Finally back from Disneyland. This report may take a while to get through as I have hundreds of photos and 8 days worth of memories to sort out. But I will say this to begin with, everything was nearly perfect, especially our timing for everything. I'll explain all in better detail when I get the chance. But as a little taste of how well things went I'll post up a photo as an example.
Oh Yeah !
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More to follow really soon once I get all the photos uploaded
Well I look forward to reading this one Pete's Dragon, since I was supposed to do a new version of mine from earlier on in the year, which never happened.. :mrgreen:
I think I ended up on the same path as breeno this time.. :P
I must say that photo from Buzz Lightyears Laser Blast is great, I pleased to see you mastered your skill with photoshop.. :lol: :lol: :mrgreen:
Quote from: "Javey74"I must say that photo from Buzz Lightyears Laser Blast is great, I pleased to see you mastered your skill with photoshop.. :lol: :lol: :mrgreen:
:lol: :lol:
Looking forward to your report PD!!! And welcome back :D
Look forward to the full report!
Wednesday 29th August - Prologue
Not much to report on from this day as it was all travelling. But luck was on our side. No delays at the airport or with the plane. In fact we arrived 15 minutes early at CDG. We had the TGV booked for 18:03 but when we got the the station at 17:00 there was a train about to depart, so we decided to risk it and play dumb if a train conductor came along.
Sweet ! Made it to Disneyland a whole hour early thanks to some good luck and some good timing. Took a taxi to Val D'Europe, checked into the Adagio and got our shopping for the week from Auchan. Next we decided to go for dinner at the Italian restaurant in the Place de Toscana, and our great timing struck again as we arrived just as they were opening.
After dinner there was the option of 3 hours in the park, but we decided an early night and some Extra Magic Hours in the morning was a better idea. This was our first visit during the summer season and we a bit worried about the queue lengths.
So that was it for day one. This feels like more of a tease than a report thus far. But don't worry, the Magic starts tomorrow and so do the photos
A photo by my 7 year old daughter
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Looking forward to the rest!
Sounds good so far :-)
There's nothing like a run of luck when it comes to DLP, the more time the better.. ;) :D
Nice start.. :thumbs:
joining in.
Thursady 30th August - Let the Magic Begin
Up bright and early at 7am. Booked a taxi for 8am as the buses didn't start running until 8:45 and we couldn't wait that long!
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After a few customary photos we headed straight for Buzz Lightyear's Laser Blast. Our first ride and no queue. I don't know what they're doing to the giant, animated Buzz in the queue line, but there was a curtain around him the entire time we were there. I decided to film the ride rather than shoot stuff, but I did take a shot to determine if the hidden target was where I thought it was; and it was.
Next was Orbitron and again no queue. I assumed that if people were staying up for Disney Dreams then they weren't too bothered about the Extra Magic Hours. Afterwards we finished off the rest of the available rides: the Teacups and then Dumbo (again no queues)
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The time was now 9am and we'd done everything. I was still waiting for a massive influx of holiday makers but they never came. We sat and relaxed for a while and then queued for Autopia, as it was due to close on Monday.
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It was after 10, it's the summertime and the park is fully open. Where is everybody? The waiting time for Space Mountain was still 10mins, so me and Joshua had 2 turns in a row.
Next we headed back to Fantasyland and did Alice's Labyrinth, It's a Small World and the Storybook ride.
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There was a slight queue for Peter Pan so we got Fastpasses which were for 40mins time. Plenty of time for a Caribbean adventure while we waited. Again there was no queue for Pirates. Either everyone was boycotting the park today or we were moving in the opposite direction from everyone else. POTC took so little time that we managed to have lunch before using our Fastpasses.
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It was now 1pm and without rushing or running we had covered over half the rides. We decided to finish off Discoveryland with Star Tours. Finally a queue, we'd found other people. Whilst queuing near C-3PO where the walkway zigs back and forward a woman in the middle section leaned too far over the railing and her expensive sunglasses fell off. Now there walkway is only elevated 2 feet off the floor at this point. Quick as a flash Joshua literally leapt to her rescue. He scaled the barrier, jumped down and found her sunglasses. The woman was so thankful she called Joshua her hero. We gently teased him about it all day (especially if I wanted him to smile for a photo)
You're my hero!
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Spot the monitor that's never used or dusted
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The only land we hadn't visited yet was Frontierland and we eventually found the queues. Apparently everyone was waiting for a turn on Big Thunder Mountain, and I mean everyone. Waiting time was 120 minutes and the Fastpass queue looked as long as the main one. We headed to Phantom Manor much to the displeasure of Elisha, but she went on it anyway. Those playful spooks were really frisky cause the ride stopped at least 5 times!
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It was around 4:30pm by now. Fearing crowds and no available tables we had booked La Grange at Billy Bobs for 6pm. We headed to the Village and had a few Mocktails at the Sports Bar. Well, the kids had Mocktails. I had a Long Island Ice Tea. Hmmmmmm. We hadn't realised but while we were waiting for our drinks the heavens had opened and the rain had lashed down. By the time we came back out it had stopped. Sweet, another bit of good timing.
I swear it's non-alcoholic
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So much for needing a reservation, we were the only ones there. I had avoided the summer season like the plague because I can't stand large, unruly crowds. Yet apart from a 30min queue at Star Tours and the choas at Big Thunder Mountain there hadn't been one all day. We concluded that everyone else was maybe 1 to 2 hours behind our schedule thanks to Disney Dreams.
After a lovely buffet dinner we decided we'd had enough for one day, because if we kept this rate up we would have done everything by the weekend and would still have 4 more days to go. As we got to the bus stop, the bus magically appeared. Another bit of excellent timing.
Tomorrow we decided to get the 9:20am bus and the head straight to the gates of Frontierland. Big Thunder Mountain Awaits !!
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Nice pics! Can't wait for the rest!
Yes, nice continuation, starting to bring back memories of mine already, back in late March.. :D
I also like some of the angles you have picked for a few of your photos.. ;) :)
Looking forward to the rest.. =D>
luvin all the pics so far. :thumbs:
Great report! I'm so surprised about the lack of queues, you were very lucky!! Only once we've been during the summer (end of August) and my husband said never again - even with VIP fastpasses we were queuing for everything!!
Brilliant pictures. Looking forward to the rest!!
Sorry, I'll put Day 2 up later. This house has been mad since we got back. 8)
Great report and pictures so far! Waiting for more. :D
And you were really lucky with the queues!
Quote from: "Pete's Dragon"Sorry, I'll put Day 2 up later. This house has been mad since we got back. 8)
Strange. I always thought a house with you in it would be mad pretty much all the time... ;)
Quote from: "never2old"Quote from: "Pete's Dragon"Sorry, I'll put Day 2 up later. This house has been mad since we got back. 8)
Strange. I always thought a house with you in it would be mad pretty much all the time... ;)
It is. But this week its been certifiably insane :roll: :? :stitch_bounce:
Trip report tonight, Andy Murray and the tennis won out yesterday
Friday 31st August - You'll be in my Heart
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After a good night's sleep and a tasty breakfast of croissants and coffee we headed for the 9:20am bus. The plan for today was Frontierland - Big Thunder Mountain and the Tarzan show. We reached the giant, wooden gates at 9:45 and already there was a bit of a queue forming. It's funny watching adults who have kids jostling for position. Any seasoned veteran knows that when those gates open there's gonna be a full on stampede. Now unless they plan on leaving their kids behind to fend for themselves they aren't getting to the front of the queue. Me on the other hand was planning on leaving the kids behind ....... with their mother 8)
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When the gates opened at 10am everyone did indeed run. It's a great feeling. It's competitive but at the same time it's a bit of fun. At least 3 people shouted yee-haa as they shot past. Now the question remained - run for the Big Thunder Mountain queue or head straight to the Fastpass. I decided to go for the Fastpass which hadn't even a time on it when I arrived (I ran really, really fast). A few seconds later the time came up for 10:30 to 11:00. Perfect amount of time for another coffee at the Fuento Del Oro.
The queue for BTM was already past the photobooth when the rest of my family finally caught up to me. And once again our luck was holding up. The cast member announced that the ride was having a few minor problems and wasn't quite ready to open. Glad I went for the Fastpasses :thumbs:
We sat and had a nice - ish coffee (I've had worse) and wathced as BTM finally got going at 10:20am. 10 minutes later and we were crossing the bridge and joined the queue at the top of the stairs. When we got to the train and before the CM could ask how many people, my children started bouncing up and down shouting 'the back, the back'. The CM laughed and pointed us in the direction of Numero 14 and 15.
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We all loved BTM so much that I went and got another set of Fastpasses while Subi took the kids to the Pocahontas Park. After letting the kids burn off all their excess energy, and a second go around BTM we decided to see what the queue was like for Tarzan. There were about 10 people waiting and the show started in 30mins, so we sat tight. Luckily for us we did because 5mins later there was around 200 people behind us. Another fine piece of timing (don't start being envious yet, our luck holds out for a lot longer). We strolled in and managed to get the best seats in the house: right in the middle.
I hadn't seen Tarzan since 2006. It was as good as I remembered. But really, they couldn't have mixed up the routine just a little bit? Not too many photos as a recorded the entire show.
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Well, that was pretty much everything in the park that we wanted to do and it wasn't even Noon on the 2nd full day. We headed over to the Frontierland Station and for the first time ever in all my visits, we got on to the first train that came along. Sadly for our eardrums Elisha's head was filled with Tarzan songs and she sang the whole way around.
[youtube:3u0mhu9x]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m_xr6HwxYhY[/youtube:3u0mhu9x]
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We did a full circle and got back off at Frontierland. Now as I was expecting massive queues we had Plaza Gardens booked for 5:30pm. So for lunch we went to Colonel Haiti's Pizza Outpost and shared 2 pizzas between the 4 of us. Afterwards we head through Adventureland via the rope bridge. Treehouse anyone? Anyone? Ah well, a quick visit to Captain Hook's ship and play park and then onwards to Pirates of the Caribbean for a second time. Both time Mr. Swinging Pirate was working. Twice in a row? I truly felt blessed.
Now I can't fully remember but I think we headed back to the hotel for a little rest before dinner. We came back for our reservation at Plaza Gardens but there was no record of it on the system. Oh no, shock horror. Had our luck finally ran out. Well, no as the restaurant was less than half full. 8) We had never been here before and we wanted to compare it to La Grange - our favourite buffet thus far. Now while the main courses are more to my liking in La Grange, the desserts are definitely better in Plaza Gardens. So much so I took my one and only food photo. The decor and layout is very similar to the Newport Bay hotel restaurant. And it was very strange looking out of the window and not seeing the Village.
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After dinner we planned to take a look around Fantasyland. The kids shouted they wanted to see the dragon, so we headed in that direction. Only to find the dragon was closed (HA!! I hear you cry). But we had arrived just in time for the water jets to fire in time to the music. Wow, really nice touch and a good idea to get as much use out of the as possible. Once it was over they reopened the dragon's lair (after putting out several Wet Floor signs).
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Now I dont have a tripod so the only way to take these photos was with a very, very steady hand. I think one even had as much as a 2s shutter speed.
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I think it was this one
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We walked around the top of the Castle ( the Sleeping Beauty story bit), tried to pull the sword from the stone, and had a go on Pinocchio as the queue was 10mins (and 40mins for Snow White. Really?!?). We decided that a quick go on BLYLB would do us for the day. And that's when Eagle Eye Pete struck a fatal blow into the very heart of Zurg's evil dominion, crushing and blasting everything before him. Ladies swooned, men cheered, children cried. The CM wanted to present me with a trophy but I told them to keep it. I didn't do it for fame and fortune. I did it for the good of the galaxy; of all galaxies. You're Welcome !!
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[spoiler:3u0mhu9x]ok, ok, the ride broke down just as I passed by the secret target. But it still only lets you regisiter a hit every 4-5 seconds. Admittedly I was there for quite a while. When the score got to 999, 500 I was scared to shoot anything incase the score went back round to 0[/spoiler:3u0mhu9x]
We had tickets for the Eiffel Tower at 10:30am tomorrow so we needed to get the 8:45am train into Paris. The plan was to do Paris, get something to eat, have a little rest and come into the park in time for Disney Dreams.
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Quiz Time: During the day I took the following picture. It's location was mentioned during the my report. Before I will continue someone has to correctly tell me exactly what I'm looking at.
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some mythical creature at fuente del oro!!! don't know its name though :( continue anyway!!! please?!
Great start to this great and (as always) funny report PD!!
And some brilliant photos - your hand is quite steady too if those dragon shots are really taken completely handheld! :o
I really envy you that you got to see the fountains daytime "show" - the only thing that I missed on my trips!
Cannot wait for more!
Quote from: "forza_united"And some brilliant photos - your hand is quite steady too if those dragon shots are really taken completely handheld! :o
Funny you should say that Forza, it did cross my mind looking at them. I tend to find that if there are just a few people around near the bottom stand point looking on you can rest the camera on the rocks and get a good stationary fixed point, if not you can get a good view point from above on the rocks, then use a slow shutter. The only problem is taking the shot at the point where the dragons head and tail stop moving, which is a narrow time window, otherwise blurring is a definite.. :mrgreen:
I'd be interested to hear how PD posed that particular shot.. :D
If memory serves I squeezed my elbow tight against my stomach and had the camera about neck high. And I was in my best karate stance. There were indeed 4 or 5 shots that were blurred either because I wobbled or the dragon moved. Bit as we had everything done and werent in a rush I just kept trying.
Just checked the photo info. It was only a 1second exposure for that one. The 2sec ones must have been deleted. Must verify facts better. Must finish trip report before I start remembering seeing unicorns and polite Spanish visitors too 8)
A fun read PD with some wonderful pics, especially.............
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One to be enjoyed when the youngsters are all grown up, a great family photo :thumbs:
Quote from: "Pete's Dragon"If memory serves I squeezed my elbow tight against my stomach and had the camera about neck high. And I was in my best karate stance. There were indeed 4 or 5 shots that were blurred either because I wobbled or the dragon moved. Bit as we had everything done and werent in a rush I just kept trying.
I see, I've heard of that method before. Try and try again, just for that one shot.. :mrgreen: Well it worked.. :thumbs:
Quote from: "TVTaughtMeHowToFeel"some mythical creature at fuente del oro!!! don't know its name though :( continue anyway!!! please?!
Darn, you're right. Will post the next day soon
Great trip report so far. We were there at the same time but hit all of the crowds!
One question for you, we are flying to CDG for the first time in Oct and plan on getting the TGV. Do i need to book this in advance? and how long after landing would you say i need to leave before leaving by train?
Kelly.
Quote from: "kelly.dylan"Great trip report so far. We were there at the same time but hit all of the crowds!
One question for you, we are flying to CDG for the first time in Oct and plan on getting the TGV. Do i need to book this in advance? and how long after landing would you say i need to leave before leaving by train?
Kelly.
We landed at 4:30pm and to be on the safe side we booked the 6:05pm train. It's only a 10/15min walk from Terminal 2B, but you never know if there are gonna be any delays. The trains run quite frequently and you can check times and book at //http://www.raileurope.co.uk
1st September - Paris visite
When booked a taxi for 8:15am. Luckily a couple of Spanish tourists were waiting outside and decided to lend us their unicorns. Very nice of them. We trotted playfully through the nearby fields all the way the Marne La Vallee train station. Got there just as the train was about to leave. Yes, another piece of good timing (yawn!).
Taking the travel advice of a friend we got off at Trocedero so as to get the nicest view of Le Tour Eiffel. Didn't realise how much of a walk it was, but the view was worth it. Plus we had 30mins before our booked time slot.
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The last time we visited was on our honeymoon in 2004 (our first Disney adventure). That time we didn't get past the 2ns floor as Subi is afraid of heights. But all the credit to her this time because she braved it out all the way to the top ..... well almost. She went up to the open air part and then quickly went down the stairs to the level in-closed in thick, safe, flexiglass.
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No Fear
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Cigarette butts; nice
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Next we walked along the bank of the Seine, looking for the subway station to Notre Dame. We had meant to go back and see the Arc De Triomphe, but we totally forgot. Ah well. To highlight just how non-religious I am, this was the first time that either of my children had been inside a church. If you think that's bad, someone who will remain nameless lit 3 candles and only put 50 cent in the collection box. Tut-tut-tut !
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Not really surprised that Japanese tourist need some extra and specific warning
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Now for my pilgrimage. There were 3 bands that shaped my teenage years: Nirvana, the Prodigy and The Doors. I've seen The Prodigy, and I recently saw the Foo Fighters (close enough) but never during all the trips to DLP in the last 8 years had I made it as far as Pere LaChaise cemetery. That was about to change. We got directions to the Citi subway station but still managed to walk passed it twice. Nicest subway station EVER !
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Made it to Pere LaChaise and had a gentle stroll to the cemetery gates, stopping to look at all the stalls that lined both sides of the street. The local cafes sell map for €2.50. I was tempted until it dawned on me - take a photo of the map at the entrance. Simples ! Still managed to get slightly lost, but did stumble upon the grave of Chopin.
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Fred
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Finally, we found Jim Morrison's grave. You can tell that you are close because there are metal railing surrounding it and the neighbouring graves to protect them from vandals (terrible).
Jim :cry:
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Afterwards we headed back to the subway, took a train to Nation and then the RER back to Disneyland. Got back to the hotel at 6pm. After a little rest and a quick freshen up, we headed into the Village for dinner at around 7pm. Since our luck had been so good we decided to try Planet Hollywood. And before you ask, yes there was no queue and we were seated immediately. I highly recommend the steak, washed down with their blue cocktail thingy (x3). After buffets it was nice having someone bring you a proper plate of food. When we left, all the tables were full and the bar/waiting area was packed. Should have gotten here earlier.
Took the kids into the Disney Hotel to have a look around and then headed to Discoveryland while we waited for the sun to go down and the parades to start.
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More long exposures without a tripod
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Inspired by Forza, nowhere as good
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We picked a spot against the railing on the outer ring on the main central hub near to Plaza gardens. The plan was to left the kids stand on the railing and watch the parade. I was convinced the CM wouldn't let anyone sit on the grass or flower beds, I was wrong. But I didn't feel bad about blocking their view - I picked an out of the way corner and they shouldn't be there in the first place. Didn't realise that we had picked the wrong side of the hub, and that the parade went around the opposite side. This is the reason this is a Near Perfect trip report, although to be honest I've never been a big fan of parades anyway.
My Disney Dream is for a blowdart
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Only photos of the parade were of Minnie
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I won't bore you with Disney Dreams details, if you've seen it you know how good it is. If you haven't - Youtube. Surprisingly I didn't cry, Subi was more shocked that I was as I've been quite emotional since I graduated from University in July (dunno why). I think that if I had been holding Elisha rather than Joshua I would have probably cried at the Tangled part.
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As we headed back to the hotel our lucky timing finally let us down. We arrived at the bus stop just as the bus pulled away. Not only did this mean a 40min wait, but the amount of people trebled. The result - a bit of a squeeeeze.
Tomorrow was time for a nice lie in, and then our first visit to the Walt Disney Studios.
I don't know how Joshua managed this
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Great continuation of your first days. I love the Paris pictures, especially the one of the Eiffel Tower shot by your son Joshua :D
Here's another weird one he took
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Someone should warn the parisians that their tower is a bit wobbly :D
Excellent report PD and a great, fun read, I've had a few strange looks from my colleages while reading it... (note to self: do not read PD trip reports in the office until mastering the art of the silent giggle....)
Reading it makes me want to go for a long stay like yours, to take the time to enjoy the parks without rushing and even go to Paris... We always go for 1 or 2 nights and it's Disney Disney Disney from dusk til dawn... Or course that may change once we start going with our little one!
You do know some of us are Spanish, right? ;)
Looking forward to more :)
luvin the update.. Looks like the Eiffel Tower is melting under the sun there!
Yes great update PD, very informative in your ever funny way.. :mrgreen:
I think you need to contact the French Health & Safety board and ask them to take a good look at some of their structures.. :lol: :mrgreen:
Love your trip reports! You have a beautiful family! :)
Quote from: "never2old"You do know some of us are Spanish, right? ;)
Looking forward to more :)
Yes. and you's have some lovely unicorns 8)
Sunday 2nd September - Lights, Camera, Wait !
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Wow, our first late start of the holiday - 10am !!! Now the the main park was pretty much done and dusted it was time to venture to the Walt Disney Studio. Now I've always said that if you are going to make the most out of WDS you need to make a plan with military precision. Too many times we've wasted most of the day walking to Cinemagique only to find it started 5 minutes ago, so you walk to Stitch to find it's in French, then you head to Animagique only to discover that you could have made the show if you hadn't checked out Stitch. To make matters worse there aren't enough high capacity rides. You could queue for 50 minutes for Crush's Coaster but a minute longer and the Stunt Show will have started. Sound familiar ??
Sadly I didn't follow my own advice. No forward planning, still the laid back approach which was a mistake. First thing we did was to Fastpass Rock n Rollercoaster. We had convinced Elisha that if she could handle BTM and Crush's Coaster she would love this too. OMG, are people soooooo stupid that they can't comprehend how a Fastpass machine works ? Slide you park pass down the reader, take the Fastpass, walk away. The woman in front of me tried and tried and tried and tried but couldn't get her head around this simple concept. She was sticking her park pass in the slot where the fastpass comes out. The first chance I got I slide in front of her family members and showed her using my passport. Instead of saying thank you, she tried to take my tickets !! Don't think so.
Luckily I was still in time for Cinemagique. I'll be totally honest I had every intention of filming the show for personal use. I make no apologies for this. If they would only release the thing on DVD ...... I sat the camera on my knee, turned off the viewscreen and managed to get the first 5 minutes. But the CM were wandering back and forward and getting too close for comfort so I abandoned that plan :-( Although it didn't stop me from taking some sneaky pictures
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As Arnie said, I'll be back ! It was now time for RnRC !!
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I think she's changing her mind
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Elisha wanted to sit beside me. The CM put us right at the front, which didn't go down too well with Elisha. 3-2-1 Go !!!
Because of the noise and the darkness I wasn't sure if she was enjoying the ride or not. She wasn't. The catapult start had been faster than she had expected and she was nearly in tears when she came off. Solution: a pair of sparkly Minnie Mouse ears and a piggy back from a really sweet and caring big brother. Bless him, he was really concerned. As the Fastpass queue was pretty light, I got another set of tickets.
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What next? Armageddon and Stunt Show were a definite no as they had been done to death on previous visits. Tram Tour - 90 mins !!! We kept walking around to Toy Story Playland and found even more ridiculous waiting times for RC Racer and the Parachute Drop. Slinky Dog (yawn) was only 25mins so hopefully we could catch the next show of Animagique when we were finished. Luckily we had 10mins to spare to we headed over and ..... DONALD, AND DAISY!!!!
Jeez, my kids can run. And my daughter is a master of weaving through a crowd of parents and kids. Once she get to the front she then points to Joshua. I often wonder if they planned this technique before bedtime :-k
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Still time for Animagique and a few more sneaky pics.
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We then headed for lunch in Studio 1. As it was busy my family went and found a table, leaving me to carry 2 large, heavy trays which nearly got dropped because of scampering kids running into me. Afterwards we decided to try for Stitch, but there were more random Characters out and about - princesses, 3 no less. Aurora, Snowy and Cinders. Sadly they were all just about to leave, and even Elisha's snake-hip couldn't get her near enough to them. But she was happy enough just looking at them.
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When we checked the board it said the next 3 shows for Stitch were all in French. I asked the CM standing there and her said the next English show wasn't for another 2 hours. Really? The fastpasses for RnRC were for another 45mins time so we let the kids loose in the Art of Animation building.
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As Elisha didn't fancy RnRc me and Joshua had 2 goes in a row. On the way back to meet the girls I spotted Chip and Dale and No Queues whatsoever. Had no-one else spotted them?!?! Sweet, my favourites ! I tried to get a photo with them by myself but the kids wouldn't move and kicking them out of the way just didn't seem socially acceptable. Ah well, I suppose.
Yes, I am a big kid
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I've said it before and I'll say it again, big kid.
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The final show of Cinemagique for the day was about to start. Why not. I really, really love this show. And I'm so glad that they've updated it and kept it fresh. Long may George never find his bags !
We headed back to the hotel for a little rest. I phoned the booking hotline and tried for Plaza Gardens. The only available time was 6:45pm which was perfect as the next bus was at 6:25 ! After dinner we had a quick spin around Discoverland: Buzz, Orbitron, Star Tours and finally Buzz again. I really wanted to try Autopia but they were in the process of getting the last visitors off for the day. Dang, and it's gonna be closed the rest of our trip.
We headed for the hotel when Elisha dropped a bombshell on us. Tomorrow she wanted to see the Princesses and go back on Rock N Roller Coaster. Umm, sure :?
Question: Where is this old relic of days gone by?
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thats on the side of the lam posts right....
Which lamp post ?
That's on the lamp posts around the Lake Disney. I think that's the third one starting from Cafe Mickey going towards the New York. Maybe the fourth :-k
Another great day! And only our sneaky PD could take pictures in Cinemagique... And Animagique!! Excellent pictures there, by the way. Not that I'm encouraging you in any way... ;)
I've never seen any princesses around the Studios!! Nice to see them there :D
First ride on RnRC and on the first row?!?! Elisha is very brave if she even considered going on it again!!! It took me many many many rides to even try sitting on the first row!!
hm.... i'm sure they are main streets lamp posts....
Quote from: "never2old"That's on the lamp posts around the Lake Disney. I think that's the third one starting from Cafe Mickey going towards the New York. Maybe the fourth :-k
Another great day! And only our sneaky PD could take pictures in Cinemagique... And Animagique!! Excellent pictures there, by the way. Not that I'm encouraging you in any way... ;)
I've never seen any princesses around the Studios!! Nice to see them there :D
First ride on RnRC and on the first row?!?! Elisha is very brave if she even considered going on it again!!! It took me many many many rides to even try sitting on the first row!!
If only you had said third one starting from Cafe Mickey going towards the Earl of Sandwich you would have been spot on. Also it would have been extremely worrying that you have detailed knowledge - perhaps even pet names - for the lamp posts.
Joshua, Elisha and err Derek in the middle :? (//http://i342.photobucket.com/albums/o427/Brtweed1976/disneyland2012_2/Disney2012417.jpg)
Dereck is a good name... I'll try to go and say hi from you all next week!!
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Wow.. Donald and Daisy together, now that I have never seen before.. :shock: :shock:
Quote from: "Javey74"Wow.. Donald and Daisy together, now that I have never seen before.. :shock: :shock:
Really?
Hey, great new part of your report and and great pictures of Donald and Daisy together with your kids!
I must say, your daughter is really brave. I only dared doing Rock'nRollerCoaster once and not in the front row :shock:
Oh, and never2old, say Hello to Derek and his friends from me :lol:
What a fantastic trip report Pete's Dragon! I really enjoyed reading it! Lovely pictures too :-)
Monday 3rd September
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Elisha finally got to dress up in her Princess Tiana outfit. We headed into the park for 9:15am and went straight to the Princess Pavillion. Not the worst queue in the world, maybe 50 people in front of us. I stood in line while the rest took a little trip to the Teacups.
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When they came back me and Joshua headed to Dumbo - 20min queue meant we'd be back for 9:50am. Just in case I gave Subi my camera. What I orgot to give here was a bag containing Elisha's Tiana shoes, gloves, bag and tiara. But there was plently of time, Hakuna Matata :roll:
Sure enough we got back to the Pavillion at 9:50, but they had already let everyone inside. Hmmm, this was going to be interesting. If we were going to catch up to them it meant pushing our way passed a lot of irate guests. I was glad now that I had her dress up stuff, and held it out in front of me shouting Elisha's name as I pushed onwards. They had made it all the way to the 2nd level and were about 5-6 turns from the Princesses. The first landing was easy as we hopped underneath the railing along the outer wall. No such space on the top level. Plus a lot a tired little legs were having a sit down in the middle of the walkway. Nevertheless I pushed on, holding her green shoes in front of my face.
Taken by Subi
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It was only at the end of the queue had I noticed the artefacts of each Princess, luckily Subi got some photos. Sadly Subi forgot the flash when it came to our turn with the Princess
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Luckily Elisha loved the professional photos so much, she had to buy them
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Next we headed all the way over the the Walt Disney Studios. Cause it was Monday and the summer season was over we were expecting a nice quiet time. Nope. There must have been a public holiday or school's hadn't started back cause the Studio was as the day before. Rats.
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Elisha was still adamant that she wanted to go back on Rock N Rollercoaster, so we got some Fastpasses and headed round to Toon Studio, where a tiny queue was there waiting to meet the man himself.
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As TSPL was packed to capacity, we stayed in Toon Studio and Cars Rally. Quick calculation and there was just enough time for the Tram Tour before our RnRC fastpasses.
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We asked Elisha if she was sure, if she was really, really sure. She said yes, she wasn't scared and she wanted to go on it. All right, I asked. Once again we got the front carriage but Elisha seemed ok about it. She decided she wanted to sit with her mummy this time. After we got off I turned around to see if she enjoyed it any better, she hadn't. The same scared face with the little tears in her eyes. Only this time we couldn't help but laugh, silly wee girl. But fair play to her for giving it another go. Did she fancy a 3rd go? No no no no no no !!!!
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Can't remember where we went for dinner, possibly the Italian restaurant in the Place de Toscana again. Afterwards we headed back into the park. The plan was to fastpass Big Thunder Mountain for after dark. When we got to the machines the time said 9:30 - 10pm; perfect. Unfortunately the man in front of me got the very last fastpass, which wasn't much good to him as he needed another 3 for the rest of his family. He tried to complain to the CM - who was actually a bit patronising - but she shrugged her shoulders. She then took his pass a ran it through the machine over and over again just to prove a point. Ah well, I'll remember to get here 5mins earlier tomorrow. Elisha was in the mood for any more scares so we avoided Phantom Manor and headed to Discoveryland.......
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..... but not before I got some more sneaky pictures.
naughty, naught
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We headed straight to Star Tours with the plan of working our way back to the entrance. We started queueing for the exact same place as on Thursday and that had taken 40mins. But tonight, with less Tours running, the waiting time was only 20mins. The difference was no fastpass slowing us down. Yip-eee !!
"It's a trap". "You always think it's a trap"
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Afterwards the girls hung around while I begrudgingly took Joshua on Space Mountain. I could feel my shoulder and back starting to hurt before I'd even got on it. To make matters worse Joshua asked the CM for the rear seats beofre I could even protest. OOoowwwwwwww !!!!
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Finally, Buzz Lightyear. Once again the shower curtain was covering animated queue-line Buzz. After about 5mins of queueing a group of teenagers starting heading for the exit. We first thought that the ride was broken or had closed, but I think they had been asked to leave. Dunno.
We left the park just after 9pm. It wasn't fully dark but Dreams had started. Watched a bit, but it isn't the same when there's background light. Really they should have waited to 9:30pm at the very earliest.
Sleep and our last full day in the parks awaited us
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More great photos! Keep it up! I'm being inspired by you! :lol:
I wish I could have seen you going past everyone in the queue, carrying a pair of green shoes and a tiara.... :D :lol:
Another great day!! And again, biiig thumps up to Elisha, she's really brave!! It took me YEARS to try RnRC a second time... ;) (now of course I love it and I can't wait to do it again!!)
I'm a bit worried about Dreams this weekend, on Sunday it's a 9:00 (I think it's fully dark by then) but Monday it's on at 20:30, I hope it's dark enough to enjoy it!
Another great update with excellent pictures :D Thanks!!
Although I haven't posted here for quite some time now, I've always followed your trip report. Thanks for the wonderful pictures. It seems you and your family had a fantastic time at DLP.
Quote from: "never2old"I wish I could have seen you going past everyone in the queue, carrying a pair of green shoes and a tiara.... :D :lol:
Would have been funnier if I had put them on :thumbs:
Good report :-)
Quote from: "Pete's Dragon"Quote from: "never2old"I wish I could have seen you going past everyone in the queue, carrying a pair of green shoes and a tiara.... :D :lol:
Would have been funnier if I had put them on :thumbs:
Don't worry, when I picture in my head, you do ;)
Quote from: "never2old"Quote from: "Pete's Dragon"Quote from: "never2old"I wish I could have seen you going past everyone in the queue, carrying a pair of green shoes and a tiara.... :D :lol:
Would have been funnier if I had put them on :thumbs:
Don't worry, when I picture in my head, you do ;)
Maybe for a paypal transfer of £20 you wont need your imagination.
Quote from: "Pete's Dragon"Quote from: "Javey74"Wow.. Donald and Daisy together, now that I have never seen before.. :shock: :shock:
Really?
On Parades I have, but not together for signings and photos.. :o
Great continuation with those all important photos, looking forward to the final installment.. :thumbs:
Love love love your report! Your kids are so cute! Plaza gardens buffet , do you reccomend it? Ive seen many mixed reviews and its one place that I keep wanting to try. What kind of main courses do they have?
awesome report!!
going back for the 3rd time at Christmas and trying to get the touring plans done, but getting really distracted (and excited) by looking at your photos!! :D :D
Quote from: "AislingM"Love love love your report! Your kids are so cute! Plaza gardens buffet , do you reccomend it? Ive seen many mixed reviews and its one place that I keep wanting to try. What kind of main courses do they have?
Pretty standard dishes, nothing too out there from an Irish perspective. I do prefer La Grange main courses as I'm more of a fan of Tex-Mex.
Sorry for the delay but I've had no internet all weekend. The Horror !! Will get the final full day up this evening hopefully
Great report,thank you for letting us a part of it.
Your kids are really cute.
QuoteI wish I could have seen you going past everyone in the queue, carrying a pair of green shoes and a tiara.... :D :lol:
puts a smile on my face, too!!
Looking forward for te rest!
Aurora1
Tuesday 4th September
Sorry this has taken so long but my internet has plagued me all week. The plan for the day was to finish off the WDS, that meant getting in the queue for Crush. We got to the gate at 9.30am and there was already a few lines forming. Strangely one line had 5 people in it - we chose that one. The outer queues were then told by the CM that they were standing at the exit. Then our gate was the first open. Everybody, and I mean everybody ran. Joshua managed to keep up and we were 5th in the queue. It's a mad scramble yet its all in good fun without any angry pushing, I highly recommend getting involved. Heck, Disney should make it a tradition, maybe have Mickey dressed as an official with a starting pistol.
By 10am the queue stretched back all the way to Studio 1. Crush was a good as always. Afterwards the boys and the girls split up. We headed for RC Racer and they went for Slinky. Expecting a 40min+ wait we decided to meet up at the notice board in an hour. To our surprise the queue time said 5mins, so we had 3 goes in a row. Each time to queue grew slightly longer each time. Luckily we spotted the girls and they waited for us.
Yip. That's me in the front. The big kig in the Jungle Book T-Shirt flapping his arms like a giant bird
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Next Elisha and I went on the Parachute Drop which had scared her last year. But now after a double scoop of RnRC it was nothing to her
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Next we headed over to Stitch where a really pushy group of Italians joined us, sadly. When they let us into the main waiting area we stood at the door leading to the front of Stitch Live, right on the yellow line. Next thing I knew we were ambushed in a pincher attack from either side as these pushy Italians slipped in front of us like crabs. Ah well. Stitch was in top form. When he picked out the adult for Space Prison he chose someone called Kristof from Belgium ...... it couldn't be ........ it wasn't, lol.
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We split up again. Joshua and I headed for RnRC and then the Tower of Terror. Subi and Elisha went to the Flying Carpets and then watched the parade.
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And that was that. It was late afternoon, and far too warm to stand in queues (weather report said 25C), so we headed back to the hotel to rest and pack, giving us as much time tomorrow before the train at 2.30pm.
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We came back to the Disney Village at 6pm, just as La Grange was opening. I can't quite explain what the gentleman in the following picture was doing, but he kept shouting Merry Xmas as he slapped his skies off the pavment. Did about 3/4 laps. could have been doing it all day as far as I know.
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The plan tonight was Big Thunder Mountain after the sun went down. Once again there was no fastpasses left when we got there, so we decided to come back at 8.30pm and queue. So off we went to POTC for a final time. We came back at 8.30 and the queue time was 25mins. Perfect.
Now for those who are familiar with the BTM queue system, it splits into 2 lanes, but the split is hard to spot. We would always go for the outside lane as it stays close to the windows. Strangely no-one else seemed to realise there was 2 lanes. As a result we walked all the way to the final staircase, receiving a lot of dirty looks in the process. Not my fault they were all noobs 8) . Not surprisingly everyone started to jump the barrier. As we had gotten on so quickly, it wasn't quite dark yet, so we went straight back on. This time the outside lane had people in it, lol. But we still managed another go before 8:45pm. Subi had had enough, but me and the kids headed back for a 3rd go. This time the sun was down, and the red light were on. Brilliant. Loved it. Best BTM experience ever.
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So as the sun set slowly in the west, we bid farewell to Frontierland for what we thought would be the final time. We headed to World of Disney and let the kids go mad with their spending money. They bought so much, and the queue for the shuttlebus was so large, we decided to treet ourselves to a taxi ride.
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Now that everything was packed we had roughly 6 hours tomorrow to get our last fix for Disney Magic.
To be Concluded !!
Wednesday 5th September - The Final Day
Dropped our suitcases off at the train station and headed into the park for the last tip :-( When we got to the start of main street the police car pulled up. We tried to get on but sadly we were stopped at the foot of the stairs. But as luck would have it (and we've had a lot of luck on this trip already) we got our own private car 1 minute later.
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We took a walk around the top of the castle and then down to the wishing well. The plan was to go around Discoveryland and then to Pizza Planet for lunch at noon. But we decided that we weren't in the mood for pizza. I suggested we try the Cowboy Cookout. Usually we'd go to Cafe Mickey for breakfast, but we were boycotting it due to the bad service last visit.
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So after a quick whizz around Buzz and a final back-breaking Space Mountain adventure it was only 10am. We headed to Casey's Corner for a coffee, and then off to Frontierland. As we had milked BTM for every drop the previous night we headed to Pochauntas's play park to let the kids work up an appetite.
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Even us big kids need to work up an appetite
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11:30 - time for a cookout. Now Cafe Mickey is fine. You get a nice breakfast (if you're lucky) and some nice photos with a maximum of 6 different characters. But it isn't a patch to the level of interaction we had at Cowboy Cookout. When we first entered Woody and Jessie were dancing in the main corridor, Donald was playing hide and seek in the far corner and our kids ran off before we'd even ordered.
We finally rounded the kids up, got our lunch and sat down near a big, bright window. I looked around and saw that Woody had joined the service queue. The woman in front of him didn't notice at first, but she started to realise something was a bit odd. She turned around and screamed. Buzz flung his arm up in the arm and the woman laughed.
First to our table was Donald. He posed for some photos and then took Elisha for a dance up and down the restaurant. Wouldn't get that at Cafe Mickeys !
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Woody had finished scaring the customers and was next over. We tried to get a 2nd photo with him but Pluto burst into frame. Bad Doggy !
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The characters changed over, but some were identical to the ones that left. So we got a second visit from Donald. Elisha took him she was her favourite and he actd all shy and embarrassed. He waddled off behind a post and blew kisses at her.
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It didn't look like Jessie was coming our way so the kids ran after her.
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Josua tried to pull a make-believe gun on Woody, but Woody quickly reminded my son who the Sheriff was in these parts
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And finally another helping of Donald, only this time he had something in mind. Check out the video. Don't worry, only the first 15 seconds are filmed sideways.
[youtube:38n3p5nv]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bpIjK-voW8M[/youtube:38n3p5nv]
If anyone is in any doubt which is better value - Cafe Mickey or Cowboy Cookout - I hoped I've swung you. I enjoyed it as much as the kids did. The only quibble I would have is that is it quite dull inside and isn't the best set-up for photos.
12:45pm. I had a plan long before this holiday started, that the last thing we were going to do was Cinemagique. I can't think of a better way to end a holiday. The only showing we had time to watch started at 1:15pm. Once again our sense of timing was impeccable as we arrived just as they were letting everyone in. And I not ashamed to admit it but I cried and left the cinema wearing my sunglasses. Awwwww 8) :cry:
Time for the train? Not quite. We had about 20mins left and the parade was just about to swing by. Elisha climbed on my back and we headed off to catch a last glimpse of some characters
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Bye Bye Mickey
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So that was it. Our time was up, quite possibly forever. What !?! Elisha is 7 and the perfect age and gender. But I get the feeling Joshua is getting to old for the magic of Disney. He spent the entire holiday looking or Marvel merchandise and came away empty handed. As for me and Subi, we couldn't quite shake the 'been there, done that' feeling. The thrill of discovery we got from our first couple of visits has long gone and we really missed it this time. Maybe if they build another park, or add a land that's bigger (and a lot better) that TSPL, and we had the money for the Castle Club we could be tempted to return.
For now it's time to move on. So as we boarded the TGV for the airport we waved goodbye to what has been our holiday destination for the last 8 years. 6 trips, including our honeymoon. From the Disney Hotel, Newport Bay and Sante Fe, to the Val D'Europe and the Adagio Aparthotel. Au revoir Disneyland, et merci ;)
I've saved my favourite photo till last
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The End .........................................
I love that video!! I want to dance with Donald too!!
Great end to a brilliant report PD! Thank you!!
Amazing trip report. Thank you very much for sharing.
luv the video. Cowboy cookout sounds fun! Do you have to book that in advance?
Loved your report :thumbs:
We did the cowboys cookout in June being a all adult group it was the first time we had tried anything like this so glad we did it was brilliant :D/
The only sad thing is that it's stopping in November so want be able to do it again :cry:
Quote from: "petals"luv the video. Cowboy cookout sounds fun! Do you have to book that in advance?
You can, but we didn't. Admttedly we arrived well before the lunch rush
Quote from: "Pete's Dragon"Quote from: "petals"luv the video. Cowboy cookout sounds fun! Do you have to book that in advance?
You can, but we didn't. Admttedly we arrived well before the lunch rush
Maybe I'll try that :)
QuoteOur time was up, quite possibly forever. What !?! Elisha is 7 and the perfect age and gender. But I get the feeling Joshua is getting to old for the magic of Disney. He spent the entire holiday looking or Marvel merchandise and came away empty handed. As for me and Subi, we couldn't quite shake the 'been there, done that' feeling. The thrill of discovery we got from our first couple of visits has long gone and we really missed it this time. Maybe if they build another park, or add a land that's bigger (and a lot better) that TSPL, and we had the money for the Castle Club we could be tempted to return.
Sounds like it's just time to move the location to Florida....plenty of variety over there with superheros galore plus Harry Potter etc etc. You could certainly get there for what they'd want to charge you for Castle Club!
I'll certainly be considering it myself as soon as I can imagine my son on an 8 hour flight without shuddering ;)
Great report :-)
Great finish to your Trip Report PD.. =D> =D> =D>
You have given me that 'want to return right now' feeling again, thanks for that.. :D
I totally agree with your preference to the Cowboy Cookout, we did that last time and really enjoyed it, but yes, not a great lighting area for photo's.. :thumbs:
I must say I love the Castle end pic with the sunset, so wonderful and a picture you just had to be there at the right place and the right time. Well done.. :D/
Great read, thanks again for sharing, I feel bad now about mine.. :oops:
Quote from: "DutchBrit"QuoteOur time was up, quite possibly forever. What !?! Elisha is 7 and the perfect age and gender. But I get the feeling Joshua is getting to old for the magic of Disney. He spent the entire holiday looking or Marvel merchandise and came away empty handed. As for me and Subi, we couldn't quite shake the 'been there, done that' feeling. The thrill of discovery we got from our first couple of visits has long gone and we really missed it this time. Maybe if they build another park, or add a land that's bigger (and a lot better) that TSPL, and we had the money for the Castle Club we could be tempted to return.
Sounds like it's just time to move the location to Florida....plenty of variety over there with superheros galore plus Harry Potter etc etc. You could certainly get there for what they'd want to charge you for Castle Club!
I'll certainly be considering it myself as soon as I can imagine my son on an 8 hour flight without shuddering ;)
Florida is a strong possibility, hopefully in a few years when my wife has finished university. And yes, the thought of my 2 children on a long-haul flight makes me shudder like Sideshow Bob
started reading as you wrote but thought i'd wait till the end to coment!
wow! really really enjoyed and what a gorgeous family you have.....i myself even after 9 yrs visiting have never written a report...for
1.i dont think i'd write a good report
2. my pics are not up to standard
3.unless i write down every night/day what i did i'd get confussed
but anyway i love reading everyone else's and your was up there with the best...makes me want to go right now :thumbs:
Quote from: "lynny"1.i dont think i'd write a good report
2. my pics are not up to standard
3.unless i write down every night/day what i did i'd get confussed
you shouldn't let that stop you, really there is no such thing as an 'up standard photo' if you like the pictures you take then they are 'up to standard' for the forum, you could do a mini report and shove your pictures up for us all to see =], and believe me there is no good or bad reports here on the forum because everyone writes in a completely different way! , (i haven't even completed mine and my trip was more than a year ago now :oops: ) and as for part 3, if you don't remember everything that's fine too, just tell us about the best bits, you by no means have to give us a blow by blow of how you spent every second of every day if you don't want to some pictures and a short tale of your trip will be just as good a read as pete's blow by blow trip you have just read =]