HI folks.
I'll be posting a brief TR for my July trip at DLP this summer!!
I'll be posting a brief TR for my July trip at DLP this summer!!
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Trip Report
- Thread starter LeafsFanNL
- Start date
Hi,
My family of four, DW, two 13 year old boys and my late '40's self visited DLP From July 1st - July 5th. We stayed at Sequoia Lodge, had the equivalent of four day hoppers, and the half board plan. This consists of one meal daily from a restricted menu, and the Pause Gourmand, which basically a snack credit useable from 3pm to 7 pm IIRC. For my WDW trips, I have always been an uber planner, but this time due to work issues DW did most of the planning.
My family of four, DW, two 13 year old boys and my late '40's self visited DLP From July 1st - July 5th. We stayed at Sequoia Lodge, had the equivalent of four day hoppers, and the half board plan. This consists of one meal daily from a restricted menu, and the Pause Gourmand, which basically a snack credit useable from 3pm to 7 pm IIRC. For my WDW trips, I have always been an uber planner, but this time due to work issues DW did most of the planning.
July 1st.
We spent the day of our arrival (June 30th) in Europe travelling to a city in France named Arras. We flew St. John's - Dublin (4 hours 15 min), Then an 1 ½ hour flight to Paris, and two trains to Arras.
On the morning of July 1st we rented a car to travel to two WWI battlefields, near and dear to the heart of a Newfoundlander, Beaumont Hamel battlefield park, (Think Gettysburg or the USS Arizona for my American friends), and Vimy Ridge. We turned our car in and then took a TGV train from Arras to the Marne LaValle station which serves as the train station for DLP, and also its bus terminal.
We arrived around 4:30 pm, and quickly got a shuttle to Sequoia Lodge. It sort of reminded me of WL where we have stayed. Check in was a little slow. Many things were different. Meal credits were printed on paper, access to the pool was a paper pass. This pass also allowed us in the parks early a la EMH. Tickets to the park were like the old style paper WDW tickets. No bands or FP- to be seen. The soon was similar in layout to any north american hotel and was approx the size of a moderate.
We spent the day of our arrival (June 30th) in Europe travelling to a city in France named Arras. We flew St. John's - Dublin (4 hours 15 min), Then an 1 ½ hour flight to Paris, and two trains to Arras.
On the morning of July 1st we rented a car to travel to two WWI battlefields, near and dear to the heart of a Newfoundlander, Beaumont Hamel battlefield park, (Think Gettysburg or the USS Arizona for my American friends), and Vimy Ridge. We turned our car in and then took a TGV train from Arras to the Marne LaValle station which serves as the train station for DLP, and also its bus terminal.
We arrived around 4:30 pm, and quickly got a shuttle to Sequoia Lodge. It sort of reminded me of WL where we have stayed. Check in was a little slow. Many things were different. Meal credits were printed on paper, access to the pool was a paper pass. This pass also allowed us in the parks early a la EMH. Tickets to the park were like the old style paper WDW tickets. No bands or FP- to be seen. The soon was similar in layout to any north american hotel and was approx the size of a moderate.
July 1st cont.
We had to hustle to get everyone ready for our 7 pm ADR at Blue Lagoon. Everyone was more than a little jet lagged as well, but we managed to get the the from of the Lodge to await the bus. It came promptly, and we headed out. Interestingly, they use articulated buses. I was more than a little surprised to see that we were dropped off at the train station where we had arrived a couple of hours earlier. We walked to what I think of as the main plaza of the resort.
I can best describe this plaza as a circular area like a clock, with DLP at noon, the entrance from the trains at 3. entrance to Disney village at 6, and Disney studios at 9.
It is a fair hike from the train station to the security and down the slope to DLP entrance.
Before getting to the details of the evening, a few words on the ambiance of the place. The impressions start as soon as you see the DLP hotel which sits on top of the entrance. The best word I can come up with is quaint. Everything is on a somewhat smaller scale than the MK, or that is how it felt at least. It all felt odd in some way, but there was no mistaking that you were in a Disney Park.
We made it just in time for our ADR's. The menus presented you with a entree and a dessert, the selections rather limited. You could order a la carte, but had to pay the extra if the order was over the set amount (I forget how much it was). DW had a fish meal with was dried out. The kids and I had a skewered chicken dish, with a mushroom sauce. It was OK at best.
We then exited into a park that was emptier than any time I have ever seen the MK. We proceeded to Pirates, which I liked a lot, maybe not as good as WDW, Balked at Indiana Jones, when we saw the inverted part of the coaster, and then rode Small World, which is much superior to the WDW version. We left just before the light show as all hands were tired.
We took the bus back to the lodge. The temperatures were relatively moderate 65-70 F, but it was humid. We put on the AC, but it was barely a trick of cool air. It would be a theme, that sleep was not so good at the hotel.
We had to hustle to get everyone ready for our 7 pm ADR at Blue Lagoon. Everyone was more than a little jet lagged as well, but we managed to get the the from of the Lodge to await the bus. It came promptly, and we headed out. Interestingly, they use articulated buses. I was more than a little surprised to see that we were dropped off at the train station where we had arrived a couple of hours earlier. We walked to what I think of as the main plaza of the resort.
I can best describe this plaza as a circular area like a clock, with DLP at noon, the entrance from the trains at 3. entrance to Disney village at 6, and Disney studios at 9.
It is a fair hike from the train station to the security and down the slope to DLP entrance.
Before getting to the details of the evening, a few words on the ambiance of the place. The impressions start as soon as you see the DLP hotel which sits on top of the entrance. The best word I can come up with is quaint. Everything is on a somewhat smaller scale than the MK, or that is how it felt at least. It all felt odd in some way, but there was no mistaking that you were in a Disney Park.
We made it just in time for our ADR's. The menus presented you with a entree and a dessert, the selections rather limited. You could order a la carte, but had to pay the extra if the order was over the set amount (I forget how much it was). DW had a fish meal with was dried out. The kids and I had a skewered chicken dish, with a mushroom sauce. It was OK at best.
We then exited into a park that was emptier than any time I have ever seen the MK. We proceeded to Pirates, which I liked a lot, maybe not as good as WDW, Balked at Indiana Jones, when we saw the inverted part of the coaster, and then rode Small World, which is much superior to the WDW version. We left just before the light show as all hands were tired.
We took the bus back to the lodge. The temperatures were relatively moderate 65-70 F, but it was humid. We put on the AC, but it was barely a trick of cool air. It would be a theme, that sleep was not so good at the hotel.
Maybe some pictures?
Sorry for the tardiness, but lets continue.
July 2nd. DLP park.
This morning we decided to walk to the park instead of taking the bus. It was at most a 7-10 minute leisurely stroll. The path went around a rectangular lagoon, through security and through the Disney village.
We went through the Village several times, so this is a good place to comment on it. Think of it as a smaller version of DTD in Florida. Its also linear, which somehow seemed odd. There is shopping there, with theatres and restaurants. It was fine considering the scale of it.
When we arrived in the park, about 45 minutes after opening, we made a bee line for Big Thunder. DW and the wife decided to get in the standby line, while I went over to Space to get FP's. Alas it was down for that week. That fact seemed to make the other headliners busier than I would have expected considering that it wasn't crowded. I returned to Big Thunder, found that my wife had gotten out of the standby line, and the boys were still in it. Since I hadn't got FP's I got some for Big Thunder. When the kids got off (having loved it), we went over to Phantom Manor to ride standby. The wait was about 30-40 minutes, and the ride was different than WDW but was as enjoyable.
It was now time to return to Big Thunder. This was the highlight of the park. The ride is somewhat similar, but there are two tunnels, which I came to realize connected the ride to an island. During the middle part of the ride, you on a island separate from the rest of the park.
After riding we went to Caseys, where we had a pretty good hotdog. Before we departed for a break, we rose Buzz. took in the ambiance, and shopped.
One weird part of the half board plan which we had purchased, was the pause gourmand. The concept was similar to a snack credit on the meal plan in WDW, but you could only get it from 3 pm on. We ended up waiting around until 3 so we could get it. We left right after so we could have a break before our dinner at Walt's.
The kids fired up their iPads in the room, and DW took a nap. I decided to check out the pool as it was warm enough for a swim, (About 68-72 degrees.). The pool is mostly contained by a rather attractive lodge building. Upon entering I was given a towel and directed to a change room. Just like a community pool here in Canada, you enter one door from the outside, and exit through another on the pool deck. 90% of the pool is inside, and the rest is outside. There are sliding doors which are closed during colder months. I was disappointed as there were barely a dozen or so loungers, so I couldn't get one.
We returned to the park in time to use the last two FP's at Big Thunder, and then headed over to Walt's. The entrance is halfway up the left hand side. We checked in and had to wait ten minutes or so. We had a great chance to see all of the Memorabilia, which was fantastic. The highlight was the Legion d'honner, awarded to Walt by the French Republic in 1935. I'd love to say the meal was fantastic, but I'd be lying. We had Caesar Salads which were good, but the Hanger steak was extremely thin and grizzly. We were seriously disappointed. If I had to compare it with a WDW restaurant, I'd say Boatwrights or Shutters. How about Denny's or Applebee's.
We lingered for a while, but we were still tired from the travel on the 30th, so left early and went back to the room.
All hands were tired and went to bed, I decided to check out the resort. Down by the bar, they had a massive big screen set up for the World Cup, Belgium was playing the US. I watched the second half, IIRC. One thing I noticed was the beer and wine was priced as I would expect, but the mixed drinks were VERY EXPENSIVE, check the price before ordering. I think I payed 20+ Euros for a double rum and coke.
July 2nd. DLP park.
This morning we decided to walk to the park instead of taking the bus. It was at most a 7-10 minute leisurely stroll. The path went around a rectangular lagoon, through security and through the Disney village.
We went through the Village several times, so this is a good place to comment on it. Think of it as a smaller version of DTD in Florida. Its also linear, which somehow seemed odd. There is shopping there, with theatres and restaurants. It was fine considering the scale of it.
When we arrived in the park, about 45 minutes after opening, we made a bee line for Big Thunder. DW and the wife decided to get in the standby line, while I went over to Space to get FP's. Alas it was down for that week. That fact seemed to make the other headliners busier than I would have expected considering that it wasn't crowded. I returned to Big Thunder, found that my wife had gotten out of the standby line, and the boys were still in it. Since I hadn't got FP's I got some for Big Thunder. When the kids got off (having loved it), we went over to Phantom Manor to ride standby. The wait was about 30-40 minutes, and the ride was different than WDW but was as enjoyable.
It was now time to return to Big Thunder. This was the highlight of the park. The ride is somewhat similar, but there are two tunnels, which I came to realize connected the ride to an island. During the middle part of the ride, you on a island separate from the rest of the park.
After riding we went to Caseys, where we had a pretty good hotdog. Before we departed for a break, we rose Buzz. took in the ambiance, and shopped.
One weird part of the half board plan which we had purchased, was the pause gourmand. The concept was similar to a snack credit on the meal plan in WDW, but you could only get it from 3 pm on. We ended up waiting around until 3 so we could get it. We left right after so we could have a break before our dinner at Walt's.
The kids fired up their iPads in the room, and DW took a nap. I decided to check out the pool as it was warm enough for a swim, (About 68-72 degrees.). The pool is mostly contained by a rather attractive lodge building. Upon entering I was given a towel and directed to a change room. Just like a community pool here in Canada, you enter one door from the outside, and exit through another on the pool deck. 90% of the pool is inside, and the rest is outside. There are sliding doors which are closed during colder months. I was disappointed as there were barely a dozen or so loungers, so I couldn't get one.
We returned to the park in time to use the last two FP's at Big Thunder, and then headed over to Walt's. The entrance is halfway up the left hand side. We checked in and had to wait ten minutes or so. We had a great chance to see all of the Memorabilia, which was fantastic. The highlight was the Legion d'honner, awarded to Walt by the French Republic in 1935. I'd love to say the meal was fantastic, but I'd be lying. We had Caesar Salads which were good, but the Hanger steak was extremely thin and grizzly. We were seriously disappointed. If I had to compare it with a WDW restaurant, I'd say Boatwrights or Shutters. How about Denny's or Applebee's.
We lingered for a while, but we were still tired from the travel on the 30th, so left early and went back to the room.
All hands were tired and went to bed, I decided to check out the resort. Down by the bar, they had a massive big screen set up for the World Cup, Belgium was playing the US. I watched the second half, IIRC. One thing I noticed was the beer and wine was priced as I would expect, but the mixed drinks were VERY EXPENSIVE, check the price before ordering. I think I payed 20+ Euros for a double rum and coke.