Hey guys, welcome back, or if you're here for the first time, welcome! This is a continuation of my April trip report series, so if you're not up to date, don't forget to catch up on Day 1, Day 2 and Day 3! If you're all caught up already, let's go!

Day 4 was our first day with both Sophie and Katie H, and with Katie P due to arrive in the afternoon it was shaping up to be a really good day! We woke up feeling pretty refreshed after swimming the previous night so decided it would be our Studios day.

Now I do enjoy the studios, but still often find it a struggle to find enough to do to make it a full day park, recently the Walt Disney Company announced the studio's park will be getting a €2 billion investment, creating a Marvel area, Star Wars area and a Frozen area. This is going to be such a huge boost to the studios and has been such a long time coming, personally, I cannot wait for this to start taking shape! For now, it was a case of getting all of our favourite things done and then seeing what else we could do with our day.



Our first stop was La Place de Remy to grab a fast pass for Ratatouille. This is a ride I really enjoy but often find that the queues are 30 mins plus, so I always try to get a fast pass return time when I can. This is really simple to do, to the right of the ride are a few fast pass machines, above is a sign displaying the current return time. Simply scan the barcode on your park ticket at one of the machines, and out pops a paper ticket with a 30 min return time slot, when it gets to the time indicated on your fast pass ticket, you return to the ride and show it to the CMs and you'll be able to join the shorter fast pass queue for the ride.

After grabbing our fast passes for Ratatouille, Katie H and Sophie rode Rock 'n Rollercoaster while Lilo and I waited for Meet Spiderman to open. This worked out to be pretty much perfect timing and the girls came off the ride just as we were going to the inside portion of the queue, they spoke nicely to the CMs at the entrance who let them come and join us. I love meeting Spidey, his meet is in the backlot area and because there isn't a huge amount to do near here the wait is often quite short. Not only that but Spidey is probably one of the most interactive character meets I've experienced, he's always really chatty and funny, and the meet isn't rushed at all. This is one of the locations with a full-time photo pass photographer, so you're almost guaranteed to get a professional photo unless there's a staff shortage or other technical issue, the photos are always a really good quality and Spidey has a really cool backdrop which looks like a newspaper front page, it's a lovely keepsake!



After Spidey we noticed the area near the stunt show was quite busy, we went over to have a look and in a case of the best luck ever, stumbled across two really rare character meets. Due, I suspect, to the upcoming Fan Daze event, some extra special characters were out in the studios park doing meets that weren't in the schedule. There was a photo pass photographer, but they weren't doing any autographs and I believe this was probably a test to see how well they could manage the queues and how many people they could get through in a set time. the queue was split into two separate queues which snaked around each other. If you queued to one side, you could meet Hiro, from Big Hero 6. If you took the other side you could meet Nick and Judy from Zootropolis when their set started. By the time we arrived, the queue for Hiro was pretty much empty and we walked around the queue and almost straight up to him, he was wearing his flight suit, and I believe he doesn't currently meet in any of the parks like this so it was a real treat. After we were allowed to jump straight back into the other queue so that when they switched over we could meet Nick and Judy.



Now I have met Judy before, she and Nick were taking it in turns to meet in Discoveryland during the 2017 run Disney half, but this was my first chance to see both of them together. And for Lilo, Katie H and Sophie, this was their first time meeting either of them. Like Hiro, they looked great and the queue moved quickly but the interaction didn't feel rushed. We got some lovely photos from the two meets and I feel so lucky that we happened to be in the right place at the right time to meet them!



Once our impromptu character meets were done, it was time for our Ratatouille fast passes, so we headed back towards Toon Studio and La Place de Remy. Sadly when we got there the ride was experiencing technical difficulties, so was temporarily closed, if this ever happens when you have a fast pass, don't panic you'll be able to re-use your pass at any time during that same day when the ride has re-opened. We walked back around to Toon Studio where Mrs Incredible was meeting, here queue was quite short and Lilo hadn't met her yet so we jumped in to meet her. Sadly this wasn't to be either as we timed it just wrong and before we got to the front she switched places with Mr Incredible, who we had met earlier in the week, so we decided not to continue queueing. We got an ice cream each from the stand next to the character meets and sat outside the cars meet while we decided what to do next.



It seemed our streak of luck when it came to meeting characters wasn't over for the day yet, as when we finished our ice creams we decided to try and see Mickey and the Magician, and who should be opposite the theatre but the main Mouse himself, and not only was he out doing meets, but he was out in an outfit I'd never seen before. We decided to join the queue, the rules here were a bit more strict and again appeared to be part of the testing for character meets. Mickey wasn't signing and it was 2 photo pass and 2 personal photos per person, because of this the queue moved quite quickly and it wasn't long at all before it was our turn. The interaction with Mickey was great and didn't feel rushed, again there was a photo pass photographer and we got a lovely group photo on top of our individual one. Of course, all these meets weren't in the schedule and so it was just chance that we were in the right place at the right time, but what a fantastic surprise, I'd love to see more of these meets pop up in the future!



We rounded off our trip to the studios by watching the ever fabulous Mickey and the Magician, this is a free show in the Animagique theatre and is on multiple times a day, it features a whole bunch of popular Disney characters alongside Mickey, and is probably around 20 mins long, though it is very popular so you'll want to arrive early to queue before the theatre doors open. Again the queue for this is undercover and shady, so great for hot days and rainy days. I love this show and it never fails to amaze me, I would highly recommend making time to see it when you're next in the studio's park.



Once we were all wrapped up with the studio's park we headed over to the main Disneyland Park where Katie P had not long arrived, not only this but we also got to see our CM friend Kelly briefly which was lovely! Our first stop in the main park was Main street again for our daily dose of pirate power at the make your choice dance stop! I cannot even begin to explain just how much I love this show and I so hope it is back next spring if it is I'll be making at least one trip to see it! We stopped by Fantasyland and rode the Snow White dark ride, and also went shopping for Lilo to buy a Rapunzel doll with her spending money! It was another lovely hot day so it was time for another Pineapple Whip stop in Adventureland, before getting back to Main street for the final make your choice show of the day to support team princess this time.

By the time the Pirate show was finished it was pretty much parade time, so we got a spot by the Fantasyland towers for this, once again we all had a brilliant time watching the parade and the characters were all fantastic! We then popped over to Discoveryland where we rode star tours twice in a row thanks to a short wait time and a fast pass! We were really lucky and on the 2nd occasion the lovely CM we asked managed to put the ride in English for us, this is something I've never had before at DLP and it made such a difference to understand everything being said! We took a walk through Nautilus as a few of the girls hadn't done it before, and we then split up, Katie P, Katie H and Sophie rode Hyperspace mountain while Lilo and I took a ride around Autopia. Finally, we met up with our CM friend Sophie and did a group ride of Buzz Lightyear Lazer Blast, there seemed to be a Katies vs Sophies thing going on, and I'm reliably informed the Katies were the winners!



That was it for park time for the day as we headed over to the village for dinner at Annette's diner, I had never eaten here before but the girls all recommended it. The diner is so big inside and is 50s themed, some of the waitresses are even on rollerskates which Lilo loved. The menu had a lot of choices and I think most of us opted for burgers which were really nice and really filling. I thought it was good value for money and I really enjoyed the experience, it is definitely somewhere I would consider eating again, but be warned it can get really busy in the evenings and you may have to queue for a while to be seated at peak times!

After dinner, we headed back to the hotel to get a good rest before Sophie, Lilo and I had our last day in the parks! Thanks for sticking with me this far, if there's anything you'd like to know more about, drop me a comment below, if not check back soon for our final day!

Hoodsie xx

Hi Guys,

Hope you're enjoying this series so far, if you want more or less detail on each day, or if you feel like you want to know more about anything in particular, please drop me a comment. If not, make sure you're caught up on day 1 and day 2 and then we're ready to get back to it!

Day 3 was our first full day with Sophie, which meant it was going to be a team pirates, or team Neverland as we like to think of it, kind of day. We got up early and finally managed to make EMT, yay!



We started the day with a stroll up Main street to get some castle photos, and then a visit to the dragon under the castle, this is a fantastic animatronic, one of the largest in Disney imagineering to date, and is so easy to miss! We love going to see it, and it's a great way to get out of the sun too. After visiting the dragon we headed straight for Fantasyland to see what the queue was like for Peter Pan's flight. This is a ride all 3 of us really enjoy, and I know for Sophie it is typically her first ride of every trip. It can get quite busy as the day goes on as it is both popular, and slow loading, so queues can often reach upwards of 50 mins at peak times. Because of this, we find EMT is the best time to ride, or you can grab a fast pass to come back later. As we approached the ride one of the CMs spotted Lilo, she was dressed as Tinkerbell for the day, so we were invited to fast pass the ride, even though we didn't have a pass! This was a lovely gesture and meant we were on the ride really quickly, we're so appreciative of little things like this.

Next, we watched the first pirates and princess show of the day from Main street which meant we would get to see Peter and the rest of team pirates at the dance stop. We already adored this parade, but seeing the way all the characters interacted with Lilo while she was dressed as Tink just made it so much better! We got loads of attention from pretty much all of the characters, and I'm sure this is something she will remember for such a long time. Real Disney magic! We found the best place to wait if you're watching on Main street is the gap between the Emporium and Walt's or opposite that between Main Street Motors and the Market House Deli. This will put you exactly where the main float stops and where the characters are for the majority of the dance break!



After the show, we were in full team Pirate mode, which meant it was time to visit Peter and Wendy. We took a slow stroll through to Adventure land so that we could get into the queue before they arrived. Peter and Wendy currently meet opposite Skull rock, and this makes an awesome back drop for the photos. They are very popular, and the queue for them can be quite long, because of this we always try to get there a little earlier than their meet starts, so that we aren't waiting too long. This had to be one of my favourite ever meets with Peter and Wendy, they were so great and so interactive, and having a very cheeky Tinker fairy with us definitely helped, sorry Wendy! I've written before about my tips for getting the most out of character meets, but honestly, the better you know the film and the characters and the more you let yourself get involved, the more you will get out of your meet and this was no exception. I love our photos so much and they're such a lovely reminder of what a great time we had in Neverland.



Apparently being a pirate is hungry work, so our next stop was lunch. We decided to try Au Chalet de la Marionette, the Pinocchio themed restaurant in Fantasyland, which you can read more about here. We had hotdogs and chips which were really nice and quite fairly priced, we always find the portions to be very generous which means we get by without having to pay out for lots of extra snacks on top throughout the day.



We then took some time to enjoy the Fantasyland attractions and get photos with the special 25th anniversary cup outside the Mad Hatter's teacups, this is something I've been meaning to do for about a year, so I'm glad I finally did it! We rode small world for what felt like the hundredth time and then decided we'd take a relaxing ride on the Disneyland railroad. There was a bit of a wait for a train with space, but the queuing area is under shade, and honestly, it was nice to be out of the sun for a while so we didn't really mind. The railroad goes around the edge of Disneyland Park and has stations in Fantasyland, Discoveryland, Main Street and Frontierland. We got on at the Fantasyland station, which is just beside Alice's curious labyrinth and behind the meet Mickey building. When it was finally our turn to get on, we managed to get seated in the first carriage of the train, which meant we got to see the steam engine up close! I really enjoyed this, but maybe I'm a train nerd, as Lilo didn't seem that bothered! Here we met a lovely CM, Pedro, who took a great photo with Duffy for us! Thanks again!



We planned to get off the train at the Frontierland station and then head over to Adventureland for an Ice cream, however the station was shut due to the construction work going on in that area and I believe a refurbishment of the station too, so in the end we stayed on the train and did a full loop of the park, getting off again at Fantasyland station. I love riding the train and getting to see the park from another perspective, and with the weather being so hot and humid, it was a really nice break!



After the train, we walked over to Adventureland to get a Pineapple whip each. If you haven't had one before they are a soft serve ice cream with Pineapple juice, and are similar to the Dole whip, which is famous in the US parks. We love them and find them very refreshing and a great treat when the parks are shut. They are available from a snack stand in Adventureland, opposite the curious Giraffe shop, and are €5.99 each. Once we got ours we walked down the paths at the back of Adventureland and down the Liberty arcade ready to watch the parade.

We got a good spot for Stars on Parade in town square, right opposite city hall. We really enjoyed the parade, and for me, the highlight was when Wendy spotted us from our meet earlier in the day and stuck her tongue out at Lilo, just like Lilo had done to her earlier in the day. Little touches like this from the CMs make such a difference despite being so simple. After the parade we decided to head back to the hotel, Katie H would be arriving soon to join us for the rest of the week, and we decided to take the opportunity to go swimming at the Sequoia Lodge.

This was the first time I've been swimming while staying in a Disney hotel, and I must say I was really impressed with the facilities! The pool at Sequoia Lodge is a good size, it has both an indoor and outdoor section, though the outdoor part was closed when we were there. The pool has good sized changing areas with lockers that are free to use and showers etc for after. We were given good sized towels to use when we arrived, we were just asked to show our hotel easy pass so that they could mark down how many towels were given out. In the pool area, there were loungers to sit on if you weren't going into the pool or just wanted a break, there was also a large basket full of armbands for smaller, or less confident swimmers. The pool had a slide and there was also a hot tub, for me personally the only downside was that there was no shallow area, the pool was around 4 foot 7 inches deep the whole way around. I'm not sure how long we spent swimming, we didn't feel rushed and the pool wasn't packed, it was really nice to have a break and even better to escape the heat!

By the time we finished swimming, showered and changed it was quite late, so we took a stroll over to the Disney village for dinner. We decided on a mix of McDonalds and Earl of Sandwich, which was perfect as something quick and easy, we did a little bit of shopping in the village before heading back to the hotel for the evening. It was a slower paced day than usual, but with the heat, it was actually really enjoyable to be able to take things a little slower.

So that's all for day 3, I'll be back soon with days 4 and 5 to finish off the trip, but as always if you have any questions about anything we did or mentioned in the post, please drop me a comment!

Hoodsie xx

Hi Guys,

If you haven't caught up with Day 1 yet you can catch up here, and if you have, then welcome back! Day 2 was a super busy day, so I'm just going to jump straight into what we got up to.

After an early night on our first day we were up fairly early and ready to catch some of Extra Magic Time in the main park, we decided for day 2 we'd support team princess, Lilo chose a Rapunzel dress which we picked up in Primark for £12, and I went for my Anna skater dress which was a gift, we decided to walk to the parks as the walk is so nice when the sun is out and is probably just as quick from the seqouia as the shuttle bus is once you've waited for one.



Unfortunately, the first part of our day didn't go quite as planned, we arrived at the gates at about 9am, and this is where I realised I'd managed to not bring the hotel easy pass with us! As an infinity pass holder I don't need anything other than my AP to get into the parks for EMT so I'm not used to checking I've picked it up in the mornings, as Lilo only had a standard 4 day park hopper we couldn't access EMT without this, as they open the gates to the park just after 9:30 anyway we decided to wait it out, but I know I won't be making that mistake again any time soon!

Once we got into the park our first stop was Pluto, he was meeting on the left-hand side of town square outside Minnie's house, the queue wasn't too long for him, but it would have been much shorter if we'd made it for EMT, so always worth using the extra hours if you have access! After Pluto, we had time to pop over to Small World for our 2nd voyage of the week before heading back to main street to get out first pirates and princesses spot of the day.



I cannot get over how good the interaction in this show is, especially if you manage to snag a spot near the dance spots. Today the first show was pirates coming from main street end, we got lots of hugs from Minnie, Jake and a few of the dancers and it really makes it so much more fun, I'm glad we got there early to get a good spot! After the show we went to fantasy land to get some rides in, Snow White and Pinocchio are favourites with Lilo, and we also did the carousel.



We met the White Rabbit from Alice in Wonderland before heading towards Bella Notte for lunch before watching the anniversary show on castle stage, unfortunately, the queue was out the door, so we decided just to pick up some snacks to have during the show instead. A quick costume change for Lilo and then it was time to get our place.



We love the anniversary show, truth be told I'm going to be really, really sad to see it go when the 25th stuff starts drawing to a close, but we weren't just there to enjoy the show! Since Lilo's first Disneyland Paris trip in 2016, her love for Stitch has grown into a bit of an obsession! So when I told her we were going back to Disneyland Paris she was set on meeting stitch straight away, unfortunately, our favourite Blue alien wasn't on the schedule, so we decided our best bet was to try and find him after the show.

Lilo's dress was made for her by Bel at Closet Geek, it came quickly, fitted perfectly and looks amazing, she was so excited to show stitch. We watched the show but sadly he didn't spot us and come over, so we made sure when his second show of the day finished, we were ready and waiting by the cast door he would be using to go from Fantasyland to backstage in the hope he'd spot us there. Luckily this worked out in our favour and lilo got the biggest hug and kiss from Stitch, sadly I didn't manage to get a photo, but I'm so glad we managed to make this happen!



After seeing stitch we rode Orbitron in Discovery land, the wait was a bit longer than I would usually do for a ride like this, but actually, I find it quite fun and it feels more thrilling that Dumbo or flying carpets even though it uses the same ride mechanics. We decided to do princess pavilion in the afternoon, which was quite exciting as it was something Lilo hadn't done before. My only frustration is that they keep changing the system in the pavilion and when we visited they were operating with the surprise princess model, where you can queue without any reservation, however you won't know which princess you are going to meet until you get in the room with them. We decided to chance it, the queue time was showing as 45 mins, I think it actually ended up being about 55 when it was our turn, so this wasn't bad at all and probably one of my quickest trips in there! We met Aurora, I was very happy with this as she is one of my favourite princesses, and despite having met her a few times I still didn't have a photo with her that I was happy with. Lilo seemed fairly happy about it too, I don't think she really minded who she met, she chatted away happily for a few mins and we got loads of pics separately and together on our photo pass.



We then rode Casey Jr, peter pans flight and Small World before finding our spot for stars on parade, we decided to watch from the Small World end as there was still a good amount of space at the rope and a little bit of shade while we waited. This was Lilo's first time watching stars on parade, and I'm pleased to say she really loved it. If you're travelling with little people in particular, I really would recommend sacrificing some of your ride time to get your parade spot early, we didn't have to wait too long but it made such a huge difference to be right at the front and be able to see everything easily. It also meant that the characters who were on foot were able to come over and interact with us which makes such a difference on parade. I was wearing my princess Anna dress still, so while we were waiting we changed Duffy into his Olaf costume, and I'm pleased to say Olaf spotted us during the parade and was really happy to see little Duffy dressed as him! It's such a small and easy thing to do, but little moments like that really stick with me, and they're often the things I look back on and remember best!



We headed back to the hotel shortly after the parade as we had a dinner reservation for Hunters grill at the hotel, having not stopped for a proper meal during the day and just had snacks we were more than ready for this! I covered this in more detail in my hotel review, but in short, I'm so glad I tried this restaurant. It's a buffet so has loads of choice and should suit fussier eaters and children, we ended up having probably 8 plates of main and desert between the two of us, so we obviously need and enjoyed it. It was also nice to have a break from the busy park and have a quiet sit down meal where we didn't feel rushed, especially if you have a little who gets distracted by absolutely everything!



We went back to the parks after dinner to do a last couple of rides and then catch the fireworks show, Illuminations. We got really lucky and where the weather had been nice and dry for a few days and it wasn't particularly cold that evening a lot of guests, us included, decided to stay sat down for the show. Now I know this won't always be possible, some people don't want to, or can't sit on the floor, and more often than not the weather means it isn't possible even if people were willing to stay sat down. But I can't explain just how much of a difference this makes, after a long day in the parks being able to take the weight off my feet and sit down is massively welcomed. Not only this but staying seated means so many more people get a good view of the show, which is so important for both younger and shorter guests. I can honestly say this is probably the best view I've had of Illuminations so far, and this was my 6th trip since it started.



After Illuminations, we made our way over to the train station to meet up with Sophie who was joining us for the rest of the trip and made our way back to the hotel to get some rest ready for a busy day 3.

Thanks for reading so far guys, I'll be back in a few days with the next part, but if you have any questions before then feel free to drop them in the comments!

Hoodsie xx

Hi guys!

I'm back again with another trip report series! I wasn't sure if these were getting stale, but I did a poll on twitter and the outcome was pretty positive, so I hope I don't disappoint. I will try and make this series a bit snappier though, no one wants to read every single mundane moment of my day I'm sure.

My first Disneyland Paris trip of 2018 was from the 16th to the 20th of April inclusive, this meant I got to visit during the new "festival of pirates and princesses" which I was really excited about, it was also my 2nd trip taking my niece, Lilo, which is always a special kind of trip as it's very different to going without kids. We decided to travel by Eurostar from London to Disneyland direct as this worked out best for us in terms of value for money vs hassle of airport parking etc, and we stayed at the Sequoia Lodge for the first time, which if you've seen my review already, you'll know we loved.

We arrived at St Pancras at around 9 am which gave us plenty of time to check in and get through security before our 10:15 direct train. The security for Eurostar is very similar to that of an airport, and they advise you should arrive at least 45 mins before your train to give you time to clear check in, security and passport control. Lilo has a different surname to me, which I knew may cause issues at the passport checking stage, so to be on the safe side I had a signed letter from my sister confirming she was happy for us to travel, our travel dates, the address of the hotel where we were staying and contact details for her if there was any further questions. I handed this over with our passports and had no trouble at either the UK end of the French end, I would definitely recommend taking one if you're in the same position, it saves so much extra stress.



We were on one of the newer style Eurostar trains for our outbound journey, and Lilo made a friend with the girl sat in front of us, which really helped make a 3 hour train journey seem a little quicker and less boring for an excited 7 year old! We arrived in the train station at Disneyland at around 2pm and headed straight for the bag drop next to the Disneyland park entrance. With my infinity annual pass I was able to leave up to 3 bags at the luggage drop free of charge, without this prices are based on the size of the bag you're storing and start from around €5 per item.



For Lilo's park tickets we ordered from Attraction Tickets Direct for the first time. As we booked the hotel using my annual pass discount, we didn't get park tickets included and Attraction Tickets Direct were cheaper than the gate price at £128.00 for a 4 day park hopper for a child aged 3-11. They send you an email with a barcode on it to print and bring with you, which you can exchange for a physical park ticket. I was a bit apprehensive about this as it wasn't something I had done before, but I'm pleased to say it couldn't have been easier. At the front of the entrance to the park there are some touch screen ticket terminals. You simply scan the barcode on your print out, confirm on screen and out pops your physical ticket all ready to go. For the 5th day we just bought a friends and family day ticket for €35.00 using the infinity pass discount.

Controversially we decided to head over to the Studios park first, mostly because I wanted to get some photos in my monsters inc themed outfit, and Lilo didn't mind where we went as long as we did some rides! Our first stop was to get an autograph book for Lilo, which we picked up in the studio one store. She opted for the red Mickey and friends one with the earful tower in the background, which was €9.99 before discount. We like to use coloured sharpie pens for autographs so brought these with us from home, but if you wanted a pen to go with it these are on sale for €3.99 in a few styles to match the different books on offer. They're ballpoint pens but are a chunky style to make it easy for characters to hold!



Our first stop after shopping was the scare floor. Unfortunately Sulley wasn't out that afternoon, but if he ever is out that's where he'll be, and it's usually around lunch time so keep an eye out for him! I got my photos with Boo's door and a few of Lilo too. Even without a character out I think this is still a great photo op and it was really quiet so we were able to take our time which is great when you're relying on a 7 year old to take the perfect outfit shot! My top was from eBay, my ears are from Ears Ever After and Duffy's costume is official, but no longer sold in Paris.



We then rode Aladdin's flying carpets and Slinky dog zig-zag spin as both had really short queues, and then met Mr Incredible who was out meeting in Toon Town. This one is worth looking for, as until recently this has always been a Toy Story meet and greet, alternating between Buzz and Woody. It was actually still showing as this on the schedule when we went, but they had swapped over to the Incredibles backdrop and were alternating between Mr and Mrs incredible throughout the day! He was so so much fun to meet and was taking lots of time with all the guests and making them do lots of fun poses with him! After knocking off my ears by accident, he decided they looked much better on him and insisted he should wear them during the photo. I think he looks rather good in them too! Both Mr and Mrs Incredible give out autographs, so don't forget to get your book out. Just be aware that Mrs Incredible signs with a pen, and Mr Incredible has his own super stamp, so make sure to ask for it!



We then park hopped back over to Disneyland Park ready to catch our first Pirates and Princesses parade, the make your choice show! We caught the 4pm show from Main street, which is the last show of the day and meant the dance stop at our end was for team princess. I'll probably cover this show in more detail later as it has so much going on, but we really enjoyed it and even got a hug from Rapunzel which made our day. After the parade we had time for a few rides and some food, so we did the Pinocchio ride, Star Tours, Small World and probably a few others that I can't remember. We grabbed a fast pass for Buzz for later in the evening as the queue was still quite long at around 40 mins and then grabbed a quick dinner in Cafe Hyperion.



After this we headed back to the hotel. We wanted to take our bags back and check into the room and have a little break as we'd been up early to do all the travelling. Check in at the Sequoia Lodge was quick and easy and our room was perfect. I have reviewed the hotel already here, so check that out if you want to know more. After a little rest we headed back to the park in the evening to ride Buzz using our fastpass, before getting an early night!



That's all from day 1, check back soon for the rest of this adventure. Until then, if you have any questions please feel free to drop a comment below!

Hoodsie xx

Hey guys!

I really wanted to share something a bit different today. This was something that I thought of while I was packing for my trip to DLP and straight away I realised there was plenty to cover. Hopefully this could be the start of a new series, if that's something you guys will enjoy? Let me know in the comments.

Today I'd like to take a look at all things Pinocchio, that you can see and do in Disneyland Paris. Released in 1940 the story of the little wooden boy was Disney's 2nd animated feature length film and continues to be popular with Disney fans and park guests alike. The majority of Pinocchio references are in Fantasyland, and there are plenty of things to look out for, so let's jump right in.


The first, and probably most obvious, is the ride Les Voyages de Pinocchio which was an opening day attraction in April 1992. Based in Fantasyland and adjacent to the carousel this is a dark ride which tells Pinocchio's story. Guests ride in wooden cars that sit 4-6 guests, and they are then taken on a journey through the world of Pinocchio, recreating scenes from the film including the puppet theatre and Pleasure Island. The ride uses a combination of dark rooms and UV lights to bring the scenes to life and for me personally, Pleasure Island is my favourite part, as the colours are incredible and there's so much to look at that I can't just ride it once! It's a fairly short ride lasting between 3 and 5 mins and has no height restriction so is suitable for families and younger guests, however younger guests may be frightened by some scenes.



The next stop is right next door, La Bottega di Geppetto is the small toy shop connected to the Pinocchio ride, and has access straight from the ride exit as well as the main park. It is beautifully themed with Geppetto's wooden carvings all round and predominantly sells plush toys and tsum tsums. It also has a small Duffy section, which is obviously my favourite part of the shop! The shop is quite small, so can feel busy quite easily, but has a nice selection including Pinocchio himself, Peter Pan, and other classic plushies.



If you're feeling hungry, we've got you covered! Round the corner from the shop is the Pinocchio themed quick service restaurant, Au Chalet de la Marionnette. I actually ate here for the first time on my most recent trip and was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it, as well as the value for money from the meals. The restaurant serves hot dogs, burgers and chicken, as well as some separate items to go along side the set meals and a selection of desserts and sweet treats.



I tried the Bavarian hot dog, but chose to have it without the currywurst sauce. This comes with a choice of fries or a side salad and a drink for €12.99. My Niece had the children's hot dog with fries, ice cream and orange juice for €8.99, these prices are before any annual pass discount. We both really enjoyed the meal though found the portion sizes to be quite generous, which isn't always a bad thing!



The restaurant is incredibly well themed inside with murals depicting scenes from the film all around the walls, and the most beautiful stained glass windows! The thing that made me like this quick service restaurant so much, compared to a lot of the others, is how much it opens up inside. It has ample seating, and it opens up even more around the tills, which is usually where it's most congested. The skylights in this area also help make it feel really bright and open!



Finally, and possibly most importantly depending on your motivation, where can you actually see or meet Pinocchio and his friends at Disneyland Paris? Now Pinocchio and Geppetto do come out for meets fairly often, however I don't think I could say I've seen them have a dedicated scheduled meet anywhere in the last 8 years  that I have been visiting the resort. For a general unscheduled meet you'll want to look in the following places, usually between mid morning and early afternoon so about 11-2ish. Outside Bella Notte in Fantasyland (this seems to be where I see them most), by Casey Jr in Fantasyland, or by the small world gates, which are also in Fantasyland. In the studios they are most likely to pop up in Front Lot, again at the same sorts of times. These meets don't always have a structured queue, so in these instances I find the best way to get your chance is to stand your ground, but also be polite and patient, as the characters and the cast members with them are more likely to notice you and reward you for your good behaviour than the guests who are pushing their way in and won't wait.



Other than unscheduled meets Pinocchio and Geppetto can often be found at character dining meals. This is a great way to meet them and a few other characters without having to wait in a long queue. There is a chance they won't be there, so you'll need to decide how badly you want to meet them. I have seen both Pinocchio and Geppetto at Inventions and have seen Pinocchio in Cafe Mickey in the village (please be aware characters are only at meals after 6pm in Cafe Mickey) but not Geppetto. I also haven't eaten at Cafe Mickey since the characters were re-introduced, so couldn't say if that was a regular appearance.



If however you just want a glance of Pinocchio, rather than a full on meet, he appears daily in the opening section of Stars On Parade. The parade takes the main parade route from Small World to Town Square and Pinocchio is in the first section of dancers who are all on foot. If you're really lucky he may come over and say hi! Sadly, Pinocchio's float, and his good friends Geppetto and the Blue Fairy are no longer in the daily parade, but sometimes when the "guest star Tuesday" pre-parade is running you can see Jiminy Cricket on the parade route. In 2017 at the annual Run Disney Event, Jiminy, Pinocchio and Geppetto also took turns meeting runners on the 10 Km course, though the characters for this are not announced in advance and do change for each race.



So that's everything for Pinocchio in Disneyland Paris! I hope if you're a fan you've found this guide useful, and if not maybe you've still found something to look out for or try on your next trip! I would love to do more of these style posts so if you liked it or have any suggestions for which other characters I can cover, please let me know in the comments!

Hoodsie xx

Hey guys!

So another Disney trip recently has meant an opportunity to stay in a new hotel I haven't tried before! I love staying in new hotels and seeing the different themes, but I'm always a bit apprehensive if I'm going to like it and if it will be up to the same standard of the other hotels. So that's why when I'm home I love to take the time to look back at the hotels, and hopefully share my thoughts and experiences that will help others decide where to stay!



This trip it was the turn of Sequoia Lodge, this on site 3 key/star hotel is based on a mountain retreat, it backs on to Lake Disney and is a short walk away from the parks and Disney Village. The hotel has around 990 rooms spread between the main building and several smaller lodges around the grounds, a variety of pricing options are available depending on how close you want to be to the main facilities, and if you want something extra special you can opt for a "Golden Forest" level room or suite, which boasts additional perks such as an exclusive lounge, and park fast passes! Sequoia Lodge also has 2 restaurants, a shop, Indoor and outdoor pool and a gym as well as complementary WiFi and a free shuttle bus to the parks if you don't want to take the walk around the lake.



We stayed for 4 nights in a standard room in the Big Sur Lodge, these rooms sleep up to 4 people and is one of the smaller separate lodges. It was actually the one right next to the pools and gym which ended up being really handy, it was also pretty much right next to the path to walk along the river towards the parks, so was really convenient! The room had 2 double beds a TV with a good selection of channels which were available in a few languages, a safe for your valuables, and a good size bath with overhead shower.



The room was Bambi themed which was really cute, and quite subtle compared to some of the other on site hotels. My only issue with the room was the lack of wall sockets, I think I counted 3 in total, one near the door, one in the corner for the lamp and one on the TV unit. I found that all 3 sockets turned off overnight when I was using a UK to EU adapter, however Sophie had an EU plug which did stay on overnight, so not sure entirely what caused that?



Check in was nice and easy, we were provided with a map of the hotel and our room keys and Easy pass. The easy pass is required to get into the parks for Extra Magic Time if you are not an annual pass holder, but also to use some of the hotel facilities, it also allows you to charge things to the room if you have set this up with reception and to have shopping sent back to your hotel, so it's worth putting in a safe place!

Opposite the check in desk is the concierge which you can use to make dining reservations for your stay as well as booking things like special activities, and the Eurostar luggage service if you don't have this already and want it for the return journey. I actually phoned the concierge using the phone in my room to book a restaurant reservation and it was so easy, a really good service if you haven't been able to make your reservations in advance.



Sequoia Lodge boasts 2 restaurants, Beaver Creek Tavern and Hunters Grill, from my understanding they are both buffet restaurants, with Hunters Grill being the primary one and Beaver Creek having more reduced operating hours. I ate at Hunters Grill on the 2nd night of our stay and was really impressed. I had a 7:30 pm reservation for myself and my niece who is 7, we were greeted at the front of the restaurant, confirmed our reservation time and size and were quickly seated, the waiter took our drinks orders, these are not included in the cost unless you are using a dining plan voucher, and we were then free to help ourselves to the buffet. The buffet had a really good selection, there were plenty of Meats, Fish and cheeses, as well as pasta, rice, nuggets potatoes and vegetarian options too.



As far a desert was concerned there was a huge range of cakes, jelly, fruit, sweets and even ice cream, which I can tell you made my niece very happy. The current price at the time of writing this is €34.99 for adults and €24.99 for children aged 3-11 (under 3's eat for free) and i honestly feel like I got my money's worth, having had around 4 plates of mains and 2 deserts and a bowl of fruit myself!



The restaurant theme was really nice and continued the american lodge feel that runs throughout the rest of the hotel, the tables were fairly spaced out and didn't feel cramped, the staff were really friendly and there were plenty of people around if you needed assistance. The buffet was kept fresh and full throughout the time we were there and empty/finished plates were collected promptly from the tables which helps to avoid the cramped and cluttered feeling. It was just a really nice, relaxing meal, which is perfect after a busy day in the park!



Not only did we make use of the dining facilities at the hotel, we used the shop a few times, this is located in the main building just past the bar, though it is small in size it had a great selection of items ranging from plushies, to clothing and pins, as well as a few personal essentials such as sun cream and deodorant etc in case you've forgotten to pack anything! We bought quite a few bits from the shop and every time we went in the staff were quick to greet us and offer us assistance and were always very polite and friendly, a real credit to the hotel.



The final on site facility we made sure to use was the pool, swimming was something I've not made time for on a Disney trip before so I was determined to change that! Sequoia lodge boasts both an indoor and outdoor pool, however the evening we decided to swim only the indoor one was open, which was more than enough. The pool is themed along side the rest of the hotel, has a slide and a hot tub. For younger or less confident swimmers arm bands are provided poolside, my only issue was that there was no shallow end for younger swimmers, the pool is around 4 foot 7 deep so not great for younger guests. The pool has a good sized changing rooms with free lockers, showers and a sauna, free towels are also provided to guests upon production of a valid hotel easy pass.

Overall I really enjoyed our time at Sequoia lodge, the theme and the grounds of the hotel were lovely, it was a great location and the perfect mix of being close to everything but also having the nice walk between the parks and the hotel in the mornings and evenings. The facilities were a great addition but I'm not sure I would use things like the gym and pool every trip, it did make a nice change though. My only disappointment with the hotel was the lack of shallow area or children's area within the pool, but it made very little impact on our stay and we still managed to enjoy it. I'm lucky enough to be booked in to return to the sequoia lodge in just a few weeks and honestly I cannot wait to go back!

Have you stayed at sequoia lodge before? Would you consider it now? Is there anything I haven't covered that you'd like to know? Drop me a comment below!

Hoodsie xx