disneydavey
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Oct 3, 2003
The Journey Wednesday 15th September 2004
Cast
Dave (22 second time at DLP, acts same age as show size)
Caroline (19 Disney Virgin and love of my life, shopaholic)
Ok where to begin, right the night before began as normal, mad panic to pack suitcases, hand luggage, camera toothbrush etc, we decided to take just the one case so that we neednt bother with two and waiting to pick them up the other side, the problem is Caroline LOVES shoes so it was essential that at least 7 pairs were taken for a 5 day trip (2 flip flops 2 pairs of wedges trainers and a pair of high heels for the evening) having explained to her on umpteen occasions that she wouldnt need that many, she assured me that she did and was taking that many.
So guess who ends up with a crevice in the corner of the case for clothes and other stuff? Thats right MOI!
So we struggled and argued about this case and that case till we managed to sort out exactly what went where and whether or not to take another bag with us to put in all our Disneyana. So that was Tuesday night done and dusted.
Wednesday AM, 5.15 to be exact (didnt even know there was a 5.15 am for getting out of bed, Im usually coming home that time from drunken nights out lol). Carolines step dad takes us to the airport for our 8am flight at around 5.45am, we arrive at Liverpool John Lennon at around 6.10, which would have been fine had we been going to Manchester but instead we are on an Easyjet flight in which you dont have to be there an hour before(could have had another half hour in bed, that way 5am wouldnt have seemed so bad) Check in went really well, no problems with passports etc, so with time to kill duty free beckoned as well as a good brekky, but for a good brekky I dont want to pay nearly 14 pounds!!! Anyway we boarded on time and arrived at CDG T3 at around 10.30, and the chaos to get through passport control was unreal, one person at the booth and no lines(more on that problem later)so its 11.15 by the time we get our bags and head out to get the TGV Train from Terminal 2, now we asked at the info desk(??!!??) and he said get the number 5 bus to T2 and the station is there, he failed to mention the fact that we had to stay on till the END of the route as the TGV station is past the Terminal.
Having arrived at the TGV we make our way to the desk to get our tickets, I kept mentioning to Caroline that the train takes 9 minutes as opposed to 45-60 minutes on the VEA buses so we were quite happy getting the train, until we get to the station and find that we have to wait 2 hours for the next train to come to the station.
OH DEAR!!! So a word of advice, see if you can understand the website for the TGV trains as that will tell you when the best times to catch the trains post arrival. We decided that wed pay it and wait around and go for the 2pm train and get something to eat.
Thats when the wheels came off .literally!! The wheel on the suitcase somehow buckled and wouldnt move, so I had to drag it everywhere, and trying to find a trolley in the station isnt the most fun thing Ive ever done I can tell you. We go to sit down and eat and I decide to play the DIY enthusiast and try to fix it myself (bad idea) because id been dragging the flaming thing all through the station the friction had caused the wheel to become hotter than anything, thus in the process of trying to fix said wheel I suffer minor injuries to my hand and fingers (not good when youre the soft sod carrying the case!) I obviously couldnt fix it and therefore had to admit I was down but not beaten.
The train comes in and we board and it really is just that .9 minutes from CDG to Marne Le Valley Chessy no messing around, its a great feeling when your speeding along on the train and you see the first glimpse of Cinderellas castle and Space Mountain.
When we got out of the station, I thought it would be a nice idea to walk to the Hotel from Disney Village, just to soak up the atmosphere and let Caroline see the Hotel from the Lake, good idea at the time till we get out of DV and the wheel on the suitcase COMES OFF!!!! Well heres me trying to lug this 26kg(you read right)suitcase up and down the hill and route to the Newport Bay, picture me with a broken suitcase with the thing in two hands, on my back, with Caroline trying for all of five yards before giving up, so the sun by now is a midday one and very hot and unpleasant when Im wearing a thick wool jumper and tracksuit bottoms, especially when Caroline is sympathising whilst deep down I know full well shes laughing her pants off.
Check in Time 2.45pm, from what really could have been 12pm but seeing as we couldnt get in the Room until around 3 anyway that wasnt so bad, I even asked if I could get some other daft bugger to carry the case because there wasnt a chance that I was going to carry that up to the 4th floor(id just carried it from CDG which was bad enough)
We get up to the Room and its your basic 2 double beds, telly, table and chairs, sink shower bathroom which suited us because you only need to sleep and get drunk in the thing!!
So the case is quickly unpacked and left in corner to think about what its just done! The free soaps go straight in the bag (come on who doesnt????) and we go to look round the hotel, sure enough the place is beautiful but pricey, straight to the bar as I demanded I got a beer (till I saw how much it was, gave that a miss) we decided wed go to La Valley shopping centre at Val deurope, sure enough its one stop after Marne Le Valley, dead easy, straight to the hypermarket and 20 kronenburg for 7 Euros thank you very much! a bottle of champagne, two bags of crisps and a pack of flying saucers sweeties (big spenders or what???)
Back to the room and we need ice, no problem ill go get some from the ice machine down the hall, and leave Caroline to sort herself out with the bathroom arrangements(women like that apparently, plus I wanted to swear a little about my hand so I could do that in peace) so taking the ice bucket in hand I walk out giving the V sign to the suitcase by the bathroom(bloody thing!) so at the ice machine and it doesnt work(my newest nemesis, we shall meet again as it didnt work for the entire five days) no matter ill go up a floor to the posher bits and get some there, well well to my shock horror that never worked either, so I trudge to the 6th floor and manage to get ice(wonder if the rest of the machines knew I was coming) now with my new found ice the first thing I do is dunk my burnt hand into it (you didnt think it was for the beer did you???) then the unthinkable, or maybe not in my case I GET LOST on the 6th floor, oh dear now where do I go looking around a couldnt remember my way back as I had my head down and was too busy thinking about my beer, so I had to go down to the reception and start again because id been there about 30mins and hadnt a clue where I was going.
I get back to the room and the next problem bottle openers, we didnt have one, and I didnt have my keys with me, typical so a stroll to the shop was now in order I asked the helpful gentleman at the till in my nicest scouse excuse me do you sell bottle openers using the open bottle motion at the same time, he then asked his mate because clearly he didnt get what I was doing with my hands, he said go to the bar(which I my wisdom meant No we dont, please dont bother us with your silly questions)
So we gave up on that for the time and went on to Disney village and went over to Disneyland Park, Ah those fond memories of walking up Main Street USA with loved ones comes flooding back, and walking was just what we did, no stop, start, walk round family whod stopped in the middle of your path to take a photo, no people just walking through you like you werent there, it was great really quiet and really peaceful to walk hand in hand with Caroline, especially as this was her first time in Disney and I wanted her to enjoy this moment (Proper smoothy he is Caroline xx) we get to the top of Main Street and we take our time walking round here as it does get crowded round there and made our way to Videopolis to get something to eat, I was disappointed to see that the Visionarium next door had closed as I really liked the US version with Robin Williams as the Voice of the robot, but never mind going into Videopolis we noticed a huge queue gathering outside looking at the map we noticed the Lion King show was to start in 10 minutes, laughing here we can go eat and watch the show, so we took our places at the BACK of the building, where all the tables and chairs are for the dining area (a very good tip rather than queuing outside, go sit up there towards the middle, youll see everything and probably have a better vantage point than most down below) the show was exellent with the sound lighting and acting all choreographed particularly well, a must see.
So after taking our fill of food and Simba and his mates we walked back into FantasyLand where we went on the Pinnochio ride and walked straight on to Peter Pans Flight which was a Surprise, so to get that in early was a real bonus, which now I have to admit is very good, reminds me a lot of the E.T ride at Universal where you go over buildings and above city scapes. Then after that we moved over to Pirates of the Carribean, this has and always will be one of my favourite rides of all time at Disney(as this was only a flying visit we just stayed for an hour or so and felt easier just getting ourselves into the mood, walking around admiring the sites and sounds before we made a real go of it the next day)
We took our leave of DLP around 7ish, so about 2-3 hours in the park and walked back to DV to look for our most prized possession to that date .the bottle opener, now we thought great no problem were bound to find one here, so we tried Planet Hollywood .no luck, until the last shop up by Cafe Mickey get in there!!!! It was like a great weight lifted, now we could get stupid drunk in the room ahaha!
With stomachs rumbling like nothing else, we decided just to get a healthy sandwich at the Sandwich bar after gorging on hamburgers and fries all afternoon, then back to the hotel to look at the pool area and then back to the room for a few beers and an early night before the start of our Trip. Lights out 11.30pm (a long and eventful day indeed).
Next Stop Disney Studios!!!!!
Room Pics and Hotel
Cast
Dave (22 second time at DLP, acts same age as show size)
Caroline (19 Disney Virgin and love of my life, shopaholic)
Ok where to begin, right the night before began as normal, mad panic to pack suitcases, hand luggage, camera toothbrush etc, we decided to take just the one case so that we neednt bother with two and waiting to pick them up the other side, the problem is Caroline LOVES shoes so it was essential that at least 7 pairs were taken for a 5 day trip (2 flip flops 2 pairs of wedges trainers and a pair of high heels for the evening) having explained to her on umpteen occasions that she wouldnt need that many, she assured me that she did and was taking that many.
So guess who ends up with a crevice in the corner of the case for clothes and other stuff? Thats right MOI!
So we struggled and argued about this case and that case till we managed to sort out exactly what went where and whether or not to take another bag with us to put in all our Disneyana. So that was Tuesday night done and dusted.
Wednesday AM, 5.15 to be exact (didnt even know there was a 5.15 am for getting out of bed, Im usually coming home that time from drunken nights out lol). Carolines step dad takes us to the airport for our 8am flight at around 5.45am, we arrive at Liverpool John Lennon at around 6.10, which would have been fine had we been going to Manchester but instead we are on an Easyjet flight in which you dont have to be there an hour before(could have had another half hour in bed, that way 5am wouldnt have seemed so bad) Check in went really well, no problems with passports etc, so with time to kill duty free beckoned as well as a good brekky, but for a good brekky I dont want to pay nearly 14 pounds!!! Anyway we boarded on time and arrived at CDG T3 at around 10.30, and the chaos to get through passport control was unreal, one person at the booth and no lines(more on that problem later)so its 11.15 by the time we get our bags and head out to get the TGV Train from Terminal 2, now we asked at the info desk(??!!??) and he said get the number 5 bus to T2 and the station is there, he failed to mention the fact that we had to stay on till the END of the route as the TGV station is past the Terminal.
Having arrived at the TGV we make our way to the desk to get our tickets, I kept mentioning to Caroline that the train takes 9 minutes as opposed to 45-60 minutes on the VEA buses so we were quite happy getting the train, until we get to the station and find that we have to wait 2 hours for the next train to come to the station.
OH DEAR!!! So a word of advice, see if you can understand the website for the TGV trains as that will tell you when the best times to catch the trains post arrival. We decided that wed pay it and wait around and go for the 2pm train and get something to eat.
Thats when the wheels came off .literally!! The wheel on the suitcase somehow buckled and wouldnt move, so I had to drag it everywhere, and trying to find a trolley in the station isnt the most fun thing Ive ever done I can tell you. We go to sit down and eat and I decide to play the DIY enthusiast and try to fix it myself (bad idea) because id been dragging the flaming thing all through the station the friction had caused the wheel to become hotter than anything, thus in the process of trying to fix said wheel I suffer minor injuries to my hand and fingers (not good when youre the soft sod carrying the case!) I obviously couldnt fix it and therefore had to admit I was down but not beaten.
The train comes in and we board and it really is just that .9 minutes from CDG to Marne Le Valley Chessy no messing around, its a great feeling when your speeding along on the train and you see the first glimpse of Cinderellas castle and Space Mountain.
When we got out of the station, I thought it would be a nice idea to walk to the Hotel from Disney Village, just to soak up the atmosphere and let Caroline see the Hotel from the Lake, good idea at the time till we get out of DV and the wheel on the suitcase COMES OFF!!!! Well heres me trying to lug this 26kg(you read right)suitcase up and down the hill and route to the Newport Bay, picture me with a broken suitcase with the thing in two hands, on my back, with Caroline trying for all of five yards before giving up, so the sun by now is a midday one and very hot and unpleasant when Im wearing a thick wool jumper and tracksuit bottoms, especially when Caroline is sympathising whilst deep down I know full well shes laughing her pants off.
Check in Time 2.45pm, from what really could have been 12pm but seeing as we couldnt get in the Room until around 3 anyway that wasnt so bad, I even asked if I could get some other daft bugger to carry the case because there wasnt a chance that I was going to carry that up to the 4th floor(id just carried it from CDG which was bad enough)
We get up to the Room and its your basic 2 double beds, telly, table and chairs, sink shower bathroom which suited us because you only need to sleep and get drunk in the thing!!
So the case is quickly unpacked and left in corner to think about what its just done! The free soaps go straight in the bag (come on who doesnt????) and we go to look round the hotel, sure enough the place is beautiful but pricey, straight to the bar as I demanded I got a beer (till I saw how much it was, gave that a miss) we decided wed go to La Valley shopping centre at Val deurope, sure enough its one stop after Marne Le Valley, dead easy, straight to the hypermarket and 20 kronenburg for 7 Euros thank you very much! a bottle of champagne, two bags of crisps and a pack of flying saucers sweeties (big spenders or what???)
Back to the room and we need ice, no problem ill go get some from the ice machine down the hall, and leave Caroline to sort herself out with the bathroom arrangements(women like that apparently, plus I wanted to swear a little about my hand so I could do that in peace) so taking the ice bucket in hand I walk out giving the V sign to the suitcase by the bathroom(bloody thing!) so at the ice machine and it doesnt work(my newest nemesis, we shall meet again as it didnt work for the entire five days) no matter ill go up a floor to the posher bits and get some there, well well to my shock horror that never worked either, so I trudge to the 6th floor and manage to get ice(wonder if the rest of the machines knew I was coming) now with my new found ice the first thing I do is dunk my burnt hand into it (you didnt think it was for the beer did you???) then the unthinkable, or maybe not in my case I GET LOST on the 6th floor, oh dear now where do I go looking around a couldnt remember my way back as I had my head down and was too busy thinking about my beer, so I had to go down to the reception and start again because id been there about 30mins and hadnt a clue where I was going.
I get back to the room and the next problem bottle openers, we didnt have one, and I didnt have my keys with me, typical so a stroll to the shop was now in order I asked the helpful gentleman at the till in my nicest scouse excuse me do you sell bottle openers using the open bottle motion at the same time, he then asked his mate because clearly he didnt get what I was doing with my hands, he said go to the bar(which I my wisdom meant No we dont, please dont bother us with your silly questions)
So we gave up on that for the time and went on to Disney village and went over to Disneyland Park, Ah those fond memories of walking up Main Street USA with loved ones comes flooding back, and walking was just what we did, no stop, start, walk round family whod stopped in the middle of your path to take a photo, no people just walking through you like you werent there, it was great really quiet and really peaceful to walk hand in hand with Caroline, especially as this was her first time in Disney and I wanted her to enjoy this moment (Proper smoothy he is Caroline xx) we get to the top of Main Street and we take our time walking round here as it does get crowded round there and made our way to Videopolis to get something to eat, I was disappointed to see that the Visionarium next door had closed as I really liked the US version with Robin Williams as the Voice of the robot, but never mind going into Videopolis we noticed a huge queue gathering outside looking at the map we noticed the Lion King show was to start in 10 minutes, laughing here we can go eat and watch the show, so we took our places at the BACK of the building, where all the tables and chairs are for the dining area (a very good tip rather than queuing outside, go sit up there towards the middle, youll see everything and probably have a better vantage point than most down below) the show was exellent with the sound lighting and acting all choreographed particularly well, a must see.
So after taking our fill of food and Simba and his mates we walked back into FantasyLand where we went on the Pinnochio ride and walked straight on to Peter Pans Flight which was a Surprise, so to get that in early was a real bonus, which now I have to admit is very good, reminds me a lot of the E.T ride at Universal where you go over buildings and above city scapes. Then after that we moved over to Pirates of the Carribean, this has and always will be one of my favourite rides of all time at Disney(as this was only a flying visit we just stayed for an hour or so and felt easier just getting ourselves into the mood, walking around admiring the sites and sounds before we made a real go of it the next day)
We took our leave of DLP around 7ish, so about 2-3 hours in the park and walked back to DV to look for our most prized possession to that date .the bottle opener, now we thought great no problem were bound to find one here, so we tried Planet Hollywood .no luck, until the last shop up by Cafe Mickey get in there!!!! It was like a great weight lifted, now we could get stupid drunk in the room ahaha!
With stomachs rumbling like nothing else, we decided just to get a healthy sandwich at the Sandwich bar after gorging on hamburgers and fries all afternoon, then back to the hotel to look at the pool area and then back to the room for a few beers and an early night before the start of our Trip. Lights out 11.30pm (a long and eventful day indeed).
Next Stop Disney Studios!!!!!
Room Pics and Hotel
