Notices
Disneyland Paris Trip Reports Trip Reports

Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
Old 9 Apr 17, 09:59 PM  
Link to this Post
#1
dancingelkhound
Excited about Disney
 
dancingelkhound's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 14
Ninnie Visits Home: Day 4 - Finally Seeing the Parade

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

As we’d already done all the rides and meet and greets available during EMH that we wanted to, we decided to have a more relaxed start to the day, though that still meant the alarm being set for 6.30am. After showering we made our way to the GF lounge. DD tried the yoghurt on offer for the first time today and it was so messy DH had to go upstairs to get her a change of clothes. She also appreciated the pain au chocolat again.

Setting off a bit later meant that there was no queue for security at the village or at the park entrance, but the meet and greet queues were already huge. It’s a real shame that the characters available during EMH were the same every day while we were there. We had a slow walk up Main Street, taking in all the detail. I had considered taking one of the Main Street vehicles up to the castle as I’ve never done that but they didn’t seem very pushchair compatible. The plan for today was to fill in the gaps of the rides and attractions we hadn’t yet done, which included quite a lot of walkthrough style attractions.







We walked into the Dragon’s Lair under the castle, but it was very dark, so DD couldn’t actually see anything, and the dragon didn’t appear to be keen on moving any time soon so we exited and found ourselves walking under the drawbridge, and round to the right of the castle.



DH had to take a phone call, so DD and I rode the Carousel, which had no queue. We waited less than five minutes for the next turn and found a horse. DD loved watching the horses going round whilst we were waiting, and was initially very happy to be sat on one, but it took such a long time for them to start the ride that she grew fed up. About half of the horses were unoccupied. On previous carousels we've sat on the horse with DD but the seat on these horses wasn’t large enough. So I strapped Ninnie and DD onto the horse (the seat belts were a useful feature) and stood next to her. Which was fine until the horse started to move and DD almost rose out of my grasp.



After the carousel we explored the balcony in Sleeping Beauty’s Castle. Never having visited with a pushchair before, I wasn’t sure where the lift was, but it was relatively easy to find, at the back of the castle, next to an entrance to the shop. DD enjoyed wandering around the inside balcony and looking out over Fantasyland outside. I don’t remember the one way route on previous visits, but we had to go against the flow anyway to return to the lift.



We then walked over to Discoveryland, where the queue for Buzz was already 35 minutes, so we decided against joining it. DD was happily eating a snack in her pushchair so we joined the other families queuing outside the entrance to Autopia. DD loves going on the ‘choo choo’ rides in supermarkets and shopping centres, turning the wheel and pretending to drive, so I thought she’d love Autopia. Just before 10am a CM opened the queue line and walked the queue line down to the loading platform. After fifteen minutes they opened a second platform. Last time I went on this I remembered it feeling a bit of a squeeze with two adults so we were intending to ride in two cars, but whilst we were queuing the information repeated from the PA system said to ‘inform the ride attendant if you would like to ride 1, 2, or 3 in a car’, and we did see some families riding with three in a car so decided we would give it a go. We waited for about twenty minutes before we reached the loading platform. The CM directing guests to cars asked to measure DD. The height requirement is 81cm but I’d had her measured at clinic just before we left so I knew she would be ok, and she measured at 83cm. Interestingly, I saw a man carrying a baby much smaller than DD, I’m not even sure he could walk yet, and he was definitely allowed on.

We got into a car, and I put DD on my knee, but was then told that wasn’t allowed, so we had to squeeze DD in between us. The CM told DH that DD wasn’t allowed to drive, an unnecessary warning given that she couldn’t reach the wheel or the pedal. DH drove, I worked the pedal. DD loved this ride and I was pleasantly surprised by how long the track was. The scenery was pleasant and the kids we could see were loving the hills, descents and corners. I can really see the appeal of this ride for those not yet old enough to drive in real life. Had the queues been shorter at other times of the day we would have ridden it again but it always seemed to have a long queue.

We picked up a fast pass for Buzz for 12.10, but it then started raining so we headed for Nautilus. DD liked running along the long, long corridor on the way in and out, but was otherwise unimpressed. There was no movement from the giant squid, and we were in and out in about five minutes.

Next up was Phantom Manor. We had intended to ride separately, but decided, given DD’s rather ambivalent response to most rides, that we would try her with it. It was now raining very heavily, and the queue said 30 minutes, so we figured that a boat had just unloaded and that we would be better off browsing the shops for five to ten minutes first, where we would be under cover. When we returned, the queue was posted at 15 minutes, so we parked the pushchair and headed for the queue, which was now short enough to be all under cover. The family ahead of us still had their pushchair, and they were very unimpressed when they reached the turnstile, but even more unimpressed when the CM at the entrance told them they couldn’t take the pushchair in. I’m not sure what they thought Phantom Manor was, or why the CM at the entrance to the queue didn’t stop them taking it to the queue in the first place.

DD was not bothered at all, even by the stretching room, where several kids starting crying once the lights went out. I was more worried about the effect the macabre sights might have on DD than she was, so I did cover her eyes a few times, I had forgotten just how many creepy skeletons there were in the end few scenes.

It was still raining as we headed for some lunch at Colonel Hathi’s. There was only one person in the queue before us, but the CM on the till was clearly new and didn’t know what she was doing. I ordered two Menu 3s, which was pizza, garlic bread, fruit cup and a drink. I also added on a yogurt for DD. DH had the ham pizza, I went for the four cheese. After I’d ordered, I moved to the collection area, but it was already full with other people who were still waiting. Apparently the ham pizzas weren’t quite ready, so the queue really backed up while they were waiting for those. DH had taken DD to get a table while I ordered, so I was on my own, but the CM still felt it was a good idea to give me two trays rather than one, so I had to shuffle it all onto one tray before I could make my way to the table.

DD shared my pizza and ate her yoghurt. DH and I were both full afterwards, it really is a good amount of food and probably one of the better value meals. By the time we’d finished eating it was really busy in there, and people were waiting for tables. Eating before 12pm definitely paid off.

We walked over to Big Thunder Mountain, but the queue was all the way back to the turnstile. We carried on walking to the Frontierland train station, but the posted time was 30 minutes, so again we decided against it. En route to the station we’d passed a very long queue for the Frozen sing a long show. I’d quite fancied watching this but it was a French showing, and DH doesn’t speak any French. There were two English showings per day, but they were never really at suitable times. Near the entrance to the theatre there was a little ‘marketplace’ but it was tiny, with just a couple of shops, and they were closed. There was a large sled with Olaf and Sven, which made for good photo opportunities, but it was still raining so we didn’t bother.

As we walked over to Adventureland we spotted Jafar, with just one family in the queue. He was so good, really disdainful and aloof.



Not unexpectedly, DD fell asleep as we walked, so we couldn’t do the Swiss Family Treehouse.



By the time we reached Aladdin’s Passage it was pouring with rain. As we walked through it seemed clear that there were a few families using the passage as shelter. We made our way over to Peter Pan, to get a fast pass for later, and I was impressed that we could walk virtually the whole way from the entrance to Adventureland to Peter Pan under cover. Fastpass obtained, we decided to wander through the shops on Main Street as DD was still sleep. We bought the Cars cup, plate and bowl we’d seen in the Studios earlier and got them sent back to the hotel, along with a Minnie placemat for DD. It was very easy to do, I just had to fill out a form. I must admit though that I was slightly surprised it was still so low tech. I had expected that when we swiped our charge card it would automatically link. Something for them to pursue in the future perhaps.

As I’ve mentioned previously, DD absolutely loves Cars, and the present we thought we would buy her from this trip was a Lightning McQueen plush. Having walked all the way through the stores on Main Street without finding one, with DD still asleep we carried on to the Village. Still no luck. I suspect that once Cars 3 comes out in July there’ll be Cars merchandise everywhere. Having visited the Disney store in Manchester since we came home, I have to say that I feel the plush selection in DLP itself was not as wide as I was expecting.

Whilst we were in the Lego store DD woke up, so as the rain was still torrential outside, we decided to head back to the hotel to have a little break and let DD out of her pushchair for a bit. The Golden Forest lounge was empty. We were absolutely drenched, but a coffee and sit down soon restored our energy.

We decided to head back to the parks around 3.45, to use a hotel fast pass on Big Thunder Mountain. At first it appeared that the fast pass queue was rather long, but on closer inspection I found that actually there were lots of people waiting just before the turnstile whose fast pass windows weren’t yet open. The CM at the turnstile then shouted out a fast pass window and some people moved forwards, so I passed through the turnstile and walked straight onto a train. The fast pass queue was being served by one loading platform exclusively, meaning there was no queue, but presumably lengthening the wait in the standby queue. DH was waiting at the exit so he handed over DD and made his way to the platform. DD had a great time running around whilst waiting for Daddy, watching the ‘choo choos’ as they went around the tracks.

Over in Discoveryland, we were intending to use our fast pass from earlier on Buzz, but the fast pass queue was out of the turnstile so we didn’t bother. It’s a Small World had no queue so we took a boat ride. DD absolutely loved it, she didn’t know where to look. It was now 5pm and our fast pass window for Peter Pan was open so we left the pushchair in the Small World parking area and walked over. The fast pass queue wasn’t open, but when we showed our fast pass tickets to the CM at the entrance he opened the ropes for us. DD really didn’t enjoy this, I had to use my hand as a buffer to stop her head hitting the bar at every lurch, and by the end she was desperately trying to get onto my knee for a cuddle.

We were intending to watch the parade from the queue ramp of It’s a Small World, hence leaving the pushchair there earlier, but after we’d strapped DD in, the CM at the queue entrance told us we weren’t allowed to take the pushchair into the queue line, even if we weren’t actually going on the ride, so that was that plan scuppered. We spotted a gap in the crowd behind the ropes, right by the beginning of the parade route so we hot footed it over there, and it turned out to be a great spot. Several characters, including the white rabbit and a penguin came over to DD, which she enjoyed. She loved seeing the floats and all the characters dancing around, and when Minnie appeared on the last float DD’s face was an absolute picture of delight. Moments like that really made the whole cost of the trip worthwhile.





















The real benefit of watching the parade at the start was that while everyone else was still watching the parade further along, we were free. We really wanted to get in a ride on the train, but as we approached the Fantasyland station a CM told me the next one would be thirty minutes as one had just left, seeming to suggest that only one was running. So we accepted that a train ride just wasn’t going to happen for us on this trip, and made our way through Adventureland to the top of the Liberty Arcade, just as the parade was going around the castle plaza. As we reached the end of the arcade the parade was in Town Square, but as the last floats were still making their way to the top of Main Street we managed to beats the crowds out of the park.

We’d planned to eat at Vapiano tonight so walked through the security checkpoint and into the restaurant. There was a security guard inside the doors who asked to check my bag. Having lived in Germany previously we’ve visited Vapiano many times before so were familiar with the concept, but this is the first time we’ve visited one since having DD. Our first issue was highchairs. Vapiano has a lot of stool type chairs, with no backs, which I don’t really like, especially not after a day walking around the parks, so we chose the one table that had actual seats. Unfortunately they didn’t have a highchair suitable for that table, so we had to move to a high table with stools, and a very tall highchair. Once we’d perused the menu, we hit the real snag of the Vapiano process when dining with children. DH went to the counter and ordered a pizza while I stayed with DD. That was fine, as he received a buzzer which he had to take back once his pizza was ready. I wanted pasta, so went to the counter, but for pasta you have to queue for an available chef, then wait at the counter while they cook it. Unfortunately, while I was still waiting, DH’s buzzer went off, so we were faced with deciding between ignoring the buzzer until I got my pasta, and hoping they'd keep DH’s pizza, or leaving DD alone while he went to collect it.

DH’s pizza was great, but I was so disappointed with my pasta. The chicken content probably equated to 1/8 of a chicken breast, and I really had to hunt around to find it. DD refused both, sticking to breadsticks. As I was still hungry, we decided to get dessert, which you ordered at the bar. DH queued for so long, we almost gave up. A woman at the front of the queue was having some miscommunication issues with the bartender. Having asked for a white wine, she was offered a couple of varieties, but kept repeating ‘I don’t speak French’ when the bartender told her the names of her options (sauvignon blanc or pinot grigio).

We ordered a chocolate mousse and a strawberry cream dessert. Both were tasty and light. Once we’d finished I went upstairs to use the toilet, and discovered a children's area. I’m really disappointed that none of the staff members there saw fit to advise us of this, as it would have been really useful to keep DD occupied. I was also really disappointed with the toilets. A huge room, but there was one toilet marked female, one male, and one disabled; loads of dead space. None of them had toilet paper and despite it being early in the evening, none were particularly clean. Whilst I was upstairs, DH had put DD in her pushchair and paid, so by the time I came downstairs he was waiting outside. As I walked out, the woman on the till started shouting at me to ask why I wasn’t paying. Perhaps it’s just teething pains as it hadn’t been open too long, but it certainly wasn’t the best way to end our Disney holiday.

Outside, the rain was torrential. We had to queue to get back through security into the village, and despite there only being three people in front of us, it took absolutely ages. We power walked through the village and back to the hotel where we visited the Golden Forest lounge. At about 7.45 we picked up our shopping from the hotel shop, as well as a Chip n Dale placemat for DD’s best friend, and a Minnie luggage tag for her godmother (and my usual Disney companion).

Back in the room, I packed as much as I could, before finalising a rough plan for the morning and falling into bed.
dancingelkhound is offline Girl Mouse Click to view Members Trip Plans Add Member to Ignore List
Old 12 Apr 17, 08:36 PM  
Link to this Post
#2
Custancia
VIP Dibber
 
Custancia's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 13
Location: Yorkshire

theDIBB Guidebook
Guidebook Photos: 16
A shame about your experience at Vapianos, but your photos of the parade are great!
__________________

WDW POR 2010, 2012, 2014, 2015 (Xmas), 2016 and 2018
Custancia is offline Girl Mouse Click to view Members Trip Plans Add Member to Ignore List
Old 28 Jul 17, 10:54 PM  
Link to this Post
#3
kadypants
slightly serious Dibber
 
kadypants's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 13
Location: South Yorkshire
Mobile

Loved reading your report so far!

Having read how you made use of the times your DS napped to fit in single rider and baby switch I really wish we'd made more of this when we went.

The Golden Forest Lounge sounds invaluable with a toddler in wet weather!
__________________
** 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 03:09 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
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 »
Aquatica Orlando announce the grand opening of its newest attraction, Tassie’s Underwater Twist, on 15... Read More »


theDIBB Menu


Exchange Rates
US Dollar Rates
ASDA  $1.2347
CaxtonFX  $1.2332
Covent Garden FX  $1.2452
FAIRFX  $1.2350
John Lewis  $1.2380
M&S  $1.2178
Sainsburys  $1.2337
TESCO  $1.2343
Travelex  $1.2353
Updated: 14:00 28/03/2024
Euro Rates
ASDA  €1.1426
CaxtonFX  €1.1404
Covent Garden FX  €1.1505
FAIRFX  €1.1432
John Lewis  €1.1457
M&S  €1.1263
Sainsburys  €1.1419
TESCO  €1.1425
Travelex  €1.1435
Updated: 14:00 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