amazingact21
Upendi
- Joined
- Nov 6, 2010
September 16th, 2016:
My mom, Alex, and I took our time getting up this morning. The kids played around the room while I packed up our belongings and made sure everything was in order. Even though we had just arrived two nights ago, it was already time to check out of our resort and finish up our Disneyland Paris trip.
Alex loaded the car and then met my mom and I and the kids downstairs for the breakfast buffet. Once again, the food was nothing to write home about, but at least this time we were prepared. We did our best to fill up on the cereals and pastries and convinced Landon and Evie to eat some yogurt.
At 9:30, we all walked over to Disney Studios and waited in line for the park to open at 10 a.m. While we were standing around, a couple of young girls cut right in front of us. No reason for it, they weren’t meeting up with other members of a party or failed to see the significant line that was building by the minute. Nope. They simply did not want to wait at the end.
One last crazy guest run in before we left the parks, I suppose…
(Alex might have “accidentally” run over their heels with the stroller as we neared the ticket readers. While I didn’t condone the action, I wasn’t losing any sleep over it, either.)
Inside the park, Alex took all the tickets and ran over to Ratatouille to grab paper Fastpasses for the attraction while my mom and I took the kids back over to Toy Story Play Land.
Naturally, Landon wanted to ride Slinky Dog again.
The kiddo would have to wait, though. Because when Alex met back up with us, we ditched the children with my mom and hopped in an empty line for the RC Racer.
That was such a fun attraction! It was nothing more than a giant swing, but I still had a blast sitting in the front and experiencing that free fall feeling both forwards and backwards. And since it was still empty when we got off, Alex and I took a second spin on it.
I wish the seating capacity for this ride was bigger. With only one car that fits 20 people at a time, the attraction can get backed up fast. I was grateful we got to it first thing at park opening, because if we hadn’t I doubted we would ever get to try the attraction on future trips.
And to be honest, when I first heard about Toy Story Land in Hollywood Studios, I was secretly bummed the RC Racer wouldn’t be included. When you’re at the back swing and are staring straight down the ramp, you get one heck of a thrill.
I could have gone on it a third time, but Landon was becoming very impatient for my mom. He was anxious to get back on Slinky Dog. So the three of us took turns taking Landon on his new favorite ride (the wait times were minimal again) a total of four times.
And yes, Landon still insisted he sit in the same seat as the day before.
That’s my kid for you…
After Round Number 4, we had to let Landon say goodbye to the ride because our Ratatouille Fastpasses had come due. Fortunately, the attraction was right next to us, and it took less than five minutes to get the kids out of stroller and into the queue.
Ratatouille is a 4D ride where you are shrunk down to “rat size” and travel to Gusteau’s Restaurant, where you are chased through various rooms. The big draw to this attraction is the fact that it uses trackless technology to move the vehicles around, which I have no idea the mechanics behind but I do know it makes the story seems a lot more authentic.
Not going to lie, you feel like you’re on an air hockey table, the way you shuffle around. The biggest downside was that I caught myself concentrating on the floor, wondering, “How are they doing this?!?”
I know there are people out there who LOVE this attraction, think it’s the best thing Disney has ever invented, but I don’t fall into the diehard category. I liked it a lot, thought it was new and inventive and fresh, but it still relies on 3D effects that only entertain me to a point. After a while, those screens give me a headache, so Ratatouille isn’t something I could ride multiple times in a day.
However, I think this ride is going to fit in great at the France pavilion, and I’m very excited to see it make its way to Florida. It’s the perfect addition to a World Showcase pavilion. Better suited than Frozen, I’ll say.
It was nearing lunchtime by the time we exited Ratatouille, which also meant it was nearing time for us to head home. We stopped in a few more shops on our way out.
And caught this fun post in the ground near the entrance area to the two parks:
We grabbed lunch from Earl of Sandwich, because my husband can’t go to Disney without eating here once, and soaked up the atmosphere of Disneyland Paris for a little bit longer. Back at Sequoia Lodge, we strolled through the grounds to get a better feel of the layout of the resort and snuck in a quick peek at the indoor pool. (It looked pretty nice.)
Then, around 1pm, we loaded the last of our belongings into the car and drove back to Germany. Aside from the broken toll booth snafu, it was an uneventful drive home. We hit a ton of traffic in Luxembourg, but that seems to always be the case. I’m starting to think Luxembourg just has terrible backups…
We made it back home around 6 pm and were settled back into our lives in no time. It was hard to believe we had woken up in France and were eating dinner back in Germany. I couldn’t believe we lived so close to the Disney parks, especially since our previous home wasn’t much farther from Disney World. It’s such an easy trip that if Alex hadn’t deployed this summer I’m sure we would have returned to Paris by now.
As it is, with Landon starting school next week (what?!) our schedules are going to get a little more constrained, but I’m sure we’ll find time to make a second trip. The parks have so many offerings unique to DLP that I am itching to get back and experience them again. I know for us Walt Disney World vets, Disneyland Paris seems like such a faraway place, but I would urge all my Disney friends not to pass up the chance to visit the parks if the opportunity arises. The castle is gorgeous, the location is convenient, and the theming in the various lands are extraordinary.
I really, really liked Disneyland Paris.
That’s all I can say on the matter.
And with that, I want to thank everyone for following along and reading about my family’s short but sweet vacation to the parks. It was so much fun to recall our experiences and look back on all the photographs. If you care to stick around, I’m sure here before too long I’ll post a link to my July Disney trip once I get the pictures organized and the first update written.
Thanks again, you guys!
My mom, Alex, and I took our time getting up this morning. The kids played around the room while I packed up our belongings and made sure everything was in order. Even though we had just arrived two nights ago, it was already time to check out of our resort and finish up our Disneyland Paris trip.
Alex loaded the car and then met my mom and I and the kids downstairs for the breakfast buffet. Once again, the food was nothing to write home about, but at least this time we were prepared. We did our best to fill up on the cereals and pastries and convinced Landon and Evie to eat some yogurt.
At 9:30, we all walked over to Disney Studios and waited in line for the park to open at 10 a.m. While we were standing around, a couple of young girls cut right in front of us. No reason for it, they weren’t meeting up with other members of a party or failed to see the significant line that was building by the minute. Nope. They simply did not want to wait at the end.
One last crazy guest run in before we left the parks, I suppose…
(Alex might have “accidentally” run over their heels with the stroller as we neared the ticket readers. While I didn’t condone the action, I wasn’t losing any sleep over it, either.)
Inside the park, Alex took all the tickets and ran over to Ratatouille to grab paper Fastpasses for the attraction while my mom and I took the kids back over to Toy Story Play Land.
Naturally, Landon wanted to ride Slinky Dog again.
The kiddo would have to wait, though. Because when Alex met back up with us, we ditched the children with my mom and hopped in an empty line for the RC Racer.
That was such a fun attraction! It was nothing more than a giant swing, but I still had a blast sitting in the front and experiencing that free fall feeling both forwards and backwards. And since it was still empty when we got off, Alex and I took a second spin on it.
I wish the seating capacity for this ride was bigger. With only one car that fits 20 people at a time, the attraction can get backed up fast. I was grateful we got to it first thing at park opening, because if we hadn’t I doubted we would ever get to try the attraction on future trips.
And to be honest, when I first heard about Toy Story Land in Hollywood Studios, I was secretly bummed the RC Racer wouldn’t be included. When you’re at the back swing and are staring straight down the ramp, you get one heck of a thrill.
I could have gone on it a third time, but Landon was becoming very impatient for my mom. He was anxious to get back on Slinky Dog. So the three of us took turns taking Landon on his new favorite ride (the wait times were minimal again) a total of four times.
And yes, Landon still insisted he sit in the same seat as the day before.
That’s my kid for you…
After Round Number 4, we had to let Landon say goodbye to the ride because our Ratatouille Fastpasses had come due. Fortunately, the attraction was right next to us, and it took less than five minutes to get the kids out of stroller and into the queue.
Ratatouille is a 4D ride where you are shrunk down to “rat size” and travel to Gusteau’s Restaurant, where you are chased through various rooms. The big draw to this attraction is the fact that it uses trackless technology to move the vehicles around, which I have no idea the mechanics behind but I do know it makes the story seems a lot more authentic.
Not going to lie, you feel like you’re on an air hockey table, the way you shuffle around. The biggest downside was that I caught myself concentrating on the floor, wondering, “How are they doing this?!?”
I know there are people out there who LOVE this attraction, think it’s the best thing Disney has ever invented, but I don’t fall into the diehard category. I liked it a lot, thought it was new and inventive and fresh, but it still relies on 3D effects that only entertain me to a point. After a while, those screens give me a headache, so Ratatouille isn’t something I could ride multiple times in a day.
However, I think this ride is going to fit in great at the France pavilion, and I’m very excited to see it make its way to Florida. It’s the perfect addition to a World Showcase pavilion. Better suited than Frozen, I’ll say.
It was nearing lunchtime by the time we exited Ratatouille, which also meant it was nearing time for us to head home. We stopped in a few more shops on our way out.
And caught this fun post in the ground near the entrance area to the two parks:
We grabbed lunch from Earl of Sandwich, because my husband can’t go to Disney without eating here once, and soaked up the atmosphere of Disneyland Paris for a little bit longer. Back at Sequoia Lodge, we strolled through the grounds to get a better feel of the layout of the resort and snuck in a quick peek at the indoor pool. (It looked pretty nice.)
Then, around 1pm, we loaded the last of our belongings into the car and drove back to Germany. Aside from the broken toll booth snafu, it was an uneventful drive home. We hit a ton of traffic in Luxembourg, but that seems to always be the case. I’m starting to think Luxembourg just has terrible backups…
We made it back home around 6 pm and were settled back into our lives in no time. It was hard to believe we had woken up in France and were eating dinner back in Germany. I couldn’t believe we lived so close to the Disney parks, especially since our previous home wasn’t much farther from Disney World. It’s such an easy trip that if Alex hadn’t deployed this summer I’m sure we would have returned to Paris by now.
As it is, with Landon starting school next week (what?!) our schedules are going to get a little more constrained, but I’m sure we’ll find time to make a second trip. The parks have so many offerings unique to DLP that I am itching to get back and experience them again. I know for us Walt Disney World vets, Disneyland Paris seems like such a faraway place, but I would urge all my Disney friends not to pass up the chance to visit the parks if the opportunity arises. The castle is gorgeous, the location is convenient, and the theming in the various lands are extraordinary.
I really, really liked Disneyland Paris.
That’s all I can say on the matter.
And with that, I want to thank everyone for following along and reading about my family’s short but sweet vacation to the parks. It was so much fun to recall our experiences and look back on all the photographs. If you care to stick around, I’m sure here before too long I’ll post a link to my July Disney trip once I get the pictures organized and the first update written.
Thanks again, you guys!