RoseBug
<font color=royalblue>I'm a Geordie, we don't own
- Joined
- Jun 20, 2011
The night before and day 1!
Firstly an apology: Sorry for the mammoth Day 1 trip report, I am also writing this for Rosebugs blog, so well done if you get through it all. Just 3 more days to get through! Sorry!
Finally, after 6 months of counting down and Rosebug asking most days if she was big enough for Disneyland again, the time arrived and after the difficult decisions of which Princess dresses to pack and which Disney t-shirts we headed off to the airport for our flight to Paris. We got there in plenty of time (rare for us) and managed to feed Rosebug (Burger King yuk!) before boarding our plane for an uneventful flight. Rosebug loved her Princess flight goody bag and thankfully the gifts inside kept her entertained for the entire flight! Arrived in Paris bang on time, and John from Ezyshuttle was waiting to take us to the Kyriad for our first night!
I was really impressed with the Kyriad, the lobby is lovely, check-in was swift and our room was lovely, basic but very clean! Hubby put Rosebug to bed, whilst I went for a quick wander and to find some forks for our supper (Pot Noodles! I was prepared! LOL) I ended up buying a Minnie Mouse cutlery set hubby was most unimpressed! It took Rosebug a good while to fall asleep, but we finally ate and got some sleep. The bed was uncomfortable and very noisy though, just just had to breath and it creaked!
Next morning we didnt manage to get up as early as we had hoped and finally got into a taxi at about 8:10am to take us to Newport Bay Club hotel, and this is when the magic started to happen.
We were the first in line to check-in for Admirals Floor; and I was very glad we had upgraded as there was a fair queue at the other check-in desks, although it was no-where near as manic as I had expected from other trip reports! The CM who checked us in was wonderful, chatted to us about our previous trip, and made such a fuss of Rosebug, asking her all about what she wanted to do and see at Disneyland and then gave her lots of balloons, chocolate coins and a name badge. Our room wasnt ready, but she promised to make it a priority, as she was aware that Rosebug was getting an easy access pass (how did she know this?) and told us we were to go straight to City Hall with her letters to get the card.
Then she said to Rosebug that there was a letter waiting for her and handed her an envelope with her name on. Inside was an invitation to visit City Hall the next day, because a special surprise had been arranged just for her! I will admit, at this point I started to well-up, Rosebug looked so excited, and we were too!
We deposited our luggage with concierge and headed off to the park!
As we were walking to the Village (and what a lovely walk around the lake!) we could feel Rosebug getting more and more excited, and when we finally came into view of the DLH she just exploded! We tried to get her to stop for two seconds to take a photo but she was pointing and shouting Come on Mammy and Daddy, no photos, weve got to go to the castle! It is moments like this that make it all worthwhile, and I am so glad we had booked a return trip this year!
Come on by rosebug09, on Flickr
Unfortunately (or not) for Rosebug we had to take a detour to the DLH to book her princess make-over, so we headed off to the DLH boutique and booked a slot for 2:40pm, as they were fully booked for the entire morning, which scuppered our plans of her having it done before Auberge. The CM here was just charming, he took Rosebug off round the boutique to choose her dress (she held his hand, and he looked at her with this huge smile and said Thank you princess! it was lovely!) She opted for Snow White so he led her to the changing room so we could check it fitted, then whilst daddy distracted Rosebug, he took me round to get the rest of the items for her package a hairband, apple bag, Snow White doll and playset. He was so apologetic that there were no Snow White playsets available there, but it didnt matter at all as Rosebug had been desperate for a Tinkerbell one, so we got that instead!
As we walked down the staircase to head off to the park, we bumped into our first characters and with very few other guests around it was a lovely relaxing meet and greet. She meet Eeyore, Pluto and the White Rabbit. Rosebug is a huge Alice fan, so meeting the White Rabbit was quite exciting for her! He was great fun, she kissed him and he fainted which she thought was hilarious and kissed him again to get him to wake up!
pluto 1 by rosebug09, on Flickr
eeyore by rosebug09, on Flickr
Rabbit by rosebug09, on Flickr
After this we realised we were hungry so entered the park via Salon Mickey I was so excited about knocking on the door for the first time, and got some puzzled looks from people standing near us in the massive queue to get in! After filling up on cookies and crossiants we FINALLY made it into the park, and Rosebug was sitting in her buggy shouting Come on, move, faster! whilst trying to move the buggy by shuffling her bum!
We headed straight for City Hall to pick up Rosebugs easy access card, gave the CM the letters, and she gave us a disabled priority card, explaining because there wasnt anything close to Rosebugs problem on the card she would tick the mobility/difficulty walking box, and that if we encountered any problems we just had to explain to the CM what the issue really is and they would understand. She said both of us were allowed onto all rides and character meets with Rosebug, but only one for the parade as it was a small spot, but that the Dreams area was bigger so if we were there before it started to really fill up wed probably both be allowed in with her. So, with all that sorted we walked out of City Hall, and straight into Minnie Mouse and our first family photo of the trip, although we were sad that Duffy wasnt there too, as we would have loved to have met him again!
minnie by rosebug09, on Flickr
We then headed round the corner and caught our first proper look at the Castle, and Rosebug was as excited as she was in February, with lots of wows, awwws and Look mammy and daddy, its Auroras castle! She was desperate to get inside the castle, and as we couldnt go upstairs when we were there in February we practically ran down Main Street and straight up the stairs, and Rosebug was just awe struck by the tapestries and stained glass, this was the first of MANY trips up those stairs during this trip.
When we walked out of the castle Rosebug caught sight of the carousel, and begged to go on the horsies! In February we had queued for a while to get on, but had to leave when it got too cold and she needed the bathroom so she never got to ride it, so we headed to the exit and showed her card, and got straight on. I think this photo just sums up our trip and the whole magic of Disney:
smile carousel by rosebug09, on Flickr
We then decided to take our first visit to the Princess Pavillion (stopping goff to try some hats on and buy a 20th Anniversary wand on the way) and met one of our favourite princesses (my all-time favourite and one of Rosebugs too) Ariel! We had never met Ariel in February so this was a huge treat and fantastic start to the holiday! She was lovely and chatted to Rosebug for a while about her dress, and asked her if she could swim etc.
ariel by rosebug09, on Flickr
Rosebug couldnt stop talking about her when we left and headed to the teacups, then Dumbo and the Storyboats. By this time we had been in the park a total of an hour and a half and it was time to head of to Auberge for our lunch date with the Princesses. Rosebug had asked if she could wear her Belle dress, so a quick costume change and we were the first in line. We were given the same table we had in February, right on the dance floor next to the fireplace and had a wonderful CM serving us. Hubby and I both ordered the grilled vegetables (didnt enjoy them) and I asked for the kids main, whilst hubby had the scallops. Rosebug also had the chicken. We were gutted with the meal, Rosebug took one bite of the chicken and spat it out, and chose to eat bread instead, I ate one chicken breast and a bit of mash and couldnt face anymore and hubby had never had scallops before but decided to try them, however, one mouthful and he decided it was the wrong choice. So we ate bread and waited for our delicious deserts. But lets be fair, we were there for the princesses so we werent at all bothered and just sat back and enjoyed the wonderful interaction. Suzy and Perla came out just as we were getting settled and Suzy joined us first and then Perla, with lots of cuddles, dancing and kisses. Then the music started and Rosebug jumped up to watch for the princesses to arrive and in danced Cinderella and Prince Charming; Aurora and Snow White. Lots more lovely interaction, the Prince was wonderful with Rosebug and Snow White kissed her hand, leaving her lipstick kiss on her hand! Very sweet!
418886_10151158990697597_531972391_n by rosebug09, on Flickr
524517_10151158991342597_866245707_n by rosebug09, on Flickr
376590_10151158991597597_1367851547_n by rosebug09, on Flickr
297376_10151158991937597_2129205259_n by rosebug09, on Flickr
394441_10151158992062597_1754571843_n by rosebug09, on Flickr
After our meal we wandered slowly up through the castle, and walked right into the Celebration Train was very lovely but glad we hadnt hung around to catch it. And by now it was time for a very special Princess Makeover. We headed to the boutique to pick up her outfit and toys, and get her changed, she looked gorgeous in her dress and felt like a princess already, we were a little early so sat outside and watched another little girl have her Rapunzel makeover, which made Rosebug very excited. Then it was her turn. First she had her hair done, she was a little nervous at first and insisted on holding my hand the whole time, but then relaxed as the make-over lady is just lovely.
418888_10151158993927597_1585447716_n by rosebug09, on Flickr
Once her hair was done and her hairband in place, she moved round to the make-up table and we discussed what she would like, Rosebug was insistent that she have lipstick like Snow White, so I compromised on a bit of glitter on her lips and eyes, and facepaint. She was so sweet sitting pouting and closing her eyes when she was told.
312093_10151158994587597_1194598751_n by rosebug09, on Flickr
When she was finished I started to well up she looked so lovely and cute, and then she went in to get her photos done. She is such a little poser and we ended up buying 5 extra photos as we couldnt choose!
542435_10151159008197597_659404491_n by rosebug09, on Flickr
As she was getting her photos done we heard a commotion downstairs and realised that the characters had arrived in the lobby. We walked downstairs and Rosebug nearly exploded there was Ariel, Belle, Cinderella and Snow White. It was quite manic, so we didnt meet Ariel or Cinderella again, but managed to meet Belle, who is another of Rosebugs favourites and whom she has never met, so this was a lovely meet.
196693_10151158995157597_440497775_n by rosebug09, on Flickr
And then Rosebug spotted Snow White, and squealed that she was Snow White too so we headed over and had the most wonderful interaction. Snow White asked Rosebug about her dress and if she had seen the dwarfs (or dwerps as Rosebug calls them!) alnd then they held hands and wandered round the lobbby together, chatting about their favourite things!
551884_10151158995292597_262827216_n by rosebug09, on Flickr
By this time we were exhausted so decided to head back to the hotel and get settled into our room. We picked up our room keys from the same CM who had checked us in, who came round to see Rosebug and tell her how beautiful she looked and that she hoped she liked her room and her surprise the next day! We were on the 8th floor, and when we got into our room we noticed the balcony and rushed straight out to admire the view.
380530_10151158995877597_877894824_n by rosebug09, on Flickr
At this point hubby said he had emailed and asked if it would be at all possible to have a nice room, with a lovely view as it was our wedding anniversary a few days before we arrive, saying that he wanted to make the trip as magical as possible for his girls. So he was over the moon with the room, and the letter Rosebug had received on check-in it seems they went out of their way to help him make it magical for his girls, and was more than he had ever expected.
We had a cup of coffee and a snack, chilled for a bit and admired the view. At one point we were getting stuff unpacked and hadnt realised that Rosebug had taken a bite of her poison apple (bag) and was lying on the floor for a good few minutes, before we heard a little voice demand Will somebody kiss me please?
217819_10151158997317597_251706996_n by rosebug09, on Flickr
After a lovely break we headed back to the park, rode on the teacups again, the Snow White ride, Peter Pan and possibly Pinocchio too (this is a recurring theme and I cant remember when we did these rides as we did them so often!) and then staked out a place in the priority area for the parade, with hubby managing to grab a space next to us, just outside the area. Daddy bought Rosebug a Minnie balloon and she had great fun dancing on the road playing with it!
530146_10151158997817597_1201389931_n by rosebug09, on Flickr
However, just before the parade started a lady started to push her way infront of Rosebug and managed to squash her up so much that we decided to squeeze next to hubby, with a poor view as I felt so uncomfortable. I thought maybe she needed the space more than us and she seemed so excited to see the parade. However, during the parade she knew everyone by name and got very cross with Rosebug for standing infront of her so she could see, even though she is teeny and didnt obstruct her view at all. I decided that maybe, sometimes I am too nice!
The parade was lovely , the music was wonderful and the new floats stunning, but we decided that now that we had seen it, we didnt really need to see it again this trip. By this time we were simply exhausted and it would have been silly to stay up for Fantillusion and Dreams, as it would have been too much. So with heavy hearts we headed back to our hotel, loving seeing it all lit up and stopped by the bar for glow cocktails. I had the Lights and Colours cocktail (with glow cube) which was absolutely delicious and Rosebug had a Tinkerbell orange cocktail!
311968_10151159007997597_1843227638_n by rosebug09, on Flickr
We went back to our room, tucked Rosebug in and she fell asleep in seconds, so we spent the next few hours on the balcony watching the fireworks over the castle and admiring the night view!
417397_10151159000397597_2097411477_n by rosebug09, on Flickr
Firstly an apology: Sorry for the mammoth Day 1 trip report, I am also writing this for Rosebugs blog, so well done if you get through it all. Just 3 more days to get through! Sorry!
Finally, after 6 months of counting down and Rosebug asking most days if she was big enough for Disneyland again, the time arrived and after the difficult decisions of which Princess dresses to pack and which Disney t-shirts we headed off to the airport for our flight to Paris. We got there in plenty of time (rare for us) and managed to feed Rosebug (Burger King yuk!) before boarding our plane for an uneventful flight. Rosebug loved her Princess flight goody bag and thankfully the gifts inside kept her entertained for the entire flight! Arrived in Paris bang on time, and John from Ezyshuttle was waiting to take us to the Kyriad for our first night!
I was really impressed with the Kyriad, the lobby is lovely, check-in was swift and our room was lovely, basic but very clean! Hubby put Rosebug to bed, whilst I went for a quick wander and to find some forks for our supper (Pot Noodles! I was prepared! LOL) I ended up buying a Minnie Mouse cutlery set hubby was most unimpressed! It took Rosebug a good while to fall asleep, but we finally ate and got some sleep. The bed was uncomfortable and very noisy though, just just had to breath and it creaked!
Next morning we didnt manage to get up as early as we had hoped and finally got into a taxi at about 8:10am to take us to Newport Bay Club hotel, and this is when the magic started to happen.
We were the first in line to check-in for Admirals Floor; and I was very glad we had upgraded as there was a fair queue at the other check-in desks, although it was no-where near as manic as I had expected from other trip reports! The CM who checked us in was wonderful, chatted to us about our previous trip, and made such a fuss of Rosebug, asking her all about what she wanted to do and see at Disneyland and then gave her lots of balloons, chocolate coins and a name badge. Our room wasnt ready, but she promised to make it a priority, as she was aware that Rosebug was getting an easy access pass (how did she know this?) and told us we were to go straight to City Hall with her letters to get the card.
Then she said to Rosebug that there was a letter waiting for her and handed her an envelope with her name on. Inside was an invitation to visit City Hall the next day, because a special surprise had been arranged just for her! I will admit, at this point I started to well-up, Rosebug looked so excited, and we were too!
We deposited our luggage with concierge and headed off to the park!
As we were walking to the Village (and what a lovely walk around the lake!) we could feel Rosebug getting more and more excited, and when we finally came into view of the DLH she just exploded! We tried to get her to stop for two seconds to take a photo but she was pointing and shouting Come on Mammy and Daddy, no photos, weve got to go to the castle! It is moments like this that make it all worthwhile, and I am so glad we had booked a return trip this year!
Come on by rosebug09, on Flickr
Unfortunately (or not) for Rosebug we had to take a detour to the DLH to book her princess make-over, so we headed off to the DLH boutique and booked a slot for 2:40pm, as they were fully booked for the entire morning, which scuppered our plans of her having it done before Auberge. The CM here was just charming, he took Rosebug off round the boutique to choose her dress (she held his hand, and he looked at her with this huge smile and said Thank you princess! it was lovely!) She opted for Snow White so he led her to the changing room so we could check it fitted, then whilst daddy distracted Rosebug, he took me round to get the rest of the items for her package a hairband, apple bag, Snow White doll and playset. He was so apologetic that there were no Snow White playsets available there, but it didnt matter at all as Rosebug had been desperate for a Tinkerbell one, so we got that instead!
As we walked down the staircase to head off to the park, we bumped into our first characters and with very few other guests around it was a lovely relaxing meet and greet. She meet Eeyore, Pluto and the White Rabbit. Rosebug is a huge Alice fan, so meeting the White Rabbit was quite exciting for her! He was great fun, she kissed him and he fainted which she thought was hilarious and kissed him again to get him to wake up!
pluto 1 by rosebug09, on Flickr
eeyore by rosebug09, on Flickr
Rabbit by rosebug09, on Flickr
After this we realised we were hungry so entered the park via Salon Mickey I was so excited about knocking on the door for the first time, and got some puzzled looks from people standing near us in the massive queue to get in! After filling up on cookies and crossiants we FINALLY made it into the park, and Rosebug was sitting in her buggy shouting Come on, move, faster! whilst trying to move the buggy by shuffling her bum!
We headed straight for City Hall to pick up Rosebugs easy access card, gave the CM the letters, and she gave us a disabled priority card, explaining because there wasnt anything close to Rosebugs problem on the card she would tick the mobility/difficulty walking box, and that if we encountered any problems we just had to explain to the CM what the issue really is and they would understand. She said both of us were allowed onto all rides and character meets with Rosebug, but only one for the parade as it was a small spot, but that the Dreams area was bigger so if we were there before it started to really fill up wed probably both be allowed in with her. So, with all that sorted we walked out of City Hall, and straight into Minnie Mouse and our first family photo of the trip, although we were sad that Duffy wasnt there too, as we would have loved to have met him again!
minnie by rosebug09, on Flickr
We then headed round the corner and caught our first proper look at the Castle, and Rosebug was as excited as she was in February, with lots of wows, awwws and Look mammy and daddy, its Auroras castle! She was desperate to get inside the castle, and as we couldnt go upstairs when we were there in February we practically ran down Main Street and straight up the stairs, and Rosebug was just awe struck by the tapestries and stained glass, this was the first of MANY trips up those stairs during this trip.
When we walked out of the castle Rosebug caught sight of the carousel, and begged to go on the horsies! In February we had queued for a while to get on, but had to leave when it got too cold and she needed the bathroom so she never got to ride it, so we headed to the exit and showed her card, and got straight on. I think this photo just sums up our trip and the whole magic of Disney:
smile carousel by rosebug09, on Flickr
We then decided to take our first visit to the Princess Pavillion (stopping goff to try some hats on and buy a 20th Anniversary wand on the way) and met one of our favourite princesses (my all-time favourite and one of Rosebugs too) Ariel! We had never met Ariel in February so this was a huge treat and fantastic start to the holiday! She was lovely and chatted to Rosebug for a while about her dress, and asked her if she could swim etc.
ariel by rosebug09, on Flickr
Rosebug couldnt stop talking about her when we left and headed to the teacups, then Dumbo and the Storyboats. By this time we had been in the park a total of an hour and a half and it was time to head of to Auberge for our lunch date with the Princesses. Rosebug had asked if she could wear her Belle dress, so a quick costume change and we were the first in line. We were given the same table we had in February, right on the dance floor next to the fireplace and had a wonderful CM serving us. Hubby and I both ordered the grilled vegetables (didnt enjoy them) and I asked for the kids main, whilst hubby had the scallops. Rosebug also had the chicken. We were gutted with the meal, Rosebug took one bite of the chicken and spat it out, and chose to eat bread instead, I ate one chicken breast and a bit of mash and couldnt face anymore and hubby had never had scallops before but decided to try them, however, one mouthful and he decided it was the wrong choice. So we ate bread and waited for our delicious deserts. But lets be fair, we were there for the princesses so we werent at all bothered and just sat back and enjoyed the wonderful interaction. Suzy and Perla came out just as we were getting settled and Suzy joined us first and then Perla, with lots of cuddles, dancing and kisses. Then the music started and Rosebug jumped up to watch for the princesses to arrive and in danced Cinderella and Prince Charming; Aurora and Snow White. Lots more lovely interaction, the Prince was wonderful with Rosebug and Snow White kissed her hand, leaving her lipstick kiss on her hand! Very sweet!
418886_10151158990697597_531972391_n by rosebug09, on Flickr
524517_10151158991342597_866245707_n by rosebug09, on Flickr
376590_10151158991597597_1367851547_n by rosebug09, on Flickr
297376_10151158991937597_2129205259_n by rosebug09, on Flickr
394441_10151158992062597_1754571843_n by rosebug09, on Flickr
After our meal we wandered slowly up through the castle, and walked right into the Celebration Train was very lovely but glad we hadnt hung around to catch it. And by now it was time for a very special Princess Makeover. We headed to the boutique to pick up her outfit and toys, and get her changed, she looked gorgeous in her dress and felt like a princess already, we were a little early so sat outside and watched another little girl have her Rapunzel makeover, which made Rosebug very excited. Then it was her turn. First she had her hair done, she was a little nervous at first and insisted on holding my hand the whole time, but then relaxed as the make-over lady is just lovely.
418888_10151158993927597_1585447716_n by rosebug09, on Flickr
Once her hair was done and her hairband in place, she moved round to the make-up table and we discussed what she would like, Rosebug was insistent that she have lipstick like Snow White, so I compromised on a bit of glitter on her lips and eyes, and facepaint. She was so sweet sitting pouting and closing her eyes when she was told.
312093_10151158994587597_1194598751_n by rosebug09, on Flickr
When she was finished I started to well up she looked so lovely and cute, and then she went in to get her photos done. She is such a little poser and we ended up buying 5 extra photos as we couldnt choose!
542435_10151159008197597_659404491_n by rosebug09, on Flickr
As she was getting her photos done we heard a commotion downstairs and realised that the characters had arrived in the lobby. We walked downstairs and Rosebug nearly exploded there was Ariel, Belle, Cinderella and Snow White. It was quite manic, so we didnt meet Ariel or Cinderella again, but managed to meet Belle, who is another of Rosebugs favourites and whom she has never met, so this was a lovely meet.
196693_10151158995157597_440497775_n by rosebug09, on Flickr
And then Rosebug spotted Snow White, and squealed that she was Snow White too so we headed over and had the most wonderful interaction. Snow White asked Rosebug about her dress and if she had seen the dwarfs (or dwerps as Rosebug calls them!) alnd then they held hands and wandered round the lobbby together, chatting about their favourite things!
551884_10151158995292597_262827216_n by rosebug09, on Flickr
By this time we were exhausted so decided to head back to the hotel and get settled into our room. We picked up our room keys from the same CM who had checked us in, who came round to see Rosebug and tell her how beautiful she looked and that she hoped she liked her room and her surprise the next day! We were on the 8th floor, and when we got into our room we noticed the balcony and rushed straight out to admire the view.
380530_10151158995877597_877894824_n by rosebug09, on Flickr
At this point hubby said he had emailed and asked if it would be at all possible to have a nice room, with a lovely view as it was our wedding anniversary a few days before we arrive, saying that he wanted to make the trip as magical as possible for his girls. So he was over the moon with the room, and the letter Rosebug had received on check-in it seems they went out of their way to help him make it magical for his girls, and was more than he had ever expected.
We had a cup of coffee and a snack, chilled for a bit and admired the view. At one point we were getting stuff unpacked and hadnt realised that Rosebug had taken a bite of her poison apple (bag) and was lying on the floor for a good few minutes, before we heard a little voice demand Will somebody kiss me please?
217819_10151158997317597_251706996_n by rosebug09, on Flickr
After a lovely break we headed back to the park, rode on the teacups again, the Snow White ride, Peter Pan and possibly Pinocchio too (this is a recurring theme and I cant remember when we did these rides as we did them so often!) and then staked out a place in the priority area for the parade, with hubby managing to grab a space next to us, just outside the area. Daddy bought Rosebug a Minnie balloon and she had great fun dancing on the road playing with it!
530146_10151158997817597_1201389931_n by rosebug09, on Flickr
However, just before the parade started a lady started to push her way infront of Rosebug and managed to squash her up so much that we decided to squeeze next to hubby, with a poor view as I felt so uncomfortable. I thought maybe she needed the space more than us and she seemed so excited to see the parade. However, during the parade she knew everyone by name and got very cross with Rosebug for standing infront of her so she could see, even though she is teeny and didnt obstruct her view at all. I decided that maybe, sometimes I am too nice!
The parade was lovely , the music was wonderful and the new floats stunning, but we decided that now that we had seen it, we didnt really need to see it again this trip. By this time we were simply exhausted and it would have been silly to stay up for Fantillusion and Dreams, as it would have been too much. So with heavy hearts we headed back to our hotel, loving seeing it all lit up and stopped by the bar for glow cocktails. I had the Lights and Colours cocktail (with glow cube) which was absolutely delicious and Rosebug had a Tinkerbell orange cocktail!
311968_10151159007997597_1843227638_n by rosebug09, on Flickr
We went back to our room, tucked Rosebug in and she fell asleep in seconds, so we spent the next few hours on the balcony watching the fireworks over the castle and admiring the night view!
417397_10151159000397597_2097411477_n by rosebug09, on Flickr