Disneyland Paris trip report by Mini-V

[mini-V]

We just returned from a fabulous 4 day / 3 night trip to Disneyland Paris. I'll go day by day and try not too get too long winded, but I'm still on a Disney high.

We departed on the Eurostar Disney Express from the new St. Pancreas station in London. People have started a thread as to what makes them cry when they get to WDW, well, I was sooooo close to tears in the train station. There was a quartet playing Disney music right at the gate. Talk about starting to get your Disney goosebumps early! I had to blink like made to keep from crying when they started to play "When You Wish Upon A Star".

About 2 hours later, we started to approach Marne-la-Vallee, the station for Disneyland Paris. The kids on the train got excited when they announced the arrival, but I nearly jumped out of my seat a few seconds earlier when I saw Space Mountain and Tower of Terror outside the train! It was just as exciting as seeing the arch as you approach WDW.

Our 3 sectioned yellow bus whisked us to the Sequoia Hotel after a brief stop at the New York Hotel, which is very close to the Sequoia. Our room was ready, and after a quick change into tennis shoes, we headed out the door to walk to Disneyland. When we got off the bus, it didn't seem that bad, so I left my scarf and earmuffs in the room. We were about mid-way through their version of Downtown Disney and it started to pelt sleet. It stung your face and we quickly pulled our hoods down as low as we could. The stream of people headed in the opposite direction gave us a pretty good indication that the park was not going to be very crowded, but we were determined to get some park time in on our first day.

Disneyland is set up rather different from Magic Kingdom, so it took us several days to get our bearings. I don't think we ever got directly from anything in Adventureland to Frontierland without a couple of missed turns. Maps were a must.

Our first ride was Pirates of the Caribbean. It's a longer ride than in WDW, but Jack Sparrow has not been added. Without giving too much away, the ride begins by entering a bayou and passing the Blue Bayou Restaurant. I thought the battle scene looked a bit shorter than in WDW. By the way, we had to wait a whole 10 minutes to get on POTC.

A point to keep in mind, when in the que for POTC, make sure everyone in your party goes through the same turnstile. Once on the other side, the cue is separated into 4 lines and if anyone goes through a different turnstile, they'll end up on the wrong side of the chain dividing the lines.

From POTC, we headed to the Phantom Manor by way of about 3 wrong turns. Thank goodness there are some tall landmarks that help you navigate.

The storyline of the bride is much more prevalent in PM. There was a cm that was really "in character" at the gate that made me giggle. She just had this icy stare going that was really good. I don't want to give too much away again, but PM is quite different from WDW. You come in through the door into a parlor, and the parts of the house are very distinct. The bride is depicted in several areas; going from a rather pretty woman to a definitely deceased version. Once you leave the house, you move through the cemetery and then into an old west ghost town. A ghost leaves with you, but not in the same way as in WDW.

After a break for cocoa and a Mickey roll, it was time for the Parade of Dreams, so we found ourselves a great spot at the end of the parade. I hearty recommend this spot since the parade comes down Main Street, swings around the circle, and approaches you straight on before making the turn to go through the gates and end. This location gives you two chances to photograph the floats; one from the front and then as they turn. That doesn't mean that I got the best photos of the parade, it just means I had ample opportunity to take good pics.

We had dinner that night at the Yacht Club Restaurant in Disney's Newport Bay Hotel. Dinner was fantastic! I took pictures which I'll try to get posted very soon. My dessert was an apple concoction that wasn't bad, it just wasn't what I was expecting.

While waiting for our food, something rather "flashed by" on the floor and startled me. In London, there's a good chance that it's a mouse, something that's happened more than once. It was a mouse this time as well.....a small, plush Mickey Mouse that a child had tossed for a baby brother to fetch.

We walked back to our hotel, located 5 minutes away, and got ready for day 2.

By the way, the real bonus of Disneyland Paris Resort is that you can easily walk to and from hotels and hop back and forth between parks without ever having to take other transportation. The only time we took a bus was to get to and from the train station with our bags.

[DisneyDreamer13]

It sounds wonderful so far V, now i'm planning how to convince chris we need to fit a DLP trip in between WDW '08 and WDW '10.
Now hurry up with the photos pleeeeeeease

[Thumper10]

How exciting!! I would absolutely love a chance to go to DLP!

[ChipNDale]

What a great first day... Minus the Sleet! I can not wait to read more and I am glad you had fun!

[Tinker Bell]

Sounds like the PotC in Paris is like the one in Disneyland, sort of like the Mexico ride in Epcot.

Can I ask how much the train ride was?

[Cinderella2]

Virginia! That sounds like so much fun! Feel free to give secrets away. I hope you took a thousand photos in Phantom Manor. So sorry you got lost but getting lost is kind of half the fun! Unless the park is crowded, then it is just annoying.
Oh I need to go to Paris now for sure.

[mini-V]

Sounds like the PotC in Paris is like the one in Disneyland, sort of like the Mexico ride in Epcot.

Can I ask how much the train ride was?

DH got the whole shibang through Eurostar - train, hotel and tickets. The time you go and how long you stay all makes a difference. He didn't give me the total, but he said ....just keep looking for deals.

[lilo88]

Sounds nice Virginia! Can't wait to hear more!!

[mini-V]

I'm still not able to post pictures, even if I put them on photobucket first, so here is a link to my photo album on DWT.
http://www.disneyworldtrivia.com/for...31&ppuser=5667

[disneydame2004]

Very nice photos, V! Looks like Disney had much nicer decorations for the 15th anniversary on the Castle than they did on the fifth.

Can't wait to read more of the report - sound like fun so far!!

[Thumper10]

awesome pics, the DLP hotel looks amazing!!

[mini-V]

Day 2

The game plan for Saturday was to take advantage of Extra Magic Hours at Studios to hopefully get on Crush's Coaster. Having never been able to take advantage of EMH before, we didn't realize that they only apply to Disneyland. So, off we headed to Disneyland. We road Buzz Lightyear, Space Mt., the Carousel, and Snow White. Space Mt. is more intense than the WDW version. I found my head being slammed from left to right, and it's much darker inside. I really couldn't see any of the track ahead.

I don't remember a lot about Snow White, but I thought DLP had more animatronic figures than the WDW version. I'll have to check that out this summer.

At 10:00AM, we walked over to Walt Disney Studios. The gates were supposed to open at 10:00, but there were hundreds of people already inside when we arrived. By the time we arrived at Crush, the line was out past the entrance to Animagic. DH and I looked at each other and shrugged our shoulders. We either got in line and waited our turn, or chalked it up. We got in line. Fortunately, within a few minutes the line began to move due to the actual cue being opened. We probably would have been on the ride in about 60 minutes, but the ride malfunctioned about 20 minutes after opening. So, although we spent a good 90 minutes waiting, it was WORTH IT! I really, really hope WDW gets this ride. There are four people in an upside down turtle shell; two sit forward and two sit backward. However, you don't stay facing either direction for the whole ride. It's smooth. There are no shoulder restraints (so you know there aren't any corkscrews, but it is really, really fun. We rode it 3 times over the course of the weekend. It felt like a different ride when we started out in a different direction the second time as opposed to the first. I don't have a preference, however.

Took a lunch break in the Studio1 building. There is only 1 sit-down restaurant in WDS and it's buffet style. The choices seem to be fast food outside or fast food inside. It was starting to rain and it was cold enough to see your breath. Fast food inside was the logical answer.

After a quick lunch, I noticed Skully posing for pictures right outside the door to the restaurant. I stood in line with all the other "kids" and when it was my turn, I opened my arms and yelled, "Kitty". The pictures in my photo album pretty much say it all.

I suggested that we head for Armageddon Special Effects to escape the rain. If you like Stitch or Alien Encounter, this ride is for you. I liked neither and will never need to experience this attraction again. Boring and stupid!

We'd made a reservation before lunch for Walt's. We decided that we'd spend some time making sure we knew where it was located before going back to Disneyland should we get short on time when returning for dinner. After spending 45 minutes searching for Walt's on the map and in the park, we resorted to returning to Customer Service to get help. We could have been looking there a long time because Walt's is located in Disneyland. We left red-faced and feeling silly.

We got back to Disneyland when the Disney's Once Upon a Dream Parade was due to begin. We dodged around the route and found Walt's above shops right on Main Street. Off to Frontierland to take advantage of people being at the parade.

We hopped on the riverboat and took a chilly ride around Frontierland. BRRRR! It's still a relaxing ride, however.
Went for another trip on POTC. Good ride. We strolled around the pirate ship docked on Pirates Beach. It's probably more of a restaurant, when it's open, than an attraction.

I hadn't been on IASW for many years, and the one at DLP is huge! DH opted to wait for me. The wait was supposed to be 25 minutes. The ride broke-down and I was delayed by 15 minutes. I thought it was pretty cool. I tried to take pictures, but my battery died. Sorry.

As we headed back to Main Street, we saw the Character float come around. Several characters disembark near the castle and they did meet and greets. These meet and greets aren't organized as such, so I avoided trying to get a pic then. I'm not aggressive enough to shove my way to the front.

By now it was close to the time of our dinner reservation. The rain was beginning to come down in earnest, so we scurried to Walt's. For those of you without the connections to get to Club 33 nor rich enough to buy membership, this is the next best place. The entrance is right on Main Street. The lobby is decorated in turn of the century fabrics, furniture and photos. As you ascend the stairs to the second floor of the building, the walls are decorated with close to a dozen b&w photos of Walt and celebrities (like Shirley Temple.) I spoke to the cm after dinner and she said that the decor is based on Walt's apartment in Disneyland CA and Club 33. We had a window seat overlooking Main Street. After we ordered, we watching guests hurrying out of the park since the rain was not letting up; some guests were still coming in, but the majority seemed to be leaving. I had a t-bone steak; good but not the best steak I've ever had. There was a selection of mixed veggies with my steak as well as a serving of scalloped potatoes. DH had fish which he ate with gusto. The meal was very enjoyable and service was good. I highly recommend eating here at least once.

We finished dinner and headed out to Main Street. The rain had let up and it was time for the Candleabration Show. DH was convinced that it was back by the front gates. I'd watched enough Disney Channel ads in the room to know it was ON the castle. It took some doing, but I convinced him to move toward the castle. We weren't close enough to get a good view of the whole show, but we did see most of the lights and decorations on the castle. Disney did a much better job of decorating Sleeping Beauty castle for DLP 15 yr anniversary than they did for WDW anniversary. DLP also had beautiful banners lining Main Street for the celebration. During the day they looked like nice banners, but at night they lit-up and sparkled.

Time to head back to the lodge. Day two started at 8:00 AM and we never went back to our room till 8:00 PM. It was a great day!

[Thumper10]

I'm so enjoying your trip report! Can't wait to hear more!

[StarsNStripes]

I'm loving it so far Virginia!!!

[GIOny]

Mini-V, love the report so far and the pics, sorry about the weather. I love hearing about the similarities and differences between the parks. Looking forward to the rest of the report.