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[msRavenswood]

Top Tip No:3 If you haven't already get a copy of the book "The Haunted Mansion: From the Magic Kingdom to the Movies". Its a fantastic book covering the development of the ride, the differences between the versions around the world and how they went about transferring it to the big screen.

They also do one for "Pirates of the Caribbean"

I've been meaning to buy this book. Is there an extensive chapter about Phantom Manor?

[RockNRoller]

I've been meaning to buy this book. Is there an extensive chapter about Phantom Manor?

Well Ms Ravenswood I'm shocked you haven't already got it. It is well worth it for all the pictures alone, the book breaks down into 3 sections:
1) History of the ride, from sketch to reality if I may borrow a phrase. It does mention the various versions around the world, 4 pages for Phantom Manor.
2) The best bit and the biggest portion of the book, a ride through with all versions set out side by side showing the differences in each version eg the differences in the portrait chamber or the scenes unique to a particular version. As Phantom Manor is different in most aspects it has a heavy presence in this part of the book.
3) How they adapted the ride for the film.

Ive had my copy for a while now but from what I can see on Amazon there is now an expanded 40th anniversary version available.

[RockNRoller]

Tonight we shall be meeting with our travelling companions just to sort out those final bits, like whose bringing the travel kettle etc We shall also be playing a round of Disney Trivial Pursuit because who ever wins gets to choose the restaurant for our first meal.
On the train we'lll play Disney snap to see who gets to pick the first ride  . We're just 4 bigs kids really.

[RockNRoller]

Bonus time, just had a call from the travel agents to say our tickets have arrived woo hoo

[AislingM]

I love reading your pre-trip report! Myself and my husband are exactly the same, have the countdown timer on my phone , 12 days and 13 hours until I get on the plane! Suitcase is nearly packed and all my pins are being stuck on the handbag Im bringing with me    Watching Ratatouille again tonight , Frozen and Brave were last week and then we start on the classics. 

[RockNRoller]

I love reading your pre-trip report! Myself and my husband are exactly the same, have the countdown timer on my phone , 12 days and 13 hours until I get on the plane! Suitcase is nearly packed and all my pins are being stuck on the handbag Im bringing with me    Watching Ratatouille again tonight , Frozen and Brave were last week and then we start on the classics.

Why thank you. As the holiday approaches we start watching all the films too. The only one my wife wont watch is "Reign of Fire" as it's not really her thing, personally I have to watch it as it's in the Studio's Tour. The last one we watch on the Saturday before we travel to London will be Ratatouille just so the film will be as fresh in our minds as possible when we go on the ride for the first time. My bag is pretty much packed too and I've just loaded Chante Cest Noel onto my phone to use it as our alarm clock whilst we are there.

What I love most about this forum is how other peoples trip reports add to the enjoyment and excitement of our own.

[AislingM]

Im playing Chante c`est noel since the start of October! Thats exactly it , the excitement of planning is nearly as good as the trip itself , and being surrounded by like minded Disney addicts!

[RockNRoller]

So last night we met our travelling companions to plan and have a little competition and, no surprise to them, I won . In fairness I've been a Disney addict for longer than all of them put together and I did give them a handicap of 1 Trivial Pursuit segment each but they still lost. Oh well Annettes it will be for our first meal  , very happy with that.

[RockNRoller]

Im playing Chante c`est noel since the start of October! Thats exactly it , the excitement of planning is nearly as good as the trip itself , and being surrounded by like minded Disney addicts!

Out side of the Christmas season I use the Phantom Manor Medley from one of my CD's as my alarm but come the start of November It's Chante C'est Noel all the way.

[never2old]

Out side of the Christmas season I use the Phantom Manor Medley from one of my CD's as my alarm but come the start of November It's Chante C'est Noel all the way.

Funny, I do exactly the same, but with my ringtone 

[Uragano Tati]

I watched "Reign of fire" last evening!!! Already seen "Brave" and a lot of episodes of "The twilight zone", and in the next days will be the turn of "Ratatuille", "Frozen", "Polar Express" and "A Christmas Carol", just to feel Christmas before we go!
And also my ringtones are Disney songs! At the moment I have "Let it go" and "Love is an open door" (depending on the caller)!
It's funny we all do the same things! 

[RockNRoller]

So today I picked up our tickets and Euro's and I was a bit disappointed. In the past they've always come with reams of information printed on Disney headed paper and have been as much a souvenir as anything but this year they came in a plain brown envelope with a single sheet of paper that we hand over to the cast members on the Eurostar. Booooo, Oh well time to get creative and make to ticket holders of my own.
On the plus side good rate on the Euro's

[RockNRoller]

This afternoons/evenings pre-holiday viewing will be a journey into Fantasy Land. Snow White, Pinnochio and Peter Pan with Dumbo and Alice in Wonderland to follow in the week. An afternoon of Disney goodness

[RockNRoller]

Time to hype up the trip a bit more, with only 9 days of travelling to and from work before the trip it's time to bust out the CD's of the park. With 9 in the collection thats a CD a day, I count the double CD's as 2 days.

Top Tip no: 4 Even if you can't get to the park have a look on Amazon, they have "The best of Disneyland Resort Paris" available and it's a cracking album.

[RockNRoller]

So after todays crossing off on the countdown calender we are into single figures  woo hoo. Which means that to commemorate that tonights viewing will be "Pirates of the Caribean" followed by "Armageddon".