Mum and daughter (belated 18th) DLP trip

Fab Mam · 23 Jul 22, 09:03 PM

Day one - Monday 18th July 2022

We spent last night at the DoubleTree by Hilton at Newcastle Airport which is a lovely hotel with a really nice Italian restaurant. I loved watching the comings and goings from the window. We decided to go with hand luggage only and were through airport security in no time at all. We flew with Air France at 6:15am and had a good flight. I would definitely use them again. We got through CDG fairly quickly and found the Magical Shuttle stop. Two buses came and we made it onto the second one.

Check in at Cheyenne was easy but this was because I'd already completed the online check in including the form they ask you to fill in. Others who hadn't done this had to wait in a much longer queue. This was a purely accidental win lol.

We left our luggage and had lunch in Starbucks before making our way to Disneyland Park. We took in the castle and then we rode Hyperspace Mountain, Star Tours and Phantom Manor. We then headed back to the room to unpack and have a rest as we'd been up since 3am.

We had dinner at Downtown so we had a little wander around the hotel. It's an amazing looking place. My daughter is a very fussy eater even at 18 and she loved the food (mainly the Italian stuff). I had salmon, potatoes and veggies followed by a mini burger and salad which was all very nice and some yummy desserts. DD felt there were a lot of kids so I pointed out that A, we're in Disney and B, they were probably fussy eaters too lol.

We then went back into Disneyland park and rode the Snow White ride, Pirates of the Caribbean and Big Thunder Mountain. We used the app and only queued for rides under 30 minutes. BTM had been closed for a bit but we noticed it open back up so we joined when the app said 40 minutes but it was actually 25.

I loved the hot weather lol, especially in the evening when the park seemed a lot quieter. Liberty Arcade is a godsend for cooling down on the move and they have a water fountain.

Day 2 - Tuesday 19th July 2022

We woke at 7:30am and headed straight to Studios Park for EMH. We arrived at the gates around 8:30am so there were already a fair few people ahead of us. Today is the last day of EMH at Studios Park for a while due to the opening of Avengers Campus tomorrow. We briskly made our way to Crush’s Coaster and joined the queue. I checked the app and it soon climbed to 50 minutes. I reckon we waited around 35-40 minutes. What a fabulous fun ride this was, we both loved it.

We had a character breakfast booked for 9:45am so we left the Studios Park at around 9:30am to make our way to Plaza Gardens in the Disneyland Park. We queued for about 5 minutes before they let us in. I was a bit worried about feeling silly as 2 adults but I needn’t have been. We had so much fun and they were just brilliant. It’s a bit of a rush to get your breakfast as you don’t want to miss anyone but we managed and I enjoyed the food.

We then went on a couple of rides using the app to check what was under 30 minutes. We also caught the Dream… and Shine Brighter show which really perks you up. It was around 40 degrees so I’m not sure if it had been adapted (I’m guessing so). I was fine with the heat (I’m a bit weird lol), we just slowed the pace and drank lots of water. We also wore factor 30 sun cream, a hat and sunglasses. We decided to go back to the hotel for a rest.

We headed to the Studios Park late afternoon to ride Tower of Terror, Ratatouille and Toy Soldiers Parachute Drop, all were under 25 minutes and great fun. ToT is definitely an all time favourite of ours. I think it’s better than Florida.

We then went to Cafe Agrabah for our 6:30pm booking. I love the theming of this place and the food is yummy too. The lamb was delicious. My DD liked the more grown up feel of the place but she had less choice of food. She had pitta bread, hummus and pasta.

We then spent the evening in Disneyland Park which was fairly quiet, probably because a lot of people had gone home due to the heat. There were a few rides not operating due to the weather so it felt like we bimbled about for a while with nothing to ride lol. We took the opportunity to take some photos and explore. Eventually, some rides opened back up so we went on Indiana Jones.

Finally, it was time to watch the Disney D-Light and Disney illuminations which were simply amazing.

Day 3 - Wednesday 20th July 2022 - Avengers Campus Opening day

We had our first breakfast at Cheyenne having done the character breakfast yesterday. We went around 7:30am and were seated in the quieter area in the saloon. There was a good selection of food and it was really nice.

We headed off to Disneyland Park for EMH. We decided not to queue for the Avengers Campus as we thought it would be way too busy. Also, it was raining and a lot cooler, what a difference a day makes. Most people would have been relieved but I missed the heat lol.

We had Premier Access Ultimate for this day. We rode BTM for the second time this holiday but did not scan the premier access code as it was only a 15 minute wait. We didn’t get on it last night as it hadn’t opened back up by the time we headed to the illuminations.

My DD then wanted to queue for the Princess Pavilion which wasn’t due to open until 10am so we stood in the rain from 9:00am -10:00am (huddled under a tree) and were third in the queue lol. I went for a wander during that time and rode the Carousel but it was a bit too wet to enjoy. We finally got to meet Princess Aurora which was lovely. She spent a good amount of time chatting to my DD.

We then splodged about in the rain using up some of our premier access passes. We went on Peter Pan’s Flight, Autopia, Star Tours, Hyperspace Mountain and Buzz Lightyear. Apart from Star Tours which was a 15 minute wait I felt it was worthwhile having the pass.

After that we switched to Studios park to use the remainder of our premier access passes. We rode Crush’s Coaster which had a wait of well over an hour, Tot and Ratatouille which both had waits of around 60 minutes so definitely worth having the passes as we were still splodging about in the rain. We finished by having a Quiche Lorraine from one of the food carts and eating it under a canopy. It was scrumptious, I love Quiche lol.

We then decided to head back to the hotel to escape from the rain. We were soaked through so had a good rest, a shower and a change of clothes. The sun decided to make a reappearance around 3pm so we got ready to head back to Disneyland Park for the parade. We found a decent spot along Main Street and waited patiently. There were a few raindrops just as the parade was starting and everyone annoyingly started putting on their ponchos (lightweights lol) but it really didn’t come to anything. The parade was fab as you would expect.

We then strode back to Disney Village for our 6:30pm booking at The Steakhouse. I absolutely loved this place. We had the same server all evening and she was so attentive. I asked for my steak to be medium and it was just perfect. They had a special red wine on offer and it was just lovely. We had a half board meal plan and I was amazed by what we got: chicken caesar salad starter, steak and chips main, chocolate fudge cake dessert and 2 glasses of orange. I let my DD have my orange and I paid for 2 glasses of red wine so we only had to pay 14 euro.

After that we headed back into Disneyland to use our final three premier access passes on Indiana Jones, Phantom Manor and our third go of BTM. Apart from Phantom Manor the passes were worthwhile. I can’t believe how much better BTM is at DLP compared to Florida. I’m not so fussed on Indiana Jones as it throws you about too much.

We then hopped across to Studios and entered the park just before 9pm. We got straight into Avengers Campus which I was pleasantly surprised about. The weather was absolutely glorious again. We decided to head straight to Flight Force taking a few quick pics on route. We had about a 20 minute wait and the coaster was pretty much as you would expect. I liked the general theming. When we left Flight Force we noticed lots of people just milling about sitting on the ground. They had obviously been there for hours so we had to navigate our way around them to get to the Web Slinger ride. The wait was 50 minutes but it went by in no time and again the general theming was great. I loved this ride, it’s like a cross between the Spider Man ride in Universal and Buzz lightyear. There’s 4 people in a car and you compete against each other. Needless to say my DD was ranked highest in our car (I won’t reveal my position lol). When we came out it was pushing 10:40pm so they were encouraging people to leave. I got a few night time pics which was a bonus as Studios normally shuts at 8pm. We were given an exclusive opening day souvenir brochure with the date on it which was a nice touch.

Day 4 - Thursday 21st July 2022 - Our final day.

We decided not to set the alarm and just go with the flow. We had a later breakfast and what a considerable difference to the queues which were much longer. Thankfully it didn’t take too long and we got into the quiet saloon area again. It seems to be groups of 2 and 3 that end up in there. As a bonus we were able to see Woody meet and greet his guests whilst we were eating. He waved over at us a couple of times which was just lovely. We then decided to join the queue by which time it was Jessie, who was just adorable.

We made our way to Studios Park for our final few hours before catching the Magical Shuttle back to CDG. I let my DD plan the itinerary as I’d done everything I’d wanted to do. She wanted to go on ToT for the third time this holiday so we joined the queue at 60 minutes which I noticed changed to 45 minutes in the app part way through queuing and that’s pretty much what it was. Well, we got onto the front row and completed our first drop and were part way through our second drop when it literally just stopped. We all sat in the dark for a few minutes before someone started talking to us and reassuring us that we were not alone! A little boy, who wasn’t keen in the first place, was totally beside himself with fear. The voice said that the working lights would come on, which they did, and someone would be coming to escort us off. We were literally stuck on the ToT!. Anyway, gluttons for punishment, I asked for a return pass lol.

We went for a wander, rode the flying carpets of Agrabah and went to the Ratatouille area for more Quiche. We then used our pass for ToT and it was brilliant. Every lift is different so you don’t know if you’re going up or down to start. We had an ice lolly, a bit of retail therapy and headed back to Cheyenne to catch the Magical Shuttle. CDG was a bit of a weird layout but we got there and caught our flight which was canny, we got a mini bottle of wine and a sandwich.

Overall, I think it’s fair to say we had an amazing time and I would definitely go back.

Robin Sparkles · 24 Jul 22, 07:55 AM

Looks like you had a fab time. Thanks for sharing. 😀

Guest · 24 Jul 22, 08:13 AM

Wow looks like a fab time fab Mam!

We flew with Airfrance from Newcastle as well, would def fly again with them.
And we also stayed at the Doubletree the night before, even though we are only 20 mins from the airport , agree the restaurant is really nice ( think it’s called Fratelli’s?)

You certainly packed a lot in, and I agree, TOT in Paris is better than WDW, and I also think Big Thunder and Pirates are too!

Your daughter will certainly remember her 18 th birthday visit to DLP, such lovley memories for you both!

Fab Mam · 24 Jul 22, 09:20 AM

Originally Posted by Nanna Frozen

Wow looks like a fab time fab Mam!

We flew with Airfrance from Newcastle as well, would def fly again with them.
And we also stayed at the Doubletree the night before, even though we are only 20 mins from the airport , agree the restaurant is really nice ( think it’s called Fratelli’s?)

You certainly packed a lot in, and I agree, TOT in Paris is better than WDW, and I also think Big Thunder and Pirates are too!

Your daughter will certainly remember her 18 th birthday visit to DLP, such lovley memories for you both!

Thanks for reading! I took lots of inspiration from your report

It's called Fratello's so you're almost there. I had to check my email though

Fab Mam · 24 Jul 22, 09:21 AM

Originally Posted by Robin Sparkles

Looks like you had a fab time. Thanks for sharing. 😀

You're welcome

thanks for reading.

Guest · 24 Jul 22, 09:52 AM

Originally Posted by Fab Mam

Thanks for reading! I took lots of inspiration from your report

It's called Fratello's so you're almost there. I had to check my email though

Oh wow what a compliment!
I can’t wait to go back with my DGD in two years( her mummy’s rules, not mine!)

She reckons she’s gonna ride Crush as soon as we get there cos we kept telling her she was too small to go on!

llynnnn · 26 Jul 22, 12:59 PM

Loved reading this report, looks like you had a brilliant time and great that you could get into Avengers Campus on opening day too. The queues seem to be manageable everyday which is very reassuring

Thank you for taking the time to share this

Fab Mam · 26 Jul 22, 10:39 PM

Originally Posted by llynnnn

Loved reading this report, looks like you had a brilliant time and great that you could get into Avengers Campus on opening day too. The queues seem to be manageable everyday which is very reassuring

Thank you for taking the time to share this

You're welcome

thanks for reading.

24 Jul 22, 08:13 AM	#3
	24 Jul 22, 08:13 AM Guest Guest
Guest Guest	Wow looks like a fab time fab Mam! We flew with Airfrance from Newcastle as well, would def fly again with them. And we also stayed at the Doubletree the night before, even though we are only 20 mins from the airport , agree the restaurant is really nice ( think it’s called Fratelli’s?) You certainly packed a lot in, and I agree, TOT in Paris is better than WDW, and I also think Big Thunder and Pirates are too! Your daughter will certainly remember her 18 th birthday visit to DLP, such lovley memories for you both! Edited at 08:45 AM.