"All The Single Riders" .... **COMPLETED** 10th Feb 2012

[Linda67]

Thursday 19th January 2012 Continued

Morning everyone

Hope your are all having a great week

So following my lovely breakfast, I headed over to The Studios

It was 10am on the button and the turnstiles had just opened but it was already obvious that crowds were light

Walt Disney Studios

I hot footed it straight to Crush’s Coaster and walked right on

Yo Dude!

I this ride, such great fun at the end of the ride the CMs were opening an exit gate so that you could walk back round and ride again without having to go all the way back outside

Ride number two was just as good

Next I headed over to Toy Story Playland and rode the Toy Soldiers Parachute Drop; I used the single rider line but there was really no need as there was probably only 10 people on the whole ride

Toy Soldiers Parachute Drop

Next up was a tummy floating ride on RC Racer; there is something about this ride that just makes me giggle

RC Racer

As I was feeling brave this morning I decided to hit the front row with hands in the air on ……………………….. Slinky Dog Zigzag Spin

I have a sausage dog at home so felt obliged to have a spin on this!

This whole area is so well themed and such fun to just walk around and check out all the detail. I knew that I would be heading back there later today as part of my tour and would be seeing this guy again

Right, time for a visit to the Hollywood Tower Hotel

Just before I headed into the library the most enormous Rat ran past my feet

I don’t think anyone else saw it as I would have expected to hear a few shrieks

Perhaps it was Remy from Ratatouille off to complain about how long it’s taking to build his new home

Could there be a better home for a Rat the size of a Cat?!

I have lost count of how many times I have ridden this both here at DLP and at WDW but I just can’t ever imagine getting bored of it

It really is an incredible ride from start to finish

Every CM that I encountered was playing their role perfectly and that really does enhance the experience further

The CM in the library seemed to have the ability to keep popping up either on my left or right and making me jump every time

My final ride at The Studios before heading back to DLP was Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster which although good just seemed ridiculously short today, it felt like everyone was saying ‘is that it?’ at the end

It was still only around 11:30am and I had pretty much done everything that I wanted so I headed back to Salon Mickey for a hot chocolate and delicious cookie

Chocolate & More Chocolate

Again I was the only person in there and when I was ready to head into the Park the lovely CM validated my ticket and led me out of the side door and straight into DLP

Coming Up Next – Guided Tour Of DLP

 

[Isila]

I love the breakfast you were so well behaved I would have a stack of pancakes just to start lol!

those pancakes do look delicious, shame HNY didn't have them last time. Maybe this time?


wonderful start of the day

 

[Princess Clayre]

Oooo new trip report. Absolutely loved the last one. Glad to see you are still dedicated to the cocktail research cause Loving the look of the new one.

Great report so far. Your room looks lovely at the DLH. I love the doors onto the little patio.

Liking the frames around the photos too. Can't wait for more

 

[DLPaddict]

I have always wanted to do a tour, how much are they?

I'm doing a solo trip next year so would love to do one

 

[Linda67]

Thursday January 19th Continued

So back in DLP I still had a little time before I was due to check in for my 1pm Guided Tour so I took the opportunity to do some shopping along Main Street

I actually ended up buying quite a lot of stuff and my Shareholder discount certainly came in handy

When I am flying back from WDW I am usually too worried to bring back any fragile items but I wasn’t so concerned about the short trip on the Eurostar so I ended up with some great kitchen bits and bobs

The CMs were wonderful and wrapped everything in plenty of tissue before placing all my goodies in a study box and sending back to DLH for me to collect later that evening

With my wallet considerably lighter I headed to City Hall to check in for my tour

I’d booked the tour over the phone 4 or 5 weeks before my trip and I’d asked the CM if they could send me a confirmation email for my reference but it wasn’t needed as my reservation was noted in the system

When you call to book the tour (I used the shareholder phone line) be sure to let them know that you would like your tour in English as different language options are offered

It had also been explained to me whilst booking that the cost of 15 Euros would increase to 20 Euros in the event that I was the only person on the tour

You pay for the Tour when you check in and there is a discount for shareholders

It turns out I was the only person booked onto the Tour and as they had no walk-ups the cost to me was 20 Euros, but after they had applied my discount I only had to pay 16 Euros so only 1 Euro more that the regular cost

My tour guide for today was a wonderful chap by the name of Paolo; he looked very smart in his bright red jacket and I really did feel like a VIP having my own personal tour guide for the next couple of hours

We started the tour under Main Street Station where Paolo gave the basic history of DLP along with some facts about the Disneyland Hotel and the Steam Trains that run around the park

Next we began a gentle stroll up Main Street, wandering into several of the stores where Paolo would point out some fantastic details that I had never even noticed before

Looking back, spending time on Main Street was probably my favourite part of the Tour

The attention to detail and stories behind the buildings were fascinating to me

By the way, I have taken the Backstage Magic Tour at WDW but even so, the Disneyland Park very much has its own stories and details to learn about

The great thing about being with Paolo was that we could go pretty much wherever we wanted; for example the Dapper Dan’s Barber Shop was closed but he still took me in for a nose around

The tour then continued around the Park, heading clockwise through Frontierland, Adventureland, Fantasyland and ending in Discoveryland

All the way round the park Paolo was sharing the back stories of the attractions and pointing out many things that I have never noticed before (and I am someone who tries to take in the detail whenever I visit)

I loved hearing more about the Imagineer's thought processes when designing certain areas and how many of the ‘props’ had been acquired

The tour takes 2 hours 30 mins and at 15 Euros is fantastic value (especially as it had been costing me 13 Euros for a cocktail ) and at the end of the tour you are presented with a pin

I simply can’t recommend this Tour highly enough; it really was one of the highlights of the trip and Paolo was absolutely charming

He clearly had a passion for both his job and the park and seemed to love sharing this with the guests

As I’ve been waffling so much here are some quick and quite random pictures of DLP

"Excuse me, you have something on your lip"

Main Street Barbers

Le Château de la Belle au Bois Dormant

Frontierland

Adventureland

After saying my goodbyes to Paolo, I grabbed myself a Hot Chocolate before heading back to the Studios for Tour number two

I'll do a bit of a round up and final thoughts on both Tours after I have posted my review of the Walt Disney Studios Tour

 

[Linda67]

Oooo new trip report. Absolutely loved the last one. Glad to see you are still dedicated to the cocktail research cause Loving the look of the new one.

Great report so far. Your room looks lovely at the DLH. I love the doors onto the little patio.

Liking the frames around the photos too. Can't wait for more

Yup, I do it all in the name of resarch

I have always wanted to do a tour, how much are they?

I'm doing a solo trip next year so would love to do one

The tours and fab and great value at 15 Euros (20 if you are the only person on the tour)
It's perfect for a solo trip

 

[Linda67]

Thursday January 19th – Walt Disney Studios Guided Tour

So next on the agenda for today was a Guided Tour of The Studios which was due to start at 4pm

Once through the gates I spotted Minnie, so I stopped for a quick photo before heading to Guest Services to check in for my Tour

"Dont Laugh At My Hat!"

My reservation was noted in the system and once again I was to get the full VIP treatment as I was the only person on the tour

It seems to me that most people don’t really know about these tours and DLP don’t seem to do much in the way of advertising them

Perhaps the tours are busier at peak times but I am sure that if they were mentioned on park maps and the like, they would be more successful

I was introduced to Natacha (yes that is how it was spelt) who would be taking me around the park today and the CMs processed my payment which was reduced to 16 Euros with my shareholder discount

The tour kicked off inside Guest Services with Natacha showing me some wonderful old photos of the original Disney Studios in California and explaining some of the history

After seeing the photos it was quite apparent where the imagineers had drawn their inspiration from, particularly when you stand in the Front Lot and look around and the buildings

We then headed into Studio One where I learned so much about the various props and hidden secrets; I must admit I don’t usually tend to spend much time in Studio One, I either just walk right on through or use it for shelter in the weather turns bad but following this tour I will look at it in a totally new light

We then headed anti-clockwise around the park with Natacha enthusiastically telling stories and pointing out so many wonderful details

I loved the time that we spent in Toy Story Playland and it seemed to be one of my guide’s favourite areas of the park as well. I’d never even noticed Andy’s giant footprints in the walkways before, all designed to make you feel like you have been shrunk to the size of a toy

We then headed past the site of the new Ratatouille ride, Natacha was excited that they finally had the money to finish the area at long last


Next up we spent some time over at the Tower Of Terror; apparently there is a tour offered that just focuses on this one attraction but at present it is only offered in French (hopefully this will change soon)

The whole park was covered on the tour and the 1 hour 30 minutes seemed to fly by

I’ve always love the main Disneyland Park but I don’t think I am alone in saying that the despite some great rides, the overall look and feel of the Studios has never wowed me

Following this tour I have a totally different opinion of the park; the architecture and design have all been carefully considered and as is always the case with the Disney creative team everything has a back-story and purpose

So to sum up, the Studios Tour was every bit as good as the DLP tour

Both Palo (my guide at DLP) and Natacha were such great CMs and really helped to make the experience such a pleasure. They were both hugely knowlgeable (they travel to California as part of their training and spend time at the parks and Disney archives) and they are totally passionate and enthusiastic about the French parks

I made sure to stop by at City Hall and complete a comment card on both of them so hopefully they will get some recognition for doing such a great job

So in summary:

DLP Tour = 15 Euros (20 Euros if you are the only person on the tour)
Shareholder Discount of 20%
2 hours and 30 mins

Walt Disney Studios Tour = 15 Euros (20 Euros if you are the only person on the tour)
Shareholder Discount of 20%
1 hour and 30 mins

Both tours can be booked in advance

Please keep in mind that you don’t ride any attractions and for that reason I really don’t think that kids would enjoy it

Also, it’s obviously a lot of walking and although there are no official rest stops or breaks on either tour, you can of course use the bathrooms around the park if you need to

I did both tours back to back but if you have more time it would probably be a good idea to do them on different days

If you are visiting in the summer be sure to take some water with you as again, there are no breaks for refreshments

Hope this helps if you are considering doing either tour

Ooh and I got another pin at the end of the Studios Tour; here the pins from both tours

Next Up .... Normal service is resumed; it's cocktail hour!!

 

[tinks_1989]

We were going to do the tower of terror tour in 2010 I really wanted to but no one else would!

It includes first ride of the day and being able to walk around the lobby that was enough for me even if it was in French lol! X

 

[Linda67]

We were going to do the tower of terror tour in 2010 I really wanted to but no one else would!

It includes first ride of the day and being able to walk around the lobby that was enough for me even if it was in French lol! X

Actually that's a good point; I would be more than happy with that even if I didn't understand what my guide was saying
They did say that they were going to start doing it in English soon through
Loving your PRT by the way

 

[lojo]

I'm a really bad thread subscriber - I just read and rarely comment, but if I didn't make at least a small appearance on yours I would deserve to be 'dis'communicated.

As always, love reading your reports whether dining or trips - got hooked on your WDW dining reports.

At Xmas I absolutely intended to follow your lead by doing Cocktails around the Lake, but failed miserably (going to try again in May).

Now I feel I must do one of these tours - you should really be on some kind of commission.

Keep em coming....

 

[Ms Poppins]

Thanks for the updates

I really fancy doing the tours, as I love the thought process and the hidden details throughout the park. No-one else wants to do it though, so maybe i'll just go myself when we go in May. It sounds fantastic.

You're making good use of Salon Mickey too

 

[tinks_1989]

Actually that's a good point; I would be more than happy with that even if I didn't understand what my guide was saying
They did say that they were going to start doing it in English soon through
Loving your PRT by the way

Aw thanks!

I know but I would have to restrain my self from writing my name in the dust lol!

 

[Linda67]

I'm a really bad thread subscriber - I just read and rarely comment, but if I didn't make at least a small appearance on yours I would deserve to be 'dis'communicated.

As always, love reading your reports whether dining or trips - got hooked on your WDW dining reports.

At Xmas I absolutely intended to follow your lead by doing Cocktails around the Lake, but failed miserably (going to try again in May).

Now I feel I must do one of these tours - you should really be on some kind of commission.

Keep em coming....

Ooh commission, now there's an idea
May would be the perfect time of year for a Cocktails around the Lake adventure

Thanks for the updates

I really fancy doing the tours, as I love the thought process and the hidden details throughout the park. No-one else wants to do it though, so maybe i'll just go myself when we go in May. It sounds fantastic.

You're making good use of Salon Mickey too

The tours really are fab but I can see that for many they would be of no interest
Why don't you start with the Studios Tour? it only take an hour and a half so you wouldn't be away from everyone for long

I know but I would have to restrain my self from writing my name in the dust lol!

Oh I never thought of that! how cool would that be

 

[Isila]

can you tell more of the details that were pointed out? So curious

 

[Linda67]

can you tell more of the details that were pointed out? So curious

On the Studios tour it was things like the flower beds and planting looking like rolls of film and the like and how the different building materials were used to differentiate front lot and back lot areas, just like they would be in a fully working studio. I also like hearing what the different numbers on buildings represented

 

[Linda67]

Happy Monday Everyone

So where was I?

Ah yes, I had just wrapped up my Studios Tour and the park was shortly closing so I slowly made my way to the exit whilst checking out some of the shops

Back at the hotel I quickly showered and changed before heading back to the Fantasia Café Bar

I popped myself down on a nice corner table and began to peruse the cocktail menu

There was a new addition this evening; placed on each table was a special leaflet dedicated to a wonderful sounding drink ‘The Amalia’

The drink was created by one of the servers at the Fantasia Bar for the annual ‘Legacy Cocktail Competition’ and it won so I decided to give it a go

I loved the little leaflet on the table as it described in great detail the inspiration behind the creation of this particular cocktail

Amalia was apparently the wife of Don Facundo, who founded the Bacardi Company and the cocktail pays tribute to her

"The Amalia" – Bacardi Superior, Marie Brizard rosemary liquor, fresh ginger, fresh lime leaves, white can sugar, fresh lime juice – 13 Euros

Now I have to admit I was a little underwhelmed when this was first placed in front of me; "where’s the glow cube, little umbrella, fruit medley, sparkler etc etc"

Anyway I went in for a taste

One word …………………. AMAZING!!

Seriously people this is one beautifully flavoured cocktail; it was fresh and sharp and wonderfully refreshing – hands down the winner of the best cocktail I’ve ever had at DLP (and I’ve had a few )

So there you go, sometimes you just don’t need all the frills and fuss; the flavours just speak for themselves

It wasn’t until I was heading out of the bar that I noticed that my new favourite cocktail had its very own ‘shrine’

As tempting as it was to sit back and order another one, I was feeling peckish so I headed back to my room to collect my coat before heading to Disney Village

I wandered around the Village checking out the menus but nothing was really grabbing me so I decided to pop into the Hotel New York for another drink and have a think about it

“The Broadway” – Bacardi Superior Rum, Navan pineapple juice, Monin lemon pie syrup

Mmm – delicious, nice and tart from the lemon syrup, not too sweet and a side dish of olives, what’s not to love?

I really enjoyed my time in the New York City Bar; it’s a really nice bar with a great atmosphere

By the time I had settled my bill I was starving but for anyone expecting a great dining review I am sorry to report that I headed back to my old favourite – Earl Of Sandwich

Earl Of Sandwich – Tuna Melt

This really hit the spot and was another great sandwich; I gave DH a call to let him know I was back in his favourite spot before taking a slow walk back through the Village shops and back to the hotel

I was absolutely shattered so I popped to Gallery Mickey to pick up my shopping that had been delivered from the parks before heading back to my room and making myself a hot chocolate with the kettle I requested from room service

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Coming up next – Final day at Disneyland Park

 

[tinks_1989]

Another great update! That cocktail sounds amazing! Even if it is two o'clock in the afternoon I would love one right now! X

 

[kizzabel]

Aaaaah this TR cant be almost over
Love your TRs Linda

 

[Isila]

One month, one week and I'll be in HNY bar tasting cocktails

Nice update

 

[dizneeat]

Linda, I just noticed the link to your TR! Sorry I am so late

Now going back to read and enjoy!