"Don't anger the dolls"-A France and DLP Trip, June '18-COMPLETED (4/22-ride comparisons)

Ok, again, this delay between postings is getting ridiculous! And I'm so sorry! Just crazy here with trips and recovering from trips and planning new trips! But I am putting a big effort this weekend to getting further in this report!

Day 17, Part 1: Dresses and Legos!


So today was somewhat of an interesting day, I spent 11 hours at the park and I did only 3 rides! Yet I was never bored – that is how detailed this park is!

This morning started out a bit lazy. I don’t think I got out of bed until 10ish, and I ended up skipping breakfast in the lounge. I think I snacked on my Earl of Sandwich cookie instead. (I did stop down to see if I could pick up a water bottle or soda, but they wouldn’t give out any of those until around 11:30; I’ve never done Club Level at WDW, but I would assume those people go more above and beyond to make sure people get what they want?)

By 11am I was walking into Disney Village and I decided to wander through some stores.

First World of Toys, which really is mostly Disney princess dresses.

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And my, oh my, those dresses are gorgeous! Disney Tourist Blog always said the DLP dresses are different and they were right. Each design was different than the ones you see at the US parks, with more intricate details. They also had dolls with matching dresses, and each princess had the appropriate accessories, including shoes that actually could be used as shoes, not just costume.

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They also had winter capes for a lot of them, which were very cute. Aurora had some dresses that even preteens could wear (no adult sizes though).

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And for boys, they had a full pirate outfit.

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For babies, they had the cutest little onsies! Seriously I wanted them all!

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And they also had a good selection of every-day princess dresses that weren’t as costumy, including this Elsa shirt with the color changing sequins

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I then walked through the Lego Store, which was pretty much the same selection as ours though smaller. Though they had different sculptures and on the walls had big murals, which included info tags that said how many pieces and how many hours it took to make. I love the ceiling light fixtures though, and didn’t even notice them until looking at the photos! They don’t have an outdoor area for the dragon, so he is going in and out of the walls.

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The Lion King: 12,491 bricks, 27 kg, 65 hours to make

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Part 2: Liberty Arcade

Checked out Disney Fashion, which has some cute things, but very few in sizes I would even consider would fit me. I think the things they did have in my size didn’t scream out “Disneyland Paris” and since I already have enough Disney clothes (and get more all the time), nothing that meant I had to get.

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They also have a vintage selection, where everything is one of a kind (but again, smaller sizes).

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They had a Minnie Parisian collection that included velvet sneakers!

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After 20 minutes of window shopping I made it into the park and decided to walk up thru Liberty Arcade.

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If you aren’t familiar with the design of Main Street at DLP, they have the main outdoor street, but then also covered arcades on each side. The Imagineers wanted to figure out how to protect from the weather (which was also why they did the huge glass roof covering for Tokyo Disney). When Walt Disney originally designed Disneyland (CA) he had imagined two streets adjacent to Main Street: Liberty Street (American values and history), and Edison Square (Edison’s inventions). So the Imagineers took this idea as inspiration and themed each of the covered arcades appropriately.

Liberty Arcade is all about Statue of Liberty: starting with the construction in France, the dedication in the US, and how it became a world symbol. It really is a great exhibition and I actually learned some things about the Statue of Liberty! Like how the design’s mother was the model for the statue. And the US was asked to pay for a build the pedestal, while France would do the statue.

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There is an entrance to the arcade from each end, as well as the center (one of the main street side streets), and some of the stores have doors that open onto them. Here is the center area, which has some awesome tilework (I had to take a photo a second day without the cone in the way).

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The second half of the arcade focused on exhibits/artifacts on immigration to the US.

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Now, I’m going to be honest here. I am someone who is not happy (that’s putting it lightly) with the political atmosphere in the US right now, especially with the leadership. In fact, I refuse to go to Hall of Presidents at Magic Kingdom. I also happened to be visiting right after the news picked up the stories about immigrant kids being separated from their families and kept in detention facilities. So, as I walked up and read about this statue which is supposed to be a beacon of hope, and then got to the exhibits on immigration, I started to get a bit emotional. And still do. I just hope things can change for the better and we once again become a place of hope and welcoming.

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Part 3: Frontierland fort

Ok, back to the Trip Report.

I headed into Frontierland via a covered passage. That is something that is great about DLP – there are so many connecting pathways, especially on the western side of the park! This one also had lots of attraction/Frontierland posters (excuse the glare)

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The pathway let out into the Frontierland fort, which I checked out. Another area that is sooo detailed and very cool! It was just fun to explore it all! The mannequins aren’t animatronic though, but that didn’t stop me from enjoying it.

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Part 4: Lion King Plushes!

View of Thunder Mesa from the top

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An Indian village outside the fort

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There is an exterior pathway from Frontier-Adventureland that actually skirts the Hub (ahem, Central Plaza). But it’s cool to see where the foliage changes from wilderness to desert!

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In Adventureland I stopped to check out a cart of Lion King plushies. Yet again, DLP has it’s A-game for plushies!

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I passed by Adventure Isle on my way to lunch…

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Part 5: Lunch with a Pirate

And I was definitely ready for lunch (especially since I had skipped breakfast). Today I was eating at Captain Jack’s, which is sort of like their Blue Bayou, located on the edge of the Pirates ride.

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The waiting area really looks like a pirate’s hangout!

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The theming inside is just wonderful, really feeling like you’ve entered a tropical cove. I ended up getting seated at a table down by the water, which was super cool to be able to watch the boats come by! Also the restaurant itself is really huge, but it doesn’t feel that way when you are seated because so many of the “rooms” are separated from each other with fences and steps!

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I also loved the variety of pirate flags they had up around the restaurant. A funny thing – I recognized a bunch of them. When I was in college I organized the Engineering Orientation Week festivities and one year the theme was Pirates vs Ninjas (I have no idea how that came about, but I’m sure it was a result of holding planning meetings in pubs). I was head of Team Pirates and assigned a different flag to each group! So it was cool Disney did their research and included real flags in the theming!

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Of course bathroom signs:

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There was also a small set of stairs behind my table (a few steps), which I originally was worried would disturb me, but turns out once someone is sitting at that table, the restaurant doesn’t really use them. Well, with one exception…

As I was eating my bread, I heard a series of clomping down the stairs right behind me and thought, who is that klutz? Well, I hear “hello!” and look up to see the owner, Captain Jack himself! The meal isn’t advertised as a character dining because I don’t think he’s always there, but luckily he showed up this time!

We ended up having a fun discussion where I let him know this version of pirates was my favorite. So then he asked if I wanted a photo. I got up to try and snap a selfie, which probably was going to be horrible. And he goes, oh that won’t do – grabs my phone with one hand, my hand with the other and pulls me up the steps to find a waiter who took some great photos of us! It was honestly great! Just an overall fun experience!

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For my meal, it started with the bread. I think there was some sort of mango dip and I also think one of the breads was something coconutty. Anyways, I liked them both.

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Soon after my unexpected character meet, my meal arrived (I skipped the appetizers because nothing looked amazing to me): Grilled wahoo fillet, sweet potato mash and tangy multicolored carrot salad

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It was fine, fish was a bit dry, but there was a lot of it. Again, that was the trend with DLP dining – food unmemorable, theme great! But overall, I was very pleased I ate there.

Coming up: getting lost in Adventure Isle!
 
Having the sea monster at the lego store go through the walls is a lot like what they do at the one in NYC except his head is much closer to where guests can walk by it, but that's cool that's a common thing they tend to do at the lego stores.

I've only recently heard about Liberty Street and Edison Square, but I had no clue they actually did something as an homage to it in DLP, that's pretty incredible! Especially since it's two areas dedicated to primarily the US not Paris, wow. And you know I 100% echo your feelings about things in the US right now, but like AMEN TO THAT SIS.

Captain Jack's looks like some extra detailed Pirates queue and I love it. And how cool that Captain Jack actually comes around on occasion. What a fun little surprise! Sorry to hear the food wasn't great, but after meeting Captain Jack I'd be like "whatever fills me up idc Captain Jack just said hi to me"
 


Great updates! I'm looking forward to soaking in all of the details while we're there in early September! I 100% agree with you on the state of things in the U.S. and have also avoided the HoP attraction. Ugh.

I was thinking that we need to check out the Pirate's restaurant while we're there so I was very happy to see your review of it. We will set our expectations for the food in DLP low and just try to choose places to eat based on the atmosphere.
 
What an amazing day! I love just taking in the Disney atmosphere!
That restaurant looks amazing- and so cool you got to meet Capt. Jack right at your table!
 
Those dresses for girls are gorgeous, so detailed!

Captain Jack's looks awesome! And that is beyond cool that you got meet to Jack while there!
 
Ok, again, this delay between postings is getting ridiculous! And I'm so sorry! Just crazy here with trips and recovering from trips and planning new trips! But I am putting a big effort this weekend to getting further in this report!
All those trips, you poor poor girl LOL

As I was eating my bread, I heard a series of clomping down the stairs right behind me and thought, who is that klutz? Well, I hear “hello!” and look up to see the owner, Captain Jack himself! The meal isn’t advertised as a character dining because I don’t think he’s always there, but luckily he showed up this time!
The theme of this restaurant is awesome! Jimmy would absolutely love to go there, and what a perfect surprise to get Captain Jack himself in the midst of it!!
 
Captain Jack's looks like some extra detailed Pirates queue and I love it. And how cool that Captain Jack actually comes around on occasion. What a fun little surprise! Sorry to hear the food wasn't great, but after meeting Captain Jack I'd be like "whatever fills me up idc Captain Jack just said hi to me"
Haha, yeah it was a fun experience! I mean, I had learned by that point that I was not going to find amazing food at DLP!

How fun to have a surprising meet with Captain Jack!
Yup! I like things like that!

Great updates! I'm looking forward to soaking in all of the details while we're there in early September! I 100% agree with you on the state of things in the U.S. and have also avoided the HoP attraction. Ugh.

I was thinking that we need to check out the Pirate's restaurant while we're there so I was very happy to see your review of it. We will set our expectations for the food in DLP low and just try to choose places to eat based on the atmosphere.
The details are the best! And I'm glad the review helped!

What an amazing day! I love just taking in the Disney atmosphere!
That restaurant looks amazing- and so cool you got to meet Capt. Jack right at your table!
Atmosphere is wonderful! I can't wait to see Tokyo later this year and soak all that in!

Those dresses for girls are gorgeous, so detailed!

Captain Jack's looks awesome! And that is beyond cool that you got meet to Jack while there!
I loooove the dresses! I wanted to get them for my friend's daughter, but knew it would cost too much money!

All those trips, you poor poor girl LOL


The theme of this restaurant is awesome! Jimmy would absolutely love to go there, and what a perfect surprise to get Captain Jack himself in the midst of it!!
I know, woe is me!
 
(Ok I lied in the coming up from my last post - I went to Fantasyland first, but I did get to adventure in Adventureland later in the afternoon)

Day 17, Part 5 - Another ride on pirates

After lunch, well, might as well do another run on Pirates! I think this time I had a longer wait than my previous walk-on, but it was still an awesome ride and I got the front row again.

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At the end Barbarossa shows up and turns into the skeleton! It’s a pretty well-done effect

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And I love all the CM outfits!

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Then I checked out the dump shop.

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Some leftover Pirate/Princess merchandise. I wish they had more/better Princess and Pirate festival merchandise. They did have some pins, which I tracked down later via ebay (they were too cute to resist).

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I mean, even the coke stand is so well themed!

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Part 6 - Lost in a labyrinth

I saw this at Toad Hall, which was a normal occurrence at restaurants around the park. Basically they only open on certain days (and times). I used “Disney Kind of Day” (https://disneykindofday.blogspot.com/2015/04/restaurant-opening-hours-disneyland.html), which was very good at providing accurate opening info.

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I headed into Fantasyland and walked around The Curious Labyrinth, which isn’t really a true maze. It is full of Alice details (based on the animated movie; the maze in Shanghai is based on the live action film)

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There is one main path and some places where it goes off or loops around, but it all comes back to that path or ends at the same spot. But there are lots of fun photo spots and I ended up taking some photos for one family and the mom took photos of me!


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The “Tully Woods” section is the one you can get the most turned around in. And many of the details are up at the top, so you need to look up to see everything! I realized I missed the Cheshire cat in the tree, so had to backtrack. (Which resulted in another wonderful park guest experience where a pre-teen boy basically punched me in the chest; like literally, he wasn’t surprised by me walking and wasn’t flailing his arms, he just decided to hit me! Truly ridiculous!)

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I think in the hedge “maze” there are a bunch of animatronics who are supposed to jump up, but I only saw one (after I walked away)! I think it was broken too so you heard the voice, but didn’t see the figures.

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Broken animatronic. I could heard the Queen of Hearts but couldn't see her....

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Part 7 - A view from the castle!

At the end of the maze you get the view from the Queen’s castle (I think you can also get to the castle thru the exit if you don’t want to walk the entire thing)

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And at the very end there is a photo opp setup. Again, I took some photos of 2 girls and they took ones of me! I don’t think I’d be able to get a selfie with that setup!

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They have a whole fun Alice area over there: the Maze, the teacups, and the March Hare café. Unfortunately the teacups were down for refurb but since they’ve reopened I’ve seen photos of the lights and they look awesome at night!

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More Fantasyland photos.

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Part 8 - It's a small world...

And I decided to take a cruise around the world. It’s very cute, feels brighter than DLR’s version. Though I like DLR’s exterior area better because this one is covered so you don’t get that effect of seeing the huge façade.

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On the ride. The outdoor portion is actually covered, unlike Disneyland’s which is open and if its rainy, then there is a part where you are exposed to the elements.

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I think I was in the back row, so I didn’t feel bad taking lots of photos since my camera wouldn’t be blocking people’s views!

I did like seeing lots of different cultures I don’t remember from the DLR or WDW versions! Be prepared for a massive photo dump!

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That Barbossa effect looks awesome! Ooo, I really want to see Paris' now.

The Curious Labyrinth looks like a place I'd spend way too long in. You'd never get me out. You'd genuinely think it was a maze. So cute and the views from the Queen of Hearts' castle are GORJ. Paris seems a lot more open than the other castle parks I've noticed hmmm
 
no adult sizes though
Oh boo! We want princess clothes, too!

For babies, they had the cutest little onsies! Seriously I wanted them all!
Alright those are absolutely precious. I might have to pick some up for my niece when we go...

The Lion King: 12,491 bricks, 27 kg, 65 hours to make
That Lego art is fantastic! What a cool way to use Legos.

I was head of Team Pirates and assigned a different flag to each group! So it was cool Disney did their research and included real flags in the theming!
Nice to know that they aren't just making stuff up (except for when they're supposed to be making stuff up).

Well, I hear “hello!” and look up to see the owner, Captain Jack himself! The meal isn’t advertised as a character dining because I don’t think he’s always there, but luckily he showed up this time!
So cool! Jack is one of my fave characters. It's neat that he just appears there!

We ended up having a fun discussion where I let him know this version of pirates was my favorite. So then he asked if I wanted a photo. I got up to try and snap a selfie, which probably was going to be horrible. And he goes, oh that won’t do – grabs my phone with one hand, my hand with the other and pulls me up the steps to find a waiter who took some great photos of us! It was honestly great! Just an overall fun experience
That sounds like an amazing interaction. I love it when characters are all in it.

Again, that was the trend with DLP dining – food unmemorable, theme great! But overall, I was very pleased I ate there
Definitely adding this to our list!

But there are lots of fun photo spots and I ended up taking some photos for one family and the mom took photos of me!
Ah, so glad you found nice families to take your photo! That's one of the downsides of solo travel, but there are usually enough kind people around who can help you out.

(Which resulted in another wonderful park guest experience where a pre-teen boy basically punched me in the chest; like literally, he wasn’t surprised by me walking and wasn’t flailing his arms, he just decided to hit me! Truly ridiculous!)
WHAT? Just punched you? How does that even.....???

Your photos are making me SO EXCITED for DLP in September!!
 

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