So we went to Disneyland Paris end of May/start of June 2016.

A number of things manifested this one quite quickly. The main one was that Rachel has just finished nearly a decade on the wards as a Clinical Midwife, and we wanted to celebrate the end of disrupted weekends, nights shifts and general return to normal family life as she now works as Research Midwife which has normal office hours. So what better way than in a half-term holiday in one of the world’s biggest family orientated resorts. It also dovetailed nicely into the fact that after visiting in 2012 for 3 days (with much of the first day being taken up with travel) we  wanted to go there again when the kids were bigger, but not too big,  and for slightly longer trip of five days.

I’m going to tell this one mainly through pictures and bullet points, because by gum we squeezed a lot into those five days!

Click on any of the images for a larger image in a slideshow.

Friday (Blazing Sun)

• Up at 3:30 to catch a 6:30 flight from Manchester Airport, which was busy because of Air Traffic controllers strike the day before.
• Managed breakfast at the pub at Terminal 3 and was shocked to find J W Lees was listed as a craft beer, and people were drinking like it was an evening out (which confused me no end due to lack of sleep).
• The very comfortable big taxi which zoomed us through lovely french country side (unlike in 2012 were we were all split up on a big crowded bus that took for ever through motorways).
• Arriving at the Sequoia Lodge Hotel (surrounded by trees and modeled on a Californian Hunting Lodge) where we were staying before going out to the parks (Disney Studio + Fantasy Land) until we could get in our room at 3:30.
• Had a great time at Disney Studio with a lovely veggie burger lunch at a Dinner in a Van tucked away.
• Revisit the main parts of the main Disneyland park that we visited in 2012 (Main Street + Fantasy Land) when the kids were too little to do much else.
• Seeing the Spring Parade, which was lovely but far too energetic.
• Being beyond tired but having so much fun we all didn’t mind.
• A nice relaxing swim with all the family at the hotel’s awesome pool.
• In the evening we had a buffet* tea at the hotel which was awesome.

Saturday (Sunny to Hot and Muggy)

• The first breakfast which was another awesome all you can eat buffet*. Bowls of  olives, cheese and pureed garlic! Kids ate mainly chocolate (i.e. pain au chocolate, choc cereal, toast with nutella).
• Legostore in the Disney Village. More lego than the mind can take in.
• Meeting Micky and the rest of the gang for lunch at Innovations resturant in the Walt Disney Hotel. Being hot sweaty tourist  in the poshest hotels, and the staff making us feel very welcome regardless. Kids had a great time meeting the characters. Henry a bit over enuthasatic (see Goofygate in photos)
• More rides and wandering round the park (my mind becomes a blur here).
• Finally getting Henry a Lightsabre, which he’s wanted for ages. it was one of the very groovy build your own ones , which I’ve not seen over here, and are cheaper than the premade ones and double the size. WINNING! 🙂
• Tea at the hotel again, but it was nice just to get back and eat!

Sunday (Rain on and off)

• The ran starting to come down and me not having a coat!
• Going on the Ratatouille ride, which was a big funky 3D experience. The newest and most modern ride.
• The Earl of Sandwich fast food restaurant, actually owned by descendants of the original Earl of Sandwich (see photo of posh people below). Really quite good for the ‘British fast food place”
• While Rach sleeps in the afternoon taking the kids for a swim 🙂
• Afternoon snack at the Colonial Trading Post, and having the weird one of hearing brass band music. It was like being in at home!
• Pirates of the Caribbean Ride. “Yo ho, yo ho, a pirates life for me!”
• Late Tea at the Plaza Gardens a big 19th Century French themed all you can eat buffet* . Probably one of the nicest places to eat (despite being one of the cheapest).
• The light show at 10-11, which was the most fantastic thing ever. Took no photos, completely pointless to even try to capture it.

Monday (Rain all day)

• Heading off on my own after breakfast to book Henry into the Jedi Academy Show and completely failing because all the places sold out at 9:00 when the early birds from the hotel got there before the gates opened to the General Public at 10:00.
• Getting to walk round the Nautilus from 20000 Leagues Under the Sea in Discovery Land.
• Lunch at King Ludwig’s Castle. Probably the worst food and customer service of any of the food outlets, but by god the most bonkers surroundings!
• Backstage tour, which starts really quiet and then takes you onto a special effects stage – where the fun really starts 😉
• Getting to see the Jedi Academy Show as we sheltered it the building that houses it while having afternoon snack. Young padwan’s using the force to lift R2D2 and defeat Darth Vadar and Stormtrooper pals.
• Seeing the rain come down and being transported across time and space to Disneyland Manchester, where you can go on any ride you want without any ques as long as you don’t mind getting soaked to the skin. Which is what we did 🙂
• Doing the shopping arcades on main street. Rachel and Evie bought the first of many Disneyland Pins (metal badges) to keep and swop with the cast members.
• Tea at the New York Dinner at the Rockafella hotel. We did this in 2012 and while it was all you can eat buffet* (American style) it was very quiet and relaxed. We even got to chat to another British family which was nice.

Tuesday (Overcast with rain)

• A quite mooch around the village buying some last miniute souvenirs and more pins since Rach’s US contacts on Farcebook had come back with their bulk orders 🙂
• Didn’t attempt to go on any rides, because we had done the last of them the previous day.
• Having our last lunch at the Rainforest Cafe, which is an animatronic delight.
• Another most excellent ride back to the airport via a Transfer taxi. The kids even got to watch the new Lion King movie (which was cool because they were so tired).
• Getting home at a reasonable time, unpacking the car and going to bed before Zombiefication hit in!

Notes:

*You’d think with all these all you can eat buffets (which we all took advantage of) and mention of regular big meals at the restaurants I would have put on loads of weight? Absolutely not, when we averaged 8-10 miles of walking a day (Rachel had Fit Bit on) and went swimming with the kids everyday.  I found I had actually lost seven pounds when I had got home! On holiday we are not sit on the beach types!

Make an attempt to speak French. The cast members (which is what they call all the staff from dancers to restaurant staff) really appreciate it and you really make their day. Even my awful school boy French worked a treat. We got extra special points because our Henry is a rather huggy boy and at home we’ve told him he has to ask before hugging. So Rachel taught him the French for “Please can I have a hug?” which charmed the staff up no end 🙂

 

Big photo post this one, so brace yourself.

The biggie being our Cotswolds half-term break. Me and Rach long have a tradition of going away in February, to beat the winter blues, and this year was a return to the Cotswolds. We stayed in a cottage in Shipston near Stratford upon Avon, and the absence of going to the more fairytale parts of the Cotswolds (Burton on the Water, Stow on the Wolds, Broadway etc) made it a different experience for me. The children are now mature enough to appreciate the historical places we go which is really good 🙂

We drove up after the last day of school on Friday, which turned out to be another 7 hour trek, and arrived late in the dark. Saturday was a pottering day round Shipston, which is a lovely little town which I could easily see an older Newt relocating.

Sunday was London. We got a Family Ticket (about £60) which not only let us get via a hour long rail journey, but also gave us unlimited bus and tube travel.  Morning we did Buckingham Palace and Parliament Square, as well as a large chunk of Whitehall (Admiralty Arch etc) simply because it was on the way from the tube station we jumped off at. With aching feet we whizzed over to the British Museum and had lunch at family favourite Pizza Express. Then around the museum, which was excellent as ever but was way too busy for our liking. Then a quick tea at The Spaghetti Company ( big thanks to the manager who squeezed us in before the Valentines Day rush) and home on the train again.

Monday was another rest day at the cottage, with a bit of pottering around Shipton, and boy did we need it after London.

Tuesday was Warwick Castle. Still my favourite castle, despite the Disneyfycastion its undergoing.

Wednesday, a quick trip to Stratford upon Avon as a retail experience, ending up in the Bella Italia, where me and Rach first went on our way down to our Honeymoon all those years ago, watching H stuff his face.  The others got toys and books, but I got a new lightweight waterproof (which is like having your own tent) which pleased my middle-aged self no end. It got immediate testing because it was chucking it down. Still no where near as bad as home, which we delighted telling the shocked locals.

Thursday was a nice stroll about Charlecote Park. It was still slightly damp and cold, but the day was clear and typical of the nice weather that we enjoyed while we were away.  In the evening I quickly packed everything and dumped it in the car. A far cry from our two-week long camping holiday in the summer.

After a very quick rounding up of the last bits of stuff, well done Team Newport, we said goodbye to the Cottage and had a lovely morning in historical Stratford Upon Avon. So we did Shakespear’s Birthplace and the adjoining museum, before wandering down to the Merchant’s house (whose name escapes me) and doing lunch at a British Pub (cheese sandwiches and Pedigree for the win!). Then it was the long drive home.

After that February was pretty much done, but there were signs that Spring was coming on time which perked up my mood no end.