Happy Birthday 30/55 - March 2022: Travel Day

[Gill H]

<<Pre-trippie


So here we were again, setting off for DLP. This time going from our home in South Wales, and for the first time in many a year, we were flying from Cardiff. Flights had only recently started again from Cardiff airport, mostly to the ‘bucket and spade’ routes in Spain, but also Vueling airline had started offering flights to Paris Orly. We’d heard mixed reports of Vueling, but unless we were prepared to fly indirect or travel to Bristol or London, it really was our best option.

The previous day had been Peter’s birthday, and we had gone for lunch with my Dad to our favourite local pub restaurant. Mum is now bedridden so hadn’t been able to come. But it was nice to have a small celebration to kick off the holiday. It certainly wouldn’t be the last…

We’d booked a taxi to the airport with our usual driver, Paul, who picked us up nicely on time at 5.30am, and 20 minutes later we were walking into Cardiff airport. Downstairs was deserted, and we were the only ones checking in. As we weren’t dropping any luggage and we’d already checked in online, we didn’t think there was anything else we needed to do, so we checked with the lovely lady behind the desk, who asked if we had done our sworn statement. Since we had loaded our documents onto the Vueling app, we said we had done everything we needed to do.

Then it was up the stairs to security (past a café which was closed). Security is never the most pleasant part of the airport experience, even using the new spinny system that scans all around you rather than going through an arch; but since there was virtually no-one there, we were through quickly and easily and strolling through the shop. It was good to see Welsh spirits and liqueurs for sale such as Penderyn whisky and Merlyn cream liqueur (so much nicer than Baileys if you can get it!) You could even buy packets of Welsh cakes. But we were determined not to add anything to our luggage so went straight through to get breakfast.

At this time of the morning the nearby Costa and Ritazza were still closed, so the only option was ‘The Beer House’. This seemed to sell the usual breakfast classics so we headed in and found ourselves a table. In addition to our usual lattes, Peter ordered an ‘ultimate breakfast sandwich’.

I had smashed avocado and poached eggs on toast. Both were nice and I would definitely come here again.

As we were chatting over our breakfast, we realised we’d got mixed up between our Passenger Locator Form and our Sworn Statement. We hadn’t signed the Sworn Statements and had no way to print them. Aaaargh, what to do?

Since the only person nearby to talk to was the lovely Neil behind the counter at the Beer House, we asked him if it was possible to contact a member of staff for help. He phoned a manager, who spoke to Peter on the phone and said he would sort it out. Lo and behold, 10 minutes later he appeared, having printed off copies for us to sign! Excellent service and very friendly too. As you can see, Cardiff airport is ‘super cool’…

In gratitude for Neil helping us, we decided to buy another two lattes, and thanked Neil profusely for his help. He said he was just glad to be doing his job, and gave us the lattes on the house! Admittedly we had probably provided a rare moment of excitement that morning, as things were extremely quiet. There was a flight to Alicante leaving before ours, and then nothing until lunchtime when another two flights were leaving.

There was a computer terminal where you could leave feedback, but unfortunately it wasn’t switched on! Still, I hope the staff at Cardiff know how great we found their service.

[Gill H]

After we had finished breakfast and signed our forms, we had a quick look round Smiths which was the only shop, but didn’t buy anything. So we moved through to the waiting area and watched the screens until our flight was called.

It was a short walk to the gate, and after showing our passports and boarding passes, we were soon walking through the corridor and stepping onto the plane. It was a fairly standard short haul plane, and while the leg room wasn’t luxurious, it wasn’t as bad as we had feared. We’ve sat on much worse seats on trains, and indeed in theatres! And for a flight of just over an hour, it wasn’t really an issue.

We had booked the middle and aisle seats in an aisle of 3, as they didn’t have any aisles of 2 which is our preference. As luck would have it, the man who had booked the window seat decided to upgrade, so we had the row to ourselves and could put our stuff in the middle seat. This was a nice bonus as neither of us are skinny people, so it was helpful to have a bit more space. One of the crew members told us we could upgrade to ‘space plus’ seats for an extra charge, but I knew that we wouldn’t be able to sit in some of them because I was using an extender belt, and I wasn’t sure which ones were possible in that case, so we didn’t bother.

After the usual announcements the captain announced there would be a slight delay as we needed to wait for a slot. He did go into great detail about the reasoning but I can’t remember all the info now! It wasn’t long, however, before we were taking off and on our way to Paris.

Being a short haul flight, no drinks or snacks were included, but the crew came through with a trolley and we bought ourselves a couple of Cokes, which were very welcome. All in all, we were very happy with Vueling for a short flight, particularly the crew, who were all lovely and friendly, and seemed thrilled to be flying again.

Before we knew it, we were landing at Orly after a very smooth flight. And this is where things started to get a bit more fraught…

Firstly we were surprised at needing to walk down a staircase to get off the plane, as we hadn’t needed this in Cardiff, but no matter. We were then rushed on to a packed bus and driven a few hundred yards to what was evidently a very, very long queue to get through border control. Despite there being about 8 desks, only 2 were staffed, and the queue moved unbearably slowly. When we finally got to the desk, however, it was very simple, and once we had shown our passports and our status on the Tousanticovid app, we were free to go and find our transfer.

Our driver had already texted us, but I had wanted to wait until we were through border control to let him know we had arrived. I texted back and he told us to come to the big red sign outside the terminal. So we set off in search of said sign.

I don’t know if you have ever realised this, but when you are in a terminal, there are lots of signs pointing the way to the other terminals, but not many signs telling you which one you are actually in! Unbeknownst to us, we had been taken from terminal 2, where we landed, to terminal 4 for border control. There followed a frustrating half hour of walking up and down, looking for signs and intercepting constant phone calls from our driver wanting to know where we were. We kept saying we didn’t know where we were! He kept saying “This is not possible” and asked us to send pictures which we did, but that didn’t seem to help.

Eventually we spotted a sign for terminal 4, snapped a pic and sent it to our driver!

Shortly afterwards we saw the big red sign.

About 5 minutes later we arrived there, breathless and frazzled beyond belief, to find that our driver was just drawing up in a big black van. Gratefully we climbed inside, and tried to explain what had happened, but I’m not sure he ever actually believed us. Oh well, we were grateful to be on our way at last.

[Gill H]

The drive to Marne-la-Vallee took about an hour, much of which was spent sitting in traffic and looking at unremarkable bits of scenery. Eventually we drew up outside the Hotel Ibis Val d’Europe, where our driver helped us out with the bags and we paid him for that leg of the journey. The cost was 57 Euros so we rounded it up to 60, not least because all we wanted to do at that point was get into our hotel!

We had already checked in online, so we were soon welcomed and given our room keys. As with our previous stay here, the staff without exception were friendly and helpful. It was a bit different from our last time at DLP when we stayed at the amazing Hotel New York Art of Marvel, of course, but for a budget stay this place was fine.

We were in room 107, so one floor up in the lift, and we were surprised to discover we had been given an accessible room. We certainly hadn’t asked for one, so I only hope that no-one out there was trying to book one! However, we had no complaints as the room had much more space than usual, and the bathroom was quite a bit larger. Usually the bathrooms in this hotel are kind of pod-like – let’s just say if you were so inclined you could sit on the loo while brushing your teeth in the sink and washing your feet in the shower! But this one had more space in the shower area which was a nice surprise.

As soon as we had made ourselves comfortable, we headed out to get something to eat. Having stayed in this area before, we knew exactly where to go for lunch – the nearby Alfred Burger. This place cooks burgers fresh to order with a variety of toppings, including some very classy cheeses (after all, miss, this is France!). Think of it like a Five Guys, but much better value for money. As usual, there was a queue outside, so we took the opportunity to read the menu (which was posted outside in French and English) and choose what we wanted. It being a beautiful sunny afternoon, we hoped to sit outside, but by the time we got to the counter, all the outdoor seating had been taken. Ah well, at least there was plenty of room inside.

I chose the ‘burger du mois’ (burger of the month). This consisted of

• A burger made with Aubrac beef (which I believe is the breed)
• A smooth, creamy Camembert
• Potato ‘petals’ ie saute potato slices
• Caramelised onions
• Rocket
• A peppery mayonaise

Peter chose the ‘Fromton’ which had the same burger, onions and mayonnaise (we asked for no rocket), but also two different cheeses, Tomme de Savoie and Fourme d’Ambert.

Our server asked us about the ‘cuisson’ ie how we wanted them cooked, and we asked for well done – bien cuit. I had to smile as we had been watching the Great British Menu at home, where they talk about ‘cuisson’ all the time, but I hadn’t expected to hear it in a burger place!

We also ordered two portions of chips and two cans of soft drink - Coke for Peter and Orangina for me (because I like to 'drink local'!)

To pay we used our Halifax Clarity card, and to our surprise we had to enter our PIN to get it working – perhaps because it was a good while since we had used it. But no problems, and our burgers arrived almost before we had time to sit down.

I have to say, these burgers were seriously good. And lest you are thinking ‘way too fancy for me’, let me reassure you that they are happy to sell you a plain burger, or one with bacon or barbecue pulled pork. They also do chicken or salmon fillets or veggie versions, as well as chicken nuggets and salads. They even sell wine and beer to go with your meal. Do yourself a favour and give them a visit next time you are in the area.

The cost of our meals was 16 Euros for mine and 14 Euros for Peter’s. Not as cheap as Maccy D’s for sure, but a world away in quality, and pretty much what you’d pay in the parks for a much inferior burger.

On our way out I spotted the paper carry-out bags had a slogan on them, reflecting the French love of wordplay.

“Retour vers la friture” or “return to frying” I guessed was a pun on “Retour vers le futur” – or “Back to the Future”…

[Gill H]

After a lovely lunch we decided on a walk round the Val d’Europe shopping centre.

Yes, this shop sells underwear. Say it out loud...

And yes, for those who are interested in make-up (ie not me) there is a Sephora.

To be honest we didn’t find much of interest, and my knees were complaining a bit by now, otherwise we would probably have had a mooch around Primark.

But instead we pushed on to the area outside, which was the ‘outlet village’ part of the operation – La Vallee. This place was as posh as I remembered – mostly clothes that were never going to fit either of us – but it was nice to stroll around in the sunshine, and eventually we found a Pierre Herme kiosk for our dessert. We sat on a bench in the shade to share a large pistachio macaron, which was absolutely delicious. I think it was about 3 Euros and worth every cent.

Eventually, having exhausted both the shopping possibilities and ourselves, we headed back to the hotel for a well-earned afternoon snooze. It was about 3pm by the time we got into our room and I think we slept for about an hour or so.

[Gill H]

As our park tickets didn’t start until tomorrow, we had planned to spend some time in the Village. So we headed out to the station and bought some RER tickets. We had already decided to each get a carnet – a book of 10 tickets for the price of 8. So we used our Halifax card at the ticket machine and ordered two carnets. The machine immediately produced twenty of the tiny narrow cardboard strips – there must be easier ways to do this! But at least they fitted easily in my purse.

As usual, we didn’t wait long for a train and the journey took less than a couple of minutes, so we were soon browsing in World of Disney. Apart from a few nice 30th pins, we didn’t really see anything we fancied though. To be honest this is often the case with World of Disney. The décor is beautiful there, but we often find more we actually want to buy in the ‘boring’ shops the other side.

Did you know there is a hidden castle in the Disney Store? Look up...

In Disney Fashions, Peter’s attention was taken by the customisable clothes, and after having a chat with a CM and looking at some of the designs available, he settled on a black hoody. For the back he chose an image of Stitch with the caption ‘easily distracted’, partly because yep, that’s Peter, and partly because you don’t often see Stitch with all his arms! You could add your name at the bottom, so it read ‘easily distracted Peter’. On the front he chose a nice Phantom Manor patch. The hoodie ended up being his birthday present from his sister Sharon, who had sent him some money for the trip. After our Shareholder discount it came out about 35 Euros which was pretty good value for money, we thought.

We needed to leave about an hour before collecting the hoodie, so it was time to decide where to go for dinner. As our burgers had been substantial, we weren’t massively hungry, but we did want to spend a little time relaxing over some food and drink. Eventually we chose King Ludwigs, not least because it was currently happy hour! And also because to be honest, it’s a bit of a hidden gem for us. If you’re not on a dining plan there are definitely bargains to be had, particularly the flammekuchen (flatbreads) which are pretty substantial.

And the theming is amazing in here!

We ordered a mojito for me and a Weissbier for Peter, both of which were on the happy hour menu.

For our food we decided to have a sharing platter. This consisted of some chicken tenders, mozzarella sticks, onion rings and potato-wrapped prawns, with tartare sauce and mustard for dipping. Everything was fresh and hot (not always the case in Disney restaurants, as my regular readers will know). And it was really tasty, particularly the prawns which had a lovely crunch.

Since we had room for dessert, Peter went for a Black Forest tiramisu, which didn’t look much like either a Black Forest gateau or a tiramisu but was delicious anyway.

I chose the ‘pain perdu’ (hidden bread) which is basically a French toast dessert. This came with caramel sauce and ice cream and was likewise yummy.

And to crown the evening, we got Shareholder discount on the meal too. Definitely worth checking out this place, its menu is not limited to German food and it can be surprisingly good value.

After this we picked up Peter’s hoodie (these pictures were actually taken the next morning but I will have loads of pictures for that day!)

After this we went to have a look in the art shop. As usual, we were tempted by a few of the pictures, but apart from not being able to get them home on this trip, our budget wouldn’t allow for them. One day though! We did, however, buy a photopass for the trip in the art shop, with Shareholder discount.

The Village stage looked cool even though nothing was happening.

It was now about 7.30 and we decided to head back to the hotel before the park started emptying.

Those who watch videos from a certain vlogger and his best friend will probably be saying this in the same voice we were...

Soon we were sitting in the hotel bar enjoying a Coke and a chat, and then headed up to our room.

As soon as we opened the door we noticed the room was extremely warm, as the A/C was pumping out hot air. We had fiddled with the controls earlier but there didn’t seem to be a way to get cold air at all. We made a quick call to the front desk and a member of staff popped up to see what the problem was. She explained that as it was still winter season, there was no cool air available from the A/C – the only options were hot air or switching it off. Since the temperature outside had been 18C all day this was a pity, but there wasn’t much we could do about it, so we switched off the A/C and eventually got used to the room temperature. And whether it was due to a warm room, a long day, a comfy bed or a combination of the three, we were asleep before 9pm.

Join us tomorrow for our first park day where we meet a Queen, eat Mickey-shaped carrots and watch the best castle show DLP has ever had. Oh, and Illuminations too.

Bonne nuit!

>>Day 1

INDEX

[Guest]

Thinking we might give King Ludwig’s a go when we are there! Bit of a stressful travel day but thankfully it worked out in the end! Looking forward to the rest!

[Hmr89]

Those burgers from Alfred sound amazing!
Never considered King Ludwig's before but may give it a go based on your review

Eagerly awaiting your next instalment!

[DisneyDaffodil]

Good to hear how helpful Cardiff Airport staff were Gill. Sadly, Vueling don’t fly on a Monday so we’re going from Bristol for our trip, but I do like to use Cardiff if I can so it’s good to know Vueling flights are good for future trips.

I do like the look of the Happy Hour mojito at King Ludwig’s, and DH will enjoy a beer too. What time is Happy Hour and is it every day? We may find ourselves in the area around Happy Hour some days 😀 Thanks for writing the report, it’s really useful for our trip later this year and making me very excited for it

[P&S]

Great travel day and Disney time, just a shame about the mix up at Orly airport but Cardiff airport sounded like a dream!