“Happiness is the richest thing we will ever own” Donald Duck
As I’ve had a few friends ask for details and any tips or tricks from our recent holiday to Disney, I thought it could be useful to do a little blog post!
I’d been to Disneyland Paris as a kid (I think I was around 9 the first time I went, and probably went about 3 times over a few years) and when Steve turned 30 I surprised him with a few days at Disney as he’d never been before and I thought he’d love it! He did… and I think we’ve just been waiting till our kids were ages (9 & 6) we felt that would appreciate it and make the most of it!
For the last term of school we told the kids if they worked hard and did the things they were supposed to, we would set up a reward jar with ‘Disney Diamonds’ (actually these are plastic gems I found in Sainsburys… that you use at the base of a vase!) So they worked towards a goal of 100 diamonds and then we said we would book! They were SO excited, and worked hard and they got it!
So….
We got the train from Bournemouth to London Waterloo… and then the Underground to Kings Cross and stayed at the Premier Inn London St Pancras. This was a great base for getting the Eurostar, meaning we were just a short walk away in the morning and we stayed again on our return back from France, because I knew we’d all be too tired to do the train all the way home in one day. There was a Pizza Express a couple of doors down from the premier inn… perfect for dinner.
We booked through Disney Holidays so we could book our hotel and Eurostar all together. We checked if booking separately was cheaper… but it wasn’t significant and you get added benefits of booking it together. One of the great things that was included was the ‘Disney Express’ service. When you arrive at the station in France (Marne-la-Vallee/Chessy), you go straight to the Disney Express desk and they will take your bags to your hotel for you… they hand you your park tickets and you can go straight to the parks. On the day you leave, you take your bags to the Express desk in your hotel and they take them back to the station for you ready for collection before you get your train home. This was an excellent service and it meant we could really make the most of those two days in the park, without worrying about carting our luggage around.
We stayed for 5 days (4 nights) which was a comfortable amount of time for us. It meant we had time to redo things and as it was so hot we didn’t have to rush and could make the most of it all.
We booked Disney Sequoia Lodge. It’s about a 15 minute walk to the parks… it’s a nice walk, but can also be tiring after a lot of walking round the park, but there is also the option of the shuttle bus, which takes 5 minutes, is super easy and free. We did a mix of both.
We booked a standard room near the hotel facilities. It was a great room, with two double beds and very subtly Bambi themed. The beds were comfy, and it felt really quiet. I’m a light sleeper, but I wasn’t disturbed by any noise from any of the other guests.
There is a swimming pool that has an inside area, with a really fun slide… and the option to swim under the glass window into the outside pool area. Which had just been refurbished and was really lovely, especially as it was gorgeous weather when we were there. They had arm bands, floats and swimming noodles that you could borrow. No need for coins for lockers as you created your own code. They provided towels and the changing rooms were super clean and also seemed recently refurbished. We managed to fit in two swims while we were there. It was a nice change of pace to the parks.
We bought a half board meal plan (plus) which included breakfast and either lunch or dinner. One thing I wish we’d done, is book some of the restaurants as soon as we had booked our trip, as we found there was limited availability for reservations. We would have loved the Ratatouille restaurant! We did book our first nights meal at the hotel restaurant, which was an amazing buffet and then we had meals around at the places you couldn’t book, so we did manage.
Being Brits we obviously prepared for all weather! But… it was basically a heatwave and pretty crazy hot the day we arrived! We noticed that a lot of people were using umbrellas for shade in the queues… which is really smart… and I wished I’d had one! It did cool down a little over the few days so we were ok… we had a tiny bit of rain one afternoon, but didn’t even bother putting Macs on as it was actually very refreshing!
But, I’d say pack an umbrella if you are expecting sun (or rain) as they do sell them… but I didn’t fancy spending €30 on one!
We found a lot of Disney T-shirts in supermarkets (Asda and Sainsburys) before our holiday, which is a fun way of joining in the Disney vibe without forking out for stuff while you are there! Although, I did end up with some Minnie Ears! 🙂 I also found Disneyland colouring books in Sainsburys which were great on the trains and at restaurants.
Snacks… Take snacks!!
I packed cereal bars, crisps, apples, haribo and mini lollipops to keep the kids happy during long queues and just generally to stop us having to stop or buy stuff. We were usually still pretty full from our breakfast so this kept us going until dinner.
We took water bottles and there are places you can refill those.
You need to download the Disney App on your phone… you can make any dinner bookings on the app… and it’s also your map for the parks. It will give up to date queue times for rides and attractions and means you can manage your time pretty well.
Our hotel had a character the kids could meet in the lobby every morning around breakfast time… I know some hotels provide character breakfasts… but this was enough for us… we just like to wave at them! We did queue up to meet Pluto in the hotel, they take a professional pic you can buy but they do let you take phone pics too. We also met Mickey in the park… at his theatre… you queue up to head backstage and meet him. It’s pretty funny… and Oscar was in total awe of him. He gave us all a big hug and we got some great photos!
When you enter the main park, you walk down Main Street to get to the rest of the lands… if it was busy, we found walking down either arcade (either side of Main Street) was a quick option, especially during busy times like the parade or fireworks.
Another tip for if it’s busy and you want some photos by the castle, try taking photos from the side as you can get a great shot, but with fewer tourists in the background.
As it was the 30th anniversary while we were there, there were additional daytime shows and the parades felt really special. I’m pretty sure it’s always magical though! I have to admit, I got emotional after one of the parades… it was just pure magic seeing my kids so utterly amazed and happy, and the music and general atmosphere just made me feel so happy!
On our last night we stayed up to see the fireworks and illuminations display… it was totally worth it.
I think you can do Disney on a budget, or you can blow a load of money there! but I’d say of course it’s an expensive holiday… but it does feel like it’s worth it and you get value for your money. The staff (cast members) are all really happy and helpful. Service is excellent and the facilities are clean and lovely.
I could ramble on and on about how much fun we had… we loved it! And the memories we made there together as a family are priceless to me.
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