Hi guys !!
I'm freshly back of a two day trip to DLRP (or at least my body is... I think my mind is still there....). I had a brilliant time (no surprises there, of course), so I'll try to share it with you all!!
We left Thursday night, straight after work. We were staying at one of the Campanile nearby. Drive was OK, three hours do go quite quickly, and we were listening to a Discworld audiobook, so it was OK. Of course, as soon as we started approaching The Magic (with Capital letters) I stopped paying much attention to the audiobook, and concentrated more on getting that first glimpse... If it's working, the first thing we see is the Panoramagique. Unfortunately it was down that evening so I had to wait a bit longer but then, there they were, in all their glory... First, the Tower of Terror, then the Newport Bay :D/ ... It's a shame there are so many trees by the motorway, honestly, they hide so much of the view!!! By then of course I was acting like a 5 year old, jumping up and down and clapping with my hands, and my poor husband was rolling his eyes :roll: ...
Unfortunately :( we kept on driving until the hotel, did a quick check-in and headed out for dinner, but since we had an early day (and long day) coming up, my better half thought it wouldn't be wise heading to the Village for dinner, so we had a quick meal in the McDonalds next to the hotel and went to bed early... Needless to say, I didn't get much sleep, and was fully awake by 07:00... and slightly jumping up and down the bed to wake up my husband and get going!!
Finally, around 07:30 (I wish I was so awake when I have to come to work), we arrived into our hotel, which seemed completely empty :shock: !
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Very strange to see it so quiet... Fortunately it was not completely abandoned and we got someone to take us to the Castle Club for the check-in. As usual everyone in the DLH and the CC was lovely and helpful, it really is great service.
We had a bit of breakfast in the CC lounge (got a great table by one of the windows, with a great view...)
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and finally, just after 08:00, we went down to the park to start our first day =D> !!
More coming up soon....
Quote from: "never2old"More coming up soon....
Looking forward to it =D>
Epcot_Boy :ears:
Can't wait to read more! Update update update!!! :D:D:D
Sounds great so far, really exciting, cant wait to here more!! :D
Aveen xx
A great trip report so far....
cannot wait for more!!
Thanks :D
So, where was I... It's 08:00, my Minnie ears are on my head, and we're in the park!!!
Now at this time, weather wasn't too bad... Some rain drops, nothing major, nothing to worry about... And it was first thing in the morning, so the park was pretty empty...
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First thing (after a few mandatory pics of the castle, of course), head straight to Buzz!! It's our favourite ride, and it's so empty in the mornings that we simply must do it first thing...
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First time in, we were actually ALONE :shock:!! No one to be seen before or behind us.... It was brilliant!! Though, despite ours being the only red little dots around, I still managed to do a terrible score :x That score being completely unacceptable, of course, we got out and went straight back in, this time with some more people around... And then a third, and then a fourth time. No queue in Buzz, we just cannot resist it.... After 4 goes, and with a high score of 203,000 (not my best but definitely above my average - my husband had about twice that but we're not going to talk about him :evil: ) we finally moved on...
It was still raining, maybe a bit more, but still, not too bad.... Maybe an umbrella or a raincoat would have come in useful, but it's not so bad... So no worries! After Buzz, we decided to get to Fantasyland, again lovely to do during the EMH when it's nice and quiet... Unfortunately It's a small world was closed, so we went for the Mad Cups
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(not the best pic of my poor husband, but he complained I had been going a bit too fast and that he was feeling a bit ill... that should teach him beat my score in Buzz :twisted: )
After that, it was still raining... And not just a few drops. It was RAINING. Don't look up for too long or you'll drown, raining... No denying it anymore, and definitely no ignoring it anymore. So we had no choice, but to run into the nearest shop (Snow White's), and buy a couple of those very trendy and fashionable yellow raincoats. They really must be the latest thing in fashion, because almost everyone around us was wearing one :P
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And I had to take my Minnie ears off, which was the most upsetting part of it all :(
Now, fully waterproof, we did Pinocchio and Peter Pan. Peter Pan, it was as gorgeous as always. And I felt it was actually going more slowly! Really didn't feel so rushed, it was magical. Just love it. Definitely my favourite ride in Fantasyland, and one of my favourites in the whole park.
After that, straight to Space Mountain!
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Great ride, but really seems to get rougher and rougher every time... My poor knee has a little purple souvenir from our ride to space :( Still, all worth it, really exhilarating ride!!
After that (still raining of course), it was almost 10:00. I was wearing open shoes so my feet were expectably wet - however my husband was wearing trainers, which by then were completely soaked. Of course Disney always provides the solution to all your problems - so we went straight into the Main Street Motors shop, which was just opening, and he bought a lovely pair of Mickey shoes:
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And after a quick stop in the CC to change shoes (and put the soaking wet ones away), we went straight to the Studios! I had promised my dear hubby that I would go on the ToT, he was not going to forget!
To be continued....
wow all that before 10am u must of been so tired byt that time lol
So, the Studios!!
First, how great was it to see that billboard gone!! It looks so much better now :D
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Somehow, between Fantasyland and the Studios, my dear hubby had managed to break the raincoat :? so he wanted to buy another one (since by then it was pouring). So first stop, the Studios shop in the Front lot. While he queued to get his new (and still yellow) raincoat, I went out to take some pics. And who was heading straight for me? Minnie of course!!
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Notice how our clothes match :wink:
The Studio 1 was pretty full of people, surrounding the characters and hiding from the rain. Chip, Dale and Clarice were all around, but there were too many kids around them, and my husband wanted to go and do some rides, so I could only admire them from afar...
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Since we were staying in a suite, we had our VIP fastpasses - but they can only be used from 11:00 onwards, so to avoid the queue in the ToT (which was 35 minutes) we went for the Studio Tram Tour.
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The best bit (or only good bit, really) is the Canyon, of course, I just love it. I never get tired of it :D Hope they improve the rest of the ride a bit though...
By then, though, it was already past 11:00, so I was dragged, almost against my will, towards...
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I will confess, I was dreading it slightly... I'm not the bravest person out there, you know... So I kept myself busy taking pictures, and admiring the wonderful work that's gone into the Hotel. It's stunning, really great attention to detail. Loved it.
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And there we were! The lift doors opened, we took our seats, I tried thinking happy thoughts, happy thoughts.... And then we dropped, and went up, and dropped down again, and up, and down!!! Whoa :shock: !!! Brilliant :D !!! Excellent!! Absolutely LOVED IT!!! I really thought I may not enjoy it, but whoa!! What a great, perfect ride =D> !! Really impressed with it.
Still, not something I could see myself doing twice in a row, so we decided to try Stitch Live! (also a first for both of us). The French show was already full and the English one was about 40 minutes away, though, so we went for a coffee and a yummy yummy chocolate muffin at
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Nice addition to the Studios, great to have a little break! Of course it was still pouring so we couldnt sit in their lovely (and wet) terrace, but we got a table inside and relaxed for a bit. And then, for Stitch!
Again, great addition!! Very well done, and Stitch was so funny!! Very impressed :stitch_bounce:
After Stitch, we decided it was time to make full use of our VIP fastpasses, and went straight back to
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And it was even BETTER than the first time!! Oh, the view when the doors open! And when you're falling down and you're lifted off the seat! And when you don't know whether you're going up, or down, or what's going on!!! So good!!!!
And on the way out...
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We had booked for lunch at 14:00 at the Agrabah Cafe. It was around 13:00. Crush was still horribly busy (over 1h since the park opened) so we decided to slowly head back to DLP, after taking some more pics.... It seemed that the rain was stopping, so it was the perfect time!
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More, coming up tomorrow....
great report =D> ... Sorry you had bad weather though but it seems like that didn't really spoil the magic. Looking forward to read more...
great report, love the photos of WDS, its changed so much since I was last there. 19 days better pass fast, I'm getting very impatient now.
OK, next chapter...
So after a very exciting time in the Studios (and the ToT), we headed back to DLP. It was still raining a bit but nothing compared to what it was like earlier, so for the first time that day we started to believe that maybe it was going to be OK....
Destination was Adventureland, so we went via the Liberty Arcade. And there, just at the entrance (and with not too many people around him)... Mickey!!
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He's simply the best... I really feel like a 5 year old when I see him... Just now thinking about it, I feel all fuzzy inside! After that my excitement level was probably at its peak, and I had a big smile from ear to ear...
So time to sit down and relax for a bit (and calm down). We were having lunch at Agrabah's Café, so we went through the side walkways (pleasantly deserted) towards the restaurant.
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It's one of my favourite restaurants in the whole resort. The decorations are beautiful, you're really stepping into a different world. And once again it was fairly quiet, so we had a really nice, tasty and relaxing meal. Hmmm that chickpeas salad...
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After lunch, it was coming on to 15:00, so we decided to go back to the hotel to see if our room was ready.
On the way though we had to stop to sing along to Tous en Train!
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And then Mary Poppins!
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By then it was starting to rain a bit more (again), and our room was calling to us...
More to follow!
Love your trip report n2o, look foward to seeing the rest :D
OK, back to my trip!
After lunch, Mary Poppins and all, we went back to the hotel. We have stayed in the Castle Club before, but when we called to book it was already full. And since we were going for our wedding anniversary, and we knew the park was going to be busy and wanted a pleasant experience, we had booked a junior suite. Probably the first and last time I'll convince my husband to splash out like that... Unfortunately we cannot afford to stay in a suite every time (but as soon as our numbers come out in the lottery...) – next time I'm staying in the Santa Fe – to balance things out, really...
So anyway, special occasion, special treat, we had booked ourselves a suite, and WHOA! Very impressed!! Beautiful, huge room. There was a living room (with a bottle of champagne), a separate bedroom, and the biggest bathroom I've ever seen, with three separate areas (rooms even), first with a sink and a dressing, second with a bath and a separate shower, and third with the toilet and a second sink... Gorgeous room. Can we move in here please?
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(notice that gorgeous Snow White toiletries box....)
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It was on one of the sides of the hotel, so from the windows we could see the Studios to the left, and DLP (BTM, Main Street and the Castle) to the right. It wasn't a park view room, though (don't even want to know what those actually cost) so view was partial... but still, I wasn't going to complain!
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Next time I get married, I want to spend my honeymoon there...
Anyway, after admiring our room for some time, we headed back to the park. Yes, it was still raining, all grey and miserable, and everyone dressed in those lovely yellow coats... But I rather be in DLRP with rain than not be in DLRP at all, so no complaints! And with the rain, the park was fairly quiet... So we could get a lot that in that afternoon.
First stop:
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where there was no queue at all.
After that, we went for POTC, and since the fastpass queue on Peter Pan was empty, stopped there on the way...
And then Pirates, again with no queue. Three rides in a row, all walk straight through (admitedly, one with the fastpass...). Brilliant
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Walk around Adventureland for a bit...
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then straight to Big Thunder Mountain!
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Now, BTM, I just love it. I could spend the whole day in it. Brilliant. We waited for the rain to stop a bit before going on it (for the first time.... those VIP fastpasses need to be used), so by this time I was really impatient to go on it!! Again there was almost no queue (normal queue was 30 minutes, with the fastpass it was 5 minutes), so it was perfect. And the ride, as good as ever :D/ !!
After BTM, it was around 17:20, rain had started again, so we decided it was the perfect time for Tarzan!
More coming up!
Great trip report! Can't wait to see more! Did you do Phantom Manor? That's one of my all time favourites!
Quote from: "MinniesBestPal"Great trip report! Can't wait to see more! Did you do Phantom Manor? That's one of my all time favourites!
Phantom Manor, coming up!!
So, where were we...
After the first go on BTM, we went for Tarzan. It was already filling up, so we got to our seats and waited for about 20 minutes (nice and dry, at least)
Show was great, as usual, still my favourite show.
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Great music, great acrobats, great story. Just brilliant (the fact that Tarzan is running around very lightly dressed may help a bit :wink: ...).
After Tarzan, rain had finally completely stopped :D/ !!! At last!!! And park was still quiet, so we went back to...
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for one more go on....
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(where this time I hit and bruised my other knee, now my left knee was purple from SM and the right one purple from BTM... not a good trip for knees...)
And then we headed for...
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Phantom Manor had no queue. Love it when there's no queue. And for the first time in many visits, the Phantom was clearly visible hanging the groom, in the elevator scene. Excellent! Also for the first time in many visits we took the elevator to the right, I was starting to think it didn't work at all! Not the most exciting thing in the world, I know...
After Phantom Manor, it was getting close to the Parade time, so we went straight for Main Street to find a nice spot to enjoy the parade. Now I don't know if I'm just imagining it, or it's just a coincidence, but it seems to me that the floats smell more if you see them from the right side (Casey's side) than from the left (Gibson's side). Has anyone else felt that?
So anyway, got a nice first row spot by Casey's Corner, and waited impatiently for the show to start!! And weather was still nice and dry, which was brilliant! Not very sunny, but who cares...
So now everyone sing along!!
Once upon a time used to be long long ago ...
Used to be far far away
Look how far we've come today!
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After the parade, we were starting to be rather tired... So we went back to our room, for a quick shower, a bit of a rest, and some yummy room service!
(//http://lh5.ggpht.com/elena.searle/SLLKh97HHrI/AAAAAAAAGIA/Zg6_6KWuYrs/s400/100_2012.JPG)
Next: DLP by night...
Now this is fun :D/
Thanks for sharing =D>
Epcot_Boy :ears:
Next chapter...
And this one will be mostly pics, because I just love these.
By the time we finished dinner and rested a bit, it was almost 09:30. As we wanted to get a nice spot for the Fantillusion, and had done quite a few rides during the day, we decided to take it easy and enjoy the park by night...
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(//http://lh3.ggpht.com/elena.searle/SLLKyLJU57I/AAAAAAAAGK8/SNbwdYguw-8/s800/P8220225.JPG)
And later of course Fantillusion (not very good pics):
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After that, we waited for the fireworks... I will spare you those pics because they're simply awful. I did film it, though. I still need to look at the film properly, most of the time I was just pointing the camera without really looking at it (didnt want to experience them through the camera screen...), so probably the video isnt that good either...
Hard to describe what seeing them felt like... I had resisted seeing any of the videos, to keep them a surprise. And they were just gorgeous. Amazing. The music goes beautifully with the fireworks. I was in tears, I confess... Just wonderful. Perfect end to a perfect day...
(//http://lh6.ggpht.com/elena.searle/SLLGbKQzamI/AAAAAAAAFsc/FN2JMpZ3VzQ/s800/P8220232.JPG)
Day 2, coming soon....
There's nothing like DLRP at night.........just fantastic 8)
Epcot_Boy :ears:
I'm loving your trip report - more more more please!
Sitting at Caseys Corner, which (if any) float stopped and performed in front of you?
Elaine
Thanks you all :oops:
It really feels like I'm reliving the whole experience, nice to share it with you!
Quote from: "Elaine"Sitting at Caseys Corner, which (if any) float stopped and performed in front of you?
Elaine
The first float stopped (Dreams of Imagination) We had Pluto, Chip & Dale dancing for us :D
N2O I absolutely love the night time photos, especially BTM and the RIverboat.
But this has to be my favourite photo ever !!!!!! Seriously !
(//http://lh6.ggpht.com/elena.searle/SLLGbKQzamI/AAAAAAAAFsc/FN2JMpZ3VzQ/s800/P8220232.JPG)
Can I copy it and use it as my desktop please [-o<
A brilliant report. I have had a few giggles reading it. And I have got to agree with Petes Dragon. That is one amazing photo! The castle looks absolutley fantastic! :D :D
Thanks :D
I love that picture too... I think it's the best I've ever taken...
If anyone wants a copy (in higher resolution), feel free to PM me, I can email it to you. I'm in a generous mood, today...
your trip report is great N20,
I love all the pictures! I have to agree with Petes Dragon and tubbsy that is one heck of a photo!!
I also love the pictures of the parade!!!
looking forward to day 2!!
Great Report - looking forward to the next installment =D>
Mr_B
First and most importantly, thank you all for your very kind comments :) , they're all very much appreciated... And it's a great pleasure to share my trip with you :D
So, anyhow... First chapter for day 2!
Now, since for Friday we'd had a pretty long day, we decided to have no alarm or anything for Saturday, and to wake up whenever... Again I hardly got any sleep, I kept reliving the previous day, particularly those amazing fireworks, and I kept getting up to have one last peak out of the windows... Around 07:30 I thought that was a reasonable enough time for everyone to get up (I mean, we were already missing park time!!!!) so I managed to get my poor husband out of bed, dressed quickly and headed for breakfast.
On the way, we met Pinocchio:
(//http://lh5.ggpht.com/elena.searle/SLLL1e0RdfI/AAAAAAAAGOg/7eR93_pu5k4/s400/P8230239.JPG)
(I now know NEVER to walk around without a camera, no matter how awake anyone is!)
then headed to the CC lounge for a nice, quiet breakfast. Again got one of the tables right by the windows, so between a coffee sip and some scrambled eggs, I took some more pics of the view:
(//http://lh3.ggpht.com/elena.searle/SLLL1-mRx1I/AAAAAAAAGOo/mNSADR8-6WY/s400/P8230240.JPG)
of my very awake hubby:
(//http://lh3.ggpht.com/elena.searle/SLLL2UzPPHI/AAAAAAAAGOw/Rel8ePg6uxA/s400/P8230242.JPG)
(he he, he won't be happy I posted that one...)
and of the lounge:
(//http://lh3.ggpht.com/elena.searle/SLLL3ANEubI/AAAAAAAAGO4/wUwoSOva-nc/s400/P8230243.JPG) (//http://lh6.ggpht.com/elena.searle/SLLL3qQpMLI/AAAAAAAAGPA/WqenCWracsc/s400/P8230244.JPG)
Not sure my husband found that breakfast particularly relaxing, since everytime I saw people going in into the park (by then it was already past 08:00) I kept telling him to hurry up!!!!, since I didn't want to miss out on the EMH....
Anyway, after a (slightly rushed, apparently :roll:) breakfast, we went back to the room to pack our bags, and most importantly, say goobye to the room... Which is probably one of the hardest things I've ever had to do in my life :cry: To be honest, if we hadn't been on our way to the park, so I had plenty to look forward to, I think they would have had to drag me out of there!!
So, with a heavy heart, we did our check out, and by 09:00 (honestly!!!! 1 whole hour or park time, just gone!!!) we were back in the park!
Saturday morning, weather was OK... Huge improvement on Friday since at least it was dry, but a still a bit grey, and cold. Lovely August weather...
Park was still fairly quiet, so we strolled along a very quiet Main Street...
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(shame there wasn't more sun)
towards Discoveryland!!
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Cannot start the day without at least a couple of goes on Buzz... So we had three goes on it :wink: (on one of them, I actually managed to beat my husband :D/ but he claims his gun wasn't working properly.... yeah right :wink: Of course his average was a lot higher than mine...)
On the way out from Buzz, we noticed that quite unexpectedly, they were opening Autopia! I had never seen it opening during the EMH (it was 09:30), but there it was, freshly opened! We had never been on it, since there's always a huge queue, but since now the queue was a lot smaller (about 10 minutes) we decided to give it a go, see what all the fuss was about...
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And it was actually quite fun! I can see why kids would love it, I mean you're driving!!! To be honest, I always thought you had no control over the car... but you do!
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Very exciting - this was my third new ride (after ToT and Stitch) on this trip!
After that, I tried to drag my husband to the last ride I have NEVER done, Orbitron (at least in the Park), since again queue wasn't too bad (15 minutes, I think)
(//http://lh5.ggpht.com/elena.searle/SLLMMfuJMOI/AAAAAAAAGSY/DROODC1XYUE/s400/P8230271.JPG)
but he wouldn't go on it!!! :evil: He said that it didn't look that much fun, and wouldn't go!!! Honestly!!!!! If that is not grounds for divorce....
But well, being a loving, forgiving wife :-({|= I didn't insist too much...
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We went instead to Honey I Shrunk the Audince, where there was still no queue. Unfortunately we got there in time to see the full pre show, which I don't know you people but personally, I profoundly dislike :evil: Maybe the first time it was just bearable, but after I dont know how many years, I just don't care anymore about the kid looking for his dog, or the girl kissing that frog, or the power of imagination and least of all, Kodak! Please please please, change this soon... Still, I do love the rest of the show :wink: Very funny, and very well done!
After Discoveryland (didn't go on SM because my knees were still very delicate :( ) we headed towards Fantasyland, and BEHOLD!!!
BLUE SKY
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And a very happy me:
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More coming up!
Your report is so good and very funny.
I have so much empathy with you about your husband. And I think my husband would have empathy with your husband! :lol:
The Discoveryland photo is very good. But my fave is still the castle 8)
(and my screen looks beautiful now. Thank you :D )
I am so enjoying this report Elena! I love all your pics and stories and I'm glad yuo had such a great time! Looks like you had a wonderful trip even though the weather was bad. Can't wait to read more! Thanks so much for posting this. :D
Quote from: "tubbsy"Your report is so good and very funny.
I have so much empathy with you about your husband. And I think my husband would have empathy with your husband! :lol:
The Discoveryland photo is very good. But my fave is still the castle 8)
(and my screen looks beautiful now. Thank you :D )
:wink: Thanks Sam!
I'm going for Christmas with some girl friends, whenever we get together (and start discussing the trip, the park or take our Minnie ears out) all the husbands / boyfriends start rolling their eyes and saying oh no, not again :roll: ... They should probably all get together and create a forum for victims of DLRP!!
Quote from: "MizzRabbit"I am so enjoying this report Elena! I love all your pics and stories and I'm glad yuo had such a great time! Looks like you had a wonderful trip even though the weather was bad. Can't wait to read more! Thanks so much for posting this. :D
Thanks Honey :D ! It was a wonderful trip!
What about Dad's and brother? I dragged my brother on its a small world twice, but he made us all stand in an hour long que for pirates!
Ok, next installment in my never ending report...
So it's about 10:45, sun is finally out ( :D/ ) and we're on our way to Fantasyland!
Of course, couldn't pass the castle without taking a few pictures... I had hardly taken any the day before, since it was all so grey, but now, with that beautiful light...
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Then straight to Snow White, which we hadn't done yet. Of course, paid our respects to the Queen first...
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Then straight in! And you know, in all these years, I had never actually noticed how beautiful the sign at the entrance is... Those carvings are beautiful!!
(//http://lh3.ggpht.com/elena.searle/SLLMdarnxyI/AAAAAAAAGU0/i23tmYdkLnk/s400/P8230293.JPG)
Shame on me :oops: ... But then I always discover a new detail on each trip. So much to see!! (so little time...)
After Snow White, straight to the Castle!
Hidden Mickey (and Winnie...)
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Pictures of the statue and window... check!
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Picture of the don't-you-already-have-the-same-picture-100-times partner... check!
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Fantasyland, as empty as it was going to get for the day...
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And the beautiful rooftops:
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And of course, before leaving...
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After that, my husband wanted to go on the ToT again, so we decided to head towards the Studios. Not without one last pic, for the road...
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(honestly, people see you're taking a picture, couldn't they just keep out of it :wink: ?)
Visit to the Studios, next...
Quote from: "MinniesBestPal"What about Dad's and brother? I dragged my brother on its a small world twice, but he made us all stand in an hour long que for pirates!
lol :D
OK, to the Studios !
By that time it was a really lovely day, and the park was filling up, everywhere...
Anyway, we went straight to the Studios,
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just in time to see Lilo & Stitch!
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Impossible to get too near though, they were completely surrounded! So instead we went straight inside.
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And we also got to try the Bluetooth system! (I hadn't dared take my phone out under the deluge the previous day; I've already lost a mobile because of it getting wet...) So I can tell you that at 11:50, waiting times were as follows:
Armageddon 5 min
Art of Disney 5 min
Tapis Volants 10 min
Studio Tram Tour 15 min
Rock 'n' Roller Coaster 20 min
Tower of Terror 35 min
Cars 40 min
Crush's Coaster 120 min
I bet you were ALL just dying to know that :roll: ....
Queues for Crush are ridiculous. How can people stand in line for 2 HOURS :shock: !!! Honestly, unless they do something about that, I don't think I'll ever manage to ride that coaster ever again!! Anything over 45 minutes, it's just too much! But 2 HOURS :shock: :shock: !!!
Anyway, we went straight for Tower of Terror (VIP fastpass coming in handy)
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Ah, just love it! So much fun! Simply brilliant :D/ ! Whoooo!! You go down. Wheeeeee! You go up. Whooooooo! And down again. Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeehheeeeeeeeeeeee! Down! Oh, it's excellent!! What a great ride =D> !!
After ToT, we decided (well, my husband decided... I wasn't too convinced) to head to towards another fastpass ride, the Rock 'n' Roller Coaster...
(//http://lh3.ggpht.com/elena.searle/SLLM2PWk9wI/AAAAAAAAGY8/yAEhFG52f8M/s400/P8230328.JPG)
I'd only been on it once before. All I remembered was that when it starts it starts fast. Really fast. Rest of the ride was a total blackout (probably also because after that fast (really fast) start, I had kept my eyes closed all the way, screaming for my life :oops: ). So after that wonderful first experience, I had kept away from it... But now, with the fastpass I didn't even have the excuse of the queues, I had to say yes...
I had dreaded the first time on ToT, because I didn't know what was coming. I was terrified about RnRC, because this time I knew!!
So anyway, we went in, before I could change my mind we were seated in the train, quickly round the corner facing that countdown, and then wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! Off we went.
I wouldn't go as far as to say that I loved it... But I didn't hate it. It is a really fast ride, and some bits are quite terrifying :shock: . I did keep my eyes open (most of the time...) but I had taken my glasses off, so I couldn't see everything... I think there was some smoke there. Definitely saw lights. And I definitely screamed all the way through. But it wasn't as bad as the first time around.... So I could consider, in the future, going on it again :wink: ...
Still, after that, I had enough emotions for one day, so after some more pics around the Studios (just love what they've done with the place), we went back to DLP...
(//http://lh5.ggpht.com/elena.searle/SLLM4Ya5wzI/AAAAAAAAGZU/b62k8h8igS0/s400/P8230331.JPG) (//http://lh3.ggpht.com/elena.searle/SLLM5Wbf4-I/AAAAAAAAGZc/NojKxBgudiQ/s400/P8230332.JPG)
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To be continued....
Great report. Cant believe there's still more to come. All this inside 2 days !!!
All inside 2 very tiring days, I confess :wink: ....
Next chapter...Back to Disneyland Park!
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As much as I like the Studios, they're still miles away from DLP. It's not just the number of rides, the magic is just not the same... And half of Europe (and most of Spain) must think the same, because if we thought the Studios were busy, that was nothing compared to the crowds in DLP. It was mad :shock: !
We went towards Adventureland, with Pirates of the Caribbean in mind (taking pictures on the way...)
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There were some scary clouds around.... but they just stood there.... Fortunately there was no rain at all!
When we got to POTC, though, there was a 45 minutes queue. Now, by this time, I confess, our feet were starting to hurt (ever so slightly...) and the prospect of 45 minutes just standing up wasn't very inviting... At all.
So we decided to leave that for later, and head to Fantasyland. And OH MY GOD was it busy!! People everywhere!!
Peter Pan, forget about it. The wait time screens (and fastpass screens) were not working, so you can imagine the chaos by the fastpass machines. And the queue was so long that it was coming out, all along the side of the building, towards Adventureland – so you had to fight to get into the fastpass queue... Where there was also a queue. And there seemed to be a few slightly annoyed people around, so we decided to skip that for now and go towards Alice's Labyrinth, since we hadn't done it yet.
And guess what? There was a queue for the Labyrinth :shock: . I hadn't seen a queue for that in years. So we skipped it... This was to be the first time in years that I visit the park and don't go in there :( . A bit upset about that, but on the upside, when I go back in October, it should be all nice and fixed up :) ! (and hopefully open!)
Everywhere you looked, people and more people!!
So we went to the Fantasyland station. Once you managed to get near the station (access was blocked by the queue for the Winnie show), the Station itself wasn't too bad, and they only advertised 15 minutes wait. There were at least two families in front of us who didn't even know what they were queuing for (the woman in front of me actually told her husband that she'd seen a queue and just went to join it :roll: ). I'm guessing she was not the only one, because as soon as the train tracks were fully visible a few people left the queue...
Anyway, we waited for the 15 minutes, then for 5 minutes more, and finally were able to board the 3rd train to pass the station
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I love those trains... They're so beautiful!! It's a shame there's always such a queue to go on them, otherwise they'd be the perfect way to move around the park. And, in our case, it was just wonderful to sit down for a bit...
We had lunch booked at Walt's at 14:00, which meant that we had just the time to go from Fantasyland to Main Street, and get off there. We were dreading a bit the restaurant, other times we've been there it was a bit mad at the door, with lots of people waiting and delays and everything... But this time it was actually perfect. We got there, handed in our reservation ticket, were told to go up immediately, and very soon we were sitting in our table, in the Adventureland area, by a window. Perfect!
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We had the halfboard vouchers, so we had a starter, main course & dessert.
my starter:
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my main course
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and the desserts
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(I'll spare you the comments made by my husband when I started taking pictures of the food :roll: ....)
It tasted as good as it looked, and by the end of the meal we were feeling great! Very pleasant meal indeed! Delicious food, wonderful setting, and great music (all the Disney classics, of course). Just perfect.
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More to follow soon... (don't worry, I think it should all be over in a couple more posts :wink: !)
We had that exact table in Walts! I can't wait to see the rest of the restaurant (the fantasyland room :wink: )
Is this the first time you've taken pictures of your food on your dlrp trip?
Quote from: "MizzRabbit"Is this the first time you've taken pictures of your food on your dlrp trip?
no.... and every time I get the same look from him :roll: I think he was upset because he wasn't allowed to try his food until I'd taken my picture :lol:
Quote from: "Clarebelle"We had that exact table in Walts! I can't wait to see the rest of the restaurant (the fantasyland room :wink: )
I know, same here!! I wonder if you can ask to be seated in a particular area... Maybe next time I'll go I'll ask :D
I'm hoping so, for my birthday I want a seat in the fantasyland room (please no one put pictures up! I want it to be a surprise lol)!! I think we will try for the library in Dec! hmmm maybe if I go early enough they will let me have a look around (by look I mean take lots of photos hehe [-o<
cant wait to see more photos!!
Next chapter...
After lunch on Saturday, weather was wonderful, nice and warm and sunny, and the park was really busy... Really really busy ! We tried again POTC, and went to see how PM or the boats were doing in Frontierland, but there were long queues everywhere :shock: ...
So we limited ourselves to the fastpass rides (mostly Buzz and BTM, went a few times on them...) and of course Adventure Island, since there at least there's no queue...
One of the times we were doing Buzz, I run into a colleague from work... It is a small world, after all :P (I guess my cover as a serious girl in the office is blown, though... not sure he was expecting to run into me wearing Minnie ears :ears: )
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This is what Frontierland looked like...
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Around the Island
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Just a few people there...
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Around Fantasyland
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And on the way to Main Street...
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By the end of the afternoon, we were exhausted. Feet and legs very very tired, and the thought of having to do another queue was torture!! So we went back to the hotel, to have a drink (and some cakes) in the Castle Club...
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(that chocolate cream.... Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm very thick, very tasty, very yummy!!)
And the view from the window:
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A very well deserved rest!! And a very nice break away from the crowds...
Last update, coming soon.
Wow, brilliant report N2O :D/ :D/
I really enjoyed reading that report, since I've just got back recently from holiday myself, I've just read through it and I must admit I'm pleased in one sense I read it late since I could just read and read and read and read, without having to wait and wait and wait for each instalment... :mrgreen:
Just the last part to view which I'm really looking forward to... :D
Brilliant... :mrgreen: Thanks for sharing, by the way I love the close shot of It's A Small World external figures.. :wink: :D
Thanks Javey! :D
And here's (at last) the final part of the report...
After our break in the CC lounge, we were a bit more rested... and some people had began leaving the park, and those who were staying where filling up Main Street to see the parade, so we went towards Discoveryland again.
After one last go on Buzz....
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We went to see the other Nemo, fathoms below in the Nautilus
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I can understand that maybe next to SM, it's not so exciting (and I remember how dissapointed I was when we first went in many many many years ago and it was not like the submarine in Florida, that actually took you for a ride). But the Nautilus is so beautiful! So many little details, so very well done! It's a shame so many people don't even seem to know about it! I actually felt a bit sad, going through the long walkway planned for the queues, which will probably be never be full....
After Nautilus, we went for Star Tours (which we'd just realised we hadn't done yet). A great fastpass line, went straight in to the doors of our cruiser!
There were some people in with us who were really enjoying it, they were screaming in all the right places, and it really felt like it was their first time... So the atmosphere was simply brilliant in there! But, after SM, after ToT and RnRC, and of course multiple rides in BTM, THIS was the first ride where I felt sick :sick: !! If it had lasted anything longer, I would have been actually sick... And I've done it many times before, and although the last few times I had felt it a bit more, it was nothing like this! I didn't enjoy it, at all :( ! I don't understand what wrong with me... I hope it was just because I was more tired than other times...
So after that very unsuccessful ride on ST, we went back to Adventureland, past the Castle again...
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And straight into POTC, where at last the queue was down to a more manageable 20 minutes
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By then, dinner time... We had booked for 20:00 (mistake, BIG mistake!!) at the Silver Spur. We got there, and of course it was packed. A big mess by the reception, a big queue outside, horrible. After waiting for 15 minutes we managed to sit down while we waited for our table. It was noisy, felt smoky, I was exhausted, and was starting to get a headache. If I had been a few years younger, I would have started to cry to get some attention... After a while we realised that people who had gotten there after us were being seated before us :x so we went to complain (which I hate doing) and it turned out that they had lost our ticket! By then we had been waiting for almost 1 hour (1 hour where I could have been doing lots of rides!!!), I was in a bad mood, and had a horrible headache. At least, after we'd complained, they very quickly found a table for us (which seemed to have been ready for some time... along with a few more empty tables around it :evil: ).
Food was OK, I wasn't even hungry anymore, but the meat was very tasty and tender. But with the headache and all I didn't enjoy the meal very much, I had trouble focusing my eyes so I felt a bit blind in there, and I just wanted to get out and get some fresh air... Not the best experience, really...
After dinner it was getting on to 22:00. All the negativity of the evening dissapeared as soon as we left the restaurant, nothing like a view over Frontierland & BTM at night to lift all spirits!!
So we headed to Phantom Manor again (by this time no queue at all)
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Same pic with different exposure...
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Thoroughly enjoyed PM. Don't think I'll ever get tired of it...
And to make the night complete, followed PM by a trip to BTM... Which we had never done at nighttime, and it was so good =D> !! It felt like it was going even faster. And going from the caves to the outside felt really nice (since I didn't get that small blinding feeling from going from dark to light). Brilliant!! Everyone should go on this at night! And even though the VIP fastpass didn't work anymore, the normal queue was nice and short (15 minutes) so it was perfect! Loved it, loved it, loved it!!
On Friday we had spent some time taking night pictures around Frontierland, so we now did the same with Discoveryland. Managed to cross before Fantillusion started, and here are some of the results...
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We then went to wait for the Enchanted Fireworks, which time time we saw from halfway down Main Street.
The first time I saw them, I was amazed. The second time, it was even better. Now I don't know if it was because we were too close, or there was too much smoke, or what it was, but the first time, I hadn't actually seen most of the projections :shock: !!! The roses flying down, the hearts, the writing at the end... All that I'd missed (and didn't know I'd missed)!! So it felt like I was seeing the whole thing for the first time! And if the first time there were some tears, this time around they were flowing freely... For those magical six minutes, I was alone in the park with my husband, completely taken by the whole thing...
After that, my husband had to drag me away from the park, straight to the car and then to the Elysée hotel, where we had booked for the night. Didn't like it much, to be honest, but it had a bed, where we collapsed in exhaustion, so it was all we needed. Sunday morning we went to Paris to see an exhibition (the Chinese Terracotta army), then by 12:00 we headed back home to Luxembourg. Sunday wasn't a particulary good day. My legs were in agony, my feet were crying for mercy, and I was a bit sad after leaving DLRP (first day away is never a good day...)
It was a wonderful trip. Despite the rain on the first day and the crowds on the second, and despite the pain in my feet and legs... Wouldn't change any of it :)
And it's been wonderful re-living it all and sharing it with you :D So thanks to you all!!!
Phee-yoo :? !! What a cram-packed 2 day report. I fell like I've just spent a fortnight in the Park !!!! Thanks for sharing N2O, loved the photos especially of the castle. The night-time ones are great :D . Maybe one day, I'll brave the peak-season although the queues would drive me insane :evil: ( no patiences )
You really are a very talented photographer - I could just look again and again at those pictures =D> =D> .
Elaine
Quote from: "Pete's Dragon"Phee-yoo :? !! What a cram-packed 2 day report. I fell like I've just spent a fortnight in the Park !!!! Thanks for sharing N2O, loved the photos especially of the castle. The night-time ones are great :D . Maybe one day, I'll brave the peak-season although the queues would drive me insane :evil: ( no patiences )
:P
I think if we had stayed there another day with those queues, we would have gone completely mad :shock: ! Or if we hadn't had the VIP fastpass... That really helped, because even at the busiest periods, we could still do plenty of rides!
Quote from: "Elaine"You really are a very talented photographer - I could just look again and again at those pictures =D> =D> .
Elaine
Thanks :o)
We actually took over 700 pictures... chances were some of them would come out good! 8)
=D> =D> =D> Brilliant End to a Brilliant Report =D> =D> =D>
Once again N2O these Trip Reports are getting better and better all the time, I really love the night shots in Discoveryland, the colours are magnificent. :wink: :D
You are a brilliant photographer, what type and model camera are you using. :?:
Quote from: "Javey74"=D> =D> =D> Brilliant End to a Brilliant Report =D> =D> =D>
Once again N2O these Trip Reports are getting better and better all the time, I really love the night shots in Discoveryland, the colours are magnificent. :wink: :D
You are a brilliant photographer, what type and model camera are you using. :?:
Thanks Javey!!
We had two cameras, a compact Olympus mju 1030, and a bigger Kodak Z710 - I've posted pictures taken with both... And most importantly, also had a little tripod... :wink:
The report was brilliant and had me smiling again and Steph and I both admired your beautiful pictures again. You are a very good photographer =D> =D> (I am thinking I may ask santa for a little tripod :wink: )
Quote from: "never2old"Quote from: "Javey74"=D> =D> =D> Brilliant End to a Brilliant Report =D> =D> =D>
Once again N2O these Trip Reports are getting better and better all the time, I really love the night shots in Discoveryland, the colours are magnificent. :wink: :D
You are a brilliant photographer, what type and model camera are you using. :?:
Thanks Javey!!
We had two cameras, a compact Olympus mju 1030, and a bigger Kodak Z710 - I've posted pictures taken with both... And most importantly, also had a little tripod... :wink:
how little is you tripod?? i need to get one that wont take up too much room
A little gorillapod...which is great, you can bend the legs into all positions, you can put it anywhere...
ahhh I've been looking at those, so they are as good as they say they are?
Yes, I love mine!
Wow thank you so much for this report it's been one of the most informative in ages and the photos really help! I have never been into Walts before but have often wondered about it and never realised that every room was themed to a different land in the park is that really true? It looks awesome! And the room and extras (fancy soaps shampoos etc) in Disneyland Hotel are really interesting to see. I always fantasised about affording to go there but I think I'd feel out of touch with the Village a bit do you find that at all? Great report! x
Quote from: "QueenEm"Wow thank you so much for this report it's been one of the most informative in ages and the photos really help! I have never been into Walts before but have often wondered about it and never realised that every room was themed to a different land in the park is that really true? It looks awesome! And the room and extras (fancy soaps shampoos etc) in Disneyland Hotel are really interesting to see. I always fantasised about affording to go there but I think I'd feel out of touch with the Village a bit do you find that at all? Great report! x
Thanks QueenEm!!
Actually, you're right about the Village... we didn't go there at all!!