A Strong Coffee

We have been to Disneyland Paris a few times with the boys and have always had a lovely time. This year we went to celebrate my Dad's 70th Birthday. It was after Christmas, but they still had all their decorations up and it was absolutely lovely.

Main street had a Christmas tree and Mickey garlands.


Up by the castle there were snow characters.



The parade was changed to a Christmas one, but I was slightly taken back to seen Santa was there. I had expected him to leave after 24th December!




Elsa and Anna also came past about 15 mins before the parade. This was slightly disappointing as it was just a horse drawn cart with some Frozen songs playing. However, I am sure it would have made any little Frozen fans day.


It's a small world also had a Christmas vibe with decorations and Christmas songs.

The Disney Dreams Show is an absolute must, and this was a winter one. Olaf was projected on the castle and the fireworks and laser show was amazing.


I had been worried that it would be too cold, however I took my salopettes and was fine. The only downside was trying to get food inside in Walt Disney Studios as it was heaving due to the small number of outlets and the weather. They could also do with some hot drink stalls throughout the park so I could get a coffee!

After having a difficult Christmas this year, it was nice to have a little bit of Christmas magic, even if it was in January. If you are wondering whether Disneyland at Christmas is a good idea, then I would suggest it is - just wrap up warm and enjoy.



 

When booking for Disneyland Paris we purchased the halfboard plus meal plan. This allows you to eat at their newest restaurant Bistro Chez Remy. It is positioned in Walt disney Studios next to the new ratatouille ride.I was keen to go on the ride and was not disappointed at all. It exceeded my expectations and I have never seen anything quite like it. The restaurant then takes the experience further by shrinking you to the size of a rat. The theming is fantastic. The reception is themed with Gustos book and cooking utensils that middle man got very excited about.


As you walk through to the restaurant you are told about how you are being shrunk to the size of a rat and the wallpaper design and flooring enlarges. You can spend ages looking at the detail.







One thing to note is that this is a dining experience. If you want to have a quick bite to eat and then go round the park, this is not for you. It takes about 2 hours to eat a meal here. I would also recommend booking before you go as it was fully booked when we went.

The Halfboard Plus option allows you to choose from the Emile menu. To start you have a salad.


For my main I chose the steak and chips which came with ratatouille.



For dessert I chose the Tiramasu. It was large and light and very tasty.



The meal also comes with a choice of soft drink.

The children's menu came with a starter of mozerella and cherry tomatoes. I thought this was lovely but my boys weren't keen as they aren't used to it.

Big man had the meatball kebab (which is the nearest to a burger and chips) and the other two both had spaghetti.

They were all pleased with dessert. After having fromage blanc myself the night before (and not being impressed) I chose them the chocolate eclair. They scoffed these!


All in all the food was good but the desserts were the best. The service was a little slow for my liking. The decor was enchanting and there was always something to look at, so I would recommend a visit if you are off to Disneyland Paris.

Last year was full of moments that mattered. Picking just one day was hard. But it was a day that was long (but in a good way) and packed with laughter. Most importantly it was spent with my little family altogether. We were in Paris. It was warm. (This is not always the case in Paris.) There was magic in the air. A day filled with fun rides, smiles and cuddles. There is something about Disneyland that turns you into a kid again. Who can't smile when a large bouncy tiger comes to greet you at the dinner table? Little man was in his element when a giant lady mouse came to say hello and have her photo taken with us. Fireworks, music, and lasers projected onto a dream castle. The magic was alive and bought a tear to my eye. Then a quick light sabre fight before bedtime with my gorgeous boy.



These are my moments that mattered. What are yours?


Thank you to Lloyds Bank for making me remember that fun with my family matters. They are also sending me some gift vouchers for writing this post.

1. Get to the park early. If you are staying at one of the Disney Hotels you can use your magic hours to do a few rides before anyone else (these are restricted though.) The park starts getting busier at around 11. If you want to ride Crush's Coaster then get to the Walt Disney studios at 9.30 and go straight there to minimize the queuing time as much as possible. (When we stayed it advertised the Studios at opening at 10 but they opened at 9.30)

2. Food is expensive. If you can take lunch/drinks/snacks in with you then do. When we went this September it cost us 44 euros for 3 adult chicken nugget meals. Evening meals are again expensive. You are looking at around 30 euros per person and 15 euros per child. We have used the half board plus meal plans and found them to help with the cost (sometimes they are included with the Disney Hotel bookings.) The buffet restaurants are best if you have a child under 3 as you can easily get your little one something to eat. Otherwise it seems to the the waiters digression on whether they get food or not. Make sure you reserve all tables to make sure you get the time you want.

3. Avoid the weekends and holidays as much as possible. Obviously with school aged children this is hard. However, if you can use an inset day then you might find it quieter. Don't forget that the French school holidays may be different and will have an effect.

4. Book to go to Cafe Mickey if you want to see the characters. Although you can meet and greet the characters in the park, they are usually mobbed by loads of people (Unfortunately it's the adults that seem to be the worst at queuing to see them!) Cafe Mickey is character dining in the Disney Village and here Mickey and his friends will come and say hi and let you take photos without having to push and shove.



5. Enjoy the shows. There are lots of shows to see in Walt Disney Studios. Just make sure that you find out the times of the English showings as you walk in.

6. My favorite rides for smaller children are: Buzz Lightyear's Laser Quest, The Madhatter's Tea Cup's, the Carousel, It's a small world and the Dumbo ride (always big queues for that one though.) In the Walt Disney studios, the slinky dog ride, cars ride, Animagic and Playhouse Disney shows are all good for younger ones.

7. If you want to see the parades get there early to get a space. You need to be on Main Street about half an hour before the parade. At the Walt Disney Studios, about 10 minutes will be fine if it is reasonably quiet.



8. Get an autograph book before you enter the park. The best type are the ones that hold photos too, but they were out of stock when we last went. They all have their own signatures and there is nothing better than watching Pluto rest his autograph book on his nose in order to write you his name. If you want to see Pinocchio, Jungle book characters, Princesses, the Madhatter and Alice or Jack Sparrow then go to the main park. At Walt Disney Studios you will fine the Toy Story characters, Aladdin, the Incredibles and Ratatouille to name but a few.

9. Although the Buffalo Bill's Dinner Show looks expensive at first glance, it is a fun experience and not that much extra from a meal. I will be writing a review soon. My boys loved it and the fact you got to keep your cowboy hat was even better. We didn't pay for little man as only 1 but this did mean I had him on my lap which isn't that comfortable.



10. Enjoy! Disney is truly magical if you let yourself become a kid again. I love it and the thing I love most about Paris is that it is only a few hours away.

This weeks funnee post starts with big man. We wanted to tell him about the trip we had booked to Disneyland Paris. So we wrote him a message.



This would have been great if:

1. He read things that were left around his room and
2. He hadn't muddled the "ou" sounds with "oo."

Yes he thought we were off to see a giant moose! Hopefully he wasn't too disappointed that we didn't go to Canada.

Middle man on the other hand has another persona to add to his Patterly the dog and Kitty the cat repertoire. Now we also have a carrot in the family!

Yep his latest way of seeking attention is to lay on the bed and asked to be watered!

Is he crazy? Well he's not the one pretending to be a watering can is he!?!