Another Trip to DLP? Oh, go on then! Feb 12-16 2018 Day 3

[clochette]

Wednesday 14th February - Can you feel the love tonight?

Read Day 1 here: https://DIBB.in/13094206
Read Day 2 here: https://DIBB.in/13105613

I was up at 6.50 today and managed to get the shower to heat up, which is always a good start to the morning. I got the others up and had time to French plait DSis's hair whilst DD was doing her makeup. (I probably had time to plait everybody's hair who was staying in the Cheyenne). I don't know why I bothered TBH as she put her hat on and didn't take it off all day so all my artistic efforts were wasted!

We arrived at the park at about 8.20 to find that it was already open so we showed our hotel pass and headed in. Everybody was being held at the entrance to Fantasyland and Discoveryland by the castle. There was already quite a crowd by the time we got there and you could see people edging closer and closer to the rope. You could practically see the CMs synchronizing their watches and then at 8.30, they dropped the rope and ran! It was like a stampede; I've never seen that at DLP before. I wonder if the CMs get danger money! Do you think they draw lots in the morning to see who has the dreaded rope drop duty?

We were aiming for Peter Pan this morning as I refuse to wait the ridiculous amounts of time necessary later in the day, even though I really like the ride. I thought we would be a long way back but it seems that most people were heading for the Princess Pavilion. I've never seen pushchairs used as battering rams in quite such numbers before! There was a CM at the front at first trying to make people walk but, fearing for his life, he soon got out of the way. However, this worked to our advantage as we walked straight onto PP and were off and in the queue for Dumbo by 8.40.

Does my bum look big in this?

We had our ride on Dumbo (making Elinor ride on her own for once) and then walked straight onto Lancelot's Carousel where, yet again, I had trouble "getting my leg over". When will I learn to pick a smaller horse? I really like the carousel but it seems to be over before you've really got going.

There was a chap on who had got on the same horse as his son (about 18 months old) and the CM made him get off to stand by the horse, which he did but as soon as the CM had gone, he got back on again. She must have noticed when we were going round though, because she came over to have a word with him as we were getting off. I think he was claiming language problems- hmm, not convinced.

The first of today's silly poses

Next we went for a ride on the teacups or rather Elinor and I did. DSis refuses to go on these as they make her feel dizzy. Elinor usually tries to spin our cup really fast but we were in a non spinny one this time - result! Elinor was most disappointed but she had picked it so couldn't blame me. I quite enjoyed it this time and spent much time admiring the Chinese lanterns - it's little touches like these that make quite common fairground rides into something special.

Teacup selfie

More silly poses

We were off by 9.15 and noticed that the wait for the Princess Pavilion was 120 minutes. Peter Pan was showing a 35 minute wait time but I think it was probably much longer. (In fact, I think the wait time was showing 35 minutes every time we walked past for the entire week, regardless of the length of the queue.) We also noticed that there was a long queue for Dumbo as it had broken down; I'm glad we went on first thing.

Next we went for a bit of retail therapy in the glass shop inside the castle. I love it in there, though I always feel slightly nervous. Elinor asked a good question when we were in there. Ever since we have been going to DLP, we have admired the glass castle in there and she wondered whether it was the same one or whether people do actually buy it and they just keep making more. Does anybody know? Does anyone have one in pride of place on their mantelpiece? No I thought not!

I bought a new Mickey ring in there and DSis bought some ear rings for her DH to get her for her birthday which was while we were away. Do we all do this ladies? At least you know you will get something you like. While we were in the shop there was a little girl buying a wand. I have never noticed it before so I don't know if it is new. Basically they have pots of different coloured beads, each representing something different eg peace, love, friendship beauty etc. You choose your colours (3 I think) and they are mixed together by the CM who gets you to say lots of different magic words with him and then they are put into a glass wand. DD was quite taken with this idea until she found out the price - €40- and then she changed her mind!

We then popped into the Christmas decoration shop so Elinor could scope out the Tinkerbell decorations. We have never been in there when it has been so empty before – it is beautifully decorated and seeing as Sleeping Beauty’s gallery was closed while we were there (boo hoo), we had to make do with the stained glass windows in there.

Inside the Christmas shop

Next we went over to Discoveryland to get a FP for Buzz. It was 9.55 by this time. However, the wait was only 15 minutes so we didn't bother with a FP but just joined the queue. As usual, Elinor won this though I got closer to her score than I usually do and may even have beaten her if I hadn't had DSis in with me, spinning the buggy just when I was lining up on a target. I now know what DDs mean when they say I am a liability. I can't remember the scores now but they were nothing special. We were off by about 10.20 and went to get a FP for Star Tours. However, the FP machines were all covered up and the wait was 75 minutes so we didn't bother. There were none available for Space Mountain either and the wait was 35 minutes, not that we were thinking of going on it - I can just about cope with the one in WDW but going upside down is as big no no for me these days.

Instead, we went on Autopia, where the wait was posted as 15 minutes and the queue looked very short. The wait was probably accurate but it felt longer as it was absolutely freezing while we were waiting. It also started to rain and I was seriously considering giving it a miss but it was only a quick shower and had stopped before we got to the front so I was brave and went on. DD rode this on her own, too. She absolutely loves this ride; I really don't know why. She went before us and was finished long before we were as we got stuck in a bit of a traffic jam, whilst waiting to "park" at the end. I am ashamed to say I committed the cardinal sin of bumping someone but it really wasn't my fault - honest! Its very difficult to stop when you are on the downhill bit and you don't have any brakes. I can honestly say that's my first car accident in over 20 years of driving - let's just hope it's the last!

Stuck in a traffic jam

We wandered back to Fantasyland next where we stumbled on the queue for White Rabbit and Tweedledum and Tweedledee. I quite fancied meeting them but the others were cold and DSis wanted to meet Mickey so we went over to the theatre to meet him. I think the wait was posted at 45 minutes but I didn't make a note of it for some reason. (Very sloppy note taking there.) At least there are cartoons to watch whilst you are waiting and between this and the highly interesting conversation of the group behind us, the time passed quite quickly. I don't want you to think I was eavesdropping; they were really loud so I couldn't help it. They were taking about their trip to Paris and the meal they had been enjoying in the restaurant until they had seen the rats! I didn't know that Ratatouille was based on a real story! (I thought he may have been exaggerating a little but after what we saw when we went into Paris, I'm not so sure - more details tomorrow.)
We finally made it to the front of the queue and met the main man. I really wish he had his anniversary outfit on for this meet. I don't know why he doesn't as all the other characters do. Mickey was his usual charming self, though he didn't like Elinor's ears as they had cats on them! It never fails to amaze me how much the characters can say without actually speaking. DSis got her coveted photo and out we went.

Meeting the main man

It was about 11.10 by this time so after a quick stop at the toilets by Toad Hall, it was time to go and watch the anniversary show. We have never used the toilets by Toad Hall before. I was most impressed. They were very clean and there was no queue. I suppose that's because they are tucked away in a corner but I will have to remember to use them in the future.

We got to the Fantasyland stage about 5 minutes before a show was due to start so we were off to one side near the back but we had quite a decent view - until the show started! I've said it before and no doubt I'll say it again but why do people think it is acceptable to stroll up after a show has started and block the view of people who have been waiting patiently? We hadn't been there very long but that's not the point; I'm sure some of the other people had. We had made sure not to stand in front of anybody when we arrived. If you want to guarantee a decent view, put in the effort and get there early! Sorry, but it really winds me up! Maybe I should take my soapbox with me next time - I might be able to stand on it to get a decent view, lol! In spite of all this, we enjoyed the show. All credit to all the CMs. I expect the stage was really quite slippy but they never missed a beat.

Fuente del Oro with its Coco decorations

We headed back to Frontierland next to see if the riverboat was running as DSis has never been on it but, like yesterday, though there was lots of activity around it, it was going nowhere so we had a good old explore of Skull Rock and the tree house instead. Parts of this area were closed off because of the weather, and I think the suspension bridge was being repaired anyway but there was still plenty to explore.

Relieved to be back on the ground

In spite of knowing her for all my life (of course) I had no idea that DSis was afraid of heights. I'm sure she wasn't when we were younger, but she almost had an attack of vertigo at the top of the Swiss Family Robinson tree. No chance of getting her on ToT then! We had to go on PoC to calm her down. This had a 20 minute wait.

Front row seats

After all this excitement, we thought it would be a good idea to head back to the room for a while so that's what we did! We had a nice cup of tea and a snack or two and DD got her fix of social media and then we wandered back out to the Studios.

Yet another silly pose

We arrived at about 4.15. Crush was a 50 minute wait (40 for SR) but we were on a mission to go on Ratatouille again as this had overtaken Pirates as DSis's favourite ride. SR was only 5 minutes so we hopped on. The CM called us back to make sure we knew we would be separated but DSis and I were on the same rat and DD was on the one behind. We actually had to wait a few minutes this time until a rat became available but it was still much, much quicker than the normal queue. Next we went on Slinky, also with a 5 minute wait and then onto Cars. Last time we were here, I felt really, really sick after I had been on Cars and I swore I would never go on again but with just a 5 minute wait, it would be rude not to! Needless to say, DSis didn't come on! I actually felt fine when we got off, so it must have been a coincidence last time. Elinor was most relieved as I think she had visions of me passing out on her. Yes, I really was that bad last time! We noticed that there was no wait for Flying Carpets so we went on them next. Why do theyaave a FP for this? I have never seen a wait of more than 20 minutes for it.

Next we went over to the Sorcerers Hat to look at all the drawings etc. We timed it just right and managed to get into an animation class. At least, DD and I did; DSis didn't want to draw,and so spent the time offering "helpful" comments and looking around at the drawings etc inside the hat.

Working hard

We had Mushu to draw. Elinor was really cross with herself as she miscounted her boxes and ended up with Mushu's nose being too short. Here's our efforts. I really wish I could draw, though I am happy with my efforts here - it's pretty good for me.

My Mushu

Elinor's Mushu

We had finished in the Studios by now so went back to the main park for dinner at Colonel Hathi's Pizza Hut. We really like it here and try to eat here every trip. We arrived about 6.15, which seemed to be a good time as it was fairly empty. I had lasagne and tiramisu, DSis had the lasagne and yoghurt and DD had pasta and yoghurt and we all had a drink. It came to €41. It's not haute cuisine but we enjoyed it. It seems a step up from most of the other counter service places. I think it used to be a "proper" restaurant. The only thing wrong with it are the toilets - there aren't enough of them and they are a bit run down but when you have to go, you have to go! (Sorry, TMI)

Inside Colonel Hathi's

We were in the queue for Pirates by 18.50. The wait was posted at 20 minutes, which seemed long for the amount of people waiting but it was accurate because they only had one line operating. We managed the front row again but I can't seem to find the photo. It was raining when we came out. We debated going back to the hotel but DSis really wanted to watch Illuminations again so we decided to brave the weather and tried to get the same spot as last night.

It was about 7.40 when we got there but it was much busier than the previous evening even though it was raining. We still managed to get a decent spot though and settled in to wait. We were jostled quite a bit by the people wanting to buy popcorn but we stayed put, only moving to let two little girls in front of us so they could see. Their mum was very grateful but it didn't do them much good because just before the show started, a chap came and stood directly in front of them (and us) and then proceeded to put his son, complete with Mickey ears on his shoulders. My soap box would have come in handy here. It just got worse when an even taller man came and stood right next to him. He must have been well over six feet tall. I wouldn't care, but his child wasn't even watching the show but spent most of his time trying to fight with another child on somebody else's shoulders. This meant he was moving all the time so we couldn't even lean to one side to see past him. Luckily, he moved part way through the show ie pushed himself further forward but he moved out of our line of sight so we were happy though I don't suppose the people he moved in front of weren't too thrilled! I managed to take some photos tonight. (Bit of a photo overload coming up)

We headed straight back to the room after the show - no shopping tonight- and were back in our room just before 9, which gave me plenty of time for a nice long soak in the bath to soothe my poor aching feet. I do wish Skechers were waterproof. We were tucked up in bed by 10.

Steps taken: 24 971
Distance walked: 10.25 miles

[MrsSilverStar]

Aw, that was the day we arrived and watched Illuminations too - wish we were back there!

Sounds like a great day, with loads packed in and lots of great photos.