From Santa Fe to Santa's Sleigh: Day 2

[Gill H]

<<<Day 1

I am wakened from my Disney dreams (see what I did there?) by the sound of my phone alarm. I set it for 6am just in case the Mickey alarm call didn’t work. We like to get to breakfast at 7am when it opens, to beat the crowds and ensure we get the most out of EMH. And of course we want to have time for a cuppa in the room while we get dressed! Nothing worse than feeling too rushed first thing in the morning.

I didn’t sleep very well last night – I never do on the first night in a strange place – but it feels a lot earlier than 6am. And when I glance at my phone I realise why. Because it’s actually 5am. Doh! No, I’ve no idea how that happened. I changed the time on my phone while we were on the Eurostar, but somehow managed to set the alarm for an hour earlier than I wanted.

Oh well, we’re up now. So we have a leisurely coffee and watch Sophie on the hotel TV, with her ’10 things to know before you go’. They have added new sections to this over the years, and obviously persuaded her back to do a voice-over, but you only actually see her in the original bits. No matter how many times we’ve seen this, you just have to watch Sophie – she’s a DLP tradition, if only for her constant shouts of ‘Sorted!’

The Mickey alarm call arrives on cue at 6am – a lovely little way to start the day. As you may remember from yesterday’s report, we had forgotten to pack toothpaste, and hadn’t managed to find any at the garage. I also discover I have forgotten my hairbrush! However, everything else was fine and we even have time to do some channel hopping while we got ready. The children’s favourite ‘Le Manege Enchante’ aka The Magic Roundabout, is showing on one channel. The 1960s version was originally French (revoiced in English by the wonderful Eric Thompson who ignored the French script completely and made up his own). This version is evidently a spin off of the more recent film. Dougal even sounds like Robbie Williams and speaks French with an English accent! And in French his name is Pollux. No comment!

We get to La Cantina just a few minutes before they open the doors. It’s much quieter at this time of the morning and we easily find a place to sit. Breakfast is the usual DLP continental array – bread rolls, cheeses, cold meats, cereal, toast, fruit, yoghurt, and over in a corner on their own, some olives, tomato puree and cloves of garlic. I have never once seen anyone eat these at breakfast – I presume they are put there for the Spanish guests, who tend to eat later.

We help ourselves to a bowl of ‘miel pops’ (Honey Pops, which I don’t think you can get in the UK any more). Then some bread rolls, which aren’t the best – a bit hard and tasteless. Usually we’ve had better quality rolls than those. I never cease to wonder why, in the land where cheese is practically a religion and the area famous for the amazing Brie de Meaux, they serve only supermarket Edam and Gouda, neither of which are even French! I’m partial to a nice spread of meats, cheeses and breads for breakfast when on European holidays, but they really do need to provide more variety here. Even the budget hotels such as Ibis and Campanile provide a wider selection. On the plus side, the fruit is now fresh, not tinned, so that’s a step up! One thing’s for sure, they will have to improve the breakfast once they start charging for it. And even then, I’m not sure I will bother at the prices they are going to charge.

However, for the moment we are fed and watered and ready to hit the parks. As we want to nip into the Relay shop in the station, we decide to get the bus rather than walk this time. It’s fairly quiet at the bus stop this early, and although we have to wait about 10 minutes for a bus, it’s not long before we pull up outside the station. We pop into the Relay shop and buy a hairbrush and some toothpaste – as Sophie would say, ‘Sorted!’

Soon we are through security and waving our hotel easypass to get in for EMH. It’s only about 8.15 but there is already a big queue for Donald in the bandstand, and another for Minnie at the boarding house. We do enjoy meeting characters, but only if the queue isn’t too long, so we skip these and head to City Hall. Today is my ‘Disney birthday’ and we ask for a badge, as we’ve heard DLP has started to offer these recently.

However, the CM tells us they aren’t offering badges now – she says it was only a temporary trial and they have run out – ‘because of the internet, everyone wants one!’ So instead she gives me a birthday sticker, and of course my congratulatory phone call from Mickey!

This done, we drift up an almost empty Main Street enjoying the Christmas music. At the top of Main Street they are setting up for a meet with Goofy and Pluto, and the queue for this is already quite long. However, on the opposite side we spot Chip and Dale with only a few people waiting to meet them. We agree this is an opportunity we shouldn’t miss, so we join the queue and pass the time chatting to a lovely young British couple, who we learn just got engaged last night! Just before their turn, the characters go for a short break (this seems to be a theme for us!), but it’s not long before they are back and having great fun with the guests.

When we get to meet the naughty chipmunks, they are very taken with my ears! Not my real ears, you understand – the lovely Vera Bradley ‘Where’s Mickey’ ears which I bought from talented Dibber Robberiffic. I would definitely recommend her services. I’ve never owned ears before, but the ones I’ve tried on in the parks have been very tight and uncomfortable. (Some would say I just have a big head…) By contrast these are padded and very comfy – I frequently forget I’m wearing them! And they go perfectly with the bag I bought in WDW in 2014. Thanks Roberriffic!

[Gill H]

Once we say goodbye to Chip and Dale, we head through the castle to a favourite ride of ours, Peter Pan’s Flight, which currently has a 5 minute queue – a walk-on, in reality. We usually take advantage of low queues during EMH to do this ride, although we feel it can often be a bit juddery first thing in the morning. Then again, can’t we all?

However, this is the first opportunity to do this ride since its long refurb. And they seem to have worked on the mechanism, because it’s a much smoother ride. As you know I am Queen of Team Wimp, and even though this is a gentle ride, there are usually two places where I have to brace myself before a dip – namely when the boat flies out of the window, and later when it goes down towards Captain Hook in the crocodile’s mouth. Well, not this time. The ride is really smooth and doesn’t jolt at all, and I don’t get that ‘hump-backed bridge’ lurch in my stomach. But the real benefit of the refurb is the intensive work they have done on the painting and effects. The chimneys are smoking merrily, the nursery is brighter, and both Peter’s shadow and Tink’s glow can be clearly seen. But once we are flying over London, the full extent of the refurb becomes evident. To misquote the famous song, “We can see, we can see, we can see!” There is so much detail which has been hidden in recent years, and the luminous paint used throughout the ride makes the characters really pop.

We’re so impressed, we go straight back round and do the ride again. Well done, DLP, for bringing out the beauty of this lovely ride.

Next we briefly consider meeting Mickey in the theatre. This isn’t normally open during EMH, but it is today. However, the queue is already 30 minutes and we decide to do other things, as we can meet Mickey later tonight. So instead we head towards Dumbo. On the way I spot a lady wearing a birthday badge with her name written on it, just like the WDW ones. This is a surprise, since the CM at City Hall said they didn’t have any! So I wish the surprised lady a happy birthday, and ask where she got the badge. She answers ‘In the hotel’ so we decide that later we will nip into the Disneyland Hotel to see if I can get one too. Not that we ever need an excuse to pop into that beautiful building!

I also notice a lady with one of the sourest expressions I’ve ever seen. Seriously, she looks like she’s smelling bad fish. Which would be fine, live and let live and all that. But she’s wearing a pair of sparkly Minnie ears. The contrast just strikes me as funny, and I have to smile. I hope I cheered her up a bit!

The queue for Dumbo is pretty short, but of course it’s a notoriously slow loader, so we have time to watch it go round a couple of times. It seems to have had a wash and brush up too – I’d never noticed the big winding key in the middle before.

Then it’s time for a quick spin in the Mad Hatter’s Teacups. This is much the prettiest version of the ride I’ve been on – I love the lanterns in the roof. As always, it’s a bit of a tight squeeze for me to get in and out (and my shoe falls off at one point!) but once inside the teacup it’s fine.

Then we go over to the Carousel and almost walk straight on. I always try to get one of the two chariots, as I struggle to get on the horses! We share our chariot with a Japanese mum and her little boy, who she tells us is only 8 months old. He’s really cute and enjoys the ride. His dad is standing watching, armed with several different cameras and determined to capture as much footage of them both as possible!

Having finished Fantasyland for the moment, we go through to Discoveryland. Normally we’d head straight for Buzz Lightyear as EMH is definitely the best time to do that. However, it’s closed for refurb during our visit, so instead Peter goes to ride Space Mountain. It’s practically a walk on, as it often is during EMH. But with Star Tours and Buzz closed, Discoveryland as a whole feels pretty empty. There’s Autopia of course, which I’ve still never done after all these years. And Orbitron, which I think is far nicer to look at than to ride. I’m fascinated by the intricate movement of the centrepiece, but I rarely ride it as it’s difficult to get in and out without losing my last shred of dignity!

[Gill H]

It’s now almost 10am and the rest of the park is opening. Once Peter comes off the ride, I suggest we go to check out the Pixar Short Film Festival which is in the 4-D theatre – originally the home of ‘Honey I Shrunk The Audience’ and in later years ‘Captain Eo’. I’ve read good things about this and although we have seen all the shorts when they were first shown, I’m keen to see how they look in this setting, and what they do with the effects. We go straight in, together with a very small group of people – as I said, Discoveryland is rather a ghost town at the moment!

After a very short introduction from the CM, we put on our 3D glasses and watch three shorts. First, ‘Get A Horse’. If you saw Frozen in the cinema, you will have seen this. It recreates the early days of Mickey Mouse cartoons, even using the original recording of Walt doing Mickey’s voice. However, it then takes a flight of fantasy by letting the characters escape the black and white screen and enter the ‘real world’ in colour and 3D. It is visually stunning, even for those like me who can’t see 3D properly. It’s followed by the rather lovely ‘La Luna’, which was originally shown before Brave in cinemas. It’s the story of a young boy and his family who sweep stars on the moon – sounds bizarre but you just have to go with it! The third offering is the classic ‘For The Birds’ which was originally shown with Monsters Inc. It’s the story of a big clumsy bird and his efforts to fit in with the other birds who are all hanging out on telephone wires. It’s hilarious and even though you can see the final joke coming a mile away, it never fails to get me laughing.

In all honesty, the 4D theatre doesn’t add much to the experience. There are a few movements of the chairs and the odd squirt of water. However, the films are so good that we come out on a real high.

By now it’s time for a restorative cup of coffee in one of our favourite places – Salon Mickey. This is only open to members of the Shareholders Club, and provides complimentary hot and cold drinks and pastries in a small lounge. The only downside is, we have to go all the way over to the park exit gates on the right, then across the front and round to the entrance to Salon Mickey, next to the luggage room. It does seem a shame we can’t use the turnstiles on the same side! But soon we are knocking on the door of Salon Mickey and waiting to be let in. And waiting. And waiting again. Could it possibly be closed and no-one told us? But no, eventually a CM answers the door, and when Peter flashes the precious ‘Club Actionnaires’ card, we’re let in. Sadly the choice of snacks is limited to muffins or cookies – there is no sign of the amazing almond-studded pain au chocolat they used to serve here, and it’s been some years since we saw it. However, freebies are freebies, so we help ourselves to a muffin – chocolate for Peter and lemon for me – and go over to the coffee machine for a cuppa. They’ve got a new coffee machine since we were here last, and the coffee seems much stronger than before – a bit too strong for me, actually, so I add some hot water – but then it’s too weak. Oh well, I’ll get it right eventually. Maybe I was put off by creepy Walt watching me...

Salon Mickey is very busy this morning and there are only two seats free, so we don’t stay for long. We ask the CM on the desk about the birthday badges, and she backs up what the CM in City Hall said – they proved too popular and they ran out. However, having seen one this very morning, we still resolve to pop into the DLH later and ask.

Once we’re finished in Salon Mickey we reach into the fridge for two bottles of juice to take with us for later, but we’re told we can only have what we drink there. Fair enough – we leave them behind for the next guests.

[Gill H]

As we come back out into the park and walk onto Main Street, we notice two children walking ahead of us, who haven’t noticed the paddy wagon driving up the road behind them. The driver hoots the horn for them to get out of the way, and they are so surprised they actually jump in the air when they hear it. It’s a very funny moment.

It’s about 10 minutes until the ‘Royal Welcome’ starts on Main Street, so just time for a quick browse. No, we didn't buy this...

We pop into the photo shop and ask about the Photopass. We discover that we can’t buy the annual version unless we have an annual pass, and we decide that at the current price of €60 the Photopass won’t be good value for us this time – particularly as several of the rides with photo ops are closed at the moment. Maybe we’ll get it next time when we are here for a slightly longer visit and everything is open.

Meanwhile we pick a spot on Main Street and wait for the Royal Welcome, which is about 10 minutes late starting but we don’t mind. Basically this is just Anna and Elsa in a carriage coming down Main Street, accompanied by magic snow. But the effect it has on the few small girls in the vicinity is amazing. As soon as the music – yep, That Song – starts up, they are looking out for the popular sisters, and waving to them frantically. As is fitting for a park where so many languages are spoken, the version of Let It Go is the multi-language reel which features on the DVD, with each line sung in a different language. It’s a testament to the care Disney takes in casting, that it pretty much sounds as if it is all sung by the same person. And of course we join in – with the English version anyway! As the carriage passes us, Anna spots my ears, points and grins, and holds her hands up to her own ears. She’s obviously impressed.

The sisters soon pass by, the snow stops falling and the music ends. But we decide we may as well stay there, because the Christmas parade will be starting in another 10 minutes. There are very few people waiting, which is perhaps a result of the parade running several times a day – no need to stake out a place and sharpen your elbows here.

Just like the Royal Welcome, the Christmas Parade starts late. But it doesn’t matter. It’s fun and joyful, and over the past few years it has grown from just a few floats and dancers, to a really impressive parade. New this year are the postmen with barrows full of letters to Santa, (some of the postmen being the Pooh characters) and dancers dressed as postbags too. And of course more magic snow. There’s also a couple of new floats, and new characters such as dancing snowmen, and for some reason the Three Little Pigs! But the best float is still Santa’s sleigh. It’s really impressive, and it’s always interesting to see who is riding with Santa, as it changes each year. This year it’s Duffy in the sleigh, which makes sense as he is a toy. He waves enthusiastically, but I do wonder how many of the watching guests have a clue who he is!

Once the parade has passed us and the snow has stopped falling, we head on up to Cottonwood Creek for the Frozen Singalong Show in the Chapparal Theatre. We’ve not seen this show before – on our last visit the St David’s Welsh Festival used the theatre. It’s nice to see the area being well used and full of people. We head in and find some seats, chatting to our fellow audience members as we wait for the show to start. For some reason there are a lot of Americans at DLP today!

The Frozen show is upbeat and fun, featuring all the favourite songs from the film, which the audience join in with enthusiastically. The storyline is that the village is holding a festival but the choir are delayed by snow, so the audience are recruited as a replacement choir. The song words are projected in English and several other languages (we’re at the English version of the show, though like most shows in DLP it is conducted in a sort of half-and-half with enough for everyone to grasp what’s going on). During ‘In Summer’ giant beach balls are thrown into the audience, and for ‘Let It Go’ a few happy small girls are allowed to sing into the roving audience microphone. It doesn’t pay to think too much about the storyline – it’s a bit awkward for Anna to be batting her eyes at Kristoff one minute, and leading us all in ‘Love Is An Open Door’ the next. I thought reminiscing over the ex in front of your boyfriend was a bad idea? And if I was going to nitpick, I could wish that our Elsa didn’t have such a strong French accent when she speaks. But the children around us don’t seem to mind at all, and everyone leaves the theatre singing.

Across the way we have a quick photo op in the sleigh next to Sven and Olaf, and then move on.

We walk through to Pirates of the Caribbean, which we didn’t get to do last time as it went tech just as we got to the front of the queue. All is fine this time and the small queue moves very quickly. We’re put in the front seats, which I’m a bit nervous about. As you know I’m a drop-o-phobe and have to tense myself up to get through the drops on this ride – even though every time, I come out wondering what the fuss was about! I do wonder whether being in the front row will make the drops feel worse. However, I needn’t have worried. In fact, being able to see when it’s coming up means that I feel well prepared and cope with the drops much better. As always, the theming on this ride is great and it’s well worth doing. Hopefully by our next visit, it will have reopened after its refurb, and if the rumours are true, a certain rum-loving captain will have been added!

After the ride we decide to get some lunch. We’ve never eaten in Toad Hall before and we have decided that we’ll go and share the double fish and chips with an extra drink, as a budget-friendly lunch. The theming in this place is great. From the mock-Latin motto over the door – a plea to his French guests, ‘No Consumus Froglegus’ – to the spoof versions of famous portraits – Toad as the Mona Lisa, the Laughing Cavalier and so on – so much detail has been put into designing this place.

I laugh when the CM drops my change and mutters a slightly rude French expression which I’m sure CMs aren’t supposed to say! She probably assumes that as a Brit, I don’t know what it means.

We find some seats and enjoy watching the changing portraits on the wall while we eat. I wish I could say the same care had been taken over the food as the theming. I don’t usually expect much from DLP’s counter service offerings, but it fails to live up to even my low expectations. Yesterday in the Lucky Nugget, the fish and chips were hot, crispy and tasty. But today in Toad Hall, they are flabby, greasy and tasteless, and not even very hot. (I can't even blame that on taking a photo, as we didn't, sorry!) We eat enough to keep hunger at bay and throw most of it away. Sorry Toad, I think you need to find yourself a new cook!

[Gill H]

We stroll down towards Casey Junior, where we see there’s a meeting place for Scrooge McDuck with a couple of people waiting. No sign of the duck himself, but we figure he won’t be long, so we join the queue, and it’s not long before he appears, looking nicely warm in his winter clothes. We have a lovely bit of interaction – I tell him that I’m celebrating my birthday today and wonder if he could give me some money? Of course he looks shocked at the very idea!

We then walk up to Casey Junior and get in the last carriage – Peter facing front and me on the very back seat. This is probably the nearest I get to a thrill ride, and going backwards is quite an experience! We then go on Le Pays de Conte des Fees, where as usual I have a comedy ‘Total Wipeout’ moment getting off the moving platform and into the boat. I manage it eventually with a little help! We enjoy the ride as always, but do feel it’s overdue for a refurb now. The paint is peeling on quite a few scenes, and the lighting in the cave of wonders really needs fixing. Since DLP are currently working hard on Alice’s Curious Labyrinth, we can see they are paying attention to the lesser known attractions as well as the headliners, so let’s hope this one has a wash and brush up before long.

As we come out of this area we head towards Pizzeria Bella Notte in search of our afternoon Pause Gourmande (the ‘teatime treat’ included with the dining package) but it’s currently shut. However, we spot some random characters around the area to the right of It’s A Small World, and decide to see if we can meet a few of them.

Unlike most of the character meets at DLP these days, which have properly enforced queues, these characters are having an old-style ‘free for all’ but fortunately there aren’t many guests around. Peter introduces himself to the Queen of Hearts.

Then I say hello to Gepetto

However, we aren't so lucky with Jafar or the Genie, who are surrounded by excited children and we can't get near.

[Gill H]

We decide instead to go for my favourite ride of all time. If you haven’t guessed yet, yes, IASW is the one. I know it’s cheesy, and I know that song gets in your head for days. But I love the little details which fill the ride, there’s always something I haven’t seen before. And this time it’s recently had a big refurb. The external walls are brighter than ever and the gold accents really sparkle. And inside, there have been a few changes – most notably the hello and goodbye sections; the goodbye section has now lost all traces of the previous France Telecom characters and instead features multilingual farewells in the style of other versions of the ride. It’s a fun whizz round the world, and as usual we go back for another trip straight away.

How many people notice the Welsh dolls on the moon?

It’s now almost 4pm and we haven’t yet used our Pause Gourmande voucher. It’s valid between 3 and 6pm, but given that our Café Mickey reservation is 6.15, we think we’d better have it now! Unfortunately several of the restaurants which take the vouchers are closed during our visit, so we end up at Casey’s – probably the busiest place with the slowest queues! The only option is a doughnut or a Magnum ice cream bar, so we go for the doughnut, together with a hot chocolate. Casey’s has the same new hot drink machines we saw in Salon Mickey, and doesn’t seem to offer the deliciously creamy chocolat viennois. They are only offering the rather clumsily named ‘Boisson lactee cacotee’ (chocolate milky drink) which I would have assumed was a cold drink if it hadn’t been listed under ‘hot drinks’. However, it turns out to be a decent hot chocolate. Not luxury, but OK for a freebie. We manage to find a table and enjoy our ‘teatime treat’. I have to say, I think the vouchers are a bit of a waste of time. Far better to have the equivalent of a snack credit voucher that you could use when and where you like. I suppose the idea is to get you into the counter service restaurants at quiet times – not much use when half of them are closed though!

Once we’ve finished our snack we head across Main Street to have a look in Harringtons, which sells glass and china ornaments and other pricey Disney nick-nacks. You may remember that yesterday when we checked in, I was given a voucher for anything in the Disney shops up to the value of €25 as a birthday treat, and I take my time checking out the various options, but I don’t manage to make a decision and resolve to see what’s in the Village before I buy.

Next Peter goes to the photography shop. Having decided not to get the Photopass, we now need to get our photo with Marie, as we didn’t use our own cameras for this. It costs us €16 for one print.

While Peter is sorting that out, I nip over the road to the shop which has the Duffy model in – purely because it also tends to sell CDs and we hope to find some of the Christmas park music. Alas, it’s not available, and the stock is sadly depleted. I do wish DLP would release more park music CDs. They did one for the 15th anniversary and a compilation album for the 20th so maybe they could release one for the 25th? Here’s hoping.

Having finished with the Disneyland Park for the day, we exit and go over to the Disneyland Hotel. It’s odd to think that on our last visit we could just pop in through the door to our right as we exit the park, and be in our room in two minutes! We aren’t likely to be able to afford a stay in the DLH again – we only did it thanks to a little visit from the PPI Fairy last year. However, we’re happy with the Santa Fe overall, but you really can’t beat the DLH for location.

This time we have to cross over to the public entrance to the DLH, and once inside we take the opportunity to have a good look at the gingerbread house. It’s suitably elaborate with loads of tiny details, and it makes the place smell absolutely amazing!

While Peter is filming it, I go over to the concierge desk to ask about birthday badges. The CM there says that her colleagues over at reception should be able to sort one out for me, so I go over and ask there. A lovely CM wishes me happy birthday, asks my name and returns with a badge with my name on. Unfortunately he’s spelled me with a J not a G, so he has to wipe it off and start again! I have no idea whether DLP will continue to do the badges or whether they are just using up the stock, but for now I’m glad I managed to get one.

[Gill H]

We decide to have a look in the hotel shop, to see if there is anything I can spend my voucher on. However, nothing captures my interest here. There’s a lady considering buying the Disney model railroad set, but that costs several hundred euros and we’d have nowhere to put it! So we just buy a postcard and stamp, and then leave the DLH and go over to World of Disney. As usual, I find the design of this shop absolutely beautiful, but I’m never that impressed with the actual stock. Eventually I find some pins and a couple of small items which add up to €25, and take them over to a cash desk with my voucher. However, the CM looks confused and goes to consult her manager. After a long discussion, they explain that the voucher is for one item only – it can be up to €25, but it has to be one item. So if I bought an €8 pin, that would be all I would get for free. They’re very nice about explaining it, and to be honest I’m lucky to get anything, so I put the items back and we move on.

We drift through the other shops, until we get to the expensive art shop near Café Mickey. Usually we don’t spend much time in here as it’s above our budget, but today it might just be the place for me. And so it proves; after considering several possible options, I go for a nice statuette of Mickey and Minnie in Christmas outfits exchanging gifts. This is wrapped up very carefully and put in a box for me. I feel very privileged handing over my voucher – thank you Disney!

It’s almost time for our Café Mickey reservation now, and as always, there is a queue outside, which we join. We get chatting to the Americans next to us, who have fortunately made a reservation also. As usual, guests who haven’t booked are being turned away at the door. This place really is popular, though I don’t think it will get crowds like this when the characters move to Plaza Gardens in spring. Hopefully it will reinvent itself as something different, as Disney Village really does need more variety in its dining offerings.

Soon we are welcomed into the restaurant and taken round to a table in the conservatory area. I’ve heard this area doesn’t always get as much interaction, but the restaurant is full and we have little choice. Spotting my birthday badge, the CM asks if we have ordered a cake, and we say we haven’t. We did think about it but decided it was too much to pay for an ice cream cake which we couldn’t take away with us.

However, once we start perusing the menu, I have second thoughts on this. True, we won’t get through much of the cake ourselves. But this is something we’ve never done. And to be honest, the desserts on the set menu don’t look that exciting. We decide to go for the two course menu and order a cake instead of desserts. So, in between chatting with the young British couple next to us, we order our starters and main courses, and Peter goes over to the front desk to order a cake.

No sooner has Peter got back to his seat than Eeyore arrives and gets hugs from us. He’s impressed with my ears – I definitely did the right thing buying these!

Then our starters arrive and we tuck in. I’ve gone for the Fantasia Mushrooms, which are roasted garlic mushrooms with pesto sauce. Peter has chosen the chicken Caesar salad. (Sorry, no pics, too hungry!) I know the prevailing wisdom about Café Mickey is ‘no-one goes there for the food’, and it’s true that the food alone wouldn’t be worth the €36 price tag, even with your Disney food goggles on. However, the food in itself isn’t bad. Our starters are fine, as are the main courses which follow. Peter goes for the Italian burger – charolais beef with a granary roll, tomato compote, parmesan cheese, sundried tomato and potato waffles.

Meanwhile I have the sea bass fillet with a balsamic jus, with fennel, thyme, lemon and a risotto with parmesan. I’m actually pretty impressed with this, the fish is good quality and properly cooked, and the overall flavours of the dish are nicely zingy.

Meanwhile, we have some great interaction with the excitable Tigger.

Then Goofy appears. He’s very enthusiastic, particularly when he spots Peter’s ‘Club Actionnaires’ badge and makes a big fuss of it. We’ve never had a character notice this before.

Soon we get a visit from the main Mouse himself.

And of course Pluto, the hardest working dog in showbiz. He always seems to be around longer than the other characters.

Later we get Eeyore again. We get great interaction from all of them, and we make sure that the couple next to us do too. It’s not easy for the characters to get to them – whoever designed this space really wasn’t thinking of making it easy for characters to move around.

At the table the other side of us a family group has come in with a very excited little girl who is absolutely loving the interaction. It turns out it was her birthday recently too.

Speaking of birthdays, it’s not long before our cake arrives. As I’m an adult I get serenaded by the CMs rather than have it brought by characters (although I would be quite happy for the characters to bring it!)

The cake is made of chocolate and vanilla ice cream with a fondant Mickey on top, and it’s pretty big. Way too big for the two of us. So we persuade the couple next to us to have some, and the family across the way. The little girl is thrilled and regards this as a birthday treat. We manage to eat two pieces each of the delicious but rapidly melting cake. All in all, I’m glad we ordered it and our fellow diners appear to have enjoyed it too.

So that’s probably our last visit to Café Mickey, at least with characters in it. And it was a really good night. Pricey, yes – we could have had the top price menu over at Yacht Club for what we’ve spent tonight. But a great experience and a wonderful way to celebrate my birthday.

[Gill H]

We stroll lazily back to the Santa Fe, glad of the chance for a walk after our substantial meal. Once back in our room, we have a quick count up of our remaining money; tonight’s meal was our main expense as tomorrow’s lunch will be covered by the meal voucher. So we can afford to get a few souvenirs. Accordingly we head to the shop where we buy a rather nice pen and keyring from the ‘DLP Hotels’ range – a new range to us and one we like the look of very much. We also get a couple of pins, including of course the Santa Fe hotel pin. We have a pin from each Disney resort we have stayed at so far, and would love to complete the set. (Pics tomorrow of our Disney haul, as we didn't get so many pictures that day!)

We also buy some Mickey head biscuits as a thank you to our friend Jo for cat-sitting. As we go to pay for these items, the CM shows us a ‘special offer’ of a DLP pen pot and stationery items. This looks like it could be a useful present, so we get one of those too.

We need to write the postcard we bought, to send as our Pixie Dust Postcard from Mickey to someone visiting DLP soon. I love doing this, it’s fun to send and receive cards. If any Dibbers haven’t come across this idea before and think they would like to join in, check out the Pixie Dust Postcards forum on the Dibb.

We decide the best place to do this, and also to bring my Disney birthday to a satisfactory close, is the Rio Grande bar for a celebratory glowtini! I had the blue glowtini at the DLH last time, and it was delicious, but this time I decide to try the red version. I can’t remember what it consists of now, but it is lovely. On balance, though, I prefer the blue version as I have a sweeter palate. But hey, you never know until you try.

The Rio Grande bar is not exactly cosy – it’s just a section of the dining room nearest the bar. This is where I think the Cheyenne theming is head and shoulders over that of the Santa Fe. However, they serve the drinks we want, so this will do. Peter has a glass of 1664 Premium which he sips while we decide on the wording for the postcard. I only wish I could do a proper Mickey signature, but alas, I can’t. We share a lemonade between us and then decide it’s time for bed.

After our long day there’s barely time to set the alarm (for 6am this time) before we jump into bed and are asleep almost straight away. See you all tomorrow.

>>> Day 3

INDEX

[clochette]

Another great day. I'm glad you got your birthday badge in the end. You have the same ears as DD except she had a big yellow bow on hers. The characters love them don't they? And you're right, they are SO comfortable. I must order some different ones before we go again - not that I have a trip booked at the moment but I have almost convinced myself to go May half term. After all, we have to see the 25th Anniversary don't we?

[Cazzius]

Another busy day for you.

EMH at DLP look amazing, there is hardly another person in your photos or in the background of your character snaps.

The parade sounds really festive, especially combined with the fake snow on Main Street. I think the funniest thing with Frozen is that everyone is seeing it as a Christmas film... but it it set in June! Not Christmassy at all (apart from the snow and ice).

What an excellent un-birthday! A birthday badge (finally) and a lovely souvenir with your $25 Mickey Money.

The food at Cafe Mickey sounds good from your descriptions, and I am sure that your neighbours enjoyed sharing the cake with you.

Glowtini - perfect end to a busy birthday

Thanks for sharing your adventures!