The Big Family Trip to Disneyland Paris Halloween 2023 Updated Using Disneyland Paris App and Premier Pass

[Bad Pink Tink 2.0]

Just back from the big family trip, short version it was epic. I'm going to do a very in depth review as there were so many things that we did and experienced that will be useful for others.

I will do day by day as well as separate posts for specific things.

We all did hotel and park hopper tickets direct with Disneyland Paris website. This gave us park tickets for arrival day and departure day and all days in between. This is standard at Disneyland Paris.

Who

1. Me - Disney Adult, the main planner and organizer, aged 40 something
2. N - my sister aged 40 something
3. Nana - our mother aged 71
4. P - my niece age 8
5. K - friend aged 40 something
6. M - friend aged 40 something
7. E - friend aged 40 something (M and E are sisters)

How

• Me and Nana, M and E travelled from Ireland, Dublin to Charles de Gaulle on Air France
• N and P travelled from England, Bristol to Orly on Easy Jet
• K travelled from London, Heathrow to Charles de Gaulle, Air France

Me, my sister and Nana have been to Walt Disney World in 1992
Me and Nana have been to Disneyland Paris in 2013
M and E have been to Disneyland California in 1999
I don't think K has been to any Disney Parks.

Where
Disneyland Santa Fe Hotel
Me, Nana, N and P = Full Board Meal Plan
M and E = Half Board Meal Plan
K = No Meal Plan, OOP for food

When
Wednesday 25 October 2023 to Saturday 28 October 2023

Background
It started in 2018 with my sister N saying she wanted to bring niece P to Disneyland Paris in a few years, when she would be old enough to enjoy it. We were aiming for 2020 or 2021. But then things happened and everything shut in 2020 and planning was put on hold. At Christmas 2021 we again started talking and the planning restarted. In summer 2022, we made definite plans for October 2023 when my niece would be on half term holidays. E and K heard about the plans and said they would like to join the trip, especially as there would be a proper Disney adult doing the planning and organizing. My sisters husband is not a Disney person, so it was decided that it would be a multi generation girls trip. Then E's sister M heard about the planning and decided to join to. So now we were 7 people, in 3 rooms, all travelling from different locations. I have a pre trip planning report here

We created a trip WhatsAp group and as I did the planning and booking, I put the information into the WhatsAp group so everyone else could book what they needed.

The WhatsAp group was great, as we could easily share travel plans. I also gave them bits of advice like bringing lanyards and ponchos, getting Ears in advance from Etsy and any other things that I could think of that might be helpful.

Some other things which may be useful for others.

• Nana is a celiac so is on a gluten free diet
• N has some physical issues and can't go on rollercoasters or things with flashing lights due to to mild photo sensitivity epilepsy. She made decisions about rides based on personal preference, previous experiences and knowing how it would affect her. Some things I thought would not be suitable she was fine on, so its really a personal decision, and what she was ok with, others with the same condition may not be.

Itinerary
Wednesday 25 October Arrival Day and Half Day in The Main Park
Thursday 26 October First Full Day Main Disneyland Park
Friday 27 October Park Hopping 2nd Full Day
Saturday 28 October Departure Day Half Day In The Park
Sunday 29 October Travel Home Day

Extra Information
Being Celiac and Eating Gluten Free at Disneyland Paris
All About Meal Plans At Disneyland Paris
Review of Disneyland Paris Santa Fe Hotel
Using Disneyland Paris App and Premier Pass

 

[Bad Pink Tink 2.0]

Wednesday 25 October Arrival Day and Half Day in The Park

Today started early, me and Nana arriving at Terminal 1 Dublin airport at 6.30am for the 8.50am flight to Charles de Gaulle airport. This was our first time flying with Air France. I did online check in the day before and switched our seats from a window and aisle to 2 aisle's. I printed out our boarding passes at home so we just had to do bag drop. As we were early, there wasn't a big queue so we got sorted fast. At check in the agent printed out boarding passes for us, which is always great, as some airlines charge for a reprint.

Then it was through security and into the main shopping and restaurant concourse. There is a water refill station and cheap bottles of water just beside the security area, so before moving off, we refilled our bottles.

We had a look through the shops and then it was time for second breakfast.

Nana went to the self service Marqette Café which has a la carte food, ready to go salads, sandwiches, soup, a bar and bakery. She has eaten here many times so she knows she can get gluten free food here. She had a hot breakfast, bacon, fried egg and beans and hot tea with milk. She asked at the bakery section for gluten free bread as they dont have it on the self service.

I went to Starbucks and came back to join her.

We then took our time going to the gate area. The Air France gate area is in an older part of the terminal, which neither of us had been to before. We kept a watch out for E and M as they were on the same flight but we didnt see them until boarding started.

The flight left on time and we had an in flight service of complimentary biscuits (cookies) and drinks which I wasnt expecting. The flight time was 1 hour 15 minutes. Theres no in flight entertainment console.

When we landed we waited for E and M and then went to bag reclaim and passport check together. We arrived at Terminal 2E and there was a long walk and then an internal shuttle train to the passport check area. As we were all travelling on Irish / EU passports we could use the self scan passport machines.

Then it was another walk to the bag reclaim area. E and M didnt have checked bags so they went out to get a coffee and we met them at the bus departure area.

We were on the 12.20pm bus which was really good timing. The journey was approx an hour.

We were the only ones getting off at Santa Fe so check in at the hotel was fast. They had multiple check in desks open. At check in we were given

1. Magic Pass for everyone in the room. This is the normal plastic hotel key. The Magic Pass is your room key your park ticket and has the meal plan vouchers if you have paid for a meal plan.

It has the following information printed on it.

• The name of the guest
• The dates of the stay
• The hotel name
• The reservation number
• Adult or Child
• How many adults and children in the party
• Which Meal Plan, if any you have paid for

2. Map of the hotel and where your room is
3. Information about breakfast, and hotel amenities.

N and P would be arriving later , so I got their Magic Passes. We were lucky that our rooms were ready when we arrived.

I had phoned Disneyland Paris before our trip and linked all of our bookings, so E and M were also in the same block of rooms.

It has started raining while we were doing check in, so we walked with purpose with our bags to our room.

After a quick freshen up I text E and M and we arranged to meet down at the entrance and go for some food before going to the parks.

We decided to have some food at Earl of Sandwich and make a plan for the afternoon. Earl of Sandwich is not included on our meal plan so I had a coffee and bread pudding muffin and Nanna just had a coffee. She had some gluten free biscuits (cookies) in her bag as there wasnt anything gluten free on the snack menu. We paid OOP.

After food it was time to head to the parks. Just as we were leaving M discovered that she had left her Magic Pass back the hotel. They decided to go back and get it and me and Nana would meet them on Main Street. We realized later that she could have used the ticket in the App, but we were not thinking.

Me and Nana went into Main Street and saw that the Halloween Parade was about to start. We managed to get a curb sport outside The Emporium and it was a great way to start the trip. It was my first time being in a Disney Park at Halloween so it was nice to have something new.

E and M found us after the parade and we decided to go to Phantom Manor as our first ride. Phantom Manor is Disneyland Paris version of Haunted Mansion. It has a different layout and the story is linked to Big Thunder Mountain and Frontierland. Unlike California it does not get the Nightmare Before Christmas overlay. It was a walk on which is so different to what I am used to in California.

Then is was over to Pirates of The Caribbean. Disneyland Paris is designed for wet, cold weather, so there is a covered walkway from Phantom Manor , through Frontierland and Adventureland right to the back of the park to Pirates of The Caribbean. This was another walk on, which was just amazing. Pirates of The Caribbean in Disneyland Paris is not the same as either California or Florida. It has a restaurant called Captain Jacks like Blue Bayou in California. The entrance queue is down into caves like Indiana Jones in California. The mist and Davy Jones projection is still in this one and there is an on ride photo at the second drop. The Disneyland Train goes through part of it.

Then E and M decided to do Indiana Jones rollercoaster, which I dont like so we decided to split and meet up in Fantasyland.

Me and Nana got lucky with Peter Pan as it was only 15 minutes, I think it had been down and the queue had cleared out and we were in the right place at the right time.

After Peter Pan we took a rest at the tables outside Au Chalet de la Marionnette Restaurant. I tried to do a water refill but they were not working.

We decided to look around Fantasyland and Main Street and then start walking to Sequoia Lodge Hotel for our dinner.

On the way I went into City Hall and asked about the water fountains. In the winter they turn off the outside ones to prevent frozen pipes. The only water refill that works in the winter is at the toilets in Liberty Arcade in Main Street, as it is inside.

Restaurant bookings open 12 months in advance for hotel guests, so in February 2023 I made a reservation for 7pm at Hunters Grill Buffet. This is one of the more popular restaurants which books up fast. It is a French / European style food. With our meal plan vouchers we had a soda drink included. Alcohol drinks are extra and can be paid OOP. At the host stand we checked in and were brought to our table. Our server scanned one Magic Pass per room and took our drink order. Then we could get our food from the buffet. (Not my video)

N and P flight was due to land at 6.30pm so I had made the reservation for 6 people, hoping that they would make it in time. Unfortunately their flight was delayed. I had pre booked a car service for them, as I didnt think the would make the last bus departure from Orly Airport at 7.15pm. By the time they had connected with the driver and started the journey from the airport it was too late for them to join us.

We had a lovely dinner at Hunters Grill Buffet and then walked back to Santa Fe to meet up with N and P. They were tired but excited to finally be at Disney after so many months of planning.

The restaurant at Santa Fe Hotel is called La Cantina and is walk in Tex Mex style food. Again they just scanned the Magic Passes and they had also had the soda included with the food. (Not my video)

We just got some drinks from the bar and sat with them while they ate.

It was getting late, almost 10pm so we decided just to go back to the rooms and get ready for tomorrow.

 

[Bad Pink Tink 2.0]

Thursday 26 October Main Disneyland Paris Park

Today was our first full day and the only day when all 7 of us would be together.

The plan was to get to the park as early as possible, so I set my alarm for 6.15am and N set her alarm for 6.00am.

Unfortunately we didnt get much sleep, due to ahem, multiple snorers, so everyone was a bit slow on the move.

We did well though and were leaving the room by 7.15am and heading over to breakfast in the main building. On the way we sent a text to E and M to let them know where we were. They would meet us at breakfast.

We entered the building by the side entrance and were directed to check in at the host stand. I scanned my Magic Pass and the cm gave us a receipt for 3 adults and 1 child. If we had paid OOP it would have cost €19 for adults, €12 for a child. Then we were seated at a table for 6 at the side. P took off straight away, this child loves buffets and we took a moment to figure things out. ( not my video)

E and M joined us a few minutes later. We were finished eating before them, so we decided to meet in the parks later. They wanted to go to The Studios first, as it would be their only chance to try some of the bigger rides when it was low crowds.
We had a check at the line for the shuttle bus but there was a lot of people and we just missed a bus so we decided to walk. The walk to the village is about 10 to 20 minutes depending on how fast you walk, its a nice walk along a river / canal and a tree lined wide path. It started to rain halfway there, so we stopped and put on our ponchos.
As we walked and got closer to The Village, P was getting more and more excited, finally we were starting to feel the Disney magic.
We went through bag check security , which is a scanner, they dont look through the bags like they do in California and then on through the Village. It was still raining which made it a big chilly but we kept on the move.
We stopped for the first photos at Fantasia Gardens, and finally scanning our Magic Passes. It was 8.50am so we were able to pass the general public queues and enter at the entrance for hotel guests early entry. It was a bit later than I had wanted but, as I was to find out as the days went by, my sense of urgency and others sense of urgency were not the same
There was a bit of anti climax as there were some construction scrims up but once we went into the top of Main Street and we saw The Castle, it didnt matter that it was still raining. P seeing the Castle for the first time and being told yes , lets walk down to it and yes you can go inside was just soo cute.

The rain had stopped as we made our way down Main Street, and into The Castle. The first thing we did was to go up to the upper level and walkaround and then out to the balcony and the view into Fantasyland. P was beside herself, just taking it all in.

Coming down into Fantasyland and the first ride, The Carousel, which was a walk on. Nana and N decided to just watch and take photos, so I went on with P. While we were on The Carousel, P spotted Dumbo, so it was over to that next. The wait time on the App said 15 minutes, which was fine. We all went on this, P and N and me and Nana.

Then it was over to Teacups, which again was a walk on. I love this version as it has a roof with beautiful Chinese hanging lanterns.

After Teacups was a toilet break, Nana and N went to the ones beside Toad Hall, while I sat with P on a wall and checked the App. It was about 9.50am and the pre queue for Meet Mickey Mouse at His House had already started. Nana and N came back just at 10am when it opened, P was all excited and wanted to Meet Mickey, so we joined the end of the queue. However, when we got into the building and I checked the App it said 90 minutes. I didnt think that was a good use of our time so we decided to leave.

When we came out of Mickey Mouse House, I suggested going to Alice Maze which was nearby. We got a text from E and M who had been on Tower of Terror and were coming to join us. We also got a text from K who had just checked in to Santa Fe and was heading to the parks. There were some benches beside Alice Maze, so we decided it would be a good meeting place.

N and P headed into the Maze and me and Nana sat on the benches to wait for the others to arrive.

E and M arrived ad showed us the hilarious on ride photo. E was petrified but M loved it

The K arrived and we had a great meet up. I checked the time and it was about 11.00am, and as we were in Fantasyland, we over to Its A Small World area for the 11.30am Stars On Parade. We had to walk down a bit but we managed to find a less crowded section where P could sit on the ground at the rope and the rest of us were behind her.

This was a new to me parade and I loved it. Disneyland Paris always seems to have great parades. I'm not sure which was more fun, watching the Parade or watching P's face and her reactions to the floats and characters.

Once the Parade ended, there was a discussion about food and time for a snack. K had come straight form London on the early morning flight so she was feeling hungry. We were beside Pizzeria Bella Notte but it was a bit too early for us to have lunch, so we decided to just have some snacks and pay OOP. I had a coffee and Double Mickey Cake, which was an almond pound cake and a chocolate pound cake.

After warming up with some food we had a discussion about to do next. Our dinner tonight was in Manhattan Restaurant, which I had originally booked for 6 people. K decided to join us after I had made the reservation, so I wanted to try to see if she could be added to our table. I decided to go to the Concierge Desk at Hotel New York so sort out the dinner reservation.

While I was doing that, everyone else decided to stay in Fantasyland and do Casey Junior Train and Storybook Canal Boats.

I left them at 12pm and just walked with purpose all the way up Main Street, through The Village and out to Hotel New York. It was dry and a bit sunny, so I was able to make good time. At Hotel New York I went to the Concierge Desk. The CM was very helpful and double checked the booking. I had phoned Disneyland Paris Dining Reservations a few weeks before but they couldnt change the booking. However when the Concierge CM checked the system, the Dining Reservations CM had put a note on the reservation and the Manhattan Restaurant Team had seen the note and assigned us a table for 7 people. Success so now back into the park and to find everyone.

I made it back to The Hub by 12.30pm and sent a text to see where everyone was. They were still in Fantasyland, at Teacups so I met them there.

By now it was time for lunch and second lunch for K so we decided to go to Au Chalet de la Marionnette which is a counter service restaurant as it was nearby. With our meal vouchers we could have an entrée, desert and either a soda fountain drink or a bottle of water or a carton of juice. I had the plant burger, fries, a bottle of still water and a Mickey Icecream Bar. All we had to do was tell the cashier we had a meal voucher, they scanned the card and told us the options we could have. If I had paid OOP my lunch would have cost €20.50. E, M and K didnt have meal vouchers so they paid OOP.

After lunch, me, P and K went to Pirates, and everyone else went to Snow White and Pinocchio. After Pirates, we meet back in Fantasyland. P wants to try to meet Villain's in Courtyard so me and K go to Star Tours.

The Halloween Parade was just ending so we had to wait for the last float to pass by before we could get into Discoveryland. Star Tours was a walk on which was amazing, I've never seen that in the afternoon in California. It was a lot smoother than California too.

After Star Tours there was text that E and P had gone into Star Tours and everyone else was sitting on a bench in Discoveryland. By this stage people were starting to fade, so when E and P came out of Star Tours, almost everyone decided to go back to the hotel to freshen up before dinner. It was now 4pm and the reservation was at 6pm.

Me and P decided to stay in the parks. We went back into Star Tours as it was still a walk on, and we got a different adventure. P just loved the whole concept, the glasses, the adventure and the pod moving with the action on the screen.

We decided to try some Pin Trading next. This is very hit and miss in Disneyland Paris. They don't seem to have Pin Boards in shops so you have to look for CM's wearing pin lanyards. P was getting a bit disheartened that we could only find 1 CM wearing a pin lanyard in Constellations, the shop at Buzz Lightyear.

We then decided to try to meet Captain Hook, so it was over to Adventureland. We got into the queue which wasnt too big, but the Captain Hook went on a break. The CM said he would be back but P didnt want to wait, so she decided she wanted to go again on Star Tours, so it was back across to Discoveryland. Again a new adventure which she was delighted with.

By now it was nearly 5.30pm so we started walking back through Main Street, which was very busy, and seeing if any of the CM's in the shop had pin lanyards, which they didnt.

We were at New York hotel for 5.50pm. The others were on the way, so we went in and checked in at the host stand and waited for them to arrive. At the host stand, they scanned our Magic Passes for the meal vouchers. K didnt have a Meal Plan so she paid OOP.

Manhattan Restaurant is a fine dining Italian table service restaurant. We had a round table in the middle of the restaurant which meant we could all join in conversations. We had a starter, main and desert, and a soda drink or water on our meal plan. There was a special childs menu for P which had drawing activities on the back. I had still water to drink and there was a bread service of Focaccia Bread with Olive Oil.
I had

• Minestrone Soup
• Potato Gnocchi with Yellow Tomato Sauce Flavoured with Oregano and Stracciatella
• Tiramisù

If I had paid OOP it would have cost €58 for my meal. Our reservation was for 6pm and it was almost 7.45pm by the time we left the restaurant. It was a really lovely meal, everyone enjoyed the food and the server was excellent with P when she wasnt sure about the food.

By now Nana was fading, it was a long day and a big meal. I decided to bring Nana back to the hotel and have an early night, while everyone else went back into the parks and try to see if they could make it for the fireworks at 10pm. Unfortunately it started to rain around 9pm and they decided not to stay in the cold and wet and came back to the hotel.

 

[Bad Pink Tink 2.0]

Friday 27 October Park Hopping 2nd Full Day

Everyone seemed to sleep better last night. I woke at 6am and everyone was still passed out, so I turned off my 6.15am alarm and snoozed.

There was nothing on the group chat so I assumed everyone else was having a slow morning too.

By 8am everyone was awake and N told me they arranged last night for a 9am breakfast but forgot to put it in the group chat so I didnt know. Then at 8.15am I got a message from K. She had checked out and was at the luggage store and then going to the parks for early opening. She didnt have a meal plan, so would have breakfast on the go.

We made it to breakfast by 9am and E and M were already there and had a table. They were leaving after breakfast and getting the train into Paris.

We had a relaxed breakfast with them and K was texting from the Studios. She started with Big Thunder Mountain and then Space Mountain, which in Paris is called Hyperspace Mountain as it has a Star Wars overlay. Then she went into The Studios and went on Avengers Assemble which is the new overlay on the old Rock n Rollercoaster, and then did single rider on Spiderman Web Slingers.

By this stage we had finished breakfast and said goodbye to E and M and were walking towards The Village. K went on Crush Coaster and we would meet her afterwards. It was now about 10.30am.

As expected the wait time for Crush was long, so while we waited we went on Cars Quatre Roues Rallye which is the same ride as as Mater's Junkyard Jamboree in Disneyland California but with a Cars theme.

By the time we finished that K was out of Crush. We all wanted to go on Ratatouille but the wait times had been getting longer and longer, so we decided to do a Premier Pass for that. This is basically the same as an Individual Attraction Lightning Lane. Its the same process to buy it, go on the App, select who to buy it for and then pay with a credit or debit card. The only difference is that you get an immediate return window of 1 hour.

I got ours done quicker than K as I am used to the system. But then figured out why it wasnt working for her, Ratatouille had gone down. When I checked my App, it had converted to an Anytime Premier Pass and there was a list of rides we could use it on.

We decided to wait a while and see if the ride would come back, so we went to Flying Carpets Over Agrabah. This is the same ride system as Dumbo and Orbitron, with an Aladdin theme.

When we go out we were beside Mickey and The Magician Show and people were going in for the 1pm show. P wasnt really interested so we went to Stitch Live show instead. If you are going to this show, make sure to check the App, as they rotate between French Language and English Language. The English Language show was due to start in 15 minutes so we went there. Stitch Live is the same as Turtle Talk with Crush. Ive seen Turtle Talk with Crush multiple times so I know what to expect, but everyone else had no idea about the show. It was great fun when they realized it was Live. The one big difference I noticed though, was that none of the kids went up the front. All the kids stayed with their families in the seats. Any time I have seen this in Disneyland California, theres a big rush of kids up to the front.

After we had finished that, I checked the App and Ratatouille was back, so K quickly bought a Premier Pass and we all went down to the France area.

There was a bit of a queue at the Premier Pass line but it only took about 10 minutes to get to the glasses pick up area. Redeeming the Premier Pass is exactly the same as redeeming Lightning Lanes, its even the same machine and ding noise

I was a bit apprehensive about N doing this ride due to her epilepsy condition, but she insisted she would be ok. She made it through the first section and then put her hat over her eyes which is what she does when things get a bit much for her. She saw the start and heard all the audio and she was fine with that.

Everyone loved Ratatouille, and were fascinated when I told them about the trackless technology.

After Ratatouille we had a toilet break and P wanted to buy a Bubble Wand. Yes I know, the infamous Bubble Wands. Over the past few days she was fascinated by all the bubbles everywhere and of course wanted one. So we went back to the front area of The Studios where there was cart selling them.

By now everyone was getting hungry, so I checked the App for the restaurants. Things have changed since my last visit, so I was unfamiliar with the food options. I checked the menu at Stark Factory and found that would be the best place for food options for Nana who is on a gluten free diet.

This was a new to me restaurant and I found it very confusing. With our meal vouchers we could get a main, a side a desert and a drink. All the items are in fridges or a hot counter and you just put what you want on your try. I tried to ask for a Caesar salad without croutons for Nana but they just gave me a plain tomato salad when I said she had allergies. I had the veggie pizza, chocolate custard cake and a bottle of water. If I had paid OOP it would have cost €22.30. (not my video)

After lunch , we went to the Animation Academy as P loves to draw. There was a bit of a wait as the previous class was only halfway through. Me and Nana decided we wouldnt do the drawing and we waited outside and sat on a bench. K didnt do the drawing either and decided it would be a good time for her to leave. She was getting the train into Paris for the rest of her holiday.

N and P had a great time in Animation Academy, they drew Olaf.

We then decided to go back into the Main Park, with some shopping in The Studios Shop on the way out.

It started raining as we left so it was Poncho time again. It was raining very heavily, so the covered walkways came in handy. N decided to have a look in the shops while we took P on Pirates of The Caribbean.

We had a 6pm reservation at The Steak House in The Village. N decided to go on Buzz Lightyear with P while me and Nana would slow walk to The Village and check in for our dinner reservation.

We checked and were brought to our table. We told the server that we were waiting for 2 others, so he took my Magic Pass to scan for the meal vouchers. N and P joined soon after and we had a lovely meal. P even did some pin trading with one of the servers. I had

• Tomato Soup with Corn Bread
• Chicken, Creamed Corn and Spicy Cheddar Casserole served with Basmati Rice
• Chocolate Fudge Cake and Custard
• Water

If I had paid OOP it would have cost €58

After dinner I decided to go back into the parks as I hadnt seen them at night time. Nana, N and P decided to go shopping in The Village.

I went first to The Studios and Spiderman Web Slingers. I did single rider and it was a walk on. As I came out there was an announcement that Avengers Campus was closing in preparation for the night time drone show at 10pm. I checked the time it was 8pm. I checked the App and Buzz Lightyear was a low wait time so I decided to go back into the Main Park. I did it twice in a row, the only difference is at the end, you have to pay for the photos, on the screen they are watermarked and dont show your score.

By this stage I was getting tired, so I sent a text to N to find out where they were. They were still shopping in The Village so I left the parks and went to find them. They were finished shopping so we decided to end the day and go back to the hotel. It was about 9pm when we got back to our room.

I decided to have a nightcap hot chocolate. This is new since my last visit. In each hotel building there is a complimentary self service coffee machine. You just scan your Magic Pass to pay, and I think you can get 2 or 3 per day, depending on how many people are in the room. Its not a large cup but its a nice little extra to have.

 

[Bad Pink Tink 2.0]

Saturday 28 October Departure Day Half Day In The Park

Today started early, N set her alarm for 6am and I set mine for 6.15am.

We were up and on the move and packing as we got ready. With one final look around the room we were out the door by 7.30am.

We went straight to the bag storage area and joined the small queue. We were lucky to be out so early as the bag storage room opens at 7.30am. At Santa Fe Hotel its located in a separate building, across from the main building.

Then it was over to the main building for our last breakfast. We were a bit slow this morning so it was just 9am when we were ready to leave.

This morning P had asked to repeat some things and also to meet Stitch. When I checked the App I saw that Stitch Meet and Greet started at 9.30am so that was our priority.

Stitch was meeting at the top of Main Street near Casey Corner and we joined the line at 9.26am. We took turns waiting in line and sitting at the chairs. I honestly didnt think it would take so long but it was after 11am by the time they finally reached the top of the line , approx 90 minutes

It was worth it though, I videoed while Nana took photos and the CM took photos on N's phone. P was beside herself, with the hugs and getting the autograph. What is it with Stitch, why is he so popular???

I had been checking the App and wait times had really escalated, so I wasnt in the mood to do more queuing. It was alos a bit damp and chilly, so me and Nana decided to walk up Main Street to warm up and then get on Disneyland Train, as that seemed to have the most reasonable wait time.

N and P wanted to do Peter Pan, even though it was at 50 minutes wait time.

So we set off up Main Street and into the Train Station. The trains were every 10 minutes so it wasnt a long wait. We were just seated in a carriage when there was an announcement that we would be held for a few minutes due to the 11.30am Stars On Parade. Some people got off but we decided to see what happened. We were right to wait as it was just a 5 minute delay and then we were off.

The Disneyland Train is almost the same as in California, but the main difference is that all the carriages have gates at each row, which have to be opened and closed by the CM.

By the time we got to Fantasyland, N and P were almost at the top of the line at Peter Pan, so we decided to go to Au Chalet de la Marionnette to wait for them. It was now after 12pm and N decided to get lunch. P wanted to go back to The Castle Courtyard, so Nana took her to see what Villain's they could meet.

As we had full board meal plan, we had lunch vouchers for our departure day so we were able to get a proper lunch. N was able to get the kids meal to go and brought it out and found Nana and P. They were having a great time meeting all the Villain's and it was a good idea to bring the food out to them.

After lunch N and P had to leave, as they were getting the 7.00pm flight from Orly. As they had to get their bags from the luggage store and get the Magic Shuttle bus, N wanted to make sure they had plenty of time and didnt want to rush.

After they left I checked the App and all the wait times were really high. It was Saturday afternoon so I wasnt surprised. We decided just to slow walk back to the hotel, checking out the shops in Fantasyland, The Dragon under The Castle and the shops on Main Street.

We left the parks at 3.30pm, just as the Halloween Parade was about to start.

I had checked the times of Magic Shuttle and there was a bus departing Santa Fe Hotel at 4.05pm, so we decided to go for that.

There wasnt a queue at the baggage storage room, so we had our bags just as the bus arrived, which was great timing.

We were not in any rush getting to Charles De Gualle airport as we were staying overnight at an airport hotel. I planned it this way so that we could have a nice relaxing end to the holiday.

Our hotel was ibis Paris CDG Airport at Terminal 3. If you are booking this hotel, make sure you book the one at 3 rue de Bruxelles, as there is a budget Ibis at 1 Bis Rue De La Haye which is a different hotel.

The Magic Shuttle dropped us at their base at terminal 2E, so we had to make our way over to Terminal 3.

This took us about 40 minutes as we had to get the shuttle train. Its all very well sign posted , it just took us a bit of time as we were tired.

Check in was fast, I had a reservation for 1 room with 2 beds for 1 night with breakfast which cost €199.56.

We were in our room by 6pm. It was a basic room but a nice basic room.

The onsite restaurant opened at 7pm so we just chilled in the room for a while.

At 7pm we went to the onsite restaurant.

I was very surprised by the quality of the food. It was a buffet and you paid for either 2 or 3 courses, with drinks extra. We paid €50 for 2 course buffet for 2 people, which included 1 glass of wine and 1 soda, which I thought was amazing value.

I should have taken photos but it didnt feel right. The food was very high quality, more like fine dining than a buffet.

After our dinner, we were done for the evening and just went back to our room.

 

[Bad Pink Tink 2.0]

Sunday 29 October Travel Home Day

I'm so glad we took this extra night. I had such a good sleep, and it was really nice not to rush to get ready for breakfast.

Breakfast was from 5am to 10am. Check out was at 12pm, so we had a plenty of time.

The clocks changed last night, so we were a bit disorientated waking up, but most of our devices updated automatically so we knew we were on the correct time. There were many notices around the hotel and in the lift reminding about the clock change.

Breakfast was in the same restaurant as last nights dinner. We just gave our room number at the host stand and then we found a table.

Again I was super impressed with the food.

There were 2 self service drinks machines, tea, coffee, hot chocolate, orange juice and apple juice.
Hot items were mini omelets, sausages, a pot to boil eggs, plenty of cold sliced meats and cheese, fresh fruit, cereals, croissants, pastries, crepes and toast. Nana asked for gluten free bread and one of the staff brought a plate with 2 factory sealed gluten free madeleines and 2 factory sealed mini loafs of seeded gluten free bread.

After a leisurely breakfast, we refilled our water bottles at the water refill fountain in the hotel lobby and went back to the room to finish packing.

Our flight was at 3.10pm in terminal 2E. I checked in online last night before going to sleep and had our boarding passes on my phone. Again I was able to change our seats from a window and aisle to 2 aisle seats during check in.

We decided to leave about 11.30am to make the journey across the airport and do bag drop. We didnt want to rush so it took us about 40 minutes.

Bag drop with Air France was easy. As we were early there wasn't many passengers. I put the bag on the machine, scanned the boarding pass and the machine printed the luggage tag. There is a screen with instructions which you can change to your language. Then we just went into the bag drop area, put the bag on the conveyor belt, scanned the luggage tag and away they went.

Next it was onto passport and security. As we were travelling on Irish / EU passports, we joined the queue for EU passports. They had a separate queue for UK passports due to Brexit. Our queue moved fast as we could use the self scan machines. The UK passport queue was double the length of ours, as they had to speak to an agent.

Once through passport check, the bag scan machines were next. Very efficient with lots of lanes open, so no delay or issues.

While I have been to Charles de Gaulle airport before, I have never been to terminal 2E, so this was new to me. After the bag check security you are in the main terminal concourse and its huge. Theres a good number of shops and food options. It was very busy and crowded but as the building is so big, it was very manageable. It took us a while to to figure out the layout, find our gate area and get some food. I was glad to see a UK sandwich chain called Pret A Manger, as I know they have gluten free food. We both got food for now and food for the plane as we were not sure if there would be complementary food on board.

I tried to find the water bottle refill station but it was very confusing so I ended up buying water at one of the shops.

The plane boarded on time and was very full due to people returning to Ireland after the Rugby World Cup final.

We did get a complementary food serice during the flight, the options were chicken sandwich or veg sandwich. I choose the veg sandwich but I was glad I also had the sandwich from Pret as it wasnt that nice.

There were no delays and landing was on time.

When we got off the plane we were surprised to find we were in an older part of Dublin Airport with the old Passport check area. We were quickly through and into the bag reclaim and our bags were one of the first off.

Then it was out through arrivals and to the taxi pick up area. There wasnt a big queue and soon we were on our way home.

 

[Bad Pink Tink 2.0]

Being Celiac and Eating Gluten Free at Disneyland Paris

Before Travelling to Disneyland Paris
My mum is a diagnosed Celiac and has been on a gluten free diet for over 40 years. I have grown up with being aware of mums special foods and knowing to check menus and food items. As a family it is normal to us, and my mum has travelled around Europe and America and always find things to eat. Over the years she has become comfortable with her level of tolerance to gluten, and is not as strict as some regarding cross contamination. As long as the actual food item is gluten free she will be ok. I just wanted to put that disclaimer as I know some newly diagnosed celiacs are very nervous about cross contamination when eating out. We did not ask about cross contamination or separate food preparation areas in Disneyland Paris.

She always brings a stash of biscuits, snacks and bread when she travels.

This is not my first time travelling with my mum, so its automatic to me to choose restaurants and food options that I know my mum will be ok at. Also I know the type of food my mum eats and enjoys.

We had full board meal plan, so I knew we would be eating at either a table service or buffet each evening. I had previously discussed with my sister that our main meal would be in the evening and that we would have counter service meals for lunch.

I started off by creating a spreadsheet of all the restaurants at Disneyland Paris.
Then I used this blog Eating Gluten Free at Disneyland Paris and marked all the gluten free safe places they recommended.

I eliminated places which did not accept the meal plan vouchers and also places that I knew my mum would not like the food style.

This gave me 6 restaurants, 3 table service and 3 buffets which would be gluten free safe and which accepted the meal vouchers.

1. Downtown Restaurant - Buffet
2. Hunter's Grill and Beaver Creek Tavern - Buffet
3. La Grange at Billy Bob’s Country Western Saloon - Buffet
4. Manhattan Restaurant - Table Service
5. The Steakhouse - Table Service
6. Walt’s – an American restaurant - Table Service

I then checked the menus at each of the restaurants. I used the menus on Disneyland Paris website and App for the table service and YouTube Vlogs for the buffets. Knowing my mums food preferences I ended up with 4 options for our 3 nights.

1. Downtown Restaurant - Buffet
2. Hunter's Grill and Beaver Creek Tavern - Buffet
3. Manhattan Restaurant - Table Service
4. The Steakhouse - Table Service

Restaurant reservations at Disneyland Paris open approx 10 months in advance for onsite guests. I did the restaurant reservations a bit late in February, 8 months in advance. As a result I couldn't get one of the restaurants, Downtown in Hotel New York, but I had a back up of The Steak House. I managed to get

• Hunter's Grill and Beaver Creek Tavern - 7pm on Wednesday 25 October
• Manhattan Restaurant - 6pm on Thursday 26 October
• The Steakhouse - 6pm on Friday 27 October.

I didnt do much research about counter service restaurants for lunch as I didnt know where in the parks we would be when we would be having lunch. All the counter service menus are on the App , so I knew it would be easy to check the menus and find somewhere that my mum could eat.

Reviews of Eating Gluten Free at Disneyland Paris

1.Dinner at Hunters Grill Buffet Restaurant, Sequoia Lodge Hotel
Very impressed with this restaurant. When our server came to take the drink order, we said we had a gluten free person. He went off and came back with a binder of allergy information. All the food items on the buffet were listed , so my mum just had to check which ones didn't have an X , meaning not gluten free safe.


2. Buffet Breakfast at Santa Fe Hotel
My mum didnt specifically ask the servers about gluten free options, as there was a wide selection of food. She also didnt ask ask about gluten free bread as she brought her own. There were plenty of food options for her both hot and cold.

3. Lunch at Au Chalet de la Marionnette
We had a meal plan voucher for this. My mum got the 1/2 roast chicken, French fries , bottle of water and Magnum ice-cream meal. We ate lunch here twice on 2 different days.

4. Dinner at Manhattan Restaurant, Art of Marvel Hotel New York
Really good service at this restaurant. Again when we told the server, he went through the menu and explained which dishes were safe for her.

Bread Service - the server brought a separate dish of olive oil and factory sealed gluten free bread.
Starter - Parma Ham, “Mostarda di Frutta” (Candied Fruit in Mustard-Flavoured Syrup), Tigelle
Tigelle are traditional Italian round small bread , which are served on the side of this dish. So my mums plate didnt have them.
Main - Griddled Sea Bass Fillet, Grilled Seasonal Vegetables and Lemon Compote
Desert - Pineapple Marinated in Rosemary, Chocolate and Olive Oil Cream and Hazelnut Crumble
The Hazelnut Crumble was served on the side, so my mums dessert didnt have it.

5. Lunch at Stark Factory
This was the one not so successful meal. In The Studios the counter service places do not have good options for gluten free food. The only thing my mum could have here was the tomato and lettuce salad, and a yoghurt. Luckily she had some bread and snacks in her bag.
6. Dinner at The Steakhouse, Disney Village
Another really good service meal. Again once we said about gluten free, the server went through the menu and explained which items were safe.
Starter - Steakhouse Caesar Salad without the croutons
Main -Filet de bœuf without the sauce au poivre fumé , frites, poêlée de légumes (fries and vegetables)
Dessert - Coupe de fruits, sirop aux épices douces without feuilleté caramélisé (pastry slice)

Overall Thoughts

• The hotel breakfast buffet and the table service / buffet restaurants were very good for gluten free options.
• The counter service restaurants need a bit of research and more planning. For those on a meal plan voucher, most counter service restaurants have Magnum icecreams as a desert option.
• The full board meal plan worked best as it gave a good variety of places.
• For those paying OOP I'm not sure if it would be affordable to have a table service / buffet meal every day so you may have a bit more limited options.
• Like everywhere, you need to research and check menus ahead of time and make sure you have a back up of snacks and your own bread.

 

[Bad Pink Tink 2.0]

Standard Full Board and Standard Half Board Meal Plans at Disneyland Paris

I'm going to try to break down our costs as best as I can. Some of this are approx as I can't check some prices after our trip.

During the planning stages, I discussed with my sister the various aspects of a Disneyland Paris trip.
We decided that onsite would suit us best, and that if possible to get a room with 1 double bed and 1 set of bunk beds.

I had an in depth conversation with her about her expectations for food and meals. She wanted to keep my niece P on as much as a regular meal times as possible. She wanted P to have a good breakfast and a main evening meal around 6pm if possible.

We decided full board would suit us best, as with half board we would still have to eat lunch and would have to pay OOP. Also it meant from a budgeting point of view, all the big costs would be paid in advance which would cut down on money needed in the parks.

I booked at the end of December 2022, which gave us almost 10 months to pay in instalments.

I paid a deposit of €392 on December 29 2022 with the balance payable in 5 instalments before September 15 2023.

As we booked direct through Disneyland Paris website, we were covered by their Zen Guarantee, which meant we could change or cancel the booking with full refund anytime up to 7 days before arrival date.

Breakdown

Hotel and Park Hopper Tickets for 3 Adults and 1 Child = €1863.29
Local Occupancy Tax = €10.17
Full Board Standard Meal Plan = €750
Total Paid = €2623.46

Information about the Meal Plans

This is the page on Disney Paris website https://www.disneylandparis.com/en-ie/dining/meal-plans/
It gives information about Premium and Extra Plus, which are not currently available.
The only meal plans available at the time I am writing this are Standard and Plus

The meal plan prices and options are linked to the hotel you stay at.
The meal plan prices and options are linked to the restaurants they can be used at

Options are

1. Breakfast only
2. Half board = Breakfast and Dinner
3. Full board = Breakfast, lunch and dinner

Santa Fe the cheapest hotel is the only hotel to have the Standard option as well as the Plus.

With the Standard Meal Plan, lunch has to be at a counter service restaurant.
With the Plus, lunch can be at any restaurant, counter, buffet or table service.

All the other hotels have only Plus.

So what you do is

1. Choose your hotel
2. Choose how many meals you want in the day, 1, 2 or 3
3. If staying at Santa Fe, if you want counter service or buffet / table for lunch

We had Full Board Standard which cost €750
This gave us

• Breakfast X 3 for 3 adults and 1 child
• Counter Service X 3 for 3 adults and 1 child
• Buffet / Table Service X 3 for 3 adults and 1 child
• Counter Service on departure day for 3 adults and 1 child

I did a spreadsheet of only the food we ate using the meal vouchers and put in the al a carte prices if we had been paying OOP for every meal and had the same meals.
The OOP total cost would have been €1075.58
Thats a difference of €325.58

However, if we were paying OOP I dont think we would have paid for the hotel breakfast buffet every day, or have got a desert at lunch time or eaten in 3 high priced table service restaurants. If we were paying OOP our restaurant and food choices would have been very different.

This was my first time doing a Meal Plan at Disneyland Paris. On my previous solo visits a continental breakfast was included and I paid OOP for every meal.

Being solo and being with a multi generation group who have dietary restrictions are very different.

The meal plan worked for us and I can see why it works for families. However, not all restaurants are included with the meal plans. These restaurants are not included

• Auberge de Cendrillon Princess Meal
• Captain Jacks
• Plaza Gardens
• Restaurant Agrabah Café
• Silver Spur Steakhouse
• Cape Cod at Newport Bay Hotel Not On Standard Meal Plan
• Chuck Wagon Cafe at Hotel Cheyenne Not On Standard Meal Plan
• All on the go / snack kiosks in the parks and in Disney Village
• Earl of Sandwich in Disney Village
• Five Guys in Disney Village
• McDonalds in Disney Village
• Rainforest Cafe in Disney Village
• Starbucks at the hotels and in Disney Village
• The Royal Pub in Disney Village
• Vapiano in Disney Village

The only way to save money with the meal plans is to do what we did and use the vouchers for every meal. If 1 or more of the not included restaurants are on your must do list, then you really have to crunch the numbers and and cross check your food budget.

If I go back solo to Disneyland Paris I will do OOP and not have a meal plan.

 

[Bad Pink Tink 2.0]

Review of Disneyland Paris Santa Fe Hotel

This was my second time staying at Santa Fe Hotel. The last time I was solo and had a room with 2 double beds.

This time with my family I booked a room with 1 bunk beds and 1 double bed.

Santa Fe Hotel is the budget onsite hotel and is designed like an American Motel but with inside corridors. The theming is Pixar Cars.

It is located furthest walking distance from the parks. It took us between 15 and 20 minutes to walk from the hotel property to Main Street USA.

All the buses, both the free park shuttle buses and Magic Shuttle to / from the airports pick up and drop off at the front of the main building.

The main building at the front of the hotel has

• Reception
• The Shop
• Starbucks
• La Cantina Restaurant
• Rio Grande Bar
• Character meet and greet until 11am each morning

The bag storage is a separate building beside the main building.




There are 4 blocks of buildings

1. Yellow Luigi
2. Orange Mater
3. Red McQueen
4. Black Sally

Each block has between 8 and 13 separate buildings.

Each building has stairs, an elevator and inside corridors. The doors to each building are unlocked.

New since my last visit are complimentary vending machines for tea, coffee and hot chocolate in each building. These are activated by scanning your Magic Pass.

Our room was Yellow Luigi 14136
Luigi Block
Building 14
Floor 1
Room 36

Our building, number 14 in Luigi was the farthest from the main building BUT it was the nearest to the river.

It meant a longer walk in the mornings when we went to breakfast but in the evenings walking back we were the first building at Santa Fe property.

The rooms are opened with the Magic Pass. Only adult Magic Passes will open room doors. P was disappointed to find that her Magic Pass would not open the door.

The lights are activated by putting a Magic Pass or any type of card into the slot by the door, the same as on Disney Cruise Line Ships The Dream and The Fantasy.

As this is one of the older hotels, which has not been refurbed, there are only European two prong plug sockets. We all brought adaptors as in UK and Ireland we use 3 prong plugs. We have the newer type adaptors which also have USB ports so we did not have any issues charging our devices.

There were plug sockets in the middle of the two beds, at the main storage unit and on the wall at the small storage unit.



The bed is an European double bed, which would be an American Queen size. I shared this with Nana, and we were perfectly fine. In the other configuration of the Santa Fe rooms, there are two of these beds.



My sister N was on the bottom bunk and P aged 8 was on the top bunk. There is a sign that the top bunk is not suitable for children under the age of 7.



There is no air conditioning, only a ceiling fan. We stayed in October and the room was plenty warm enough.



This is the wardrobe area. It is open, no doors, with plenty of hanging space. There is a safe on the top shelf.



This is the main storage space, a large chest of drawers , with TV and counter top.



This is the second stage space, its a small countertop and shelf area.





The bathroom has a large counter top and a shower in a bath tub. There were toiletries provided but we all brought our own. There was daily housekeeping, beds were made, trash emptied and towels changed.

We did not leave a tip for housekeeping, it is not customary in Europe to tip housekeeping.

We were 3 adults and 1 child and had plenty of room.

We didnt really unpack. I had my suitcase on the lower level of the wardrobe area, N had her suitcase on the main part of the wardrobe area, P had the small storage area and Nana had the space beside the window at the end of the bed.

I think it helped space wise with the bunk beds as it gave more floor space between the two beds.

To compare this room, it would be smaller than the rooms at Desert Inn and Suites in Anaheim, where I usually stay. The beds are a lot smaller. However, this is what we are used to when we travel in Europe, so we actually had plenty of space, even with 3 adults and 1 child.

The only issue we had with noise was multiple snorers in the room.

It is defiantly worth it to stay here if you are on a budget. You get all the Disney onsite perks like the Early Opening and Meal Plans but at a far lower cost than the more expensive hotels like Sequoia Lodge or Newport Bay.

 

[Bad Pink Tink 2.0]

Travel Options From Charles de Gaulle Airport and Orly Airport

 

[Bad Pink Tink 2.0]

Disneyland Paris App and Premier Pass

Before The Trip
One of the first things I put into the group chat was to download the DLP App once everyone had booked.

All 3 friends, K, E and M have never used any Disney App before. They were very impressed with the amount of information and ease of use. I know all of us here get disillusioned with Disney Tech in general and the Apps, but for first time users they loved it.

During The Trip
It was really interesting getting feedback from first time users who were not familiar with the parks. All 3 of them used the GPS and had location turned on. We separated a number of times and used the group chat to communicate and meet up. A few times they mentioned that the GPS didnt update in real time as they walked. They found they had to click into Food and then click back into Maps for the location to update.

When we were in the Studios, K was using the GPS to find Ratatouille as we walked from Stitch Live. She would have taken a wrong turn if I hadnt noticed the direction she was walking.

They loved using the App to check wait times and really used that function to maximize park time. They could see how wait times fluctuated during the day and that rides which had high wait times in the morning, had low wait times later etc.

Having the restaurant menus on the App was a great help to me, as I could check before joining a queue if there was a suitable food option for Nana. It also meant that Nana could get a table and I could get her food order , as I was able to show her the menu on the phone.

I am so used to walking around with the phone in my hand and using the App to check wait times, so they were really amazed at my time management in the park, as I knew the layout and didnt have to waste time checking the map to plan routes.

Premier Pass
Before the trip I found it hard to get exact information about this system.
This is the official Disneyland Paris page https://www.disneylandparis.com/en-usd/attractions/disney-premier-access/

We had previously discussed before the trip that we would not be buying the Disney Premier Access Ultimate, which is the pay once per day and get access to all Premier Access Attractions. Depending on when you visit, this has different prices. Low season days are currently priced at €90 per person, mid-season days at €120, high season days at €160 per person and peak season days at €190 per person.

I suggested that we see on the day how high wait times are and that Disney Premier Access One would be a good option if there was something with a high wait time that was worth paying to skip the standby line. I used Individual Attraction Lightning Lane at Disneyland California pricing as a guide and advised everyone that we could pay up to €20 per person.

The only thing that we found we needed Disney Premier Access One for was Ratatouille. If I was solo or with a friend I would have used single rider, but the whole point on this trip was to experience rides together.

I bought Disney Premier Access One on my phone using my Disney Account. Just like with Individual Attraction Lightning Lanes it gave me the option of which party member or all party members to select. Just like with Individual Attraction Lightning Lanes it then went to the payment page, where I could choose how to pay, either with my linked card or a different payment method.

Just like with Individual Attraction Lightning Lanes I got a confirmation email once the purchase was complete and the pass showed up in the App in the MY TICKETS section.

The main difference between Individual Attraction Lightning Lanes and Disney Premier Access One is that you get immediate access, and a 1 hour window.



During the time I was making the purchase, Ratatouille went down. It immediately converted to an Any Time Pass and gave me a list of the rides it was valid on.

We decided to wait and see if the ride came back.

We paid €64 for 3 adults and 1 child = €16 x 4

Using the Disney Premier Access One was exactly the same as using Genie+ and Individual Attraction Lighting Lanes. It was the same scanner machine and made the same "ding" sound. I just scanned the one pass and all 4 of us went in. Im not sure if I should have checked and scanned 4 different codes, but once it went Green, the CM waved us through.

One big difference is that you can only buy a maximum of 3 Disney Premier Access One per person per day.

Even though we only had 2 full days and were there during a high crowd time, UK Halloween Half Term, the Disney Premier Access Ultimate is a waste of money. With so much info about wait times on the App and Early Entry for hotel guests, its not really needed. I see it as something Travel Agents would push on to first time guests who stay off site and who are not able or don't want to use the App in the parks. I saw plenty of people still using the paper maps to figure things out.

 

[Bad Pink Tink 2.0]

Final Thoughts

 

[luvpoohandcompany]

following along
Thinking DLP is in my future with grandkids and daughter and her hubby. Was there in 1999 so basically I've no clue

 

[Bad Pink Tink 2.0]

following along
Thinking DLP is in my future with grandkids and daughter and her hubby. Was there in 1999 so basically I've no clue

waves hi. I was last there solo in 2016 and so much has changed since then. Doing a family multi generation trip is very different to my solo trips, so hopefully this will be useful to you

 

[Bad Pink Tink 2.0]

Updated Wednesday 25 October Arrival Day and Half Day in The Park post number 2

 

[luvpoohandcompany]

You’re off to a great start getting both parade and PP and PM with virtually no wait. Was the bus free from the airport? My sister goes frequently to DLP and always goes by train from the airport to her hotel but I know they pay oop for that.

 

[Bad Pink Tink 2.0]

You’re off to a great start getting both parade and PP and PM with virtually no wait. Was the bus free from the airport? My sister goes frequently to DLP and always goes by train from the airport to her hotel but I know they pay oop for that.

I know, I was really surprised by the low wait times at Phantom Manor and Pirates. Both stayed low all during our trip, I think because they are not something that have a nostalgia value or are new IP or new rides, that Europeans dont really know about them. We went to Pirates multiple times and each time there was a CM at the entrance answering guest questions about the ride.

The bus we used is Magic Shuttle, its not free, its €24 per adult per trip so €48 return. I have used it on previous visits. I'm going to do a separate post about the transport options

The train is faster but the times are a bit erractic and you have to pay for a specific time, so if your flight is delayed you have to get another ticket. And then at the parks you still have to walk or get the shuttle bus to the hotel.

With the bus you just get on the next available one and it brings you direct to the hotel.

 

[wannabee]

Love all the details -- will be reading along as I am going in July for the first time

 

[Bad Pink Tink 2.0]

Updated Thursday 26 October First Full Day in Main Park

 

[Karin1984]

Looks like you had a great trip (at least for the first two days ;-) )