PTR: Aussies off to DLRP - one time only!

[Teaspoons]

G'Day everyone from Perth, Australia - the most isolated capital city in the world. We've got beautiful beaches here, it doesn't rain for weeks in summer and it regularly reaches 45ºC. But we don't have much in the way of rollercoasters, it never snows and everything here is kinda "new".

So we can't wait to visit England and France in 2014!

Going on this first big holiday as a family of four are:

ME - 29. Originally from New Zealand, banker by day, blogger and macaron maker by night. I'm the one who collects teaspoons - my Mum collected hundreds on her travels when she was younger so I think we can blame her for my habit. I love macarons and sweet treats and can't wait to visit Laduree in Paris.

DH - 34. True blue Aussie who had never left the state until I met him. Works for a major car dealer, married me 2 years ago and happily lets me plan the holidays so long as he can choose the hire car.

DD - currently 5 and a half. Very independent and ready to explore the world. Loves Rapunzel and Princess Belle, will watch Tangled over and over and... Collects magnets and would love to see Princess Kate in London.

DS - currently 21 months. Loves Mickey Mouse. Very chilled out little man who gets excited by little details on things. Am sure he's going to be some kind of engineer. Also likes dogs, pirates, Peppa Pig and building duplo towers.

When are we going:

(I'll fill this in as we confirm things)
We leave Perth on Sunday 21st September 2014 flying Singapore Airlines to London Heathrow
Monday 22nd Sept - Arrive 6am, pick up hire car then drive to Southampton to visit my Dad
Tuesday 23rd Sept
Wednesday 24th Sept - Peppa Pig World?
Thursday 25th Sept
Friday 26th Sept - Chard, Somerset where family live
Saturday 27th Sept - Chard
Sunday 28th Sept - Chard to Bath
Monday 29th Sept - Bath
Tuesday 30th Sept - Bath to Southampton
Wednesday 1st October - My 30th birthday!
Thursday 2nd Oct - Windsor Castle, arrive Legoland
Friday 3rd Oct - Legoland
Saturday 4th Oct - Dover Castle and surrounds
Sunday 5th Oct - Arrive in London
Monday 6th Oct - London
Tuesday 7th Oct - London
Wednesday 8th Oct - London
Thursday 9th Oct - London
Friday 10th Oct - London to Disneyland Paris on Eurostar
Saturday 11th Oct - Day trip into Paris
Sunday 12th Oct
Monday 13th Oct
Tuesday 14th Oct - 1200 depart CDG to Perth on Singapore Airlines
Wednesday 15th Oct - HOME

The Disneyland part!

I booked 2 nights/2 nights free through the UK website, we are staying in a plaza room at Hotel New York.
This will be the one and only time we go to Disneyland Paris, we hope to return to Paris again, and to go to the US Disney Parks but there are so many other places in the world we want to visit too - SO we need to make the most of this visit!

Thanks for following along, I hope to organise my crazy thoughts here and to borrow some expert knowledge from you all

 

[wiigirl]

Following along!

 

[Disney Lvr of Old]

Following~ tentatively planning DLP too around your same dates from the US.

 

[Jonjo]

Following along, DW and I will be in DLP at the same time for our 2014 Halloween trip.

 

[Teaspoons]

Oh wow - two lots of other dis-boarders going at the same time!

I'm now really concerned we're not going to have enough time there
As the kids are quite young I don't want to push them too far or none of us will enjoy it if they're having meltdowns.

Realistically we'll have Friday from about 4 - 6, by the time we get checked in to the hotel and back into the parks, then we'll go for dinner and back into the park for Dreams at 8pm (I think, based on this years hours)

Saturday we want to go into Paris, I think we'd be better to go earlier rather than later, I can book us a spot to go up the Eiffel tower at opening time of 10 so we'd need to leave DLRP just before 9 I think to get there. We want to do a hop on hop off bus tour, visit Laduree for macarons (I have a business baking and selling macarons so this is an absolute must do!) and I'd like to go up the Arc de Triomphe. I'm not sure what time this would take us to but I think getting back about 5-5.30 is probably ok.

Sunday and Monday we will have all day at the parks, how much time do we need to do the studios? I was thinking maybe Monday morning before lunch at Walts? There's a suggested itinerary on the app that is:
flying carpets
animagique
the cars thing
toy story play land - slinky
art of animation
stitch live
Is the stunt show thing worth seeing? I like the sound of it - how do I find out what time that is and am I right in think the stars in cars parade is at the studios? What time is that too?

 

[itsrainingitspouring]

sound like a good plan.

I am going in Feb with an 8 yr old, for 4 nights. We are not bothering with a day trip to Paris.

Never been before so not sure how much time u will need in each park, i guess it will depend on how busy the parks are.

 

[scrpbookr]

I have a Paris trip booked from 9/25/14 to 10/1/14. It's close but doesn't seem like the Disney days will overlap. I'm going to follow along though. We can plan and be excited together!!

 

[Teaspoons]

I have a Paris trip booked from 9/25/14 to 10/1/14. It's close but doesn't seem like the Disney days will overlap. I'm going to follow along though. We can plan and be excited together!!

October 1st is my birthday - definitely a great day! Glad to have some others to bounce ideas off during planning!

I thought I'd jot down a couple of ideas I've got floating about my brain, one being a unique autograph book for DD. I saw this one http://littlemisssave.blog.com/2012/10/22/alternative-disney-world-autograph-book/using the Disney Encyclopedia of animated characters which I thought looked pretty cool. Had a hunt around on google and it seems the book is a little harder to come by but possibly according to book depository there's a new one being released next June.

I've also read through a few American Disney blogs and they all suggest buying Disney stuff before you go. We have no Disney store here so I'll have to trawl the internet for bargains. I also want to get my hands on some Disney Pez dispensers to go in my bag of magic treats to pull out on the plane.

Any fantastic hints on what to take/buy before we go?

 

[Teaspoons]

Just a little update on the England side of things:

Have booked us a Pirate Premium themed room at Legoland for 2nd and 3rd October. Blimey almost as expensive as Disneyland! I'm sure the kids will love the experience though.
We've also booked our one night (4th October) in Dover at the Best Western Dover Marina Hotel which looks like a nice old building on the waterfront.
Currently finalising our London accommodation in a privately owned 2 bedroom apartment in Notting Hill from October 5th to 10th.

Have to visit Grandma in Somerset for a couple of days, was thinking of heading to Bath/Gloucester for a couple of nights afterwards for a bit of sightseeing - any recommendations for that area?

 

[LunaMini]

Just a little update on the England side of things:

Have booked us a Pirate Premium themed room at Legoland for 2nd and 3rd October. Blimey almost as expensive as Disneyland! I'm sure the kids will love the experience though.
We've also booked our one night (4th October) in Dover at the Best Western Dover Marina Hotel which looks like a nice old building on the waterfront.
Currently finalising our London accommodation in a privately owned 2 bedroom apartment in Notting Hill from October 5th to 10th.

Have to visit Grandma in Somerset for a couple of days, was thinking of heading to Bath/Gloucester for a couple of nights afterwards for a bit of sightseeing - any recommendations for that area?

Ohhhhh, Gloucester?! My neck of the woods!

There's not a great deal to see or do in Gloucester to be honest, the Cathedral is quite pretty and if you're a Harry Potter fan I recommend a visit as some of the films were filmed here
The Forest of Dean is a lovely place to visit (I'm not bias at all ) There's a place called Beechenhurst Lodge where you can park up and have a coffee and there's the sculpture trail that you can wander round. This is a fantastic walk around the forest with some large pieces of artwork created in the forest. There's the giants chair and my favourite is Cathedral in the Forest:

 

[Teaspoons]

Hi Everyone,
Time for a little update, I've organised a bit more of the England leg - we are going to Bath for 2 nights after visiting Grandma and co in Chard. We've booked a two bedroom apartment (with parking, apparently a rarity in Bath) and we're going to take it easy for the day and half or so we're there. Seems there's quite a bit to explore but can be done at a leisurely pace

I'm having more trouble trying to fit everything we want to see in London into our 4 days there, we arrive on Sunday night and leave Friday morning so have 4 full days to play with. We are staying just near Holland Park Station so an easy trip on the underground into London city but not as easy to whip back to the hotel for the little one's nap if we need to.

What are your must see attractions? Or what would you recommend or skip for a family visiting for a short time? (We intend to head back in about 10 years for another visit)

 

[netimka]

Oh wow - two lots of other dis-boarders going at the same time!

I think there are more than 2 and we will also staying in HNY

What are your must see attractions? Or what would you recommend or skip for a family visiting for a short time? (We intend to head back in about 10 years for another visit)

last December our 3 year old really enjoy visit to sea life and just running around in Hyde Park...

also what about doing Thames boat tour on your first day and then decide if there were anything you want to see more in details?

http://www.citycruises.com/city-cruises-sightseeing-prices-timetable.aspx

 

[Minnie Sue Oz]

Hi fellow Aussie

A New South Welshwoman here! I am so glad I have found your PTR. I will be visiting the UK, Europe and Hong Kong on a 5 week trip next year. We have loads of time before we go, but we are saving like mad so we have the best time ever.!

We will be in France for Christmas and are spending Christmas day in Paris.We will be staying at the Sequoia Lodge at Disneyland for 5 nights and I too will be celebrating my Birthday whilst on our trip ( although I am going to be 48 )

I will be following along to hear how it all goes

 

[Teaspoons]

I think there are more than 2 and we will also staying in HNY

woohoo!
I think we might do a HOHO tour rather than a river cruise, but like you say, then we can pick the bits we want to explore more. Running around in parks sounds like a great plan!

Hi MinnieSue, I wish we had made our trip 5 weeks
Christmas in Paris sounds amazing!

 

[Teaspoons]

Hi Everyone,
It's been a while since I've come through here but we're getting to the business end of the planning stage now!

So Ratatouille is going to be open for us - woohoo, from the reports on here it seems great!

Does anyone know where I can find the opening hours for October currently? They don't seem to be posted yet, does anyone know a sneaky secret?

And I also see Dreams is only on selected dates from October - I'd love to know when so I can work out which night/s are going to be late ones and which ones we can take advantage of EMH.

 

[cdsmiler81]

I think the dates for October will be out in a about a month as the September ones have only just come out. Where did you read about Dreams! only being on on selected dates in October? I've heard the rumour of Dreams! being shown only on some days during quiet times, but I thought that meant Jan / Feb?

C x

 

[Anemone]

Hi Teaspoons - sounds like a really exciting trip.

Bath is wonderful! I have a tip for a brilliant (and free) walking tour of the city that I can recommend you do if you have time when you're there. Read about it here. http://visitbath.co.uk/travel-and-maps/explore-the-area/mayor-of-bath-honorary-guides-p43001

I have read on Tripadvisor I think that Dreams is only guaranteed to be on every night until September. The general consensus is that it will continue beyond that as it is a huge success but may not show every night in off season, as C says. However October is a very busy month in DLP and everyone who knows about these things is pretty sure it will be on every night in October.

Of course until Disney confirms it nobody can be 100% certain.

 

[Teaspoons]

Only 5 weeks until we leave for England!!

Had a chat with DH last night trying to nut out some of the details for Disneyland.. I'm a plan down to the last second kinda gal and he's a wander round and see what takes his fancy fella - so there was a bit of negotiating involved!
Our DS is now 2yrs 3 months, he still has one nap a day around 11 -1ish and I can't see that changing in the next couple of months so we have had to plan for that when sorting out our days. We also know the kids operate better in the morning and are best to be in bed around 7.30-8pm.

Please please give me your feedback - must sees, what have i missed etc.
By the way It's a small world, the Casey Jr train and les pays de contes de fees will all be closed for our whole visit which is a shame as I think the small fella would've enjoyed them.
Current plan is as follows:
FRIDAY - arrive on Eurostar approx 2pm, make our way to Hotel New York (not going to use the luggage service as we are only going one way and the price seems to be the same whether going one way or return)
After check in/luggage drop if we can't check in yet we'll make our way into the park for a stroll around - not planning on doing anything in particular, will probably concentrate on main street and fantasyland. Will grab a bit to eat either in the park counter service or grab takeaway from Annette's Diner or Earl of Sandwich.

SATURDAY - day trip into Paris. I forgot about booking Eiffel Tower tickets until the day after they went up for sale, but still managed to get a 1.30pm time slot to go up to the summit.
Can someone remind me the best stops to get off the RER at?
We will do a hop on hop off bus tour in the morning before heading up the tower, then making our way back to the hotel.
Does anyone know if the Manhattan Restaurant at Hotel New York does room service?
DH will head into the park after we've had our evening meal and do some of the rides he wants to go on solo. I will stay in the hotel with the children and devour some of the macarons and pastries I'm going to buy at Laduree in the day!

SUNDAY - We will take advantage of EMH in Fantasyland from as close to 8 as we're ready until about 11am when DS will be ready for his nap. I'll take him back to the hotel and DH and DD will carry on together. Big Thunder Mountain is on their Dad and Daughter list.
Does anyone know where I can find out the restaurant hours? I want to make a booking for Chez Bistro Remy for around 1.30/2 for lunch. We will then do WDS for the afternoon. Is the stunt show worth seeing? I think there will be a show at 4.45pm which might be a nice end to the day before heading back to the hotel picking up some takeaway from the village (Annette's/Earl of Sandwich/McDonalds?)
Am I also right in thinking we should try and get a fast pass for Ratatouille? Would it be smart to pick one up before we go to lunch, what's the chances our fast pass time will be during our lunch?
Tonight after dinner might be my turn to do some exploring of the arcades of Main St/shopping in the Disney Village whilst DH is on parenting duty.

MONDAY - Our last day of the holiday; again we will take advantage of EMH. DD wants to meet a princess so I will try to get us a slot. I do this at 10.30 yes? and then come back later in the day at the allotted time? Depending on our princess schedule either DH or I will take the small guy back to the hotel for his nap. I'd like to have lunch at the Rainforest Cafe after nap time. We will have a slow afternoon looking around the rest of Disneyland Park and possibly another rest time at the hotel around dinner time, before heading back to the park to watch Dreams for our last night.

One other thing we do need to fit in - the parade - is this at 5.30pm? Do we need to nab a spot early? I was thinking to do this either Friday or Monday, what would the experts recommend?

 

[cdsmiler81]

Ratatouille - by the looks of things at the moment, you should probably try and get fast passes as early as possible!

Restaurant opening times - http://www.disneygazette.fr/dgi/horaires-restaurants-25-juin-2014.html

Princess Pavillion - if they are still doing 'appointments', then queue up as early as you can, any time from 9.30am onwards I'd say. Then yes you come back at your allotted time. Sometimes, out of holidays, there is no appointment system, so again aim to head over for about 9.30am. I did this last time, and we had seen a princess and were free for the rest of the day from before 11am.

Check the weekly schedule for the parade times - I'd aim to get a spot about 15 minutes before, and if you head up to near It's a Small World you'll get a fab spot at the start of the parade!

Hope that helps a little?

Cx

 

[BabyAriel]

What are your must see attractions? Or what would you recommend or skip for a family visiting for a short time?

I agree with netimka, the Aquarium and some sort of river cruise would be good.

http://www.visitsealife.com/london/

Other things to consider (just off the top of my head):

The London Eye (right next to the Aquarium and you can buy a combined ticket for the 2)
Changing the Guard at Buckingham Palace?
Tower Bridge (go across the walkway) http://www.towerbridge.org.uk/TBE/EN/
London Transport Museum in Covent Garden - fantastic for kids! http://www.ltmuseum.co.uk/
Museum of London or Natural History Museum - both brilliant for children, Natural History Museum might hold the attention of your youngest a bit better though.

http://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/london-wall/
http://www.nhm.ac.uk/

Disney Store on Oxford Street???