allie5
<font color=blue>WARNING! DHL men should be cautio
- Joined
- Apr 12, 2002
Cast Members:
Allie (me!) - 37, Disney fan and shopaholic
Neil, DH, 31, A very generous soul who finances my Disney Plans and Schemes!
Jessamy, DD aged 4. Fantasyland is her second home! Peter Pan her fave film, ride and character!
Daniel-Noah, DS aged 2. Character junkie. Loves anything tall and furry.
Day 2 Saturday Sept 18th 2004
After an unsettled night, Daniel finally crashed out around 4.30am. We awoke a little zombiefied around 7am!! Everyone was excited after yesterday's little taster of the Disneyland park and we were eager to get going. There was no way we were going to be in time for that silly breakfast time slot we had pre allocated, so we took our time getting the kidlets ready and enjoying the sunny morning from the balcony.
We set off on our trek to the lobby around 8am and found it in chaos. Hundreds of people milling about, checking in, checking out or just creating blocades to prevent folk with strollers getting to lifts. As we walked past the shop, we saw Mickey in the lobby signing autographs and having photos. This was a regular thing, and each morning a different character was here.
This was the ONLY place where character meets were controlled by a CM (everywhere else was a free for all) so Neil stood in line with the children whilst I went off to the concierge desk to sort out some dinner reservations. I asked to book the Lucky Nugget for lunch that day and Cafe Mickey for Monday breakfast (Daniel's birthday) I also asked if they had had any cancellations for the Fantasyland breakfasts. No probs with the Lucky Nugget ressie but I was still told that Cafe Mickey couldnt be booked "til the day before". He then sent me over to check in to ask about the Fantasyland breakfast. Amazingly, different day, different CM who miraculously appeared with a big box of vouchers for Fantasyland breakfasts!!! I chose Monday as the elusive Cafe Mickey seemed unattainable!
We then made our way downstairs to the restaurants. My goodness! It was totally mobbed. The queue for both places was huge and there was no order to the lines. We stood for ages until we were seated. No one took any notice of the timed slot and we were just shown through to a table. I asked for a high chair but didnt get one. Neil took Jessie to the buffet and was gone for eternity. They return with a croissant and a bread roll!
When I venture up myself I can see the problem. Barrages of giant French OAPs had desecended on the buffet en masse. Nothing was standing between them and their morning croissant. Women and small children were elbowed aside with an evil glint. Stubby, wrinkly fingers smacked aside anyone else who might nick that tasty looking slice of ham or cube of cheese. Walking sticks and zimmer frames were used as Weapons Of Mass Destruction, clearing chairs, tables and assorted waiting staff aside, swiftly and with a hint of pleasure I detected.
Well, it took sometime to procure enough items to feed the family, but finally, England triumphed over France once more as I found another layout of identical buffet items on the opposite side of the besieged buffet. The Bodacean tribe of OAPs hadnt spotted this treasure and we feasted triumphantly.
We made our way back to the lobby to pick up some juice in the shop and spotted the bus outside, so although we were going to walk, we took that instead. Got to the park at opening and wandered down Main St slowly, taking in the sights and sounds. There were a few characters about, but greets were done "French Style"...i.e the pushiest, most obnoxious children get to meet, but ordinary, polite ones didnt stand a chance. Unless you were lucky enough to spot a character when they first appeared, then it wasnt worth it.
There wasnt much of a plan of action today, and we knew any attempt to ride anything even a shade more exciting than the Teacups would meet with protests from the teeny ones! We accepted our fate happily though and meandered through to Fantasyland as usual! Did all the usual suspects with no serious waits. FP'd Peter Pan for another go later on. Baby swapped with Daniel and took it in turns to ride the more adventurous ones with Jessie (no, I dont mean Space Mountain, I mean Pinnochio and Snow White that were a little too much for Daniel!!). Daniel was quite happy sitting anywhere as long as he could see the Windmill near Alice's Maze so we stayed around that area for quite sometime! One thing that REALLY annoyed me was that everytime I found a nice little spot to stop with him, (whilst waiting for Neil and Jessie), someone would ALWAYS light up a cigarette next to us. Daniel suffers from terrible asthma and I found this to be a real problem here. It probably wouldnt bother me if it was just Neil and I, but I had to be very aware of not letting Daniel breathe the smoke and it was sometimes very, very hard. They really need to address this problem here and make allocated smoking areas like at MK.
Anyway, all Fantasyland rides were done by lunchtime, except the little train ride and the carousel. We made our way over to Frontierland and the Lucky Nugget saloon. It wasnt busy and we were seated immediately. The buffet had a good selection of dishes from Paella, fajitas and steak to chicken nuggets and pizza for the children. The food was adequate, but not amazing. Dishes were left out for sometime and left to go cold. The characters were quite odd choices, but friendly enough. Im not QUITE sure who a lot of them were!! The only ones I can say for certain were Chip n Dale, Mickey and Friar Tuck. Now, Daniel is a complete and utter character fan. He LOVES them and for some reason has a real empathy with anything six foot tall and dressed in fur or a bright costume! ALL the characters spent ages with him. Friar Tuck took him waltzing round the room in his high chair which he LOVED and Chip (or possibly Dale!) lifted him up for a snuggle. They did play with Jessie as well, but for some reason, Daniel always got a bit of extra attention. Jessie didnt mind as she enjoyed watching all the things the characters got up to with him!
As we were about to leave a Jazz band started playing live. Daniel may love characters but he hates loud music, so this was our cue to leave. Im sure the band were very good, but I felt it was far too loud for this smallish restaurant. A lot of young ones didnt like the intensity of the music and personally, I think this may have been better left for later dinner diners.
Now, you may think as we were in Frontierland, home of some of the bigger, more exciting rides, that my trip report will suddenly become full of tales of adventurous excursions on Big Thunder Mountain, The Haunted Mansion and Indiana Jones. Tragically not, dear reader, as our two were itching to get back to Fantasyland and ride the tiny little train and have another go on Its A Small World and Peter Pan! Did Peter Pan first as we had the FPs that just became active. Then round to IASW. Much as this twee little journey CAN be more annoying than a Richard Madelely interview, the looks on the kids faces as we went round were a picture. They both love this ride and as it wont be open when we go to Florida at Christmas, we had to make the most of it here. It was a walk on the entire time we in DLP so we did it A LOT! Have to say the one here is far superior to the pre rehabed one at MK.
After this we walked round to Discoveryland hoping to catch the Lion King show. No such luck, the queue had started for the NEXT performance and the impending one was full. The children were flagging a bit by now, so we decided to leave the park and go out in the car for a little while to give the kids a rest. Did a quick turn on the carousel on the way out! Decided to drive over to Val d'Europe for a little shopping! Found it no problem and had a wander round for an hour or two. There is a big Auchan supermarket here that is handy for groceries or essential purchases of wine or beer! Picked up a Macdonalds for tea and were quite impressed that the kids meals (fish stars) came with a fresh orange drink, yoghurt and fruit.
Got back to the hotel around 7pm. Neil decided to take Jessie swimming whilst I settled Daniel for bed. Luckily, tonight was easier and he went down without a struggle! Once he was asleep I could move around the room normally with enough light to read by!! Neil came back very quickly reporting that the pool was closed for cleaning!! Jessie was a bit miffed so I offered to take her down to the village for a spot of "all girls together retail therapy"!!!. Neil admitted defeat and settled back with a beer and French telly!
Jessie and I walked to the village in about 5 minutes. There was a carousel that cost 2 a go and even though the Disney one in the park was twice as big (and free) I still get stung for a ride! We wandered round the shops and Jessie spots the giant Cinderellas Castle that her little friend had brought back from DLP last year (and had been the scource of much envy ever since!!). It came in a HUGE box, so I thought I would try the "sending it to the hotel" route. I wasnt expecting this to go smoothly, but I had a lovely CM (who may have had a passing resemblence to Russell Crowe, hence any faults may not have been noted too carefully
) and after sometime, he managed to work out how this was done and I was away with my little yellow ticket and instructions to collect at the hotel shop after 6pm tomorrow. Wave rather wistfully goodbye to my Russell lookalike and set off back to the hotel. There is a little train thing that runs around the hotels from the village, so I paid another 2 to get us home!
Tomorrow: Walt Disney Studios!
Allie (me!) - 37, Disney fan and shopaholic
Neil, DH, 31, A very generous soul who finances my Disney Plans and Schemes!
Jessamy, DD aged 4. Fantasyland is her second home! Peter Pan her fave film, ride and character!
Daniel-Noah, DS aged 2. Character junkie. Loves anything tall and furry.
Day 2 Saturday Sept 18th 2004
After an unsettled night, Daniel finally crashed out around 4.30am. We awoke a little zombiefied around 7am!! Everyone was excited after yesterday's little taster of the Disneyland park and we were eager to get going. There was no way we were going to be in time for that silly breakfast time slot we had pre allocated, so we took our time getting the kidlets ready and enjoying the sunny morning from the balcony.
We set off on our trek to the lobby around 8am and found it in chaos. Hundreds of people milling about, checking in, checking out or just creating blocades to prevent folk with strollers getting to lifts. As we walked past the shop, we saw Mickey in the lobby signing autographs and having photos. This was a regular thing, and each morning a different character was here.
This was the ONLY place where character meets were controlled by a CM (everywhere else was a free for all) so Neil stood in line with the children whilst I went off to the concierge desk to sort out some dinner reservations. I asked to book the Lucky Nugget for lunch that day and Cafe Mickey for Monday breakfast (Daniel's birthday) I also asked if they had had any cancellations for the Fantasyland breakfasts. No probs with the Lucky Nugget ressie but I was still told that Cafe Mickey couldnt be booked "til the day before". He then sent me over to check in to ask about the Fantasyland breakfast. Amazingly, different day, different CM who miraculously appeared with a big box of vouchers for Fantasyland breakfasts!!! I chose Monday as the elusive Cafe Mickey seemed unattainable!
We then made our way downstairs to the restaurants. My goodness! It was totally mobbed. The queue for both places was huge and there was no order to the lines. We stood for ages until we were seated. No one took any notice of the timed slot and we were just shown through to a table. I asked for a high chair but didnt get one. Neil took Jessie to the buffet and was gone for eternity. They return with a croissant and a bread roll!
When I venture up myself I can see the problem. Barrages of giant French OAPs had desecended on the buffet en masse. Nothing was standing between them and their morning croissant. Women and small children were elbowed aside with an evil glint. Stubby, wrinkly fingers smacked aside anyone else who might nick that tasty looking slice of ham or cube of cheese. Walking sticks and zimmer frames were used as Weapons Of Mass Destruction, clearing chairs, tables and assorted waiting staff aside, swiftly and with a hint of pleasure I detected.
Well, it took sometime to procure enough items to feed the family, but finally, England triumphed over France once more as I found another layout of identical buffet items on the opposite side of the besieged buffet. The Bodacean tribe of OAPs hadnt spotted this treasure and we feasted triumphantly.
We made our way back to the lobby to pick up some juice in the shop and spotted the bus outside, so although we were going to walk, we took that instead. Got to the park at opening and wandered down Main St slowly, taking in the sights and sounds. There were a few characters about, but greets were done "French Style"...i.e the pushiest, most obnoxious children get to meet, but ordinary, polite ones didnt stand a chance. Unless you were lucky enough to spot a character when they first appeared, then it wasnt worth it.
There wasnt much of a plan of action today, and we knew any attempt to ride anything even a shade more exciting than the Teacups would meet with protests from the teeny ones! We accepted our fate happily though and meandered through to Fantasyland as usual! Did all the usual suspects with no serious waits. FP'd Peter Pan for another go later on. Baby swapped with Daniel and took it in turns to ride the more adventurous ones with Jessie (no, I dont mean Space Mountain, I mean Pinnochio and Snow White that were a little too much for Daniel!!). Daniel was quite happy sitting anywhere as long as he could see the Windmill near Alice's Maze so we stayed around that area for quite sometime! One thing that REALLY annoyed me was that everytime I found a nice little spot to stop with him, (whilst waiting for Neil and Jessie), someone would ALWAYS light up a cigarette next to us. Daniel suffers from terrible asthma and I found this to be a real problem here. It probably wouldnt bother me if it was just Neil and I, but I had to be very aware of not letting Daniel breathe the smoke and it was sometimes very, very hard. They really need to address this problem here and make allocated smoking areas like at MK.
Anyway, all Fantasyland rides were done by lunchtime, except the little train ride and the carousel. We made our way over to Frontierland and the Lucky Nugget saloon. It wasnt busy and we were seated immediately. The buffet had a good selection of dishes from Paella, fajitas and steak to chicken nuggets and pizza for the children. The food was adequate, but not amazing. Dishes were left out for sometime and left to go cold. The characters were quite odd choices, but friendly enough. Im not QUITE sure who a lot of them were!! The only ones I can say for certain were Chip n Dale, Mickey and Friar Tuck. Now, Daniel is a complete and utter character fan. He LOVES them and for some reason has a real empathy with anything six foot tall and dressed in fur or a bright costume! ALL the characters spent ages with him. Friar Tuck took him waltzing round the room in his high chair which he LOVED and Chip (or possibly Dale!) lifted him up for a snuggle. They did play with Jessie as well, but for some reason, Daniel always got a bit of extra attention. Jessie didnt mind as she enjoyed watching all the things the characters got up to with him!
As we were about to leave a Jazz band started playing live. Daniel may love characters but he hates loud music, so this was our cue to leave. Im sure the band were very good, but I felt it was far too loud for this smallish restaurant. A lot of young ones didnt like the intensity of the music and personally, I think this may have been better left for later dinner diners.
Now, you may think as we were in Frontierland, home of some of the bigger, more exciting rides, that my trip report will suddenly become full of tales of adventurous excursions on Big Thunder Mountain, The Haunted Mansion and Indiana Jones. Tragically not, dear reader, as our two were itching to get back to Fantasyland and ride the tiny little train and have another go on Its A Small World and Peter Pan! Did Peter Pan first as we had the FPs that just became active. Then round to IASW. Much as this twee little journey CAN be more annoying than a Richard Madelely interview, the looks on the kids faces as we went round were a picture. They both love this ride and as it wont be open when we go to Florida at Christmas, we had to make the most of it here. It was a walk on the entire time we in DLP so we did it A LOT! Have to say the one here is far superior to the pre rehabed one at MK.
After this we walked round to Discoveryland hoping to catch the Lion King show. No such luck, the queue had started for the NEXT performance and the impending one was full. The children were flagging a bit by now, so we decided to leave the park and go out in the car for a little while to give the kids a rest. Did a quick turn on the carousel on the way out! Decided to drive over to Val d'Europe for a little shopping! Found it no problem and had a wander round for an hour or two. There is a big Auchan supermarket here that is handy for groceries or essential purchases of wine or beer! Picked up a Macdonalds for tea and were quite impressed that the kids meals (fish stars) came with a fresh orange drink, yoghurt and fruit.
Got back to the hotel around 7pm. Neil decided to take Jessie swimming whilst I settled Daniel for bed. Luckily, tonight was easier and he went down without a struggle! Once he was asleep I could move around the room normally with enough light to read by!! Neil came back very quickly reporting that the pool was closed for cleaning!! Jessie was a bit miffed so I offered to take her down to the village for a spot of "all girls together retail therapy"!!!. Neil admitted defeat and settled back with a beer and French telly!
Jessie and I walked to the village in about 5 minutes. There was a carousel that cost 2 a go and even though the Disney one in the park was twice as big (and free) I still get stung for a ride! We wandered round the shops and Jessie spots the giant Cinderellas Castle that her little friend had brought back from DLP last year (and had been the scource of much envy ever since!!). It came in a HUGE box, so I thought I would try the "sending it to the hotel" route. I wasnt expecting this to go smoothly, but I had a lovely CM (who may have had a passing resemblence to Russell Crowe, hence any faults may not have been noted too carefully
) and after sometime, he managed to work out how this was done and I was away with my little yellow ticket and instructions to collect at the hotel shop after 6pm tomorrow. Wave rather wistfully goodbye to my Russell lookalike and set off back to the hotel. There is a little train thing that runs around the hotels from the village, so I paid another 2 to get us home!Tomorrow: Walt Disney Studios!
