We're No Cowboys, but We'll Say Howdy to You - A Sept. 2016 DL Paris TR *Complete and New TR Link

And you will be in Europe next March....while the kids won't be with you, it'd be easy for you two to hop over for a few days.:rotfl:

Don't think DH hasn't mentioned it already!!!

The rooms do look pretty similar to the ones at WL, but definitely small!! Maybe because we got pixie dusted with one of the club level rooms at the DL Hotel, but it was larger than that. At least it was only for a couple of nights, and hey, you're at Disneyland Paris!! How nice that it's only a few hours away for y'all from where you are.
 
I'm here, and signing on. Just know I"m reading, even if comments may be sparse for a bit as I get through this busy period at work and my own vacation. :)
 
I'm here and reading along. We visited DP 17 years ago so I'm sure a lot has changed since then. Can't wait to revisit it through your report :)
 
5 hours is really not a bad trip to Disney! Sometimes I forget that in Europe things are so close together and it's really not hard to travel between countries.

Interesting that there was bag check at the hotel. I guess it makes sense, because you really don't want people brining things like weapons or explosives into a hotel, but ... it just feels weird because it's something you don't see here in the States.

The room looks nice! Those desserts at dinner look pretty good too ... sorry that you didn't enjoy the rest of the meal!
 


I can imagine how difficult it was to get the toll ticket issue sorted with the language barrier! At one point I was fluent in French (though Canadian French is a bit different than Parisian, but much better than nothing!) but I've lost a lot of it with lack of use.

The resort looks really pretty, but small rooms!! This is something I remember about the trips we took to Europe when I was 11 and 16. I imagine it took some getting used to with two small kids in tow.

Sorry to hear about the lack of non-seafood choices at dinner, but your desserts looked delicious! I'm so excited to hear more about this trip. If I ever manage to get working on that All-Disney-Parks-Around-The-World Bucket List, Paris will be high on the list!

I am pretty fortunate here in Germany, because the majority of the people I interact with know English. The only times I ever run across a huge language barrier is when people stop me to ask for directions; then I'm helpless. :rotfl2: But yeah, the toll situation was an experience. It didn't help that cars kept pulling up behind us honking their horns because they didn't understand why we weren't moving. Thankfully, there was more than one ticket booth!

Such small rooms! I'll never criticize Pop Century again.:rotfl:

Disneyland Paris will have to be top of your list!


5 hours, that's not too bad at all!

Wow, crazy that the rooms are tinier than values! They are themed very nicely though.

I'm sorry dinner wasn't the best, but I'm sure it helped getting food in your bellies and those desserts do look good!

If we didn't have to worry about getting a pet sitter, Alex and I would make that 5 hour drive to Disney a lot more often!
But yes, the rooms are much much smaller. I think what also doesn't help with the size is that most people only stay a few days at Disneyland Paris. It's not like at WDW where it's not unusual to see guests on 7-10 day vacations.


Oh wow... I can't even imagine how frustrating that would have been!

Not bad at all. It's hard to get that perspective on how compact things are in Europe. I mean, here you drive a couple of states away and it is over a 5 hour drive. You crossed what, 2 borders? Not states, but countries. And still just a 5 hour drive.

Everything is very close here. Where we live, we are 30 minutes from Luxembourg, 30 minutes from Belgium, 3 hours from Amsterdam, about 4 from the Netherlands, and an hour from France. Last summer, we took the kids to a dinosaur park and crossed borders without realizing it. We didn't know until our phones sent us messages that we were roaming. :rotfl:

Yeah, I wouldn't expect bag check to enter a hotel lobby either! Do they check your luggage?

Oh wow... I would have never even considered that being a problem.

They didn't, but we took a side way indoors. Only the main entrance had a bag check. So it wasn't the most secure system, but better than nothing, I suppose.

First of all... why have you never seen Wilderness Lodge? You need to remedy that.

I see the WL like vibe, but honestly the pictures make me think more of the Grand Californian.

So the French do American food better? Awesome.

The desserts look phenomenal. I like your idea of paying half price just for the dessert buffet.

I have heard that Sequoia is more like Grand Californian, but that's also one I've never seen before. And man, we have planned to see that resort so many times and something comes up every. single. time. It's almost become a running joke for my family. But my mom and I are tentatively planning to eat dinner there the night we arrive in July if I can snag an ADR.

Surprisingly, yes! The chicken nuggets in DL Paris were amazing!
 
I'm here and can't wait to hear all about this! I love how you can drive there in 5 hours - though that has to take some degree of restraint not to end up there every weekend. :rotfl: We're still working on flights for France - which airports are near your area, in case I need to expand our search for good flight deals?

Glad you made it there and Alex knew enough French to work things out. I'm lucky that Dug grew up as the child of two French teachers, so he's fairly solid at French still, but I know almost no French (I did take 4 years of German, though, so I might get by in your area :laughing:).

If we had a go-to pet sitter, we probably would drive down to the parks more frequently.
The two airports closest to us are Luxembourg and Frankfurt Hahn, but they don't do international flights. For that, the only one around us is Frankfurt Main and that's about 2-3 hours away. However, if it's a better deal than flying into France than the drive is doable. I'm sure your German would be great over here! You'd probably speak better than me, and I live here! (Locals can spot us Americans a mile away and switch to English without us even asking, most of the time.)


reading this! i've never been to DLP but i have always dreamed of it, i cannot wait to read more and see more pictures! love this :love:

Thanks for following along! DLP is so gorgeous, I hope you get the chance to see it one day!


I'm here and reading along. We visited DP 17 years ago so I'm sure a lot has changed since then. Can't wait to revisit it through your report :)

Thanks for following me over here. :goodvibes I am sure there will be plenty of familiar sights in my photos. Some things struck me as very new while others....not so much. :rotfl:


5 hours is really not a bad trip to Disney! Sometimes I forget that in Europe things are so close together and it's really not hard to travel between countries.

Interesting that there was bag check at the hotel. I guess it makes sense, because you really don't want people brining things like weapons or explosives into a hotel, but ... it just feels weird because it's something you don't see here in the States.

The room looks nice! Those desserts at dinner look pretty good too ... sorry that you didn't enjoy the rest of the meal!

We're pretty centrally located, fortunately. It's been an amazing experience, being able to visit so many countries, easily.
The bag check was just at the main entrance; I guess they assumed most people would bring their luggage through that way? However, when we unloaded our car we went through a side entrance that didn't have any kind of check. :confused3
But, yes, places over here tend to be a little more secure than in the states...
 
Don't think DH hasn't mentioned it already!!!

The rooms do look pretty similar to the ones at WL, but definitely small!! Maybe because we got pixie dusted with one of the club level rooms at the DL Hotel, but it was larger than that. At least it was only for a couple of nights, and hey, you're at Disneyland Paris!! How nice that it's only a few hours away for y'all from where you are.

I think the DL hotel rooms are little larger. We're hoping to stay there next and want to compare the two resorts.
I can understand you wanting to get back to the kids after a weeklong cruise, but I can also see why DH would point out the opportunity. It's hard to resist the Disney pull no matter what country you're in!


I'm here, and signing on. Just know I"m reading, even if comments may be sparse for a bit as I get through this busy period at work and my own vacation. :)

Sadly, I have become more of a reader than a responder in these last few months. I completely understand how busy real life can make you. But thank you for hopping over here. (Even though I was a slacker and forgot to PM you the link.:faint:)
 


Sounds like you're off to a great start on your trip! I'm excited to read about your adventures!
 
It's really fun to see you having similar experiences like us but through your eyes!:thumbsup2

Sequoia Lodge is our fave resort. We stayed there several times before the kids and loved to have a walk around the lake to the parks, when the weather was great. But I never really liked the food in those restaurants. Overall I think the food quality and service in WDW was way better. But what do I know - I haven't been to WDW since 2007.:rotfl:
But it isn't the food why I love DLP so much - it's about about the atmosphere and it's just our special home (being there at least every two years).
 
Sounds like you're off to a great start on your trip! I'm excited to read about your adventures!

Thank you for following along and reading! As WDW vets, it was really fun experiencing a new Disney park.


It's really fun to see you having similar experiences like us but through your eyes!:thumbsup2

Sequoia Lodge is our fave resort. We stayed there several times before the kids and loved to have a walk around the lake to the parks, when the weather was great. But I never really liked the food in those restaurants. Overall I think the food quality and service in WDW was way better. But what do I know - I haven't been to WDW since 2007.:rotfl:
But it isn't the food why I love DLP so much - it's about about the atmosphere and it's just our special home (being there at least every two years).


That walk around the lake was wonderful!
Yes, the food at WDW is definitely better than at DLP. I think even back in 2007 that was a true statement. :rotfl:
I can understand why you have visited DLP every few years, it can be a lot of fun. This was such a short trip, that Alex and I can't wait to go back and take our time. We're hoping to return this fall for Evie's 2nd birthday, and I am sure I'll be asking you for advice on the best tips and tricks. Even with this one trip, the parks are still unfamiliar to us. :goodvibes
 
Sorry for the delay in posting, everyone, but this has been an exciting week in Disney-terms. Some of you might be aware that I was supposed to go to Walt Disney World last month. Unfortunately, real life got in the way and the trip didn’t pan out.

The good news, though, is that I was able to move my resort reservation and flights to July. My mom is at my house visiting, and we spent the last few days hashing out our itinerary.

We’re going to be at WDW July 20th to July 26th, staying at Shades of Green with 5 day park hoppers.

Hooray!

Our window for Fastpasses haven’t opened yet, but we have a general idea of what rides we want to do, and I made us a couple dining reservations.

It wouldn’t be a trip to Disney without a meal at Via Napoli. I need the Quattro Formaggio pizza in my life again.


I also found a Crystal Palace availability an hour before park opening on the 23rd. I know the opening procedures have changed and everyone is allowed on Main Street now, and this is one of the days that the park is hosting the Morning Magic ticketed event, so getting empty castle shots will be pretty moot. But there’s something about this meal that holds a special place is my heart. It’s one of the few breakfasts I like on property, and the kids will get a filling meal here.


Our final meal I booked is a new one for all of us. Another Epcot restaurant.

We’ll be eating dinner at the Garden Grill in the Land pavilion. I’ve wanted to try the food here for a few years now, and every time I plan to, something comes up and we have to cancel. So this time it’s happening! A friend here claims this is one of her favorite Disney restaurants; I need to see what the fuss is about. And additional character meets doesn’t hurt.

(Even though I’m sure Evie will hate that part of the meal. She isn’t going to be my character fan.)


My mom and I are very excited to be taking the kids back to Disney in a little over a month. Yes, it’ll be hot and crowded. But we went in August the last time Alex was deployed, and I braved the parks in July when I was 30 weeks pregnant with Evie. If I can do Disney pregnant in the dead of summer, I can do it again with two toddlers.

And the best part about this upcoming trip?

Landon is officially 40 inches!!! He had an appointment yesterday and measured at 40.5 inches, to be exact. Without shoes!

Big Thunder Mountain, here we come!




September 14th, Part 2:

I probably could have included this last part of our evening in the previous update, because there’s not too much to it. I guess I didn’t have the pictures uploaded to photobucket, though. Either way, after dinner my group headed out the back of the resort and walked through the haze of cigarette smoke (I still have to remind myself that Europeans are big smokers) down to the water.

As I mentioned earlier, Sequoia Lodge sits in a big circle around a lake. There’s a wide sidewalk that connects all the resorts to one another and leads around to the shopping and parks. Our resort was basically straight across the water from Disneyland Paris, so from our vantage point outside the building we had Newport bay Resort to our left and Hotel New York to our right.

And floating by the water dead ahead?

The DL Paris version of the Characters in Flight balloon:
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It made for a gorgeous view. The balloon was lit up and the sky was clear, so we had a perfect view across.

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Landon got a kick out of the “giant” balloon. He wanted to stand and look at it for longer than my poor mom cared to.

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You can see New York off in the distance. It looks far away in the photo but really it wasn’t more than two-three minute walk between the two hotels. It was comparable to the Polynesian and the Grand Floridian.

I can’t say how far Newport Bay was from everything else, because we never ventured over that way. I will say that it appeared to be the farthest away. Definitely manageable, but perhaps not ideal after a long day in the parks.


Once we pried Landon away from the railing, we three adults decided to take a stroll over to Downtown Disney and get a feel for the rest of the property. We needed to walk off our food, and Alex has a tradition of shopping on arrival day.



A closer look at New York as we passed by:

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Sequoia Lodge tends to be the more popular resort – I can’t tell you the number of times it’s been completely booked when I have gone to the DL Paris website – and that surprises me, because I would think New York would get more traffic than it does. It looked fine from the outside, clean and quiet, and it’s closer to the parks. I have considered staying there on a future trip if only to have less of a walk with the kids.

But who knows? Maybe people just prefer the Sequoia Lodge theme more.


Right past the hotel was the entrance to Downtown Disney. There was a security checkpoint we had to go through, which also served as the parks’ checkpoints. This was one of the differences between WDW and DL Paris that I loved. Going through the one bag check and then being able to travel around Downtown Disney and the two parks was a breeze. It made hopping between places a lot easier; what would take half an hour to get from the MK to Epcot took less than five minutes at Paris.

Man, I wish logistically there was a way for WDW to do that. I know they now have the Express Transportation that takes you from park to park for a fee, but I wish that system was standard and not an upcharge. Could you imagine? Breezing out of Epcot and walking straight into Hollywood Studios?

If only…


Downtown Disney
Okay, technically, it’s called Disney Village, but I have the hardest time remembering to refer to it as such. I still call Disney Springs by its old name. If it’s a big shopping center located on Disney property, then it’s Downtown Disney. I’m sorry if this bugs anyone! -
was set up like the letter Y. From where we entered, there was a McDonald’s, Starbucks, Rainforest Café, Earl of Sandwich, and Café Mickey’s, etc etc. Lots and lots of places to eat, ranging from fast food to bar fare to character dining. Had we known Earl was so close, we would have skipped eating at Sequoia and just waited the ten minutes it would have taken to walk over…


Farther into the village, we hit some shops.

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When we came to the area where you could either veer right or head left, we looked to our right and saw the terminal station for the subway. That was one of the main entrances into the parks! Holy cow, were we really that close to gates?!


We had to be, because a few feet ahead of us was the second bag check area for the rest of the guests.

And then, there it was!

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The sign!


It was real. We were steps away from a new Disney park.

But we were just at our hotel ten minutes ago! Could the entrance really be that close?


Yes.

Yes, it could.


Had we continued on towards the upper right hand side of Y, we would have hit the Disneyland Hotel. The left would have led us to Disney Studios. We actually got close enough to see the gates, but the park was already closed for the night.


Instead, we decided to meander around inside the World of Disney store.
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I was looking for a nice mug to add to my collection and Alex was checking out the pins available. This WoD wasn’t nearly as large as the one in WDW, but it still had a lot of new merchandise to check out. Most of the shirts and keychains sported Minnie Mouse in front of the Eifel Tower or were the generic Mickey and the calander year. Nothing really stood out to us that night, so we held off buying anything until we could peruse more stores.


Right about the time we exited the shop, the guests that were in the park watching the fireworks were heading back to their rooms. We hit the nighttime rush, and it was a little chaotic keeping up with the kids in the crowds. Luckily, by the time we left Disney Village (Ha! Did it!) the people thinned out and Landon had plenty of room to run around and burn off some last minute energy.

We were back at Sequoia in no time and ready to head to bed. We wanted to be up bright and early the following morning!
 
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The good news, though, is that I was able to move my resort reservation and flights to July. My mom is at my house visiting, and we spent the last few days hashing out our itinerary.

We’re going to be at WDW July 20th to July 26th, staying at Shades of Green with 5 day park hoppers.

Hooray!

Yay! So exciting! Sorry to hear the original trip didn't work out, but glad you got it moved and will be heading there soon!

We’ll be eating dinner at the Garden Grill in the Land pavilion. I’ve wanted to try the food here for a few years now, and every time I plan to, something comes up and we have to cancel. So this time it’s happening!

I have this same problem. We've never been, and I keep meaning to book it. I don't react well to the motion of rotating restaurants though, so I don't know how I'd do, but I'd definitely like to try it once. Both breakfast and dinner here seem to get great reviews! I'll be interested to hear what you all think of it :)

And the best part about this upcoming trip?

Landon is officially 40 inches!!! He had an appointment yesterday and measured at 40.5 inches, to be exact. Without shoes!

Big Thunder Mountain, here we come!

Woohoo! That's wonderful! I hope you both love his first ride!

Man, I wish logistically there was a way for WDW to do that. I know they now have the Express Transportation that takes you from park to park for a fee, but I wish that system was standard and not an upcharge. Could you imagine? Breezing out of Epcot and walking straight into Hollywood Studios?

Oh that would be the dream. That's one thing I like about Universal Studios: once you're in, you're in. Park hopping is easy. If only WDW could do this.

It was real. We were steps away from a new Disney park.

But we were just at our hotel ten minutes ago! Could the entrance really be that close?


Yes.

Yes, it could.

Wow! So convenient!
 
Yay so glad you could rearrange your trip!! You have some great ADRs planned!

Beautiful photos of the Characters in Flight balloon!

The way security is setup in Paris sounds similar to how it is in California. So nice going through one checkpoint and that's it!

Wow, being so close to the parks must have been awesome!

Sounds like a nice time at Disney Village!
 
I love how the hotels are just so close to the parks. No need for buses, just a short walk away. :thumbsup2
 
I'm super impressed that you're braving WDW in July ... but I'm sure you'll have an awesome time (especially since you already have summer @ WDW experience and know what to expect)!!

That view from outside your hotel is beautiful. It's awesome that everything is so close together ... it seems a lot like Disneyland in that respect, which is nice. As much as I love the sheer size of WDW (and the fact that there's so much to do because of that size), there's definitely something to be said for having all of the hotels and parks within walking distance. It's just so much easier.
 
Landon is officially 40 inches!!!
Woo hoo! :cool1: I hope he loves the 40" rides! And so happy that you guys are getting back to WDW next month! :goodvibes

Man, I wish logistically there was a way for WDW to do that. I know they now have the Express Transportation that takes you from park to park for a fee, but I wish that system was standard and not an upcharge. Could you imagine? Breezing out of Epcot and walking straight into Hollywood Studios?
That would be awesome! One of the things I loved about Disneyland - no lining up for buses with the crowds and wasting time in transit. :thumbsup2

Can't wait to hear about your park time!
 
Yay! So exciting! Sorry to hear the original trip didn't work out, but glad you got it moved and will be heading there soon!
I have this same problem. We've never been, and I keep meaning to book it. I don't react well to the motion of rotating restaurants though, so I don't know how I'd do, but I'd definitely like to try it once. Both breakfast and dinner here seem to get great reviews! I'll be interested to hear what you all think of it :)

Woohoo! That's wonderful! I hope you both love his first ride!

Oh that would be the dream. That's one thing I like about Universal Studios: once you're in, you're in. Park hopping is easy. If only WDW could do this.

Wow! So convenient!

Oh, I never even thought about the rotating aspect of the restaurant! I don't think anyone in my party has eaten in one before, so fingers crossed we all make it out all right!

Yes, Universal is so convenient. Sure, it can get pretty hectic right there at the metal detectors, but once you're through you don't have to worry about it again.


Yay so glad you could rearrange your trip!! You have some great ADRs planned!

Beautiful photos of the Characters in Flight balloon!

The way security is setup in Paris sounds similar to how it is in California. So nice going through one checkpoint and that's it!

Wow, being so close to the parks must have been awesome!

Sounds like a nice time at Disney Village!


It was a strange feeling for Alex and I. We were so surprised we didn't have to hop on any kind of bus or monorail to get into the parks!


I love how the hotels are just so close to the parks. No need for buses, just a short walk away. :thumbsup2

It's a wonderful setup and would make for easy breaks in the afternoon. I can't wait to return and see how much time we save with the kids' naptimes by not having to wait for a bus or monorail.
 
Following along! Can't wait to hear about your DLP adventure!

Thanks for following me over here and joining along!


I'm super impressed that you're braving WDW in July ... but I'm sure you'll have an awesome time (especially since you already have summer @ WDW experience and know what to expect)!!

That view from outside your hotel is beautiful. It's awesome that everything is so close together ... it seems a lot like Disneyland in that respect, which is nice. As much as I love the sheer size of WDW (and the fact that there's so much to do because of that size), there's definitely something to be said for having all of the hotels and parks within walking distance. It's just so much easier.

I won't lie, July in Disney does scare me a little, but unfortunately that was the only time we could go. My obligations start back up in August and Landon will hopefully begin preschool in September. So it was then or never.
I'm planning on long afternoon breaks at the resort to keep us out of the worst of the heat and be indoors for the typical afternoon thunderstorms.
We'll see!

I agree completely with your train of thought on WDW. On one hand, it's nice to have so much Disney to explore in FL; on the other, it'd be nice to hop from park to park a little easier.

Woo hoo! :cool1: I hope he loves the 40" rides! And so happy that you guys are getting back to WDW next month! :goodvibes

That would be awesome! One of the things I loved about Disneyland - no lining up for buses with the crowds and wasting time in transit. :thumbsup2

Can't wait to hear about your park time!

Visiting DLP really makes us want to try DL in CA now. There were several instances throughout our trip where Alex and I commented that certain things must be what the original DL is like. I can't say for sure, but I think the two parks have a lot of similarities.

I'm so excited for Landon to ride some thrill rides! I'm a tiny bit worried he won't like them very much; of the two of them, Evie is my more adventurous one, but so long as he's willing to give them a try, I'll be a happy camper. Just today he told me he wanted to go on Splash Mountain, so that's a step in the right direction! (Of course, he would pick the one attraction I hadn't planned on riding this trip...:rolleyes:)
 

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