Our First Family Disney Holiday: Day Three

[Em4owen]

Day Two

Day Three: Walt Disney Studios and Bistro Chez Remy
Wednesday 31st May 2017

I had another awful night with Ashley. As we were so exhausted, we’d planned on getting up at 8am as we were going to the Studios today and didn’t mind too much about EMH. However, Ashley had other ideas and was up at 4. After 2 hours of me trying to get him back to sleep, I called it quits and gave him his milk at 6am. Owen woke up at this point and Hayden not long after so we decided to text the others to let them know and went down to breakfast at 7. As it wasn’t quite 7 yet, there was a substantial queue waiting outside to get in but we were soon through quickly. By the time we’d finished, around 7.30-7.45ish, Mum and Alex came in. We said we’d planned on meeting the character in the hotel as we were earlier than planned and they appeared at 8. They said they’d see us back at the room.

So off we went to the foyer where there was already a small queue, but nothing like what we’d seen in the parks. The previous day, I’d caught a glimpse of Goofy so wasn’t sure if he was the only character. Ashley again got bored in the queue so Owen let him watch Zootropolis on his phone and Hayden watched the TV they have in the foyer, along with other children. At 8, people starting catching glimpses of the character and through the excited shouts, we discovered it was Pluto. I was so excited as he’s my favourite after I had a brilliant interaction with him in WDW when we went 10 years ago (cue photo).

Hayden was excited too and we found the queue moved quickly but I think we lucked out as a large part of the queue was a hen party so they naturally all went together. I was also presently surprised to see there was a photopass photographer present too. Well Pluto was amazing. He spent some time playing with Hayden. It was lovely to see and of course, I had to get in on the action.

The queuing and the interaction took about 15 minutes once Pluto arrived, so not bad at all and much quicker than in the parks. Sadly, we didn’t do anymore greets in the hotel as the other days were Mickey and Pluto again but I would definitely recommend the hotel meets.

After meeting Pluto, the boys played in the room for a bit. Hayden had gotten a set of cars from Cars 3 in the hotel gift shop the day before and was desperate to play with them. He’d had a full on meltdown on our first day when we’d popped into the shop to get an autograph book and wanted it there and then but it cost €30. We said no and that he’d have to wait incase he saw something he liked. I think he thought we were just there for the day and couldn’t understand. We got it the day after as he’d been so good in all the queues. Ashley was eyeing them up too though.

We waited for the others to finish breakfast and then we were off to the bus stop and arrived at 9.30am at the Studio’s gate, just as it was opening. There was quite a sizable crowd and I began to panic a little as the plan was to head to Ratatouille. However, by the time we’d walked round, there was no queue and we walked straight on. By this point Ashley had fallen asleep and so Owen waited with him. We walked straight onto the ride, despite it only being 9.45am and the park didn’t open until 10am. I’m a complete wimp when it comes to rides but I love this film and it’s one of Hayden’s favourites so I wanted to give it a go. I admit I shut my eyes a few times and it was a little spinny but I’m glad I tried it. When we got off, I grabbed a fastpass for Owen for later. Rachel and Peter grabbed some too as they enjoyed it so much. Ashley was already awake, which was not a good sign as you’ll later read so we headed on round to Toy Story Land and slinky dog.

I'd never seen pictures of this area prior to going so thought I'd post a couple. It was a beautiful part of the park.

Slinky dog had about a 10 minute wait and we all rode, but again the wimp in me did find it a little scary. Hayden and Ashley also didn’t seem overly keen either. I tried to focus on them and making fun wee noises which I think helped my fear. After this, Hayden really wanted to go on Parachute Drop. It was a 45 minute wait already. I chose to stay with Ashley and mum also decided to sit it out. Whilst we waited for the others, Ashley had snack and then had much enjoyment running around Toy Story land touching the colourful dominoes and fences and shouting ‘there!’ Needless to say, Hayden thoroughly enjoyed going up on the Parachute ride but when he dropped, he started to cry. He even tried to escape under the bar at one point but luckily he was strapped in also! Peter also didn’t enjoy it either and was gritting his teeth so I was relieved I chose to sit it out.

Toy Story Land

Parachute Drop

After this, it was back to Ratatouille for Owen, Rachel and Peter’s fastpasses. While we waited for them, the boys played by a water fountain nearby. It was really hotting up and it offered welcome relief. It was reaching 11.30 by now and time for our reservation at Bistro Chez Remy.

This was my restaurant of choice as I’d heard such great things about the theme and I was looking forward to the Tofu and Bean stew. There was quite a few people waiting at 11.30 as this was when it opened and so we weren’t really shown to our tables until 11.45-12 which made me less worried about the early reservation we’d booked. We all went with Emile meals. There were salads with cheese to start and rolls. I gave Owen my cheese and he gave me his artichoke and the bread was scrumptious. Hayden had vegetable dippers which he refused to eat but Ashley ate them instead, along with some roll and some of my salad. For mains, Hayden had linguine pasta with a tomato sauce, Owen, Peter, Alex and mum had steak and Rachel had a fish dish. I opted for the Tofu and Bean stew which unfortunately had a cheese sauce so my vegan diet went out the window on that one. It was well cooked and warm but the sauce was a little sickly. Ashley shared Owen’s chips and ate yet more tomatoes off everybody’s ratatouille. He must have eaten about 6 tomatoes in one sitting! He also made a complete mess of himself and had gotten bored of the cutlery. We’d been in the restaurant for about 2 hours by this point so I took him off to get completely changed as he was covered in tomato juice. The others stayed for desert, a chocolate éclair for Hayden and biscuits and cheese for Owen. I asked for a fruit salad which I downed so Ashley could leave but was a bit disappointing as it was crushed apple and orange mostly.

I think these were the most photos I got of our food the entire holiday!

I took Ashley outside and wandered around with him, in the hopes he’d fall asleep but he wasn’t having it. If Ashley naps once in the day, even for 5-10 minutes, that’s it and he won’t have another nap all day which meant after the 4am wake up he was cranky all day and which led to me having a bit of a break down later on.

The main plan for today was the Cars, Action, Moteurs show as Hayden had been wanting to see it for such a long time. There were only two showings each day and as we’d missed the first, we had to hightail it round to the other side of the park for the 2.15 show. We’d left the restaurant around 1.30-1.45. On the way Rachel, Peter and Owen grabbed fastpasses for Tower of Terror. It was really hot and sunny, which was made worse by the vast amount of concrete in the studios. I love the heat personally, but I did worry about the boys. We queued up and within a few minutes, they let everyone in. There were plenty of seats but Ashley was still in a grumpy mood. I had to distract him with my phone to keep him seated but once the show started, he was transfixed. The show was bilingual so some parts were in English and some in French. Hayden was so excited to see lightning but did get scared by the shootings and loud explosions at the end. It was a good show and the fans were a welcome relief from the heat. Sorry no photos I'm afraid as Owen was filming and I had Ashley on my lap.

Now, here’s where things went a bit wrong. I had written a schedule for the day as I’d felt we hadn’t got much done the previous day as we sort of went with the flow and I knew that the shows had particular times etc. The Cars show had overrun and we’d missed a Disney Junior show so I got a bit confused. Rachel said there was a Mickey and the Magician at 3.35 (which was an earlier showing to what I’d planned) so we had a toilet break and headed there next. Now this was probably one of the worst moments of the holiday for me. Ashley just hated the whole thing, he wouldn’t sit still and whinged and cried. I offered him snacks and my phone and everything under the sun, but he just wanted out. I couldn’t leave as we were the middle of the row and there were characters doing things in the aisles so I was just stuck. It was a shame as Hayden absolutely loved the show, but I didn’t really see much of it as I was wrestling with Ashley.

When we got out, Ashley was just crying and crying and I ended up having a bit of breakdown, that we shouldn’t have come and Ashley was too young and not really enjoying it, that we should just go back to the hotel etc. I think the 4am wake up wasn’t helping either. My mum said that she’d try and push Ashley around to get him to sleep and that in case I hadn’t noticed, Hayden was loving it and to focus on that. I now understand why people don’t recommend you take under 2s to WDW and I hadn’t done that. I know that Hayden at Ashley’s age wouldn’t have been as much of a problem as he’s always been a much better sleeper but for me, and for Ashley, he was too young. Hayden at 3 and a half was the perfect age, it was all so magical for him. I also realised I’d gotten my times muddled and we’d missed the Stormtroppers and Star Wars show so was very apologetic to my mum and Alex whom are huge Star Wars fans.

The fastpasses for Tower of Terror were now open so Owen, Rachel and Alex went. Peter decided to give it a miss after not enjoying the parachute drop.

We went into the shop to see if pushing Ashley around would get him to settle. It didn’t but he seemed happier to be on the move. In the shop, Hayden saw some finding dory toys he wanted. All our money and revolut card was with Owen so Peter kindly offered to buy them for him otherwise there may have been another meltdown. The others met us in the shop and I mentioned that I knew there was a Disney Junior show on at 5pm which I knew Hayden would love as it had Pooh bear in it. My mum and Owen offered to watch Ashley as we figured he wouldn’t sit still for the show and I took Hayden in.

When we arrived, there was Princess Sophia and Captain Jake there dancing away with the toddlers. Parents were trying to get selfies etc but they declined which I think was a nice and relaxed way of doing things. We went it and everyone sat down. It was great for the under fives but very outdated as the shows aren’t on Disney Junior anymore (apart from Mickey Mouse’s Clubhouse). I think it needs updating to include PJ Masks or the Lion Guard, for example. It was lovely to finally see Pooh Bear. Hayden has a cuddly Pooh Bear which is very grubby and floppy now as he takes him everywhere. Owen took him to a Disney shop when he was about 1 and a half and he grabbed hold of it and has loved him ever since. We’ve read countless books about Winnie the Pooh, watched the films multiple times and even been to the place in Sussex where AA Milne based his books on. My aim for the holiday had been to meet Pooh Bear but he got taken off the list of character meets for the 25th anniversary which was gutting.

When we returned from the show, we discovered the Peter, Rachel and Alex had gone on Armageddon and Rock ’n’ Rollercoaster.

We left after that as it was nearing 6pm now. We decided to get a take away from Five Guys for dinner. Again, this was nightmarish as now both boys were tired and upset. Between them and a few other children, there were many meltdowns. We quickly left. Mum and Alex chose to eat there whilst we hurried back to the hotel. We ordered a large chips between us, a burger for Owen, veggies in a roll for me and a hot dog for Hayden. I love the Five Guys fries but wasn’t overly keen on the veggies/roll thing. Ashley shared my chips and roll and was much happier once he could wander around. We got the boys to bed quickly. They both fell asleep straight away. Ashley needed a little rocking but was asleep by 8. The great thing about the adjoining room meant that we could leave the boys with Mum whilst Owen, I and Alex went back out to the parks. I believe Rachel and Peter stayed in the Village after a Vappianos dinner.

Now I think for me, this is what I needed, some time and space. At home, I obviously get a chance to unwind but being in that hotel room together and all the time with the boys had put me on edge a little. We like our space on holiday and often book self-catering cottages and such so being cramped in a hotel room didn’t really suit me. When we arrived at Disneyland Park, all the rides were walk ones – Phantom Manor, Snow White, Pinocchio and the Carousel. It was also my chance to meet my nemesis Thunder Mountain. Now, when we went to the Park as a child in the 1990s, my parents persuaded me to go on this. I didn’t want to but they said, oh it’s just like a train. Well it wasn’t and I hated every minute. When we got off, it took me about half an hour to stop shaking. I was shaking from head to toe. Ever since, I have never been on another rollercoaster, bar a few mild children type ones like the Barnstormer and Slinky dog. Before the trip, I was still wondering if I could perhaps try it again with an open mind, but my nerves got the better of me and I didn’t especially after not enjoying Slinky dog, I took that as a sign I couldn’t do it.

This decided, we wondered round to Discoveryland and decided to go on Star Tours as it had a 20 minute wait. I enjoyed this previously in the 1990s and at WDW and despite feeling nervous, wanted to give it a try. As we were waiting to load, the doors opened at everyone was still sat there. They looked so surprised. It seems the ride had broken. They ran through it again and luckily when the doors opened next time, they were leaving. I thought the ride was amazing. I did shut my eyes a couple of times but enjoyed it. It was definitely my favourite ride of the holiday. By this time, it was around 10.30 and we could have stayed for the fireworks. I decided not to as I still had shopping to do. Alex left us at this point and I bought a top and a necklace in the Village. We wandered back and got back about 11.15am.

I took some night time photos - DLH looks stunning all lit up

This was definitely the hardest day of the holiday. I think tiredness had caught up with everyone and combined with the heat, we were not a happy bunch. I vowed to take things more easily, not set an alarm and think about what Ashley needed a bit more. I hope everyone hasn’t minded my brutal honesty, but I want this to show a true account of what happened. I think it’s important that those thinking of taking young children realise it’s not all a piece of cake and it certainly wasn’t for me.

[clochette]

What do you mean, Pooh Bear isn't meeting! DD (19) is devastated! You do seem to have had a tough time today but at least you managed to chill a bit at the end.
Looking forward to reading tomorrow.

[kadypants]

Its definitely hard taking toddlers to DLP, but I'm hoping by the end you'll have more positives than negatives. :-)

We found that by totally relaxing our expectations after the first day and completely following DS(2) lead we coped much better. So much so that we're considering going back after baby #2 is born later this year.

Enjoying your trip pie so far, can't wait to read the next bit.

[Em4owen]

Glad you've been enjoying it. And you're totally right, once we relaxed, it did get better. Ashley just wanted to run around and with so many people around, this wasn't always possible especially as I forgot the reins! Being in a larger group, it made it harder to go by things as a family but that's what another trip is for 😉

[kadypants]

I guess being in a larger group you feel a lot like you have apologise for your kids needs and schedules... Or at least I do! Even if its family and they really aren't bothered! Lol.