jodyb
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Oct 15, 1999
Hard to believe I am writing a trip report... guess that means trip is over?? :-( (Just till next time!)
First a general comment - we had a FANTASTIC time. We LOVE DLP, we think it has every bit the magic of WDW, and we find the CM's friendly, willing to speak English, and in general the parks are clean and well-maintained. In short -MAGICAL! So... on to my report... (Warning I tend to be long winded when writing....)
Liav and Jody's Excellent DLP Adventure 2005
Cast:
Liav (13)
Jody (Old enough to be her Mom...
)
Part 1 – preparation, journey, and DAY ONE.
Well the day finally dawned – it's TODAY!! For some reason Saturday, Jan. 8 actually found me a little grumpy, and I had no idea why!! I should be ecstatic!! We leave tonight! I've been thinking and dreaming and planning about this trip for what seems like forever! Okay… I packed every warm item of clothing we owned (remembering Laura in her bear coat I knew we'd better be prepared! , took a last look at the boards and at my work email… and at 8 PM the airport shuttle picked us up for the 2 hour drive to Ben Gurion Airport – brand new Terminal 3!!! The new Israeli international airport just opened in November and we were so excited to see what all the excitement was about! First impression – it's HUGE! And CLEAN! (not that the old airport was bad – in fact in comparison with many airports in the world Ben Gurion Terminal 1 was quite nice, modern, and really fine. However, it had gotten much too small, and we were quite tired of having no 'gates' – passengers were bussed from the terminal out to the tarmac where the planes waited and had to climb the steep stairs up to the cabin – on 747's and the like that was quite a climb. Anyway, enough about that – the new airport is lovely, and the new duty free area very attractive, but we were so exhausted that at about 11 PM we fell asleep in the easy chairs by the central fountain, and – I'm not kidding – almost missed the last call for our flight!! At 1:30 AM we walked through the sleeve to the plane (yay!) and promptly fell asleep again for the 5 hour flight to Paris. (Well, Liav slept, I sort of dozed – I never really sleep on planes.) At 5:30 AM Paris time (6:30 our time) we arrived at CDG Terminal 1. I absolutely hate this airport. I think it is a complete disgrace to Paris and I simply cannot understand how they allow it to remain in such a condition! It's truly shameful, and depressing to arrive there for a first look at what is supposed to be the most beautiful city in the world. Alright, I went on about this last year too, so I won't bore you further with it… but… have I mentioned I hate CDG Terminal 1???? And have I mentioned that Tel Aviv has a wonderful shiny new airport?? Okay, okay, someone stop me… this is supposed to be a DLP trip report! So on with that….
After having lookedinto all the various possibilities (which are limited at 5:30 AM) I had ordered the Euro City Shuttle – 75 Euros for one way to any DLP hotel for up to (I believe) 7 people. This is an Israeli company, and if I may put in a plug for my countrymen who reside in Paris, they run a very good business. (I have absolutely NO actual interest in their business - this is just my opinion) The driver was friendly, the van was clean and comfortable and the service was excellent. The driver was waiting with a sign with our name, and helped with our luggage at both ends of the journey to the hotel. I had only ordered a one way trip, figuring we'd use the VEA on the return to the airport, which was at a more normal hour and only about half the price…so the driver gave me his card in case I might change my mind… (stay tuned).
It was dark during the ride to the Disneyland Hotel. But when the lights of the hotel came into sight I immediately felt the "magic"!!! Pulling up to the front entrance I got very excited, and woke Liav up to see the magnificent lobby…
Nobody was about outside and the lobby was deserted. The Christmas decorations and the elegance of the hotel were VERY impressive. The driver waited with the luggage and Liav while I went in search of someone to check us in. A CM appeared behind the far counter and I went and told him we were arriving for Castle Club. He immediately sprang into action – calling someone to escort us to Castle Club, and another someone to deal with our bags. In less than a minute we were in the hands of a friendly CM who took us up a lift to the Castle Club desk. Another wow! The 3rd floor was so beautifully decorated, and lovely Christmas music was piped into the hallways. One could not help but be relaxed and happy in such an atmosphere!
By now it was 7 AM, but nobody was stirring that we could see, except for Giorgio, our CM who quickly checked us in and announced that OUR ROOM WAS READY!!! I had phoned Castle Club a couple of days earlier to tell them that we'd be arriving on a night flight from Tel Aviv and to request that if at all possible, a room be ready for us early in the AM. No promises were made on the phone, so I was not getting my hopes up. But our wonderful room (2310 – on the 3rd floor Castle Club – just round the corner from the CC lounge) was ready, with sheets turned down and chocolate laid out – all ready for us to rest and recoup! There is no real view from this room, but this did not bother us in the least - there is a gorgeous view from the lounge, and we would see things first hand from the park itself anyway! We washed up a bit but were too excited to sleep so at 7:30 when breakfast in the CC Lounge opened we were the first to the buffet. LOVE those donuts… eggs, sausages, assorted cheeses. Very nice. And REAL coffee – espresso and cappuccino available – delicious! Service with a smile – Tinkerbell china, and white tablecloths. We felt like princesses!! And while we ate we had a wonderful view right down mainstreet to the castle – Lights of the park went on at 7:45 and Main Street music started being piped into the park. MAGICAL!!!!!
After breakfast we could not resist going into the park – tired as we were. The park opened at 9, but with our Annual Pass Dream we were let right in at about 8:15. We strolled down Main Street admiring the Christmas decorations and being just so happy to be in DLP!!! At the rope for Fantasyland (in front of the castle) a CM asked if we were "breakfast people", and when we said no he said "Well! Then you shall stay here with me until 9:00!". But our AP's worked their magic here as well, and he graciously unhooked the rope and waved us toward the castle. We strolled into Fantasyland and ended up at Peter Pan which we rode twice. When we got off the ride a wave of total exhaustion overtook me and I insisted we get back to the room for at least a nap before tackling our first day in earnest! Good thing I did…
At 10:15 we were up and at'em again… down the secret CC lift to the park entrance (so cool) and again onto Main Street, which was considerably more crowded now!! It was a Sunday, AND the last day of the official DLP "Christmas Season", so I was not surprised at the crowds. Unlimited Magic would not start until the next day (more on that later), but today was buzzing.
We walked directly to Discoveryland where I knew they would be giving out tickets to the Lion King performances. I was intent on getting tickets since that was the show's last day before hiatus and our only chance to see it! At 11 the queue was pretty long, but it moved quickly and we got seats for the 12 oclock show. Since it was then only about 11:15, there was time to use our VIP FastPass on Space Mountain! Oh, and a word about the VIP Fastpasses. We received them when we checked in at Castle Club. They are "permanent" Fastpasses, with no particular time on them, which you keep for the duration of your stay in Castle Club and use whenever you want on any FP ride. A GREAT plus for Castle Club!! After SM we went into the theater and got excellent seats for Lion King. It was a VERY enjoyable show! We loved it. Nothing at all like the Lion King show at WDW, which we adore – but still very very good.
Now it was 12:30, and we strolled through Belle's Christmas Village – very cute. Liav got a Christmas tree shaped apple pie cookie and said it was delicious. The village was very crowded, and after taking some photos we left through the opposite end, and continued to the indoor theater in FantasyLand where Le Noel Mickey was playing. Very cute show though not particularly Christmassy. Liav got great photos of the characters.
After the show another rest in the hotel was planned for before the parade, and treelighting ceremony, and I was definitely fading – having slept only about 2 hours in the past 48… We grabbed the Main Street Police Car for a ride back to the hotel… When we got there, however, we realized we were hungry for lunch – and walked over to the village and into Annette's diner. Liav had chicken fajitas and I had Rock'n Roll burger. Both were EXCELLENT… (well they must have been… stay tuned… we eat at Annette's 4 times over the course of the week!).
Note about AP's and discounts. Full service restaurants are supposed to give free Kir or Orange juice when a meal is ordered by an AP holder. Since we were not interested in either, I asked if our cokes might be free instead, and this proved no problem at Annettes. So the cokes were free, and the meal was 10% off! Very nice.
Next, to MS to get a place for the Christmas Parade. This parade was a huge disappointment. At WDW the Christmas parade is really special and "Christmassy", and I expected something similar… but… what we saw was just a tired remake of the Princess Parade – in fact it WAS the Princess Parade with the addition of a few gold bows, the dancers wore gold and white (and what happened to the gaudy green and red of Christmas which I actually quite liked??) and there were some tired reindeer being led by some tired men. What I LOVED about the parade however, was the song – Chante, c'est Noel! I bought the CD right after the parade. Love it.
We stood on Main Street very close to the hotel for the parade, in order to nip quickly back into the CC lounge for tea. We had a coffee and hot chocolate with some small pies and cookies, while watching the activity in the park, and then rested in the room – I dozed and Liav watched the Disney Channel in English, which we don't get at home, and she really enjoys when we're at DLP…
At 5:30 we came down to the park again and saw the princess and princes riding their horses toward the central square, and we fell in line behind the ropes behind them, following them around to the castle. We didn't have a good view of the dancing, but Liav was more interested in a good spot for taking pictures of Tinkerbell, the castle, and the treelighting – for that we had an excellent unobstructed spot and the lighting ceremony was very impressive and gorgeous!! (I'll post pictures as soon as I figure out how that's done – Liav truly is a good photographer and I think you'll enjoy her photos!)
After admiring the lights for a while and taking lots of photos, we walked down Main Street under the lights of winter – beautiful – knowing it would be our one and only chance to experience them – tomorrow would be the official end to Christmas. (Or would it???? Stay tuned to my reports if you are not bored yet….)
It was only a little after 6 PM, but we were FINISHED – no way could we keep going til Fantillusion tonight, but there is always tomorrow….
Back to our lovely room for bubble baths (bath salts provided by Disneyland Hotel), a Disney Movie on the TV, and sleep!
I do tend to go on, so feel free to skip any boring bits in my reports!
First a general comment - we had a FANTASTIC time. We LOVE DLP, we think it has every bit the magic of WDW, and we find the CM's friendly, willing to speak English, and in general the parks are clean and well-maintained. In short -MAGICAL! So... on to my report... (Warning I tend to be long winded when writing....)
Liav and Jody's Excellent DLP Adventure 2005
Cast:
Liav (13)
Jody (Old enough to be her Mom...
)Part 1 – preparation, journey, and DAY ONE.
Well the day finally dawned – it's TODAY!! For some reason Saturday, Jan. 8 actually found me a little grumpy, and I had no idea why!! I should be ecstatic!! We leave tonight! I've been thinking and dreaming and planning about this trip for what seems like forever! Okay… I packed every warm item of clothing we owned (remembering Laura in her bear coat I knew we'd better be prepared!
, took a last look at the boards and at my work email… and at 8 PM the airport shuttle picked us up for the 2 hour drive to Ben Gurion Airport – brand new Terminal 3!!! The new Israeli international airport just opened in November and we were so excited to see what all the excitement was about! First impression – it's HUGE! And CLEAN! (not that the old airport was bad – in fact in comparison with many airports in the world Ben Gurion Terminal 1 was quite nice, modern, and really fine. However, it had gotten much too small, and we were quite tired of having no 'gates' – passengers were bussed from the terminal out to the tarmac where the planes waited and had to climb the steep stairs up to the cabin – on 747's and the like that was quite a climb. Anyway, enough about that – the new airport is lovely, and the new duty free area very attractive, but we were so exhausted that at about 11 PM we fell asleep in the easy chairs by the central fountain, and – I'm not kidding – almost missed the last call for our flight!! At 1:30 AM we walked through the sleeve to the plane (yay!) and promptly fell asleep again for the 5 hour flight to Paris. (Well, Liav slept, I sort of dozed – I never really sleep on planes.) At 5:30 AM Paris time (6:30 our time) we arrived at CDG Terminal 1. I absolutely hate this airport. I think it is a complete disgrace to Paris and I simply cannot understand how they allow it to remain in such a condition! It's truly shameful, and depressing to arrive there for a first look at what is supposed to be the most beautiful city in the world. Alright, I went on about this last year too, so I won't bore you further with it… but… have I mentioned I hate CDG Terminal 1???? And have I mentioned that Tel Aviv has a wonderful shiny new airport?? Okay, okay, someone stop me… this is supposed to be a DLP trip report! So on with that….After having lookedinto all the various possibilities (which are limited at 5:30 AM) I had ordered the Euro City Shuttle – 75 Euros for one way to any DLP hotel for up to (I believe) 7 people. This is an Israeli company, and if I may put in a plug for my countrymen who reside in Paris, they run a very good business. (I have absolutely NO actual interest in their business - this is just my opinion) The driver was friendly, the van was clean and comfortable and the service was excellent. The driver was waiting with a sign with our name, and helped with our luggage at both ends of the journey to the hotel. I had only ordered a one way trip, figuring we'd use the VEA on the return to the airport, which was at a more normal hour and only about half the price…so the driver gave me his card in case I might change my mind… (stay tuned).
It was dark during the ride to the Disneyland Hotel. But when the lights of the hotel came into sight I immediately felt the "magic"!!! Pulling up to the front entrance I got very excited, and woke Liav up to see the magnificent lobby…
Nobody was about outside and the lobby was deserted. The Christmas decorations and the elegance of the hotel were VERY impressive. The driver waited with the luggage and Liav while I went in search of someone to check us in. A CM appeared behind the far counter and I went and told him we were arriving for Castle Club. He immediately sprang into action – calling someone to escort us to Castle Club, and another someone to deal with our bags. In less than a minute we were in the hands of a friendly CM who took us up a lift to the Castle Club desk. Another wow! The 3rd floor was so beautifully decorated, and lovely Christmas music was piped into the hallways. One could not help but be relaxed and happy in such an atmosphere!
By now it was 7 AM, but nobody was stirring that we could see, except for Giorgio, our CM who quickly checked us in and announced that OUR ROOM WAS READY!!! I had phoned Castle Club a couple of days earlier to tell them that we'd be arriving on a night flight from Tel Aviv and to request that if at all possible, a room be ready for us early in the AM. No promises were made on the phone, so I was not getting my hopes up. But our wonderful room (2310 – on the 3rd floor Castle Club – just round the corner from the CC lounge) was ready, with sheets turned down and chocolate laid out – all ready for us to rest and recoup! There is no real view from this room, but this did not bother us in the least - there is a gorgeous view from the lounge, and we would see things first hand from the park itself anyway! We washed up a bit but were too excited to sleep so at 7:30 when breakfast in the CC Lounge opened we were the first to the buffet. LOVE those donuts… eggs, sausages, assorted cheeses. Very nice. And REAL coffee – espresso and cappuccino available – delicious! Service with a smile – Tinkerbell china, and white tablecloths. We felt like princesses!! And while we ate we had a wonderful view right down mainstreet to the castle – Lights of the park went on at 7:45 and Main Street music started being piped into the park. MAGICAL!!!!!
After breakfast we could not resist going into the park – tired as we were. The park opened at 9, but with our Annual Pass Dream we were let right in at about 8:15. We strolled down Main Street admiring the Christmas decorations and being just so happy to be in DLP!!! At the rope for Fantasyland (in front of the castle) a CM asked if we were "breakfast people", and when we said no he said "Well! Then you shall stay here with me until 9:00!". But our AP's worked their magic here as well, and he graciously unhooked the rope and waved us toward the castle. We strolled into Fantasyland and ended up at Peter Pan which we rode twice. When we got off the ride a wave of total exhaustion overtook me and I insisted we get back to the room for at least a nap before tackling our first day in earnest! Good thing I did…
At 10:15 we were up and at'em again… down the secret CC lift to the park entrance (so cool) and again onto Main Street, which was considerably more crowded now!! It was a Sunday, AND the last day of the official DLP "Christmas Season", so I was not surprised at the crowds. Unlimited Magic would not start until the next day (more on that later), but today was buzzing.
We walked directly to Discoveryland where I knew they would be giving out tickets to the Lion King performances. I was intent on getting tickets since that was the show's last day before hiatus and our only chance to see it! At 11 the queue was pretty long, but it moved quickly and we got seats for the 12 oclock show. Since it was then only about 11:15, there was time to use our VIP FastPass on Space Mountain! Oh, and a word about the VIP Fastpasses. We received them when we checked in at Castle Club. They are "permanent" Fastpasses, with no particular time on them, which you keep for the duration of your stay in Castle Club and use whenever you want on any FP ride. A GREAT plus for Castle Club!! After SM we went into the theater and got excellent seats for Lion King. It was a VERY enjoyable show! We loved it. Nothing at all like the Lion King show at WDW, which we adore – but still very very good.
Now it was 12:30, and we strolled through Belle's Christmas Village – very cute. Liav got a Christmas tree shaped apple pie cookie and said it was delicious. The village was very crowded, and after taking some photos we left through the opposite end, and continued to the indoor theater in FantasyLand where Le Noel Mickey was playing. Very cute show though not particularly Christmassy. Liav got great photos of the characters.
After the show another rest in the hotel was planned for before the parade, and treelighting ceremony, and I was definitely fading – having slept only about 2 hours in the past 48… We grabbed the Main Street Police Car for a ride back to the hotel… When we got there, however, we realized we were hungry for lunch – and walked over to the village and into Annette's diner. Liav had chicken fajitas and I had Rock'n Roll burger. Both were EXCELLENT… (well they must have been… stay tuned… we eat at Annette's 4 times over the course of the week!).
Note about AP's and discounts. Full service restaurants are supposed to give free Kir or Orange juice when a meal is ordered by an AP holder. Since we were not interested in either, I asked if our cokes might be free instead, and this proved no problem at Annettes. So the cokes were free, and the meal was 10% off! Very nice.
Next, to MS to get a place for the Christmas Parade. This parade was a huge disappointment. At WDW the Christmas parade is really special and "Christmassy", and I expected something similar… but… what we saw was just a tired remake of the Princess Parade – in fact it WAS the Princess Parade with the addition of a few gold bows, the dancers wore gold and white (and what happened to the gaudy green and red of Christmas which I actually quite liked??) and there were some tired reindeer being led by some tired men. What I LOVED about the parade however, was the song – Chante, c'est Noel! I bought the CD right after the parade. Love it.
We stood on Main Street very close to the hotel for the parade, in order to nip quickly back into the CC lounge for tea. We had a coffee and hot chocolate with some small pies and cookies, while watching the activity in the park, and then rested in the room – I dozed and Liav watched the Disney Channel in English, which we don't get at home, and she really enjoys when we're at DLP…
At 5:30 we came down to the park again and saw the princess and princes riding their horses toward the central square, and we fell in line behind the ropes behind them, following them around to the castle. We didn't have a good view of the dancing, but Liav was more interested in a good spot for taking pictures of Tinkerbell, the castle, and the treelighting – for that we had an excellent unobstructed spot and the lighting ceremony was very impressive and gorgeous!! (I'll post pictures as soon as I figure out how that's done – Liav truly is a good photographer and I think you'll enjoy her photos!)
After admiring the lights for a while and taking lots of photos, we walked down Main Street under the lights of winter – beautiful – knowing it would be our one and only chance to experience them – tomorrow would be the official end to Christmas. (Or would it???? Stay tuned to my reports if you are not bored yet….)
It was only a little after 6 PM, but we were FINISHED – no way could we keep going til Fantillusion tonight, but there is always tomorrow….
Back to our lovely room for bubble baths (bath salts provided by Disneyland Hotel), a Disney Movie on the TV, and sleep!
I do tend to go on, so feel free to skip any boring bits in my reports!
Sorry you are not feeling well !!!!!TRY TO REST a while !!!
