Rain and crowds... N2O's trip 22-23 August

Started by never2old, August 25, 2008, 05:48:38 PM

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never2old

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: !





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...)



and finally, just after 08:00, we went down to the park to start our first day  =D> !!

More coming up soon....

Epcot_Boy

#1
Quote from: "never2old"More coming up soon....

Looking forward to it =D>

Epcot_Boy :ears:


David

MizzRabbit

#2
Can't wait to read more! Update update update!!! :D:D:D

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Aveen2008

#3
Sounds great so far, really exciting, cant wait to here more!! :D

Aveen xx
Luv Aveen xoxo

SophieD

#4
A great trip report so far....
cannot wait for more!!
Sophie \":nemo:\"
xxxxx
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All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them.- Walt Disney


never2old

#5
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...



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...



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



(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



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!







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:



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....

bigrossco

#6
wow all that before 10am u must of been so tired byt that time lol
BigRossCo

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never2old

#7
So, the Studios!!

First, how great was it to see that billboard gone!! It looks so much better now  :D



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!!



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...



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.



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...



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.



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



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



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...



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!



More, coming up tomorrow....

ColdSun

#8
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...

Pete's Dragon

#9
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.

never2old

#10
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!!



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.



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...



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!



And then Mary Poppins!



By then it was starting to rain a bit more (again), and our room was calling to us...

More to follow!

-breeno-

#11
Love your trip report n2o, look foward to seeing the rest :D
"You\'re dead if you aim only for kids. Adults are only kids grown up, anyway."
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never2old

#12
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?




(notice that gorgeous Snow White toiletries box....)



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!









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:



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



Walk around Adventureland for a bit...



then straight to Big Thunder Mountain!



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!

MinniesBestPal

#13
Great trip report! Can't wait to see more! Did you do Phantom Manor? That's one of my all time favourites!

never2old

#14
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!!