It's Time to Sparkle - DLP's 25th - Day 2 - Part 1

[Guest]

Tuesday – 3rd October, 2017 – Au voleur! (Stop thief!) and Secret Passages

So, we are finally on our way to Disneyland Paris. Our train is 7:01 a.m. We get washed and dressed and then have a cereal bar each and a cup of coffee. We are travelling Business Premier. Now we normally go Standard Premier but because Darrin booked with his Amex card we got a free upgrade.

We scan our e-tickets and then go through security and passport control. We head to the lounge where we enjoy some pastries, orange juice and more coffee.

Around 6:35 they call our train. It’s up the travelator to the platform above. We are in coach No 1 which means a right old hoof to the front of the train. I reckon we walked almost to Ashford! The driver is just the other side of the wall to where our seats are located. We settle in and its not long before we are whizzing through Ebbsfleet.

We get orange juice, yoghurt and tea or coffee and a hot meal of bacon, mushrooms, sausage, grilled tomato and egg frittata. Then pastries follow. Darrin tucks into Pain Chocolat whilst I just have the croissants.

I read a travel magazine and Darrin gets on with business matters, answering emails etc.

They’ve introduced a new thing on the Eurostar App called “Odyssey”. Once its set up and you tell it where in the carriage you are sitting it changes to a window which shows you all the fish outside the train as you travel through the tunnel. Dolphins and whales come along to look at you. It is obviously motion sensor based because as you move your phone around the view changes as if it were for real. Very clever and I should imagine kids will find it very entertaining.

This is the official advert for it:



Rather than changing at Lille we are doing it at Gard du Nord. It saves hanging about for another TGV. You take either the RER B or D line to Chatelet Les Halles and then pick up the RER A service to Marne La Vallee / Chessy for the Disneyland Park. Everything is going fine until we board the RER A.

Now we are aware that pickpockets are rife on the Metro and RER service but have never had any problems until now. Darrin precedes me onto the train. As I go to step on board this black guy takes my suitcase handle and proffers to assist me. I’m immediately alert. As I shove him away, telling him to leave me alone, another black guy comes in on me and manages to push my wallet up and out of my front pocket. Distraction techniques! I immediately grabbed the hoodie that the second guy was wearing and in fluent and crude French told him I would smash his head against the wall if he didn’t drop the wallet. Two other passengers had blocked his exit. He dropped my wallet and I reluctantly let go of him. Trying to get Police would have taken far too long. His accomplice had vanished, naturally. Darrin wasn’t even aware of what had happened until it was almost over. So, people, when in Central Paris and on the transport – BE ALERT. I was lucky but on future travels my wallet won’t be in obvious pockets. Just to mention, pickpockets operate at Lille too!

I was a little flustered by it all afterwards but thanked the people who had blocked the thief’s way. I guess my time on the Underground makes me more alert to the more nefarious of travellers on public transport.

We arrive at MLV at 11:25 a.m. (France being one hour ahead of UK) and head to the bus station for a shuttle to New York hotel. One is just pulling out as we arrive. We then have a twenty minute wait before the same bus returns. Couldn’t they operate two buses to close the waiting gap? I guess not.

The bus station opposite the Disney stops is being completely rebuilt so for a moment I thought I was at a WDW building site. It doesn’t make for a warm welcome, does it?

We arrive at the New York hotel and have to undergo the security check, x ray of cases and all before we can enter the building. Those tents are so ugly. Couldn’t they Disney-fy them in some way?

We enter the hotel and have another security arch to go through. Cases are passed around the side.

We join the line for reception although I’m sure there should be a Club level check in but there are no signs to indicate as such. Sure enough, the reception CM has to phone for the Club CM who takes over to her little office hidden behind a pillar! We get the spiel, our room keys, park tickets and the all important open ended Fastpasses. We also receive a contactless room charge card. Oh! The fun we will have with that!

Rajuu – the CM takes us up to floor 6 and walks us down a corridor worthy of the Tower of Terror. It was SO long. Our Empire State Suite is #6200 and she has upgraded us to a Lake View. We can see the Disneyland Hotel and the castle from one window and Tower of Terror from another and, of course, Lake Disney below us.

The rooms are lovely and we have a King size bed, two toilets, two TVs, a lounge area, desk with Wi Fi and a wet bar. Our only complaints – the bath tub is minute (I like a bath rather than a shower) and they could do with some lighting over the wet bar area. Apart from that – it’s lovely.

I so wanted this lamp:

We have a meal reservation for 1p.m. at Captain Jack’s (formally Blue Lagoon) so we need to get a move on. It’s 12:40 as we enter the Disneyland Parc. (Note – not park.)

Underneath the station they have a huge plaque which uses white LEDs to create Tinker Bell’s flight which then transforms in to “25”.

Now those in the know will be aware of the covered walkway that can get you from the front of the park to Adventureland in minutes. Many mistake some of it as being for Cast Members only but it’s not. So at Town Square, take the Liberty Arcade – that’s the left hand one facing the castle. Walk to the top. As you come out by Casey’s take a left. You’ll see the covered walkway. Pass along it until you turn right. Continue – you’ll pass some toilets en route – you’ll emerge at the Fort at Frontierland , just inside the Fort gates. Carry straight on just to the left of the waggon with the big logs on it. This will lead you around the back of the Arabian bit of Adventureland – the path snakes somewhat - and out facing the Agrabah Café. You then continue on your merry way past Skull rock and Pirate Beach towards Pirates of the Caribbean and, for us, the restaurant.

We have barely sat down in the reception when a server comes to get us. We are given a table right by the water’s edge where the Pirates of the Caribbean boats go by. It takes a little time for a server to appear but in the meantime we are entertained with Jack Sparrow himself (with a rather French accent). He has all the moves and he’s after your gold rings and any rum you might have stashed nearby. He poses for photos in front of the “magical telescope” as he refers to the video camera.

Sorry the photos are dark - forgot to use the flash.

He then staggers on, Sparrow style, to the next table.

We order our food.

For starters-

Me - Marinated prawns, pear squash, papaya and a citrus and mint avocado salad:

Darrin chose White Tuna ceviche – coriander, lime and fried tacos:

Mains –
I went with the Mahi Mahi in a tomato and spice sauce (not unlike Cod Portuguese):

Darrin: Suckling pig with plantain, spinach, rice and peas:

All of a sudden the working lights in the ride come on and we can see the ceiling of the ride shed. Quite a lot of air conditioning up there above the palm trees. Boats had been building up behind each other for a short while.

Jack Sparrow goes into a “What happened to the sky?” routine and how the rum he had earlier must have been off! Very clever. All the boats were pushed backwards to the loading area so people could get off.

We had glasses of white wine – heaven knows what it was!
Having settled up we go for a wander...


INDEX: https://DIBB.in/12887214

[Mr Tom Morrow]

Geoff. Well knowing nothing about travelling to France what an interesting post. So sad about the scumbags who tried to roll you but a nice response by you. Well done
The app for the tunnel is really good, as you say kids will love it. Bit poor the check in procedure but all is well in the end.
Now this is where I am going again my normal comments. Your lunch not Darrin's for me. Never thought I would say that! Sounds lovely. Prawns and pear together, Mmmm
Excellent photos and a really good report. Well done.

[Eeyore rocks]

OMG! It's a good job that you can speak French! and luckily the other 2 people that blocked his way, otherwise your wallet would of been gone! A bit of a hiccup at check in...
Onwards and upwards...the meal is right up your street...look forward to the next instalment..

Many thanks for sharing.

[Gryff]

An other lovely meal awful about the pick pockets though Paris has suffered terribly from them for years

[disneytrio]

OMG, thank heavens for your knowledge and being alert, other than that dreadful incident , sounds like a great start! The hotel suite looks very nice!

[MarionG]

Not been online here for a couple of days as had visitors but just saw your PM. What a good job you were alert to those scumbags who tried to pickpocket you.:angry:
A nice start nevertheless.

[Melvin Pearce]

Sorry to hear about your incident on the metro, it is a good job you can speak French. When we were in Paris in July we made sure that I had my hand on my shoulder bag all of the time.

Hotel room looks lovely. I would want that lamp as well

Looking forward to the rest of your report

Lesley and Melvin

[Gill H]

Well done with the guy on the train station. It is the same here in London as you know. Glad it has gone well so far.

[waiting4disney]

Good move on the pickpockets!

2 toilets in your room 🤔

[jen10]

sorry you had to face the ordeal of pick pocketers but quite why you needed to state that the men were black is beyond me!