Say Please in French - A June and Sept. 2018 DLP TR *Updated 4/22

I saved this forever ago, and FINALLY got time to sit down and read it all!!

Isn't the Disneyland Hotel AMAZING?!?! There is just no comparison to being THAT CLOSE to the parks! And I knew as soon as you said that's where you were staying that Landon would love the Peter Pan touches in the room. So magical!!

It really is so nice to be able to walk between parks with littles. We haven't experienced that at DLP, but it's such a blessing at DL. It makes the whole trip seem so much smoother when you don't have to factor in as much transportation as WDW requires for park hopping!

What an amazing DIS meet!! So fun that y'all were able to hang out for a bit and ride a few things together. And see the dragon under the castle! Seriously so cool!!
 
Ok it’s been a long week and I’m knackered but I’m also laughing! Loudly! Possibly a little manically!! Speedo vending machine has to be a new must-have for all hotel pools :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:
Brilliant update and thanks so much for the laughs :thumbsup2

It's quite the unique feature, isn't it? Definitely something exclusive to the Paris parks.:rotfl2:




I saved this forever ago, and FINALLY got time to sit down and read it all!!

Isn't the Disneyland Hotel AMAZING?!?! There is just no comparison to being THAT CLOSE to the parks! And I knew as soon as you said that's where you were staying that Landon would love the Peter Pan touches in the room. So magical!!

It really is so nice to be able to walk between parks with littles. We haven't experienced that at DLP, but it's such a blessing at DL. It makes the whole trip seem so much smoother when you don't have to factor in as much transportation as WDW requires for park hopping!

What an amazing DIS meet!! So fun that y'all were able to hang out for a bit and ride a few things together. And see the dragon under the castle! Seriously so cool!!

I love the Disneyland Hotel!! I think booking there was one of the best decisions I made with all our Paris trips. The amount of time we cut out lugging the kids back and forth to our resort was incredible, and we felt like we never left the magic of the parks.

That dragon feature is such an awesome touch. It makes the castle an experience, not just a landmark building. :thumbsup2
 
Hey guys, I just got back from 5 days in London with the family. We stayed at a swanky hotel, let the kids see a Stegosaurus skeleton, geeked out at the Warner Brothers Studio Tours, and allowed ourselves lots of time to relax! It gave us some much needed family time, and I highly recommend going through the Gatwick Airport if your travels ever take you to that part of Europe. It was one of the best airports I've dealt with (and I've racked up an impressive amount in the past 3 years).

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Thursday, June 14th, 2018:

This day was dedicated to going into the city of Paris and spending the day exploring. Landon and Evie woke up at 5:00 a.m., so we got a head start on the crowds and were taking the RER line at 6:30. This gave us the rare opportunity to see the city before it had woken up, with almost no crowds and empty lines to get in everywhere.

I wrote about our day over on my blog, so I won’t rehash everything here, but I will note again that Paris was just as I imagined it to be. The countless movies, songs, poems, etc have nailed the essence of the city.

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Landon was having a rough time on this particular morning, so Alex and I decided to go back to our resort around two in the afternoon. There was much more we could have tried to see (most notably Notre Dame :sad2:) but I was not prepared for more pushback from my son, and I was beginning to feel the early morning myself. So we hopped on board a train once more and headed back to the Disneyland Hotel.


An hour of rest in the room was exactly what the kids needed. Landon and Evie were much calmer and happier, but they were proclaiming their hunger nonstop. We had eaten an amazing brunch in the city (one of the best brunches I’ve had in my life) and we’d stopped for eclairs at this hidden patisserie, but clearly everything had worn off. Croissants and hot chocolate might taste delicious, but they’re not substantial and my kiddos were ready for something involving protein.


Alex and I were in the mood for burgers, so we looked up the restaurants in Disney Village and tried to pick the best choice. I voted for Annette’s Diner based off their dessert menu, but Alex talked me into the Rainforest Café. He argued the kids would keep entertained within the restaurant, and after a long and busy day, we could use all the help we could get.


Rainforest Café it was!


On the way over, Alex ran inside Starbucks and bought me a new mug for my collection:

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I had seen it on social media earlier that day (waiting for Landon to finish a whine fest at the Louvre entrance) and knew I had to grab one before our trip ended. I actually ended up getting a few for friends back home and in the states, because I shared it on my other sites and people loved the design. And who could blame them?!

It has Thunder Mountain, Small World, and an X Wing on it!! :love: How awesome is that?! Landon asks me all the time to use this mug, because it’s his favorite to look at while he’s eating his breakfast.


Because we were eating at an insanely early time (4:45pm) we had the place to ourselves. The only two other families eating also had toddlers, so it was like Baby Happy Hour up inside the Rainforest Café.


Our table was located right next to the hostess podium and the gift shop, but we had a good view of the animatronic elephants so we considered it a win.

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The food came out quickly (I don’t see how it couldn’t have, with only a few of us ordering) and all four of us scarfed our respective meals down. We were so hungry, we didn’t really care that the food was below standard.
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It wasn’t the worst burger I’ve ever had, and it was cooked to a safe temperature with good beef, but it wasn’t worth ever ordering again. You’d be hard pressed to get Alex and I to go back to Rainforest Café, especially when that burger cost us over 20 Euros.

After we had all eaten our fill of fries, I took the kids for a walk around the interior while Alex waited for the bill and the kids’ desserts, which came with their meal.

In the far corner of the room was a water feature with a giant Atlas holding up the world. As we walked past, I overheard a kid ask their dad who it was, and he answered, “It’s Apollo!” And then I heard his wife go, “I don’t think so, dear.”

But this fellow became adamant that he was right. He kept telling his kid that Mom didn’t know what she was saying. He remembered studying mythology in school. It was most certainly Apollo.

:rolleyes:

He was most certainly wrong.

I tried to get Alex on board with naming our kid’s middle name Atlas if Evie popped out a boy, because I’d read up on the story and liked the name. (Fun fact: that was a hard NO from Alex. It landed on Oliver.)


I wanted to correct the man, I was literally biting my tongue not to say anything, but I knew he would probably not take my two cents gracefully. The way he was shutting his wife down, I knew I’d better keep my mouth closed.:rolleyes1

Instead, I walked the kids to the middle of the restaurant and let them look at the fish in the giant aquarium for a bit.

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When I saw that Alex had paid and was ready to leave, I ushered the kids outside, where Alex and I agreed to do some perusing in the shops to help walk off dinner.

We went inside a few stores, Alex considered several pins but ultimately walked away empty handed. I have found he’s becoming a little more selective with what he buys, possibly because he’s trying to show the kids you can have restraint when you go to stores.:rotfl:


I had gone into the trip trying to curb the number of souvenirs the kids brought back with them. They have so much already, that I felt like they didn’t need anything else.


But then we walked into the World of Disney.

And what do we behold?

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PETER PAN PLUSHES!!!!


Oh my gosh!

Landon LOST IT when he saw those. It’s rare we see toys for Peter Pan (with the exception of Tinker Bell) because Disney normally holds the shelf space for recently released movies. We had seen Incredibles stuff every five feet, but not much in the way of classic films.

But there they were. An entire row of Peter Pan characters.

Landon latched on to Peter and wouldn’t let go.

And as I watched him hug the Peter plush he’d snatched from the shelf, I realized my no souvenir rule was out the window. We had to get these plushes. HAD TO.

(During this fabulous discovery, Evie had fallen asleep in the stroller, so Alex informed Landon that she would get to pick two toys of her own the following day.)



Cut to ten minutes later…

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Landon was on Cloud 9, carrying those toys in a bear hug the entire way back to the room. And his response to the miraculous discovery and purchase?


“Now I have TWO Nanas (that’s what my mom is referred to as). One that talks and one that barks!”

:rotfl2:


Oh, Landon.

I love that kid.

And in true nanny fashion, Nana has spent most nights at the foot of Landon’s bed, on guard duty through the night.



We brought the new purchases back to the room and called it an early night. Our five a.m. start was catching up to all of us, and Evie needed a more comfortable place to rest then the stroller.



Up Next…Old DISfriends help create new Disney friendships.
 
Landon was on Cloud 9, carrying those toys in a bear hug the entire way back to the room. And his response to the miraculous discovery and purchase?


“Now I have TWO Nanas (that’s what my mom is referred to as). One that talks and one that barks!”
So cute and hilarious!!! DLP did seem to have an awesome plush collection! I saw many I wanted to buy, but decided not to!
 


Cut to ten minutes later…

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Excellent selections! I love the nanna dog one! My girls call my mom Nanna also.
 


I didn't get a chance to wish you well on your runs but I will give heartfelt congratulations to your family.

:worship:


I'm so glad to hear you had a wonderful weekend. These Disney races do seem very addictive!

:cheer2:
 
Glad to hear that you had a great trip to London. I enjoyed your FB updates :)

Oh my goodness, those Peter Pan plush!! How could you not?

“Now I have TWO Nanas (that’s what my mom is referred to as). One that talks and one that barks!”

:rotfl2:


Oh, Landon.

I love that kid.

:rotfl: Landon is a star. :goodvibes
 
Loved reading more about your day. So cool that you got to the Eiffel Tower when it was so empty.

Must have been so hard to not say anything to that dad at Rainforest!

Love that they had the Peter Pan plushes - so perfect for Landon!
 
Glad you made it into Paris. Is this your first visit? Where was the awesome brunch at? The plushes are so cute.
 
I'm so glad to hear that you found that many of the DLP CMs had attitude adjustments since your previous trip.

The carousel pictures are awesome! :love:




No sooner had we dived into our meals then Landon tipped over his cup and sent milk across the table. Lesley had grabbed extra napkins and we were able to use those to sop up the mess. But some of it had gotten on Landon’s food and he was reluctant to eat the soggy fries and bread, making him a bit of a grouch.


As we were nearing the end of our meal, I saw Evie trying to reach for a piece of food far away from her and noticed her milk cup sitting right in the line of her elbow’s path.

I knew what was about to happen but made a grab for the cup a second too late.

Splash.

There’s goes milk across table and seats and jeans.

Again…


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The Dragon under the castle sounds really cool!!!

I really love the picture of you and Lesley in front of the castle and the one of your family.

The Speedo vending machine is HILARIOUS!!! Are young boys also required to wear these in the pool or are regular swimsuits ok?

:sad2:
 
She just met us and had no hesitation giving us her passes in order to make our experience better.

Awwww! So sweet of her!

Along the way, we had passed the carousel and Evie began to scream and shout and point to the horses. THAT! That circular stand with the bright lights and shining horses was calling to my daughter, like no other Disney attraction had called to her before.

She MUST go on!!! LOL!

I can’t remember exactly what happened, but I know Alex was standing near the gate when two young girls came up and pushed their way in front of him. Then one stepped back and ran into Alex and lost her balance, to which Alex just crossed his arms and raised his brows like “What’d you expect would happen when you cut me off?”

Serves her right. Natural consequences and all that.

Between the man at the hotel check in desk and this kind CM, I was really beginning to see a difference in the worker’s efforts from the last visit. It seemed like ever since Disney bought the remaining shares, the infrastructure has shifted.

YAY!!!!

We cleaned up the second mess as best we could and finished up our dinners. Walking back outside, Alex and I made the command decision that it was time for the kids to go to bed. We had an early morning the following day, and their moods were starting to turn. Since we were behind the castle, Lesley suggested we walk through and see the dragon on our way out.

Yep, time to call it a night!


Fantastic pic of you two!

Hard to tell, but it was a vending machine for men’s speedos. When my family first moved to Germany and started looking at vacations in France, it came as quite a shock to us that men weren’t allowed to wear long swim trunks in the pools. It’s a hygienic thing, everyone trying to keep the pools clean from dirt and other debris that can hang on to longer shorts. Regardless, it’s deterred a lot of people I know from swimming…Alex included. And it’s become a bit of a joke within my house, so when Alex saw the vending machine he knew I’d get a laugh.

Oh. My. Gawsh!!! No way. :lmao::lmao::lmao::lmao::lmao:

I wanted to correct the man, I was literally biting my tongue not to say anything, but I knew he would probably not take my two cents gracefully. The way he was shutting his wife down, I knew I’d better keep my mouth closed.:rolleyes1

Moron.
 
Rainforest is one of those places that I think gets away with its crappy food for exactly that reason...tired parents will pick it to entertain their kids through dinner!! I'm glad it hit the spot after a long morning.

Landon with his Peter Pan babies is the sweetest EVER!
 
So cute and hilarious!!! DLP did seem to have an awesome plush collection! I saw many I wanted to buy, but decided not to!

They really did! At the race expo a few weeks ago, they had some really awesome villains ones out but I missed them! Alex showed me pictures later. Probably for the best because I definitely would have grabbed the Ursula one.


Landon's love of all things Peter Pan is adorable. I don't think i have ever seen Peter Pan plushes before!

He has known for at least 6 months that he wants to be Peter Pan for Halloween. I had to hide the costume so he didn't spill anything/rip and threads before the holiday, because he wanted to throw it on the second he got off the bus.



Excellent selections! I love the nanna dog one! My girls call my mom Nanna also.

I was very impressed with the toy selections at Disneyland Paris. It really improved since our visit in 2016.
 
Haha 2 nanas. :rotfl2:

My dd calls my mom nana also.

I love the mug too.

The Disneyland Paris mug is one of my favorite Starbucks Disney You Are Here mugs! I thought they picked great icons to include.



Landon melts my heart :love:
I'm sure his "talking" Nana misses him a lot and him her!

She does miss him. Fortunately with FaceTime she gets to see him every other week or so and listen as he talks about the most random facts. We're pretty grateful that even though we moved over here when Evie was 6 months old, she has been able to know her extended family through video chats and visits. It's a lot easier now versus when my dad was in the military and away for extended periods of time.


Those plushes are awesome! You don't see stuff like that often so I think it was a wise exception ;)

Disneyland Paris was on their plush game! There were so many awesome ones that I could have easily taken home with me.



I didn't get a chance to wish you well on your runs but I will give heartfelt congratulations to your family.

:worship:

I'm so glad to hear you had a wonderful weekend. These Disney races do seem very addictive!

:cheer2:

Thank you!
 
Glad to hear that you had a great trip to London. I enjoyed your FB updates :)

Oh my goodness, those Peter Pan plush!! How could you not?

:rotfl: Landon is a star. :goodvibes

Thanks. This was kind of my "Top Must Do" while living in Europe and so Alex tried really hard to make it great. Including that ridiculous picture of me at the Warner Brothers Studio he posted without me knowing...:sad2::rotfl2:

I don't know where Landon comes up with the stuff he does. The other parents in his class love chatting with him, because they tell me "He keeps us on our toes."



Loved reading more about your day. So cool that you got to the Eiffel Tower when it was so empty.

Must have been so hard to not say anything to that dad at Rainforest!

Love that they had the Peter Pan plushes - so perfect for Landon!

It was a nice change of pace to see a big tourist spot empty of other sightseers! Usually those sorts of places are jam packed with people.



Glad you made it into Paris. Is this your first visit? Where was the awesome brunch at? The plushes are so cute.

This was our first visit into the city. I cannot remember the name of the restaurant, but it was only about a block away from the Eifel Tower, which was the most surprising part of the discovery. We were sure that anyplace we ate that close to a tourist hotspot would be mediocre but it was the complete opposite. Perhaps the price scared off most tourists as it was on the more expensive side. :confused3
 
I'm so glad to hear that you found that many of the DLP CMs had attitude adjustments since your previous trip.

The carousel pictures are awesome! :love:


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The Dragon under the castle sounds really cool!!!

I really love the picture of you and Lesley in front of the castle and the one of your family.

The Speedo vending machine is HILARIOUS!!! Are young boys also required to wear these in the pool or are regular swimsuits ok?

:sad2:


The dragon under the castle is one of my favorite features in DLP!

Yep, boys have to wear the speedos, too. I think if you buy them on the economy they have a little leg to them, though. Like the really short athletic shorts girls wear.



Awwww! So sweet of her!

She MUST go on!!! LOL!

Serves her right. Natural consequences and all that.

YAY!!!!

Yep, time to call it a night!

Fantastic pic of you two!

Oh. My. Gawsh!!! No way. :lmao::lmao::lmao::lmao::lmao:

Moron.

Not sure why, but the tendency to run into rude guests is more likely in the DLP parks. Comes with the park...

I was glad we remembered to take pictures before we parted ways and that it was in front of the DLP castle.

The vending machine is certainly not something you'll find in the Florida parks. But at least they offer an inexpensive option for foreign tourists who have no idea about this rule and only brought long trunks with them. Knowing Disney, they could have just as easily made the poor fellows walk down to the gift shop and drop thirty euros on new bottoms.



Rainforest is one of those places that I think gets away with its crappy food for exactly that reason...tired parents will pick it to entertain their kids through dinner!! I'm glad it hit the spot after a long morning.

Landon with his Peter Pan babies is the sweetest EVER!

Agreed. This was actually our first time eating at any Rainforest Cafe and I KNEW it was going to be mediocre. But with such a busy morning, I needed an easy meal. I had to compromise where I could.
 

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