Hi everyone! I feel like my pre-trip reports are getting earlier and earlier each year but I think that's because I'm getting more and more excited each year?! Anyway, we're heading back to DLP in exactly 48 days and I wanted to get going with a pre-trip summary in the hopes that it stops me missing DLP quite as much as I do right now.
- Who: Me (Sophie) and my boyfriend (Russ). It's going to be my eighth trip and our fourth trip together!. I can't believe we've been together so many times now, it makes me feel like a very lucky lady. He's promised me that we'll go back every year which means a lot to me as he isn't a Disney fan and I know how intense the parks can be for someone who isn't as into them as we are.
Despite him not being a massive fan, though, we have such a magical stay every time we go back and we both really look forward to it - we've got our own little traditions now and a lot of happy memories from such a special place. He even knows the backstory of Thunder Mesa, eek :')
- When: Monday 9th June - Thursday 12th June.
- Where: Hotel Cheyenne (our fourth visit to the Cheyenne together! We were considering the NBC for this trip but decided against it. We're actually kind of glad of that now, due to all the refurbishment work that's going on and the fact that the pool's closed. Definitely something to try in the future though!).
- General stuff: We went for 5 days last year (for the first time ever) but found that 5 days' worth of junk food took its toll, and by the Friday we felt really rough (especially me, I think I ate something that disagreed with me at Plaza Gardens!). We'd always wanted to try 5 days, and we'd been able to get a really good deal last year - I think it was cheaper to go for 5 days than it was for 4 - but this year we weren't sure how it would pan out in terms of work, deals, etc, so we decided to go back to our usual 4 days/3 nights.
This year, our first day in the resort falls on Whit Monday (9th June) so I was more than a little worried that it would be packed on that day and that we wouldn't be able to get much done. Thinking about it, though, we never do a huge amount on the first day, and I reckon it will depend on other things like the weather and so on as to how busy the parks are. I'm not sure how it will be on that first day or what to expect, but I just keep trying to tell myself that at least we have the Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday as quieter days
Another change this year is that we've booked a Rio Grande room at the Cheyenne, as opposed to the standard Buffalo room. We'd both heard that you needed to pay extra for this kind of room (I even called DLP directly and was quoted a ridiculously high amount) but when we went to book as a trial run online, we saw that you could just edit the 'room' options and select 'Rio Grande' for no extra cost?! So that's what we did
I'm excited to see/hear the difference in the rooms - I know that the actual room itself will look no different, but we have been in Wyatt Earp every year, which is RIGHT by the bus stop, and the last couple of years we've really struggled to sleep because of how close we've been to everything. So I think it'll be lovely to be in the quieter area of the hotel this year and see how that works.
- What we're excited for/hoping to see: I cannot WAIT for Big Thunder Mountain, as it was closed the last time we visited. I also am very excited for POTC, Phantom Manor (this is the first year the merch has been there during our visit, eek!), IASW, Buzz, Star Tours, and the Mad Hatter's Teacups! And Peter Pan's Flight! I keep remembering rides I want to go on and shops I can't wait to go in and just wanting to scream with excitement
I am also looking forward to:
- Seeing Duffy and Mickey again, and hopefully meeting Stitch
- Being able to watch Disney Magic on Parade for another year (although the Do You Believe train will be sorely missed, waa)
- Seeing the lovely spring decorations
- Eating more delicious Disney food
- Feeling the water spray on my face and smelling the ride water in Pirates
- Hearing the tick-tock noise in Fantasyland and the second you go under the IASW entrance canopy and come out inside the ride
- Drinking cherry Coca Cola at Annette's Diner
- Being in our happy Hotel Cheyenne room all over again and seeing Sophie (Top 10 Things To Know Before You Go!) on the hotel TV
- Walking back from the parks at night time
- Being able to watch Disney Dreams again - hearing "and now...Disney Dreams!" come over on the loudspeaker and getting goosebumps
- Buying as much merchandise as I can physically take home on the plane (I've saved all year!)
- Hearing the Main Street music for the first time, and seeing the Disneyland Hotel and the beautiful castle for the first time
- Wearing my Minnie ears
- Going to the new Disney Gallery area where you can buy the new posters...I can't tell you how excited I am for this, I cannot comprehend the idea that I could have some actual attraction posters in my own house?!
- Going on the Disneyland Railroad and hearing the start of the Pirates music as we get into Adventureland
- Buying more Disney pins to add to my collection and more outfits for my own Duffy
- Waving at other guests when I'm on a ride (I don't know why I like doing this so much, I think it's cos it's such a cute thing to do and in Disneyland everyone loves it whereas back at home unless you're 5 years old everyone just looks at you weirdly!)
I will stop rambling now - I'm sure you get the idea! I've managed to make myself cry with excitement which wasn't really the point of this report but what the heck
I'll post this quickly before I add another hundred things to my list, and I'll be back again in June to let you all know how we got on! Have a magical day, everyone
LINKS: 2012 trip report2013 pre-trip report2013 trip report (please note, these were all written before Magicforum changed its layout/setup, so the photos no longer show
)
Flickr page Disneyland Paris blog