Second day at Disneyland! We were very excited to see more of the parks after our wonderful experience yesterday. Our hotel provides breakfast, as part of the package (very European), but of course, we didn't get up in time. The big part is that the sun doesn't go down until 10:00 pm, so our internal clocks have just failed to adjust.
When I checked the weather a few days ago, our time here was originally supposed to be sunny and warm the whole time. I'd finally get to wear the one pair of shorts that I brought. But the weather changed and we got mid 60s and the promise of rain. 100 percent chance this afternoon. Bummer.
Since we'd missed breakfast at the hotel, we'd hoped to have better luck in Disney Village. We went to Annette's Diner (as in Funicello), but missed breakfast there, too, by 20 minutes. So we opted for lunch instead. I just loved the theming. It's very 1950s, of course, and some of the wait staff are on roller skates.
Then it was off to Disneyland Park. We wanted to hit Fantasyland first, since it was closed last night. We decided to cut through the castle, but we didn't get very far.
We were pleasantly surprised to discover that it has a balcony level inside that tells story of Sleeping Beauty in stained glass, tapestries, and story books (in French, of course). It even has an outside balcony that overlooks Fantasyland. We absolutely loved it.
Afterwards, since DLP still uses the old paper FastPasses, we reverted back the old WDW game plan. We assigned Madison the job of "runner" (that used to be John's job) to get FastPasses for Peter Pan. It wasn't entirely necessary, since it only had a 35 min wait to begin with. Big difference from WDW, which (for reasons I've never figured out) usually has a 60 minute wait.
In the meantime, we went to ride Les Voyages de Pinocchio (aka Pinocchio's Daring Journey). I was really looking forward to this, since we only have it in CA, and we don't get there very often. It was very much like Disneyland version, but again, all in French.
Next we rode Blanche-Neige et les Sept Nains (Snow White's Adventures), which we used to have in Florida, but was replaced by Princess Fairy Tale Hall. They still have it in CA. I have a real sentimental attachment to this attraction. In Florida, they added "Scary" to the name because some kids were frightened. After Madison got big enough, we used to always ride it together. It was a must on our last trip to CA, and a must here, too.
It was starting to mist a bit when we got to "it's a small world" (which does not have a French title), but that was fine since the whole loading area is covered. Their version is kind of a hybrid hybrid between the CA and FL versions: it has a big facade and loads from outside like the CA original, but the whole building is filled with water like FL (CA just has a water track). This was the first attraction we saw that wasn't already behind construction walls that really needed maintenance: faded and peeling paint, and mildew. (Update: it is scheduled for refurb.)
Inside, the ride looks pretty similar, though the look is less Mary Blair (who designed the original) and more like a storybook. Since we were in a "foreign country," we wondered if the U.S. would now be one of the countries and how they'd depict us. Even though the park is in France, it was designed in America. Sure enough, it's the last one, represented by cowboys, NYC, the Statue of Liberty, Hollywood, and the Golden Gate Bridge. Two of our figures were football players eating hot dogs and popcorn. Seemed pretty accurate.
We were very excited about our next attraction, Alice's Curious Labyrinth, and not just because the threat of rain had stopped (although that was a factor, since it's completely outdoors). This is an attraction that doesn't exist in either of the U.S. parks and was totally new for us. It's a lot of fun, but desperately needs maintenance.
The paint was faded all over, of course, but what really stood out was the little things that could easily be fixed: chipped paint and corners, mildew, and a sign that was generally dirty and had markings from where something had been taped over and then removed. It just wasn't the Disney level of quality we're used to experiencing. Otherwise, the attraction is great. It's really big and the hedges (which are well-kept) are high enough that you can't see over them. We had to turn around more than once. The highlight is a little castle at the end where you get to climb to the top and look out over Fantasyland.
We passed by Toad Hall, a counter service restaurant themed to Wind in the Willows that serves British fare. Sadly, it wasn't open, but the theming was really impressive.
There's so much of this park that is just beautiful. The Imagineers really raised the bar when designing it. We even found a wonderful display nestled in a gift shop that we just stumbled across by accident. It looks like it belongs in an attraction, but was just there to appreciate for those who happened to find it.
We had a few sprinkles while we waited in line for La Pays des Contes de Fées (which translates as "The Land of the Fairy Tales" but is called Storybookland Canal Boats in CA) and the Casey Jr. Circus Train, both of which share the same space, just like they do in the U.S. Disneyland. The Canal Boats also hold a special place in my heart. We missed it on our first trip, so it was a must when we returned a few years ago. However, it took three tries because they close it for parades and fireworks. It became a mission that we were glad to finally complete.
It finally started to rain, so we rode Pirates again and explored Ben Gunn's Caves while we tried to wait it out. After a while, we realized that France was not at all like Florida and it wasn't going to stop anytime soon. We tried to find our way to another store or ride, but no luck. We were also surrounded by smokers under the covered walkway. It was impossible to wait them out, too. As soon as they finished one cigarette, they'd immediately light up another.
Somehow, we lost our Peter Pan FastPasses and, since the queue isn't covered like in FL, we went back and rode Pirates again. This was perfect because, like the US versions, it has a very long, and warm indoor queue. I was really surprised there weren't more people in there. The wait was even shorter than before rain started.
After hanging out in the gift shop for a while, we finally gave up on waiting out the rain and opted to have dinner an hour early. Luckily, our restaurant, The Blue Lagoon, is attached to Pirates (like Disneyland's Blue Bayou, you can see it from the ride) and they were able to move our reservation. Despite the number of empty tables, they couldn't seat us by the river like we'd hoped. But we were just glad to eat somewhere warm and dry.
Afterwards, the rain had finally cleared enough that we were able to get in line for Peter Pan. It was very much like the US versions, minus the interactive queue, but with a lot more stars and pixie dust. We also experienced a new level of enjoyment as we "flew" over London now that we've been there.
We popped back over to Discoveryland to ride Buzz Lightyear again (I did slightly better) and Star Tours. It's the original version with Captain Rex and it could really use some maintenance inside. The film was worn out, the screen was dirty and had a bad case of light bleed on one spot, and Rex never turned around to look at us (Update: it's also scheduled for refurb).
Still, it was really fun to ride the original again, even if it was all in French. The safety video the same except for the "host." The videos in the ride were the same and still in English. What's really cool, though, is that Anthony Daniels (C-3PO) re-recorded all of his dialogue in French, which is great since Threepio is "fluent in over six million forms of communication." Now I'm dying to know if he did the Japanese version, too.
That left us with one major attraction we'd yet to conquer: Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, which is also the focal point of Frontierland. It's right smack in the center. And while the loading area is on the riverbank, the ride itself is on an island, surrounded by water on all sides.
I first noticed this while looking at the park map. Madison and I were left scratching our heads. How do you get over there? It would have to be a bridge or a tunnel. My guess was tunnel, but we didn't know for sure until we got on board.
It was definitely a tunnel! It was pitch dark and takes you under the river. That added a nice little twist to the ride. You go through it twice, of course: at the beginning and at the end. There's less detail in this version (no Dry Gulch scene), but the tunnel makes up for it.
Since we were there and it's completely awesome, we rode Phantom Manor again. By that time we were ready to call it a night, so we headed back to the hotel where we relaxed and watched Lethal Weapon 4 dubbed into French.
Now that we've covered much of the the resort over a day and a half, I've made a few observations. When we booked the trip, they only offered packages with everything in a bundle (hotel, park tickets, breakfasts). In the U.S., everything is a la carte. The hotels are fairly expensive, but the merchandise is much cheaper. We saw several items that we'd priced in FL that were much cheaper in France.
I was really intrigued by the cast member costumes, which are designed for warmth and include long coats due to chilly weather. The U.S. costumes are just the opposite and designed for the heat. My favorite was the Frontierland costumes, which have long brown coats just like western outlaws.
The paper FastPasses aren't the only old technology in use. I knew that My Disney Experience (which already has me spoiled), hasn't made its way out of Florida yet, but I was surprised that they use QR codes for the park tickets and PhotoPass. And that they don't use fingerprint scanners. I guess they never had the problem of people re-selling unused tickets like in the U.S.
But the biggest surprise is that there isn't a single pair of Mickey Mouse ears in sight. Instead, headband ears are very popular, though they don't have the huge variety that we do. They're just not as versatile. We have every flavor of Mouse ears known to mankind, since the Mickey Mouse Club started in the U.S. and has since been a part of American history.
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