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Old 22 Aug 19, 11:57 AM  
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Beaker7929
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The Long Overdue Mother and Daughter Trip - July 2019 - Day 3 'Parisian Adventures'

After our late night last night you'd think we'd be treating ourselves to a lie in... nope not a chance, the alarm went off at 6.45am!

Today was to be a very different day, it was to be my first time venturing into Paris as a tourist! Chloe has visited before with Guides but I've only ever passed through Gare du Nord en route to DLP!

We were both showered and dressed by 8am, no Disney top for me this morning!



At 8.20 we headed down to breakfast, we were in our element. Paying for the Golden Forest level at Sequoia Lodge is worth it for the breakfast alone!







Feeling very full we headed back up to the room to grab our bags ready for our adventure into Paris. I'd been quite nervous about this prior to the trip and was anxious that everything went according to plan!

Around 9.20am we arrived at the bus stop in front of the Sequoia Lodge, saving our poor feet from walking to the train station after our long day yesterday, and within 5 minutes a bus pulled up. Just 10 minutes later we were delivered to Marne la Vallee station.

Knowing the drill when it comes to the RER (having traveled in-direct to DLP previously) I knew where to go to get the tickets and from which platform to get the train. Chloe just followed knowing that mum knew best

There was an RER train waiting on the platform so we jumped straight onto it and within a few minutes were on our way into the city... yesterday clearly caught up with Chloe



She'll kill me for taking that

We changed RER lines at Chatelet Les Halles (also familiar to me from travelling in-direct ) and successfully found a train to take us to Denfert Rochereau our final destination.

Not long after we arrived, exited the station and a quick check of google maps told us where we needed to go. This morning we would be ticking the Paris Catacombs off of Chloe's bucket list

I'd booked tickets online in advance and was so pleased that we had as a trip advisor post said that you walk straight past the walk-up queue and enter the Catacombs via a queue on the right. At 10.40am when we arrived the walk-up queue was already snaking around the park. We walked straight past the waiting people and although our time-slot wasn't until 11am the gentleman on the door directed us to go on in.



When I'd booked the tickets online I'd also included the audio guide, so we collected these, had our bags checked, and were free to head down the many many stairs!

It was quite an experience! If you suffer with claustrophobia I wouldn't recommend it at all, the corridors you walk through are very narrow (mostly single file) and the ceilings are low.



The audio guide was invaluable! Without it we wouldn't have had a clue what we were seeing, I'd highly recommend paying just a small amount extra for one.

For the first 15 minutes or so you are walking through the tunnels, how they built these down here is beyond me!



Then you enter a room where there is signage giving you the history of the Catacombs, how they used to be mining tunnels, but due to a collapse of a local burial ground they were re-purposed and the remains of the bodies we're re-located to beneath the streets of Paris.

You're then given prior warning before you enter the burial tunnels. Seeing the bones was incredibly surreal, those were actual people!

We took very few photo's in this area as it didn't seem appropriate, this is the only one I took of the remains.



All in all it was a really good experience, something totally different and eye opening. We were in the Catacombs for around an hour and it cost us 50 euros in total, well worth it in my opinion.

Once back up the many many stairs I quickly visited the ladies (situated opposite the exit thankfully!) and Chloe bought herself some souvenirs in the gift shop.

The original plan was to now walk to the Eiffel Tower, prior to the trip google maps had informed me that it would take about 45 minutes, however on checking it on exiting the Catacombs it was now showing over an hour, and it was hot. I really didn't fancy that, but didn't have an alternative plan at that moment. We ended up wandering in the general direction of the Eiffel Tower, pausing to pop into a Lush that Chloe spotted.

As we came out of Lush I saw a Metro station entrance, brilliant, we can get the Metro to the Eiffel Tower!

On entering the station I couldn't immediately see the station we needed to get to on the Metro map so asked a gentleman in the ticket office. He advised that we would need to get the Metro to Montparnasse, then get a replacement bus service to El Hakim as the Metro line was closed for repairs.

With Metro tickets purchased we found the train and began our journey.

On arrival at Montparnasse we followed the signs to the replacement bus service, the signage was fantastic, but we had to walk sooooooo far to leave the station!

Once out of the station we got straight onto a waiting bus and within about 10 mins it set off following the Metro route, quite literally, we could see the Metro line out of the window for most of the journey.

Finally we arrived at the stop for El Hakim and with the Eiffel Tower in view headed in that direction.

As we crossed the road in front of the Eiffel Tower Chloe was accosted by a 'charity' asking for donations, I'd managed to avoid them but after a few seconds realised that she was no longer with me. As soon as I spotted what had happened I went back to her, standing behind her as I was worried that they might try to get into her back pack while she was distracted. I managed to get her away from them but she was a bit shaken up and hadn't thought to just say no and walk away. A little travel lesson learnt there.

After a few more minutes we found ourselves in the park in front of the Eiffel Tower.



I've always wanted to see it in real life so was very pleased that after our convoluted journey we had made it!

By this point though it was starting to get quite a bit warmer and we thought it would be nice to find a cafe and stop for a drink.

We wandered around the streets for a little while before choosing a cafe, however on entering we realised it looked quite posh and they probably wouldn't appreciate us not ordering food. We left before anyone approached us to take an order and carried on a little further up the road to another cafe which looked more suitable. On entering I made it clear that we would only be ordering drinks and we were shown to a table at the back of the cafe.

We perused the drinks menu and Chloe asked if she could have a large soft drink, not a problem I said although I had clocked that they were 8 euros!

We placed our order, Chloe a large Coke and a large Lemonade for me. Shortly after these arrived at our table...





As the waiter put them down I commented that these were much bigger than I'd expected, but he didn't say anything and just walked away. Oh well, perhaps we were getting good value for our 8 euros!

With the drinks being so large it took some time for us to finish them, with me knowing full well I'd never make it back to DLP without needing a wee!

But finish them we did!



Just as we were finishing up an American family sat next to us to finish off their drinks, as the waiter brought the bill over I heard the dad comment '8 euros for a coke? ' uh oh I thought, their coke had been much smaller than ours... how much were we going to be paying!?!

I asked for the bill and waited for it to be brought over, after waiting too long I went up to the bar to see that we had been charged 15.50 euros per drink! I was absolutely livid, of course all of a sudden the waiter couldn't speak any English and went to fetch the manager.

The manager was outright aggressive with me, to the point that I was almost in tears. She told me that we had ordered a 'large soda' and pointed to it on the menu. I wish I'd taken a photo of the menu as all of the soft drinks were listed at the very top, with 2 size options in cl, she told me that these were small and medium (but it didn't say that) then listed further down the menu, below the alcoholic drinks, was a line for 'large soda' at 15.50 euros.

I was absolutely livid but no amount of me telling her how badly her menu was laid out was going to make her budge. I paid the bill and we left

I was so upset that not only had we been completely ripped off (the soft drinks were decanted into those glasses out of bottles that you would pay £1.50 for in the supermarket) but I was embarrassed that I'd got so upset in front of Chloe.

Another lesson learnt, this time for me, check and double check exactly what you are ordering before you place your order!

I suggested to Chloe that after that ordeal we head back to DLP and the Disney bubble, she was more than happy to do so. After a little while of wandering around aimlessly we found an RER station and started our journey back to MLV.

While on the RER I looked up the cafe where we had been to find it had the most horrendous reviews, clearly we weren't the only people to have been ripped off here. To make myself feel a little better I left a stinging review on both Google maps and Trip Advisor. If I can help someone else avoid that situation then I will have achieved something at least.

Also, I'd learnt another lesson, check google reviews before you enter somewhere as if we had we would never have gone in!

With that ordeal firmly behind us Chloe and I relaxed into our journey and within 45 minutes were back at MLV, with both of us busting for the loo! I had a vague recollection of the location of the toilets in the station, and sure enough they were still there, so 2 euros later we were feeling a lot more comfortable!

We decided to wait for a bus to the hotel, after a short wait one pulled up and within a few minutes we were back in the safety of our Disney bubble

We headed straight to the Golden Forest Lounge for afternoon tea, Chloe decided to take hers up to her room and to have a soak in the bath while I stayed in the lounge and enjoyed some peace and quiet next to one of the open windows.





Please tell me you see it too I only noticed the interesting shape of my pretzel when I looked back at the photo a few days later



The brownie on my plate was to die for and I ended up having one every day

Brownie devoured, back up to the room. We still had some time to kill so both Chloe and I had a little nap, we needed it after yesterday and the challenges of today!

An hour or so later I got myself up and changed as we were having dinner at Cafe Mickey that evening. There was only one choice of top for this evening, another Asda special!



Off we went around the lake to Cafe Mickey, relishing being back in familiar surroundings



We were seated straight away and before we'd even had time to place our order Mickey had come over to say hi!



He spent a good amount of time with us before heading off to another table.

The menu was a little tricky, there was only one starter option for me as a pescatarian and Chloe had to take a chance on her starter opting for the duck. Unfortuantely when it arrived it was clear that she wasn't going to like it, so she chopped it up a bit, moved it around her plate and hoped that our Cast Member wouldn't notice that she hadn't actually eaten any of it.



I offered to ask for something else for her but she didn't want to make a fuss. I had the soup which was nice, but lukewarm.

Thankfully our mains were much more successful! Chloe had the steak and I had the four cheese pizza. As our mains were brought over Tigger decided he would deliver them to us, well I say us, he gave me my pizza but wouldn't give Chloe her steak as it had vegetables on it





Chloe's steak came with mash potatoes, which appeared to have chunks of olives in, so I asked the Cast Member if we could swap it with fries which he did with no complaint. My pizza was amazing, I was in cheese heaven!

While we were eating we had multiple visits from the characters, we must have seen Mickey at least 3 times, and the others all twice. And every interaction was fantastic, they played with balloons belonging to the table next to us, Mickey even came and sat next to me at one point!

















Chloe and I did have a little giggle at the fact that the characters were almost identical to the day before at Plaza Gardens. No matter though as although the interaction was good there, the experience we had at Cafe Mickey was outstanding! We were in our Disney element

Also, in all my visits to Cafe Mickey I'd never noticed that the lights are hidden Mickeys



Next up was pudding... we both opted for the Mickey dessert and it did not disappoint! It was a chocolate mousse with an orange (think Jaffa Cake) center... amazing!





Overall we had a fantastic meal with some of the best character interaction I've experienced, another thumbs up for Cafe Mickey, I'd happily return there again and again

After dinner we took a slow stroll around Lake Disney back to Sequoia Lodge, with me briefly talking to Gerard to find out how his day had gone.

On getting back to Sequoia Lodge we popped back into the Golden Forest Lounge where we took a seat on one of the sofas and ordered a cup of tea for me and a hot chocolate for Chloe, yes I know, we're in the middle of a heat wave and she's ordering hot chocolate





I absolutely love relaxing in the Golden Forest Lounge of an evening, it's so tranquil, especially with the bird song that they pipe in.

Back up to our room we got settled into bed, I wrote up my notes and we were both asleep by 10.30pm, what a day!
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Upcoming Hols *July '19 Sequoia Lodge Golden Forest*August 2020 WDW Coronado Springs*

Previous Hols *Jan '19 Sequoia Lodge Golden Forest*Jan '18 Sequoia Lodge Golden Forest*Oct '17 Cheyenne*Jan '17 Sequoia Lodge Golden Forest*Jan '16 Sequoia Lodge Golden Forest*March '15 - Cheyenne*Nov '13 - Cheyenne*Feb '12 - Newport Bay*April '08 - Santa Fe*March '05 - Santa Fe*


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Old 22 Aug 19, 01:00 PM  
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Inky
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Dreadful getting ripped off with the drinks, have read about that before, glad your day ended on a high.
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Old 22 Aug 19, 01:10 PM  
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Melanie R
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You’re spoiling us - 2 days written up so quickly!
I had claustrophobia just looking at your catacombs pics!
Is it also wrong that I spotted the pretzel shape before I read your comment 🤔
Great review for Cafe Mickey - I was thinking of booking that for my next trip as I haven’t been there in ages😊
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Old 22 Aug 19, 01:17 PM  
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Beaker7929
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Originally Posted by Melanie R View Post
You’re spoiling us - 2 days written up so quickly!
I had claustrophobia just looking at your catacombs pics!
Is it also wrong that I spotted the pretzel shape before I read your comment 🤔
Great review for Cafe Mickey - I was thinking of booking that for my next trip as I haven’t been there in ages😊
I'm going to try to get a third written up tomorrow

Cafe Mickey was fantastic! I was worried about going back there because our last visit had also been incredible and I wasn't sure it could live up to that but I was very wrong, we had a great time

... and no, definitely not wrong that you spotted it before seeing my comment, I'm disappointed in myself for not seeing it at the time, I was clearly too eager to tuck in
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Upcoming Hols *July '19 Sequoia Lodge Golden Forest*August 2020 WDW Coronado Springs*

Previous Hols *Jan '19 Sequoia Lodge Golden Forest*Jan '18 Sequoia Lodge Golden Forest*Oct '17 Cheyenne*Jan '17 Sequoia Lodge Golden Forest*Jan '16 Sequoia Lodge Golden Forest*March '15 - Cheyenne*Nov '13 - Cheyenne*Feb '12 - Newport Bay*April '08 - Santa Fe*March '05 - Santa Fe*


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Edited at 01:18 PM.
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Old 5 Sep 19, 01:43 PM  
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Lisa_Lollipop
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15.50 euros for a coke?! Absolute daylight robbery... and we are used to Disney prices! So sad this put a dampener on your trip to Paris, thank goodness you could retreat back to the Disney bubble to restore happiness!

What a great dinner at Cafe Mickey, the interactions were fab and so many great photos!
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Old 6 Sep 19, 12:40 PM  
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Beaker7929
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Originally Posted by Lisa_Lollipop View Post
15.50 euros for a coke?! Absolute daylight robbery... and we are used to Disney prices! So sad this put a dampener on your trip to Paris, thank goodness you could retreat back to the Disney bubble to restore happiness!

What a great dinner at Cafe Mickey, the interactions were fab and so many great photos!
It's certainly put me off visiting Paris again, which is such a shame as I'm sure it is a lovely city with just a handful of rip-off merchants.

Cafe Mickey was so so good, we had the best time!
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Twitter - @rpaisley79 / Instagram - rachelpaisley79

Upcoming Hols *July '19 Sequoia Lodge Golden Forest*August 2020 WDW Coronado Springs*

Previous Hols *Jan '19 Sequoia Lodge Golden Forest*Jan '18 Sequoia Lodge Golden Forest*Oct '17 Cheyenne*Jan '17 Sequoia Lodge Golden Forest*Jan '16 Sequoia Lodge Golden Forest*March '15 - Cheyenne*Nov '13 - Cheyenne*Feb '12 - Newport Bay*April '08 - Santa Fe*March '05 - Santa Fe*


Click here for my Disneyland Paris Trip Reports
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