On the road (2) - beaches, chateaux and castles COMPLETED - Page 3 - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
As of January 1, 2019, we have closed our forums. This is a decision we did not come to lightly, but it is necessary. The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk. The server software itself must be updated, and it cannot be without removing the forums.
So it is with a heavy heart that we say goodbye to our long-running forums. They came online in 2000 and brought together so many wonderful Disney fans. We had friendships form, careers launch, couples marry, children born ... all because of this amazing community.
Thank you to each of you who were a part of this community. You made it possible.
And a very special thank you to our Guides (moderators), past and present, who kept our forums a happy place to be. You are the glue that held everything together, and we are forever grateful to you. Thank you aliceinwdw, Caldercup, MrsM, WillCAD, Fortissimo, GingerJ, HiddenMickey, CRCrazy, Eeyoresmom, disneyknut, disneydani, Cam22, chezp, WDWfan, Luvsun, KMB733, rescuesk, OhToodles!, Colexis Mom, lfredsbo, HiddenMickey, DrDolphin, DopeyGirl, duck addict, Disneybine, PixieMichele, Sandra Bostwick, Eeyore Tattoo, DyanKJ130, Suzy Q'Disney, LilMarcieMouse, AllisonG, Belle*, Chrissi, Brant, DawnDenise, Crystalloubear, Disneymom9092, FanOfMickey, Goofy4Goofy, GoofyMom, Home4us123, iamgrumpy, ilovedisney247, Jennifer2003, Jenny Pooh, KrisLuvsDisney, Ladyt, Laughaholic88, LauraBelle Hime, Lilianna, LizardCop, Loobyoxlip, lukeandbrooksmom, marisag, michnash, MickeyMAC, OffKilter_Lynn, PamelaK, Poor_Eeyore, ripkensnana, RobDVC, SHEANA1226, Shell of the South, snoozin, Statelady01, Tara O'Hara, tigger22, Tink and Co., Tinkerbelz, WDWJAMBA, wdwlovers, Wendyismyname, whoSEZ, WildforWD, and WvuGrrrl. You made the magic.
We want to personally thank Sara Varney, who coordinated our community for many years (among so many other things she did for us), and Cheryl Pendry, our Message Board Manager who helped train our Guides, and Ginger Jabour, who helped us with the PassPorter-specific forums and Live! Guides. Thank you for your time, energy, and enthusiasm. You made it all happen.
There are other changes as well.
Why? Well, the world has changed. And change with it, we must. The lyrics to "We Go On" for IllumiNations say it best:
We go on to the joy and through the tears
We go on to discover new frontiers
Moving on with the current of the years.
We go on
Moving forward now as one
Moving on with a spirit born to run
Ever on with each rising sun.
To a new day, we go on.
It's time to move on and move forward.
PassPorter is a small business, and for many years it supported our family. But the world changed, print books took a backseat to the Internet, and for a long time now it has been unable to make ends meet. We've had to find new ways to support our family, which means new careers and less and less time available to devote to our first baby, PassPorter.
But eventually, we must move on and move forward. It is the right thing to do.
So we are retiring this newsletter, as we simply cannot keep up with it. Many thanks to Mouse Fan Travel who supported it all these years, to All Ears and MousePlanet who helped us with news, to our many article contributors, and -- most importantly -- to Sara Varney who edited our newsletter so wonderfully for years and years.
And we are no longer charging for the Live Guides. If you have a subscription, it's yours to keep for the lifetime of the Live Guides at no additional cost. The Live Guides will stay online, barring server issues and technical problems, for all of 2019.
That said, PassPorter is not going away. Most of the resources will remain online for as long as we can support them, and after that we will find ways to make whatever we can available. PassPorter means a great deal to us, and to many of you, and we will do our best to keep it alive in whatever way we can. Our server costs are high, and they'll need to come out of our pockets, so in the future you can expect some changes so we can bring those costs down.
Thank you, thank you, thank you for your amazing support over the years. Without you, there's no way us little guys could have made something like this happen and given the "big guys" a run for their money. PassPorter was consistently the #3 guidebook after the Unofficial and Official guides, which was really unheard of for such a small company to do. We ROCKED it thanks to you and your support and love!
If you miss us, you can still find some of us online. Sara started a new blog at DisneyParkPrincess.com -- I strongly urge you to visit and get on her mailing list. She IS the Disney park princess and knows Disney backward and forward. And I am blogging as well at JenniferMaker.com, which is a little craft blog I started a couple of years ago to make ends meet. You can see and hear me in my craft show at https://www.youtube.com/c/jennifermaker . Many PassPorter readers and fans are on Facebook, in groups they formed like the PassPorter Trip Reports and PassPorter Crafting Challenge (if you join, just let them know you read about it in the newsletter). And some of our most devoted community members started a forum of their own at Pixie Dust Lane and all are invited over.
So we encourage you to stay in touch with us and your fellow community members wherever works best for you!
Welcome! We're happy you've found the PassPorter Community -- the friendliest place to plan your vacation to Walt Disney World, Disney Cruise Line, Disneyland, and the world in general! You are now viewing the PassPorter Message Board Community as a guest, which gives you limited access. As our guest, feel free to browse our messages by selecting the forum you want to visit from the list below.
To post messages and ask questions, join our FREE community today and you'll get access to tools and resources not available to guests, such as our vacation countown timers, "living" avatars, private messaging system, database searches, downloads, and a special PassPorter discount code. Registration is fast, simple, and completely free. Just click the Join Our Community link.
If you think you've already joined, log in below now. If you don't remember your member name or password, please visit our Member Name and Password Recovery page. You are also welcome to contact us.
Love this trip report! Now I am regretting not heading to DLP when we were in London. Oh well, add it to my list of parks to get to one day!
There are quite a few things that I think look better than the US parks, and the dragon, well how cool is that?!
First of all, I want to say that I'm a huge idiot! I've been wondering what the heck happened with your report, did you stop writing because of all the computer glitches, I just couldn't figure it out. Then I noticed that the title said, "this part completed" and I felt so silly. :forehadslap:
Anyway, I'm all caught up now and I'm loving everything. I can't wait to see more pictures of the park, and I love the hotel. How great is it to be able to walk right to the park??? You're living the life!
Wednesday 9 June – part ten: the Parisian version of the California Grill
We spent the next couple of hours in the room, just relaxing, with me going for a wander around the hotel to see what else I could find. Passing reception, I headed towards the shop first....
Then it was on to the main dining area..
The hotel’s lounge
From there, I headed to the recreation area, which is home to the children’s club, swimming pool and spa.
Then it was back to the room.
By the time I got back, I realised that I had just 25 minutes before our dinner reservation, so it was time for a very quick shower, before we changed, as we were going out to a nice restaurant, their version of the California Grill. A couple of other people made the effort there, but to be honest, we were in the minority, which was a shame. Somehow, I expected a better dress code in Disneyland Paris.
We had a look at the wine list, but quickly decided : - look at some of these prices!
We went for the €55 ($66) set menu, with us both opting for the salmon terrine with black olives and salad, which was absolutely divine and very beautifully presented.
For main course, Mark went for the fillet of beef, although the fact it turned up with fries was something I found a bit odd. He told me that it was cooked to perfection for him and he was very pleased with it.
I went for the seabass with risotto and courgette (zucchini to you guys) in curry, which was absolutely inspired, with the flavours melting together perfectly.
For dessert, Mark opted for the dark chocolate cake.
As for me, I went for the parade of ice cream and sorbets – and I wasn’t expecting as much as I got – not only did I have raspberry, vanilla, pistachio, coffee and raspberry flavours, but it all came in a sugar basket as well. Wow, it was quite something!
Can you tell I’m enjoying it?
All in all, the whole thing came to €123 ($148), with a beer for Mark and a bottle of water for both of us. It had certainly been a superb meal.
A word here as well about the table we got. It literally stared right out on the entrance to the Disneyland Park and it was fascinating, as the meal went on, to watch the park emptying out, as it had closed at 7.00. It took about an hour and a half for it to clear completely, and almost as soon as it, the birds descended, as if they knew the humans were finally gone. We also had great fun watching an Oriental guy, waiting in a very bored fashion, for the rest of his group, which turned out to be one other guy and about six or seven women. They emerged, looking as if they had brought the shop up completely!
Cast Members leaving the park
Ironically, the sun started to come out just after the park emptied out. It looked as if it had rained for the rest of the afternoon, from the state of people leaving. Not the best day weather wise.
California Grill:
Appetiser 9 9
Main course 9 9½
Dessert 10 8½
Service 9 8½
Atmosphere 9½ 9
Value for money 8½ 8
Average score: 8.96
We headed back to the room, getting a photo of perhaps my favourite window outside the resort shop – how cute is this?
From there, it was off to bed.
Today we drove 78 miles. The weather today was cloudy in the morning and rain in the afternoon, with temperatures in the mid 70s. The best thing today was enjoying staying at the Disneyland Hotel and the golf cart ride around the gardens of Versailles. The worst thing today was all the rain. Today we tried the California Grill And the result was it was superb food and a great view. The most magical moment today was arriving at the Disneyland Hotel.
Registered Message Board Members Get Our Free Newsletter! When you register you'll have the option to sign up for our weekly PassPorter Newsletter. It's chock-full of feature articles; news; tips; contests; photos; and special offers in our online store.
PassPorter's Free-Book to Walt Disney World It’s hard to believe anything is free at Walt Disney World; but there are actually a number of things you can get or do for little to no cost. This e-book documents over 200 free or cheap tips to do before you go and after you arrive. You could save a considerable amount of money following these tips. Perhaps more importantly; you can discover overlooked attractions and little-known details most people whiz by on their way to spend money. Click here to see free sample pages from the e-book! Get this popular e-book free of extra charges when you join the PassPorter's Club for as little as $4.95. A club pass includes access to all our other e-books; e-worksheets; super-size photos; and more! This e-book is also available for separate purchase in the PassPorter Online Store for just $5.95.
Sadly, I was awake early, but not out of choice. Having woken with what felt suspiciously like a sore throat yesterday morning and then having said through dinner last night that I felt the need to blow my nose, it was clear by this morning that I had a mild cold. Regardless of the fact that it was mild, I was having trouble breathing and therefore sleeping, so I was up at 5.20 and couldn’t get back to sleep. I didn’t feel at my best at all. : Not the greatest start to the day...
For the next hour or so, I sat and worked on my trip report – at least I could be productive during that time letting Mark sleep and watching the sky lighten over the Disneyland Hotel outside.
Finally, it was time to head out to get breakfast.
I knew that there would be characters outside the restaurant, and so there were, with Minnie and Tigger – or Tigrou to give him his name in French – greeting us as we arrived. We got photos with both of them before heading in for breakfast.
Breakfast here is served in both the California Grill, where we ate last night, and the neighbouring restaurant, Inventions, where we’d be eating tonight, but all to all intents and purposes, for this meal, they’re one restaurant. We were seated almost exactly where we had been last night, which was ironic.
The breakfast spread wasn’t bad at all – I can vouch for how good the scrambled eggs, tomatoes and potatoes were, but I have to be honest, I was a bit disappointed with the choice of fruit, as much of what was available had things like apple in, which I’m allergic to. There was still plenty to fill up on, including croissants, doughnuts, pain au chocolate, cheeses, meat and cereals and we were happy with what was on offer overall.
While Mark was there, he got chatting to a British family, and the guy told him that four nights at the Disneyland Hotel was costing them £3,500 ($5,000), which was just unbelievable. Mark told him he could easily go to Florida for that money. Why on earth Disneyland Paris continues to charge such outrageous prices really is beyond me. It’s not worth the money. Don’t get me wrong, the parks are nice enough, but when you compare them to what’s available at Walt Disney World, there is quite honestly no comparison. I know that a family of four could easily get to Orlando for £3,500. Ok, so it wouldn’t be staying at a Disney resort, but even so, that says something.
When we came out, the characters had changed around again, and Donald and Scrooge were there. We got in line for Donald, and as we did, saw Scrooge disappear, which seemed a bit odd, as they were meant to be out for half an hour at a time, but he’d gone after 15 minutes. More importantly, I saw a magical sight – a little grey donkey, but he seemed to be disappearing as well.
As soon as we had seen Donald, we went on a search. I asked the Cast Member nearby about the characters and she pointed down the corridor. There was Scrooge McDuck, with very few people waiting for him, so Mark was able to get a photo with him.
Even better, Mark pointed down the hallway and there was Eeyore – or should I say Bourriquet, to give him his French name - so we got in line and as soon as I told him that he was my favourite, my goodness, I got some serious donkey love from him! It was superb and such a lovely and unexpected surprise.
From there, we headed back to the room to get ready to hit the parks, with me already on a high, after my donkey encounter...
We headed out and were instantly very glad that we had our Wimbledon umbrella with us, as it was tipping down with rain again. What is it with us, Disneyland Paris and rain? I partially came in June, as I thought it might be less likely to rain. Obviously, I was wrong, very wrong...
We wandered through Main Street, making the best of Extra Magic Hours, which here run from 8am to 10am, before the main park opening. We decided to walk up the main area, rather than opt for the arcades, as that was for wimps... Actually, the rain did ease off and, under an umbrella, it wasn’t too bad. :
Sorry to hear you're getting a cold! No fun on vacation, and I'm sure the dampness from all the rain didn't help that.
Looking forward to hearing more about your second day at DLP!
PassPorter Guide Community Rank: Legend Extraordinaire
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Ballston Lake, NY
Concierge Level: 6
Posts: 46,162
Post Thanks / Like
Likes (Given): 94
Likes (Received): 241
Thanks (Given): 0
Thanks (Received): 139
Pixie Dust (Given): 3
Pixie Dust (Received): 4
Sorry to hear that you were getting sick. But at least you got to see Eeyore. And it sucks that its raining again. Hopefully the sun will decide to come out.
I can't get over how much that hotel looks like the GF! Amazing, however the price definitely is not.
Sorry you're feeling under the weather, especially seeing how under the weather the actual park is as well. Rain, rain and more rain...yuck! I hope it gets better, but it doesn't sound like based on what's to come.
About This Page: 
Like
Thank
Pixie Dust
PassPorter Guide Author
: - look at some of these prices! 
He told me that it was cooked to perfection for him and he was very pleased with it. 
Holly: 
letting Mark sleep and watching the sky lighten over the Disneyland Hotel outside. 
- so we got in line and as soon as I told him that he was my favourite, my goodness, I got some serious donkey love from him! 
Linear Mode
