That "once in a lifetime" trip! :D

[faulknerm]

Hi,

First of all I just want to introduce myself - I'm Marc, 20 (nearly 21) and hail from the UK. I've never been to DLRP before and am hoping to take my mum (41) and lil sister (nearly 6) for a "once in a lifetime" trip next year.

I've been toying with the idea for a while now, as I wanted to arrange a special trip of somekind but wasn't sure what would be best. My mum sadly lost her partner last June (and my lil sister her Dad), so it's been a really tough year for them and I want to do something to bring a little joy back into their lives. I can't quite run to a "no expense spared" type trip, but this probably is going to be the only time that we'll get to Disney so I intend to make it unforgettable.

I'm still very much in the early planning stages, so no doubt I'll be hassling you all with hundreds of questions between now and when we go! Thanks in advance for putting up with me, as I'm already like an overexcited kid so dread to think what I'll be like in a few months time lol.

I think that the only thing I've decided on so far is that we'll be flying, as I don't fancy the drive down - and my mum doesn't drive so it would mean me doing all of the driving about. Abi (my sister) has never been on a plane before either, so it will be another magical experience for her.

Anyway, I'll leave this for now and get back to reading the threads on here and posting my first list of questions!!

Cheers,

Marc

 

[A Small World]

Hello and welcome to Dis.

What a wonderful thing to do for your Mum and sister. Im sure your little sister will think you are the best brother in the world.

Are you going to tell them about it or leave it as a surprise to the last minute?

 

[faulknerm]

Hello and welcome to Dis.

What a wonderful thing to do for your Mum and sister. Im sure your little sister will think you are the best brother in the world.

Are you going to tell them about it or leave it as a surprise to the last minute?

Aww, thanks for your kind words!

I have told my Mum that it's something I'm thinking about, but only vaguely - I'll only tell her it's definite once it's all booked and paid for. All being well Abi won't find out until we're on our way to the airport, as I want it to be a complete suprise for her - I can't wait to see the look on her face!!

 

[mamaboogie]

Can I just say - what a wonderful son and big brother you sound like?

How lovely to think about planning this trip for them - I know they will really appreciate all the thought and effort you'll go to!

And you're definitely in the right place for lots of DLP advice!

Flying does make the holiday seem that much more magical! Your sister will love it!

Have you had any thoughts where you want to stay?

Shari x

 

[mommy2ash]

well i just have to say you are a wonderful person. i am so sorry for your familys loss and this is a lovely thing to do for them. i have to say that i dont think it needs to be a no expense spared trip to be memorable. i have seen this on both sides people who werent happy and spent a fortune and people on a budget who have had the time of their lives. cant wait to hear more as you start planning.

 

[faulknerm]

Oh wow, thank you all for your kind words - you're such nice people!!

At the moment I'm pretty much sold on the Disneyland Hotel - I know that it's an extra expense but as a one off I really feel that it's worth it - especially now I've seen all of the pics on here!

Other than that not a lot more has happened on the planning front, as I've been too busy on here reading all of the trip reports

Next up has to be deciding when we're going. I'm going to try and avoid school hols as not only will the cost be prohibitive but I don't really fancy spening all day every day queueing up - so I'm thinking either February (mmay be a bit chilly then though) or April, but will it be too busy by then? Guess I should really look at flight options and then base my decision on that as there's no point booking for February if we can't fly at convenient times...

 

[mommy2ash]

i went at the start of feb this year. to be honest it was a bit cold, we had snow one day. but i honestly had a wonderful time and i didnt notice the cold at all. once you are prepared for it then it shouldnt be a problem. i do have to say that the parks were so quiet it was brilliant. there were hardly ever any queues. i have a pic of fantasyland empty in mid afternoon lol. i think i will have to actually finish my trip report now lol

 

[faulknerm]

I was taking a quick look at flights this afternoon (ssshhh, don't tell my boss!) and it seems we'll be paying in the region of £200 for return flights for all 3 of us from Manchester to CDG.

How does this compare to others have paid? It doesn't seem too bad to me to be honest, as I was expecting to pay about £100 more than that! Prices varied from about £180 to £300+ but I could get convenient timings with Easyjet for about £200. This is based on us going in February.

The park being fairly empty sounds good to me, although does this mean that a lot of the attractions are closed?

 

[mollies_mum]

You sound like the best big brother/son EVER...

It sounds like you and your family deserve some disney happiness,

Fire away with the questions...

 

[Mum to Belle]

I'd like to echo the other comments on here - what a lovely thing to do for your family

I think that the planning part is so much fun, especially with all the helpful people on this forum!! I haven't even been yet but I want to go again already

I hope you enjoy your planning and I am sure you will all have a wonderful time Bring on the Magic!

 

[faulknerm]

I've just taken a look at the Eurostar prices, but it actually works out cheaper to fly (by quite a bit!!) and will also mean that we don't have the journey to St Pancras to arrange on top.

I actually live and work 100+ miles away from my mum, so I've already got that journey to look forward to before we can even set off for the airport. I have to admit that travelling down south after that didn't appeal to me in the slightest, so I'm really glad that we can travel from a local airport for a sensible price.

Looking at hotel and flight availability I'm currently looking at a 5 night stay in early February. Not sure about HB vouchers yet, need to give that some thought as neither my Mum nor sis are big eaters- although I eat like a horse!

 

[mamaboogie]

Ooh! I love it when a plan comes together!

The Disneyland Hotel would certainly be a magical place to stay - your little sister would love it I'm sure!

We always fly from Manchester when we go to Paris - it's so convenient and quick!

We're due to go back in October - last time we went was also October and it was quite cold. I don't know about anyone else on here but I love DLP in the cold - it seems to make everything more crisp and magical! Like others have said - just wrap up warm and you'll be fine!

Have you thought about which restaurants you'd like to eat at? Not that I'm obsessed with food or anything!

Can't wait to hear more details!

 

[faulknerm]

Have you thought about which restaurants you'd like to eat at? Not that I'm obsessed with food or anything!

Can't wait to hear more details!

I've had a good look through the restaurant reviews, but there are so many that sound fabulous that I'm really not sure. I'm quite obsessed with food myself so want to make sure that we make the right choices. None of us usually eat early in the day so if we're eating breakfast we'll probably just snack at lunchtime and then go out for dinner in the evenings. The steakhouse will have to feature somewhere though

 

[mamaboogie]

We keep changing our minds where we want to eat! We do love the Steakhouse though! And we have to do Annettes - I think your sister would like the fun element of this place

We're also thinking about The Blue Lagoon - just to watch the Pirates boats go by!

 

[faulknerm]

Yeah I reckon that Abi would really enjoy Annettes so we'll have to fit that in one evening too.

I've finally been decisive and settled on the first week of February for our trip Obviously this is subject to change if the flights are altered etc or we need to reschedule, but it gives me a date to aim for!

 

[mamaboogie]

Yeah I reckon that Abi would really enjoy Annettes so we'll have to fit that in one evening too.

I've finally been decisive and settled on the first week of February for our trip Obviously this is subject to change if the flights are altered etc or we need to reschedule, but it gives me a date to aim for!

Yay! It's always good to have a date to aim for!

 

[b4ley78]

Yes , we too found flights cheaper than eurostar . we are flying out of manchester with flybe and pretty good times too - departs 1030 and returns 2040 . We paid £80 each return inc all taxes etc .

 

[karengr]

You are such a good person. Happy planning.xx

 

[faulknerm]

Yes , we too found flights cheaper than eurostar . we are flying out of manchester with flybe and pretty good times too - departs 1030 and returns 2040 . We paid £80 each return inc all taxes etc .

That sounds about what I was quoted by Flybe, but the Easyjet worked out a bit cheaper for me.

The DLRP website seems to be having a few problems at the moment, as I've been trying to get some hotel prices for the past couple of hours but just keep getting error messages.

 

[mommy2ash]

i had a great time in feb. i will really have to finish my tr now lol. to be honest i didnt think there were many rides closed in feb this year, no more than any other low season.