Notices
Disneyland Paris Trip Reports Trip Reports

Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
Old 10 Dec 18, 09:25 PM  
Link to this Post
#1
DevonPumpkin
Earning More Ears
 
DevonPumpkin's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 18
Talking Finally going back... 19 years later! Day 1 - Rides, a rainy parade and a shuttle bus nightmare

Index can be found here

After a decent nights sleep in our surprisingly quiet hotel room, we were up bright and early at 6am. Today was the day we had been waiting 19 years for, we were finally going back to Disneyland Paris! We got ready and made our way down to breakfast at around 7am.

To start with I had fruit salad and a yoghurt, then went on to a slightly less healthy cooked breakfast, followed by an even unhealthier pain au chocolat and pain au raisin! The food was good and tasted nice and fresh, exactly what you would expect from a Premier Inn breakfast





Feeling full, we went back up to the room to finish sorting our bags out, checked out of the hotel at 08:30 and made our way to St Pancras International! We had to wait about 15 minutes before they started calling for our train but by 9am we were starting to make our way through the ticket gates. The tickets I had printed at home (well, at work if I'm being honest!) scanned fine on the machines and then it was time to go through security.

All the bags had to be lifted onto a reasonably high conveyor belt, which was no problem for my coat or rucksack my my suitcase was so heavy I could hardly lift it! Luckily the man behind me in the queue helped me lift it up. I have no idea how Mum managed hers though!

Then we had to walk through a metal detector. Mum got through ok but I set it off and got sent over to the side. I told the lady at security that I thought it must be my belt as I'd emptied my pockets but I had to be frisked anyway, this has never happened to me before! After a very thorough pat down I was allowed through much to my Mum's amusement

We got through passport checks with no problems and then we were in the departures lounge! As we'd arrived pretty early there was plenty of seats so we picked a space by one of the departure boards and got settled, and of course took the first selfies of the day!




I had a quick look around the duty free shop but it was nothing to get excited about so went back to Mum, and just a couple minutes later we got our boarding announcement! I wasn't expecting anything other than a standard announcement so in my shock and excitement, I have no idea if it was Donald or Mickey that did it (maybe both?)

We practically ran to the escalators and once on the platform, had to walk to the other end of the train as we were in coach 18.


Time to go!


We found our seats which were at a table. Our coach was pretty empty at this point but even so, we had a stewardess come round and tell everyone they had to move their luggage as there wouldn't be enough room for everyone once the other passengers joined. Apparently there was another 400 passengers joining at Ashford!

The train left exactly on time at 10:14am and we had our first tears of the trip . We had the table to ourselves until a nice family joined us at Ebbsfleet who we had a good chat with. At Ashford as the stewardess predicted there was luggage drama and one woman got quite irritated that she couldn't fit her suitcase in the luggage rack. I think it had to be taken to a different coach in the end but I didn't make a note.

Our coach was surprisingly quiet, and when the Dad from the family opposite us came back from the bar he said the rest of the train was carnage so I think we got lucky!

We had booked the Disney Express service and the cast member came and gave us our luggage tags just as we came out the tunnel into France! We'd booked through Magic Breaks and I'd read online that as a result we wouldn't be given our park tickets on the train, but would have to pick them up at Marne La Vallee when we dropped off our luggage, but this wasn't true and we got everything there and then.

The rest of the journey was uneventful and we actually got into the station early. We had dropped off our luggage and were on our way to the park at 14:10pm, just 1 minute after our train was due to arrive!


Finally here!


It was pretty wet and miserable when we arrived but we didn't let it dampen our spirits! We were quickly through security (no frisk this time ) and headed straight to the main Disneyland Park.



Finally we were here! Our first task was to try and get Mum a green pass (she has arthritis) so we headed to city hall, and thanks to the Christmas tree, we managed to avoid seeing the castle as we wanted to save this for later!

City Hall had a bit of a queue but it moved really quickly. Mum gave the lady at the counter all her documents (a letter from the GP, plus letters from her consultant at the hospital) and the cast member filled out a green pass with no problem at all. She also gave her an accessibility map and explained we should go to the exit of the rides for the disability queue. Overall this was surprisingly quick and easy but I think that's because we made sure Mum had all the correct letters, as we did see one lady who hadn't bought anything with her being refused a pass even though she was in a wheelchair. We were also told Mum wasn't eligible for a free carers ticket as she didn't have a blue badge so this might be something to be aware of if you also need a green pass.

After that was sorted, it was finally time for our first glimpse of the castle! It was quite foggy and rainy but the castle was most definitely there and we had a few more tears, as we were just so excited to be back, and emotional that my Dad couldn't be there. For those that haven't read the pretrip report, one of our main reasons for this trip was to relive our last holiday with my Dad, as he died just over a year after our first visit to Disneyland Paris back in 1999.

We took a few castle photos (of course!) but we got some much better ones later in the trip when the weather wasn't quite so bad. Here they are anyway though





As we'd been in the park almost an hour at this point, we decided it was time to do some rides! I don;t have any information about queue times for this trip (with a couple exceptions later in the trip) as we didn't join the main queue for any rides.

One of our favourite rides from our first trip was the tea cups, so this is where we headed for our first ride! Mum was pretty excited...



The next ride after teacups was Dumbo. We got a bit confused about how to find the correct entrance but we were helped by a lovely cast member called Claude who stopped to talk all about where we're from and that he also used to live in England. Dumbo was good but we had a slightly dodgy elephant that didn't go very high!

I was super excited to go on Pirates of the Caribbean so we made our way over to Adventure Land. On the way we stopped to have a lock inside Skull Rock and Davy Jones' Locker. We could have spent ages exploring this area and I don't think we saw even a quarter of Adventureland!




We finally made it to Pirates and we were given the front row. On getting into the boat we noticed that we were in number 63, which is the year my Dad was born. This of course set us off again. Disney is an emotional place!

Pirates was amazing and the second drop caught us totally by surprise as that has been added in since the last time we rode it. It did make for a great ride photo though!



Ready for even more of a thrill, I insisted we go on Big Thunder Mountain. Mum was definitely not as excited as I was to start, but by then end of the trip this was both of our favourite ride! It seems if you access via the disable queue you are always put in the last carriage, as this is where we were everytime we rode. The lap bar doesn't quite come down to my legs so I was constantly being thrown out of my seat, and you can see my reaction from the ride photo


Before...


During


And after! What do we do on Big Thunder Mountain?


At this point it was about quarter past 4, and we knew we wanted to watch the main parade that day so decided to make our way back to the castle. It was also time to put our ears on! These are ones me and Mum made following a YouTube tutorial before we left.



We made our way to the disabled area of the parade route that is by the castle stage and as we had arrived about half an hour before the start of the parade, we got a space right at the front. We managed to mime taking a photo to a nice lady next to us (I think she was Spanish but seemed to get what we meant!) and got one of my favourite pictures of the trip.



Just as the parade was due to come round the heavens opened but that meant I got to use my new Mickey Mouse umbrella so it wasn't all bad

The cupcake girls came past in their rainy day outfits which were still cute! How good is the song for Mickey's 90th by the way? Sing it with me! M-I-C-K-E-Y M-O-U-S-E



The main parade soon followed, I did feel sorry for the chracters, they were pretty soaked even by the time they got to us. One of Mary Poppins' penguins even tried to take shelter under my umbrella and stopped long enough for a selfie. Such a magical moment!



The parade was so good despite the rain, and then came the moment I was waiting for; the dragon! Because it was so wet at this point I thought there was no way it was going to breathe fire buuuut...



It happened! Right in front of the castle too. Easily one of my favourite photos from the whole holiday!

After the parade we headed into Discoveryland for our first time this trip to ride Buzz. How does anyone get over 100,000 on this ride? We were not good at it and didn't get any better as the holiday went on I still beat Mum though!




We went through the gift shop on our way out and found giant stitch! I was sorely tempted but thoughts of the train home persuaded me not to buy him, a picture would have to do.




It was about 6pm at this point and it had been a pretty long day so we decided to head to Annette's for dinner before the firework crowds left the park later that night.

We queued for about 20 minutes and were seated upstairs. We shared the onion rings and hash browns for starter, I had the onion burger and I think Mum had the blue cheese burger for main (poor note taking, sorry!) and for dessert, Mum had the chocolate fudge cake and I had the cheesecake.






The food was good, we especially liked the desserts even though neither of us have much of a sweet tooth! Overall the experience was good but I don't know if I'd go back on my next trip. The mains arrived while we were halfway through our starters, and we had to ask a couple times for our drinks to be brought to us. They also looked at me like an alien when I asked for vinegar, I just can't eat chips without it though! I was very glad we had bought the meal plan when the bill arrived as it would have been just under 80 euros out of pocket

After Annette's we had a look around the village before going into World of Disney to start making a dent in our spending money. I bought the Hawaiian Stitch, a couple of pins including the 90th birthday ones, a tea towel and I was very excited to find the gingerbread Mickey and Minnie so snapped them up too! I needn't have worried about them being sold out elsewhere though as they were in almost every shop haha. Overall my spends came to a slightly eyewatering 89 euros!



Now comes the only real low point of our trip. I hate to be negative as we had such an amazing time, but it wouldn't be a good trip report unless I included the bad stuff too!

It was quite late at this point, I think about 9:30pm and Mum was tired and in quite a lot of pain from her arthritis, and so she decided she wanted to get the shuttle bus back to Newport Bay Club where we were staying. I tried to persuade her to walk because everything I had read online before we went said how quick and easy the walk was but there was no way to change her mind so off to find the buses we went!

We stopped to ask a staff member on security where to go and she said she didn't think there was a bus to our hotel, but if there was it was at the end of the bus station and to the right, but we should really walk instead. In hindsight we absolutely should have listened to this warning! We walked through lots of empty bus stalls that looked completely closed off and came to a roundabout with about 200 people waiting, buses queued up all around the area, people running onto the buses before they had got to what seemed to be the only stop, and to top it off, the police cordoning off an area with blue lights on their cars.

Assuming this was the end of the bus station the lady spoke about and not seeing any buses that said they were going to Newport bay, we followed a small crowd of people to the right and ended up... in the middle of nowhere. With no idea where we were (apart from knowing we had walked far out of Disney!) we had to turn back to the crowded area by the roundabout. We eventually sussed that the area where the police had cordoned off was where the buses were supposed to be going and as a result total chaos with no Disney staff there to control the situation or explain where to go! We eventually saw a bus with Newport Bay on so jumped on and finally made it to our hotel... 40 minutes after we left the Village.

Feeling pretty fed up at this point we went through the hotel security and up to the check in desk, where we were greeted with the world's largest and noisiest family in front of us. There was about 10 kids all running up and down the queue area with their cabin cases, knocking into us and generally being a bit of a nightmare. We finally got to the check in desk though, hoping we would be nowhere near them in the hotel (thankfully we didn't see them again for the whole trip!)

Check in was... quick. The cast member asked for the magic passes we'd been given on the train. Scanned them, told us our room number and which part of the hotel it was in and said "that's it". No mention of where to go for breakfast or what time it was or, crucially, what had happened to our luggage. It's gone 10pm at this point and we were desperate to get to our room and unpack and got to bed.

We got to our room expecting to find our cases waiting in there for us (we thought this was part of Disney Express, but it turns out it's just if you are in a Compass Club room) but instead found a room with no luggage and a travel cot which we obviously didn't need! Our first thought was we must have gone to the wrong room, but it was definitely the right room number, so back down to reception I went while Mum had a sit down.

There wasn't anyone free at the arrivals desk so I went to concierge. I asked them if the travel cot could be removed and he said he would send someone up and tried to leave, I said wait, I also don't have my luggage! He said I needed to go out of the hotel to the luggage room and someone would give it to me there. So I get to the luggage room and its locked, and no one comes to the door when I knock. Back to concierge again! Just as I get to the desk, the cast member puts up a closed sign and tried to walk away. I call him back and tell him the luggage room is closed and he says "Oh", takes my collection tickets off me and disappears in a room to the side and comes back with the suitcases. Not sure why he couldn't have done that in the first place, especially as I later found out the luggage room closes at 10pm and it was nearly 11pm at this point but never mind

I finally get back to the room with the cases and we unpack (the travel cot wasn't picked up until the following morning in case you are wondering!) and we go to bed about 1am.





I hate to end what was an amazing first day on a negative note, and the rest of our stay at Newport Bay was fantastic with really lovely and helpful cast members, but it definitely wasn't the welcome to the hotel we had hoped for. You'll also be pleased to know we never attempted the shuttle bus again!

Well done if you made it to the end of this mammoth post, and thanks for reading!
DevonPumpkin is offline Click to view Members Trip Plans Add Member to Ignore List
Old 11 Dec 18, 09:46 AM  
Link to this Post
#2
KevinCosmos
Getting Excited
 
KevinCosmos's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 18
What a great read, can't wait to read the rest!
KevinCosmos is offline Click to view Members Trip Plans Add Member to Ignore List
Old 11 Dec 18, 12:56 PM  
Link to this Post
#3
Guest
Guest
 
Great read! It sounds like the train/bus station may have been closed off due to a security alert (this happens often due to people leaving bags unattended) - unfortunately it causes chaos in and around the station.

If you want to score high on Buzz - aim at Zurg's chest, there isn't a target there, but you will find your score jumps up
Click to view Members Trip Plans Add Member to Ignore List
Old 11 Dec 18, 06:08 PM  
Link to this Post
#4
DevonPumpkin
Thread Starter
Earning More Ears
 
DevonPumpkin's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 18
Originally Posted by KevinCosmos View Post
What a great read, can't wait to read the rest!
Thank you, glad you enjoyed it!

Great read! It sounds like the train/bus station may have been closed off due to a security alert (this happens often due to people leaving bags unattended) - unfortunately it causes chaos in and around the station.

If you want to score high on Buzz - aim at Zurg's chest, there isn't a target there, but you will find your score jumps up
We did wonder that, we also thought maybe it could have been something to do with a protests as apparently they've been blocking a lot of the roads around Disney.

Great tip! I wouldn't even have thought of that. I did manage to find the hidden ones in the tunnel but they didn't seem to do much for my score
DevonPumpkin is offline Click to view Members Trip Plans Add Member to Ignore List
Old 14 Dec 18, 08:58 PM  
Link to this Post
#5
HappyPanda
Apprentice Imagineer
 
HappyPanda's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 13
Location: Watford
It sounds like you had a fun-packed first day! Sorry to hear abour your nightmare with the shuttle and with getting your luggage - but i'm glad it didn't put a dampener on the rest of your trip!
HappyPanda is offline Girl Mouse Click to view Members Trip Plans Add Member to Ignore List
Old 25 Dec 18, 08:56 AM  
Link to this Post
#6
flo-tinka
Apprentice Imagineer
 
Join Date: Oct 10
What a great emotional journey the 2 of u went on. Thanks for sharing.
Loving the Stitches btw
flo-tinka is offline Girl Mouse Click to view Members Trip Plans Add Member to Ignore List
Old 27 Dec 18, 11:18 PM  
Link to this Post
#7
DevonPumpkin
Thread Starter
Earning More Ears
 
DevonPumpkin's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 18
Originally Posted by HappyPanda View Post
It sounds like you had a fun-packed first day! Sorry to hear abour your nightmare with the shuttle and with getting your luggage - but i'm glad it didn't put a dampener on the rest of your trip!
We definitely packed a lot in, I hadn't expected to get so much done as it we only had a few hours in the park on our first day. We know for next time not to bother with the shuttle now so a lesson learned, and the rest of the trip was so good our rocky start didn't matter in the end!

What a great emotional journey the 2 of u went on. Thanks for sharing.
Loving the Stitches btw
It was a very emotional trip! Stitch has pride of place in my room now
DevonPumpkin is offline Click to view Members Trip Plans Add Member to Ignore List
Old 29 Dec 18, 01:35 AM  
Link to this Post
#8
Animagus
Imagineer
 
Animagus's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 14
Location: East Midlands
When you’re tired and you just want to get to your room, there’s nothing worse than a shuttle bus nightmare!
Good on you for braving the parade in the rain. I love the Mary Poppins Penguin selfie. Great ride pics too.
Although it was obviously a very emotional experience, it looks as though you and your mum had a wonderful time and really made the most of every minute, which is lovely.
Thanks for sharing look forward to the next instalment.
Animagus is offline Girl Mouse Click to view Members Trip Plans Add Member to Ignore List
Old 29 Dec 18, 10:33 PM  
Link to this Post
#9
DevonPumpkin
Thread Starter
Earning More Ears
 
DevonPumpkin's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 18
Originally Posted by Animagus View Post
When you’re tired and you just want to get to your room, there’s nothing worse than a shuttle bus nightmare!
Good on you for braving the parade in the rain. I love the Mary Poppins Penguin selfie. Great ride pics too.
Although it was obviously a very emotional experience, it looks as though you and your mum had a wonderful time and really made the most of every minute, which is lovely.
Thanks for sharing look forward to the next instalment.
We were so tired! I think because I'd been looking forward to the trip for so long I'd hyped it up loads, so when something actually went wrong it felt like a total disaster

It was definitely worth staying for the parade, that's one of my favourite photos from the holiday haha.

The next day is up now! A bit delayed because Christmas has taken over recently
DevonPumpkin is offline Click to view Members Trip Plans Add Member to Ignore List
Old 21 Jan 19, 11:02 PM  
Link to this Post
#10
kadypants
slightly serious Dibber
 
kadypants's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 13
Location: South Yorkshire
Mobile

Aww what a lovely first day. A shame about the hotel arrival, nothing worse than disorganisation when you're tired and just want your bed! But glad it didn't spoil the rest of the day!
__________________
** A Dream is a wish your heart makes **
DLP - Jul '01, Aug '03, Sept '07, Feb '17, Feb '19, Feb '23
WDW - Aug '13, July '22
kadypants is offline Girl Mouse Click to view Members Trip Plans Add Member to Ignore List
Reply

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes

Forum Jump


All times are GMT +1. The time now is 08:41 PM.


Powered by vBulletin - Copyright © 2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
DIBB Savings
AttractionTickets.com

Get £10 off each Disney Ticket with the code ATDIBB10

Get up to £50 off per room at Disney or Universal with the code DIBBHOTELS


theDIBB Blog
One of the the five worlds found in Epic Universe, How to Train Your Dragon... Read More »
Disney announced that a new nighttime show, “Disney Dreams That Soar,” will run nightly at... Read More »
Walt Disney World Resort guests can get ready to have a “glowing’’ good time when... Read More »


theDIBB Menu


Exchange Rates
US Dollar Rates
ASDA  $1.2354
CaxtonFX  $1.2307
Covent Garden FX  $1.2541
FAIRFX  $1.2350
John Lewis  $1.2380
M&S  $1.2178
Sainsburys  $1.2354
TESCO  $1.2364
Travelex  $1.2353
Updated: 19:30 28/03/2024
Euro Rates
ASDA  €1.1447
CaxtonFX  €1.1408
Covent Garden FX  €1.1514
FAIRFX  €1.1432
John Lewis  €1.1457
M&S  €1.1263
Sainsburys  €1.1440
TESCO  €1.1445
Travelex  €1.1435
Updated: 19:30 28/03/2024

DIBB Premium Membership
Did you know you can help support theDIBB with Premium Membership?

Check out this link for more information and benefits, such as...

"No adverts on theDIBB Forums"

Upgrade Now



X