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cloudnut220
04-17-2011, 07:09 AM
Now that I'm back and fully recovered from our trip to France, I wanted to share a little bit of our trip with you all--mostly the part where we go to Disneyland Paris! Thanks to some internet research before we left home, we were able to get one day two park tickets for only $5 more than the price of the one park one day ticket. So one day, two Disney parks to cover! Noel (DH) and I were up to the challenge!

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We got up really early, and managed to move all of our luggage from the apartment we had rented for the first week of our trip to the hotel we were in for the second part by about 9.30. A little bit later than we had planned, but still plenty of time to get to DLP. We rode the Metro to the appropriate transfer station to get the RER (faster, suburban Metro) to Marne la Valle/Parcs Disneyland. Soon we were on the train and coasting through suburban Paris and then the countryside. As soon as we came out of the train station (which castle castle towers on it) the Disney Village was on our left and the parks were to the right.

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Once we were through the first gate with security, we decided to head to the Disney Studios Park first. There were fewer people heading in that direction and the park was open less time, so we wanted to knock it out first. The parks are literally right next to each other, so we knew we wouldn't have far to go when we decided to switch.

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The layout of the Studios park is quite odd. You enter through the gate into an open and empty courtyard area. Then you proceed through a large soundstage building that has all of the restaurants/eateries for the park. This area seemed to heavily echo popular areas of WDW--The Brown Derby, a Drive In, a Polynesian themed eatery.


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Then it's out of the building and into the meat of the park. You can almost see the entire park from this point. To the left you have some shows, followed by an Armageddon Stunt show, Lights Motor Action, Tower of Terror and the Rock n'Roller Coaster. To the Right is Crush's Coaster, Carsland, and Toy Story Playland. And that's really it!

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We decided to head to Crush's Coaster first, since it was what I most excited about at the Studios Park. We were happy to find a 30 minute wait, which turned out to be our longest line of the entire day--despite the fact that it was sunny and in the 70s!

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Crush's Coaster was pretty awesome, and I totally think a version needs to go into one of those empty soundstages at DHS! It's like a wild mouse ride meets teacups--you go on a track, in the dark, while your turtle shell spins. It was really fun!

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After leaving Crush (which I wish we had ridden twice right then, because we didn't make it back :() we headed through the Cars area, which was mostly kiddie rides, towards Toy Story Playland.

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Toy Story Playland is brand new, and it looks it! There are three attractions in this area, The Army Man Drop, RC Racer, and the Slinky Dog (looks like an old Carnival ride). Noel rode RC.

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After that, I posed with Rex before we headed onwards towards Tower of Terror.

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Noel rode the ToT, and he said despite the relatively small ride building, the ride was pretty similar, although the drop sequence was a bit different.

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After ToT, I'll admit, I was getting a little antsy to get to the Disneyland Park. So we quickly walked through the rest of the park. We opted not to do Lights Motor Action or Rock n'Roller Coaster since they're the same at DHS, and I just wasn't that interested in the Armageddon show, even if I did take a picture of the stunt Rover.

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I was very excited to run into Remy on our way out of the park, so I fought off the kids to get my picture taken. Seeing characters is a lot different at DLP, since there often aren't handlers, and no one forms a line (it's more like a mob). So yes, I may have pushed in front of a little kid. But the other adults were too!

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That's a wrap on our visit to the Studios Park! It's tiny, so we had no trouble covering it in a couple of hours! I'll be back later to recap our time in the Disneyland Parc!

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denlo
04-17-2011, 07:25 AM
Thanks for the first segment of your DLP TR. Wow, you make me want to go there even more. I'm impressed that you got the ticket prices so cheap. I'd be worried that it was a scam.

cloudnut220
04-17-2011, 07:27 AM
Thanks denlo! I knew they weren't a scam, because I bought them direct from the DLP website. The cheaper tickets were only good 6 months from purchase date, then there were tickets that were good for a year, and then ones with no expiration. We paid $78 per person for the two people for a day. When we got to Paris, we saw ads for 50 euro one day one park tickets, so I think we got a good deal (since the Euro is 1:1.40 dollars right now!)

denlo
04-17-2011, 07:31 AM
You definitely got a good deal. Since you said you researched the internet I thought it wasn't an official site. :thumbsup2:

cloudnut220
04-17-2011, 07:32 AM
I had to dig for those prices on the site. They're not what you get when you first click on "buy tickets". The site is pretty tricky!

jrbdad
04-17-2011, 07:38 AM
Beth-

Great start to your TR - thanks for sharing. Love the pics.

DVC Mike
04-17-2011, 07:57 AM
Thanks for posting the photos in your TR.

I've never been to DLP, so I look at each and every photo when I see someone post a TR.

One day...

newjerseynick
04-17-2011, 08:38 AM
Thanks for the TR, Beth, looking forward to more. :popcorn:

Nick

idratherbeinwdw
04-17-2011, 08:57 AM
Wow super report and pics Beth! I can't believe how much DLRP has grown since I was there in 2005. Looking forward to more. :wave::woohoodance:

dizfan
04-17-2011, 10:32 AM
The last time I went to Disneyland Paris (2008), Toy Story Land was just a hole in the ground :grin:
The finished product looks really fun! I hope to make it back to Paris soon.

You didn't mention it, but did you have a chance to see the Cinemagique show @ the Studios? That one is really neat.

We love disney
04-17-2011, 11:45 AM
Loving the TP and photos looks like you had a fab time

Seeing characters is a lot different at DLP, since there often aren't handlers, and no one forms a line (it's more like a mob).

This is one thing I don’t like about DLP my daughter was 4 when we last went she often got left out (if you don’t push you don’t get a chance) & you don’t get much time to got a good photo, even when you have a sit down character meal there is no one there to make sure you get to see every character my daughter didn’t get to see Mickey so we complained & was told the characters do what they want & there is no grantee that you will get to see everyone unlike WDW

Rozzie
04-17-2011, 12:37 PM
How cute, Remy! You and Mr Roz need to petition him to come to WDW. ;) :p

Love all the pics. One day we will make it over there.....when you wish upon a star....

wdrl
04-17-2011, 12:47 PM
Thanks for posting your photos!!! I know I must be a Disney fanatic when I'm willing to cut short my time at the Musee d'Orsay or the Louvre to spend time at Disneyland Paris.

daisymcduck
04-17-2011, 02:23 PM
Loving the TP and photos looks like you had a fab time

Seeing characters is a lot different at DLP, since there often aren't handlers, and no one forms a line (it's more like a mob).

This is one thing I don’t like about DLP my daughter was 4 when we last went she often got left out (if you don’t push you don’t get a chance) & you don’t get much time to got a good photo, even when you have a sit down character meal there is no one there to make sure you get to see every character my daughter didn’t get to see Mickey so we complained & was told the characters do what they want & there is no grantee that you will get to see everyone unlike WDW
i agree there does not seem to be any order i spent most of my last trip comparing and commenting in earshot of cast members this would not happen in the us and to be fair some did try to create some sort of order...that said i do enjoy DLPand it fills the gap the years we may not be able to travel to WDW

We love disney
04-17-2011, 03:02 PM
Daisymcduck we also go to DLP when we can't get to WDW as we live in the UK flights to the USA cost £££, but DLP don't have the full magic that WDW has & prob never will

cloudnut220
04-17-2011, 03:15 PM
The last time I went to Disneyland Paris (2008), Toy Story Land was just a hole in the ground :grin:
The finished product looks really fun! I hope to make it back to Paris soon.

You didn't mention it, but did you have a chance to see the Cinemagique show @ the Studios? That one is really neat.

We didn't get to see cinemagique, because they were only running it every 2 hours or so. I was sad to miss it, but wanted to see Disneyland.

I think we liked DLP so much because it wasn't WDW, which we know so well (I've been to WDW almost every year since 1992, and since 2008 we've been going multiple times a year). It was really fun for us to see what was different, and how things were re-imagined for the European audience. Now, if it was my only Disney option, I might have a different opinion. But this was my first trip to a Disney park not in Florida, and I loved it!

I would also say, I'm glad we decided to stay in central Paris and just take the train out to DLP, because I don't think there would have been enough there to entertain us for a weekend when we knew how much there was in Paris just a train ride away.

dizfan
04-17-2011, 05:10 PM
I was the other way around. We stayed on Disney property for a week on both of our trips to DLP, and took the train to Paris & Versailles on a few days. I think that suited us better.

We were really there to see Disney, and Paris was the bonus.

I agree, the Magic Kingdom there is very different, very creative and very beautiful. I just wish there was more budget set aside for upkeep. I'm curious to hear if your thoughts on that park.

idratherbeinwdw
04-18-2011, 01:26 PM
How cute, Remy! You and Mr Roz need to petition him to come to WDW. ;) :p

Love all the pics. One day we will make it over there.....when you wish upon a star....

Rozaroo, I didn't see Remy at any Meet and Greets at WDW during my recent trip, but he has a float in the newest version of the Pixar Parade.

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a221/idratherbeinwdw/WDW%20April%202011/IMG_2092.jpg

cloudnut220
04-18-2011, 05:44 PM
Now let's go to the Disneyland Park, shall we...

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Like Disney World, I feel like Disneyland Paris is strategically laid out so you can't see the castle until you're on Main Street USA (I've never been to CA, but I'm guessing it's that way there too). And I'll admit, it was driving me a little nuts that we had been on property for almost 4 hours and I hadn't seen a castle yet. So I may have drug Noel out of the Studios park and over to DLP. I also was pretty hungry at this point, and I thought we would find some better food options in the other park.

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We loved all of the detail on the EDRR station. Especially the stained glass for the different lands!

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And then we came through the archway and there it was--Main Street USA and the Castle, even more beautiful than I had expected.

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We did immediately realize that the Town Hall and the Fire House were flipped on the front square--which launched a game of "how is this different from Magic Kingdom". We had a lot of fun with that one!

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We arrived just in time for the afternoon parade (I'm pretty sure I've seen these floats before somewhere) and it was funny to see us, and a bunch of other people, run to see the floats. It was a strange we're all the same moment for me, because I've seen the exact same thing happen in Florida about a million times. I'm probably not capturing it right, but it was a really great moment about the universal joy of Disney.

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After the parade, we headed on down Main Street. There weren't many people in the Park, and it was really pleasant to just stroll down the street.

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Soon we came to Walt's: An American Restaurant. I had read about Walt's online before leaving, and I knew it was one of the better restaurants in the park, so we decided to check and see if they had any openings.

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My WDW trained brain was prepared to be told we could wait 45 minutes for a table, but to my surprise, they told us a table was available immediately and took us upstairs. It was lovely!

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We sat down and our mediocre French was enough to get us ordered. Our waitress, as sweet as she was, knew just enough English to sing happy birthday (which we saw her do twice at neighboring tables during our meal).

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We started with drinks, which was like an extra special treat, seeing as we were sitting above Main Street!

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And soon our first course arrived. We were very impressed with the food at Walt's, which we thought was pretty much a home run after all of the bad cafe food we had been eating in Paris (as an aside, we did find a few good bistros, but most of the place were just awful!). It's funny that the tout Walt's as being American food, because it's not like most American restaurants!

First Course:

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Second Course:

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We skipped dessert but did have a second drink each to fortify us for more park touring. I told the hostess how happy we were with our meal on the way out, and she seemed very flattered when I told her we also go to WDW all the time.

More Walt's pictures:

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Okay, I'm out of time for now, but hopefully I'll be back soon to show Discoveryland (aka Tomorrowland)

newjerseynick
04-18-2011, 06:12 PM
I keep looking for the "Like" button. Love the pics! Really want to go.
How much French is needed? I know 0.0.
Barbie might be able to understand a little, she spent a lot of time visiting relatives in Germany as a child, but doesn't remember much.

Nick

cloudnut220
04-18-2011, 06:38 PM
I keep looking for the "Like" button. Love the pics! Really want to go.
How much French is needed? I know 0.0.
Barbie might be able to understand a little, she spent a lot of time visiting relatives in Germany as a child, but doesn't remember much.

Nick

Nick, how much French for DLP, or for Paris and France generally? I would say you don't really need much for just DLP, and not much more for just Paris. When I visited Paris in the summer of 2009, I had zero French, but I knew enough from studying Spanish to make out menus, street signs, etc. This time Noel and I both did one of those in your car French tapes, and it helped for us to be just conversational enough to order, ask for simple directions, and understand French people if they spoke very very slowly. But it was also enough that people tried to really converse with us, and they seemed frustrated when we didn't understand very much. We really only needed the French when we were out of the touristy areas of Paris or in other French towns (we went to Champagne for a day--which is recapped on the blog--and we went to Brittany).

idratherbeinwdw
04-18-2011, 06:38 PM
I keep looking for the "Like" button. Love the pics! Really want to go.
How much French is needed? I know 0.0.
Barbie might be able to understand a little, she spent a lot of time visiting relatives in Germany as a child, but doesn't remember much.

Nick

While I am sure it's handy to know some French almost all of the cms I encountered at DLRP spoke very good English. Neither my friend Elaine or I speak French and we had no trouble at all. This may not be the case off property, but on property you should be just fine.

dizfan
04-18-2011, 07:00 PM
Same here. No problem not knowing the language. That's pretty much true for any international Disney park.

I was impressed by how many CMs in Paris, particularly at the hotels, knew 3 or 4 different languages.

denlo
04-18-2011, 07:04 PM
We've spent some time in France in 2007 and last year in 2010. Any person involved in the tourist industry seemed to have a good understanding in English. I think you might have problems if you tried to stay at small hotels or hostels because they usually serve Europeans, but larger hotels no problem. After our experiences these last two cruises, I'm no longer worried that we couldn't communicate well enough to do Paris on our own. French and Portuguese are two languages I just don't seem to have an ear for, nor will I ever be proficient in making myself understood. But it's easy enough to read because it's Latin based. So you can understand why I was really concerned, but now I don't have any doubts. One day we will return to Paris and now DLP will be on the agenda too.

cloudnut220
04-18-2011, 07:06 PM
I almost feel like the DLP park is geared as much towards English speakers from the UK as it is to people from the continent. It's just a two hour train ride from central London to DLP after all!

idratherbeinwdw
04-18-2011, 07:10 PM
I almost feel like the DLP park is geared as much towards English speakers from the UK as it is to people from the continent. It's just a two hour train ride from central London to DLP after all!

I thought exactly the same thing Beth. Makes sense.

daisymcduck
04-19-2011, 12:58 PM
love the pics of walt`s it was my favourite dd requested this restaurant for her 21st birthday meal and we were seated at a window table just as the parade was starting,she said she could think of no better way to celebrate her day . going back 2012 to DLP and Walt`s will be a must do :)

DVC Mike
04-19-2011, 05:20 PM
I'm really enjoying this trip report!

Thanks for posting.

denlo
04-19-2011, 06:25 PM
Cloudnut thanks for the DL photos. Wow, it looks so beautiful. And food, fabulous. Can't wait to see your Discoveryland TR and photos.

cloudnut220
04-21-2011, 04:58 PM
Time for more recap!

After lunch at Walt's, we headed towards Discoveryland (aka Tomorrowland) to check out Space Mountain, Noel's favorite ride at WDW.

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I really like the Jules Verne theme and the coloring

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Noel liked the ride, although he thought it could have been faster. After he rode, we got a real kick out of discovering there was a huge Baltimore reference on the side of the ride (we're from Baltimore)

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As we wandered through the rest of Discoveryland, we found Walle and Eve. The pixar movies seem to be HUGE at DLP!

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We also found this enormous X wing outside of Star Tours which we didn't do, because it's the same as the old US Version.

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Next up Fantasyland. I loved the detail here. The village scenes and buildings seemed much more elaborate than in Florida. My guess is because you have to work a little bit harder to make something look European when you're actually in Europe.

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Good picture of me being frustrated at something. Ah, married life.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/_8mFkijJakQ4/TaV8zRVFjtI/AAAAAAABsWg/J3W2pmkEvWI/s640/DSC_0814.JPG

Another interesting thing in this fantasyland--there are almost little countries. This is the Italy section. There's also an England area.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/_8mFkijJakQ4/TaV80vrmR4I/AAAAAAABsXk/ckK6xHRLzEs/s640/DSC_0819.JPG

Small World with a Disneyland-esq facade. We didn't ride, because again I had read it was just like Florida.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/_8mFkijJakQ4/TaV81abRpfI/AAAAAAABsYQ/pGtWuUVeZVI/s640/DSC_0822.JPG

Next up, we rode the Fairytale Ride, which takes you through several classic Disney movies. We enjoyed that they weren't all new or traditional movies. There were some outliers, like Peter and the Wolf and Fantasia.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/_8mFkijJakQ4/TaV84eKAcVI/AAAAAAABsbE/8Pi0q_se4zc/s640/DSC_0835.JPG

Hansel and Gretel

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/_8mFkijJakQ4/TaV846wu3EI/AAAAAAABsbc/bIDqj9-9pnU/s640/DSC_0837.JPG

Little Mermaid

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/_8mFkijJakQ4/TaV87iPWZmI/AAAAAAABsds/tvW-cpwmX-Q/s640/DSC_0847.JPG

And my favorite, Beauty and the Beast.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/_8mFkijJakQ4/TaV8-Mx38WI/AAAAAAABsf4/kCUnPVUn8sI/s640/DSC_0857.JPG

I love this shot of the teacups with the trees in bloom.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/_8mFkijJakQ4/TaV8_EyZnUI/AAAAAAABsgw/_ars_im0CFo/s640/DSC_0861.JPG

Next up, Alice's Curious Labyrinth, which was in fact, a real maze. And we got lost. The thing really twists and turns, so we spent a lot longer in there than we expected!

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/_8mFkijJakQ4/TaV9BTJJjrI/AAAAAAABsjA/Yz233qCjj3s/s640/DSC_0872.JPG

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/_8mFkijJakQ4/TaV9CXbw80I/AAAAAAABsjo/pkNjzb1giEA/s640/DSC_0875.JPG

After escaping the Labyrinth, we headed to Mr. Toad's for a snack (and some coffee. Oh I needed coffee!)

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/_8mFkijJakQ4/TaV9CwklsuI/AAAAAAABskA/6Xxl1xA7U2s/s640/DSC_0877.JPG

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/_8mFkijJakQ4/TaV9DJEHgII/AAAAAAABskc/dkGXqSrzNpI/s640/DSC_0879.JPG

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/_8mFkijJakQ4/TaV9DbftZjI/AAAAAAABsks/EgDUfvEcxPw/s640/DSC_0880.JPG

We found the sign quite funny!

Okay out of time for now...need to pack for the beach! Hopefully I'll finish the park in my next installment. There are just so many great pictures I want to share!

newjerseynick
04-21-2011, 05:28 PM
Ah yes, the "annoyed" picture. Who doesn't have a few of those? Kudos for including it!
Love Wall-E and Eve! There is a picture of the Old Mill, is that a counter service restaurant?

Nick

Minne's Friend
04-21-2011, 05:43 PM
Anyone who is married has at least 10 annoyed pictures -bald you included it - love your pictures and TR

cloudnut220
04-21-2011, 05:52 PM
Nick--the Old Mill was sort of like a Snack Bar--candy and popcorn.

Minnie--there are about a million shots like this one (5 years of marriage + an avid photographer = lots of annoyed shots). I just thought it was funny--here I am on our dream trip and I'm fussing for him not moving fast enough :D Plus, he doesn't frequent DVCNews--he's sports forums only. ;)

dizfan
04-21-2011, 06:58 PM
Small World with a Disneyland-esq facade. We didn't ride, because again I had read it was just like Florida.

It's similar but at the same time very different to both American versions, particulary the USA section.

The Old Mill used to be a ferris wheel. You would ride in the buckets :)

cloudnut220
04-21-2011, 07:04 PM
It's similar but at the same time very different to both American versions, particulary the USA sections.

I think it's at the top of my list of things I wish we would have done. Noel's not really a fan, but if I had more time I would have done it myself.

DVC Mike
04-22-2011, 05:04 AM
Lovin' the photos!

idratherbeinwdw
04-22-2011, 08:54 AM
Again, I cannot believe how much both parks have added since my visit in 2005. They have truly grown in leaps and bounds. GREAT photos Beth! I wish we had Wall E and Eve at WDW, I don't understand why they aren't anywhere to be found. :boohoohoo:

BTW if anyone wants to check out pics from Paris/ DLRP from November 2005, here is a link. I hope you don't feel like I am hijacking your thread Beth!

http://s12.photobucket.com/albums/a221/idratherbeinwdw/DLRP/

cloudnut220
04-22-2011, 09:09 AM
I don't mind at all Mar! I'll probably post a link to my full Picasa album at the end...there are a lot more pictures than I'm sharing here. I have a photo problem...I just take too many!

idratherbeinwdw
04-22-2011, 09:49 AM
I don't mind at all Mar! I'll probably post a link to my full Picasa album at the end...there are a lot more pictures than I'm sharing here. I have a photo problem...I just take too many!

Thanks I am glad you didn't mind. :goodvibes:

Yes please do link us to all the pics at the end of your report, I'd love to see them and I am sure most everyone else would too. :woohoodance:

cloudnut220
04-22-2011, 11:09 AM
Will do!

cloudnut220
04-26-2011, 04:43 PM
Okay, time to bring this home!

After my recaffination at Mr. Toad's we headed towards Pirates.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/_8mFkijJakQ4/TaV9FY_IMaI/AAAAAAABsm0/d3xU0xn-4kg/s640/DSC_0890.JPG

Noel LOVES Pirates so he was really excited to ride.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/_8mFkijJakQ4/TaV9FuzEM1I/AAAAAAABsnE/EInNYVBNnUo/s640/DSC_0891.JPG

I like the facade of the building, which is very Caribbean. Reminded me of being in St. Augustine or Old San Juan. But inside, the queue was almost identical to WDW. The ride however, was not. The ride starts out floating through a lagoon that goes past a restaurant, and then there is a hill climb, a drop, and some other creepy pirate stuff before another drop and the familiar pirates scenes. Noel was a big FAN! He also made his only souvenir purchase in the gift shop--a skull mug. Noel was very sad that the restaurant was closed, so we couldn't eat dinner there.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/_8mFkijJakQ4/TaV9GUnsZgI/AAAAAAABsng/JBIHMODRGCk/s640/DSC_0893.JPG

We then walked to Adventure Isle, home of a pirate ship and the Swiss Family Treehouse.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/_8mFkijJakQ4/TaV9IXBBmAI/AAAAAAABspM/-7AlKPwnnbc/s640/DSC_0901.JPG

Next up, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Peril, which was essentially Big Thunder with a loop. It was the smallest rollercoaster I've ever seen with an inversion, but we found it really fun!

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/_8mFkijJakQ4/TaV9JaRBHpI/AAAAAAABsqM/f_RxmFff6cQ/s640/DSC_0906.JPG

After leaving Indy, we headed towards Frontierland and my favorite ride of the day, Big Thunder Mountain.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/_8mFkijJakQ4/TaV9KqNoYdI/AAAAAAABsrM/4U-icfuyJbQ/s640/DSC_0910.JPG

Although this ride was very similar to Florida, I loved the fact that the ride was on an island and you had to go through a tunnel to get on the island. I felt like the tunnels added a whole new piece to the ride. I am very sorry to hear people were just injured on the ride.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/_8mFkijJakQ4/TaV9KyWbKiI/AAAAAAABsrc/o3SB6d0wrm4/s640/DSC_0911.JPG

Noel really wanted to ride the Ferryboat (always a favorite for him at WDW) but I said no. It only circled Big Thunder, and that didn't seem worth the time! So we headed on.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/_8mFkijJakQ4/TaV9LiYyd9I/AAAAAAABssA/muMy2_GmQlQ/s640/DSC_0914.JPG

all of the western themed stuff at the park (and in France in general) really cracked me up. The Silver Spur was part of that. Pretty funny to see the "authentic" steakhouse.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/_8mFkijJakQ4/TaV9L9sV6xI/AAAAAAABssg/TyrFYY-DGhQ/s640/DSC_0916.JPG

Next we hit Phantom Manor. Haunted Mansion is one of my favorites, always has been, but I didn't really like Phantom Manor, mostly because there was no narrator/tour guide. I know it would have been very difficult to have the narration in 2 languages, but the ride really did lose something for me. But the exterior was really cool!

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/_8mFkijJakQ4/TaV9MZnfX3I/AAAAAAABsss/aprHhgPMDGM/s640/DSC_0917.JPG

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/_8mFkijJakQ4/TaV9NLRjxGI/AAAAAAABstM/B4kf3iU3v1o/s640/DSC_0919.JPG

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/_8mFkijJakQ4/TaV9Nlw0dAI/AAAAAAABstc/DDgjNxukwMM/s640/DSC_0920.JPG
[from the Phantom Manor front porch]

We found our way back to the Castle, hoping to go upstairs and do the walk through. Sadly, it was closed. Bummer, because it really looked cool up there.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/_8mFkijJakQ4/TaV9O12f1oI/AAAAAAABsuo/Kr6xh65g584/s640/DSC_0926.JPG

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/_8mFkijJakQ4/TaV9PZM128I/AAAAAAABsvI/kjh4cDt2nLw/s640/DSC_0928.JPG

I explored Main Street and shopped a bit while Noel ran back over to Space Mountain to ride again (or three times, as he later confessed). I discovered some cool arcades behind Main Street

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/_8mFkijJakQ4/TaV9TqRi00I/AAAAAAABsy8/0bMpNArVeZ4/s640/DSC_0945.JPG

And I discovered these nutella filled Mickey buns. I had one. I wish I had two!

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/_8mFkijJakQ4/TaV9X5sv7_I/AAAAAAABs3E/DF6X2TKAcLo/s640/DSC_0963.JPG

When Noel returned we enjoyed beers (which I got carded while buying. No one in France gets carded. Here I'm 29 years old and getting carded IN FRANCE!! Okay, rant over) by the castle. And then we settled in to watch the Mickey evening show.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/_8mFkijJakQ4/TaV9Yy_sTDI/AAAAAAABs4E/nwSHdmM1cHk/s640/DSC_0968.JPG

The show was interesting because one character would speak in English, then the next in French! Good thing the plot line wasn't too complicated so everyone could figure it out!

All in all, one action filled and fantastic day at Disneyland Paris. I know we'll make it back on our next trip to France, and I can't wait to explore more!

For anyone who wants to see more pictures, the album is https://picasaweb.google.com/bachaney/France2011DLP?feat=directlink

newjerseynick
04-26-2011, 05:18 PM
Thanks for the report, photos and link to even more photos!
Would you suggest doing it in one day?

Nick

cloudnut220
04-26-2011, 05:23 PM
Nick, that's a tough question. I would have liked more time in the parks, but also there is SO MUCH to do in the greater Paris area (we were there for two weeks and I feel like we just scratched the surface) that it would be hard for me to justify more than a day for a short trip(a week or less) . But if I were to go back for a longer than a week trip, I would likely stay in Marne la Valle overnight and do the parks for two days. I would also consider going to DLP for a day the next time I'm in London.

jrbdad
04-26-2011, 07:18 PM
Wonderful job on the TR -- thanks again for taking the time.

Pictures were fabulous.:thumbsup2:

dizfan
04-26-2011, 07:22 PM
I noticed they are finally refurbishing Sleeping Beauty's Castle.

Did you go into the Dragon's Lair underneath the castle?

hadams
04-26-2011, 07:25 PM
OMGoodness, After reading all this and looking at all your pics. I really want to go there. Thanks for sharing!!!!

cloudnut220
04-26-2011, 07:42 PM
dizfan--it was blocked off. looks like the castle overhaul is a major one--just another reason to go back!