PTR: Here There be Dragons; the European Odyssey of a Traveling Madwoman with Kids in Tow

[EcbLovesMickey]

It sounded great on paper, a trip to England to see my old stomping grounds (I attended University there in the late 90's), visit a few friends, then go to Berlin to meet our former exchange student and his family. Easy Peasy. But then it grew, and grew and grew. Much like Jack's fabled beanstalk this trip has taken root in us and soared up through the sky (and through our wallets as well).

The Player:
My Husband (DH): A bit of a homebody, somewhat wary of adventure, and always wary of the budget. Never traveled as a child, never wanted to. Usually game for an adventure, as long as it's all planned out in advance
11 year old son (DS1): Big time worrier. Months out he's already worried about the long plane ride. Like his dad, he likes there to be a plan in place before he walks out the door
6 year old son (DS2): This kid is mine! He's into actions, adventure, you name it. As long as he can possibly dress in costume while he's doing it, he's game for anything.
Me: As stated in the title, a madwoman who loves to travel and hates to plan. Likes a good glass of wine, or two or three

Let the journey begin!

 

[EcbLovesMickey]

As I said, this began as a brief trip to the UK and Germany, a week or 10 days tops. THEN it got into my head, we could take the Eurostar to DLP for a day or two. Now DH loves Disney. We are DVC owners and travel to WDW several times a year, so when DLP was mentioned the trip was immediately approved. Found a great deal and somehow our few days in DLP became 8 days, before that 6 in London, then only 2 in Berlin visiting our exchange student.

 

[EcbLovesMickey]

At this point our 10 day trip idea has completely been blown out of the water, and we're looking at over 2 weeks. did you hear that 2 WEEKS! Sounds exciting, let me remind you, I has a 2 young sons... both have traveled, but mostly around the US and the Caribbean. They have never been to Europe and we have NEVER been on a vacation longer then maybe a week or so.

Needless to say, I am already drinking my wine...

 

[EcbLovesMickey]

Plane tickets are bought, hotels are reserved, train tickets bought and printed off. We are ready to go. My youngest told me today he wants to find a bakery in France and just eat bread the whole trip. Honestly, the kid might do it. His diet consists of hot dogs, Mac & cheese and the few veggies I can sneak into his pasta dishes. Man cannot live by bread alone, but I am pretty sure my kid would try

 

[ILOVEDLP]

I'm in
I love london and as my name or here suggests I love DLP !!!
What you looking forward to most ?
Go to val de Europe when you get to disney short train ride very easy too the wine there is great and also very very cheap !!!

 

[EcbLovesMickey]

So far our plans are:
Drive to WDW, spend the day in the parks and hop on our flight late that night. We arrive in London just before mid day, and plan to grab some lunch and hit our hotel (in Kensignton). I went to University in London and am hoping to meet up with some old school friends while showing the kids and DH the sites.

Little DH wants to go to the Tower of London in his Knight costume. I'm not entirely sure we'd be allowed in, and even less sure that he's survive the heat of the costume throughout the trip there, tour of the tower, and trip back.

Just got word last week that DH is taking a business trip next week... to Belgium... so basically he'll be traveling to Europe twice in one month. That's more than he's done in a lifetime... Hopefully he's not burnt out before we even leave!

 

[ShellB8585]

Plans sound lovely I love London and really enjoyed my trips to Germany (even though I was only a teen at the time so a while ago now) and, of course, DLP!!

Lots of airmiles travelled by DH in a short time hopefully he'll be able to get a little relaxation in before coming back to Europe for a busy holiday

 

[Anemone]

Hi following along. I did London with my boys about 10 years ago when they were young teens and we loved it. I could walk around the city all day. Look forward to reading more.

 

[EcbLovesMickey]

So the madness continues. DH is off on a last minute business trip. Where to, you ask? Belguim! Yes, just weeks before we leave on our European odyssey, DH is off to Europe on a business trip!

Meanwhile, I'm at home with two, very excited, young boys with chock full schedules. Lol, always something!

When I mention to my husband that I would like us to pack light (possibly one large suitcase plus carry ons) he rolls his eyes. Let me put it this way, his 5 day business trip took him a FULL suitcase full of clothes etc. he does not pack light!

I'm hoping to do some laundry at DLP, but the guy just can't travel without half his wardrobe. Luckily the kids don't care what I pack, so maybe the three of us can share one suitcase while DH has his own.

 

[BadPinkTink]

following along. I used to live in London (4 years) and I have been to Disneyland Paris twice. I love reading about first timers experience in London and DLP , any questions you have about London, give me shout

 

[EcbLovesMickey]

So DH is on the plane to Belgium. Boys and I spent the evening watching Paddington. I seriously cannot wait to be back in London and show my kids all the places I used to live/work/play.

With the birth of the royal baby, I have been inundated by friends asking for me to bring back princess memorabilia, so looks like we may need the extra suitcase after all.

 

[EcbLovesMickey]

DH is apparently having a great time in Belgium. This afternoon he had free and went off sight seeing. The ONE thing my son asked him to find was the giant Smurf statue in Brussels. Mission Accomplished!

This weekend we rented the Paddington Bear movie. Somehow my kids got it into their heads that we now have to do a full afternoon tea while in London. I've been doing some research and found a couple places that have tea services that welcome kids. If anyone has a suggestion I am totally open to hear!

 

[EcbLovesMickey]

So obviously, I am way far behind on the TR. But here goes:
We took off to WDW for the day before the trip. Staying at Beach Club. Turns out they accidentally assigned us and ANOTHER family the same room. So, as I was unpacking a group of strangers walked in the door (their magic bands worked and everything). After calling the front desk and freaking out on them, they fixed it. We always seem to have issues at Beach Club?!?!
We, luckily, had reserved a parking spot in a lot near the airport. When we arrived they were turning everyone away, since we had the reservation, we got in (yay), and off we went on the shuttle to the airport. (on a side note, we parked at Wally Park and highly recommend them. They were very friendly and priced well).
When we arrived, we checked in and headed past security to the restaurants on the other side to get some dinner. As we're eating, my DS11 say "oh-no" and spits out a tooth!!! Luckily it was a baby one that had been loose for a while. It got stuck in my purse and forgotten about for a while.
Plane was a bit late, but the plane itself was very nice (we were flying Norwegian). They had individual screens in front of each seat, so the kids were entertained during the flight. DS6 slept some, but DS11 refused and watched TV while I "tried" to sleep.

Arrived and got to our hotel, which was much nicer than expected. Room was super big, had a double bed and two twins, and a private bathroom. Very happy with it. By the time we checked in and settled down we just had time to do a few sights, Leicester Square, Piccadilly Circus, before dinner at Yo! Sushi and then back to bed. We had some busy days ahead....

To be continued