Husband had most of December off due to the holidays (everything closes, Parisians leave the city). I wanted to take advantage of his time and make M's first trip to Disneyland. My logic was that we could easily leave and be home should the shit hit the proverbial fan. I want to eventually get annual passes for M and I, but I knew my husband wanted to be there to experience her first time with her. So, we chose a day and went. It was December 29, and this is a pretty high occupancy day. They open 30 minutes early (annual pass holders are admitted 2 hours early), not that we made it out of te house on time anyway, it was Frisbee style that morning.
We took the Metro 8 2 stops to the Opera station, and transferred to the commuter train, the RER, and rode for about 35 more minutes. It's not easy getting a stroller through the stations, it just isn't. There are no elevators, walking between train platforms is often filled with flights and flights of stairs. Soon she'll be old enough to ride without a stroller, but, not today.
We packed some pastries and off we went!
It was really, really cold. I dressed M in pants, tights, a turtle neck, her Minnie Mouse dress, hat, scarf, mittens, and coat, and a blanket in the stroller. She was still cold. When we arrived, we headed through the castle which she loved. We picked up some fastpasses at the PeterPan ride and got in the long line to see Mickey. He has his own little building with a line that is all inside, and there are Mickey cartoons to watch while you wait. I think it was M's favorite part of the day.
Then we went to It's a Small World where we waited about an hour to see the Christmas theme version. M loves singing Jingle Bells more than breathing, and they alternated Jingle Bells with It's a Small World in the ride. It was heaven.
We left and got a spot for the Parades, Frozen, and then the traditional Christmas parade right after. Husband went to find us some lunch, it was disgusting, just like I remembered from our last visit. Frozen was a dud. the 2 princesses riding in a carriage, that was it. Boo. Did I mention how cold it was? The Christmas parade on the other hand, was pretty good, M was into that. There was a lot of pushing and shoving and jockeying for position, and this being Europe, there was even more of it than we care for. Husband even tapped a lady on the shoulder to remind her that there was an actual child who would like to enjoy some childish things and could she please move her fat ass out of the way since we were there first and have been waiting patiently, unlike her, who had just waddled up? Go Husband.
By now, about 3pm, all the Fastpass stations were closed for getting any new tickets. So we rode our PeterPan ride and headed over to Walt Disney Studios to see the Ratatouille land. Coffee, potty, and tantrum break, and we were ready. It's a weird park. It feels unfinished. Ratatouille land was different though, it was typical Disney, perfect to the last detail. We all loved it. We waited 2 hours for the ride and then headed home.
