I_Heart_MK
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Feb 18, 2010
Hi all,
We recently had a bit of a continental jolly which included a 2-night 1-day stop off at our beloved DLRP, and thought we'd share the highs and lows of our (too short) time there
I'll start with the lows:
Weather - It wasn't actually that bad... but pretty windy and changeable! On our park day I didn't take my coat out as it looked so sunny, but it turned out to be rather damp! We did seem to get lucky with our timings though and didn't get totally drenched at any point.
Grumpy taxi driver - we were staying at the Relais Spa Hotel, and I always assume that taxi drivers in the DLRP area will know the locations of all the hotels. We got a taxi back late, and he didn't know where it was, and wouldn't leave until we found the address on his phone, even though we knew the way and I told him it was in Val D'Europe next to the huge (unmissable) police building. He got quite stroppy!
Fast passes running out for Ratatouille ride - although... see highs!!!
Now on to the highs!!!
Single rider line for Ratatouille ride - we arrived at the ride at 10.40am, 40 mins after park opening, and the fast passes had already run out! The standby time was already at 120 mins, and we are really not good with queues, so I was pretty worried that we were going to have to miss out on this ride which we have been looking forward to for aaaaages! The single rider line was 30 mins, so we decided to give it a go. I timed it, and it was only 20 mins in the end. Even better than that, we ended up being in the same "rat" with a family of 4, who kindly offered to shuffle around so that we actually ended up sitting next to each other! We totally loved the ride!!! So much so that we did single rider again at around 5pm, it was a walk on, although we were in different "rats" this time - still good though!
Annual Pass Sponsorship - Carrie Cat was super-sweet enough to give up her time and come and meet us to sponsor DH's AP! It was really nice to meet her, and hear all her insider knowledge! It also meant we got a brilliant deal on the Francillien AP
Bistro Chez Remy - DH said this was one of the best steaks he's had (and we've been to WDW's Yachtsman Steakhouse!), and my fish was also delicious. Loved the theming - so cute! A few screaming kiddies (we always think they should seat couples away from families, but understand this would be a logistical nightmare), but we totally loved it Loved how you can see the restaurant when you get off the ride - reminds me of Blue Lagoon.
Happy Hour at Ludwigs - can't beat a massive beer!
Happy Hour at Planet Hollywood - (I see a theme here from the self-confessed lushies...) great cocktails
Cocktails around the lake - was great to revisit NBC (hoping to stay there soon once it's refurbished!) and SL (all time fave).
Billy Bob's Band - DH (a bassist himself by trade) noticed that the bassist has swapped his bass guitar for an upright... they put on a great show as always and played our first dance song Stand By Me as they did last time
Relais Spa Hotel - Lots of good things to say about this! We have stayed in Val D'Europe before but this was our first time in this hotel. The staff were super-friendly and helpful, and the spa (practically empty on both our visits) was beautiful. We loved the robes and slippers in the room, as well as the super-king sized bed. The room was clean, modern and if we craned out necks out of the window we had a view of the Studios Park!!! The room had a slight smell of smoke (which we didn't notice after being in the room for 30 seconds) and the check in was a bit of a faff (with the friendly boy on the desk answering the phone several times while checking us in - he was apologetic but still a little annoying), but overall it was great. Since we booked, they have also started running a shuttle to and from the parks. This was really convenient and a big plus. It was more or less a personal taxi service - we simply asked the concierge, he put us in the minibus and drove us there! Probably one of the best shuttles of all the hotels as it was so quick and no wait. The only problem was getting back, as they told us to call the hotel to request a pickup, but we didn't want to get charged extortionate amounts by our mobile companies. We chanced it on one occasion and the shuttle happened to drop someone off while we were at the stop so we got a ride back, but another time we ended up walking back (20 min walk), and got a cab (see above low!). If you can get around this (i.e. don't mind using your phone abroad), this would be an amazing service and continues until 11pm (not sure about different times of year).
Overall we had a really lovely time, and are now planning our next trip (it would be rude not to seeing as we now have an AP!)
We recently had a bit of a continental jolly which included a 2-night 1-day stop off at our beloved DLRP, and thought we'd share the highs and lows of our (too short) time there
I'll start with the lows:
Weather - It wasn't actually that bad... but pretty windy and changeable! On our park day I didn't take my coat out as it looked so sunny, but it turned out to be rather damp! We did seem to get lucky with our timings though and didn't get totally drenched at any point.
Grumpy taxi driver - we were staying at the Relais Spa Hotel, and I always assume that taxi drivers in the DLRP area will know the locations of all the hotels. We got a taxi back late, and he didn't know where it was, and wouldn't leave until we found the address on his phone, even though we knew the way and I told him it was in Val D'Europe next to the huge (unmissable) police building. He got quite stroppy!
Fast passes running out for Ratatouille ride - although... see highs!!!
Now on to the highs!!!
Single rider line for Ratatouille ride - we arrived at the ride at 10.40am, 40 mins after park opening, and the fast passes had already run out! The standby time was already at 120 mins, and we are really not good with queues, so I was pretty worried that we were going to have to miss out on this ride which we have been looking forward to for aaaaages! The single rider line was 30 mins, so we decided to give it a go. I timed it, and it was only 20 mins in the end. Even better than that, we ended up being in the same "rat" with a family of 4, who kindly offered to shuffle around so that we actually ended up sitting next to each other! We totally loved the ride!!! So much so that we did single rider again at around 5pm, it was a walk on, although we were in different "rats" this time - still good though!
Annual Pass Sponsorship - Carrie Cat was super-sweet enough to give up her time and come and meet us to sponsor DH's AP! It was really nice to meet her, and hear all her insider knowledge! It also meant we got a brilliant deal on the Francillien AP
Bistro Chez Remy - DH said this was one of the best steaks he's had (and we've been to WDW's Yachtsman Steakhouse!), and my fish was also delicious. Loved the theming - so cute! A few screaming kiddies (we always think they should seat couples away from families, but understand this would be a logistical nightmare), but we totally loved it
Loved how you can see the restaurant when you get off the ride - reminds me of Blue Lagoon.Happy Hour at Ludwigs - can't beat a massive beer!
Happy Hour at Planet Hollywood - (I see a theme here from the self-confessed lushies...) great cocktails
Cocktails around the lake - was great to revisit NBC (hoping to stay there soon once it's refurbished!) and SL (all time fave).
Billy Bob's Band - DH (a bassist himself by trade) noticed that the bassist has swapped his bass guitar for an upright... they put on a great show as always and played our first dance song Stand By Me as they did last time
Relais Spa Hotel - Lots of good things to say about this! We have stayed in Val D'Europe before but this was our first time in this hotel. The staff were super-friendly and helpful, and the spa (practically empty on both our visits) was beautiful. We loved the robes and slippers in the room, as well as the super-king sized bed. The room was clean, modern and if we craned out necks out of the window we had a view of the Studios Park!!! The room had a slight smell of smoke (which we didn't notice after being in the room for 30 seconds) and the check in was a bit of a faff (with the friendly boy on the desk answering the phone several times while checking us in - he was apologetic but still a little annoying), but overall it was great. Since we booked, they have also started running a shuttle to and from the parks. This was really convenient and a big plus. It was more or less a personal taxi service - we simply asked the concierge, he put us in the minibus and drove us there! Probably one of the best shuttles of all the hotels as it was so quick and no wait. The only problem was getting back, as they told us to call the hotel to request a pickup, but we didn't want to get charged extortionate amounts by our mobile companies. We chanced it on one occasion and the shuttle happened to drop someone off while we were at the stop so we got a ride back, but another time we ended up walking back (20 min walk), and got a cab (see above low!). If you can get around this (i.e. don't mind using your phone abroad), this would be an amazing service and continues until 11pm (not sure about different times of year).
Overall we had a really lovely time, and are now planning our next trip (it would be rude not to seeing as we now have an AP!)
