It's Official ... I'm Going Back to Disneyland Paris

I've been dying to go back to Disneyland Paris since my last trip with Emma back in September 2017 and with the unexpected curve ball of my landlord selling the flat and our holiday to Tokyo it just wasn't going to happen but I have some good news we no longer have to move as the flat is being brought by an investor and we get to stay.

What does this mean for me? Well the extra money I was planning to save to move can now be used to fund a trip, a trip I've been dying to do for so long. I'm so glad we can stay in the flat until we are ready to move as it saves us rushing around looking for money and some where new.

We're going on the 7th October arriving in the evening and coming back on the evening of the 10th October meaning we will get 2 and half days in the park which is plenty during non peak time. We have decided to stay off site for two reasons one being the costs is so much cheaper and secondly after staying in the budget Disney hotels I haven't been impressed.

We are staying in Hi Park by Adagio which is located just a 5 minuet walk from the Val D'Europe metro station and shopping centre. The reason we have chosen to stay here is because for 3 nights it was very cheap and had been recommend by my best friend Martha who stayed there back in February. What is great about this hotel is they offer a free shuttle to and from the parks and its actually only a 15 minuet walk as well which means we have a few options of getting there.

We booked our 3 day park tickets from Attraction Tickets Direct as they were offering these for a reduced rate meaning we saved £60 which is great as every little helps. I haven't used them before but speaking to a lot of people who have said they are great and easy to redeem the tickets when you get to the parks.

All in all the holiday cost us £288 each which in my eyes is a bargain as to stay on site in one of the budget hotels it would have set us back £503 each meaning we saved £215 staying off site meaning I have extra money for spending now.

I'm super excited for this trip because it means I can cross off another special event at the park as we will be there during the Halloween Season which is something I have wanted to do for a long time. I can't wait to see all the extra shows that will be on when we are there but also meeting some different characters who have special meet and greets during the season as lots of Villains will be out but also Marie who is a favourite and hoping for the Cheshire Cat to be out again which would be a dream come true. My main goal is to meet Rapunzel this trip as I have been super unlucky on previous occasions so here is hoping.

(Image from http://www.disneylandparis.co.uk)

As we are only there for a short number of days we plan on eating in the counter service restaurants on two occasions and then having a sit down meal one night. This is just to keep things cheap plus two of the places we really want to eat at happened to be counter service.

The counter service restaurants we have gone for are Casey's Corner because Kirsty loves this place over in Florida and I have actually never been so I'm excited to try the ever so popular Casey's Hot Dog. We have also gone for Cafe Hyperion because If I'm going back then I am having a Jedi Burger and Yoda Cupcake so I really hope they don't take it off the menu before we go because its one of my favourites.

For our only sit down meal of the whole trip we have decided to go for the all you can eat buffet at Billy Bobs. I've been here a few times before and each time I have enjoyed it as there is a lot of variety and choice for everyone plus its a really good price and even includes a drink. The dessert section is the best!

What to expect before I go:
1. What I'm Packing - Outfit Plans
2. What's In My Parks Bag
3. Trip Plans - Things We Plan To Do

What to expect when I return:

1. Trip Reports
2. Disneyland Paris Haul

As we near the end of March it feels like October is ages away but when you look at it in days 200 doesn't feel that long. I already know what I am planning to wear on the days I am there so it's literally just getting my spending money up together now and saving for Tokyo to which is in 229 days. 

Exciting times ahead!

Disneyland Paris September 2017: Day 4

With it being our final day of our trip we needed to make sure we watched all the castle stage shows and the parade as due to poor planning or bad weather Thursday was the only day that worked well for us. After having another lie in again we headed straight for the studios to ride Crush Coaster and Tower of Terror one more time.

After the long wait for Crush and short wait for TOT we made our way back over to the main park for a few final photos and to grab a spot for the Castle shows as it made sense to do the two that were directly after each other meaning we could save time and keep our spot which was amazing. This was the first time I had chance to try out the continuous shooting mode on my camera during the shows and it took some amazing photos and the shows themselves were amazing each were full of my favourite characters and catch songs.

Time for lunch and we couldn't not have one last Jedi Burger and Yoda Cupcake which I have been craving ever since I was in Disney last February and I still am now wishing I was going this month also.

After lunch we decided to ride Star Tours and Hyper Space Mountain one last time before lining up and waiting an hour or so for the parade to get the best spot ever. Although this didn't go to plan we got on the ride as planned and as it started me and Emma was singing the theme tune as normal before we were slammed to a halt after completing the first loop. After being stuck in the dark for what felt forever we had noticed we had indeed broken down which was actual quite fun in the end seeing the ride in the day light and how they fit so much in to such a small area.

By this time it has started to rain but fear not we still had an hour until the parade was due to start so we grabbed our spot and waited and kid me not during the whole hour it rained on and off 5 times but by the time the parade started it was bright blue skies and the weather was on our side for once.

So my honest opinion about the parade, I avoided all videos and sneak peaks so that I didn't spoil the experience for myself and I have to admit its no Magic On Parade but that's not saying I didn't enjoy it because I did really enjoy the new song after worrying I wouldn't and the new floats were great and colourful but the only thing that disappointed me was that two of the floats were missing and some of the characters that were meant to be on them in they're new outfits were just walking behind in they're normal attire which was a little sad.

So happy with the photos my new Sony Alpha 6000 took during this trip, they're so clear and vibrant. The continuous shooting mode is just incredible for catching the most amazing photos during the shows and parades, can't wait to try this out in Tokyo Disneyland and Disney Sea.

With the rain starting again and an hour until our reservation at Billy Bobs we made our way for our final ride on Hyper Space and yes we did go it again after it broke down because we just had to with it being one of our favourites. With us being super tired and wet by this point Billy Bobs was just a quick affair but it was still as good as I remembered even though I wasn't really in the mood by this point.

I just wish I had stayed and seen Illuminations one final time before we left but never mind I'll be back Disneyland Paris and hopefully with an annual pass this time so I can do multiple trips with a few people.

Until next time....

Disneyland Paris September 2017: Day 3

Now day 3 of our trip had to be the worst day ever for the weather it rained non stop all day BUT I didn't let it ruin my day as it was my 25th Birthday the main reason we were actually there.

On the way back to the hotel the previous night we had decided we would lie in today because all the wait times were so quiet we managed to get on all the rides and see all the characters during the early magic hours so the aim today was to get to the Studios and wait in line to meet Moana.

We managed to get to the parks at a great time and get ahead of the queue before the doors opened. Moana was actually my first ever face character during all the times I've visited Disneyland Paris and it was AMAZING. When I came back from handing my camera to the CM Moana and Emma both wished me a Happy Birthday before we ended up having a super long chat with her which was really easy and super comfortable as I was worried it would be awkward.

After Moana we headed over to Rock N Rollercoaster to ride this one more time, because this was another favourite of mine and Emma's but right after we got off the rain came in and never left so we headed over to the main park to do all the rides we could which were inside as we didn't really want to get soaked before my Birthday meal with the Princesses.

Of course during this time we rode Star Tours again and got a different story along with Hyper Space, Buzz Laser Blast and the Pinocchio and Snow White story rides. By the time it was lunch we were a little damp but took shelter just outside Auberge De Cendrillon and combed our hair before heading inside. We were both hoping for Rapunzel and Belle but neither of these were in todays lunch sitting but we managed to meet Snow White, Ariel, Cinderella, Aurora and the two mice.

Even though the two we wanted to meet weren't there we had an amazing time and great interactions with the characters. Especially Ariel who we chatted to for ages and she even used our forks to brush her hair which was classic. I think because we ended up at the last sitting of the day we got to spend more time interacting with them and even had extra photos and danced.

The food here was ok, the best bit had to be the fillet of beef and yes I had beef again no shame as it was just as amazing as Chez Remy. I wasn't really there for the food to be honest it was more for the character dinning experience. I also had a birthday cake brought out to me which was brilliant but there was far to much dessert going on so I only had a little bit, if it wasn't raining I would have taken it back to the hotel.

Still raining though once we had left we ended up just taking a stroll around the park trying to make up our mind on what to do when we stumbled across a 5 minuet wait for Big Thunder Mountain which NEVER happens, we thought the wait time would be at least 45 minuets as its all undercover. Riding BTM in the rain was amazing and such a laugh but when we got off we were DRENCHED to the bone. Still laughing and still wet we opted for one more ride on Space Mountain before heading to Starbucks and getting an early night.

I had the most amazing day in Disneyland for my Birthday even if it did end up raining the whole day but it was still a lot of fun and got to meet 5 princesses in one day. By this point we still hadn't seen any of the castle shows or the parades so that was our final goal for the trip!

Disneyland Paris September 2017: Day 2

After not getting to sleep until about 01:00am on the Tuesday morning when our alarm went off it was hard to drag ourselves out of bed but we did it and made our way down to breakfast as we were lucky to have 2 out of 4 days in the hotel due to half of the restaurant being refurbished.

After breakfast we made our way down to the gates to wait for the park to be open and headed straight in at 08:00am ready to meet all the characters who were out during the early magic hours. We managed to meet Chip N Dale being first in line followed by Minnie, Goofy and Donald all in an hour and 20 minuets which surprised me as usually these take a while to do.

I was annoyed that Mickey wasn't out meeting with Minnie in his anniversary outfit and for some reason the whole week Pluto wasn't out with Goofy so not sure what was happening there. The meet and greets were perfect and I was so happy to see my boys again although I fell in love with Donald this trip the character interaction was something else and was so much fun.

After our few ours hours of meeting characters we made our way to the courtyard to take some photos of the castle and all the anniversary decorations before making our way round to grab a fast pass for Peter Pan's Flight before bumping in to the Genie over in Adventureland. By this point it was raining but luckily we were hidden under an umbrella when we were waiting, I've never met with him before and it was so much fun another great interaction to add to my list.

With the rain coming down even more by the time we finished I opted to go and buy a poncho to keep me dry as I didn't bring a coat with me which was silly but I'm glad I did as it kept me super dry and my bag as well.

Then we rode Phantom Manor which is a favourite of mine even though its such a simple ride I love the movie so much. After Phantom Manor it was time for our fast pass for Peter Pan which was a great help as waiting outside in the rain for half hour wasn't that appealing. If I'm honest I didn't really see much of a difference in the ride considering it was closed for so long it felt the same.

By this point Big Thunder Mountain was only a 45 minuet wait which turned in to an hour because of course you guessed it, it broke down as per usual. But as always we right near the front and was worth the wait as this ride is just amazing after only riding it for the first time earlier in the year it was a must during this trip.

With having an early evening reservation at Chez Remy we decided to spend the remainder of our day in the Walt Disney Studios finishing off our rides list. Before our reservation we managed to ride Rock N Rollercoaster, Tower or Terror my absolute favourite and Ratatouille which we ended up riding single rider because the wait time was so long and the fast passes were only available during our reservation.

Chez Remy where to begin? Ratatouille is one of my favourite Pixar movies so when they opened this area of the parks and included Remy's restaurant I knew right away that it was somewhere I had to eat and with reservations so hard to get I was over the moon when it was booked. When I entered the restaurant I could have screamed it was everything I wanted it to be I felt like I was in the world of Remy with everything being over sized, the theming and decor was perfect.

The attention to detail down to the napkins was amazing and the food was lovely as well. I opted for a rare steak for my main and it was perfect easily one of the best I've had but to be honest it was expected for the price you pay to dine there. After food we ended up in line for Crush Coaster which took a while to get through and when we left the park was actually closed.

Now it was time for my first viewing of Illuminations which I have to admit I was a little scared to watch with being so in love with Dreams. I made sure that I avoided any spoilers and videos because I wanted to experience it first hand. I wasn't disappointed at all it was beautiful and everything I wanted it to be and nice to have a mix of live action and animation this time around although I enjoyed it I have to admit Dreams will always hold a special place in my hearts.

Another long day over and done with, but not before leaving the park and seeing Mickey Mouse wishing us all goodnight and sweet dreams. Such a lovely touch!

Disneyland Paris September 2017: Day 1

After taking a little break from my blog I've finally decided to write up my trip reports! I don't know what happened but just before I went away I got really fed up with writing my blog and nearly deleted it, but decided against it as I still loved keeping up with some of my favourite bloggers but anyways here I am again and back writing.

So as you will know I went to Disneyland Paris back in September to celebrate my 25th Birthday whilst DLP were celebrating there's so it seemed super fitting to join them.

We travelled from Birmingham Airport on the Monday morning and arrived at the hotel and checked in by 14:00pm which was perfect as it meant we had the afternoon in the parks and time to do some shopping before grabbing an early night.

The new updated hotel rooms are beautiful although I will not stay here again due to the adjoining doors and issues with our neighbours through out our whole holiday.

We cannot believe how much we managed to do in our first afternoon in the parks as it was so quiet and most of the rides were literally walk straight on. Before we went we had written a list of all the rides we wanted to do during our stay and had completed most of them by the afternoon.

First of all we popped to the City Hall to pick up my birthday badge for the Wednesday before making our down Main Street to take photos by the castle in my new favourite spot which made us look like we had the parks all to ourselves it was brilliant!

After this we managed to plough through the following rides;

• Buzz Lazer Blast
• Star Tours
• Hyper Space Mountain
• It's A Small World
• Snow White Story Ride
• Pinocchio Story Ride 
• Story Boat Ride
• Pirates Boat Ride

I have to say Hyper Space Mountain was incredible and I'm so happy with the changes that were made to this ride even though the original was amazing this just made it something else and made it feel more thrilling. We ended up riding this 8 time over the course of our trip due to the wait times being so quiet our whole stay and we even got escorted off which I'll tell you about later.

I was also so happy with the updated version of Star Tours as the old version was so dated and the new 3D technology made it amazing and I just couldn't stop laughing the whole time. We ended up on this 4 times as before going I had heard there were multiple versions and each time we went on it it was a different story!

After riding both of these we decided to go and meet Darth Vader as the wait time was only 20 minuets and it was hilarious. While you are waiting for the people in front of you to have your turn you start to feel slightly nervous especially when he then comes around the corner and makes you jump our of your skin with his deep breathing. The whole time we were in there he didn't speak once until I took a selfie with him and was told to be careful and watch who I did that with as it didn't look very good!

Gutted they no longer did the Vader burger I opted for the Jedi Burger meal instead which was only 14.99 euros and came with my favourite Yoda cupcake which tasted how I remembered. Bellies filled and we were off again finishing our night shopping, I was going to do a haul post but to be honest Its been that long I can't remember what I brought but all I know is it wasn't a lot!

We ended back in the hotel room around 21:00pm and listened to what we could hear of the fireworks before trying to get an early night which failed massively due to our room having an adjoining door and our neighbours having to be complained about 3 times before they shut up. Luckily they checked out the next day and our new ones weren't as bad but we still could hear a lot of noise from them. Not exactly what we needed when we had to be up at 06:00am to get ready and go to early magic hours.

That's all for Day 1 and hopefully I'll have Day 2 up and ready for you soon!