Sunday 11 January 2015

Getting Ready

So we are now about 28 days from our trip to Disneyland Paris and I'm beginning to think about the practicalities of the trip and what I need to be doing before we go.

Now we will be there in early February...two reasons for going at this time...firstly it is during a school holiday and secondly it is much cheaper going in February than in one of the other school holidays like Easter or Summer.

This does however mean that we have to contend with some sacrifices, the weather being the most obvious.  It is going to be cold....it should be very similar to weather here in the UK but still it will be cold and as we shall be outside for a good amount of time we will need to be prepared!  I suffer with poor circulation so this is quite a big deal for me because if I get really cold I struggle to get warmed up and it becomes really painful.  So I have already bought myself some snow boots that are lovely and snuggly and I've even got some ski socks to give me some extra protection for my toes!
Hoping these keep by feet warm and dry!
I think that layers will be the order of the day, plus hats and scarves and winter coats...definitely a different wardrobe to what I would usually take on a Disney vacation!! But provided we can wrap up nice and warm and have plenty of stops to warm up...this will of course mean lots of opportunities to wander around shops or stop for a warming cup of coffee/hot chocolate plus snacks...I'm sure we'll be fine.

We also have to accept that by going at this time of year we will be visiting in the 'low season' and that this will mean some attractions being closed or operating with restricted opening and closing times and probably parades/entertainment not being operational.

Having checked various websites already, and keeping an eye on social media, I know that Space Mountain: Mission 2, Les Mysteres du Nautilus and Les Voyages de Pinocchio will be closed whilst we are there.  I don't think this is too bad (especially as I'm not a big roller coaster fan!) and some of the other rides I thought may have been closed like Casey Jr - Le Petit Train du Cirque and Le Pays des Contes de Fees actually re-open just a few days before we arrive, which I am really pleased about as I love both of these rides.  Just shows what a softie I am as both of these rides are very gentle and really aimed at the very young...oh well I'm just the very young at heart!

At the moment I am not sure about daytime parades (Disney's Magic on Parade) but I am pretty convinced that we will not be able to see Disney Dreams their night time spectacular :( Looking at the information I can find it sounds like Disney Dreams runs daily during peak season but only on weekends during the low season and unfortunately we will not be there over a weekend.  It's a real shame because I have heard such amazing things about this show but I suppose it just gives me another reason to re-visit at another time.

I had thought that the parks operating hours might be shortened too but looking at various websites I'm quite happy as both parks open at 10.00am with Walt Disney Studios closing at 7.00pm and Disneyland closing at 8.00pm. This gives us plenty of time to explore as much as we want without having to worry that 'parks are closing early and we must run around to fit everything in'.  I think over the nearly 5 days that we will be there we should be able to get everything done that could possibly be done and most importantly that we want to do.

Which is why I am now trying to do a little reading before we go; a way of refreshing my memory of what is there as well as filling me in with all the new additions since 2006.  And whilst the internet is great for information there is something about having a book to flick through that just makes the whole impending trip seem that more real.  There are not that many books around about Disneyland Paris and I have had to download one book onto my phone - The Independent Guide to Disneyland Paris 2015 - but I have also got an actual, physical book too!
Better stop writing and get some reading done...


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