[Sandra -- April 2007 -- Offsite] Happy 15th anniversary, DLP!

[SandraVB79]

Cast:
:earsgirl: Me, 27 yo female, totally obsessed by THE Mouse
My momlikes Disney, even almost as much as I do!

Mission of the trip: Be there for the 15th anniversary, by BONITATIMEs pin and eat some good Disney-food! Oh, and also do some shopping at the outlet shopping village and the Disney Village.


PS: This trip report has been written for the DIS. I will get out all the image tags, but I am not going through the whole text to get out their smilies.

[SandraVB79]

To be sure to arrive in time at DLP for the opening ceremony and to buy BONITATIMEs pin, we left around 5.15 am (ouch!!!!). Since my car was parked about 15 streets away, it was nearly impossible to clean the windows first, so we stopped at the first gas station, cleaned the windows, then set the GPS and we were on our way! :car: :drive:
The driving to DLP was not going very smoothly. We encountered some accidents and traffic jams, slowing us down a lot. Also, around the page at Senlis, I realized I didnt bring my drivers license From that moment on, I drove a little slower, because I didnt want to get stopped for speeding, nor cause an accident. I also didnt want to tell my mom I didnt have it with me.
Around 9.30, we arrived at the DLP-exit, and when we arrived at the parking lot, where you have to pay, OMG!!!! So many cars!!!! I think there were about 15 cars waiting in each line, it was crazy!

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While waiting in the car in the line, I gave my mom instructions on what to do when we arrived. When the car was still running, I jumped out and ran to the Disneyland hotel, Disney Village, for Bonitatimes pin, but was told everywhere that they had been sold out after 3 minutes when the stores opened. And people had been lining up for more than half an hour before. :guilty: :sad: :sad2: Result: no pin
I then returned back to the plaza in front of the Disneyland Hotel, and tried to find my mom who should be there among the thousands of other people. There were never ending lines to buy tickets, to get through the turn stiles, :crowded:
After 20 minutes or so, I finally spotted her, and asked her how many people were still in front of her (she still needed to buy an AP). Apparently, there were still dozens of people in fornt of her, so I just said to come back out of the line, and I ran to the Studios. There, each line had about 10 persons in it. Unnecessary to say it was way quicker. Now, use this as a tip, but dont spread it around, otherwise, also at the Studios there will be huge lines!
So, we finally had the AP, now we faced the huge lines to get through the turnstiles. Thats when I decided to go to Le salon Mickey. I mean, it goes faster or instead of just waiting in line, you can drink and eat something. :coffee: Good idea, right? Not really. Le Salon Mickey was very very :crowded: Not just crowded, but a madhouse filled with rude people. Examples? They brought out a platter with 8 croissants etc. A Dutch family of 4 took them all 8 at once. Some man commented that they should all take just one, and leave some for the others. Response of the Dutch son? Shut up said in the most rude way I have heard!!! :furious:
Result? No drinks, no croissants, but I finally had the chance to use the bathroom! I needed to go since forever (Since somewhere still on the page) so the nice bathroom at Le salon Mickey was there at just the right time. Am I the only one who think sits very nicely decorated? And am I the only one who takes pictures of bathrooms??? :scratchin

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After my needed bathroom break, we finally headed inside the park. While it was already quite crowded, it was great to be there.
Now, once again, I cant tell you what rides we did exactly. What I can tell you, is that in these 3 days, we didnt do that much. It was too hot to run around and wait and there were too many people, so long lines. And I have already done the rides so many times, that I dont really need to do them anymore. I know that I sound spoilt, but I just dont like to queue for 2 hours to ride BTMRR. Rides we did included iasw, Buzz, Peter Pan, Phantom Manor, POTC and Storybookland boats (I really dont know how they call the ride in English). I didnt go on BTMRR, Space Mountain, Indiana Jones, I did have FP at some point for SM, but I know that if Im hungry and go on it, I turn out sick :crazy2: so I decided not to use the FP.
What we did during the 3 days? Basically eat and sit on a bench, people-watching.
BTW, I am really shocked to see that the European body type slowly changes to an American body type. Im not the skinniest person in the world, but I saw people literally 3 times as large as me. And small children who were downright fat. Its scary. And especially in case of the children, I think its very sad that the parents dont care enough about it to do something about it (if you see them eating junk/ fast food, you can assume parents dont care about it. And I know its vacation and youre supposed to indulge; we never ate those foods as a kid) No, Im not going on and on about this, I just think its scary, because its a time bomb.
We decided to first go to the AP bureau, so that my mom could get her real AP. I think we waited for about an hour there before it was our turn, but in the end, we got our AP. I also noticed I started to recognize CMs from my previous visits. When they also recognize you, you know you go to many times!! :rotfl2:
Anyway, we also ate lunch, because after leaving at 5.15 and not having my croissant at Salon Mickey, I was hungry. Lunch was at Victorias Home Style restaurant, dining review will be in posts after the trip report.
I dont remember too well what we did after lunch, but more than an hour before the parade started, I went to the spot I wanted to be in to see the parade and take pictures. By the time the parade started, I felt like a roasted chicken, because I had been standing in the hot hot sun for more than an hour!! :sunny:

[SandraVB79]

The parade was prefaced with another parade. All the CMs that have been at DLP since the first day were there, and there were many of them!! There was also the marching band that I had seen at the press event.

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Its usually at parade times that one can see how crowded it is. There were people everywhere, even on the chateau (there where you can go out when at Sleeping Beautys gallery thing) (kwim?)

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And then the parade started!!!! I must say, this time, the music was better in sync, and I liked it way better, and finally caught the theme (its the same one as during Bougillumination).

Come a little closer... come a little closer
Turn another page in the story of what's waiting for you

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Step into the wonder... step into the wonder
Of everything you've pictured, as it comes into view

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Just like we... (oh!) just like we... (yeah!)
Just like we dreamed it!

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Once upon a time used to be long long ago ...
Used to be far far away
Look how far we've come today

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Once upon a time is suddenly right here and now ...
Right before our eyes
This happy ending's just beginning and much to my surprise (my surprise!)

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It's just like we dreamed it
As far as I can see
It's just like we dreamed it
As good as good can be
And I know it's so much better
'Cause we dreamed it up together
Just like we dreamed it, to life! Magically...
(It's just like we, it's just like we, it's just like we dreamed it...)

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Happily ever now I'll know how far dreams can go
Nothin's too far far away
'Cause we've got faith that makes our day
In my heart I know ... Anything's possible here ... Anything at all
Whatever we believe in happens, no matter big or small (oh yeah!)

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It's just like we dreamed it
As far as I can see
It's just like we dreamed it
As good as good can be
And I know it's so much better
'Cause we dreamed it up together
Just like we dreamed it, to life! Magically...
(It's just like we, it's just like we, it's just like we dreamed it...)

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I've imagined being here like this so many times before (so many times before)
Reaching out to take your hand as the butterflies in me soar
Dancing with you under the Sun and underneath every star
We've made a wish and believed and believed ...
And voil! Here we are! (Here we are!)

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It's just like we dreamed it
As far as I can see
It's just like we dreamed it
As good as good can be
And I know it's so much better
'Cause we dreamed it up together
Just like we dreamed it, to life ... (to life... oh...)
Just like we dreamed it, to life ...

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Magically!
It's just like we...
It's just like we... dreamed it!
Just like we dreamed it!

Im sure that after the parade we did something, and at 6pm we watched Bougillumination. Its just strange to see this when its still sunny outside, since you really cant see the candles, nor the pixie dust. Pixiedust:
After the show, they announced that an extra showing would take place at 9pm. :thumbsup2
We had a 9pm ADR at Walts but first watched the first part of Bougillumination from Main Street. Once the candles were lit, we didnt watch Minnie and the gang dancing, but went inside to eat! Dining review can be found after the trip report!

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After Walts we went back to the hotel. Once again we stayed at the Best Western Marne la Valle. I love the hotel, but I do hate the parking garage!! Its so small, and I have a rather large car. I was quite happy to see I was not the only one having problems when coming in or driving out of the garage!

[SandraVB79]

I cant tell you too much about this day. We did some rides. We saw some shows (basically the parade and the Tarzan Encounter) and we ate.
I know, boring trip report, isnt it? I cant help it. :confused3 We didnt do that much.
For breakfast, we had a croissant at Le Salon Mickey and a Mickey Brioche at the Cable Car Bake Shop.

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In the afternoon we had an ice cream.

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See, I really did wear my lime green sun hat and my Crocs! And I must say, after 4 days, my feet didnt hurt at all (two weeks ago, after two days with my sneakers, my feet hurt a lot!)

And in the evening we went to the Cape Cod restaurant for dinner.

[SandraVB79]

We started this Saturday with a character breakfast at Caf Mickey.
We had an ADR for 9.30. Now, when we came into the restaurant the day before, they asked us at which hotel we stayed, and when we said we werent staying at a Disney hotel, they barked at us that there was a charge of 25 EUR a person for the breakfast. I knew that, but thanks of reminding me, and you dont have to bark at me :dog: , you can also just say it.
When we checked in this Saturday, they told my mom she could go upstairs and I had to stay in line to pay (btw, nobody has checked if we really paid once upstairs, so basically, I could have just gone up and eat!)
So, by the time it was my time to pay, the man once again barks :dog: at me and asks at which hotel I stay. I tell him I dont stay at a Disney hotel. :dog: *bark bark* What hotel do you stay at, I answered him we stayed at the Ritz in Paris. I barked at me that there was a 25 EUR charge, and if I was aware of that and able to pay it. I told him that if I was able to afford the Ritz I was also able to afford a breakfast with Mickey. Im sorry, I just couldnt resist irate: I mean, really, who is he to bark at me and make such comments???
Anyway, we enjoyed our breakfast, and saw many characters.

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Characters we saw: King John, Friar Tuck, the one from Peter Pan (Captain Hooks side kick), Baloo, Mickey, Goofy, Pluto and Eeyore. At the end, many people had already left, so we had the characters all for ourselves, it was very nice!

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Dining review can be found below!

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After the breakfast, we went to the Studios. There, I went once on RocknRollercoaster, we did the Backlot Tram Tour, saw the two movies in the Animation Building (I always have to cry with the first one!) and saw the parade. We also shopped a little, and then we moved to the Disneyland Park.
I had eaten way too much for breakfast, as had my mom, so neither of us was hungry enough to try one of the Mickey pizzas. (something we had said we would do!)
I remember us watching the parade, watching the Lion King, going on iasw and the Storybookland boats and then, at some point, it was time for our ADR for the Blue Lagoon.

When we checked in, I asked if we could get a waterside table, and the girl said she would see what she could do. Only a couple of minutes later, our name was called, so we went with the little tab to the bridge where they then really seat you. I asked if we had a waterside table, and she said no, ok I can live with that. We passed some nice 2-person tables with still a water view, but she didnt seat us there , no we were lead to the most far corner of the restaurant, where nobody was seated, and there we got a table that was basically on the stairs. Also, the table wasnt dressed as it should have been, it was rather weird
After being ignored by the staff for more than 20 minutes, I was :furious: I mean, I was hot, hungry, thirsty, I had wanted a waterside table, they put me in a corner and then forget about me???? That aint going to happen!
We gathered our stuff, and after complaining about the whole situation, we kind of stampede-ed out of the restaurant. No way I was eating there that evening. Usually Im not like that, but dont mess with me when Im hungry!
Ok, It was about 9.15, we were hungry, and had no ADR!!! So we decided we would go to the Village, check out the first restaurant that didnt have a long line and eat there. It turned out Planet Hollywood could seat us immediately.
See dining review below!
After dinner, we went back to the car, and I had to face the parking garage at the hotel just one more time! :yay:

[SandraVB79]

After waking up, we had breakfast on bed! Yes yes yes, I had bought some more Mickey brioches, and we ate those in our bed. Not too bad as a start of the day ah!
After showering and packing, we checked out, I faced the garage for the very last time and we drove to the Outlet Village. There we shopped and shopped. After buying way too much lingerie at Chantelle and 4 Longchamp purses, I had done enough shopping, and we decided to go to the Disneyland golf. I wanted to check out the Disney-merchandise they had, and usually at golf club houses, you can eat nice ice creams.
Well the atmosphere was very :snooty: , there was hardly any Disney-golf-merchandise (just a polo shirt that didnt fit me at all and logo-balls) and the ice cream was not bad. See the dining review below!

After this disappointing experience, we decided to just return back home. At 5.30 pm, it was still 32C at the golf! :sunny: Amazing!!!

After a nice and easy drive (my mom wanted to drive, and since I didnt have my drivers license with me, I let her :car: ) I stopped once again at that particular gas station to once again clean my windows. I think about 250 bugs were sticking on my window. :crazy2:
When I left the gas station (I was then driving again), I told my mom: Look, thats Ex-BF. My mom thought I was crazy but no, it was him, I still have the reflex to look at the license plate of each Range Rover I pass My mom kindly asked me to not hit him, something I didnt want at all, it was already bad enough my vacation ended by seeing him, I didnt want it to end by having to deal with him for hitting him in the back (although irate: )
Around 9.30 we were back home, and could tell the family about our 4 days out!!!

[SandraVB79]

April 12 lunch: Victorias home style restaurant.

My mom and I both wanted a croque monsieur.
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For once, the line moved rather quickly (usually, you have to wait for an eternity at this restaurant). The croque was very good (I love those DLP croques!). We sat outside to eat it, and were surrounded by the pin mafia, all tables were taken by people who sold pins on the black market (I saw more selling for big bucks than trading!)

April 12 dinner: Walts, an American restaurant.

We had an ADR for 9 pm and checked in around 9.15 because we first had watched the Bougillumination late showing from Main Street. After waiting for about 5 minutes, we were seated at a window table in the Main Street room :yay:
The server (Ross I think) was very nice to all people in the room, except to us :confused3 After we switched to talking in English to him instead of French, he was a little nicer, but still He also wanted to know right from the beginning if we wanted the menu with or without dessert and had to know which dessert we wanted. I didnt like this, because two weeks before at Caf Mickey, after my main course I was so full I couldnt fit dessert anymore. But we decided we would take dessert anyway.

Bread basket:

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My mom and I both had the clam chowder. They called it Boston style. It isnt exactly like the clam chowder I ate while in New England, it was not as thick as there, but it was very good!

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I had chosen the risotto with scallops. It was very good, although I thought it tasted not as much as risotto but more as the thing they use for couscous. But it was good anyway!

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My mom had the steak with barnaise. Its always risky to order beef in France, but this one was very good.

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I had the apple crumble with apricot sorbet as dessert

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My mom had the trio of sorbets with a chocolate cookie kind of thing.

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When it was time to pay, they told us the computer was down, and that they couldnt give us my discount. Im sorry, but your computer is not my problem, and I want my discount! In the end, the computer was up and running again, I got my discount, and they forgot to charge us for our drinks. We didnt tell them, in our opinion, that was to make up for the servers not too nice attitude towards us. Nah!

[SandraVB79]

April 13 breakfast: Cable Car Bake Shop

Mickey brioches with chocolate filling; They are very very very good!! So good that we bought some on Saturday as breakfast on Sunday! I did feel bad when I bit Mickeys ears off though

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April 13: Ice cream from Fantasia Gelatti

My mom and I both enjoyed a very refreshing Mandarine/ citron cone. The service at the counter service was also not as slow as 2 weeks before!

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April 13 dinner: Cape Cod buffet

We like this buffet. Its not expensive, and we think the quality is rather good. I could just eat starters here and be still very happy!
On the starter buffet were tortilla chips with condiments (salsa, guacamole, sour cream, ), cheese pizza, mozzarella and tomatoes, peel and eat shrimp, cold cuts, smoked salmon, Russian eggs, crab/rice salad, green salads, etc etc etc

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On the main course buffet was a roast beef at the craving station, with some sauce and pasta, roasted potatoes, rice, vegetables, There was also some pork with sweet and sour sauce, salmon la plancha and some sort of animal that had feathers before it ended up under a heat lamp (sorry, dont remember which one it was, but it tasted very well!)

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For dessert, there was fruit salad, whole fruits, yoghurt, chocolate mousse, vanilla pudding, passion fruit bavarois, etc etc and there was also cheese.

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I was very very stuffed when we left!!!!

[SandraVB79]

April 14 breakfast: Caf Mickey character buffet.

I love this buffet. I really really do.
There were scrambled eggs, sausage, roasted potatoes, bacon, smoked salmon, cheeses, cold cuts,

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All kinds of breads and croissants, pains au chocolat,

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And lots of dessert items too! And fruit salad

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April 14 dinner: Planet Hollywood

My mom and I both had the mixed (chicken/ beef) fajitas and a Cola Light. I know,w e are boring

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April 15 ice cream time: Disneyland Golf club house

We both had a Cola Light (they just served us a can!!) and an Eagle Cup without caramel sauce (its supposed to be vanilla ice cream with brownie, caramel sauce, roasted almonds and whipped cream). It wasnt bad, but thats about it. I think also the :snooty: atmosphere made that I couldnt enjoy it as much as I wanted.

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[pokeypoke]

SandraVB79, what a great picture of you and Pluto at Cafe Mickey's! You should have it enlarged and framed because it is priceless!

Why do you suppose you and your mother were treated soo badly at the Blue Lagoon? I find it very unacceptable to be treated that way in a Disney park and I would have not only complained to the restaurant, but City Hall AND written a complaint letter to the company. When going to a Disney park, YOU are the guest and should be treated as so. Boy, what a way to have the magic stripped from your day! In general, it seems as though a lot of your eating experiences were spoiled by some sort of rudeness.

Putting the restaurant experiences aside, I hope you and your mother had a great time! The photos were great!

Pokey

[SandraVB79]

SandraVB79, what a great picture of you and Pluto at Cafe Mickey's! You should have it enlarged and framed because it is priceless!

Why do you suppose you and your mother were treated soo badly at the Blue Lagoon? I find it very unacceptable to be treated that way in a Disney park and I would have not only complained to the restaurant, but City Hall AND written a complaint letter to the company. When going to a Disney park, YOU are the guest and should be treated as so. Boy, what a way to have the magic stripped from your day! In general, it seems as though a lot of your eating experiences were spoiled by some sort of rudeness.

Putting the restaurant experiences aside, I hope you and your mother had a great time! The photos were great!

Pokey

Thank you, we really had a great time, and the next trip is already planned (Three days somewhere around June 2 for the special Shareholder's event)

I think what happened at the Blue Lagoon was a bad coincidence. They didn't put us at the table with the number written on the paper, and apparantly, we were in a closed section.
The hostess proposed to seat us again and asked if we wanted to talk to a manager. By that time, I was p*ssed (because I was hungry, oops) and because of the park closing at 10 pm and i already being 9.20 pm or so, it would not really work out anymore (we would be rushed, and I like to eat slowly!), so that's why we opted to just go to the Disney Village. But this will not keep me from going back, the previous experience on April 1 had been very positive, so...

Also, at the other restaurants... it didn't really "spoil" our experience, it was just something we noticed. Usually, as long as I get my food and it's good, I'm happy


All the pictures with characters at Cafe Mickey turned out extremely well, I think I will use one of them as my computer-background.