were leaving towards Walt Disney Studios, a park I read a lot of, but never been before.

There's always time for some silly pictures, though...




Studio 1, though still with the scaffolding on its façade, looked impressive. And in the inside... shops on your left, restaurants on your right, a Hollywood panorama at the very end and lots of lights, cameras and movie props all around.

The Twilight zone Tower of Terror was our first stop, but we thought there was a long line (well, it said 20 minutes of waiting) and took 2 FPs for 1pm. I was a bit scared of this ride... :oops:  I don't care about heights nor going up in elevators. What I fear is to know that, once on the top, the cabin will drop. I'd never been on a free fall ride before because I was too scared, but this is Disney, this is ToT and I have to do it! And I did... but first we had other things to do.

The Art of Disney Animation might seem a bit boring at first but I think it deserves at least one visit. After all, it all started with a mouse, they say, and without these "pioneers" we wouldn't have all the great pictures Disney has offered us. The synching of the presenter and Mushu the dragon in the last part of the show is a nice effect. The post show exhibition is worth seeing and though we wanted to spend some time learning to draw we didn't see any sessions going on at that time (besides, my drawing skills and techniques are so bad that I would need more than just a session to become acceptable...). :?

We went to our rights to Armageddon and waited 10 minutes until we got in... just to tell us we had to continue to the end, across the main show set, and exit because they had technical problems... this one would have to wait.  

It was for good, though, because we were right in time for Moteurs... Action! Stunt Show Spectacular. The show started at 12 and we were there at 11:45, so the waiting was not too long. However, our toes froze during the show... it was so cold!!! Each time there was fire on the set we were wishing they wouldn't turn the gas off.    The show is really spectacular even though some effects didn't work (there was no water bike scene and one of the red cars broke almost at the beginning of the show). The scenery is very realistic and the car ballet and the final scenes are impressive. They really are professionals. A great stunt show.



We still had some time before ToT and wanted to ride the Rock'n'roller Coaster avec Aerosmith... but it was out of service that day. Another ride that would have to wait.

And now, here it is, the ToT... so big, so high, so... scary.



Since we had the FPs we didn't see much of the queue outside, but then the hotel lobby... so wonderfully decorated and detailed! The cobwebs, the newspaper on the table, the coat and hat on the desk, the broken walls... yes, it was a glamorous hotel once, indeed...





Then there's the preshow, that room so crowded with objects and artifacts and those CMs so creepy and funny at the same time. And the final room, with the boilers, the girl screaming from behind the wall, the dim lighting, with all the red and purple... Themeing like this is not seen everywere, I admit. Great work!  =D>

Ok... there we are, standing in front of the elevator door, each on a number plate on the floor... the door opens, the CM starts shouting the numbers and in we go. We got first row, we attached our seat belts (is THAT was is supposed to hold me...? OMG... :shock: ). I don't want to go into further details, so I'll just say it was a great experience! We really enjoyed it and it was one of the rides we went on more times. It's just a free fall ride, if you want, but the ambience, the mood, the setting, everything is so well done that for me that stands as a great ride.

Once outside, and before lunch, we saw there was a Cinemagique show at 1:45pm so we went in. It's a nice show, and I think movie goers and people with some cinema knowledge will enjoy even more, this brief tour along the history of cinema presented in a humorous way with interesting visual and special effects.

To be continued...

[dagobert]

Thanks for another great update. Your pictures are great.

[gothprincess]

Great trip report so far. I have never been before so it's nice to read a trip report that goes in to detail about the atteractions instead of assuming preople already know.

[WillN]

Thanks! That was the intention.  

Now I just realized I forgot "Day 2 - Part 2", so I'll try to upload it today or tomorrow.

[Soap]

Great stuff WillN, thx for sharing  :thumbs:

[KITKAT]

Thank you for posting a great report, I really enjoyed reading it.  Just been showing my 3 year old son the pictures and he loves them too x

[WillN]

Previously, on WillN's report...

It's the second day, we've just visited WDS park and are leaving to DLP. (Short summary, but clear)  

Ok, let's go on:

It was about time to eat something, we were starving a bit. We decided earlier that The Lucky Nugget was our place for lunch, so we left the WDS, back to DLP and into Frontierland.



A band was playing when we entered, we found a place to sit next to each other, on that bar facing the tables downstairs, and served ourselves some food.



The variety and quality of the food was OK but not great. I understand  it's more a place for kids/teens than adults. While we were eating we heard some child screams and when we turned we saw that some characters had just entered the restaurant. Mickey, Minnie, Goofy and Pluto were there, wandering around the tables and playing with the children, posing for some pictures, signing autographs... they even came to our table and we took some pictures with Goofy and Pluto, even though were just two adults (I thought they would only go to kids but they proved me wrong...!).  :thumbs:  Just behind our table was a young couple with their daughter who was celebrating her first birthday and Pluto went up to their table. You should have seen the happiness in that little child's face... it was very touching to see her so happy, laughing and grabbing Pluto's ears (and trying to bite his nose...).  :lol:

We ate a bit too much  :oops: and didn't feel like walking too much, so we went to PM and then a ride around the lake on the Mark Twain (the Molly Brown was being refurbished).



This ship offers a relaxing trip with nice views of the area, BTM and some extra features like some wild animals, the fisherman (whose name I don't remember) with his dog and the geiser area (with, sadly, no water...).



Even some seagulls were flying next to the boat!



It was already 4:15pm and we went to the Central Plaza in order to find a place to watch the Once Upon a Dream Parade. The area was not yet crowded and we found a place next to a lamppost where we sat until it was 5pm and the parade started.



 :!: Complaint/Warning  :!: : It was a bit difficult to manage the nervous and anxious parents who try to get their children in front of you, which is OK since you're taller than them and you can still watch the floats and the characters and dancers normally. What really bothered me was that, once they placed their children in front of you, they tried to get there themselves subtly by elbowing and telling you to move aside...! Come on... we have been waiting for 45 minutes, you just arrived 5 minutes ago, put your children in front of us without even asking and now you want to step in front of me? No way!  :x  We just pretended we didn't understand them and enjoyed the parade. It was quite easy once we ignored them, since they got tired and went to the back.

The parade, despite the fact that you listen to the same song in a never ending loop ("a la" Small World) is wonderful.

The floats are perfectly done, the choreographies simple but effective. It's also nice how the characters, performers and CMs interact with the audience (I booed a pirate while filming Peter Pan's float and he came to me with a menacing face...! How rude for a pirate to do such a thing...  :-" ).

Here are some (nostalgic) pictures of some floats:











After the parade, and once again, I miserably lost against my wife at Buzz's (why did I even bother...  :? ) and then we headed to Honey, I shrunk the Audience. I remembered it as a good show but I left disappointed this time. A lot of effects weren't working (no rats, no spray...) and the quality, compared to the current 3D movies felt a bit outdated. However, now that Captain EO is back, there's no reason for complaining anymore...

Back to SMM2 the soundtrack was a bit louder (yay! :thumbs: ) but the ride was again quite rough. A quick ride at the Orbitron and then for some shopping at the Main Street stores. I usually don't enjoy walking in a shop and perusing around, but I must admit these stores are worth a visit (or more, which was the case).

It was dark already and we turned back just past the Disneyland Hotel, which looks great at night!



Then back to the hotel and went to the Village, this time to Annette's Diner. We had to wait for about 30 minutes and we were given a table downstairs. We had:

-   Cheese burger
-   Onion and cheese burger
-   Since they were menus, they also included fries, a soft drink and a brownie "a la mode" (which consisted of vanilla ice and whipped cream).



Everything was 35€ and it gave us enough energy to go to... sleep, since it was 10.30pm and we were extremely tired...!

Shhhht! We're sleeping!  :-$



Day 3 coming soon.

[SM:M3]

As always great photos and a great report, Thanks!

[RockNRoller]

Its already been said but I will say it again, excellent photo's,  your wife has a real eye for a shot. All the detail you remember is fantastic too.