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[Caz]

Day 3 22/7/15

Going back to the Studios today meant we didn't have to get up so early and the weather while still beautiful was a little cooler which was welcome. We did the same as the day before and the boys went off to get in the queue for Ratatouille fastpasses.  We caught up with them and decided to queue for RC Racer where we were 3rd and 4th and they joined us just as it opened. I didn't enjoy this ride the first time I tried it so usually give it a miss but they talked me into it this time.  The first ride of the day and it was great, not sure why I didn't like it now. After this the boys did Parachutes single rider after which it was time for Ratatouille again at 10:30am. Noticed different things the second time round and enjoyed it just as much as the first time. After we spent a little time enjoying the atmosphere in Place de Remy.









Time for some refreshment and a stroll over to Salon Mickey picking up fastpasses for the Tower of Terror on the way (11am to ride 1:55pm).

After a yummy muffin and a welcome cuppa in Salon Mickey we had a little time until we needed to  go back to the Studios for HTH so made our way down to Discoveryland Theatre to see the Antman trailer - recommended would love to see the whole film here! On the way out stopped at City Hall to book a restaurant for an early dinner opting for Plaza Gardens at 4:30pm.

Back over to the Studios again (wish there was a Salon Mickey here too!) and up to R&R Coaster
for a fastpass (1pm for 2:50pm) stopping off at Armageddon on the way back to ride HTH. Despite the fastpass this was a long wait but worth it - love this ride☺️ then it was already time to ride R &R Coaster. After this we started to make our way back to Disneyland Park for our dinner.

Eating at Plaza Gardens was a first for us and we enjoyed it very much. It's great for kids and hungry dads!😆 The parade was starting as we finished so we went over to Buzz. The wait time was showing 30 mins, the cm saw us looking, had a look at it and changed it to 15 mins. We went in and had to wait a whole 6 mins! 😊

It had been a long day in the heat so decided to call it a day and enjoy a relaxing evening at DC. The boys went for a swim and we had a drink sitting outside the Saloon Bar. I called in reception to get a Shareholders Club email printed ready for the next day.

Day 4 23/7/15

Having had an earlier night decided to do EMH but with breakfast not available from the hut till 7:30am and wanting to eat we didn't make it till 8:15. It was a beautiful morning so wandered down Main Street. Youngest wanted to do Buzz again and this was swiftly followed by Star Tours again. He'd wanted to do Autopia the previous day but the wait was so long we said to wait till today. As we passed at 9:30 we saw there was a small queue and it was opening at 10am, I said we should join it as this was probably going to be the shortest wait. The boys went off to look in the Buzz shop but I had to retrieve them quickly when the ride was opened 20 mins early - result!
After this we hopped over to the entrance to Frontierland by Liberty Arcade ready for rope drop. There was only a small group here and as we followed the cm into Frontierland we were in front of the main crowd from the main entrance. No.2 son weaved through and was first to collect fastpasses for 11am. A mass of people were crowded around the entrance to BTM but as we had the fastpasses decided to go have a coffee at Salon Mickey and come back at 11.

Different cast members in Salon Mickey today and busy due to the Space Mountain Re-launch. I asked the cm if he knew where I had to go to collect passes between 2 and 3:30pm and he told me Gate 8. After our refreshment we headed back down to BTM to find the fastpass queue quite long already. We waited a bit, then some more. Hubby heard someone mention that the ride was down and wouldn't be back up for an hour, maybe two.  We had lunch booked for 2pm in Inventions and were planning to go back to DC for a break for an hour or two so decided to go and try later for more fastpasses.

Checked my email while back at DC and had received the following reply from Photopass Customer Service

Quote
"We inform you that ride photos must be "confirmed" and "purchased" the same day on the application.

However, if you would like to purchase these photos, we advise you to send an email to the following address on the condition of the pictures were taken within 7 days :

dlp.mail.order@disney.com

You need to provide the day of shooting and the number of the photos."

Unquote

Not much help really - didn't address the problem I had or clarify whether or not the you could, as they'd told me, buy photos via the app (if it works) still very confused.
I wrote back explaining that it was too late as I didn't know it wasn't going to work so didn't note the numbers and that the whole thing is very confusing and unclear. Decided to give up.

We had our little break and arrived back at two. The queues for the security check were long so sent hubby ahead to find queue for Gate 8 and join it. Through the bag check I found him at gate 8 and sent him up to Inventions. I got to the window and the cm didn't know what I meant and sent me to another window. Fortunately someone there did know and sent me down to gate 11 & 12 where we were met by Louisa, a cm clutching an arm full of Space Mountain lanyards (see pic) and after presenting my Shareholder Club membership card I received two of these and two park tickets. I could then use the lanyards to have exclusive access to Space Mountain from 6 till 7pm and then from 7pm attend a presentation in the Discoveryland Theartre on the history and future of SM followed by a cocktail and aperatifs.

Found hubby and no. 2 son sat alone in the large dinning room in between Inventions and California Grill. We were joined by a couple of other families but it was a very leisurely lunch enjoying the character interactions and looking forward to the afternoon and the Space Mountain Event. The food was lovely and enjoyed by all, although the boys were disappointed that there wasn't much on offer in the chocolate department. We finally dragged ourselves away and wandered out via the shop, where I bought a limited edition Christmas decoration featuring Tink and a Disneyland Hotel Clock pin.





We strolled down Main Street through the Castle and ended up at Toad hall where we used our Pause Gormand vouchers to get some drinks.  We didn't want donuts or magnums but the cm insisted we had to have both food and drink so ended up with 4 donuts. Finishing our drinks we jumped on the train round to Frontierland to see if we could pick up some new fastpasses. When we got there the FP machines were shut so I said perhaps it's worth seeing if we can use this mornings and low and behold they let us through! Another great ride on BTM and this time I just took a pic ride photo screen on the way out - it was time to head over to Discoveryland ready for Space Mountain.  Stopped off at Casey's Corner to pick up some more drinks using another set of Pause Gormand vouchers (including x4 almond magnums we didn't want) and made our way across the central plaza to Discoveryland (no mean feat at the end of a parade!).

A crowd, all wearing Space Mountain lanyards, was gathering behind Orbitron near the entrance to SM in the green fence still surrounding the ride. A film crew were interviewing a guy in a baseball cap who's name eludes me and I spotted Louisa who had handed me my lanyards earlier. Hubby and youngest son grabbed a seat on the 'rocks' to wait for us.  My oldest son and I waited patiently for the gate to open and be let in to be the first to ride SM in 6 months. After a short delay the gates were opened and we all filed through. It was strange to be within the fences like this and we felt special as regular guests were turned away (although I did feel sad for them ). We walked quickly but at the same time savouring the sight of the refurbished ride. Arriving at the top the stairs to the loading area we could see the man-in-baseball cap being filmed once more, below. At the bottom of the stairs we were pointed to the last car on the right hand side, man-in-baseball cap was getting in in the front and the cameras filmed us as we left the loading area ready to be fired into space!







The ride was great, however, no new cars yet so still a real bone shaker - I have bruises on my shoulders and knees to prove it! The effects, I'm told, have been updated and improved, although it had been some time since I last rode it, so couldn't quite remember how they were before!

SM was open to us for an hour so we popped back out to hubby and son, I checked it was okay with Louisa to swap lanyard over and took youngest son on, stopping to 'purchase' a couple of ride pics on the way out. After that the two boys went on together. It was nearly 7pm so my oldest son and I made our way round to the Discoveryland Theatre for the presentation.

We enjoyed a presentation by Laurent Cayuela - Imagineer,  covering the history of SM and a small glimpse of what was to follow in 2017 - not least new cars and Space Mountain: Mission 3!  While it was all in French, the pictures and videos made it relatively easy to follow and this aside I was happy just to sit and listen to the sound of his lovely voice! My son, studying A level French had no such problems.





Afterwards we went outside to enjoy a cocktail and received a copy of 20 Ans de Voyages Extraodinaires, a lovely souvenir book compilation detailing the history of Space Mountain. It was all a great end to fab trip.  I guess we could have spent a little more time in the park that evening but it had been a long day so we decided to end on a high.  We wandered slowly up Main Street stopping in various shops and then on out to the Village and 'home' to our Cabin.



Day 5 24/7/15
Last day

Had a nice lay in. Hubby popped out to get the breakfast while the rest of us got up and dressed.  After breakfast we packed everything up so we were ready to leave and took a walk to the 'Village'.  Some last minute shopping was done and photos taken before we wandered back to the cabin. On the way we saw a horse drawn carriage which looked to be collecting the rubbish! We arrived back at the cabin about 10:50 and I locked the door at 11am exactly as we got on our way to Brittany having had a thoroughly good time. Roll on 2017.

[lovindisney87]

Great trip report, thanks for sharing 😁

[littlebitofpixiedust]

 Really enjoyed reading and admiring your photos 
DC looked fab (never stayed there as only self drive) can't brave driving there! Thought space mountain would have had new cars and was hoping less of the "rattle and hum" haha! But Ill give it a go in my next visit in a few weeks.

Cafe Hyperion is definatley so slow I remover Queing almost an hour once and the food was stone cold then I had to go back in and ask for an exchange. Caseys corner also can be bad but the hotdogs are great  it's my Grandads favourite place there bless him!

[andrewuk]

Lovely report, great to hear that there will be SM:M3! It must be great to be involved in a special event at DLP. (Not doing French A level must be the most stupid decision I ever made, what bloody use has geography ever been to me I do not know! )