My trip... some good, some bad, but overall, lots of fun! (a bit long)

[Chuckers]

So, my trip was from June 11th through June 15th. It was A LOT MORE CROWDED than I expected. Luckily, I had a handicap pass that allowed me to not wait in line. So I was able to accomplish a bit more than I would have otherwise.

So, let's start with getting there... I used Disney's Magical Express on my arrival.. that was probably one of the worst decisions I made. There is absolutely NO organization at the airport for the bus system or station. There is no schedule for the buses. When I got to the station, outside terminal 2, there was just one blob of a crowd there. Some had been waiting over two hours for a bus as they missed getting on the last bus by 4 people. 40 minutes after I got there, a bus showed up. Luckily I got on it, but I was very tempted to abandon waiting and try to get a train. There was someone at the desk inside the terminal, but no one to talk to at all outside. I plan on going back, but I will not use the DME bus.

I mentioned how disappointed I was with The Sequoia Lodge in another thread. The room was terrible. The bed was terrible. The shower was terrible. The lobby and general hotel look was very nice. The pool was closed for refurb (I was able to use the pool at the NY hotel.) Who refurbs a pool at the beginning of summer? I felt that I was paying for a high priced Moderate hotel at WDW and getting something less than an All Stars. When I go back, I'll just stay somewhere cheaper, like Cheyenne.

Now some good I had 2 sit down meals. The first was at the Downtown Restaurant in the NY Hotel. It. Was. AWESOME! The food was really good and I probably had the best dessert on premises there... it was a simple dessert that was in the shape of Thor's Hammer. The dinner was a buffet with American, Italian, and Chinese entrees. I didn't have any of the Chinese food, but did sample the others and I was impressed. The second meal was a character breakfast. It was standard breakfast fare, but I got to see characters I had never seen before. Gepetto, Pinocchio, and Captain Hook. It was a little haphazard as the characters have no handlers and at one point I had 3 characters at my table at the same time. But I still enjoyed it ang got a picture with all of the characters.

EVERY cast member I dealt with was wonderful. Everyone spoke English, some went right to English after I said "Bonjour." I think my accent gave me away! I got some magic pixie dust on Sunday night. I went to the Skyline Bar in the NY hotel for a birthday champagne. The bartender gave it to me for free. It was so nice. I wore my birthday button and got a lot of Happy Birthdays from cast members... some were across the street when they saw my button and yelled it to me

I FOUND THE "DOLE WHIP." It's called a pineapple whip there. I was able to get one and only one. The small stand was not open on Monday. On Tuesday the machine was broken. Got it on Wednesday. The machine was broken again on Thursday. That kinda ticked me off that they only have it in one place and it's hit or miss when you get it. However, the one I had was very interesting. I actually liked it better than the ones in the US. It's not as sweet as a traditional Dole Whip, the sweetness comes from the pineapple syrup that's poured on the whip. It's served in a waffle bowl and the bowl goes really well with the whip when eaten together.

The night time shows were really fun. The fireworks/castle show were pretty, but I didn't understand most of the story because it was in French. All I know is that something happens to cause the magic to get lost, more things happen, the magic comes back and everyone's happy The drone show is AMAZING! I was way off center the first night I saw it, then I camped out for an hour the second night for the perfect spot on main street. It was SO worth camping out. A lot of fun to watch the drones and "pictures" they paint.

The only show I got to see was Mickey and the Magician. It was okay. I mostly remember that the woman playing Rafiki couldn't sing and was VERY flat. It hurt my ears flat. I wanted to see the Lion King show, but I was told I needed to show up an hour before hand and stand in the sun until the doors open. I couldn't do that.. especially in the heat. If I wanted to buy a preferred seat, I was told I still needed to show up 30 minutes before and stand in the sun. That's insane.

I was very grateful for single rider lines (except when groups of 10 would use it and expect to be seated together). I loved being able to do Webslinger 8 times while I was there, as well as Avengers Assemble and Space Mountain. Crush's single rider didn't save any time. DLP has the best Big Thunder and I REALLY like Phantom Manor. Except for the Nightmare Before Christmas overlay in Disneyland CA, I like Phantom Manor better than DL and WDW. I was thrown by Space Mountain. I was used to a small train space mountain, not a long train. It was not as good as I had hoped. The train slowed down way too much and made the ride not as much fun. Plus, it's a bit of a head banger. I found if I didn't rest my head back on the head rest, it wasn't as bad. Star Tours in French was interesting.. I FINALLY got to see a "tour" I hadn't seen in the US.

5 days/4 nights is definitely long enough for a wonderful relaxed paced trip, I could probably do one day less, but I won't . I look forward to going back in a few years.

 

[zavandor]

Thank you for your report. Where is the pineapple whip cart?

 

[Chuckers]

Thank you for your report. Where is the pineapple whip cart?

Cafe de la Brousse in Adventureland. It's VERY easy to miss.

 

[phillymummer]

So, my trip was from June 11th through June 15th. It was A LOT MORE CROWDED than I expected. Luckily, I had a handicap pass that allowed me to not wait in line. So I was able to accomplish a bit more than I would have otherwise.


Can you tell me more about the handicap pass? My MIL has mobility issues and it would probably be very helpful for her. How does it work? There will be 5 of us- would we all be able to ride with her? Where would she go to get this pass?

 

[Chuckers]

Philly,

You need to go to the Disneyland Paris website and see if you MIL can qualify for the pass. I got mine because I am a diabetic. I needed a note from my doctor. The pass I got is one where they give you a time to come back. There's another pass that is a no wait pass and allows you to walk on to the rides (basically). However that pass is way more restrictive on the reasons you can get it. I don't know what they are, but I know I didn't qualify for it.

As far as I know, the pass is only good for the holder and 3 other people. I got my pass when I checked in to my onsite hotel, at the concierge desk, I believe. If you're not staying onsite, I believe you can get it at the Town Hall (guest services) in Disneyland and the Guest Services area in the Studios.

 

[Karin1984]

@phillymummer
I used an Easy Access Pass for the first time in March, you can read about my experiences here : https://www.disboards.com/threads/easy-access-card-at-dlp.3912172/#post-64664562

For a wheelchair user, check the DLP website for a priority pass. It is slightly different from Easy Access. Before you enter the park there is a booth at the registers where you can pick up your card. You can ask a CM or look for a blue sign with 4 squares indicating things like blindness, heard of haring etc.