Disneyland Paris: July 2014

Friday, 25th July 2014

I hadn't expected to be back at Disneyland Paris before 2015 - my  trip in March was relatively spontaneous and I'm off to Disneyland in October.  In addition, considering I felt a little jaded during my last trip to France, I figured I could wait to go back.  However, the glowing reviews for Ratatouille : L'Aventure Totalement Toquée de Rémy (I won't be referring it that again) and stunning photos of the surrounding La Place de Rémy were too much to resist and I found myself booking a short break for the following week.  Not surprisingly, with the school holidays just under way, I arrived to a very crowded St Pancras Station and took the opportunity of upgrading to Standard Premier on the Eurostar - definitely worth the bit extra!

I headed straight for Walt Disney Studios Park, with a vague idea in mind of how long I'd be prepared to wait in line for Ratatouille (plan B being to wait for later that evening or plan C get there for park opening the following day).  In fact, the Single Rider line was only showing as 10 minutes and I ended up going on the ride twice within a relatively short space of time.

I hadn't watched any of the ride videos so really did not know what to expect.  To be honest, I was just as excited a the thought of photographing the fountain in La Place de Rémy as I was about going on the ride! In any event, I absolutely loved it.  I commented on Twitter that I'd never had a ride make me feel so warm and fuzzy before! I keep meaning to watch the videos now I've experienced the ride for real to see whether they manage to capture the atmosphere but even leaving aside the fact that videos won't capture the 3D effect, I believe this really is a ride which needs to be experienced in order to fully appreciate it.

As you exit the ride, you walk past Bistrot Chez Rémy, the first table service restaurant to open in Walt Disney Studios Park.  The restaurant serves a limited set menu and before hand I was doubtful whether I'd eat there but I guess Disney's cunning plan worked - I walked off the ride and into the restaurant to make a reservation for that evening, before heading back on the ride for a second go!

I spent a while after that just wandering around La Place de Rémy and, yes, taking countless photos of the fountain!  It was wonderful to feel so excited about something in the resort again (and in the much maligned Walt Disney Studios Park at that!).  I finally dragged myself away and was pleased to discover there was no wait at The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror.  Ratatouille aside, I wasn't really concerned with rides on this trip but ToT is one of my absolute favourites.

I headed over to Disneyland Park with about 45 minutes to spare before Disney Magic on Parade.  Not surprisingly, Main Street was already quite crowded but I aimed for my usual spot at the start of the parade, near "it's a small world".  I wasn't actually that bothered about seeing the parade (how times change!) but I did want to try and get some more shots of the Frozen float.  Unfortunately, I didn't get to see how this happened!

Not quite as exciting as the developments in Walt Disney Studios Park but there was one other new addition I wanted to get a photo of.  I appreciate that not all members of the Disney Parks community approve of these sorts of thing but to be honest, I think this one may go unnoticed by many guests.  Certainly no one seemed to notice it during the time I was stood there taking photographs.

After wandering about, scoping out menus (and being unable to make a reservation at Cafe Mickey for lunch the following day), I decided to reschedule my meal at Bistrot Chez Rémy and went to eat t California Grill instead.  I wasn't particularly thrilled with the meal I had there in March, but had no complaints this time.  It was still early evening and the restaurant was empty - it was lovely to have a relaxing break from the heat and crowds before heading back to the park for a couple more hours.

Disneyland Park was open until 11pm however I was staying off-site for the first time (at the Hotel Kyriad) and this meant relying on a shuttle bus.  I wanted to leave before the crowds so after a trip on "it's a small world" and a general wander around the Park, I headed to the station, luckily arriving just as a bus did.  The partner hotels are only a short drive away but it did make a change to actually see outside the resort grounds for once!  

Saturday, 26th July 2014

I'm usually up early to have breakfast before the crowds descend and hit the park at the start of Extra Magic Hours.  This was the main draw back of staying-off site - losing those precious couple of hours when it's safe to head for Dumbo and Peter Pan!  However, I decided to take advantage of this by taking a tour of the Santa Fe and the Cheyenne.  As with the arrival of Russell and Carl, I know not everyone is keen on the Cars makeover but personally, I did think it's made the Santa Fe that bit more atmospheric.

I'd initially planned on heading to WDS to ride Ratatouille first thing, however as I'd already managed to ride it twice and the Single Rider queue seemed quite manageable, I decided to go to Disneyland Park for a couple of hours before my lunch reservation.  With no specific plan, I found myself in a queue to meet Rapunzel.  This seems to happen to me a lot at Disneyland Paris!

I'd made a 12pm lunch reservation to keep ahead of the weekend crowds.  The restaurant was quiet when I arrived but that didn't last long. As mentioned above, the menu at Bistrot Chez Rémy is limited and won't be to everybody's taste.  However, my main reason for eating there was to experience the theming of the restaurant and it certainly does not disappoint on that level.  For those who are unaware, rest assured the menu does include ratatouille!

The Single Rider line was showing as 10 minutes when I left the restaurant, so I figured I had plenty of time for one last ride before heading over to see the latest version of Disney's Stars'n'Cars (originally a show, then a parade, now merely a meet and greet).  Unfortunately, as I neared the front of the line the ride broke down.  Of course it then became a case of "how long do I wait?"  I suppose I gave it about half an hour before deciding to try and grab some character photos at Stars'n'Cars - the ride was subsequently evacuated and was still down the next time I wandered back to Toon Studios. Next time...

I didn't have that long before my train home so went back to Disneyland Park for a final wander around before making my now traditional visit to Cafe Fantasia for one final cocktail before leaving.  No upgrade on the way home but the train was quiet and I had probably the most relaxing Eurostar trip I've experienced!

I'll admit this was an expensive spur of the moment trip but I've no regrets.  The little chef has definitely helped rekindled my love for the resort.