DLP Nov/Dec 2016 - TR - Things that Go Bump...

[ShezMcQ]

Hi there,

I'm fairly new to the DIBB but thought I would share my Trip Report from our last holiday in DLP with you guys.

We're off to DLP again next month and I'll try to do a more complete TR then with photos etc. This one will hopefully allow me to experiment with posts.

So, here goes:


Sunday 27th November

Cast: Me (38), DH (43), DD (6 turning 7 during trip) and DS (4). This was our second trip to DLP but the first during Christmas Season and our first times in both Santa Fe Hotel and Sequoia Lodge.

We left home around 2pm to travel to Glasgow airport. I had already arranged access to the Aspire Lounge there as we figured it would be a nice place for the family to relax before the flight and we weren’t wrong. Plenty of food/drink options and a small play area for the kids that kept them well entertained. The flight went without a hitch and the Ezyshuttle driver (a lady whose name I didn't catch) was waiting right at the door when we emerged from the baggage hall. A quick walk to the car and we were on our way!


Due to the rubbish flight times, we had booked a night both pre and post our SL stay at the Kyriad but I changed it to the Santa Fe a month or so before we left so we could be onsite the entire time. On arrival, there was a small queue to check-in and then we were on our way to our room.


Now, I tried to like the Santa Fe, I really did...but I just didn't. Don't get me wrong, there were aspects to it that I did like such as the shower and the Cars theme but unfortunately the negatives won out in the end. The towels were tiny and there were only 2 of them in the first room when there were four of us. The keycard lock was temperamental and there was only one small pillow per person. Even going for breakfast at 7.30 it was still a complete bun fight, plastic plates, a sweltering restaurant, no order to where things were (that I could figure out) and a strangely hard to locate exit (even though the doors are huge they somehow blended in to the environment or maybe they were camouflaged by the sheer number of people in the restaurant LOL).


For me though, the worst thing about the Santa Fe is the way it is laid out. Because it is a collection of several small buildings, there seemed to be a constant stream of people walking and talking outside our window or in the corridor. I hardly slept a wink that night and was very grateful for the fantastic shower the next morning.

[ShezMcQ]

I'm going to apologise now for the length of this next post but the day was quite eventful...

Day 2 – Monday 28th November

After breakfast, we were understandably keen to get to the Sequoia Lodge where we were booked into a Golden Forest Club room for four nights. After an easy walk (and not so easily finding the main door for Reception), we were welcomed at the GF reception and given all of our park tickets/vouchers/info etc. We left our luggage with them to be delivered to the room later in the day and headed off for our first day in the parks.

I didn't keep a running order of all the rides we did but I know that we went to Buzz first as that had been a family favourite the previous year. We all loved it again but DH was most unhappy that I beat his score 

We headed on over to Fantasyland and did all of the usual suspects there including Tea Cups, IASW, Peter Pan, etc. We discovered Casey Jr which we had completely missed last year (no idea how) and that quickly became the most visited ride of our trip. Both kids absolutely loved it! After feeling brave on this ride, DD decided to give Pirates of the Caribbean another go after hating it last year (ok we forced her) but she had the best time on it and loved the “tips” as she calls them. We had to go back on a few times in a row (walk on) and then following a quick bite to eat in Casey’s we decided to go on the Railroad as this was something else we had missed from the first time.

Unfortunately we timed it completely wrong so ended up waiting for 30mins for the train but it was well worth it—a lovely way to get round the park.

After a few more Fantasyland rides, we decided to head back to the hotel to check into our room as it was around 3pm by this point. Sure enough our room was ready and we headed on up to 7242 that would be our home for the next few days. I had emailed the GF club around ten days before we left and asked for a room close to the facilities and not too far from the lifts and was so pleased that they managed to accommodate our request. The room was just round the corner from the lift and in a great spot near to the GF lounge/stairs to the back door.

We walked into our room and were so impressed! It was a great size with two large beds and plenty of floor space. The room facilities included a Nespresso machine, fridge and large fluffy towels for all of us... not forgetting two pillows each! The beds were really comfortable too. All in all we were very pleased with the Sequoia thus far.

We decided to go and check out the lounge as it was about time for afternoon tea. We were welcomed warmly and sat down in one of the rectangular tables near to the windows. Just after our drinks were served and we had got ourselves a wee plate of goodies, DS decided it might be a good idea to tip himself off the edge of his booth seat (I think he thought the window was closer than it is and tried to lean against it). He proceeded to bounce upside down off the shelf in between the seat and the window and split his head open! We only realised this after DH ended up with blood all over him after rescuing DS from the floor and giving him lots of cuddles. I tried to stem the bleeding with some napkins but it wasn’t for stopping so asked one of the GF Lounge staff members for assistance. He quickly saw it was quite a serious cut and called the hotel paramedics to come and look after DS. They arrived within a couple of minutes and after trying unsuccessfully to stop the bleeding themselves, they thought we might have to take him to hospital (cue tears from me at this point).

I should mention that the GF staff member couldn’t speak English very well and neither could the paramedics. My French is basic to say the least so they went to find someone who could help translate. A waiter from HG came round to help and I really appreciated this. The paramedics bandaged DS’ head and went away to call the doctor at the hospital and while we were waiting for them to come back, the waiter went out and came back with a Todd plush toy for DS for being so brave. He was so pleased with it and it fairly cheered him up.

When the paramedics returned, they said we would have to go to hospital after all as the doctor thought it might need stitched (cue much more crying from me). An ambulance would be EUR100 but they had arranged for a hotel car to take DS and DH (I decided it would be better for DH to go as he is more stalwart in these situations than me) to the hospital instead. They departed at about 5pm and that left DD and I in a bit of a daze.

I decided to have a hot chocolate in the lounge (medicinal purposes) and DD was just so amazing during this time. She was very worried about her brother but was really well behaved and didn't freak out at all. A very nice lady who had witnessed all of this unfold came and sat with me for a bit and offered for us to go sit with them but I declined as I just couldn’t face it. Much appreciated gesture from her though and it really helped to calm my nerves. I decided to take DD down to the Village for a wander to try and take our minds off the wait for news but had to explain to her that I wouldn’t be able to buy her anything as DH had all the cards/money (normal for us on hols as I don't usually carry any purse/bags etc) and all I had was EUR20. Bless her she said “that's fine Mummy, I might see something that I like but I promise I won't ask you to buy it for me”.

Off to the village we went and we had a lovely time just wandering around the Disney Store, the Lego Store and World of Disney. DS doesn’t like shopping too much so we don't get a chance to just wander around normally. At about 6.30 we started to get peckish and so I decided to go to Earl of Sandwich. We shared a bacon and cheese pizza which was really divine and headed on back up to the hotel taking some brownie bites with us.

After getting DD settled in bed, I hopped for a shower and called DH who told me that the wait to see the doctor was about five hours! At this, I settled down to read until they came back.

Thankfully DS only needed to have his head glued instead of stitches as the doctor didn't want to put him through any more trauma so once that was done, and as they were happy he wasn’t concussed, he was allowed to come back to the hotel (EUR20 in a taxi). After lots of cuddles, he went straight to bed and sleep as by now it was around 10.30 and long past his bedtime!

DH and I finally managed to get some sleep after agreeing that we wouldn’t set any alarms the following day and would just let the kids wake whenever they wanted due to the late night.

[ShezMcQ]

Day 3 – Tuesday 29th November


Kids actually woke up around 8am and following a lazy morning we eventually made it to breakfast at around 9am. It was such a contrast to the Santa Fe that I could have cried (again).

Now, I know that this was a club level breakfast experience but I can only say that it was totally worth every penny we paid to upgrade! The service was great, and although it was busy in the breakfast room, it never felt overcrowded or rushed. We all opted for pancakes and maple syrup with apple juice and coffee (for DH and I) and we all thoroughly enjoyed it.

Poor DH and DS were absolutely starving having had no dinner the previous night. DS commented he was going to have dinner and breakfast together so along with his pancakes he also had toast and yoghurt!


We headed over to the parks just after 10am and it was a beautiful day. So sunny and the chilly breeze from the day before had disappeared so it felt a lot warmer—still bundled up in coats, scarves, hats and gloves though. We decided to stay in Disneyland Park for the day and again enjoyed several of our favourite rides with really short queues. After her POTC experience of the previous day, DD was getting really brave (for her) and decided to go on Peter Pan, Snow White and Dumbo, all of which she had been scared to try last year. Needless to say she loved them all! We noticed such a difference in the kids this year. DS has always been a daredevil but DD was so much braver this year and was game for most rides as long as they weren’t true rollercoasters or the “Spooky House” as she calls PM, which was too much of a stretch of her newfound bravery.


We had lunch at Lucky Nugget today and were so pleasantly surprised by it. Food and service were great and the puppet show was simple but awesome! Kids were thoroughly engrossed.


We had dinner reservations at HG for 6pm tonight so headed back to the hotel around 5ish to get ready. It took our DS around 25mins to walk (at his pace) from the heart of the park to the back entrance of SL so we always had to factor this in. I still think we made the right decision not to take a buggy for him though as he hasn’t used one for years and would baulk at the prospect of being strapped in. It's also so much easier navigating the busy parks without the buggy and not having to park up in the buggy areas was fantastic as well!


DH and I had both been really looking forward to our dinner in HG after reading such great reviews on TA and enjoying our dinner at Plaza Gardens the year before. Unfortunately, we were very disappointed. There just wasn’t much there in the hot main section that any of us really enjoyed and of the four of us, only DS is very fussy. The rest of us will eat most things. Yes, the desserts were nice and so was the cheese selection but I found the actual dinner offerings really poor. I know I'm in the minority and this is just my opinion but I wouldn’t return there.


After dinner, we walked down to the Village as we were done before 7pm and had a short wander around the shops there before heading back to put the kids to bed just after 8pm. DH crashed out not long after this but I stayed awake long enough to get the room prepared for DD’s birthday the following day (I had brought balloons and banners from home together with some presents and cards for her).

[ShezMcQ]

Day 4 – Wednesday 30th November


Today was DD’s 7th birthday. We woke up at around 8am again and she was super excited to see the room all done up for her. She opened her presents and cards and was so chuffed with everything she got. One of her presents was an Anna dress I had bought before we left so she dressed up in that and we headed down to breakfast.

She got loads of attention from the CMs and as we had also got her a birthday badge to wear, everyone was wishing her a happy birthday and she felt very special. On the way out the back door of the hotel, the CM at the door of HG called her over and gave her the phone so she could get the birthday message from Mickey. She was so happy with this and it was a really sweet thing for him to do.


We walked down to the security checkpoint and discovered that DD didn't have her bag/purse with her containing her birthday money. DH went back to the room to get it so we went through security and just waited for him outside Cafe Mickey. After about 30mins he came down furious because he hadn’t been able to find it anywhere. We all thought that it must have somehow been lost and DD was so upset because she had quite a lot of birthday money from us and others to spend. I was trying to be pragmatic about it but DH was more upset so it was a bit tense between us for a while which was sad.

Today was our Studios day as we had reserved lunch at BCR as this was DD’s favourite restaurant last year.

After deciding against PFAD due to the apparent lack of photographers, we took DD to the face painters in the Studios instead and they did a lovely job! DD was made up (literally) with the finished effect and it stayed put all day! I got some beautiful photos both during the make-up and after and so we don't feel like we missed out on PFAD at all—we also saved ourselves EUR40 in the process so double bonus!


We lamented the week long closure of Ratatouille for a while and then tried out the Flying Carpets which DD, DS and I all loved. DH doesn’t like any rides which go high so he gave this one a miss. We queued for the 12:50 Mickey and the Magician show for around 40mins but it was worth it as our seats were really near the front and a perfect view. What a marvellous show! I would recommend everyone tries to see it if they go while it's still showing as it was truly magical and a great overall production.


After this, we headed on over to BCR and had a nice lunch. We didn't feel it was as good as last year but how much of this was actually down to the restaurant I don't know. The kids didn't enjoy their mains as much as this has changed since we last visited and even DD didn't like the tomato bits in the chicken skewers. They sat us in the far corner right at the back of the restaurant where the ride is so we felt a distinct lack of atmosphere and seeing the ride in darkness just reinforced the fact that it was closed for our whole trip and seeing as it was one of the reasons why we had booked to go back, we were all sad about it.


DH had called the Sequoia Lodge a bit earlier in the day to ask them if they could keep an eye out for DD’s bag in the lounge or in the room when they were cleaning and lo and behold, just after lunch, they called him to say it had been found... in the room! Apparently it was under the mattress. Personally, I think it was under the bed as neither of the kids could have lifted the mattress and I wonder if I would have found it had I been the one to go back to the room. DH maintains that he searched from top to bottom...

Still, with her bag and money found, DD was over the moon and it lifted all of our moods considerably. DD was excited to see Spiderman but surprisingly, DS not so much (think he was a bit scared) so DD and I headed to his meet & greet location while DH took DS on the Studio Tram Tour. Spidey was awesome as ever and DD was all girly and shy when talking to him which was quite sweet to see. After riding Slinky, Cars Quatre Rally (loved this one) and Flying Carpets a few more times, we headed back to the hotel for a late afternoon tea in the lounge before going back out for Dreams.

We decided to head down to Central Plaza at around 6.10pm and just caught a bit of the Christmas Tree Lighting ceremony on the way. We were lucky to find a spot right at the front of the rope next to a roped off section (for wheelchairs maybe?) in the centre. DH went off to get popcorn and came back around 15mins later. The kids enjoyed eating their popcorn and going over the previous days’ events with us so 6.45pm quickly rolled around and the short Dreams pre-show started. I loved this so much and DH couldn’t believe that was only the starter and the main course was still to come!

At 7pm on the dot, Dreams began and it took all of our breaths away. We hadn’t seen it all last June as we were all asleep by 11pm so this was a DLP first for us. I think I took about 100 photos and teared up a couple of times before the end! Once over, we made our way slowly back to the hotel and we all collapsed in bed by 9pm.

[ShezMcQ]

Day 5 – Thursday 1st December


Ok, today we decided to get our character heads on a bit as we hadn’t met any thus far! Armed with autograph book and pen we had breakfast and headed out to the parks early and were in the Minnie queue by 8.15. She came out by 8.30 and we had seen her before 9am, kids loved it and I have some lovely pics of the four of us taken by the CM which I really appreciated.

We headed for Chip and Dale after that and only waited around 20mins in their queue. They were so funny with the kids who loved their silly antics.

Kids were a bit cold after all that standing around outside so we tried to find somewhere open for a coffee and a heat but were unsuccessful as most places didn't open until 11am and we couldn’t be bothered walking back to Main Street. We went to POTC instead (a firm favourite by now and not just for the warmth of the queue) and rode that a couple of times again. We then did the obligatory Casey Jr and Story Boat Ride before Tea Cups, IASW, Dumbo, Peter Pan etc.

We decided to try Au Chalet de la Marionette for an early lunch and weren’t disappointed. Whenever we went to the counter service restaurants for a bit of lunch, we always shared one adult meal between DH and I and one child meal between DD and DS as this was plenty for all of us. The GF breakfast was nice and filling and our dinners were never very late because of the kids. DH and I shared a Currywurst and it was very tasty! More hot chocolates too as these had become a staple food group over the course of the week. 

After lunch and a few more rides, we headed on over to the Castle Stage to watch Royal Christmas Wishes. We settled on the wall just in front of the stage and ended up with two for the price of one as the Christmas Parade went past before the show started. This turned out to be the only parade we saw as neither of our kids was overly bothered about standing around to watch the main parade. I was disappointed by this as it was something I had been looking forward to (as we missed it every day last year too) but this holiday was for the kids and we took things at their pace, not ours.

Royal Christmas Wishes was most enjoyable and DD loved seeing all the princesses and their princes. After another go on Buzz and trying out Autopia we headed back to the hotel for a hot chocolate in the lounge and to get ready for Cafe Mickey at 6.30.

After reading so many mixed reviews about CM, I had been really apprehensive about booking it but a few people that I know personally have gone and raved about it so we decided to give it a go. I am SO glad that we did! We all just loved it. We were seated upstairs at the window and the restaurant soon filled to capacity. We were served our food quickly and it was all delicious. We saw Minnie first and then Eeyore (who was really great and he’s also my fave character so I was very pleased to see him). After that, there were no characters for ages and as we were eating dessert by this point, I began to get a little anxious that we wouldn’t see any more.

I needn’t have worried though as Pluto, Goofy and then Mickey all came over in quick succession—there's clearly a good system in operation). Loved all of them and they were all fab with the kids.

Full of the joys of Disney and armed with some more souvenirs to take home after another visit to World of Disney, we all headed back to the hotel room (following a quick pit stop in the lounge for hot choc) to sleep and be ready for our last full day.

[ShezMcQ]

Day 6 – Friday 2nd December


I think we got to the parks about 9am today as we had to check out of our room and get the GF staff to store our luggage. We headed straight to meet Goofy and Pluto but couldn’t find them! They weren’t in the spot they had been in the rest of the week so not sure where they were. Kids weren’t too bothered though as we had seen them the night before in CM.

After riding the usual rides in Fantasyland, we headed over to POTC but it seemed to have some technical problems today as first it didn't open and then later when it did eventually open they were only operating one boat at a time so the queue was the longest it had been all week. There was a marked increase in queue times today so we didn't do quite as many rides as before. Good old Casey Jr was always a walk on though which was great.

We also saw Scrooge McDuck here and that was a great meet as our kids are obsessed with the Mickey’s Christmas DVD’s and so to see Uncle Scrooge in the flesh (as it were) really excited them. That was all the meets we did though. Saw plenty of other characters but neither DD nor DS really wanted to see any others— DD actually ran away from Jafar!

Both DD and DS were definitely more into the rides even though they loved seeing all the classic characters and DD loved the princesses in Royal Christmas Wishes. We had planned on seeing Santa but every time I looked at the queue times it was over an hour and DS just wouldn’t have stood for that long.

We had lunch in Colonel Hathi’s today and loved it! DS wasn’t too sure about the African drummers as they were quite loud but he soon got over that and was dancing away in his seat. After lunch, and a couple more rides on POTC (which was working as normal by now) and the usual suspects (Casey Jr, Story Boats, IASW, Tea Cups, Buzz etc), we headed over to the Studios in the vain hope that maybe Ratatouille would open early... no such luck unfortunately. Still, the Studios was super quiet by this point so we enjoyed a few walk-on rides on Slinky, Cars Quatre Rally and Flying Carpets before calling it a day and heading back to the hotel.

DH was beginning to feel a bit jaded by this point. I think it was just because we were constantly going on the same 8 or 9 rides that although really fun, were becoming a little samey. The kids were still having the time of their lives though so that was the main thing.

We had made a reservation dinner at The Steakhouse in the Village for 6pm on a whim and so glad we did. What a meal! I think it is the best steak I have ever had! Great service and friendly staff again.

After dinner, we had a final wander in the World of Disney to pick up the last bits that we had our eyes on and walked up to the Sequoia to retrieve our luggage and head back to Santa Fe for our last night in DLP. 

After traipsing to Reception in the Santa Fe, we were given room 010 on the ground floor right next to the external door of Block 46 (McQueen). I thought about going back to reception to ask for another room but decided it was only one night and we would just stay put.

Kids were out like lights again but both DH and I tossed and turned most of the night. It was just so noisy outside our room and that continued until about 1am with people coming and going and pulling staircases along the pavement and talking loudly with each other after leaving the bars etc.

I'm all for having a good time on holiday but found the blatant disregard for others who may be sleeping in the rooms right next to the pavements really annoying. It was Friday night though so expect this would also have impacted on the number of people coming back later.

[ShezMcQ]

Day 7 – Saturday 3rd December


After a rather sleepless night, we were up and in the breakfast hall for 7.10am as I was determined to avoid the same issues we had had before...

Well, it was still a bunfight! It was heaving with people even at that time of the morning and sweltering again. I couldn’t manage to eat much of anything and neither could DH so after the kids had eaten their rolls, we left and made our way to the train station for our 09:01am TGV to Charles de Gaulle.

This worked really well and we were at the airport by 09:10am. We swiftly passed through the bag drop and security sections but had to queue for ages for Border Control as only two desks were manned.

Once through, we pretty much just had to go to the gate and wait for the flight so no last minute duty-free shopping for me (probably a good thing). The flight was really smooth and we landed on time in Glasgow—all sad that our DLP trip was at an end.

[ShezMcQ]

Final Thoughts:

We all enjoyed our trip so much more this time. We had time to do everything we wanted to do and managed to see what we wanted to see.

I would never stay at the Santa Fe again—just my personal preference—and think the Golden Forest rooms are worth double the price they charge for the extras that are provided. The lounge was well used by us every single day at some point or another and just having that quiet place to go and relax whenever we wanted was priceless for us. Sequoia Lodge was beautiful in the winter and I wouldn’t hesitate to stay there again.

Apart from the hospital at the beginning of the trip, we had a great time and didn't feel the refurbishments put a dampener on things... with the exception of Ratatouille; none of us ever truly got over the disappointment of its unexpected closure for the five days we were in the parks. I'm just glad I found out about it before we travelled as I think we’d have all been really sad if we had gone down there to ride and found it closed.

We had a half board plus meal plan and spent around EUR500 in total. This included our private transfer on arrival, all our counter service meals and many souvenirs for us and the kids. One of my favourite things is a large photo and frame from POTC that was on a promotion when we were there. It now has pride of place in our kitchen!

I've got inclusive EU data on my phone contract and found this really useful as being able to quickly check the waiting times for all the rides was a godsend.

I feel like we did everything the kids wanted to do and really made this a trip all about them. It was lovely having that special family time together and we made some great memories.

I hope you enjoy reading this and I'll be sure to include some photos with my next TR from our trip in July.

[DizzyDisneyMum]

What a fantastic week (apart from the hospital visit!) Thank you so much for taking the time to write a trip report. X

[Tubbsy]

Your poor DS! Glad it didn't ruin the holiday.
Great trip report!