We're No Cowboys, but We'll Say Howdy to You - A Sept. 2016 DL Paris TR *Complete and New TR Link

[vamassey1]

I am over the worst of that cold and feel human again!

So glad you're feeling better. Sick and flying don't mix.

If you ever find yourself in Germany, I would highly recommend checking this place out; it makes for a beautiful day trip.

Such a great perk while living in Europe. So much to see and it's so close.

Landon would love Peter Pan!

Danielle loves Peter Pan too. It was her first ginger crush.

But just know, this version of Adventureland was like a kid’s imaginary game of Peter Pan come to life.

There are many kids who would love to play in Peter Pan's Adventureland.

It was a cluster of massive proportions. By that point there were a huge mass of guests jumping from line to line with no clue who was leading the meet and greet. A big pile of disorganized chaos that my family had had enough of.

We called it quits and left.

So sorry for the frustration. I've hear DL isn't as organized for character meets either.

Out of all the attractions we experienced, Pirates was my favorite at DLP.

Glad you favorite lived up.

Two huge perks of eating at the Lucky Nugget were the free refillable sodas – this is unheard of in Europe just FYI – and the puppet show that went along with your meal.

Very good perks with small children.

Our table was right next to the stage, so the kids were captivated by the show.

Totally immersed.

And our server offered to take a group picture for us:

Nice group shot.

I have this terrible knack for visiting Disney when the ride is either closed or I’m pregnant. I was able to ride it once in 2014 during a Christmas Party, but aside from that it’s been about 5 years since I’ve gone on it during a regular vacation.

Fingers crossed that changes here in two weeks!

My fingers are crossed for you too. I love BTMR.

Next on our agenda was Phantom Manor, DLP’s take on Haunted Mansion:

Very spooky looking.

Yeah. We were going UNDER the castle.

This is sooooo cool.

I think this is exactly what my house is missing.

It’d be perfect in the home of two little kids and a dog, don’t you think?

I need to get back to Paris and buy it straight away.

But of course you should. . . not!

 

[afwdwfan]

If I never see another mock Western outpost again, I'll be happy.

But isn't that what Big Thunder Mountain is?

That’s Landon and his cousin holding hands. The two are 9 months apart and have become fast friends over the last year. I keep trying to convince my sister in-law to go to DLP with us one time so the boys can share in the magic together. But, whew…if that does ever happen it will take all my parenting skills to keep those two crazy kids under control. Those boys can be a handful!

Having fun and building memories together. That's what it's all about. If it ages their parents a few years, that's just part of it.

It was a cluster of massive proportions. By that point there were a huge mass of guests jumping from line to line with no clue who was leading the meet and greet. A big pile of disorganized chaos that my family had had enough of.

Sounds awesome... I like the organic character interaction the way it used to be, but when you have a mass of people wanting to meet characters more organization is definitely a necessity.

Okay, I just got through rambling about how much I love Pirates of the Caribbean, so I had pretty high expectations for this version. I was going to be critical, I was expecting it not to measure up to my beloved classic at WDW. (The only one I had to compare it to.)

I'm starting to think that Disney World has the "cheap" version of Pirates.

Our table was right next to the stage, so the kids were captivated by the show.

Something to keep the kids entertained during a meal is always a huge plus.

Sadly, Thunder Mountain was closed for refurbs while we were there.

You just can't catch a break...

I think this is exactly what my house is missing.

It’d be perfect in the home of two little kids and a dog, don’t you think?

I need to get back to Paris and buy it straight away.

Between the kids, dog and shipping it back across the Atlantic... I don't see any negatives to buying it.

 

[petals]

Great update. The Peter Pan meet sounds awful. Paris believe it or not used to be alot worse for their meet and greets though. We went in November 2010 I think it was an every single character meet was like a mob of people practically clawing at the characters. No queues and everyone just pushing in front of people. The CM's would stand there going the Character will choose who they want to go to and unless you were under 3ft tall the characters weren't going near you. They have got alot better since then thankfully.

 

[SarahDisney]

I'm glad to hear you're feeling better!

After reading your description of Adventureland, I felt like I had to go google pictures. It looks super cool! Skull Rock!

Landon and Evie look completely enthralled with that puppet show. They look like they could watch that show forever. Wow.

And you should definitely get that crystal castle thing ... it definitely won't break within about 15 minutes in a house with two little kids and a dog. No problems there.

 

[missangelalexis]

Glad to hear you are feeling better!

Wow, I'm really impressed with how much you got done during EMH! Love the views from Dumbo!

The place you stopped for lunch sound so cute, I probably would've been enamored by the puppet show too

I am crossing all my fingers that you get on BTMRR on your upcoming trip! While certainly not as long as you, it's been almost 2 years since I've been on it myself!

It must have been nice exploring such an empty park!!

 

[amazingact21]

Gahh! I fell victim to the photobucket block. I'm not even thinking about all my past reports that I now have to fix. (According to my account, I have uploaded 3586 images over the years to my reports. )

For right now, though, I went ahead and fixed the latest update. I'll work on the previous posts a little each night, but with me about to head back to the states, I don't know how soon the transfers will occur. Just bear with me for a bit, guys!

 

[khertz]

I don't think we'll ever get the kids to DLP, or at least not while they are little enough to experience that amazing Neverland area. All I could think about when we were there was how much DS would LOVE that area! And of course, the dragon underneath the castle. Something the American Disney parks are sorely lacking, for sure!!!

We found the same with the restaurants on our visit. We wanted to eat at Blue Lagoon, and it was just closed. No rhyme or reason, just closed. Which was a bummer because we never really treat ourselves to places like that.

What a frustration with the character meet! That was one of the only reasons I was glad we were childless on our trip. The character meets look like complete and utter chaos.

 

[Steppesister]

Lovely update and nice to see an open-minded critique of DLP. I love how you compared fairly. WOW! Ok, that dragon's lair is uber cool. I need to see that! And a whole Pirates-themed area. Yes, please!

That Pan M&G sounds like a joke. Sorry you wasted precious park time for naught. Not ok.

 

[Ms Poppins]

Really enjoying your updates

I was laughing about your observation of Small World and how your country is portrayed.....I'm Scottish and we're ALWAYS playing bagpipes in kilts whilst the Loch Ness Monster watches us.....like singing shortbread tins

I also love EMH. We have a routine we stick to and I take so many photos, amazing to get clear views of the castle from Main St.

Your comments about Adventureland sum it up perfectly My eldest kids were obsessed with Peter Pan and my son's first visit to DLP when he was 4 was spent almost entirely on Peter Pan or around Skull Rock. Wonderful memories

Oh, and I've become victim to the dreaded photobucket too Breaking my heart thinking of the trip reports I'll need to re-do......wishing you the best of luck with yours


Looking forward to reading more

 

[petals]

I was laughing about your observation of Small World and how your country is portrayed.....I'm Scottish and we're ALWAYS playing bagpipes in kilts whilst the Loch Ness Monster watches us.....like singing shortbread tins

I'm Irish so we get Leprechauns, rainbows, pots of gold and shamrock!

 

[luvpoohandcompany]

I'm Irish so we get Leprechauns, rainbows, pots of gold and shamrock!

Yup we do

 

[luvpoohandcompany]

I'm finally all caught up ( fell way behind but sure what can ya do). You've made me want to visit DLP now even with the grey skies lol
What a great use of EMH. You accomplished so much in such a short time

 

[disgeek009]

I just read your blog post about travelling with toddlers and had to comment. I'm so impressed! I made a similar trip recently (Frankfurt to Seattle) with ONE one year old and a husband and it was gruelling. I couldn't imagine doing it with two kids by myself!

Also, I can't remember if I commented on your posts before, but I love your trip reports. They were the best reading material when I was nursing my baby in the middle of the night and every horror movie I ever watched would creep into my thoughts. Thanks for all your writing!

 

[amazingact21]

The Peter Pan meet sounds like it was a fiasco- was it the language barrier or just them being unorganized? Bummer!
What a fun lunch! Glad you stumbled upon it, since it sounds like everything was closed!
I was hoping to see the Dragon! I just love that aspect of DL Paris!

I think DL Paris was just that unorganized. They didn't seem to care where or when a meet was happening; hopefully that will change before we return.
That dragon was super impressive!

So glad to hear you're feeling better! Once in a while a cold like that can really throw you for a loop!
So beautiful!

What the heck?? This would be so frustrating for me. I think that it needs to go one of two ways, either character free-roam like they used to at WDW way back in the day, or there are structured and well-organized meets. This sounds like a mess.

How cool! I would love to ride this! I'm a big pirates fan.
So cute! Love the little high chair with the Mickey ears
Hilarious! I'm in need of a new catch-phrase, so maybe I'll take this one up...

Neat! The exterior is really interesting.


This sounds really amazing and atmospheric. I really did get the impression reading your TR that DLP is like being in an immersive storybook.

I don't think DLP knew what they were doing with the character setups! They just kind of threw the handlers to the wind and left them to figure out what to do.

That high chair was adorable and fit in perfectly with the park.

So glad you're feeling better. Sick and flying don't mix.

Such a great perk while living in Europe. So much to see and it's so close.

Danielle loves Peter Pan too. It was her first ginger crush.

There are many kids who would love to play in Peter Pan's Adventureland.

So sorry for the frustration. I've hear DL isn't as organized for character meets either.

Glad you favorite lived up.

Very good perks with small children.

Totally immersed.

Nice group shot.

My fingers are crossed for you too. I love BTMR.

Very spooky looking.

This is sooooo cool.

But of course you should. . . not!

Danielle would have loved Adventureland as a kid. It was so immersive! DL Paris was very unorganized when it came to the meets and the restaurants. They didn't seem to put much concern in whether or not the guests were informed. I hope that changes with the Disney takeover.

 

[amazingact21]

But isn't that what Big Thunder Mountain is?

I'm starting to think that Disney World has the "cheap" version of Pirates.

Something to keep the kids entertained during a meal is always a huge plus.

You just can't catch a break...

Between the kids, dog and shipping it back across the Atlantic... I don't see any negatives to buying it.

Touche. Guess I gotta stop complaining about that particular theme. But, in my defense...it's Thunder Mtn, it's awesome.

I didn't even think about shipping it back across the ocean. Dear Lord, that would be a disaster. Military movers aren't known for their gentle care. We were fortunate that only our grill and a computer desk were broken on the trip over...

Great update. The Peter Pan meet sounds awful. Paris believe it or not used to be alot worse for their meet and greets though. We went in November 2010 I think it was an every single character meet was like a mob of people practically clawing at the characters. No queues and everyone just pushing in front of people. The CM's would stand there going the Character will choose who they want to go to and unless you were under 3ft tall the characters weren't going near you. They have got alot better since then thankfully.

Oh dear! That sounds stressful. I don't think I could have handled that insanity. I guess the park is trying now; that should count for something.

I'm glad to hear you're feeling better!

After reading your description of Adventureland, I felt like I had to go google pictures. It looks super cool! Skull Rock!

Landon and Evie look completely enthralled with that puppet show. They look like they could watch that show forever. Wow.

And you should definitely get that crystal castle thing ... it definitely won't break within about 15 minutes in a house with two little kids and a dog. No problems there.

I love Adventureland in WDW's MK, but the Paris version was equally as cool. I think kids would really appreciate the DLP one.

Landon and Evie would have sat and watched those puppets for hours!

It would be a race to see who would knock over the crystal castle first. My money would be on Evie, because she loves anything shiny...

 

[amazingact21]

Glad to hear you are feeling better!

Wow, I'm really impressed with how much you got done during EMH! Love the views from Dumbo!

The place you stopped for lunch sound so cute, I probably would've been enamored by the puppet show too

I am crossing all my fingers that you get on BTMRR on your upcoming trip! While certainly not as long as you, it's been almost 2 years since I've been on it myself!

It must have been nice exploring such an empty park!!

Haha, the show was pretty entertaining, even in French!

I can't wait to take Landon on Thunder! Hopefully, 4 days from now the two of us will be using our FPs for the attraction!

Having the park to ourselves was so unlike WDW that it was a rare treat. We felt like we had Disney to ourselves. I think I'm going to be upset if it's crowded the next time we go.

I don't think we'll ever get the kids to DLP, or at least not while they are little enough to experience that amazing Neverland area. All I could think about when we were there was how much DS would LOVE that area! And of course, the dragon underneath the castle. Something the American Disney parks are sorely lacking, for sure!!!

We found the same with the restaurants on our visit. We wanted to eat at Blue Lagoon, and it was just closed. No rhyme or reason, just closed. Which was a bummer because we never really treat ourselves to places like that.

What a frustration with the character meet! That was one of the only reasons I was glad we were childless on our trip. The character meets look like complete and utter chaos.

That whole area is like a kid's dream come to life. Landon watched Jake and the Neverland Pirates back when we visited, but since then he's become enamored with Peter Pan, so I know he'd love that area even more now. (That was one of the two movies I actually had on his ipad for the airplane ride.)

I wish there were posted signs that listed which restaurants were open! It was frustrating walking all the way over to someplace only to see its doors closed.

Lovely update and nice to see an open-minded critique of DLP. I love how you compared fairly. WOW! Ok, that dragon's lair is uber cool. I need to see that! And a whole Pirates-themed area. Yes, please!

That Pan M&G sounds like a joke. Sorry you wasted precious park time for naught. Not ok.

I desperately wish WDW would get a dragon's lair like DLP has. It added a whole new level of theming to the castle, not to mention it felt like an attraction in itself. It was one of the things I'd recommend to anyone visiting the park for the first time.

Really enjoying your updates

I was laughing about your observation of Small World and how your country is portrayed.....I'm Scottish and we're ALWAYS playing bagpipes in kilts whilst the Loch Ness Monster watches us.....like singing shortbread tins

I also love EMH. We have a routine we stick to and I take so many photos, amazing to get clear views of the castle from Main St.

Your comments about Adventureland sum it up perfectly My eldest kids were obsessed with Peter Pan and my son's first visit to DLP when he was 4 was spent almost entirely on Peter Pan or around Skull Rock. Wonderful memories

Oh, and I've become victim to the dreaded photobucket too Breaking my heart thinking of the trip reports I'll need to re-do......wishing you the best of luck with yours
Looking forward to reading more

Now that I have seen IASW in DLP, I can't help but wonder if everyone thinks their nationality is a tad stereotyped in the attraction. I'm sure to some extent they do. But, on the other hand, I have to remind myself that the Imagineers had to pick something that would be identifiable to almost everyone. They have to cover a broad range of people, age groups, life experiences, etc and cowboys and Indians probably fits that bill.

Being able to utilize EMH is worth staying on property. Even more so than at WDW.

Sorry to hear photobucket got you, too. It breaks my heart to think of all the past TRs here on the boards that are messed up now.

 

[amazingact21]

I'm Irish so we get Leprechauns, rainbows, pots of gold and shamrock!

I don't think I'll look at Small World the same way when I go back next week; I'll definitely stop and wonder if each country gets tired of those same old depictions.

I'm finally all caught up ( fell way behind but sure what can ya do). You've made me want to visit DLP now even with the grey skies lol
What a great use of EMH. You accomplished so much in such a short time

That's okay, I've been pretty absent myself. Traveling with two little kids is exhausting!

DLP was a nice treat and really helped Alex and I not feel as "homesick" while living in Europe. We're fortunate to be so close to the parks.

I just read your blog post about travelling with toddlers and had to comment. I'm so impressed! I made a similar trip recently (Frankfurt to Seattle) with ONE one year old and a husband and it was gruelling. I couldn't imagine doing it with two kids by myself!

Also, I can't remember if I commented on your posts before, but I love your trip reports. They were the best reading material when I was nursing my baby in the middle of the night and every horror movie I ever watched would creep into my thoughts. Thanks for all your writing!

It was certainly an adventure! I try not to think too much about the return flight; goodness knows what jumping ahead in time is going to do to these kids' brains.

Aw, thank you so much! And I'm impressed you were able read through those night feedings. My brain was complete mush at 2 in the morning. I usually played games or tried to clear out storage space on my phone.

 

[petals]

Oh dear! That sounds stressful. I don't think I could have handled that insanity. I guess the park is trying now; that should count for something.

It was insanity and so disappointing as well to be waiting for characters and not get photos. It's a million times better now even with those queue skippers that lurk about lol! I did see Buzz Lightyear trying to point out queue skippers to a CM last time so in fairness they are trying to improve the character meets

I don't think I'll look at Small World the same way when I go back next week; I'll definitely stop and wonder if each country gets tired of those same old depictions.

Aw no I love it, the Irish section is always my favourite part of Small World because that's my country

 

[Dugette]

Caught up and loving all the details about DLP! You really did great in that EMH time for a family with two small kids. Good to know that Pirates is more like Disneyland than WDW there - extra long, two drops, restaurant - sounds similar. I have a feeling Izzy is going to be terrified about the dragon, but I totally want to go see it. Looking forward to more! And glad you made it back to FL safely and hope you have a great visit!

 

[disgeek009]

It was certainly an adventure! I try not to think too much about the return flight; goodness knows what jumping ahead in time is going to do to these kids' brains.

Aw, thank you so much! And I'm impressed you were able read through those night feedings. My brain was complete mush at 2 in the morning. I usually played games or tried to clear out storage space on my phone.

Good luck with the return flight. I'm sure it will be fine and all your organizing systems will make it a breeze! Jet lag is killer. For us, there was one terrible, no-sleep night but back to normal after that.

YES! I played a Disney game, Magic Kingdom, I think? But reading was the best cure for the heebie jeebies.