A New Adventure Calls to Us- a Disneyland Paris TR extravaganza! COMPLETED 3/15
- Thread starter dolewhipdreams
- Start date
dolewhipdreams
Counting days until my next Dole Whip
- Joined
- Feb 24, 2017
I'm glad you're enjoying it and finding some things useful!
DLP is amazing and we can't wait to go back someday. You said it perfectly- it's familiar but the differences are what make it special.
missangelalexis
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Apr 27, 2012
I missed some updates- dont know how that happened!
What a great first day at DLP! Love your Remy disneybound!! And of course love all the photos!
What a great first day at DLP! Love your Remy disneybound!! And of course love all the photos!
dolewhipdreams
Counting days until my next Dole Whip
- Joined
- Feb 24, 2017
Eh it happens!
The first day was so amazing but the next couple days were even better. Can't wait to share them!!
pkondz
Brace yourself for immediate disintegration
- Joined
- Mar 9, 2007
Okay, I get that.
Whoops! Standing by!
Recessed? You'd think people would be replacing those as quickly as possible... Ah... who am I kidding. Plenty of homes in North America with knob and tube wiring still.
And... no curling iron? (Not joking here) That must have been a bit upsetting for you at times. I'm sure there were times when you'd planned to dress up a bit for a dinner or outing and wanted to do your do.
dolewhipdreams
Counting days until my next Dole Whip
- Joined
- Feb 24, 2017
It was! I specifically went out and got a dual voltage curling iron so that I could make my hair presentable for a couple of occasions in particular. But alas, I had to make do with my natural old mop of hair instead.
Lesley Wake
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Mar 16, 2017
I agree!Why doesn’t every castle have a dragon? When I get my castle, it will have a dragon.
Still bummed I wasn't able to ride this! Next time I guess!
Yeah it is! And during check-out too!
Yeah, I felt the same way! Pretty annoying!
dolewhipdreams
Counting days until my next Dole Whip
- Joined
- Feb 24, 2017
There's always a reason to go back!
I don't understand why there aren't more outlets in these rooms. Of all the hotel rooms we stayed at in France this one had the worst outlet situation. Why Disney??
OhioStateBuckeye
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Sep 7, 2007
I'm here! I'm caught up!
Wow.
That was a lot to take in at once.
Some random thoughts:
What a beautiful city Paris is! What did you think of the locals? I always hear such conflicting things about how Parisians act towards Americans.
I agree about the relaxing days. Sometimes those are the best ways to take in a new place. Just stroll around and see what you see.
All of the food looks delicious!
I'm not big into wine, but something tells me I'd like French wine. It was kind of like eating pasta in Germany from Italian restaurants. What we call pasta is a joke comparatively. So delicious.
Disneyland Paris looks interesting so far, but is kind of coming across as small. Is it small, or is it just because that was your first half day?
The dragon looks aaamazing.
Wow.
That was a lot to take in at once.
Some random thoughts:
What a beautiful city Paris is! What did you think of the locals? I always hear such conflicting things about how Parisians act towards Americans.
I agree about the relaxing days. Sometimes those are the best ways to take in a new place. Just stroll around and see what you see.
All of the food looks delicious!
I'm not big into wine, but something tells me I'd like French wine. It was kind of like eating pasta in Germany from Italian restaurants. What we call pasta is a joke comparatively. So delicious.
Disneyland Paris looks interesting so far, but is kind of coming across as small. Is it small, or is it just because that was your first half day?
The dragon looks aaamazing.
amazingact21
Upendi
- Joined
- Nov 6, 2010
I'm glad you got to see the dragon under the castle! It's my favorite part of DLP.
Whoa, your room at Sequoia was huge! We have always stayed in the regular rooms, and they are itty bitty.
And, yes! We learned after our first trip to bring our EU surge protectors with three outlets because there is nowhere to charge stuff. The morning of my race, I was sitting next to the bathroom, reviewing my race info because that was literally the only place I could charge it. 
Isn't that view from the top of Alice's maze in the late afternoon lovely? Such a peaceful little spot (when it's empty).
Whoa, your room at Sequoia was huge! We have always stayed in the regular rooms, and they are itty bitty.
And, yes! We learned after our first trip to bring our EU surge protectors with three outlets because there is nowhere to charge stuff. The morning of my race, I was sitting next to the bathroom, reviewing my race info because that was literally the only place I could charge it. Isn't that view from the top of Alice's maze in the late afternoon lovely? Such a peaceful little spot (when it's empty).
dolewhipdreams
Counting days until my next Dole Whip
- Joined
- Feb 24, 2017
The locals were fine. Some were friendlier than others, which is pretty typical of just about any big city. I think if you do your best to follow their manners then that really helps.
Exactly!
So amazing, although we never ate at any truly fancy French restaurants. Because we just aren't truly fancy people.
I know for a lot of wines I've had (mostly cheap wines) there's usually like a little kick from the last drink at the bottom of the glass and it's more bitter than the rest. I never tasted that at all in France.
No it's really big! It's the biggest castle park. We just didn't do as much since we really only had half a day and hopped between parks.
Disney Studios on the other hand is absolutely tiny. It's the smallest Disney park out of all of them.
The coolest thing ever.
dolewhipdreams
Counting days until my next Dole Whip
- Joined
- Feb 24, 2017
Yes thankfully our one big travel adapter has I think 4 USB plugs and 4 regular plugs so we had plenty of space to charge things, it was just all on the other side of the room. Why aren't bedside outlets a standard??Whoa, your room at Sequoia was huge! We have always stayed in the regular rooms, and they are itty bitty.
Oh my goodness. Amazing. It was definitely not empty when we were up there but it was still such a beautiful view. When we got to the castle it looked pretty crowded and Jon asked if we should just skip it and I was like absolutely not, good sir. This will be worth it.
lvcourtneyy
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Nov 24, 2012
This is a fantastic question.
Oo I didn't realize it had a different story. I can't wait to experience it in person one day.
dolewhipdreams
Counting days until my next Dole Whip
- Joined
- Feb 24, 2017
Yep! Maybe it's just the novelty of it, but I think I like this version better than the US one.
dolewhipdreams
Counting days until my next Dole Whip
- Joined
- Feb 24, 2017
We’re on our way – our first full DLP day
We woke up nice and early and ready for a full day at Disneyland Paris! After getting ready we went down to the Golden Forest Lounge for breakfast, which is the separate breakfast area for the cool kids staying in Golden Forest rooms. #status
The breakfast offerings were pretty standard, but decent. I learned that Nutella and croissants might be one of my favorite combinations ever. As I write this I have recognized the deep need in my life right at this moment for a warm croissant and slightly-melted Nutella. Mmmmm……
We also had some super fancy bottled water to drink (it was in a glass bottle- that’s how I know its fancy) along with my standard cup of tea.
The breakfast area was bustling but not overly crowded, which was nice. On our way out of the hotel we passed the line for the regular breakfast buffet and it was soooo long. It wrapped around corners and up stairs and we actually had to shove our way through to even get to the exit. Another reason we thought the Golden Forest rooms were worth the extra cost.
It was early enough when we got to the park (shortly after 9am, if I recall) and the security and ticket lines were nice and short.
As we walked through Disney Village (DLP’s version of Downtown Disney) we noticed that they had super vague and stereotypical American restaurants. You could eat at Steakhouse or head over to Sports Bar if you’re looking for a more fun and casual atmosphere.
Our first attraction of the day was Hyperspace Mountain, which we were both pumped about! If you don’t know, Hyperspace Mountain in DLP has an inversion. I remember telling Jon about that a long time ago (in a Disney park far, far away) but I was pretty sure he had forgotten. I didn’t remind him because I wanted him to be surprised but the safety video in the queue ruined the surprise by clearly stating that the ride has an inversion. Oh well.
It was only a 5 minute wait so we breezed right through the line. The ride was definitely fun and a cool departure from the versions in the US parks, although there are a few things I don’t like about it. The seats are really hard to get into and it’s crazy shaky. My brains felt like soup afterward. I thought since it wasn’t as old as the other Space Mountains that it would be a little smoother but it actually was pretty rough.
Also, the sound effects weren’t working in our car so we didn’t get the full Hyperspace experience. Also also my hair got caught in the seat and ripped out when I tried to exit. So not an amazing first ride, but not the worst.
Fantasyland was calling us so we went that way but stopped for a photoshoot first, which shouldn’t surprise any of you. I put this outfit together with Instagram in mind (as per usual).
Our first thought after that was to ride Peter Pan but the line was already at 30 minutes (apparently it’s a popular ride everywhere). Big Thunder had a much shorter wait and we tried to head that way, but we couldn’t get through Adventureland, which was the fastest way. It was still EMH (or whatever it’s called there) and Adventureland isn’t open for that. So we had to go all the way back through the castle and toward Main Street to get through to Frontierland.
So if you visit DLP just remember you can’t cut through Adventureland until the park actually opens all the way.
Even with our delay the wait for BTMRR was still only 5 minutes, which is pretty much just the time it takes to walk through the (incredibly long) queue.
Oh my goodness guys. BTMRR at DLP might be my favorite Disney ride ever. I think it even beat my current fave, Expedition Everest. It’s fast and thrilling and such a long ride.
These were our faces when the ride was done. Nuff said.
We loved it so much we immediately got right back in line, which had gone up to 15 minutes. But when the line splits (like it does at Disneyland), we miraculously picked the short side and we ended up only waiting another 5 minutes.
The second ride was just as phenomenal as the first but we opted to head back to Fantasyland rather than ride a third time. We picked up a FP for Peter Pan (they still have the paper FP system, which works pretty well there) and then took advantage of a short wait to ride the tea cups.
We wrapped up our time in Fantasyland with a ride on Snow White’s Scary Adventure, which is just as terrifying in French. I’m secretly glad of the Disneyland upgrade and I hope it reopens as Snow White’s Not So Scary Adventure.
But I’m a baby so maybe that’s just me.
There was still time before our lunch reservation so we spent some time on Adventure Isle, exploring the caves and climbing up to the lookout spots. The caves are super cool and really dark. It was hard to see where you were going most of the time. But the lookout spots were nice and gave some great views of the park.
After our adventurous exploring we went over to Agrabah Café to wait for our lunch reservation, which was at 11am (right when the restaurant opened). We arrived and there was a group waiting for the restaurant to open but we got seated pretty quickly in an empty restaurant, which was cool.
I thought it was interesting that there were some families who waited in line for the restaurant to open, then got turned away because they didn’t have reservations. But the restaurant was almost empty so there was definitely room for them. Maybe they were just making reservations for later? IDK.
Agrabah Café is a buffet that comes with one drink (no refills). I got – you guessed it – Coke Zero and Jon got an iced tea. After we got our drinks we went up to the buffet to see what they had and wow what they had was a lot of good stuff! It’s a Mediterranean/Middle-Eastern theme and most of the food is on theme, but still tame enough that even picky eaters will find something to eat.
And it was all so good. Seriously, my notes say nothing I ate was bad. The only slightly negative comment was the falafel was just a tad dry but that was it.
I especially liked the tropical fruit salad, which had pomegranate seeds and chunks of coconut, which aren’t in your typical fruit salads.
Although I had to laugh that their “orange salad” was literally just sliced oranges.
The desserts were fine and the animal macarons were so cute!
After we ate I took advantage of the low crowds to snap some pictures.
All in all, I highly recommend Agrabah Café as a solid table service option in Disneyland Park. It’s a little on the pricier side (€35 each) but it was AYCTE so it could easily be your one big meal for the day.
When we finished lunch it was time to use our Peter Pan FPs but when we got there the FP line was super long. Right after we got in line they made an announcement that the wait time was extended but we just stuck it out. I think we ended up waiting maybe 15 minutes, which is still good for Peter Pan.
I didn’t pay too much attention to the ride details but it seemed pretty much the same as the US versions (but based on reactions to my similar comment about POTC I wouldn’t be surprised if it was indeed terribly different). It’s a cute ride anywhere!
We got off and I noticed that the seasonal Lion King show was going to start soon, but we wanted to go pull a FP for Hyperspace Mtn first so we scurried across the park to get that, then extra scurried to the opposite end of the park to get in line for the show. But by the time we got there the theater was full (I think we got there about 15 minutes to show time).
Thankfully there were other show times we could catch so we went around through Frontierland to explore a little. We stopped in the main shop in Frontierland because I wanted to know what the French version of US merchandise was.
It was lots of western shirts, leather, and license plates.
Since, as a good American, I have plenty of all of those things I picked up some Mickey ears (on sale!), some pins, and a magnet.
Our shopping excursion took up enough time that we decided to walk back to Tomorrowland (we criss-crossed the park so much) to use our Hyperspace FP. We stopped real quick to pull a FP for Star Tours, which is kind of back behind Space Mountain. Then we went to look for the FP entrance to Hyperspace and ended up walking allllll the way around the ride. When we finally found the entrance we realized that the FP entrance was right behind where we were when we got the Star Tours FPs. Oops.
The ride was the same as the first time and the sound still didn’t work. When we got off Jon asked a CM at the ride entrance if the sound wasn’t working at all and they said it was working, but only on one track. So we just needed to ride on the other track. We filed that important tidbit away for the future.
A glance at the times schedule told us that Jungle Book Jive was going to start and I decided this would be the show we would stake out a spot for. We got an awesome spot right in front of the platform where Mickey, Minnie, and Louie hang out and waited about 25 minutes for the show to start.
The show was even more amazing the second time around and I took far too many photos (as per usual). I’ll do another photo dump after this update since there are just so many.
We woke up nice and early and ready for a full day at Disneyland Paris! After getting ready we went down to the Golden Forest Lounge for breakfast, which is the separate breakfast area for the cool kids staying in Golden Forest rooms. #status
The breakfast offerings were pretty standard, but decent. I learned that Nutella and croissants might be one of my favorite combinations ever. As I write this I have recognized the deep need in my life right at this moment for a warm croissant and slightly-melted Nutella. Mmmmm……
We also had some super fancy bottled water to drink (it was in a glass bottle- that’s how I know its fancy) along with my standard cup of tea.
The breakfast area was bustling but not overly crowded, which was nice. On our way out of the hotel we passed the line for the regular breakfast buffet and it was soooo long. It wrapped around corners and up stairs and we actually had to shove our way through to even get to the exit. Another reason we thought the Golden Forest rooms were worth the extra cost.
It was early enough when we got to the park (shortly after 9am, if I recall) and the security and ticket lines were nice and short.
As we walked through Disney Village (DLP’s version of Downtown Disney) we noticed that they had super vague and stereotypical American restaurants. You could eat at Steakhouse or head over to Sports Bar if you’re looking for a more fun and casual atmosphere.
Our first attraction of the day was Hyperspace Mountain, which we were both pumped about! If you don’t know, Hyperspace Mountain in DLP has an inversion. I remember telling Jon about that a long time ago (in a Disney park far, far away) but I was pretty sure he had forgotten. I didn’t remind him because I wanted him to be surprised but the safety video in the queue ruined the surprise by clearly stating that the ride has an inversion. Oh well.
It was only a 5 minute wait so we breezed right through the line. The ride was definitely fun and a cool departure from the versions in the US parks, although there are a few things I don’t like about it. The seats are really hard to get into and it’s crazy shaky. My brains felt like soup afterward. I thought since it wasn’t as old as the other Space Mountains that it would be a little smoother but it actually was pretty rough.
Also, the sound effects weren’t working in our car so we didn’t get the full Hyperspace experience. Also also my hair got caught in the seat and ripped out when I tried to exit. So not an amazing first ride, but not the worst.
Fantasyland was calling us so we went that way but stopped for a photoshoot first, which shouldn’t surprise any of you. I put this outfit together with Instagram in mind (as per usual).
Our first thought after that was to ride Peter Pan but the line was already at 30 minutes (apparently it’s a popular ride everywhere). Big Thunder had a much shorter wait and we tried to head that way, but we couldn’t get through Adventureland, which was the fastest way. It was still EMH (or whatever it’s called there) and Adventureland isn’t open for that. So we had to go all the way back through the castle and toward Main Street to get through to Frontierland.
So if you visit DLP just remember you can’t cut through Adventureland until the park actually opens all the way.
Even with our delay the wait for BTMRR was still only 5 minutes, which is pretty much just the time it takes to walk through the (incredibly long) queue.
Oh my goodness guys. BTMRR at DLP might be my favorite Disney ride ever. I think it even beat my current fave, Expedition Everest. It’s fast and thrilling and such a long ride.
The ride loads on one side of the Rivers of the Far West (their version of Rivers of America) and you start out by going through an underground tunnel and popping out on an island. The majority of the ride is out on this island and it’s so cool. It’s more similar to the Disneyland version with the TNT effects and everything but it’s definitely in a class of its own. The final drop is back underground and it’s super long, completely dark, and so, so fast.
These were our faces when the ride was done. Nuff said.
We loved it so much we immediately got right back in line, which had gone up to 15 minutes. But when the line splits (like it does at Disneyland), we miraculously picked the short side and we ended up only waiting another 5 minutes.
The second ride was just as phenomenal as the first but we opted to head back to Fantasyland rather than ride a third time. We picked up a FP for Peter Pan (they still have the paper FP system, which works pretty well there) and then took advantage of a short wait to ride the tea cups.
We wrapped up our time in Fantasyland with a ride on Snow White’s Scary Adventure, which is just as terrifying in French. I’m secretly glad of the Disneyland upgrade and I hope it reopens as Snow White’s Not So Scary Adventure.
But I’m a baby so maybe that’s just me.
There was still time before our lunch reservation so we spent some time on Adventure Isle, exploring the caves and climbing up to the lookout spots. The caves are super cool and really dark. It was hard to see where you were going most of the time. But the lookout spots were nice and gave some great views of the park.
After our adventurous exploring we went over to Agrabah Café to wait for our lunch reservation, which was at 11am (right when the restaurant opened). We arrived and there was a group waiting for the restaurant to open but we got seated pretty quickly in an empty restaurant, which was cool.
I thought it was interesting that there were some families who waited in line for the restaurant to open, then got turned away because they didn’t have reservations. But the restaurant was almost empty so there was definitely room for them. Maybe they were just making reservations for later? IDK.
Agrabah Café is a buffet that comes with one drink (no refills). I got – you guessed it – Coke Zero and Jon got an iced tea. After we got our drinks we went up to the buffet to see what they had and wow what they had was a lot of good stuff! It’s a Mediterranean/Middle-Eastern theme and most of the food is on theme, but still tame enough that even picky eaters will find something to eat.
And it was all so good. Seriously, my notes say nothing I ate was bad. The only slightly negative comment was the falafel was just a tad dry but that was it.
I especially liked the tropical fruit salad, which had pomegranate seeds and chunks of coconut, which aren’t in your typical fruit salads.
Although I had to laugh that their “orange salad” was literally just sliced oranges.
The desserts were fine and the animal macarons were so cute!
After we ate I took advantage of the low crowds to snap some pictures.
All in all, I highly recommend Agrabah Café as a solid table service option in Disneyland Park. It’s a little on the pricier side (€35 each) but it was AYCTE so it could easily be your one big meal for the day.
When we finished lunch it was time to use our Peter Pan FPs but when we got there the FP line was super long. Right after we got in line they made an announcement that the wait time was extended but we just stuck it out. I think we ended up waiting maybe 15 minutes, which is still good for Peter Pan.
I didn’t pay too much attention to the ride details but it seemed pretty much the same as the US versions (but based on reactions to my similar comment about POTC I wouldn’t be surprised if it was indeed terribly different). It’s a cute ride anywhere!
We got off and I noticed that the seasonal Lion King show was going to start soon, but we wanted to go pull a FP for Hyperspace Mtn first so we scurried across the park to get that, then extra scurried to the opposite end of the park to get in line for the show. But by the time we got there the theater was full (I think we got there about 15 minutes to show time).
Thankfully there were other show times we could catch so we went around through Frontierland to explore a little. We stopped in the main shop in Frontierland because I wanted to know what the French version of US merchandise was.
It was lots of western shirts, leather, and license plates.
Since, as a good American, I have plenty of all of those things I picked up some Mickey ears (on sale!), some pins, and a magnet.
Our shopping excursion took up enough time that we decided to walk back to Tomorrowland (we criss-crossed the park so much) to use our Hyperspace FP. We stopped real quick to pull a FP for Star Tours, which is kind of back behind Space Mountain. Then we went to look for the FP entrance to Hyperspace and ended up walking allllll the way around the ride. When we finally found the entrance we realized that the FP entrance was right behind where we were when we got the Star Tours FPs. Oops.
The ride was the same as the first time and the sound still didn’t work. When we got off Jon asked a CM at the ride entrance if the sound wasn’t working at all and they said it was working, but only on one track. So we just needed to ride on the other track. We filed that important tidbit away for the future.
A glance at the times schedule told us that Jungle Book Jive was going to start and I decided this would be the show we would stake out a spot for. We got an awesome spot right in front of the platform where Mickey, Minnie, and Louie hang out and waited about 25 minutes for the show to start.
The show was even more amazing the second time around and I took far too many photos (as per usual). I’ll do another photo dump after this update since there are just so many.
dolewhipdreams
Counting days until my next Dole Whip
- Joined
- Feb 24, 2017
We’re on our way – our first full DLP day part 2
As soon as the show ended we gently (ish) elbowed our way out of the crowd and booked it to Frontierland to try to get a spot for the Lion King. The line was already wrapped around and around and around and around but magically we made it in!
There was a hype guy before the show trying to get everyone excited and it was fun. We did the wave. Multiple times. It’s good to know that the wave is a global phenomenon.
The show itself was fun, pretty much just a shortened version of the Broadway musical with very similar costuming and set up. They also had some fun stunts and acrobats, similar to FotLK at Animal Kingdom.
I wasn’t super focused on taking photos of the show, but I did manage to snag a few so you can see what it was like.
The riverboat was loading near the show exit so we popped on and made our way to the very back, which we’ve never done before. It was just like all the other riverboat rides, but with a few different scenes to spy, and had some killer views of Phantom Manor and BTMRR.
I was feeling a mite peckish after our daring river journey and tracked down one of the snack stands selling the special Lion King treats. There were about 10 people in line and it took for-freaking-ever. When we finally got to the front they were out of the one thing we wanted, so we tried the pawlipop and paw cookie instead.
Both were…disappointing. Not bad, per say, just not worth the 15 minute wait. But at least they were cute. #doitforthegram
We crossed the park (again- I think this makes the 27th time of the day) to Discoveryland, stopping for another castle photoshoot. But this time it was on the side and I took my jacket off so it was totally different than the first.
Our FP for Star Tours had long since expired but I read that at DLP as long as you return after the start of your window, you can pretty much ride whenever. That was the case and they let us right on! Everything in this attraction was in French and it was so cool. Just imagine listening to C3PO in French. And hearing them talk about pod racing in French. Tres bon.
In the gift shop I broke down and bought this little Ewok snap bracelet buddy thing. He’s my best friend now.
We stopped to grab a FP for Buzz then crossed the park (yet again) to ride Pirates. The queue wasn’t too long but this big family kept trying to subtly push in front of us. Jon and I teamed up and spanned the width of the walkways so they wouldn’t be able to cut. But wouldn’t you know it, we all got put on the same boat together and the patriarch of said family had his FLASH LIGHT on for like 1/3 of the ride.
Not just taking flash photos, but his actual flash light on his phone. On. All the way.
Ugh.
Oh well. If I remember right, that was one of the worst guest interactions we had and it really wasn’t all that bad, just annoying.
The merch in the gift shop required a quick photo stop and after that we went walking. We found a neat side path that connected Frontierland and Adventureland and it was very handy. There are lots of these around. They were usually deserted and a quick way to get from place to place. This one even had some Lion King décor involved.
[Why don't they make these in adult sizes?]
After meandering for a while our Buzz FP window opened so we crossed back to Discoveryland. The ride is essentially the same as the US versions (although I can’t remember if you can pick the guns up or not), except that it’s all in (you guessed it) French.
[Apparently you can pick up the guns]
I was beating Jon’s butt for almost the whole ride until the very end when he hit a hidden target and won the whole thing.
Rude.
When we got off the ride (ego bruised, but still intact), wait times for most rides were higher than we were willing to wait. So we decided to use our daily hotel FP to ride BTMRR. That ended up being our last ride of the day. We wanted to ride Phantom Manor but when we got off BTMRR it was closed for the night.
At that point it was about 45 minutes until the fireworks show. Both of us were pretty tired so we found a spot to camp out and sat to wait for the show. Everyone was sitting but with about 15 minutes left until the show, everyone stood up. In front of us was a guy with a selfie stick, who just desperately needed to get great footage of the nightly fireworks show on his outdated iPhone, crowds behind him be darned!
But lo, a few minutes later a dad in front of Selfie Stick Man put his toddler on top of his shoulders. Selfie Stick Man was visibly (and audibly) upset at this development, and asked the dad if they could put their kid down. The dad said, “Hey buster, my kid has more right to see this show than your 3 YouTube subscribers.” (At least that’s what I assume he said, it wasn’t in English).
Then, with a few minutes left until start time the crowds in front of us magically started to sit back down. Hallelujah!!
That is...most of the crowd sat down. The people a few rows in front of us decided they would rather stand. Which mean the rest of us all had to stand.
Dad still had his daughter on his shoulders when the show started so Selfie Stick Man used his superior intellect and found a way to record the show anyway- by extending his selfie stick to maximum length above everyone’s head.
Welcome to Disneyland Paris, I hope you like watching things through other people’s phone screens.
Stuff like this really gets to me, man. I’m all about capturing vacation memories (I mean you guys have seen how many photos I take), but I do my best to keep my camera/phone within the frame of my own body. If I do have to raise it up, I try to get my shot then bring it right back down. Plus, there are actual professional vloggers who have much better video footage available FOR FREE on YouTube.
Did you really love that night time fireworks spectacular and you just have to show your fam? Look it up on the internet, it will be better quality and you can enjoy the show while you’re watching it.
Okay sorry, rant over.
The show itself was very cute. I didn’t pick up on any particular story or theme, but it just had bits from Disney movies strung together. It’s light on fireworks (because of environmental regulations) but heavy on lasers and projections. It was about half and half as far as French vs English. The Little Mermaid & Frozen bits were in French, which I thought was cute. They also included the live action Beauty and the Beast, for some weird reason.
My apologies for taking a phenomenal 0 photos of the show. Feel free to check out YouTube or something to see how it went.
When the show was over we left the park with the mob, headed to the American Embassy (McDonald’s) for dinner. It took us a frustratingly long time to order, partly because we were there with hundreds of people who had the same idea as us. This McD’s has the ordering kiosks, so we waited about 10 minutes to get to one of those, then when we got our order in it wouldn’t take our card. So then we had to wait in a second line to talk to an actual person to order.
I feel the need to mention that the American Embassy joke is not my own, but was too good not to share.
Thankfully our order was easy and came out really quick. I got a chicken nugget meal and Jon got something that we hadn’t seen before. It was called a 280 and was a special burger on a ciabatta bun. We also grabbed a McFlurry.
With all the crazy crowds in there we thought it best to just take the food back to our room to sit and enjoy in quiet. While we were eating we took a Buzzfeed test to see how dateable we are. We got 1%. I guess the benefit of getting married at age 20 is that you don’t know you’re undateable yet. But now we know.
Anyway, we finished dinner, had some more of the amazing candy, and went to bed!
As soon as the show ended we gently (ish) elbowed our way out of the crowd and booked it to Frontierland to try to get a spot for the Lion King. The line was already wrapped around and around and around and around but magically we made it in!
There was a hype guy before the show trying to get everyone excited and it was fun. We did the wave. Multiple times. It’s good to know that the wave is a global phenomenon.
The show itself was fun, pretty much just a shortened version of the Broadway musical with very similar costuming and set up. They also had some fun stunts and acrobats, similar to FotLK at Animal Kingdom.
I wasn’t super focused on taking photos of the show, but I did manage to snag a few so you can see what it was like.
The riverboat was loading near the show exit so we popped on and made our way to the very back, which we’ve never done before. It was just like all the other riverboat rides, but with a few different scenes to spy, and had some killer views of Phantom Manor and BTMRR.
I was feeling a mite peckish after our daring river journey and tracked down one of the snack stands selling the special Lion King treats. There were about 10 people in line and it took for-freaking-ever. When we finally got to the front they were out of the one thing we wanted, so we tried the pawlipop and paw cookie instead.
Both were…disappointing. Not bad, per say, just not worth the 15 minute wait. But at least they were cute. #doitforthegram
We crossed the park (again- I think this makes the 27th time of the day) to Discoveryland, stopping for another castle photoshoot. But this time it was on the side and I took my jacket off so it was totally different than the first.
Our FP for Star Tours had long since expired but I read that at DLP as long as you return after the start of your window, you can pretty much ride whenever. That was the case and they let us right on! Everything in this attraction was in French and it was so cool. Just imagine listening to C3PO in French. And hearing them talk about pod racing in French. Tres bon.
In the gift shop I broke down and bought this little Ewok snap bracelet buddy thing. He’s my best friend now.
We stopped to grab a FP for Buzz then crossed the park (yet again) to ride Pirates. The queue wasn’t too long but this big family kept trying to subtly push in front of us. Jon and I teamed up and spanned the width of the walkways so they wouldn’t be able to cut. But wouldn’t you know it, we all got put on the same boat together and the patriarch of said family had his FLASH LIGHT on for like 1/3 of the ride.
Not just taking flash photos, but his actual flash light on his phone. On. All the way.
Ugh.
Oh well. If I remember right, that was one of the worst guest interactions we had and it really wasn’t all that bad, just annoying.
The merch in the gift shop required a quick photo stop and after that we went walking. We found a neat side path that connected Frontierland and Adventureland and it was very handy. There are lots of these around. They were usually deserted and a quick way to get from place to place. This one even had some Lion King décor involved.
[Why don't they make these in adult sizes?]
After meandering for a while our Buzz FP window opened so we crossed back to Discoveryland. The ride is essentially the same as the US versions (although I can’t remember if you can pick the guns up or not), except that it’s all in (you guessed it) French.
[Apparently you can pick up the guns]
I was beating Jon’s butt for almost the whole ride until the very end when he hit a hidden target and won the whole thing.
Rude.
When we got off the ride (ego bruised, but still intact), wait times for most rides were higher than we were willing to wait. So we decided to use our daily hotel FP to ride BTMRR. That ended up being our last ride of the day. We wanted to ride Phantom Manor but when we got off BTMRR it was closed for the night.
At that point it was about 45 minutes until the fireworks show. Both of us were pretty tired so we found a spot to camp out and sat to wait for the show. Everyone was sitting but with about 15 minutes left until the show, everyone stood up. In front of us was a guy with a selfie stick, who just desperately needed to get great footage of the nightly fireworks show on his outdated iPhone, crowds behind him be darned!
But lo, a few minutes later a dad in front of Selfie Stick Man put his toddler on top of his shoulders. Selfie Stick Man was visibly (and audibly) upset at this development, and asked the dad if they could put their kid down. The dad said, “Hey buster, my kid has more right to see this show than your 3 YouTube subscribers.” (At least that’s what I assume he said, it wasn’t in English).
Then, with a few minutes left until start time the crowds in front of us magically started to sit back down. Hallelujah!!
That is...most of the crowd sat down. The people a few rows in front of us decided they would rather stand. Which mean the rest of us all had to stand.
Dad still had his daughter on his shoulders when the show started so Selfie Stick Man used his superior intellect and found a way to record the show anyway- by extending his selfie stick to maximum length above everyone’s head.
Welcome to Disneyland Paris, I hope you like watching things through other people’s phone screens.
Stuff like this really gets to me, man. I’m all about capturing vacation memories (I mean you guys have seen how many photos I take), but I do my best to keep my camera/phone within the frame of my own body. If I do have to raise it up, I try to get my shot then bring it right back down. Plus, there are actual professional vloggers who have much better video footage available FOR FREE on YouTube.
Did you really love that night time fireworks spectacular and you just have to show your fam? Look it up on the internet, it will be better quality and you can enjoy the show while you’re watching it.
Okay sorry, rant over.
The show itself was very cute. I didn’t pick up on any particular story or theme, but it just had bits from Disney movies strung together. It’s light on fireworks (because of environmental regulations) but heavy on lasers and projections. It was about half and half as far as French vs English. The Little Mermaid & Frozen bits were in French, which I thought was cute. They also included the live action Beauty and the Beast, for some weird reason.
My apologies for taking a phenomenal 0 photos of the show. Feel free to check out YouTube or something to see how it went.
When the show was over we left the park with the mob, headed to the American Embassy (McDonald’s) for dinner. It took us a frustratingly long time to order, partly because we were there with hundreds of people who had the same idea as us. This McD’s has the ordering kiosks, so we waited about 10 minutes to get to one of those, then when we got our order in it wouldn’t take our card. So then we had to wait in a second line to talk to an actual person to order.
I feel the need to mention that the American Embassy joke is not my own, but was too good not to share.
Thankfully our order was easy and came out really quick. I got a chicken nugget meal and Jon got something that we hadn’t seen before. It was called a 280 and was a special burger on a ciabatta bun. We also grabbed a McFlurry.
With all the crazy crowds in there we thought it best to just take the food back to our room to sit and enjoy in quiet. While we were eating we took a Buzzfeed test to see how dateable we are. We got 1%. I guess the benefit of getting married at age 20 is that you don’t know you’re undateable yet. But now we know.
Anyway, we finished dinner, had some more of the amazing candy, and went to bed!
dolewhipdreams
Counting days until my next Dole Whip
- Joined
- Feb 24, 2017
Ann's Disneyland Paris Photofest Vol 4
OhioStateBuckeye
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Sep 7, 2007
That is really cool that some of the rides/show were in French. Does DL Paris have a Jungle Cruise?
I immediately noticed these handsome fellows in the gift shop. Are they part of anything in the parks or just randomly in the gift shop?
Good job with gift shops, btw, DL Paris. Those droids on the upper walkways of the Star Tours gift shop were awesome.
That lunch buffet looked really good, it's making me very hungry.
Do the parks close really early?
I'm shocked the park acknowledges Wall-E and Eve. Was it just the statue or did they have anything else?
The sunset pic of the castle is amazing. I honestly wonder if the imagineers used that pink color because it goes great with the sunset.
How was the McDonald's? Slightly off and weird?
Do you have a pic of your ewok bracelet? Must see all the SW.
I immediately noticed these handsome fellows in the gift shop. Are they part of anything in the parks or just randomly in the gift shop?
Good job with gift shops, btw, DL Paris. Those droids on the upper walkways of the Star Tours gift shop were awesome.
That lunch buffet looked really good, it's making me very hungry.
Do the parks close really early?
I'm shocked the park acknowledges Wall-E and Eve. Was it just the statue or did they have anything else?
The sunset pic of the castle is amazing. I honestly wonder if the imagineers used that pink color because it goes great with the sunset.
How was the McDonald's? Slightly off and weird?
Do you have a pic of your ewok bracelet? Must see all the SW.
Mathmagicland
Disneyland - the original since 1955
- Joined
- Jul 26, 2014
Interesting to see the FP return window is only 30 minutes vs an hour so nice to know you could go back any time after and still use it.
dolewhipdreams
Counting days until my next Dole Whip
- Joined
- Feb 24, 2017
Sadly, no. I wonder if the humor wouldn't translate in France?
No they were just randomly there! And it's actually just a shelf in the restaurant. A super cool touch.
For real, the theming in all the shops was amazing.
Studios closed at 6pm and I think Disneyland closed at 9pm when we were there, so yeah fairly early compared to the US.
Just that statue. They had some random Pixar characters like that scattered throughout. Like Russel & Carl from Up were in Adventureland.
I definitely don't think it was an accident. But yeah, it's so stunning in that light.
I don't remember anything weird about it, it seemed to taste pretty similar to McDs here at home. And other than a few different sandwiches like Jon's the menu was really similar, too.
I don't have access to one right now but I can see if I can send you one! It's adorable.
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