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28 Feb 18, 02:51 PM
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Imagineer
 
Join Date: Jan 14
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The Magic 3 do DLP - Day 2
Day 2 - Thursday 15th February 2018
I'd had a terrible night's sleep and had that really annoying thing happen when you finally fall asleep about an hour before the alarm goes off so you're nice and groggy  I never sleep well in a new bed but my mind was also racing with nerves and anticipation about our holiday! A bit daft I know but I was so keen for it to all go well! Anyway, the alarm went off at about 6.45am I think - I wanted us to make the most of that extra hour in the parks! We were off to the main park, so a quick wash for everyone, filled the backpack with snacks, drinks and our cold weather gear, and hit the road. It never felt like it took us longer than 10 minutes to reach the parks from Newport Bay, so we were there in no time for another busy day at Disney! We went down to the rope by the castle because I wanted us to do Peter Pan first as I knew it got big queues as the day goes on. A CM got a boy out of the crowd of us waiting (I say crowd, it was pretty small!) to do a countdown and gave us lots of warnings about not being able to run. We could see people heading in through the Discoveryland entrance and they were legging it! Probably going for the princess pavilion - that wait time never got below 75 minutes and we were there at a quiet time  thank goodness Heath has no interest in princesses! We didn't wait long for Peter Pan - Heath absolutely loved it! We went straight on for another go. It really is beautifully done and I understand why it has a big queue now, small children adore it! Then we did Dumbo and the carousel   Then we went off to Discoveryland to find they had opened quite a few of the rides early (around 9.30 by now if not earlier) which was a great bonus. We did Buzz but the photos weren't working as it was so early! Mark won by a mile, I'm rubbish at shooting games but it was great fun. Then Star Tours, we got Kylo Ren and Poe Dameron but not much else stood out to me! Then off to Orbitron...just like Dumbo but in a rocket instead of an elephant    After that we headed back in Fantasyland (we spent a lot of time criss-crossing the parks which didn't bother us but our poor legs were feeling it by the end of each day!), to explore the Alice in Wonderland maze and Snow White ride      We had a character lunch booked at Inventions today so started to head up to the Disneyland Hotel at this point, stopping off in the Emporium to do some pin shopping for Heath. He chose a Peter Pan one after loving the ride so much, and a Ratatouille one because his friend at school had told him all about it so he was sure he'd love it (spoiler alert, he does!). We also picked him up a laynard - he really wanted a Coco one but sadly they'd all gone according to the CMs Lunch was booked for 1230 and we arrived a little bit before then so warmed up by a fire, sorely needed on another cold day.  At about 1220, we noticed people were starting to queue - being good Brits, we joined the end of the line  Inventions was closed for cleaning so we were going to be eating in California Grill. Got chatting to a woman behind us in the queue - they'd queued for 3 HOURS to meet Moana The CMs soon started ushering us in, we were at a table in a side wing of the main dining room, so it was lovely and quiet (the main one looked manic once it was full of people) and ours was the first table as the characters walked in and right at the end of the line for the buffet so it was a great spot.  We were first in the line for food.  I was useless and only managed one plate! Didn't even get near the cheese board  I thought the food was lovely and really enjoyed it. Mark and Heath were happy too. We let Heath eat way too many puds (even though he shared them with us) and I think he felt quite ill by the end, oops!  Mark's plate of puds, again I helped him out because I am a kind and loving wife   But of course, we were really there for the characters and they did not disappoint. First of all, it was raining and so cold outside, so to be able to meet them in the warmth, while stuffing our faces, was fab - but, they were also so much fun! The main mouse Mickey was up first...he snuck up behind Heath and covered his eyes, which Heath loved. He was wearing a t shirt with a few of the characters on so Mickey pretended to scribble Donald out - Heath thought this was hilarious     We had Gepetto next - I must admit that none of us were particularly interested in him so an autograph and a photo and off he went again.  Then Goofy arrived - he was great fun! We were by the stairs into the room and he was pretending to fall up and down them every time he came by and putting on a right show!    We also saw Tiger and Eeyore    The security team for the characters were by our table (all in black and looking very serious!) so we asked if anyone else was due to arrive as we'd finished eating. One of them really kindly took us to meet Pluto in the main room as we'd have been waiting for half an hour otherwise   And we were done! We really enjoyed this and I would recommend it. I think I paid £127 to book it when I made the main holiday booking - silly money but it's a Disney holiday so I just went with it  It cost us an extra 13.40 euros on the day for two cokes! On our way out, the lady from the queue earlier told us that Mary Poppins, Bert and a penguin were down the corridor so we quickly popped along for a photo and autograph.  On our way out, we picked up the light-up Star Wars ears we'd seen in the shop at the end of Star Tours, as they had them in the hotel boutique and we were planning on watching the Star Wars shows in Studios this evening. Heath modelling them later in the evening  Now it was time to finally venture into the Studios. It certainly doesn't live up to the main park does it?! The new plans for it look amazing though so I guess we'll have to go back once that's all done! On our way in, we spotted that Chip and Dale were doing a walk about. Heath wanted their autographs so the stalking commenced! They were just wandering around, going up to random people, while a crowd chased them about trying to get an interaction. Mark was shouting at me, "cut them off!" which just cracked me up - but getting into their path worked and we had great fun with them. I cornered Dale first to get Heath's book signed, but he wouldn't give it back until I'd kissed his nose and both cheeks  Then Heath managed to get hold of Chip, who was very cheeky!     That excitement over and done with, it was time for a ride. Carpets of Agrabah first, loved all the music from Aladdin but not a hugely fun ride in the drizzle. Then we did the Cars ride - Heath was obsessed with the films when he was around 2 so it was very nostalgic for us, plus it's a fun, spinny one so we all enjoyed it.  Now it was time to try out Ratatouille. The queue was 50 minutes but Heath was happy to queue so we lined up. (I noticed a CM tell someone to move to the smoking area here, I noticed the smell of cigarettes a lot more in the Studios, I think because you're more packed together).   Wow, what a ride! I think my mouth was hanging open the whole way round we all loved this so much - it shot straight to the top of Heath's favourite rides! It's so clever and great fun. Then we walked through to the Toy Story area and went on the Slinky ride   It was hammering down by now and we were all very soggy after the ride so decided to call it a day. It meant we wouldn't see the Star Wars shows which was a shame but none of us were hugely bothered. We headed for the hotel, going through Disney Village where we did a bit of shopping. Heath got Pepita from Coco and Mark got a Scar t shirt  We went straight to the hotel bar for some drinks once we arrived there. I had the red glowtini, Heath went for the children's anniversary cocktail and Mark had a couple of beers. Well here's where I get my dibber membership revoked, I thought the glowtini was horrible! It was 15 euros though so obviously I drank it all anyway  Heath doesn't have fizzy drinks normally and his had lemonade in, he described it as "it feels like there's a party on my tongue!" but only had a few sips before abandoning it. Those few sips were enough to send him utterly loopy! He was so hyper and obsessed with my glowing ice cube   The bar (Captain Quarter) was a lovely place to sit and chill for awhile. I polished off Heath's drink for him and enjoyed the bar snacks of olives and peanuts.   We headed off to the hotel boutique again afterwards. Mark and I got into a right grump with each other here - think we were just tired and worn out so there were a few heated words hissed at each other through gritted teeth! But I managed to buy my new favourite mug during the row  The little character anchors are so clever and cute! We decided to give Earl of Sandwich a go for dinner as I'd heard good things about it...well...it was sadly very disappointing! The sandwich Mark wanted (the French dip) wasn't on their menu and the woman serving us had no clue what he was talking about, so he didn't bother getting one at all. I got the Philly cheese meal and Heath had the child's pizza meal. Mine was just a bit dry and dull really. Heath seemed happy enough with his. Back to the hotel for another look in the shop (yes, we spent a small fortune on souvenirs ) - we were all a bit happier after eating (Mark shared my sandwich in the end) so it was nice to look in the shop again, while we were actually talking to each other Heath got an anniversary notebook and t-shirt  Then it was back to the room to get Heath to bed. Mark had another bath while I sat on the bench and chatted to him, before we were in bed too, by 10pm I think - ready for another early start tomorrow!  |
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28 Feb 18, 11:04 PM
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Guest
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Not interested in Gepetto?!
PHILISTINE! Seriously, though - some great character snaps today. And you met a penguin...THAT is one of my M&G goals. You know my opinion on DLP food...but I was pleased to see that your million-euro lunch at least included macarons. Were they good? 'Cause a good macaron goes a long way... SO SORRY that EoS let you down. Should you ever make it to Florida/New York/Boston...remember these two words: Holiday. Turkey.  Don't be messin' around with any other sandwich, my friend. This one is like manna from Heaven.  ...and I don't have a daughter, so maybe I just can't get it...but, MAN! Three hours (THREE HOURS) to meet Moana?! Doesn't DLP do Fastpasses for the Princess Hall thing? PS: Thank you for including the shopping. PPS: Did you see the news about all the new stuff coming to Walt Disney Studios... Disneyland Paris annonce un plan d’expansion d’envergure pour le Parc Walt Disney Studios comprenant trois nouvelles zones thématiques dédiées à Marvel, Star Wars et la Reine des Neiges ! |
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28 Feb 18, 11:30 PM
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Thread Starter
Imagineer
Join Date: Jan 14
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that boy was on a mission to collect signatures!The billion dollar macarons were ok, but that's it I'm afraid. But the chicken nuggets...they were to die for I've heard so much about the holiday turkey sandwich! I scanned the menu for it but no joy, I fear it's a very poor relation to the US branches. Now I know that if I had a daughter, I would have coughed up for the princess lunch, the princess for a day makeover, queued for hours etc etc because I am a soft-hearted fool! So thank goodness for boys with no interest in princesses...well, at least no interest so far, we'll see what happens when hormones kick in! I love it when people include all the shopping details, complete with pictures - so I'm taking this duty rather seriously in the trip report I did indeed see the new plans and am very excited about them because I found the Studios to be seriously lacking in Disney Magic! Any excuse for a repeat visit of course Always lovely to chat April, thanks for coming by  hope all is well with you, how is R.C's recovery going?
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1 Mar 18, 06:43 PM
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VIP Dibber
 
Join Date: Feb 16
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I'm glad you made it for rope drop! That is brilliant I hate getting up and out when it's cold it just feels hard to get moving and I need about 10 cups of tea to get me going.
The star wars light up ears look awesome I love them, Heath looks so pleased with himself in the photo, it's lovely. Ah the hunt for autographs is brilliant fun! At least you didn't find you had left the autograph book back in the hotel room. Oh dear that can lead to some stroppiness and some serious scowling for a good few hours and that's just me and DH! It certainly sounds as if you've converted your boys to the many pleasures of Disney holidays. You look like you're having lots of fun in all the photos. I'm glad you had such a great time.
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Abby  New pre trip report - Summer 2024 Link to all my completed trip reports 2017: NYC and Orlando. Salzburg. Boston. 2018: Orlando. Berlin. 2019: DLP. Orlando. Washington DC. 2020: DLP. 2021: Jamaica. Rome. 2022: Orlando. 2023: Orlando. Niagara and Toronto. |
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1 Mar 18, 09:57 PM
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Apprentice Imagineer
 
Join Date: Jan 15
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Another great day with lots of character interaction. We have never done Innoventions - I just can't bring myself to spend that much money, but then I'm mean!
Shame you didn't like EoS; we enjoyed our meal there and found it quite tranquil compared to the parks. I love the penguins, too but I haven't seen them at DLP for years. We have a lovely photo somewhere of DDwith the penguins in Lucky Nugget Saloon when it used to do a character lunch - those were the days! |
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1 Mar 18, 10:04 PM
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Guest
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...though, having said that...I reckon that Moana's costume keeps the lads interested for longer... It's funny, mine was the generation before princesses...I've no idea what I would have done with a daughter who wanted all that stuff. Most likely arranged for The Queen to come with us...my lack of interest in makeup/hair/etc...was always hard for her. And to compound things - now she only has grandsons. Sorry, Queen. I am delighted to see all the new things coming to DLP...but must confess that FROZEN wasn't really what I was hoping for. Nevertheless, I remain hopeful. I wonder if we'll ever get back there...R.C. has no interest and with the cost now so high...it seems like Florida (or even California) are better choices for us. Hard to believe we had five nights all-in at Sequoia Lodge back in 2011 for £500. Tickets, breakfast, everything - £500. Those days are gone, sister. As for Captain Miserable's recovery...I am currently waiting for him to call me and let me know what time he wants me to drive to his office and get him. Oh, the joy. Wake up sleeping child. Put child in car. Drive The Tank (no power steering) over a mile of ice to reach the main road and then all the way to R.C.'s office. Load Tank with all of his files. Back home over the ice. Wake sleeping child and get him out of The Tank and back to bed. Repeat tomorrow. And the next day. I will be SO, SO happy when he can drive again (should be about 3 weeks). I'm genuinely happy to help - but it's a pig when you've got no family nearby to lend a hand. My neighbour has been a brick (per usual) but we can't impose on him like we could (and would!) on family.  And chicken nuggets indeed...
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1 Mar 18, 10:58 PM
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Thread Starter
Imagineer
Join Date: Jan 14
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We really did have a great time. I'm loving looking back on it for the report.
the downside is, we barely noticed the food!
Can't believe how cheap it was in 2011! I can imagine the price will rocket even more once they start building the new lands. Oh Captain Miserable and The Tank sound like hard work - you are a much nicer wife than me! I hope these next three weeks go quickly for you. |
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6 Mar 18, 10:31 PM
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slightly serious Dibber
 
Join Date: Jun 13
Location: South Yorkshire
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Another fab day! So many character meets! I'm definitely going for a wander round the DLH when we go!
Can I ask what sort of mains were on offer at Inventions? I know its a buffet but i'm hearing that there's mostly fish dishes. My DH hates fish with a passion and it seems alot of money if he's not going to eat much.
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** A Dream is a wish your heart makes ** DLP - Jul '01, Aug '03, Sept '07, Feb '17, Feb '19, Feb '23 WDW - Aug '13, July '22 |
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7 Mar 18, 10:15 AM
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Thread Starter
Imagineer
Join Date: Jan 14
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There was steak, lamb, meatballs, chicken nuggets, pizza, pasta, as well as salads, cheeses etc - I think we only had one bit of fish...it was disguised as a nugget So I thought it was a great selection. It does get busy which can be a pain, but I just got one mega plate and picked bits off DH's when he got a second!
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7 Mar 18, 08:39 PM
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slightly serious Dibber
Join Date: Jun 13
Location: South Yorkshire
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__________________
** A Dream is a wish your heart makes ** DLP - Jul '01, Aug '03, Sept '07, Feb '17, Feb '19, Feb '23 WDW - Aug '13, July '22 |
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