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Old 6 Jun 22, 07:07 PM  
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Gill H
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Happy Birthday 30/55 - March 2022: Day 2

<<Day 1

As previously, we were up by 7am and after a leisurely breakfast we made our way to the Disneyland Park. It was another beautiful sunny morning and "It's A Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow" was playing.



More lovely posters on the hoardings.



This morning we had arranged to meet Carina and Lee (otherwise known as vloggers C&L Wandering). We’d never met in person before, but we were subscribed to each other’s channels and had chatted online. We had offered to get them into Salon Mickey as they had never been before. Like us, they were staying offsite, but unlike us they had annual passes, so they were already in the park by the time we got there.

A quick text or two followed explaining where to meet, and soon we were saying hello at the door to Salon Mickey, and exchanging experiences of how things had gone so far. They were just as lovely in person as they had seemed on their channel, and it was great to be with them as they celebrated their 5th wedding anniversary.

They were very excited about getting into Salon Mickey, particularly Carina who was really into Disney history. Over a cuppa and a character shortbread we chatted about our various trips and future plans. We could honestly have stayed chatting for hours, but meanwhile there was magic waiting for us in the parks, so instead we made plans for an interview with them in the future for the Great British Mickey Waffle podcast. You can check out their interview here.

C&L Wandering Share a Waffl

Entering the park through the door instead of the turnstile was, as always, absurdly exciting, particularly for Carina and Lee who hadn’t done it before. You do feel as if the park is yours somehow. We said goodbye on Main Street, and Peter and I headed towards the castle.

Alas, the dungeon was still closed as part of the refurb, so there was no visiting the dragon today. Likewise, the castle shops still hadn’t reopened. But the gallery upstairs was open again at last, so we went up there to reacquaint ourselves with Aurora’s story through the beautiful stained-glass windows and tapestries. There were so many little things to notice here, such as the magic window which changed between doves and a rose, and the enchanted knights snoring gently.



Once outside on the balcony, we had a great view of the newly refurbished turrets.



And of course, the gleaming golden snails!



By now Peter Pan was busier than we like it, so we went straight to Teacups, which as usual had a short wait. Then we took a spin on the Carousel. I like the fact that nowadays they assign you a number, which speeds up the loading. We always ask for a chariot (which luckily is the same in French!) as I find it difficult to get on the horses. There are only two chariots, so this time we had to wait until the next ride. As this is such a short ride, that wasn’t a problem, and it’s always great to listen to the music. Somehow ‘Gaston’ sounds perfect when played on a calliope!

Eventually we got into our chariot and enjoyed the ride. It was just a shame that the area near Snow White was still boarded up, so the views from the ride weren’t as nice as usual.
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DLP: day trips 2000, 2003; Cheyenne Sep 2009, Feb 2011, Nov 2018; Sequoia Lodge June 2008, May 2012; Elysee May 2012, Jan 2013, Sep 2013; Disneyland Hotel Mar 2015, Santa Fe Nov 2016; Newport Bay Sep 2017, Ibis Sep 2019, Hotel NY Art of Marvel Nov 2021
WDW: Port Orleans Riverside Dec 10; SSR Nov 14

Edited at 10:25 PM.
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Old 6 Jun 22, 07:12 PM  
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Gill H
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Next we decided we would go through to Adventureland and see if we could get a magic photo. We’d heard there was one at the spot overlooking Skull Rock, where you can sometimes meet Peter Pan. Sure enough, the green parasol was there, but no photographer at that moment.

So instead we walked through Adventureland, and spotted Jafar doing a meet and greet. The queue was short, so we joined it, and soon we were meeting the grand vizier himself.





I asked him if he had any plans to run for Sultan again, as I had a great campaign slogan for him – Make Agrabah Great Again! I’m not sure whether he laughed, it’s not easy to tell, but the CMs certainly did.





By now we were quite warm and fancied a little refreshment, so went to Café de la Brousse in search of ‘pineapple whip’ – which was rumoured to now be the same as WDW’s ‘dole whip’, consisting of a dairy-free pineapple soft serve dessert, rather than the mix of vanilla ice cream and pineapple sauce which DLP previously sold. However, we were destined never to find out, as the Café was closed, and indeed we never found it open during the whole trip.

Instead we bought a bottle of Coke each from La Giraffe Curieuse, one of our favourite shops, and sat in the shade underneath the Adventureland arch to drink it.

By now it was coming up to 12 and we wanted to get a good position for the “Dream… and Shine Brighter” show at 12:30, so we made our way to the hub.

We took some time to take video and the odd photo of the fascinating mobile sculptures which have been added to the park for the 30th anniversary.



Unlike the golden statues in WDW, the mobiles are somewhat abstract, and are grouped together in themes. There are 30 characters in all, located in 10 gardens with themes such as Nature, Water. Asia and Jungle. They really need to be seen both by day and night, as once illuminated they take on a completely different feel.

The hub wasn’t busy and we managed to get a great spot to view the show. As you can see, the weather was perfect, warm but not hot, with beautiful sunshine.

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WDW: Port Orleans Riverside Dec 10; SSR Nov 14
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Old 6 Jun 22, 07:14 PM  
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Gill H
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Knowing that my dodgy knees would be complaining by the end, we decided to do a mobile order at Casey’s so that we had somewhere to sit and eat afterwards. This was our first experience of doing mobile order, and it was very easy using our Halifax Clarity card.

Soon we heard the enticing strains of the ‘Ready for the Ride’ song, which together with ‘Un Monde Qui S’Illumine’ provided a catchy soundtrack for the show. The bright rainbow-coloured floats made their way up Main Street, and as they reached the hub, characters came down to dance on the road and the stages. I must make special mention of the dancers, who were decked out in the purple and blue celebration colours, and really giving it their all. The atmosphere was just so good and it was impossible not to get swept up in the fun. The stage nearest to us had appearances from Chip and Dale with Clarice, who were joined by Goofy. Meanwhile the other stages had visits from the Genie, Alice, Mickey and Minnie, Donald and Daisy, the Mad Hatter and Joy from Inside Out. The characters swapped between the different stages as the show progressed, and even the castle fountains were getting in on the action at times.

Then the second wave of characters arrived – Tiana, Woody and Jessie, Miguel, Judy and Nick from Zootopia, and Rapunzel. I was particularly impressed with Rapunzel, who was doing the same moves as the dancers but infusing them with her particular personality. And when Mickey and Minnie joined her for a gospel version of “I’ve Got A Dream” the crowd were loving it.

In addition to the two anniversary theme songs, the music referenced many of the characters present, such “Friend Like Me” for Genie, and “Proud Corazon” for Miguel, but also managed to weave in other favourites such as “Under the Sea”, “You’ll Be In My Heart” and even “Topsy Turvy” from Hunchback, which you don’t hear often. I’m a sucker for these ‘Disney medley’ soundtracks and love spotting all the references and joining in the songs.

So – is this the best ever daytime show at DLP? It’s hard to beat the pure rush of joy it leaves you with, and I think it’s even knocked my beloved ‘Jungle Book Jive’ off the top spot of my personal chart. I’d recommend catching it at least twice as there are just so many characters to spot. And you will be singing both songs for the rest of the day. If you can’t pronounce the French one, just do what I did and sing “A monkey, seal and me…”

Before the crowd could disperse we headed straight in to Casey’s Corner to collect our mobile order. We found it a little confusing doing the pickup and a kind CM behind the counter had to show us what to press on the screen, but after that our order was ready very quickly, and another CM managed to find a table for us.

Our hotdogs were fine – it’s a hotdog, not much to say really. Peter had the classic with ketchup and mustard.



I had the one with nachos and barbecue sauce. The nachos provided a nice crunch in contrast to the hotdog.



After this we made our way out of the park and back to our hotel for an afternoon siesta.

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DLP: day trips 2000, 2003; Cheyenne Sep 2009, Feb 2011, Nov 2018; Sequoia Lodge June 2008, May 2012; Elysee May 2012, Jan 2013, Sep 2013; Disneyland Hotel Mar 2015, Santa Fe Nov 2016; Newport Bay Sep 2017, Ibis Sep 2019, Hotel NY Art of Marvel Nov 2021
WDW: Port Orleans Riverside Dec 10; SSR Nov 14
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Old 6 Jun 22, 07:20 PM  
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Gill H
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Suitably refreshed, we returned the park for 3.45 and browsed the shops. We found a bag with Stitch on which would do nicely as a camera bag for Peter.



We then decided to do something we hadn’t been able to do for a long time, and ride the railroad. Not all the stations were open – only Main Street and Frontierland – so we went upstairs to Main Street station to wait for the train. I love the stained-glass pictures here of the different lands, but sadly we didn’t have much time to look at them as the train came almost straight away.

We found ourselves sat in a carriage with a family from Essex who were first-timers. This became evident when we heard them talking about going over to Studios once they got off, as they were very taken aback when we told them it was closing at 6pm! They pumped us for loads of information and were very grateful for all the tips we could give them.

Also in our carriage was a guy from Texas, who was obviously very familiar with both the US parks, and fascinated by the differences at DLP. He was great to talk to and we had a lovely geeky conversation as we went around the park. It was particularly nice to go in front of It’s A Small World as we could see details of some of the refurb happening around us.

Once we had got off the train and said goodbye to all our new friends, we decided to see if the magic shot in Frontierland was open. Fortunately it was, and we got some good shots with Olaf.





Then it was back across the hub to the area outside Plaza Gardens, where two different magic shots were taking place. One of these was with the castle in the background and a 30th anniversary border.





The other was with Tink.



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DLP: day trips 2000, 2003; Cheyenne Sep 2009, Feb 2011, Nov 2018; Sequoia Lodge June 2008, May 2012; Elysee May 2012, Jan 2013, Sep 2013; Disneyland Hotel Mar 2015, Santa Fe Nov 2016; Newport Bay Sep 2017, Ibis Sep 2019, Hotel NY Art of Marvel Nov 2021
WDW: Port Orleans Riverside Dec 10; SSR Nov 14
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Old 6 Jun 22, 07:23 PM  
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Gill H
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It’s worth noting that these were not listed on the app, and we only knew about them because we had seen pictures on ED92’s Twitter feed and asked CMs. It’s always worth doing a bit of research for magic shots as they do change.

By now crowds were beginning to gather for the next “Dream … and Shine Brighter” show but as we didn’t want to do it twice in one day, we decided now would be a good time to start making our way out of the park. We spotted Carina and Lee again on Main Street and said our goodbyes, before making our way down Discovery Arcade. We reached Town Square just before the floats came out, so decided to stay and watch the dancers and characters coming out of the gate and greeting the crowds.





I loved how pleased everyone was to see them and how they were in character right from the start.











Once they had moved on up Main Street, we left the park and went back to the hotel to freshen up and get changed for tonight’s dinner. We were going to an offsite restaurant tonight, of which more later!
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DLP: day trips 2000, 2003; Cheyenne Sep 2009, Feb 2011, Nov 2018; Sequoia Lodge June 2008, May 2012; Elysee May 2012, Jan 2013, Sep 2013; Disneyland Hotel Mar 2015, Santa Fe Nov 2016; Newport Bay Sep 2017, Ibis Sep 2019, Hotel NY Art of Marvel Nov 2021
WDW: Port Orleans Riverside Dec 10; SSR Nov 14
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Old 6 Jun 22, 07:27 PM  
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Gill H
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We knew we needed to walk to the other side of the shopping centre to get to the restaurant, so we strolled through slowly, and decided to stop in at FNAC on the way to pick up a new memory card for Peter’s camera, as his was already full. FNAC is a bit like HMV (if you remember them) – it sells music, DVDs, techie stuff and so on, as well as concert tickets. We figured it would be the obvious place for a memory card, and so it proved to be.

This done, we pushed on through the rest of the shopping centre until we found our way to the collection of restaurants near to the Sea Life centre. There are various options both inside and outside, although we haven’t tried many so far. Our destination was just across the street – L’Interprete, which we last visited in 2019.



Back then it had been a down to earth traditional French bistro with a great value fixed-price set menu and very good steak. We had been welcomed warmly by the staff, though we had evidently been something of a novelty as the place had been full of locals – always a good sign. I remember seeing details of local farms chalked on the wall, showing where the meat had been sourced from. And at one point a member of staff had walked through the restaurant carrying a huge haunch of meat, and several diners had made comments on how good it looked! We had really enjoyed our meal there and often talked about going back. So this time we had made a reservation for 7pm.

Once inside the restaurant, it was obvious that a serious refurb had happened in the intervening years. Gone was the chalkboard and the cosy atmosphere. Instead, it was all gleaming black tables and chairs, and felt much more formal.

We were shown to a table and offered menus, at which point we mentioned that we had visited here a few years ago. The manager laughed and said it probably wasn’t good, and there had been a lot of changes since then. Evidently it had changed hands since our last visit. We were sad to see that the set menu was no longer offered, making the meal a much more pricey affair, but hoped that the quality of the food would be worth the price.

We ordered a Coke each and some tap water for the table. The Cokes soon arrived, but the water never did, even though we asked twice. Our server seemed particularly clueless, and despite us trying out our best French as well as English, he never seemed to understand anything we said. Rather than smiling and trying to understand, he treated us in such an offhand manner we began to wonder if we were interrupting his evening by being there.

Along with the Cokes came a basket of bread – no side plates and no butter, which was not a surprise as this is par for the course in France. The bread was nice but we held back, determined to leave room for our meal.



To start we both ordered the burratina (a small burrata – soft buffalo mozzarella), which came with shards of crisp bacon, a fresh salad and a beautiful truffle oil dressing. This was delicious and we were both well pleased.



For the main course, I had ordered the veal chop, which came with slices of sweet potato, Mediterranean vegetables and a creamy mustard sauce. The veal was tasty but a little chewy, and the sweet potato came in huge slices which I didn’t really care for.



Peter went for the steak, which came with a basket of frites, some blue cheese sauce, and the same vegetables as me, along with a big slice of sweet potato also. This hadn’t been listed on the menu and he isn’t a sweet potato fan, so he ended up leaving it. The steak was cooked medium, as requested, and was good but not particularly outstanding in flavour.



All attempts to be friendly with any of the staff were met with incomprehension or forced conversation. When we ordered our desserts I mentioned that we were celebrating Peter’s birthday, and was met with a nod and a wink, so I was hopeful this would help to enliven the proceedings.

My dessert was a pineapple marinated in rum sitting on a shortbread base, with Chantilly cream and strawberries. This was light, refreshing and delicious.



Peter went for the rum baba, which also came with Chantilly cream and strawberries, as well as candied peel. This was a good choice too – not least because it was brought to the table with a huge sparkler stuck in it, while the staff mumbled their way through a very out of tune ‘Happy Birthday’!



If we had eaten just the starters and desserts, we would have been well satisfied with our meal. It’s just a shame the mains were uninspiring.

We decided not to stay for coffee, so asked for the bill. Our three courses and two soft drinks came to just over 100 Euros. There was no service charge so we left a couple of Euros on the table, as they had at least acknowledged the birthday celebration.

Looking back at our trippie from 2019, we had enjoyed a 3-course set meal which also came with a surprise amuse-bouche, for 24 Euros each. Not surprisingly, we didn’t particularly feel that tonight’s meal had been twice as good for twice the price, and although nothing had been bad enough to complain about, we don’t think we will be rushing back there.

We strolled back slowly, stopping off at the little Monop’ store to get a couple of soft drinks, and once we got back to the hotel it wasn’t long before we hit the hay.

Join us tomorrow for our last full day at DLP, when we actually make it to the Studios!

>>Day 3

INDEX
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DLP: day trips 2000, 2003; Cheyenne Sep 2009, Feb 2011, Nov 2018; Sequoia Lodge June 2008, May 2012; Elysee May 2012, Jan 2013, Sep 2013; Disneyland Hotel Mar 2015, Santa Fe Nov 2016; Newport Bay Sep 2017, Ibis Sep 2019, Hotel NY Art of Marvel Nov 2021
WDW: Port Orleans Riverside Dec 10; SSR Nov 14

Edited at 10:23 PM.
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Old 6 Jun 22, 08:06 PM  
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A lovely day meeting up with friends and I love your photo pass pictures

The daytime show looks and sounds fabulous

What a shame the meal out was just not as you were expecting but the food did look good.
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Old 7 Jun 22, 07:39 AM  
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Great TR! I would go back purely for that 30 th parade, in my opinion it’s the best daytime parade ever, and I’ve seen many over my 30 yrs of visiting WDW! On second thoughts I’m gonna put it joint first with the Millenium parade at Epcot, but you are right the dancers are so enthusiastic and friendly .
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Old 8 Jun 22, 11:05 AM  
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Great TR! So much detail.

I'm jealous of your Casey's hot dogs - when we were there last weekend they were served with dijon mustard instead of american mustard as per the menu, and they tasted disgusting!
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