Disneyland Paris Trip Report 2018 – Day 3 and 4

If you haven’t already, don’t forget to read Day 1 and 2 Travel Day Trip report 

Day 3

Today is Halloween!!!!!  It is always great visiting Disneyland Paris over a celebration, as Halloween this year really didn’t disappoint.  Last year, due to the 25th Anniversary celebration, Frontierland was the only area that was decorated Halloween themed.  This year, the theming began as you walked into the Park.  It really was spookacular (see what I did there!?) and we loved it!

So it was really exciting to be here on actual Halloween!

We woke up pretty early considering we had a busy day yesterday.  We did set the alarms (I know, who does this on holiday!?) BUT we wanted to make use of Early Magic Hours.  This begins at 8.30am – 9.30am before the Parks are open to the public.  There is only a select few rides open, however it really is a great way to see the park in all its glory when it is quiet, and to ride the select rides that are open during this time.

S0 what rides were open today in Disneyland Park?

Dumbo

Peter Pans Flight

Teacups

Buzz Lightyear

Space Mountain

Family shot on the Teacups

There is some character meet up’s too scattered around.  We managed to do Peter Pan’s flight, Dumbo and Teacups.   We had a little look around the shops in main street before we headed off to our reservation at 9.45am for Breakfast with the Characters at Plaza Gardens.  We made the mistake of arriving at 9.45am and the queue was RIDICULOUS!  We did this character meal last year and did not encounter such a queue.  It was only about 15 minute wait, however we were one of the last families into the restaurant which resulted us being seated in one of the side rooms off the main restaurant.  Which I really wasn’t happy about.  BUT, we rode the wave as we were all pretty hungry and just wanted to eat.

Th kids meeting Tigger and getting their autograph booked signed

During this Character meal you get to meet the following:

Mickey Mouse

Daisy Duck

Eeyore

Piglet

Scrooge Mcduck

This can vary from breakfast to breakfast but for us, was exactly the same characters as last year. Despite the fact we were slightly segregated from the main restaurant, we saw all the characters but admittedly did have to wait some time for them to visit us.  Once they did, the kids loved it and it really is a wonderful experience.  The food is great – a mix of pastries, fruit, cold meats and cheeses and full english breakfast.  They also offer pancakes and Mickey waffles which are the best!

Meeting Scrooge McDuck

So overall, I would totally recommend Breakfast with the characters as it is a great way of meeting a lot of characters without having to queue and meet them in the parks.  However, do consider what time you arrive at the restaurant and request to sit in the main restaurant if you can.

We then spend the rest of the day cruising around Disneyland Park and the kids enjoyed building their own R2-D2 in the Starwars shop prior to meeting Darth Vader which was a brilliant meet and greet!  We also met Jafar over in Adventureland who Miss W wasn’t too sure about!  Both wait times were around the 15 minute mark.  We were also lucky to spot an unscheduled meet and greet with Pluto just opposite Darth Varder!

We met Darth Vader!

Mr B and Miss W meeting Jafar!

Meeting Pluto at Disneyland Paris

Miss W got to experience her first Big Thunder Mountain Ride today which she absolutely loves along with Mr B.  Again, for Big Thunder, you can use Baby switch/parent swap.  Grab your baby switch card from the end of the ride, and then head to the Fast pass entry to hand it in.

As it was Halloween, the park was closing early at 7pm tonight due to Mickey’s Halloween party.  We decided to not purchase tickets this year as felt it would be too much for the kids.  So around 6pm, we headed to Disney Village for our reservation at Le Grange at Billy Bobs.  This is a western themed buffet restaurant that we visited last year and just had to visit again.  Think corn bread, fajitas, pulled brisket and an array of salads and meats.  It really is one of our favourite buffet restaurants.  And the desserts here are amazing!

Kids sweet buffet table including lots of fruit, cakes and sweets.

On our walk back to the hotel, the two little ones fell asleep so we slipped into our favourite hotel and bar, Sequoia Lodge for a cocktail – Fred Astaire!

Day 4

We enjoyed a bit of a lie in today.  We headed to breakfast at the hotel, however decided to skip it and grab something in the parks.  We headed to Hollywood Studios this morning and managed to make use of Early Magic Hours again.  Matt and Mr B rode RC Racer for the first time which they both loved and then we all rode Slinky Dog and Disney Cars.

Morning Hollywood Studios!

Riding Slinky Dog

We grabbed Croissants and hot chocolate from Studio 3 which was nice and then wandered over to the Disney Junior Live show.  It is great as they show two shows at different times – 1 in French and 1 in English!  Miss W and Baby K in particular enjoyed this show which included characters from the Disney Junior channel.

We used the new ticket system Lineberty which is where you download the app and then reserve your space in the queue to meet your chosen character.  You have to be quick, but it means you get a reserved time to return to the character and only wait 5 minutes.  When it works, it works.  We managed to get to meet Mickey!

Mr B and I meeting the Mickey Mouse at Disneyland Paris

At 2pm we had a reservation at Captain Jacks next to Pirates of The Caribbean in Disneyland Park.  We headed over and were lucky enough to meet Jack prior to us sitting down!  It was a great interaction and he remembered Miss W’s name for the duration of our meal, often calling over to us!  It was a lot of fun and the kids loved it!

Captain Jacks is an exotic Caribbean restaurant serving seafood, curry and some Caribbean favourites.  There are several set menus on offer which is far better value that ordering your starters and mains separately.  The kids had the standard children’s set menu which is 3 courses and priced at 18.99 Euros.  As Miss W is a little eater, we decided for her and Baby K to share.  Matt and I chose from the Seven Seas Menu ( 3 course meal no drink included) priced at 47.99Euros each.  The food was tasty, but it wasn’t the best food for the kids however they did enjoy their dessert! I really enjoyed my prawn starter and my main of tender beef in tamarind sauce was fine.

Menu options at Captain Jacks – Restaurant des Pirates

Mixed salad with prawns and crunchy apples with smoked paprika dressing

By now it was around 4pm and slowly getting dark.  We decided to have a wonder enjoyed the castle by night!  We were all pretty full from our lunch still but decided to grab a late Casey Joe’s.    Just at the end of Main street, here there offer scrummy hotdogs with your choice of toppings and star shaped chicken nuggets – delish! We all headed back to the hotel and fell fast asleep after a fun packed day!

Thanks for reading and stick around for Disneyland Paris Trip Report Day 5 and 6  xxx