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Old 21 Aug 20, 06:49 PM  
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Gill H
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Just Can't Wait to be King of the Swingers! DLP Sep 2019: Day 1

<<<Pre-trippie


As we had a super-early train to catch, we got up at 4am. Our kitty Cookie was so surprised that she ran under the sofa to hide, and had to be tempted out by cat treats. Our friend Jo was coming later to look after her, so she would be fine until we got home.

Our taxi arrived on time, and the driver surprised us by playing Classic FM, which is definitely not the norm among taxi drivers in our area! We quickly sped through the near-empty London streets and were soon at St Pancras, where we headed to Pain Quotidien for breakfast. This Belgian chain doesn’t deign to serve anything as prosaic as bacon rolls, no siree. Instead we laid out a ton of money for two egg and prosciutto brioches. Which, to be fair, were yummy. Oh, and coffee of course. Can’t function without coffee.



At this time of the morning the queues to get into the Eurostar departure area were very short, and we were soon through security; unlike previous visits, the security arch didn’t bleep at us and the electronic passport reader was playing nice today.

We noticed one of those Japanese ‘Pepper’ robots who are supposed to give you information, but it obviously hadn’t started work for the day as it completely ignored us.

With nothing else to do but wait till the train was called, we grabbed a Coke and apple juice from the nearby cafe, and settled down to play “Guess who’s going to Disney” on our fellow passengers. There were quite a few people in character t-shirts, and one wearing a Gryffindor scarf. Which of course you could wear as you stroll the streets of Lille, Brussels or Paris – but I always think some character clothing is a good indication that you’re on your way to the magic.

It wasn’t long before our platform was announced – Platform 6, say my notes. As we headed up the travelator, the lady in front let go of her suitcase and it bashed into us. She was so profuse and polite in her apology that we got into a chat while heading up to the platform. It turns out she was from San Francisco. The world comes here, folks…

In a few minutes we were settled in Coach 2, seats 23 and 24. I’m not a fan of the newer Eurostar trains, their seats are narrower, more hard plastic and less padding. And although they do still offer entertainment on the Eurostar app, they’d cut right back – there was only one film available and a couple of Amazon Prime programmes, as well as the Odyssey virtual reality game. Which I do recommend if you have children, but I tend to find it makes me feel travel sick, so I didn’t bother.

Our train got off on time at 6.47 and arrived in Lille at 9.45 (French time, ie an hour ahead) so a little under two hours. Most of the journey was spent dozing, though I’m pretty sure I went to the buffet car for coffee at some point. Our arrival at Lille Europe station was a little underwhelming, as much of it was being seriously refurbed. I’m sure it’ll be nice when it’s finished, but right then it looked like a construction site. We did, however, appreciate being serenaded with the sexiest train company jingle in the world, that breathy ‘da – dada – dada’.

Our journey required us to catch a train from Lille Flanders station a ten minute walk away, so we followed the signs to the appropriate exit. Along the way we were joined by a large family of confused Brits who were trying to find their platform. There was some confusion as we assumed they would be on the same train as us, but on checking their tickets their train was from Lille Europe at 10.45, whereas ours was at 10.20 from Lille Flanders. Thank goodness we discovered this before they tried to leave the station! (Note to self: a career as a travel guide is probably not for you.)
__________________
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 07:07 AM.
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Old 21 Aug 20, 06:51 PM  
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Gill H
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Join Date: Jan 08
Location: South Wales

theDIBB Guidebook
Guidebook Photos: 86
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The ten minute walk to Lille Flanders was very easy – again, not picturesque due to lots of refurb happening, but it was enlivened by the sight of a mechanical digger going past carrying a slowly moving street sign. Ehh … guess you had to be there.

Lille Flanders turned out to be a small and easily navigable station. I took the opportunity to nip to the loo, being grateful that I had some change with me as it cost 90 cents. I had to wait ages though, as several of them were indicated as occupied. Together with the two ladies behind me, we eventually worked out (in a mixture of three languages) that one of them was in fact empty but locked. So we flagged down a helpful member of staff who opened it for us. Hurrah for staffed toilets!

Meanwhile, Peter had been checking out the station, and had found a small bakery where we bought a pack of sugared choux pastry ‘croques’ for the train, for 4 Euros. Hey, breakfast was a long time ago.



Soon our train was announced and we headed over to platform 7. This time we were in coach 6, seats 25 and 26 – downstairs on a double-decker train. In contrast to the Eurostar, this was an old train, shabby but with comfy seats. A quiet train at this point, although the journey was enlivened by someone’s phone playing ‘Eine Kleine Nachtmusik’ every 2 minutes or so.

Once we got to Charles de Gaulle airport station though, the train filled with people and there was a delay of at least 15 minutes for no apparent reason. Thankfully the remaining leg of the journey was a mere ten minutes and we were soon pulling in to the familiar surroundings of Marne la Vallee. I don’t remember the precise circumstances that led to us getting the bus to the Ibis rather than using the RER. Suffice it to say that this was a huge mistake. The bus station seemed to have been reorganised since our last visit, and the bus we ended up on was not the free one to the offsite hotels (which you now have to stay at a few specific hotels to use). Instead it was a regular bus which cost us more than the RER would have done, and took the most circuitous route possible. We stood forever on the hot, crowded bus while it wound round the streets of Val d’Europe, wondering whether we would ever see somewhere we recognised. Eventually we pulled into the bus station, and in our confusion managed to take an unnecessarily long route to the hotel. Seriously folks, if I could give you one tip from this day, it would be to take the RER not the bus!

By now we were hot, tired, frazzled and seriously devoid of pixie dust. So we were grateful for the welcoming smile of Oscar at the reception desk, who checked us in seamlessly and directed us to our room. As expected, it wasn’t the height of luxury but was clean, had a nice comfy bed, and would make a good base for us over the next couple of days. We had a quick freshen-up and then gathered up our valuables (ie passports, purse and wallet, British money, house keys – anything we didn’t want to leave in the room). We knew there were no room safes but there was a safe deposit box at reception. So on our way out, we asked for all these things to be locked away. The lady who served us was lovely and wrote everything down on a form, which we signed. Then it was off to the parks at last.
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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 21 Aug 20, 06:53 PM  
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Gill H
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Join Date: Jan 08
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theDIBB Guidebook
Guidebook Photos: 86
Guidebook Reviews: 24
The Ibis hotel is directly opposite the back entrance to Val d’Europe station, so it was literally less than 10 minutes before we were finally walking through the DLP security tent and into the beautiful surroundings of Fantasia Gardens. “There’s a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow” was playing and our spirits started to rise as we approached the entrance. Staff were not plentiful but eventually we found someone at one of the counters, and asked if we could buy annual passes. Of course, came the reply, I just need to see your identification.

Gentle reader, you must imagine here the sound of two jaws hitting the floor. Because in our haste to get to the park, we had forgotten to bring our passports. I had a driving licence in my bag (although I haven’t driven in 30 years) but Peter didn’t have anything. So there was nothing for it – we would have to go back to the hotel for our passports.

We took a few moments to sit on a bench in Fantasia Gardens and lament our stupidity. And eventually we decided to make our journey worth the bother, and go to get ourselves some lunch in the Village.

By now a combination of tiredness, frustration and sun was making both of us thoroughly fed up, and Peter began to feel faint with the heat. We managed to get to Annette’s but got stuck in a long queue, and by the time we got seated Peter was really feeling the need for a big cold glass of water. Which, fortunately, we didn’t have to wait long for. And soon afterwards we were tucking into our lunch.



I had the Blue Cheese Burger meal, and Peter had the Rock’n’Roll Burger meal. While not spectacular, they were pretty good, and to be honest it was so nice to be sitting down in an air-conditioned restaurant, we were grateful. To drink, I had a banana caramel milkshake, while Peter had a Nutella coffee one.



Suitably fed and rested we went back to the station and caught the RER back to our hotel. Now, if you remember, we had carefully ensured our passports were locked away in the hotel’s safe deposit box – so we had to ask for them back! Then it was back to the station and soon we were once again walking under the big pink hotel to buy our annual passes. This time we found ‘desk 11’ which was where we’d been told to go, and the friendly lady who served us soon had us furnished with two day tickets, which we would need to exchange for annual passes once in the park. (No, I don’t know why they make it so complicated either…)

And with that we were through the turnstiles and in our favourite place – walking right down the middle of Main Street USA. We couldn’t stay long to admire the castle though, as we wanted to head straight to the Annual Pass Bureau in Discoveryland to sort out our passes. Once again we were glad to be somewhere with air con, which made up for the fact that the process seemed to take a heck of a long time. There was only one couple in front of us but I’d say we were there for a good half hour before we were all sorted with our passes and photopass. The CMs were lovely though, and it felt very exciting to be annual pass holders!
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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 21 Aug 20, 06:57 PM  
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Gill H
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Join Date: Jan 08
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theDIBB Guidebook
Guidebook Photos: 86
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As we emerged from the Bureau we heard lively music playing and noticed that the entrance to Discoveryland had been roped off. Correctly guessing that the Jungle Book Jive show was about to start, we found ourselves a really good spot behind the rope.

The good thing about these shows is that, because they happen several times during the day, the crowds aren’t crazy and you can usually get a good view at the last minute. (The bad thing is that every time you want to cross the Hub, there’s a show just about to start or in progress!)

I noticed a group of Disney-bounders near us – which if you don’t know is people who wear outfits that give a suggestion of a Disney character by their colours and accessories, rather than being full-on costumes which are not allowed. Next to us was a female Flynn Rider and a female Gaston, together with a guy who was evidently being Miguel from Coco, with a red hoodie and some subtle face paint. I’ve noticed more and more people bounding in DLP over the past few years, it’s fun to spot who people are bounding as when you walk around.

So, what can I say about Jungle Book Jive? The main theme ‘We’re on our way’ is the kind of upbeat, catchy number that DLP loves so much.





It heralded the arrival of several large animal floats being guided along by CMs, and then the characters arrived – Chip and Dale with their friend Clarice, and then Mickey and Minnie, Donald and Daisy in explorer outfits.

The castle fountains shot up Bollywood-style with an explosion of noise and colour as a group of Indian drummers emerged from the castle, headed by Goofy in an Indian costume.



The show featured dancers, characters and a variety of Indian style music, including a very slinky version of ‘Trust in Me’. Baloo gave us a rousing chorus of ‘Bare Necessities’ in French and King Louie danced happily to ‘I Wanna Be Like You’. As a finale, pastel coloured clouds of smoke shot into the air, a reminder of the Indian festival of Holi. And then the ‘On Our Way’ theme started up again, now that the characters and floats were – well, on their way.



And at this point, despite all the hassles of the day, we both had a huge silly smile on our face. This was what we’d come for. We were home in our happy place at long last.

I have to say that Jungle Book Jive is now my favourite DLP show, and quite possibly my favourite show in any Disney park. The clever use of music and the showcasing of Indian dancing, together with the impressive floats and fun characters, makes for a really joyful experience. It even beat out ‘Goofy’s Garden Party’ my previous favourite.

Judging that it was now time for a cold drink, we headed to Cafe Hyperion and grabbed some bottles of Coke from the vending machine (much easier than braving the long queues and slow service at the counter). We found a table and sat down to watch some of the new Mickey short cartoons which they now play there. It was the first time we’d seen these and we found them very funny, particularly the one set in Paris where Mickey has to get croissants for Minnie. We didn’t realise at the time that the original cartoon was all in French, we thought it had been dubbed for DLP!
__________________
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 21 Aug 20, 06:58 PM  
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Gill H
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Join Date: Jan 08
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theDIBB Guidebook
Guidebook Photos: 86
Guidebook Reviews: 24
We came out of Discoveryland just as people were finding places to watch the parade, so we found a spot just by the pink pillars into Fantasyland, opposite the castle. Near us were two Japanese girls sitting on the kerb on plastic sheets; these are very much a Tokyo Disneyland thing where they are known as ‘leisure sheets’ so it was fun to spot a little of Tokyo in Paris!

The parade was fab as usual, and it was great to see it from a new location. The past few times we’ve been in Town Square near City Hall, so it was good to see the other side of the floats for a change. Once everything had passed us, we walked through Fantasyland on our way to our first ride. My fave It’s A Small World was down for refurb, so we headed to Pirates of the Caribbean, looking for a chance to use our new photopass. But alas, the ride had gone tech and there was no indication of how long it might be down. So we headed instead to Phantom Manor, which according to the app had a short wait time. Alas, we reached the gate only to find that it too had gone tech. Even the Molly Brown wasn’t an option as it seemed to be closed. CMs were bustling about setting up for some sort of private party. So that left Big Thunder Mountain Railroad – which was showing wait times of over an hour. No thanks. So we retraced our steps, heading back towards Fantasyland where at least there should be some rides open. Just as we reached Chalet de la Marionette we took another look at the app – and wouldn’t you know it, Phantom Manor had reopened. So we trudged over to Frontierland yet again, and this time were rewarded with a visit to our favourite spooky house. Not that we had the best conditions to enjoy it – a large and boisterous group of rude people were pushing and shouting, not only in the queue but in the stretching room. We didn’t get a chance to hear Vincent Price’s newly restored narration, and our attempts to shush people were met with loud, mocking laughter. So annoying!

Once in our doombuggy, however, we were captivated by the ride. It was our first time seeing the new version, and there were so many little details to spot. We particularly liked what happens at the end – I won’t spoil it but let’s just say it’s not what you might expect!

Once out of the ride, we were tempted to go back on so we could appreciate it without the rude people – but we were told it was closing for the day. This was rather confusing as it wasn’t time for the park to close for a good while yet. However, evidently some kind of event was being set up, and we found ourselves having to get the heck out of Thunder Mesa.

It had been a long day, so we decided to leave the park and go for dinner. On our way out we spotted some more Disneybounders who were evidently bounding as Cinderella and Ariel, sitting in front of Casey’s Corner.
__________________
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 21 Aug 20, 06:58 PM  
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Gill H
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Join Date: Jan 08
Location: South Wales

theDIBB Guidebook
Guidebook Photos: 86
Guidebook Reviews: 24
Once in the Village, we decided on King Ludwig’s. It had been some years since we’d eaten there, and although we hadn’t been too impressed with our previous meal, we decided to give them another chance. If you haven’t been in there, do have a look, even if only for the theming. The interior is absolutely stunning, and I would love for Disney to take it over and maybe turn it into Arendelle castle – it’s half way there.

King Ludwig’s turned out to be a good decision. We ordered flammekuchen, which are basically flatbreads. I had the ‘lardons classique’ (stop sniggering at the back there, it’s bacon and cheese) and Peter had the ‘Americain’ which was pepperoni and cheddar. I finished with a refreshing mango coupe, and Peter had apple strudel with custard served ‘tiede’ – warm. Hot or cold would have been nicer, but it was still good.

When we emerged it was dark. We spotted the Cinderella and Ariel Disneybounders again, noticing that Cinderella’s skirt had lights in – perhaps a homage to the Electrical Parade of blessed memory.

We wandered round the Disney store briefly, and Peter bought s Stitch lanyard. Then we had a mooch round World of Disney but, as so often, we didn’t buy anything. This shop is such a beautiful building but I actually find the Disney Store often has better merch.

Finished for the day, we went to catch our RER train, but once we reached the platform there was an announcement over the PA that ‘due to a person ill on the train, there are no trains running currently’. We waited to see if this was something that would be sorted quickly, but after half an hour the crowd on the platform had reached dangerous levels. We decided to cut our losses, escape the hot and crowded platform and get a taxi. As we came out of the station there were announcements saying no trains to Paris would be running that evening. An English woman next to us was panicking about how she was going to get back to Paris, and we couldn’t really offer any advice other than an expensive taxi. I do hope she got back ok. As for us, we paid 22 Euro for a 10 minute taxi journey, which was annoying but necessary.

We stumbled gratefully into our hotel lobby and ordered two Cokes at the bar, sitting down gratefully to cool off. Alas, my coordination is never the best, and I managed to break the glass all over the floor. I have to say, the staff were amazing, so friendly and helpful. They cleared it all up swiftly and made me feel much less of a doofus, as well as giving me another one for free.

Deciding we’d had enough excitement for one day, we headed up to our room, and almost instantly fell into bed. Tomorrow had to be less eventful, surely … ?

Join us tomorrow for a busy day and a momentous decision!


>>>Day 2

INDEX
__________________
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 07:15 AM.
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