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Old 21 Aug 20, 07:09 PM  
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Gill H
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Join Date: Jan 08
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Just Can't Wait to be King of the Swingers! DLP Sep 2019: Day 2

<<<Day 1


I woke at 6am this morning and decided to head straight for a shower in the tiny bathroom. When I say tiny … if you’ve ever been in one of those loos on a Virgin train with the automatic door that rolls round – it was a bit like that. Only without the annoying voiceover which has the toilet talking about not flushing sweaters down the loo or whatever. Still, the shower was pretty powerful and I had no complaints.

Once dressed, I woke Peter and made us both a latte – we’d brought some of those ready-mixed sachets with us, knowing that there would be no fridge for milk. Not the best coffee in the world but better than nothing. While Peter got ready we put the camera on to charge. I noticed that we could hear the RER trains running (of course, there had been none last night!) but since we were used to living on a London high street, this wasn’t likely to cause much of a disturbance.

Anyway, we knew that trains today would be a bit of a rarity. There was a train drivers’ strike that day, and trains would be running a limited service. We’d got the times written down and knew what we were dealing with, so had planned accordingly. So while the camera was charging, we headed downstairs to charge ourselves up too, at the breakfast buffet.

Ibis hotels tend to have a limited breakfast buffet offering, but it’s usually enough for our needs. When we discovered that the price was 10.50 Euros we dithered, but decided to go for it. Which turned out to be an excellent decision. There were the usual croissants and pastries, several different types of breads, and a nice variety of cheeses and meats. Plus of course juice and coffee. We could have had cereal, toast or boiled eggs too if we’d wanted, but this was plenty for us and surprisingly good quality. I loved the fact that they served jam in little 'ice cream cones' so you could eat the container once you'd finished the jam!







While we ate we could see the French news on the big screen TV, and the headlines basically boiled down to “RER strike paralyses Paris”.
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DLP: day trips 2000, 2003; Cheyenne Sep 2009, Feb 2011, Nov 2018; Sequoia Lodge June 2008, May 2012; Elysee May 2012, Jan 2013, Sep 2013; Disneyland Hotel Mar 2015, Santa Fe Nov 2016; Newport Bay Sep 2017, Ibis Sep 2019, Hotel NY Art of Marvel Nov 2021
WDW: Port Orleans Riverside Dec 10; SSR Nov 14

Edited at 07:05 AM.
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Old 21 Aug 20, 07:13 PM  
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Gill H
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VIP Dibber
 
Join Date: Jan 08
Location: South Wales

theDIBB Guidebook
Guidebook Photos: 86
Guidebook Reviews: 24
Down at Val d’Europe station, however, all was well and we only waited 4 minutes for our train. By 8.25 we were in the park and heading straight for City Hall to ask about the Mastercard seating for the Lion King show. There are a limited number of seats available every day to anyone with a Mastercard. However, even at that time of day, with just one couple in front of us, we were told all seats had gone already. They must only reserve a handful, because you can’t book them in advance. We were slightly disappointed as we knew there had been queues of over an hour to see this show, and we didn’t fancy queuing in the hot sun. Still, that was something to sort out later. Meanwhile we strolled up Liberty Arcade, and as we reached the top we saw Pooh just arriving at the meet and greet spot. As there was virtually no queue, we went to meet him and had a little chat about the delights of honey.



Then it was through the castle and straight to Peter Pan, which as usual at this time of day was a walk-on. I much prefer to do it first thing when it’s quiet, although it has to be said, the ride gets smoother as the day goes on. In front of us was a man from Canada who was visiting for the first time, and we had a brief conversation.

As the park was still quiet we headed to Dumbo – another ride we only do when there’s virtually no queue. We got into another conversation, this time with a couple from Guam who were wearing Tokyo ‘35th anniversary’ lanyards, so we had a chat about Tokyo and our hopes of seeing it.

Once we’d finished our elephant flight we headed to the Carousel. As usual I wanted to get one of the chariots as I find it tricky getting on and off the horses. We had to walk all the way round to the second chariot, as the nearest one contained a mum who was busy breastfeeding her little one, who seemed oblivious to the fact that the world was going to start revolving alarmingly during his breakfast! Well, I guess when you’re hungry you’re hungry.

Then it was through to Discoveryland and onto Buzz. Great fun as always, although I am hopeless at it! For some reason, when we got out, the photos weren’t showing. But we hung around a while and eventually they turned up.



As usual during EMT there was virtually no queue for Hyperspace Mountain, so Peter went on while I did some filming. I’ll never ride that ride, but the exterior is so gorgeous to look at. Shame the ride now has nothing to do with the theming, though!



Next we headed over to Frontierland, where BTMR had a 20 minute queue. Peter headed in while I did some filming around the area. The Coco-themed ‘Dia de los Muertos’ decorations had appeared and Thunder Mesa was looking very festive.



__________________
DLP: day trips 2000, 2003; Cheyenne Sep 2009, Feb 2011, Nov 2018; Sequoia Lodge June 2008, May 2012; Elysee May 2012, Jan 2013, Sep 2013; Disneyland Hotel Mar 2015, Santa Fe Nov 2016; Newport Bay Sep 2017, Ibis Sep 2019, Hotel NY Art of Marvel Nov 2021
WDW: Port Orleans Riverside Dec 10; SSR Nov 14

Edited at 07:21 PM.
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Old 21 Aug 20, 07:14 PM  
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#3
Gill H
Thread Starter
VIP Dibber
 
Join Date: Jan 08
Location: South Wales

theDIBB Guidebook
Guidebook Photos: 86
Guidebook Reviews: 24
By the time Peter got off the ride it had been a fair bit longer than the promised 20 minutes, and we decided we would be too late to get a good spot for the 11am Jungle Book Jive show, so went over to Phantom Manor, but it was down – again. So we power-walked over to the Hub and were just in time to see the show. It was great to have a different view, and although it would have been nice to be closer to the Hub, we could see pretty well from where we were. And yes, the show was just as awesome this time.












After the show, I turned to Peter and made a suggestion that would revolutionise the rest of our visit. You see, DLP had been selling special Lion King Signature packages which, among other things, got you guaranteed seats for the Lion King show, as well as a character lunch. We’d resisted, because when you looked at the things included in the offer, we hadn’t thought it great value for money – it was 99 Euros per person, and this was a budget trip.

However, the thought of spending several hours standing in the searing heat waiting to see this show just filled us both with dread. We talked over the idea and by the time we’d walked the length of Main Street, we were heading into City Hall to book. Fortunately we got 10% annual pass discount, which lessened the sting somewhat, and we were able to book our show seating and our character meal for tomorrow.

I should explain what the package included. As well as guaranteed VIP seating for the show, there was a lunch at Restaurant Hakuna Matata with Mickey in his explorer outfit, and Rafiki too. Also included was a separate meet with Minnie in her explorer outfit, plus an African drumming show, a souvenir tiki mug and drink each, and a 15 Euro gift card each.



We had to book our meal and show – usually these would be on different days, but as tomorrow was the last day of the package, we had to squeeze them in! So we booked lunch for 11.00 and the show for 1.30, hoping to be able to book the drumming workshop and meet for the afternoon – but we’d have to book those on Lineberty tomorrow.

We also had an interesting time trying to find out what substitutions were available at the meal. Peter is allergic to bananas and plantain, and as luck would have it, the meal featured fried plantain, and a banana/coconut flavoured ice cream. So we asked the CM what could be done. It took at least 20 minutes of phone calls and CMs running back and forth to find the answer, but eventually we were told that ‘something’ could be sorted, though nobody knew quite what. We were advised to tell the CM when we checked in for the meal.

Before we left City Hall we asked about the magic shots which we’d heard were being trialled in the park. We’ve long hoped that DLP would start doing these special photos, and we’d seen some on various social media accounts. It took a while for the CMs to understand what we meant, but eventually we were told to go to Adventureland near Restaurant Hakuna Matata as the photographer was due there in about 20 minutes.
__________________
DLP: day trips 2000, 2003; Cheyenne Sep 2009, Feb 2011, Nov 2018; Sequoia Lodge June 2008, May 2012; Elysee May 2012, Jan 2013, Sep 2013; Disneyland Hotel Mar 2015, Santa Fe Nov 2016; Newport Bay Sep 2017, Ibis Sep 2019, Hotel NY Art of Marvel Nov 2021
WDW: Port Orleans Riverside Dec 10; SSR Nov 14

Edited at 07:21 PM.
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Old 21 Aug 20, 07:17 PM  
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#4
Gill H
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Join Date: Jan 08
Location: South Wales

theDIBB Guidebook
Guidebook Photos: 86
Guidebook Reviews: 24
We headed to Adventureland, grabbed a couple of drinks to cool down, and treated ourselves to one of the Festival’s signature snacks – the Pride Rock Croque! This was a croque monsieur (and if you don’t know what one of those is, get yourself over to Market House Deli, where this toasted cheese and ham sandwich filled with béchamel sauce is usually to be found – they are delicious). However, this one was round and embossed with the image of baby Simba. Tasty and adorable, what’s not to like?



And by the time we’d finished them the photographer had arrived, so we got some photos and hoped the characters would magically turn up later – which they did!





We went over for a quick ride on POTC, which was awesome as always, and then had a quick look in one of our favourite Adventureland shops, La Giraffe Curieuse. We didn’t buy anything this time, though.

Next we headed to Phantom Manor which was now open again. The sign said ’13 minutes’ which usually means a walk-on, but the queue line in the garden was full. It moved quite quickly though, and was probably no more than 20 minutes in the end. This time we were able to hear Vincent Price’s narration properly. I have to say that the long refurb was worth the wait. Phantom Manor is better than ever, and it’s worth researching the back story before you ride it – there is so much to enjoy.

While waiting we tried the Lineberty app to see if we could book our meet with Minnie, but we weren’t able to get a slot. So instead we headed to the Emporium to spend our 15 Euro gift cards, but didn’t find anything.

To get our tiki mugs we had to go to the Sports Bar in the Village – somewhere we had never been before. I think other places had them earlier in the year, but these were the last few days of the package, and the Sports Bar was apparently the only place you could still get them. So in we headed.

It was quiet, as expected in the middle of the day, and we were soon enjoying a refreshing drink in our new mugs. The Sports Bar didn’t sell the special drink, unfortunately, so Peter had a Coke and I had a pineapple juice.



Afterwards we nipped into the nearby loos to wash our mugs, and discovered why we’d never been in there before – these are probably the worst maintained loos in DLP. You have been warned…!
__________________
DLP: day trips 2000, 2003; Cheyenne Sep 2009, Feb 2011, Nov 2018; Sequoia Lodge June 2008, May 2012; Elysee May 2012, Jan 2013, Sep 2013; Disneyland Hotel Mar 2015, Santa Fe Nov 2016; Newport Bay Sep 2017, Ibis Sep 2019, Hotel NY Art of Marvel Nov 2021
WDW: Port Orleans Riverside Dec 10; SSR Nov 14
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Old 21 Aug 20, 07:25 PM  
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Gill H
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Join Date: Jan 08
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Anyway, on to more pleasant things – we hadn’t yet been to the Studios this trip, and it was time to try out the delights of the Rendezvous Gourmand, the food festival which was currently running. We’d enjoyed the winter version on our last trip and were keen to see what was on offer during the summer.





The Studios was the busiest I’ve seen it in ages, all due to the food festival. In addition to the stalls from different regions of France, there were stalls from other countries such as Spain, Germany and Greece.







There was a jazz band playing in Hollywood Boulevard, as well as an accordion player in Place de Remy (the effect of which was slightly spoiled by the fact that they didn’t turn off the area music, so they clashed horribly at times!)
__________________
DLP: day trips 2000, 2003; Cheyenne Sep 2009, Feb 2011, Nov 2018; Sequoia Lodge June 2008, May 2012; Elysee May 2012, Jan 2013, Sep 2013; Disneyland Hotel Mar 2015, Santa Fe Nov 2016; Newport Bay Sep 2017, Ibis Sep 2019, Hotel NY Art of Marvel Nov 2021
WDW: Port Orleans Riverside Dec 10; SSR Nov 14
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Old 21 Aug 20, 07:28 PM  
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Gill H
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Join Date: Jan 08
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First we shared some chicken columbo from the Antilles (French West Indies), a chicken and rice dish with a mild Caribbean flavour.



Then from the Alsace region we shared a dish of choucroute (sauerkraut, but so much more than sauerkraut – chunks of pork and sausage among the pickled cabbage and onion mixture).



From the same stall we split a tarte aux mirabelles, aka plums, and a kugelhopf, a yeast enriched cake in a distinctive hat shape. Sadly this last was rather disappointing as it was burnt at the edges and rather hard.





So we decided to console ourselves with a trip to the Spain booth, where we tried a delicious gazpacho (a tomato and garlic cold soup, which might not sound appetising but was actually amazing – so refreshing in the heat, and probably the best thing we ate at the festival.



Except, of course, for our other purchase from the Spain booth – churros with a Nutella dip. Oh my, those were so good. I could eat them right now.

__________________
DLP: day trips 2000, 2003; Cheyenne Sep 2009, Feb 2011, Nov 2018; Sequoia Lodge June 2008, May 2012; Elysee May 2012, Jan 2013, Sep 2013; Disneyland Hotel Mar 2015, Santa Fe Nov 2016; Newport Bay Sep 2017, Ibis Sep 2019, Hotel NY Art of Marvel Nov 2021
WDW: Port Orleans Riverside Dec 10; SSR Nov 14
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Old 21 Aug 20, 07:32 PM  
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#7
Gill H
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Join Date: Jan 08
Location: South Wales

theDIBB Guidebook
Guidebook Photos: 86
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By now we were nicely full and very tired, so decided to go back to the hotel for a rest. We knew the RER trains were running until 6pm, so had no trouble getting back, and soon we were snoozing in front of whatever is on French TV on a Friday afternoon – probably a cooking show, we usually manage to find those.

After a good rest we headed out to find the restaurant for our evening meal. Not being experts in Val d’Europe restaurants, we had relied on various search engines and websites to find us somewhere to eat, and had already decided that tonight we would go to ‘L’Interprete’ (The Interpreter) which was supposedly about a 20 minute walk from our hotel. We chose to take it slowly and explore the area along the way, as we really only knew the shopping centre, the RER station and the Hotel Elysee where we’ve stayed previously.

Eventually we found the restaurant, which turned out to be not far from the Adagio and the Hipark, both of which seem to be popular offsite hotel choices.

We were welcomed into the restaurant and shown to a seat. This place was very much the classic French bistro, with plenty of locals in evidence which is always a good sign. We tried our best to order everything in French, and our attempts were met with approval and friendliness.

As so often in France, the quality of the ingredients was obviously taken seriously here. On a chalkboard on the wall you could read not only what meat was available that day, but which local farms it came from. Indeed, at one point one of the staff came walking through the restaurant with a huge haunch of meat, inviting the diners to admire it.

We chose the set menu, which at about 24 Euros per person was very good value. Before our starters arrived, a plate of cured sausage and some bread were brought out. We hadn’t ordered this and evidently I was so surprised that I blurred the photo!



My starter was an avocado and salmon mousse topped with a fresh tomato sauce and whipped boursin cheese. Even now, I can remember how fresh that tomato tasted. Lovely refreshing start to the meal.



Peter’s starter was a ham hock terrine which came with fruited walnut bread – he enjoyed it but I think I won this one.



We both had the same main course – bavette steak with shallot sauce and frites. Quality meat, beautifully cooked – couldn’t ask for better.




To finish we both chose the trio of mini desserts which came with an espresso coffee. Mine consisted of crème brulee, chocolate fondant, some kind of mousse with a raspberry (can’t remember now what it was, maybe caramel?), and a banana mousse with a blackberry.



Peter is allergic to bananas, so they substituted a different dessert for him – I’ve forgotten what it was but evidently it was so delicious he couldn’t wait for the photo!



The bill was surprisingly modest considering what we’d eaten. OK, it still wasn’t exactly a cheap meal, but compared to a three course meal within DLP, it was a serious bargain, and superb quality.

After our substantial meal we wandered slowly back to the hotel. It didn’t seem half as long a walk now we knew the way – probably no more than 20 minutes. Back in our room we relaxed over our usual pastime of trying to find something on French TV we had half a chance of following. In the absence of a Bond film, a cooking show or a Strictly clone, we ended up watching something called ‘Les Enfants de la Musique’ which seemed to be some sort of celebrity singing competition. Since we knew neither the celebrities nor the songs, and each song seemed interspersed with endless talking, we soon lost interest and headed for dreamland.

Join us tomorrow for a day full of Lion King themed delights!

>>>Day 3

INDEX
__________________
DLP: day trips 2000, 2003; Cheyenne Sep 2009, Feb 2011, Nov 2018; Sequoia Lodge June 2008, May 2012; Elysee May 2012, Jan 2013, Sep 2013; Disneyland Hotel Mar 2015, Santa Fe Nov 2016; Newport Bay Sep 2017, Ibis Sep 2019, Hotel NY Art of Marvel Nov 2021
WDW: Port Orleans Riverside Dec 10; SSR Nov 14

Edited at 07:42 AM.
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