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.
Sunday Sept 19th 2004. Walt Disney Studios
Unfortunately, under 5s have no concept of the term "Sunday Lie In" so we were all up and at em by 7am as usual! Plans for today were the Studios and we wanted to be in the park at opening.
Dunked the smallest members of the family under the shower and commenced the route march down to the lobby. Goofy was on Photo Call this morning, but the queue was too long, so we went downstairs for brekkie. Now, today we were spot on for our allocated slot, so I expected to breeze through this morning. Sadly, the OAP battalions were once again closing rank, this time in the queue to be seated. None of their visciousness had been quelled by 24 hours "in the magic" and it wasnt long before one had nearly pushed Jessie over. Daniel was getting tetchy with the noise so we bailed out. It wasnt worth it for a couple of croissants and an OJ.
We decided to try and eat at Cafe Mickey and if that was full, then a Maccy Ds Egg Mcmuffin would suffice. Took a leisurely stroll round the lake. It was another beautiful morning and a pleasant time was had by all, taking in the sights and sounds of Lake Disney. Arrived at Cafe Mickey, and easily got a table. The place was virtually deserted! Had to park the buggy and take the children up via the stairs as there didnt seem to be a lift. Daniel's tiny little legs struggled a bit, but we go there in the end!
Got a prime seat near the door where the characters appeared from, so we were always first in line for whatever character materialised! Had barely got our bums on the chair before our first character arrived. Now, once again, I have no clue whatsoever as to who it was, but being large and furry, Daniel took an instant shine to him/her/it and was rewarded with oodles of hugs. Jessie was far more interested in what lay under the big silver platters on the buffet, so did a quick obligatory photo with our mystery character and then when to check out the grub!
We are all big fans of Chef Mickey's at WDW, but the buffet here was rather sparse in comparision! There was scrambled eggs, bacon, suspect sausages and, very strangely, boiled new potatoes???? As well as the usual array of rolls, croissants, toast, ham and cheese. Neither Neil or I drink any form of hot drink, so it was OJs all round. For some reason, it was served warm (YUK) and my efforts to convey the word "ice" to a French waiter were quite comical. I think Una Stubbs would have killed to have me on her team on "Give Us A Clue" with my wild gesticulations. He pretended he didnt have a notion what I was on about, but secretly, I think he was just being awkward and knew EXACTLY what I wanted.
Anyway, I digress. After the mystery character, we soon rewarded by the star attraction Mr Michael Mouse himself! I had read that Mickey isnt guaranteed here so I was pleased. Mickey spent ages with us and we got some great pics. Daniel, as usual got more attention than anyone and got a special Mickey head massage from those famous gloves! The best character we had here thought was Pluto. I strongly suspected that Pluto may have not been a native to the land of the Gauls as he wasnt quite as whiffy as some of his peers. Pluto was FAB. He spent forever with the kids and they loved him. This was our best character meet of the trip. I had a Minnie T shirt on which he came over and licked rather lustily. The idea of a 7 foot dog licking my chest should have been unsettling, but it was all done in the best possible taste!
Other characters that we had were Minnie (who was also very good), Brer Fox (who pinched my seat and wouldnt give it back til I kissed him...he must have been French
), Baloo and Chip n Dale. All in all a great place for character meets, even if the food wasnt too great. It cost 46 for all of us and I dont regret a penny, even though I only ate 2 croissants and had a sip of warm juice!
We were a little early for park opening, but wandered over anyway. I think as it was the weekend they must have opened early as we got in about 9:40 and were queueing for Aladdin just before 10. Only a 5 min wait here and we were aboard our Magic Carpet. Everything was going swimmingly until all of a sudden there was an alarming grumble from the carpet and we all ground to a halt. Carpet was at its highest crest and I felt it could be a long wait here in the clouds (well, maybe I exaggerate a tad!). Several worried CMs tinker with the machinery and behold! We come down to the ground again. Luckily, we are all allowed to stay on for another go after this aborted attempt. Second ride passes without incident.
Next we see that the Animagique show is due to start at 10.30, so we get in the line for that. Hadnt got a clue what this was about, so was pleasantly surprised at how good this was. Kids adored it and so did we! A really great show that you musnt miss...very bright, colourful and lots of Disney tunes to sing along to. See if you can manage a French version of "Under The Sea"!
After exiting this show, an army of charcters appear. Sadly, its the usual scrum so we didnt bother. However, behind the "usual" characters a Nemo appeared (a remote controlled one) and Jessie desperately wanted a photo with him. We managed to stay one skip ahead of the pushy kids and Jessie got her photo whilst Neil and I used Daniel's buggy as a barricade against the teeming hordes. That done, we went to explore some of the retailing opportunities and it is then I spot my Holy Grail of Disneyana. Last year in the UK I saw a Peter Pan pirate ship snowglobe which I fell in love with. They sold out within days and I never got one...I usually have to ponder my infrequent snowglobe purchases for a few days before I decide! I did see them on ebay but they were over £100. Imagine my delight when I see the the very one in a shop here and at the bargain price of only 74!! Once again did the package collect for the hotel which wasnt a problem (except for the increasingly large queue that had built up behind). As I left a French lady plonked her purchases down before anyone else had a chance to breathe. Good on the English lady behind who wasnt having any of it. Battle commenced and I never found out who won that particular skirmish.
Wandered round to Rock n Rollercoaster and picked up a couple of FPs that only had 45 mins to become active. Saw that the Cinemagique show was about to start so went in. This went way over the kids heads, but Neil and I enjoyed it immensely!! Martin Short "comes to life" from the audience and partakes in a series of cinematic adventures. Great stuff for adults and older kids. My two had expected something similar to the other show and were a bit disappointed, but sat fairly quietly throughout. I liked the Star Wars bit best!
It was now time for our R&RC FPs. Neil gentlemanly agreed I could go first, so off I went. This is one of my fave rides and I was looking forward to it. Went straight on with no wait! Strapped into my seat next to a rather pongy man, but I didnt care...I was on the BEST ride!! Im a bit of a "rock chick" at heart, so the thumping soundtrack is a bonus to an already great ride. 3-2-1....we were OFF! Oh, FLIPPIN ECK!! MY GLASSES!! Silly fool that I am, forgot to remove my glasses. My excuse is, Im used to riding these sort of things in Florida where I wear my sunnies on a cord round my neck. When I go on an intense ride, I just fold them down and tuck them behind my T Shirt. This time I had on my normal glasses and they left me about 1.8 seconds into the ride.
When I got off I fumbled around the bottom of the car searching frantically. I retrieved a mangled frame but the lenses were gone. The CMs were helpful but had to send the car on otherwise there would have been a pile up. When it came round once more they did search again, but my lenses were probaby smashed on the tracks somewhere. That little incident cost me nearly £400 when we got home
.
Now blind, I exit the ride a bit downcast. Well, actually, Im not blind, my vision is only about -1/1.5 but as I am USED to wearing my glasses everything seems very blurry. Neil dishes out a few minutes of sympathy then pops off for his turn on R&RC.
Next, we had planned to do the Moteurs Action Stunt Show, but the queue!! It snaked for half the length of the park. It seemed that a lot of people had come in just to see this. We didnt fancy waiting in that huge line so wandered over to the backlot tour. A 50 minute wait!! Where had everyone come from! Suddenly, the park was mobbed. We decided that we would leave and go to the Village for some lunch. The Rainforest Cafe was the restaurant of choice and we were seated immediately. I prefer this one to the Orlando ones, in that its not as dark, cold or noisy!
This is the only place at DLP that we had eaten before, so were hoping for a good meal again. Still no free refills on sodas, so I ordered water that was better value. Kids had their usual chicken strips and fries, Neil had a burger and I had the Rainforest Noodles. Once again, the food was very mediocre. The kids meals were fine (it would take a very poor place indeed to stuff up chicken and fries!!) but the sauce that my noodles were cooked in was terribly acidic and almost inedible. On trying to complain, our waiter who had been fairly fluent in English only minutes before, suddenly remembered he knew nothing of our language and certainly not the words "this is disgusting, take it back". Neil announced his burger "OK" and I ordered a side of garlic bread to take away the taste of the yukky noodle sauce.
Had to wait AN ETERNITY for the desserts which were OK. Overall I would score it..Food 5/10, service 4/10, atmosphere 7/10.
By now, Jessie was most put out that the ONLY ride she had done today was Aladdin, so it was off to the Disneyland park (or "proper park" as Jessie called it) and where else but Fantasyland!! After yet more goes on all our favourites, we headed over to the play area near Captain Hook's ship. Kids enjoyed this bit a lot and it was nice to sit back and relax for a bit. After this we walked round to the petting farm where once again, adults could sit and let the kids loose as it was all gated. Daniel played hide n seek with some chickens and Jessie got up close and personal with a donkey. Headed over to Discoveryland but this was a bit of a disaster. The little car ride was in rehab, the rocket ride was in rehab, Timekeeper was closed, just missed a Honey I shrunk the audience and the Lion King show was full (again). I cant ride Space Mountain here as its too jerky and Neil wasnt keen to have another go, so we left on the train after completing diddly squat!
Rode the train round to Main St where we could see the parade coming down. We have allocated tomorrow to see it properly from the kerbside. Stayed on the train to...come on have you guessed yet? Yes, FANTASYLAND! More goes on "old faves" until Neil and I are begging for mercy. Threatened Neil I would download Its a small world as a ringtone for his mobile if we didnt leave SOON! Jessie requests one go on the carousel before we leave and as there is no real line, I oblige. We are one of the first to get on and Jessie picks one of the biggest horses, which I have to hoist her onto. I keep one foot on the horse next to her as I wont let her ride the big horses without me next to her. Naturally enough, even though most of the carousel is empty a French lady plonks her child onto "my" horse. Using one of my three French words I say "NON" and wave at all the OTHER EMPTY horses she could pick. This doesnt work so I resort to say all of my French words really quickly, hoping that a crazy English woman who THINKS she knows what she is saying is more intimidating than my hand gestures. It works! She mumbles "Sacre Bleu" or (something a bit more rude maybe) under her breath and plonks her child on one of the free steeds. I have no idea why she wanted the one next to Jessie so badly.
Ho hum, another battle over, we decide to head back to the hotel. Neil walks with Daniel in the buggy and Jessie (who pronouces she cant walk another step) opts for the bus with me.
Back at the hotel we decide to try the restaurant here for Dinner. We are very pleasantly surprised as all the staff are lovely and the food is fantastic. The kids get a set menu buffet for 10 each which comprises of a good array of dishes, plus they get a drink, dessert and toy. Neil and I go for the "Captains Sampler Platter" which is a big plate of calamari, fish chunks, cheese balls, chicken wings and salad, followed by sirloin steak with a tureen of veg and roasted herb potatoes. Absolutely delish, the best meal we have eaten since we arrived! We pinched a brownie each from the kids dessert buffet and retired to the room by 8pm!
Neil took Jessie down to the pool (it was open tonight) and I settled Daniel for bed, grabbed a shower and read my book.
Tomorrow: Daniel is 2!
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.
Sunday Sept 19th 2004. Walt Disney Studios
Unfortunately, under 5s have no concept of the term "Sunday Lie In" so we were all up and at em by 7am as usual! Plans for today were the Studios and we wanted to be in the park at opening.
Dunked the smallest members of the family under the shower and commenced the route march down to the lobby. Goofy was on Photo Call this morning, but the queue was too long, so we went downstairs for brekkie. Now, today we were spot on for our allocated slot, so I expected to breeze through this morning. Sadly, the OAP battalions were once again closing rank, this time in the queue to be seated. None of their visciousness had been quelled by 24 hours "in the magic" and it wasnt long before one had nearly pushed Jessie over. Daniel was getting tetchy with the noise so we bailed out. It wasnt worth it for a couple of croissants and an OJ.
We decided to try and eat at Cafe Mickey and if that was full, then a Maccy Ds Egg Mcmuffin would suffice. Took a leisurely stroll round the lake. It was another beautiful morning and a pleasant time was had by all, taking in the sights and sounds of Lake Disney. Arrived at Cafe Mickey, and easily got a table. The place was virtually deserted! Had to park the buggy and take the children up via the stairs as there didnt seem to be a lift. Daniel's tiny little legs struggled a bit, but we go there in the end!
Got a prime seat near the door where the characters appeared from, so we were always first in line for whatever character materialised! Had barely got our bums on the chair before our first character arrived. Now, once again, I have no clue whatsoever as to who it was, but being large and furry, Daniel took an instant shine to him/her/it and was rewarded with oodles of hugs. Jessie was far more interested in what lay under the big silver platters on the buffet, so did a quick obligatory photo with our mystery character and then when to check out the grub!
We are all big fans of Chef Mickey's at WDW, but the buffet here was rather sparse in comparision! There was scrambled eggs, bacon, suspect sausages and, very strangely, boiled new potatoes???? As well as the usual array of rolls, croissants, toast, ham and cheese. Neither Neil or I drink any form of hot drink, so it was OJs all round. For some reason, it was served warm (YUK) and my efforts to convey the word "ice" to a French waiter were quite comical. I think Una Stubbs would have killed to have me on her team on "Give Us A Clue" with my wild gesticulations. He pretended he didnt have a notion what I was on about, but secretly, I think he was just being awkward and knew EXACTLY what I wanted.
Anyway, I digress. After the mystery character, we soon rewarded by the star attraction Mr Michael Mouse himself! I had read that Mickey isnt guaranteed here so I was pleased. Mickey spent ages with us and we got some great pics. Daniel, as usual got more attention than anyone and got a special Mickey head massage from those famous gloves! The best character we had here thought was Pluto. I strongly suspected that Pluto may have not been a native to the land of the Gauls as he wasnt quite as whiffy as some of his peers. Pluto was FAB. He spent forever with the kids and they loved him. This was our best character meet of the trip. I had a Minnie T shirt on which he came over and licked rather lustily. The idea of a 7 foot dog licking my chest should have been unsettling, but it was all done in the best possible taste!
Other characters that we had were Minnie (who was also very good), Brer Fox (who pinched my seat and wouldnt give it back til I kissed him...he must have been French
), Baloo and Chip n Dale. All in all a great place for character meets, even if the food wasnt too great. It cost 46 for all of us and I dont regret a penny, even though I only ate 2 croissants and had a sip of warm juice!We were a little early for park opening, but wandered over anyway. I think as it was the weekend they must have opened early as we got in about 9:40 and were queueing for Aladdin just before 10. Only a 5 min wait here and we were aboard our Magic Carpet. Everything was going swimmingly until all of a sudden there was an alarming grumble from the carpet and we all ground to a halt. Carpet was at its highest crest and I felt it could be a long wait here in the clouds (well, maybe I exaggerate a tad!). Several worried CMs tinker with the machinery and behold! We come down to the ground again. Luckily, we are all allowed to stay on for another go after this aborted attempt. Second ride passes without incident.
Next we see that the Animagique show is due to start at 10.30, so we get in the line for that. Hadnt got a clue what this was about, so was pleasantly surprised at how good this was. Kids adored it and so did we! A really great show that you musnt miss...very bright, colourful and lots of Disney tunes to sing along to. See if you can manage a French version of "Under The Sea"!
After exiting this show, an army of charcters appear. Sadly, its the usual scrum so we didnt bother. However, behind the "usual" characters a Nemo appeared (a remote controlled one) and Jessie desperately wanted a photo with him. We managed to stay one skip ahead of the pushy kids and Jessie got her photo whilst Neil and I used Daniel's buggy as a barricade against the teeming hordes. That done, we went to explore some of the retailing opportunities and it is then I spot my Holy Grail of Disneyana. Last year in the UK I saw a Peter Pan pirate ship snowglobe which I fell in love with. They sold out within days and I never got one...I usually have to ponder my infrequent snowglobe purchases for a few days before I decide! I did see them on ebay but they were over £100. Imagine my delight when I see the the very one in a shop here and at the bargain price of only 74!! Once again did the package collect for the hotel which wasnt a problem (except for the increasingly large queue that had built up behind). As I left a French lady plonked her purchases down before anyone else had a chance to breathe. Good on the English lady behind who wasnt having any of it. Battle commenced and I never found out who won that particular skirmish.
Wandered round to Rock n Rollercoaster and picked up a couple of FPs that only had 45 mins to become active. Saw that the Cinemagique show was about to start so went in. This went way over the kids heads, but Neil and I enjoyed it immensely!! Martin Short "comes to life" from the audience and partakes in a series of cinematic adventures. Great stuff for adults and older kids. My two had expected something similar to the other show and were a bit disappointed, but sat fairly quietly throughout. I liked the Star Wars bit best!
It was now time for our R&RC FPs. Neil gentlemanly agreed I could go first, so off I went. This is one of my fave rides and I was looking forward to it. Went straight on with no wait! Strapped into my seat next to a rather pongy man, but I didnt care...I was on the BEST ride!! Im a bit of a "rock chick" at heart, so the thumping soundtrack is a bonus to an already great ride. 3-2-1....we were OFF! Oh, FLIPPIN ECK!! MY GLASSES!! Silly fool that I am, forgot to remove my glasses. My excuse is, Im used to riding these sort of things in Florida where I wear my sunnies on a cord round my neck. When I go on an intense ride, I just fold them down and tuck them behind my T Shirt. This time I had on my normal glasses and they left me about 1.8 seconds into the ride.
When I got off I fumbled around the bottom of the car searching frantically. I retrieved a mangled frame but the lenses were gone. The CMs were helpful but had to send the car on otherwise there would have been a pile up. When it came round once more they did search again, but my lenses were probaby smashed on the tracks somewhere. That little incident cost me nearly £400 when we got home
.Now blind, I exit the ride a bit downcast. Well, actually, Im not blind, my vision is only about -1/1.5 but as I am USED to wearing my glasses everything seems very blurry. Neil dishes out a few minutes of sympathy then pops off for his turn on R&RC.
Next, we had planned to do the Moteurs Action Stunt Show, but the queue!! It snaked for half the length of the park. It seemed that a lot of people had come in just to see this. We didnt fancy waiting in that huge line so wandered over to the backlot tour. A 50 minute wait!! Where had everyone come from! Suddenly, the park was mobbed. We decided that we would leave and go to the Village for some lunch. The Rainforest Cafe was the restaurant of choice and we were seated immediately. I prefer this one to the Orlando ones, in that its not as dark, cold or noisy!
This is the only place at DLP that we had eaten before, so were hoping for a good meal again. Still no free refills on sodas, so I ordered water that was better value. Kids had their usual chicken strips and fries, Neil had a burger and I had the Rainforest Noodles. Once again, the food was very mediocre. The kids meals were fine (it would take a very poor place indeed to stuff up chicken and fries!!) but the sauce that my noodles were cooked in was terribly acidic and almost inedible. On trying to complain, our waiter who had been fairly fluent in English only minutes before, suddenly remembered he knew nothing of our language and certainly not the words "this is disgusting, take it back". Neil announced his burger "OK" and I ordered a side of garlic bread to take away the taste of the yukky noodle sauce.
Had to wait AN ETERNITY for the desserts which were OK. Overall I would score it..Food 5/10, service 4/10, atmosphere 7/10.
By now, Jessie was most put out that the ONLY ride she had done today was Aladdin, so it was off to the Disneyland park (or "proper park" as Jessie called it) and where else but Fantasyland!! After yet more goes on all our favourites, we headed over to the play area near Captain Hook's ship. Kids enjoyed this bit a lot and it was nice to sit back and relax for a bit. After this we walked round to the petting farm where once again, adults could sit and let the kids loose as it was all gated. Daniel played hide n seek with some chickens and Jessie got up close and personal with a donkey. Headed over to Discoveryland but this was a bit of a disaster. The little car ride was in rehab, the rocket ride was in rehab, Timekeeper was closed, just missed a Honey I shrunk the audience and the Lion King show was full (again). I cant ride Space Mountain here as its too jerky and Neil wasnt keen to have another go, so we left on the train after completing diddly squat!
Rode the train round to Main St where we could see the parade coming down. We have allocated tomorrow to see it properly from the kerbside. Stayed on the train to...come on have you guessed yet? Yes, FANTASYLAND! More goes on "old faves" until Neil and I are begging for mercy. Threatened Neil I would download Its a small world as a ringtone for his mobile if we didnt leave SOON! Jessie requests one go on the carousel before we leave and as there is no real line, I oblige. We are one of the first to get on and Jessie picks one of the biggest horses, which I have to hoist her onto. I keep one foot on the horse next to her as I wont let her ride the big horses without me next to her. Naturally enough, even though most of the carousel is empty a French lady plonks her child onto "my" horse. Using one of my three French words I say "NON" and wave at all the OTHER EMPTY horses she could pick. This doesnt work so I resort to say all of my French words really quickly, hoping that a crazy English woman who THINKS she knows what she is saying is more intimidating than my hand gestures. It works! She mumbles "Sacre Bleu" or (something a bit more rude maybe) under her breath and plonks her child on one of the free steeds. I have no idea why she wanted the one next to Jessie so badly.
Ho hum, another battle over, we decide to head back to the hotel. Neil walks with Daniel in the buggy and Jessie (who pronouces she cant walk another step) opts for the bus with me.
Back at the hotel we decide to try the restaurant here for Dinner. We are very pleasantly surprised as all the staff are lovely and the food is fantastic. The kids get a set menu buffet for 10 each which comprises of a good array of dishes, plus they get a drink, dessert and toy. Neil and I go for the "Captains Sampler Platter" which is a big plate of calamari, fish chunks, cheese balls, chicken wings and salad, followed by sirloin steak with a tureen of veg and roasted herb potatoes. Absolutely delish, the best meal we have eaten since we arrived! We pinched a brownie each from the kids dessert buffet
and retired to the room by 8pm! Neil took Jessie down to the pool (it was open tonight) and I settled Daniel for bed, grabbed a shower and read my book.
Tomorrow: Daniel is 2!
