A Tale of A Thousand and One Trips - The Never-Ending Trip Report

Day 3

The lie in was definitely appreciated. I got up at around 9:00, got ready and headed down to breakfast. There was a lift near my room that ended up just round the corner from the breakfast room. The breakfast buffet was very nice. It was essentially a continental breakfast, but they also added boiled eggs and bacon to the line up. They also had a decent coffee machine. I started with some orange juice and cappuccino. I had a peach and raspberry yoghurt and a pastry. I then went back for some water, tropical fruit juice, bread, cheese, bacon and an egg. I enjoyed my breakfast and this set me up nicely for the day.

After breakfast, I went back to the room and packed my few odds and ends. I then headed down to reception to check out. I was surprised when they told me that I was all set. Normally there is a tourist tax to pay which my paperwork for the hotel booking stated was not included. On my October visit, I had to pay this when I checked in. I did not pay this on check in this time and figured I just would pay for it when I check out. Apparently it was showing as pre-paid and I was most certainly not going to argue the point. I said thank you and headed for the bus. I had a bit of a wait and it was pretty windy so I found a spot in the lobby where I could sit down, but also could see the bus pull in.

The bus turned up about 20 minutes later and as the hotel I was staying at was the last stop before the bus went to Disneyland Paris, it did not take long to get there. Security was very quiet. I took a couple of photos outside the park and then headed to left luggage to leave my weekender. There was one person in front of me so that did not hold me back long either. Once I was in the park, I headed up to the railway station. The Disneyland Railway had been closed for refurbishment nearly as long as Big Thunder Mountain. The Discoveryland station was still closed, but the other three stations had now reopened. I just missed a train so I had a bit of a wait. I enjoyed the view and took a few photos. It was pretty chilly up there, but I was glad that I persevered. I really enjoyed the train ride.











When I got off the train, I headed for Discoveryland and rode Buzz Lightyear Laser Blast a couple of times. The big robot and the ride photos were still out of order, but with the ride being essentially a walk up, I did not mind at all. I took another photo of the fountain near the Plaza Gardens Restaurant and this had frozen up even more. I timed this pretty well as Frozen: A Royal Welcome was about to happen for the first time that day and I stayed to watch this.









I then crossed over into Fantasyland where I rode It’s A Small World. This was actually a little busier than normal, but it was still only a 10-minute wait. I did enjoy it, but even inside it was pretty cold. When I came off the ride, I made my way over to Frontierland. I wanted to ride Big Thunder Mountain again. I got a Fastpass for about 30 minutes later and got in the standby line. This time the taking the left side worked again as everybody was in the right side and I could just walk through. I had enough time to have another session of window-shopping before I could use my Fastpass. When I did this in the morning, the extra special effect in the dynamite scene was broken. Fortunately it was working again in the afternoon.



I then decided it was time for some lunch. I still had not made it to Earl of Sandwich so I left the park and headed to Disney Village. On the way I picked up an I Am Celebrating button from City Hall. I figured it was time to celebrate the new job. This time I was a little more adventurous. I had my usual meal deal plus a cup of tomato soup, but for my sandwich I went with the Hawaiian BBQ sandwich, which consisted of ham, grilled chicken, BBQ sauce, Swiss cheese and pineapple. I really liked it, but I think next time I will go back to the cannonball sandwich.
 
I had a quick look around the shops in Disney Village and then I decided to go and see Spiderman. I went over to Walt Disney Studios. I could not believe that there was no line at all. One family was with Spiderman when I got there and I was next. Even at the after hours party during the Run Disney event, I waited longer than this. During my very brief waiting time, I was talking with the cast member by the entrance. She asked me what I was celebrating and I told her that I was celebrating getting a new job. She asked me what I would be doing and once I told her, she replied: “You are going to make magic just like I do.” She really hit the nail on the head, because this is precisely what I am doing. I had a nice interaction with Spiderman.



I checked out the single rider line on Ratatouille and this was 5 minutes so I quickly did this before heading back to Disneyland. I picked up another Fastpass for Big Thunder Mountain and then headed over to Phantom Manor, as I had not done this yet on this trip. I was amused that a conductor from the train was talking with one of the cast members from Phantom Manor. You don’t really see this kind of thing in the American parks. I got lucky and they had just opened the door to let people in when I came up to the porch so I had no wait. I enjoyed the ride and then headed over to Big Thunder Mountain to use my Fastpass. I had to wait a couple of minutes until my window opened, but I did not mind. This time round, all special effects were in good working order. The wind had picked up and this made the ride a slightly uncomfortable proposition.



When I had finished the ride, I headed over to Main Street to stake out a spot for the parade. I found a nice spot near the exit. I still had about 20 minutes until the parade was due to start so I went into one of the shops to warm up. I was surprised that my spot was still available when I came out. I really enjoyed the parade and I was glad that I got to see this one last time as this has now been replaced by a new parade. From what I have seen, the floats for the new parade are truly stunning, but the music is horrible. I took plenty of photos to remember the parade by.



































Once the parade was over, I exited the park and picked up my weekender from the left luggage office. There were a couple of people in front of me, but I still did not have to wait long. I then headed to the station and took a photo of the goodbye sign on the way. I had made good time and my train was not listed yet. This changed about 15 minutes later. The train was on time and 10 minutes later I was at the airport.



I went in search of some dinner and ended up at McDonald’s. I was impressed with the choices. I ended up with a snack box, which consisted of chicken strips, chicken nuggets and breaded goats cheese. I also had some waffle fries and a Coke. What impressed me most is that they were selling macaroons. I had some pistachio macaroons. I ended up taking those home.

Once I had finished my dinner, I headed back to the terminal where my flight was leaving from and went through security. I had a look at some of the duty free shops and then headed through passport control. This was pretty busy, but I was still at the gate in plenty of time. I used the free Wi-Fi until it was time to board. Boarding was a slow process and there was a lot of standing around involved. Eventually we were allowed to get on the plane and we left on time. The flight was smooth and I spent it reading. We arrived in Manchester on time and there was not much of a wait at passport control. I did not have long to wait for a train either and I was soon back home.
 
That's a decent parade! And yay for not having any additional charges at check-out.

Sad to be finishing up another trip but I think you may have been glad to get home. Thanks for sharing.
 


That's a decent parade!

I have always loved this parade. I think the new parade is quite similar to the one at Magic Kingdom.

And yay for not having any additional charges at check-out.

That definitely was a nice surprise.

Sad to be finishing up another trip but I think you may have been glad to get home.

Yes, I was happy to get to a milder climate.

Thanks for sharing.

Thanks for reading along. I shall now take a two months break from trip reporting. I will be gone for a month and then I need about another month to upload all the photos on Flickr, sort them out and get some days pre-typed.

Corinna
 
It is a fantastic ride. If you need a "local" tour guide for Disneyland Paris, you just need to say the word.

Corinna

I will definitely take you up on this offer! :)

You managed a lot done on this day, what fun!!!

Phantom Manor intrigues me to no end. Its not the exact same as HM?

BONUS for not having to pay the hotel tax!

The fountain is unreal, I guess I had no idea it got that cold in France.

Thanks so much for sharing your trip. Glad getting home was pretty smooth.
 
You managed a lot done on this day, what fun!!!

If you are able to go off season during the week, Disneyland Paris is a pure delight. Saturday and Sunday it gets busier as the locals come, but it is still OK unless you go during peak seasons.

Phantom Manor intrigues me to no end. Its not the exact same as HM?

It is quite different and a lot of fun.

The fountain is unreal, I guess I had no idea it got that cold in France.

I should be used to this as the climate in Germany is very similar, but I suppose I have softened up after all the years of living in the UK where the climate is a lot milder.

Thanks so much for sharing your trip.

Thanks for reading along.

Corinna
 


Wishing you and Graham travel mercies , an abundance of blue skies and many tasty treats. We will miss you during your absence but realize

we have something thrilling coming our way when you return...can't wait to hear all about it.

:cat:
 
Wishing you and Graham travel mercies , an abundance of blue skies and many tasty treats. We will miss you during your absence but realize

we have something thrilling coming our way when you return...can't wait to hear all about it.

:cat:

Thanks. At the moment I am quietly freaking out. I am not sure why as I am pretty much ready. I will spend the evening reading a good book and put everything out of my mind.

Corinna
 
What a smashing day! Plenty of great rides and how nice getting yourself a well earnt button for your new job. Cool photos of spider man. Yum EOS!

I love the fire cracker noise on Big Thunder Mountain!

The parade photos are great. Lovely characters.

McDonlads menu very impressive. Mccaroons yes please. Great that you got your flight ok.
 
What a wonderful ending to your trip in France! Wishing you safe and magical travels on your current one!
 

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