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VIP Dibber
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Kate and me at DLP February 2019 - day 5
Thursday 21st February – Day 5 of Kate and me at DLP
The was our last day at DLP and we wanted to make the most of it. So, of course we were up early so that we could check out of the hotel and then make our way to the parks for EMT. Kate had come up with a really good plan for the morning and had noted in her phone what we were going to do. Step 1: Takeaway for breakfast Step 2: Peter Pan Step 3: Buzz Lightyear Step 4: Get FP for Hyperspace Mountain (we assumed it would take an hour for the first two rides and it would be 9.30am now) Step 5: Pinocchio Step 6: Pirate’s of the Caribbean Step 7: Go inside the castle, see the dragon Step 8: Mickey’s Philharmagic Step 9: Carousel Step 10: Do some standing and waiting around Step 11: Meet as many characters as we can find We took the luggage over to Bell Services so that they could look after it until we were ready to leave. There is a service for them to take the luggage to the station and you can pick it up there. I think its around 20 Euros but we didn’t do this as I kind of figured we would want to come back to the hotel for a bit of a rest in the lobby area later anyway. It was pretty cold on the walk to the parks, my phone said it was 5˚C, and we saw a man wearing shorts and a t shirt ![]() We had also seen a surprisingly large number of people out in the parks in onesies, not just children, full grown adults wearing PJ style onesies. Very odd. We got our usual breakfast and made our way to the Disneyland park. We were still on schedule and we wandered down Main Street and through the castle to the rope drop area at the back of the castle by the Pinocchio ride. We were in the 2nd row of people and there was about 15 minutes until 8.30am. We enjoyed drinking our hot drinks while we waited, hot chocolate for Kate and coffee for me. The crowds started filling up behind us. We were over to the left side and to the right side were the people who were very keen to get to the Princess Pavilion. Before rope drop the cast members were telling everybody to not run and to take it slowly when the park opened. But not everyone seemed to listen to this ![]() Kate and me fast walked over as a few people streaked past us. Even with us being over-taken we only had a 5 minute wait for the ride. ![]() ![]() ![]() I’m glad we had decided to do this first though it was definitely worth it and I do really love this ride. Step 1 successfully completed! We carried on with step 2 and went over to Buzz, which had a posted wait time of 15 minutes but was actually only 5 minutes in the end. ![]() ![]() The ride stopped while we were on it, which meant we got some pretty great scores (well great for us). Kate got the highest score with over 20,000! ![]() We enjoyed this a lot and waited around for our photo to come up at the end so we could make a note of the number to collect it later, but the photo didn’t appear. Given that we were ahead of schedule, as we were off Buzz by 9am, we had to change up the plan and insert a ride in. We were next door to Hyperspace Mountain so rather than wandering all over the park we figured we’d have a ride here. ![]() ![]() In the end the wait here was minimal too as we were off the ride by 9.19am. It felt like we had got our groove on with the rides this morning ![]() We decided that we deserved a little rest, plus Kate was feeling peckish and wanted to start on the breakfast. We walked over towards the castle as the Pinocchio ride was next up for us and we knew there was some nice seating in the sun over there. The Carousel was already open so we got in line for this and had a lovely time on here. ![]() ![]() We had a breakfast pitstop while waiting for the Pinocchio ride to open up. ![]() We enjoyed eating our bread and jam and Kate had a little mooch around in the shop. We enjoyed the Pinocchio ride, this style of ride is my favourite and I really liked all the little scenes. ![]() We went to get some FP for Star Tours and then decided to head over to POTC. ![]() On the way Kate spotted Jafar, we have never met him and we decided that we would get in line to meet him. ![]() The little girl behind us was not too keen on meeting him, and in fairness to her he was quite menacing but this was a fun meet and greet. ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() The app said that POTC was a 40 minute wait, we decided to chance it, but at the entrance to the ride the wait time was posted at 70 minutes. There was no way we were going to be doing that. ![]() We munched on our 2nd baguette and jam by the castle and Kate suggested we go inside and see the dragon. We went upstairs first and had a look around and at the view. ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() I really liked it up here and this was something that I liked a lot. ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() We went to see the dragon down in the dungeon. ![]() ![]() Our FP for Star Tours was now open, but before heading over there we went to BTMR and got a FP for this ride for later on. ![]() Star Tours was great and we enjoyed this again. We picked up the photo for Hyperspace Mountain and then went in to see Mickey’s Philharmagic. ![]() This was fantastic. We both nearly fell over in here ![]() We wandered around to other meet and greet areas to see who was out and about. We settled on the Queen of Hearts and the White Rabbit. ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() They had a tug of war with Kate in the middle as they both wanted her to be with them in the photo. This was a fun meet. ![]() Then we went to see Pinocchio and Gepeto. ![]() ![]() Pinocchio kept holding the autograph book upside down and Gepeto had to show him how to hold the book the right way up. ![]() ![]() ![]() This was a cute meet and greet. ![]() We had a look round the corner as we had seen Smee and Captain Hook, but their line was closed and so was Peter Pan and Wendy and so was the Aladdin line. It’s a shame the characters are not our for longer really. We wandered over to see if Chip and Dale were still meeting but their line had closed too. ![]() So, we had done pretty well with our plan and it ended up in us doing nearly all of the rides we wanted. It was a shame we hadn’t done POTC, but we did meet 5 characters today that we had not met before and they were all great. As we were in the area we went up to the Indian Jones ride to pick up FP, but the times were wrong for us as it was for when we were due to be in lunch. ![]() Kate was a bit tired and wanted a sit down so we sat on a bench near BTMR watching everyone rushing past. We could see that even the FP line was pretty long and we just didn’t feel like queuing up anymore so we gave the BTMR FP away. I know this is like gold dust, but we were all riden out and we just needed a bit of a rest. We picked a couple who were very excited about getting the FP and they asked a few times if we were sure. It was nice to just sit and have bit of a break and not be rushing about it. We knew we weren’t going to be out of lunch in time for the Indy FP so we gave those FP away too. We had lunch booked up at the Pirate’s restaurant. ![]() ![]() ![]() This was another a la carte restaurant that we booked up and knew we could part pay with our buffet meal credit and then pay the difference. It was a really tasty meal. We were sat right next to the ride and could see the boats of people going past us. I had a cocktail with my lunch. A lovely Mojito, in fact I think I managed to fit in 2! ![]() Kate had not enjoyed ordering off the kids menu on previous days and so we agreed that she could pick something from the main menu and I would get something from the kids menu. She was happy to have the kids starter of a tortilla wrap. ![]() I had a soup again and I really liked this. ![]() Kate fancied the prawn curry, which was really tasty, she loved it. ![]() ![]() I had the kids chicken and rice, which was also pretty good and a reasonable portion. ![]() We had some ice cream for pudding. ![]() ![]() After lunch, neither of us fancied a ride or a long wait. We had a look around the shops and then we went over to Main Street and sat on a bench. At 4 o’clock we watched the Pirates and Princesses show. ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() We said our goodbyes to the park and slowly walked back to the hotel. We picked up our luggage and decided we would get the bus over to the station rather than walking through the village again with the luggage. ![]() Kate picked up a smoked salmon sandwich from the station shop. There was a mild confusion about the train as the number on the screen was different to the one on our ticket, but it was the right train time and it was all fine in the end. We changed at Lille and this was easy. No problems or very much to report about the journey home. It went smoothly and we made it back on time at around 9.15pm. Before I leave I will add in highlights and niggles. Highlights these are in no particular order, just as I thought of them Hyperspace Mountain – dare I say that I think this is better than Space Mountain. Just the two of us – our first holiday together without the boys, we didn’t get on each others nerves too much. Crush’s Coaster – this was a fab ride, but given how temperamental it is (it seemed to go tech every few minutes) and the lack of FP this could have been on the niggles list. Indiana Jones – this was fun to do on our first evening in the park in the dark with the fireworks going off. Chez Remy – this was my favourite meal of the trip. The food in general was pretty good, we liked nearly all the buffets and we easily found things that we liked. The theming in the room – such a cute toy story theme. Being able to walk to the parks from the hotel – so great to be close enough to the parks to walk there and back. This really was fab and I’d love to stay at one of the Epcot resorts or the Contemporary so we can walk to the parks over in WDW. It’s a small world – way better than the WDW version. I loved it. The fairytale story boat ride – this style of ride is my favourite, I am not really a thrill seeker and will do those rides for the other people who love them, this ride is not a thrill ride and is probably classed as a granny ride, but it was perfect for me. Being stuck on BTMR and walking behind the scenes to get off. Even though the ride was cut short it was pretty cool to walk through the back stage area. Mickey and the Magician show – such a cute show and we loved it, even though Kate doesn’t speak French and my French is far from perfect. Meeting new characters – we had fun meeting villains and this was a great thing in DLP. Not holding on during the last Tower of Terror ride – I was so proud of myself. Niggles and lows The curtains not closing in the room and my complete lack of sleep the first night. The card not working in the Café Mickey restaurant – so embarrassing. Crowds – it was very busy. Perhaps if the Haunted Mansion and Railroad were open there would have felt like there were less people as these rides would have absorbed some of the people, but I doubt this really made much difference. Some rides not having FP – if only they could just put a couple more machines in please for Crush, it would be great if this had FP. You can only meet princesses if you’re prepared to wait 120 minutes or shove everyone else out of the way first thing and join in the stampede. We were not prepared to do either of these things so we didn't meet any princesses. Lineberty app is the only way to meet characters in the studios – a real pain that my phone didn’t work and only Kate’s did. DLP is just not WDW - so ok, this is not DLP's fault and as Kate kindly pointed out it is my emotional attachment that clouded my judgement. It was a fun holiday and of course I would go again to DLP so it can't have been that bad. I hope I've not put anyone off from going as we really did have a great time, but clearly my heart belongs to another ![]() And finally, Kate was pretty proud of her haul. She got 3 figurines, Moana, Tiana and Stitch, the autograph book, Minnie ears and a cute bowl and mug. ![]() ![]() Thanks so much for reading everyone I hope I have kept you entertained. We had a lovely time on our first ever girls only trip ![]()
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Abby ![]() New pre trip report - Summer 2024 Link to all my completed trip reports 2017: NYC and Orlando. Salzburg. Boston. 2018: Orlando. Berlin. 2019: DLP. Orlando. Washington DC. 2020: DLP. 2021: Jamaica. Rome. 2022: Orlando. 2023: Orlando. Niagara and Toronto. |
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Imagineer
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What a great last day! Very envious of all those cool character meets.
Enjoyed your highs and lows, really glad you enjoyed it overall and would go back - sign of a good trip! So which Disney park are you crossing off the list next?! ![]() |
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Apprentice Imagineer
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You certainly managed to pack a lot not your last day - well done! I'm glad you had a great time (even though it isn't WDW). I think DLP has the place in my heart that WDW has in yours, as it was the first Disney park we visited.
I've really enjoyed reading along; it brought back great memories of my trip with DD. Thanks for writing. |
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Imagineer
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Kate is clearly a dibber in training - her final day park plan was fab.
![]() They do seem to have a lot of different characters out and about in DLP; you got to meet some really good ones. A great final day. Loads done and a lovely way to end the trip. ![]() |
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Thread Starter
VIP Dibber
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It was a fun last day, some great rides and some awesome characters. Alice in Wonderland is one of Kate's favourite movies so was really pleased about the white rabbit and the queen of hearts. I'm not sure she's seen Pinocchio though, but we still enjoyed meeting them.
Which park is next? I'm keen to go back to the west coast I went to Disneyland in the 90s it was the first Disney park I visited and I'd love to go over there some time with Dave and the kids. Probably that's the next park, but it's not likely any time soon as I'm really keen to see the Star Wars stuff at WDW. Japan is also on the list, but that will have to wait.
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Abby ![]() New pre trip report - Summer 2024 Link to all my completed trip reports 2017: NYC and Orlando. Salzburg. Boston. 2018: Orlando. Berlin. 2019: DLP. Orlando. Washington DC. 2020: DLP. 2021: Jamaica. Rome. 2022: Orlando. 2023: Orlando. Niagara and Toronto. |
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Thread Starter
VIP Dibber
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The train times were perfect as we got the afternoon and evening on the first day and then pretty much all day on the last day too.
It's a feeling of nostalgia. I hope you didn't think I was too harsh on DLP, I'm really glad reading my report brought back memories of your own mother daughter trip. That's one of the reasons I love reading trip reports.
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Abby ![]() New pre trip report - Summer 2024 Link to all my completed trip reports 2017: NYC and Orlando. Salzburg. Boston. 2018: Orlando. Berlin. 2019: DLP. Orlando. Washington DC. 2020: DLP. 2021: Jamaica. Rome. 2022: Orlando. 2023: Orlando. Niagara and Toronto. |
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Thread Starter
VIP Dibber
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I loved her plan. It did work perfectly. We knew we wanted to do both Peter Pan and Buzz as we hadn't done them yet and so we had to prioritise them in the morning. It was hard to get her to deviate from the plan though when we were ahead of ourselves! She's very list driven and goal orientated. Absolutely a dibber in the making.
If you like meeting the characters then there are some fab ones at the main park. It was a fun day for characters. I hope you have a brilliant time when you go in May. Not long to wait now. I always love reading trip reports in the run up to my holidays as I'm always so excited!
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Abby ![]() New pre trip report - Summer 2024 Link to all my completed trip reports 2017: NYC and Orlando. Salzburg. Boston. 2018: Orlando. Berlin. 2019: DLP. Orlando. Washington DC. 2020: DLP. 2021: Jamaica. Rome. 2022: Orlando. 2023: Orlando. Niagara and Toronto. |
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Guest
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Loved reading all these, thanks for sharing!
With Crush - they have tried fastpass tests on this one a few times over the years however because it has such a low overall capacity (for a Disney ride) it just didn't work unfortunately. The standby queue just became unbearable and the fastpasses ran out in minutes so they abandoned the idea. Really they should have built it with two tracks like Space Mountain in WDW to give a better capacity but DLP don't get the big bucks (or didn't back then!) so they couldn't afford it at the time. |
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Thread Starter
VIP Dibber
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That's really interesting. Actually I find it encouraging that they have tried to sort it out. It is a very slow loading ride considering it's a continually moving track.
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Abby ![]() New pre trip report - Summer 2024 Link to all my completed trip reports 2017: NYC and Orlando. Salzburg. Boston. 2018: Orlando. Berlin. 2019: DLP. Orlando. Washington DC. 2020: DLP. 2021: Jamaica. Rome. 2022: Orlando. 2023: Orlando. Niagara and Toronto. |
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Imagineer
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What a brilliant last day, Kate's plans worked really well. Such a shame that so many run to the Princess meets, if only they had a good FP system i'm sure it would help out with this. It's so dangerous when people run, we saw a man fall on his child, who he was carrying coming out of AK last year, as he was running and trying to beat the crowds to the bus stop.
I'm the same as you on Buzz, the ride would have to be stopped for a long time for me to get a good score ![]() You did get to meet a lot of characters today though. Seems strange that the queuing system seems to work better than the line berty app. Inside the castle looks lovely, Georgia is really looking forward to seeing that. It's a shame that Kate had to eat from the children's menu. It is quite limiting, her curry looked lovely today though and your "child's" meal looked tasty too. Was the wine and cocktails expensive at DLP? I certainly will miss an included drink there after our delicious choice of cocktails at WDW last time ![]() Great report, we really enjoyed following along. Georgia loved Kate's haul photo and was pleased you added it ![]() ![]() Edited at 02:04 PM. |
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