Disney - the Return II

Gosh it's been a while since I last wrote, I have been so busy studying that I have kind of lost track of time.
 

I got back from Paris on Wednesday with my family, we were there, as my youngest daughter, Lola, was dancing at Euro Disney, which we were all very excited about. So it was a 4am start last Friday to get us to *Disney.

We had a decent flight with Air France, there was minimal turbulence and you got a free pain au chocolat and coffee and the offer of a pillow, which after numerous flights to Ireland with other airlines was a very pleasant surprise.

All of this lovely service, and perhaps the ungodly hour of the day managed to waylay my fear of flying (mostly), the fear being that the very heavy big metal object is held up by air. AIR!

Now you can explain aero dynamics to me as much as you like but I prefer to think about the very real, non-Disney, aeroplane fairies holding the plane up, thank you very much.

Then our mini-bus was where we were expecting and we were in Disney by midday. Hooray, everything was going to plan, Yay!

We couldn't check in to our hotel until 3pm, so we went exploring around Disney. Much walking, much excitement from the kids and my travelling companions.

Excited kids

I had made a promise to myself to keep an open mind and try to be positive, and to just get on with the  Disney thing.

Me, trying to embrace the Disney thing

So I engaged with it, I had my picture taken with Disney things, after all it's not Mickey Mouse's fault that his ears are quite literally on everyone's head but mine. I ignored the thirty euros we spent on three hot dogs, and walked the miles and miles of Disney and waited in queue after queue for the rides (which I don't go on because I am a mahoosive wuss). Ignoring the chill in the air (I did not take the right coat for this trip).

Eventually, we made it back to the Cheyenne Hotel and got to see our room, which was fine if you like Woody from Toy Story, and didn't need a remote control for the TV and only two of us to sleep under a duvet. 

That's right, no TV remote and only two out of three duvets, and the kettle we had requested (because you don't just get one) wasn't there either, so after a few calls to reception, this got resolved. 

I put my ankle up as it was quite swollen by now (after the break in 2015 my ankle doesn't like lots of walking) 

I did some deep breathing, trying to conjure the magic of Disney, couldn't, had a grumble in my head because I didn't want to ruin it for the kids, and tried to find a non-pre-menstral Zen place and slapped a smile on, when it was time to go out again.

We had arranged to meet our friends and go out to Planet Hollywood for dinner. This went without a hitch and was lovely, but by the time we had finished I was exhausted, to be honest I would have slept standing up at this point, so duvet or no duvet - it wouldn't have been relevant, maybe that's what Disney do? Just make you so exhausted that you just don't care about anything when you get to the hotel, another example of their evil geniusness-ness?

We had discovered earlier that the wonder that is Disney had put breakfast on for us between 7am and 8am for both days we were there, my non-morning person head was very grumpy about this, particularly the Sunday one when we didn't need to be up that early. Gah.

Anyway, up we got, Lola had to be at her meeting place by 9am with costumes, dressed in her tracksuit and ready to go, luckily, my pal Sarah is excellent at hair and did Lola's bun for me, because now her hair is shorter there is no way I would have got it looking this good.

Lola, ready to dance.

 So, off she went with the other dancers and their teacher, Debbie, looking very cold, with me quietly cursing that I hadn't wrapped her up warmer (she had a tracksuit jacket over this but nothing else). Bad Mummy. 

I spent the morning just with my eldest, who I am proud to say I have taught to mooch and meander brilliantly, and that is all we did. We wondered around the castle and Alice in Wonderlands maze, looked in a couple of shops and popped back briefly to our hotel for a coffee at the Starbucks as it was quieter there than at actual Disney. It was a lovely morning. 

Heather, on our morning of mooching, enjoying the Halloween decorations

Then it was time to get back to see Lola dance.

This has been 18 months in the planning, six months of rehearsing, lots of dedication and hard work, I was so excited. And it was wonderful, the dancers are between 6 and 21 and Debbie had choreographed some brilliant dances for them. Lola getting to dance with the big girls and the little ones. And then after 30 minutes it was all over, with lots of Mum's in tears, full of pride for their girls.

Lola tapping her heart out with the rest of her dancing pals, she's front left.

And there it was, my best day at Disney, ever.

Afterwards, we went for a meal at the Ratatouille restaurant and had another lovely meal, and after the kids had gone on another roller coaster we called it a night, and I went to sleep dreaming of my girl in the West End, feeling super proud.

On Sunday, we went to Paris, and stayed for a few days to do all the tourist things.

*Please note, I am not a fan of Disney, I realise that this may stop you in your tracks and I may have lost you at this point. This is a tale of how I tried to remain positive at a place that I honestly think is the devils work, where grown adults wear mouse ears, where everything is phenomenally expensive, where it is all about the merchandise, the advertising and the sale, and you are trapped like a monkey in a zoo, rocking and tearing out your hair out one follicle at a time.....or is that just me? For more reasons on why I am less keen on Disney please see here.

If you liked this, please like and share. Thanks