We didn’t rush our meal, but eventually, full and happy, we left to take a stroll round to World of Disney. Which, in total contrast to the quiet and relaxing surroundings at Billy Bob’s, was complete chaos, as seemingly half the guests at DLP were checking out the merchandise there that evening. We managed to make it round and noted one or two things we might buy, but didn’t get anything at this point. So we headed through the Village to look at the other shops, but again, nothing really grabbed our attention.
After the clamour of the Village, we were craving a nice quiet bar, and knowing that the Cheyenne’s Red Garter Saloon was likely to be packed again, we chose to drop into the Hotel New York for a drink in the City Bar. We’ve never stayed here, only gone to eat at the lovely Manhattan restaurant (sadly now closed and I think the buffet restaurant uses the space). This was our first time in the bar, and we were surprised at how dark it was! We were shown to a table in the corner, and I honestly had to switch on the torch function on my phone to read the menu.
Just as we were debating whether we had to order at the bar or not, someone came over to take our order. Peter went for a Skoll ‘So Cold’ beer, and I followed Dibb tradition and ordered a Glowtini. A blue one, which I much prefer over the red ones, as it suits my sweeter palate.
As we relaxed over our drinks, we raised a glass to the Dibbcast’s lovely and much missed Geoff (geoffa on the boards) who sadly had passed away earlier in the year. How he would have laughed at the story of the man who downloaded the wrong app. Cheers, Geoff, and thanks for all the good memories.
While we chatted, we decided to cancel tomorrow’s dinner reservation. Our original plan had included a late lunch at Plaza Gardens, but we were coming to the conclusion that what we needed was a Proper Sit-Down Meal. Buffets have their place and we had no complaints about those we’d been to; but for us, one of the main ways we like to relax is sitting in a quiet restaurant with waiter service, and lingering over a meal. So we cancelled our Plaza Gardens reservation, using the link in the email, and discussed where to go instead. The Silver Spur seemed to fit with the cowboy theme of this trip, and again it was somewhere we’d never been. So we decided we’d try and make a reservation tomorrow.
After we’d paid up and left the bar, we checked out the tiny shop at the New York Hotel. There really was hardly anything in it. I suppose with the hotel being so near the Village, they don’t need to stock so much.
We bid farewell to the New York and strolled back to the Cheyenne. By contrast, the shop there was pretty large and stocked a good range of souvenirs and essentials. We came away with a few pins, a Christmas decoration and a red fleecy throw (the current ‘Offre magique’ meaning if you spent over €20, you got the throw for €10.99).
As we walked back to our room, it struck me that the Cheyenne feels much more of a separate location from the rest of DLP, than the closer hotels do. I would imagine if you use the shuttle buses, you might not even go to the Village at all. I suspect many people, particularly those with small children, make the Cheyenne much more of a ‘home base’ and spend more time there. The homely feel and superb theming contribute to the feeling you’re in a completely separate world – immersive, as Disney likes to call it.
As we got ready for bed we pored over the times guide and discussed our revised plans for tomorrow. We stuck with our original plan for the morning – EMT at the Studios (another new experience for us) then the usual rides, and some time checking out the new Winter Food Festival booths in Place de Remy. We wanted to see Mickey’s Big Band Show at the Animagique Theatre, and we knew there would be a new Christmas show in the Cinemagique Theatre too, making its debut tomorrow.
Then we’d head over to Disneyland Park, do anything we still hadn’t done, and hopefully go for an early dinner at Silver Spur, followed by the tree lighting show at 6.30 and the Christmas parade at 6.45. This would give us just enough time to go back to Studios for the 7.45 ‘Surprise Mickey’ show followed by ‘Goofy’s Incredible Christmas’ at 8.00, and if we fancied it, we could go back into Disneyland Park for Illuminations at 10.00pm. We suspected we wouldn’t, though – whereas Dreams was a must-see every trip for us, Illuminations is less of a draw. I wish DLP would go back to having its own specially designed castle show, rather than one borrowed from Shanghai that doesn’t really fit on our castle!
So, that was the plan. Now, experienced DLP visitors may have already spotted the flaw in it. But if not – let me just remind you that we arrived on Thursday, and this was Friday night. So tomorrow would be Saturday. I’ll let you ponder on the possible implications of that, as you bid us goodnight after an exhausting but satisfying day. Goodnight all!
>>Day 3 - Calamity Gill
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