It's the Most Magical Time of the Year - DLP Dec 2023 - Travel Day and Day One in the Parks

[col2501]

Pre Travel day Here

Day 1 - Travel day
Wake up : 3am
Bedtime : 11.15pm
Step count 36,544 (never come on holiday with me if you want a rest!)

We haven't been away for a while - I am chief planner - I usually plan down to the second. I am rusty. I am under the weather, that's my excuse and I am sticking to it!

We were flying with Air France - we paid £470 for 4 flights and 1 checked baggage (3A and 1C) the day before we left I added another case for £60.

Easy Jet flights came out at a similar time - prices very similar, I think EJ were about £20 cheaper but Air France fly earlier. First flight out is 6am whereas EJ flies at 8am, so I made my decision based on getting to Paris as early as I could.

We left Premier Inn - paid £10 for overnight Parking, and headed to a Terminal 2 Carpark to leave the car for the next few days. I paid £65 using HolidayExtras and used Top Cashback to get 10% back.

sleep deprived and ill I directed Chris to the wrong car park at first, that went down really well at 3am as you can imagine, but was easily rectified (if it wasn't East it was West!) and we were soon in the Airport

Luggage checked in, we you went through security and were in one of the lanes that are trialling a new system where you don't take electronics out of your bags, nor do you need to have liquids in clear bags and out of your luggage.


Off to find food next, as we sat down to look at the menu in a burger place in T2, Chris looked at the board and it said we had to go to gate for boarding!

As we had no clue where the gate was, we had to go, and it was a decent walk, so was a good job we did go at that time. However it was also in an area with no food/drink places anywhere in the vicinity. There was a a couple of vending machines with drinks and snacks so we got some stuff out of that but it's not a decent breakfast by any stretch.

We boarded and were sat for a while, then notified that there was a problem with the water on board so we couldn't take off at 6am and would be delayed by about half an hour

Mason hated the take off, really upset and held my hand so tight but he got through it. As you can imagine, awake since 3am and no (decent) food inside him did not help the situation at all. I still can't believe we didn't have breakfast that morning.

Once we landed in Paris, we were through security quickly and cases came through with no issue. our Transport (RS Transport) sent me messages telling me where they would be and a photo of the car and we found them with no issues

Have used them before and paid 132 Euros for the round trip.

Mason was fading fast, he suffers with travel sickness anyway, and he's had no food to fuel himself so he didn't feel great at all.

He had his sea bands on the whole journey so there was no sickness but he didn't feel great. the transfer time was about 45 minutes.

We arrived at Santa Fe, went to reception to get our tickets (had already checked in online) then went to put the baggage in.

We were in Disneyland Park by 11.15 and the first stop was food before the kids fainted.

It had to be Caseys!

Once we all had fuel inside us, we sent friends and family this to let them know we had arrived

We also rode Phantom Manor (5min wait) Pirates of the Caribbean (10 min wait) and then headed to Hyperspace Mountain.

Mason decided at the last minute that he couldn't do it so i got off with him and Connor and Chris rode on their own.

We wandered through the castle

Then headed to Buzz - adore this ride and this was my highlight of today as I actually got a decent score (for me!)

Bit of shopping next - Connor bought some groot ears and Mason some Mickey hands

It got to about 2pm and started pouring down. Chris and Connor went off to do Indiana jones coaster and Mason and I ran to it's a small world.

because of the rain we had decided we were going to head back to the hotel and ask about our room and then I got a text telling us it was ready, perfect!

We were in the McQueen building which was a stones throw away from reception and all the shops/restaurants so it was fabulous!

We left the kids in the room while we picked up luggage and sorted the photo pass card. It was about 4pm now and we had a meal booked at Downtown at 7pm

We had a much needed rest, the kids played on the switch

Then it was time for Tea

We had the half board meal plan. Downtown is an all you can eat Buffet and would have cost us 45 Euros per adult and 25 euros for Mason - which is 160 Euros total.

Chris and I had an additional alcoholic drink so we paid 17 euros.

Food was amazing here - it was my favourite when I look back. I did get emotional here, I cried. It was a combination of no sleep and feeling ill and this being a new experience so I wasn't as knowledgeable as normal and my troops were asking me questions and I felt a bit overwhelmed.

We also has a wander round the hotel lobby, my troops all loved it and we would be back later in the week.

Back to the Disneyland Park next and Big Thunder Mountain Twice in a row, this was a huge deal for Mason.

We last came to DLP in 2018 when he was 5 and we took him on this and it terrified him and he swore he would never go on a train again!

But this time round he had been watching tiktok videos of it and was determined to go on it - AND HE LOVED IT!

We decided we were done for the day having achieved so much , but of course we stopped in the Disney Village on the way back to the hotel - Mason made his own figures in the Lego shop

What a long but fabulous day! We are finally here and loving it!

Tomorrow we spend time at Studios after a lovely breakfast at La Cantina.

[Mental Minnie]

What a great day and a great start to your trip. It looks amazing. I love your ears. Have a lovely breakfast and a great day tomorrow.