Day 3: Disneyland Paris

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142218SEP2015

Bonjour again!

What an action packed day!!!! Today was my Disneyland Paris trip! I was very excited to do this!!! Of course it would have been more fun if I was not alone (a little weird to go to Disney solo). But I can have fun in any situation! And I definitely did!

I woke up early, and had a heck of a time figuring out what to wear. Not for vanity reasons, but because it was cold and rainy. The rain was quaint and exciting 2 days ago. But I think I got my fill of it now!!! Ugh! I finally figured out something that would keep me relatively warm and dry. On the bright side, the rain, the fact it was Monday and most people were working, and kids were in school meant that the park would not be crowded at all. And it wasn't. I was happy!

After purging the camera's SD card and charging it, I was ready to get the day started! I ate breakfast down in the lobby of the Comfort Hotel. Tasty, simple hotel breakfast. Not as nice as the Campanile breakfast, but it did the job. They had bread, brie, and cappuccino. I did just fine!

The hotel was only about 30 minutes from the park. The drive was super simple. Get back on the main motorway (A4) towards Paris, and exit where you see the Mickey Mouses! Parking was cheap...about 10 euro. I got there about 0950, 10 minutes before the park opened. So it was nice and empty, and parking was easy! It is a pretty long walk from the parking lot to the front gate. They have the escalator walkways though. Apparently I was a day late for the Frozen festival.

I printed out my voucher from Expedia, so it was easy to exchange it at the ticket counter. The plus to going to a major tourist destination is, pretty much every employee speaks English! It was a refreshing change of pace!

It was the standard Disney experience walking in. SUUUPER happy, with lighthearted Disney music playing and friendly employees greeting you. I put the map away and decided to just wander the park. I had all day, no one to bug me, and no agenda...so why not?

Sleeping Beauty's castle was lovely. The inside had stained glass windows, and it told her story in French.

Covered the standard Disney rides to begin with. Merry Go Round, Dumbo, Space Mountain, Teacups. Then just wnadered to each part of the park. My favorite section was Discoveryland, where they have the sciency, space-related Disney stuff. Of course Star Wars was there, which was my favorite ride of the day (Space Tours). It was awesome to hear C3P0 talk to me in French! I attended the Jedi Training Academy, and found the force within me. This Padowan is now a Jedi. So at least I have my fallback plan if the Army does not work out for me. The Star Wars stuff was my favorite part. George Lucas, you were a wise man to sell out to Disney. They are making a KILLING in merchandising. That is after all, what Disney is best at. I am definitely contributing to the cause. I cannot wait to see the movie.

Adventureland had Lion King, Indiana Jones, and Aladdin. The architecture reflected Persia, alas the Middle East. I have to say I did not stay there long, as I have been living in the Middle East for nearly a year. The camels, architecture, and music...while interesting, is something that I could go back to work to enjoy! Especially because Aladdin, Raja, and Jasmine were no where to be found.
Speaking of Jasmine, Aurora and Cinderella were walking around the castle throughout the day. I really had no desire to get in an hour long long to take a picture with them though. I only really like Mulan (even though she's not a princess) and Merida. Neither of which had any representation in the park, ugh!!! I am waiting for Princess Leia to start making an appearance too! There weren't very many characters walking around, probably because it's an off day during the off season. I did hope to run into Lion King characters, WHICH I DID! I snapped a picture with Timon and Rafiki!!!!

I knocked out all the souvenir shopping for the family, and birthday present shopping for Jess and Heather. Got some pretty cool stuff. Cool...pricey stuff! But it is Disney, what did I expect?
I ate lunch at Buzz Lightyear's Pizza Planet. Pizza buffet for about 13 Euro. Had all you can eat pasta, pizza, salad, and desert. They had a cheese and meat spread (like everywhere else in this country!), and an awesome arrangement of deserts. I got down on flan and chocolate tarts like a champion. The pizza and pasta was tasty. Very similar to CiCi's Pizza. An economical, tasty, filling lunch...compared to some of the outrageous restaurants in the park. I've been spending enough money!

I played in the arcade (of course), and wandered over to the Wild Wild West. I was a monster at the shooting gallery. Put all the French men to shame ;-) I enjoyed the Wild Wild West, and City Street USA. All the baseball references, hot dogs, American flags, and English signs made me home sick. I miss the USA very much.

The rain was intermittent throughout the day. It was fairly chilly all day, but I bought a very Patriotic sweatshirt to keep me warm. Like I said earlier, it helped keep people away from the park!
It was cool seeing people from all over the world today. And I thought it was amazing that many of the Disney employees spoke multiple languages to accomodate. One girl in the souvenir store I heard speak French, German, English, Japanese, and Portuguese. She was amazing, should probably be working for the United Nations or something...not selling me an overpriced picture frame!
The park was very clean. The staff friendly, and the prices for food and souvenirs not as bad as I thought they would be. I walked around for about 7 hours, so I think I burned the pizza off. I am surprised I did not snack. I am usually a sucker for popcorn, cotton candy, and souvenir cups. Only got a bottle of water!

I had a 1-day, 2-park ticket, which included Disneyland and Walt Disney Studios. I never made it over to Walt Disney Studios. By 1600, I was pooped. I am definitely geting old!! It was okay, I think I was being ambitious in thinking I could cover two big parks in one day...especially with the pace I have been travelling the last few day!
I did give in and buy Mickey ears. But I did not give in and buy a lightsaber. I kind of regret that now!

I wish I could have went to the park with another person. But I met a lot of nice people today! Everyone was excited and filled with Disney magic, which was contagious! Well...mostly everyone.
After about 6 hours in the park, I was pretty much done. I rode everything I wanted and got my picture with Lion King characters. So I just meandered around the park and people watched. I tend to get lost sometimes in observing patterns of human behavior. Today happened to be, "Pissed Off Dad Day" in my brain. I honed in on all the angry or agitated fathers walking around. There were so many! They were angry for a number of reasons, to include, long waits, paying for long waits, paying for anything, bratty children, rain, nagging spouse, just overall fatigue. It was so entertaining to watch them and capture them on camera. Sounds creepy I know. But I love candid, raw human emotion like that. There was just so much regret on their faces. The faces of, "Why did I come out here to spend $500 when I could be just as happy with a beer (or glass of wine for our French dads) in the hotel room...which is horribly overpriced as well." That or, "Do I love my kids enough to put up with this bs?" It was a fun game throughout the day to find those faces. Look for a future photo album that highlights them and their funny stories!
Around 1700 I left the park. I could have waited another half hour for the parade, but I was as tired as the pissed off dads! I had my Mickey ears on when I got back in the car, bu they wouldn't fit with the low ceiling! Since the rain had passed, I thought it was as good a time as any to drop the top, and cruise in the convertible back to the hotel! Which is what I did! It wasn't the warmest of afternoons, but it felt so good feeling the wind! I am getting more and more tempted to buy an Audi when I go home lol.

I was wiped and lazy, but I was starting to get hungry. I just wanted something quick, so i plugged in a McDonalds into the navigation that was 1 km away. It took me 20 minutes to get to the destination (damn narrow parisian city streets)...and when I got there it was closed. So I was debating just driving down the street and looking for something else. I ended up driving back towards the hotel. There was a little rund own supermarket looking thing next to hotel.. so I figured I could just go grab stuff to make a sandwich. Good gosh it was SUPER run down. A whole lot of wine to choose from though, so I got a bottle. I panicked and just bought cheese, salami, and bread. The cashier girl was irritated with me because I wasn't sliding my card right. I had to do it upside down or something, it was so confusing. And apparently you bring your own bags when you shop. So I had a hell of a time trying to juggle a bunch of cheese, salami, bread, and wine back up to my room. Aaaaah cultural differences lol!!!! Took me over an hour to "get a quick something to eat." Next time I'll just eat from the vending machine. Or I will be smart and just pick up food on my drive home! If I had one complaint about this hotel, it would definitely be its inconvienence in terms of proximity to things.

As I close out today, I am getting ready for my big Parisian city tour tomorrow! Big concern is backwards planning the timeline to account for driving into the city. I could take the Metro, but I am paying a heck of a lot for this Audi. I...will...drive...it!

With that, I should probably get some rest. I know my blogs aren't the most insightful or exciting. I need to start these earlier in the night...they may be better quality then. I will go back and edit and add, as I get more time. I tried to be more discerning with pictures today, as opposed to the last 2 days. It is still a lot, so pardonnez-moi s'il vous plait!
Good night, and talk to you tomorrow everyone! Thanks for reading my big day at Disneyland Paris!!! Definitely go check it out one day if you ever come to France! It is a magical little place, and I am glad I went!

XOXO,

Kayko

142348SEP2015

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Comments

[Michel]

What a nice trip report, thank you for sharing.
Last time when I visit Disneyland I met a partner at the airport. He had a heavy baggage and He suggested a taxi over buses and metros. There was a budget taxi service Piyocab ( website : http://www.piyocab.com/) . And with that taxi our trip was too comfortable. Then we came to Disneyland Hôtel Kyriad (website : disneylandparis.kyriad.fr/en) and we met another partner at the hotel. We 3 agreed to got a room and share the cost.. :)