BOOKING, TRAVEL DAY & GETTING OUR BEARINGS

Well we had such an adventure in May 2018, such a great holiday much needed by everyone and the turning point for me in 2018. (To find out why please read my previous blog ‘Why I Love Disney’…)

It all started with a simple suggestion during a conversation between me and my hubby. We were talking all things holidays and where we should go, if we went on a long weekend or a week long break, and i mentioned taking them to Disneyland Paris as Alyssia was going to be the same age Caitlyn was when we first took her. When my folks got wind of our conversation and the fact we were discussing taking them to Disneyland Paris they were quite eager to go too, so we were all on board with the idea of going the following. So the researching began on the internet and naturally YouTube. I became obsessed with organizing and researching it all for the trip.

After watching a YouTube video of a tour of Newport Bay Hotel and their Compass Club, I delved in more detail and completed my own spreadsheet of prices for all instances in all hotels and compared them myself. I wanted us to stay somewhere we all hadn’t stayed before in DLP so it would feel like something brand new for us all to experience. So, we opted for the Newport Bay Hotel in the Compass Club level which gave us a few more perks regarding check in, fast passes etc. (I will do a separate blog all about the Compass Club and what it has to offer.)

We booked our whole trip online with Magic Breaks who are recommended by Thomas Cook. It was really easy after much comparing prices at different times of year and researching the dining plans etc. We booked to fly from our closest airport, stay in Newport Bay Compass Club with the Half Board Premium Dining Plan, for a 4 nights stay..( I will do a separate blog which breaks down the dining plans and what they have to offer).

So, the countdown began, not only for the holiday itself but to book our reservations for our dining plan, which can be done 3 months prior to arriving. We wanted to make this trip as special as possible after a tough 2-3 years.

Our Itinerary

We had a rough itinerary mapped out, we made a rough list of the things we wanted to do during our stay for example go see the fireworks, riding the carousel in the dark, princess and character dining. So we knew after our previous trip in 2015 that the Studios park we could do within a half day, which left us with time to head back to the hotel room to rest before heading back into the Disneyland park to watch the fireworks which in May are on at 10pkm, which is a little late for our little ones. So the afternoon rest would do them the world of good before the late night. The rest of the itinerary we kind of winged it as long as we made time for our half day rest day before the fireworks etc, we would be fine.

TrAvel day – Long day but worth it!

The taxi picked us up at 6.15am and we arrived at the airport at 7am. We bought our usual duty free perfume and sarnie’s for the flight for the kids. The kids were really excited, enjoyed watching the planes come in and take off, but they didn’t really know what to expect. As our 2 daughters aren’t keen on loud noise we put their ear defenders in their hand luggage to help with the engine noise of the plane. These were a godsend especially for the fireworks, without them I don’t think they would have withstood the noise of the fireworks. (Click here if you are interested in type of ear defenders we used for our little ones, we definitely recommend them.) The plane journey was really quick, Alyssia fell asleep and slept the whole plane journey …. yes you heard right, slept the whole plane journey, from beginning to end. Caitlyn was very comfy doing puzzles and spot the difference.

The luggage came out really quick, and it was a case of transferring from the airport to the resort. Something we did was book a private transfer instead of the disney coach transfer, this was mainly due to not knowing what situation we would be in regarding Alyssia, whether she would be walking, whether we would need just the buggy, whether she would have her own wheelchair to take etc. So for peace of mind we booked the private transfer. It was a good service they had our name on a plaque when we came out of arrivals, but when we got to the car the front windshield was a bit cracked so the car wasn’t in the best of state, but they did supply children seats too and i sat in the front with the driver. (That was the only downside to the private transfer, the private transfer journey back to the airport at the end of the holiday was much better and much more what i expected, just think we lucked out going to resort, and would recommend.) We actually over took the magical express bus on the way to the resort which was a bonus too, and the kids slept in the car too.

Arrive at newport bay resort

We finally arrived after a long morning of travelling, and what a sight, it was stunning. The detailing on the outside of the building was incredible, such a beautiful resort, i was in awe of it all even the lobby area. Upon entering the resort hotel, you are required to go through security where they scan your suitcases and bags before entering their resort, which can be a bind if you are arriving with a few people on a coach etc, so is something to keep in mind and be aware of if you are planning a trip. Once in it was very busy, i think a coach had just arrived before us and another we knew was behind us, so we had to wait for our private check in, which even though we had to wait we were shown to the Compass Club Lounge where we could get a range of refreshments and we could relax, the kids tucked into some crisps and we had a cup of coffee and soft drinks. Our luggage was put to one side for us and then when we were called to check in we were allowed to leave them for the concierge to take to the room when it was ready. Such a great service, as the room wasn’t ready we were given our tickets so we could proceed to the parks and start our exploring and our luggage was taken care of. A definite perk and allowed us to get our bearings and allow the kids to take it all in.

Off to the disneyland park to get our bearings.

Off we go to the Disneyland park with our cameras, autograph books etc ready to start our adventure. We needed to go and pickup our photopass (this was part of the package we booked with Magicbreaks we had a free photopass) from the photo shop on Main Street.

Next thing was to head to Buzz ride as it was the last day it was open while we were there, all the other days it was planned to be closed due to maintenance work. While in Main Street Pluto was out for meet and greet and the kids wanted to get his autograph and picture so we queued for about 30mins to see Pluto, but while in the queue we got a glimpse of the princess part of the pirate and princess parade which came into Main Street.(that tune became addictive the whole holiday).

Once we met Pluto we headed to Buzz ride one that is not a favorite of Caitlyns, needed the ear defenders- oops we put them in the suitcase when we left them in the check in desk! (Something to remember next time mam) and we went on small world a couple of times, which both kids loved. One thing I didn’t take into consideration was making a reservation for a meal that evening. I only made reservations for the character meals. Obviously unsure how the half board worked, only concentrated on the character meals. (Something i needed to read up more on before another trip). We had a McDonalds and headed back to the hotel ready for an early morning and a full day the next day in the Disneyland Park.