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
[…] 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 […]
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