France Part 2: Meeting the Mouse!

And now for our France journey, part 2 - which I promise will have much less history, and much more 'fluff'. :)

On Wednesday, May 27th, we left on the 8:40 a.m. train from Bayeux to Paris. Arrived at 10:45, then made our way to the RER train (like the metro) which would take us right to Disney! We checked into Hotel Cheyenne (yee haw y'all!) around 12:30. All of the Disney details were there...cute bunkbeds, western quilt, and even a cowboy boot lamp! We got settled, Greg and Ben got all geared up, and then we were off to the parks. On our way to the bus (just a short ride to the parks), Ben got his first taste of 'celebrity' up close and personal - Pluto! Ben wasn't too sure at first, so we were grateful that the hotel complex was pretty quiet and Pluto was patient. It gave him plenty of time to get used to seeing his pal 6 feet tall, instead of 6 inches high on a TV screen. He did warm up, giving Pluto kisses on the nose. Notice though in the family shot...he isn't taking his eyes off that big dog!

We headed for Disney Village first, which has lots of shops and restaurants. It was 2 p.m. now, and we hoped that Ben would take a nap, despite all the excitement. Our plan wasn't working so well, as Ben was chattering about all the things he saw: "red balloon, white balloon, castle, big D" etc. We decided to press on and started walking to Walt Disney Studios park...and guess who fell asleep? Yeah! Greg and I got to walk around the park, get the lay of the land so to speak. We scoped out some of the things that would be fun for Ben to do, and then just relaxed with some coffee while our little guy took an hour+ nap. What a different trip than our Disney vacation in early 2006 (pre-Ben)! Normally, we would pass right by all the "kiddie rides" to the "good stuff". Now, the good stuff WAS the kiddie rides! :) There was a cute CARS ride by the bench we were relaxing on...so we were saying "ka-chow" the rest of the day!

When Ben woke up, we went to the Animagique show. Mickey, Donald, and other beloved Disney movie characters were part of the act, and they spoke French. :) Didn't bother Ben; he loved it. He was intensely focused during the show and was very sad when Mickey or Donald would leave the stage. Loved all the singing and dancing. Afterwards, we were going to ride Aladdin's Flying Carpets, but it wasn't running due to technical problems. On our way to our next adventure, we walked by the Scream Monitors from Monsters Inc. Ben had no trouble practicing his screaming skills with Daddy. And, he also had a lot of fun comparing the size of his hands to his Disney friends.

It worked out that there was a Playhouse Disney show in English about the time we walked by, so we went on in. Ben really loved seeing all his MM Clubhouse friends, the Super Sleuths (Pooh, Tigger, Darby), especially since he knows the characters and the songs. The show was very interactive for the kids with bubbles, leaves falling from the sky, and inviting the kids up on their feet to dance and sing along.

We don't know where the time went, but it was already 6 p.m., so we grabbed a spot to watch the Stars in Cars parade. All of the Disney characters came out in some pretty fun cars (my personal fave was a car filled with 'bad guys' Gaston, Cruella de Ville, and the Wicked Witch - license plate was EVIL). It was pretty chilly by now, but that didn't stop Ben from enjoying the parade. He even got a few handshakes from his 'friends' when they got out of their cars to greet everyone. Really cute!

The parade ended, and it was time for the park to close (hours are 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. this time of year). We went back to our hotel to have dinner at the Chuck Wagon Salloon. It was a buffet, we only had to pay for the adults (thank goodness, cuz the food at Disney was pricey!). It worked out great to have so much choice, especially with Ben. I felt good (the mom in me) because Ben got some mashed potatoes, carrots, and other good things in him - in addtion to the pizza, rice pudding, and donuts. ;) Back to the room by 8:30, tired and really full!

On Thursday, we got to sleep in a little (til 7...yes, that is sleeping in). Had Ben all excited for Mickey pancakes, eggs, sausage. Oops! It was a typical European breakfast...cereals, croissants, cold meats, cheeses, fruit. Not at all a bad thing, we just had to readjust expectations a bit. We made it to the Disneyland park at 10 a.m. when it opened. As you can see, the weather was gray and cloudy, but warmer than the day before (no winter hats needed). The big pink building below is the Disneyland Hotel, the really fancy schmancy one. Through there is good ole Main Street U.S.A.!

We looked in a few shops right away for my most anticipated part of this trip - buying Mickey Ears for Ben with his name embroidered on them - just like the ones I have from my childhood. Would you believe it, no luck!! They don't sell those - only Mickey/Minnie Ear headbands. Um, no thanks. So bummed, but our spirits were quickly brightened when we saw a line forming to meet the Mouse himself. We didn't have to wait long, and Ben was thrilled to see Mickey and give kisses on his nose. We were relieved that he seemed to be a-ok with these life-sized characters now.

The excitement continued as we made our way up Main Street to see Sleeping Beauty's Castle. Very different than the ones in CA and FL, but really special just the same. We wandered through Fastasyland to Ben's first Disney ride - It's a Small World. He didn't really understand the waiting in line part, he got fussy right away about having to be corraled. Thankfully, we only waited about 5 minutes, and then hopped on the boat. From there on out, the fussies were gone and he was giddy! Once we started going through the ride, (It's a world of laughter, a world of tears...) it was serious business concentrating on all the things to see. It was fun (and surreal) being able to point out all the places he's been...London Bridge, Eiffel Tower, etc. He loved it so much ("ride boat again!", he says), and the line was still really short, so we got off and got back in line. Just as fun as the first time, and now it was official that Greg and I would be singing that song all day long. :)

Next up were the Mad Hatter's Tea Cups. Even though Ben's face isn't quite saying this in the photo, he loved spinning "round and round and round". (I think his face was saying, "Mom, quit asking me to smile at the camera and just let me enjoy these tea cups.")

We got in line for Dumbo the Flying Elephant, and about 5 minutes later Greg looked at his watch and says "oh shoot!". We had noon reservations at the Lucky Nugget Salloon for lunch to meet some characters. We were having so much fun on the rides that we lost track of time! We raced to Frontierland and made it to the restaurant about 12:01 p.m. Whew! It was an all-you-can eat buffet, the characters came to visit, a band was playing...talk about over-stimulation for a 2 year old! I think he ate about 8 chips, 3 spoonfuls of yogurt, 4 grapes, and an ice cream bar. But, it was worth it to see how over-the-moon he was to meet the gang...Goofy, Eeyore, Mickey, Minnie, Pluto, and more. We were there for over an hour, he just kept watching the characters walk around and pointing them out - or saying "where did Mickey go?".

The added benefit of the lunch excitement was that it didn't take Ben long to fall asleep after we left the restaurant. So, Greg and I took turns riding the Phantom Manor (aka Haunted Mansion). Then, we decided it would be easier to do some shopping while Ben napped, so we strolled around Main Street.

Ben woke up around 3 p.m., and it happened to coincide with "It's Party Time" dance show in Central Plaza. This kid is a sucker for singing and dancing, especially from Mickey and the gang. A cute little show. Next was a trip to Discoveryland to ride Buzz Lightyear Laser Blast. You ride along in little cars and use your laser gun to shoot at the aliens. Pretty fun, and Ben loved to hear Daddy say "to infinity, and beyond!" for quite a while after that. Oh, and the waiting in line fussies seemed to get better almost immediately after It's a Small World. I think he realized that there was a good payoff at the end, so it seemed to make the waiting easier. :)

It was 4 p.m. now and almost time for the Once Upon a Dream Parade. We grabbed some seats, and then I went to get some kettle popcorn. Well, I guess we should have watched the parade and then had popcorn. I don't even think Ben knew there was a parade going on...he was way too interested in the picking out the yellow (sweet) pieces. He's a smart cookie!

Back to Dumbo, our last ride of the day. It was a 30 minute wait (our longest of the day). Wow, a trip to Disney is really a lesson in patience for children and parents. 30 minutes is not a long time, but with a 2 year old who can't stand still, it felt like an hour! Really, he was very good though, and I think Dumbo was one of his favorites!! He loved flying "high up in the sky", as he says.

Even better than popcorn and Dumbo...Ben's very own Mickey Mouse! Since it became clear that the Mickey Ears were not going to happen, we succombed to the Disney pressure and treated him to a new pal. They were inseperable for the rest of the trip! We had some Mickey burgers for dinner, and by then it was nearly 7 p.m. and closing time. Another magical Disney day, and one more to go tomorrow!

Ben woke up on Friday, the 29th, with his new friend, and I woke up another year older! Yep, officially now 31! Pretty great way to celebrate the day by watching my little boy soak in the sights of Disneyland. We got up a little earlier today, hoping to take advantage of some "easy pass" time offered to hotel guests. As you can see, it was a beautiful sunny day, yeah!

Only certain attractions are open early, quite a few of them were children's rides. So, we headed for Peter Pan's Flight. Had fun flying over London and watching Captain Hook almost be eaten by a crocodile. We can fly, we can fly, we can fly! Then, it was off to my favorite ride of all, Pirates of the Caribbean. We weren't sure what Ben would think of the skeletons and such, but he couldn't stop talking about it..."down big hill, dark tunnel, wheeee!". And, the rest of the day he would say "Mommy, yo!". That meant that I was supposed to sing, "yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me". :)

Had a little play time and snack time at Pirate's Beach play area, then to ride Le Carrousel de Lancelot. In other words, the carousel. Stopped by Peter Pan to grab a fast pass, then on to Casey Jr. - Le Petit Train du Cirque. (Fun to see the rides in French!) Of course, Ben loves trains, and he loved all the ups and downs of this fast ride. Rode Peter Pan again, and then had fish and chips for lunch.

Ben fell asleep after lunch, so we finished up our shopping and split a ridiculously large birthday ice cream cone. Side note, no funnel cakes, which is what I was really hoping for. The French are really missing out on that delicacy. ;) As we were relaxing, we saw Minnie's Party Train come by. Amazes me how Ben can sleep through all the loud music and commotion.

Ben woke up around 3 p.m., and we thought we'd take a relaxing ride around the park on the Disneyland Railroad. We had a bit of a wait, and by the time we got on the train, it was being held due to the parade. Oh brother! So, once it got going, we got off at the first stop in Frontierland. That worked out really well, because we were able to hop in line at Woody's Roundup Village to see some more characters. Ben was happy to see Pluto, Goofy, Mickey, and Minnie. But, he wasn't so sure about Woody. I can't really blame him - he was probably 7 feet tall! He eventually gave a high 5 and was willing to turn his back to Woody for a quick photo.

By now, it was almost 6 p.m. (our character visit took a really long time!!), and we decided that we would have dinner at our hotel again so that we could get in a few more rides at the park. We rode Les Voyages de Pinocchio and Blanche-Neige et les Sept Nains (Pinocchio and Snow White and the 7 Dwarfs). More fun, Ben just loves riding around in the dark looking at everything, even though he doesn't know the characters.

It was 6:45 p.m. and time to say goodbye to Disneyland. We hated to leave, but we had a ton of fun watching our little boy take in the wonder that is Disney for the first time. Plus, after 7 days of traveling, we were getting pretty exhausted!! We had a great dinner at the hotel, got packed up, and hit the hay.

Got up on Saturday morning, had breakfast, and checked out of our hotel. We took the bus to the train station and left on the 9:50 train to Brussels. We had enough time for potty breaks and to grab some lunch, and then it was back on the train to Amsterdam at 1:15. Ben finally fell asleep around 3:15 - and he slept through getting off the train at 4 p.m., riding the bus home, and unpacking. We finally had to rouse him at 4:45. We had a really great and busy 8 days, but it's always good to be home and sleep in our own bed. Our next adventure? Grandma Zabikow visits in about a week!!