theDIBB - DLP With A Dog 27th To 31st Dec 2016

This was our first trip to France with our dog 'Sparky' in tow. Myself, DH, DD17 and DD13. He already had his passport in place. We travelled via the Euro tunnel which meant he was with us in the car and not left alone at all. On check in there was no difference to usual Eurotunnel travel. No checks done on Sparky at all on our way to France. Security has been upped though with every car being swabbed which is good to see.

Eurotunnel was just 35 mins. So quick and efficient. Headed straight onto the motorway. We stopped about half way at the Assevillers services. Good facilities including a fast food burger place on the southbound side and a Paul French patisserie on the north bound side. A bridge means you can access both. There is an Ibis hotel here if anyone is looking for a stop off on route. The journey from Calais to DLP takes under 3 hours. You can take your dog into the services building too.

As you get near Paris you drive under the runway at Charles de Gaulle.

We arrived about 2.30. If you have a dog, ask at the car park entrance and they give you a code for the car park by the pet centre which also doubles as disabled parking. It's right at the front. The code changes daily. We checked Sparky in. It was very busy and weren't sure if they had a space at first but luckily they did. They ask you how long you are staying and then that cage is for your dog until you go home. It's good because it'll have his smells in it and become a little familiar. The big dogs are in another room. The cage was really big and we could have fitted his bed in it twice. It's stainless steel all round and metal grate on the front. They clean it in between each doggy guest. You need your own bedding. They provide water and food for free if you want. We didn't need food as he ate before he went each day and once we'd collected him later.
It's 10 euros a day and 10 euros overnight. We were only using daytime. We only had to pay for the first day as we were getting Dream annual passes and it's free with these passes. The staff were all friendly and we felt happy leaving him there.

So we headed into the park. We had bought our passes on super trips and printed at home. Very glad we did as the kiosk queues were very long. Then we headed to the Annual Passport office to exchange our vouchers for our passes. Then our faces dropped. We saw the queue. Out the door and snaking up and down. Never seen anything like it. I think everyone must have got annual passes for xmas!
It took forever. 1 hr 45 in total! We were frozen as most of this wait was outside and we left gloves etc in the car as didn't think we'd be long!

By the time we were out we were really not up for joining a long ride queue so headed back to collect Sparky and check in to the hotel. Of course we had to go via the Main Street shops and even caught some of the parade which was wonderful.

Big Ben and Peter Pan . Love the music and lights. Magical.

The stress of the long queue was fading as we got into the Disney magic.

The tree was beautiful.

Couldn't leave woody out of the trippy.

So we headed back to collect little Sparky and headed to check in at the Adagio. We like it here as the location is perfect. Right opposite val d'europe shopping centre. McDonald's, subway and a whole load of restaurants just over the road and a short walk through the centre to the HUGE Auchan supermarket. 10 euros a night for the dog and 10 euros a night for the secure parking. It's so much cheaper to stay here too. It's only a short drive to Disney or you can walk it in 15-20 mins. You come in at the side of the big world of Disney.

Main bedroom. We booked the 1 bed for 5.

Bathroom. Toilet is separate.

Lounge. There's another bed that pulls out from underneath.

Plenty of storage

Bedroom storage

Kitchen area

We take a DVD player and hdmi lead as although there are a lot of channels, none are English. When I was staying with the dog in the evening I watched some game of thrones.

Just outside the shopping centre they had some little trampolines and a mini fake skiing area for the kids.

The next 3 mornings we out Sparky in the pet care centre and collected him after lunch. We were all so cold by then we wanted to go back to warm up. We took it in turns to stay with him whilst the others headed back for the evenings. We could have taken him back to the kennels as it was open till 1045 but we didn't need to as we were happy to alternate.

On the Wednesday and Thursday it was freezing but we had gone with all our winter gear. DD13 refused to wear a coat as usual but even she gave in on Friday when it was -4!

Extra magic hours was just 1 hour so busier than usual. Freezing fog arrived Thursday. As you can see in the picture from Friday morning, the fog was so bad you can't see the castle.

So pretty at night

The fog was so bad Thursday night as I drove back to the park. I was actually scared. Couldn't see a thing, not even the road signs or even the white lines on the road. Didn't want to completely stop in case someone hit me. Crawled along thinking we'd taken a wrong turn then suddenly saw the feint lights of the entrance just a few metres away. Thank goodness. Thought I'd have to leave the car there and walk home but luckily it cleared slightly for our return journey.

We all had a great time but didn't get anywhere as much done as usual due to the crowds. Arriving early was essential for some rides like Ratatouille. Still took 30 mins in single rider. And Crush which took 55 mins even though we arrived at the gates well before opening.

Did get 2 rides on BTM. Once in daylight and once in the dark. It was down all day Friday due to the weather. Ice is not good for breaks. Apparently it did open very briefly before going down again. Friday was not a good day as we arrived early and SM, BTM and Indiana jones were all down making the other lines crazy. We did get to ride SM later once it opened but with a long wait.

It also snowed lightly on Friday morning which turned everything into a beautiful pictur postcard scene. Sooooo cold though. Never felt so cold. We wished we had taken snow boots and ski gloves.

Even poor Minnie was frozen.

A highlight of the trip was the new Vapiano restaurant. It's out of the way so no one knows it's there which meant it was easy to get a table when everywhere was heaving.

They give you each a card on the way in. You find yourself a seat then go up to the various stations to order your food. One for pizza and lasagne, others for pasta and risotto etc. They put it on your card and you pay on your way out. If you order pizza they give you a buzzer so you can sit down while it's cooked.

The food was excellent. All cooked fresh. DH ordered Hawaiian and they cut up a fresh pineapple for it. Huge chunks and so much toppings on everything.

It was Quick service speed but fresh food in a lovely setting. So good we went back the next day. Much better value than the park food.

Inside the restaurant end of val d'europe.

Friday was very very cold. I know I keep mentioning it. I did check the weather before we left and it said 6degrees. Next time I will still take ski wear just in case.

Driving home Saturday there was fresh snow on the ground as we passed Paris. When we stopped at the services it was still -4. An hour from Calais it was still this cold.

All of a sudden the frost disappeared and the temperature climbed. When we got to Calais it was a positively toasty 8 degrees. Felt like spring!

As you drive towards the Eurotunnel check in there's a big sign for the pet centre. You park up and pop in with your pet. They pass you a scanner which you hold over the dog so it reads their chip. You pass it back they check the passport and give you a sticker for the windscreen. Back in the car and proceed to check in as normal and that's it. All cars were swabbed again which did cause more of a queue on this side but better to be safe.

Just realised I missed out the vet! You have to see a vet a minimum of 24 hours and a maximum of 5 days before you renter the uk. I googled vets in Serris before travel and emailed to see about booking an appointment. I used Clinique veterinarian du Dr A Lemaire. The receptionist and vet spoke English which was great as my limited French doesn't extend to vet or medical terminology. Really friendly and she gave him a really good check over. I had taken the worming tablets our vet gave us and she said they could use it as it is licenced in France too. Cost for the passport service was 38 euros. Maybe more for a big dog. However, much cheaper than we were quoted here. You can have it done here if your trip is under 5 days.

So that's it folks. Another great visit (but cold) . Already booked the next trip 2-8 April. The Dream annual pass is great. Gets you EMH, free parking, free doggy day care, 10% off food and drink and 20% off all shopping and souvenirs. ( I certainly made good use of that discount). We also plan to go in the summer for our main holiday this year. A more relaxed trip with visits to other places too. Taking your dog to France is really very easy. The French are real dog lovers. You'd never see a dog inside a uk motorway service station.
Sorry it's not as much detail as my Florida trips. I just wanted to get some info out there for the dog owners who would like to visit but have a four legged friend to tag along. Any questions, about anything, please ask.