Day one consisted of travelling and although that sounds boring, it was the most eventful travel experience I have ever had. We arrived at the airport at lunchtime to catch our one o'clock flight and the check-in process was so easy. Airports make me nervous and after a small breakdown, my anxiety behaved itself for the whole day. We got through security in our matching Aristocat ears and then raided the Boots store to stock up on some travel essentials that we couldn't fit in our hand luggage (who ever thought a 10 liquid allowance was a good idea?!). Once we were in the departure lounge, we hadn't been sat down for five minutes and our gate was called. This was the first time I had ever experienced having a boarding pass on my phone and the EasyJet app was so easy to use, I don't think I'd ever print off my boarding passes again. I was extremely calm as we stepped onto the plane and before I knew it we were rumbling along the runway and on our way to Paris.
We landed in a very sunny Paris, got through border control and then that's when things started to go wrong. We walked through the arrivals gate and were bombarded with French taxi drivers asking if we wanted a taxi to Paris. We politely declined their offer and started to look for a man holding up a piece of paper with my name on it but there was no one to be seen. We didn't think much of it at first and sat down in the corner to wait for our transfer. 30 minutes and three flight arrivals later, our transfer still hadn't made an appearance so we rang Expedia to ask what the problem was.
It took us around 10 minutes to get through, and thank goodness we had free minutes on our phones because we were on the phone to them for over an hour. Once we'd explained our situation to them, they attempted to contact the transfer company who provided us with the number of the taxi driver. I then rang him only to find that he spoke no English so, therefore, couldn't understand what I was asking him. Then an English woman grabbed the phone and said that he was just dropping her family off and that he would be with us in ten minutes which confused us further; had he decided to take another family instead of us? Or was he just running late?
By this point, the guy on the phone was trying to get rid of us but Liv stood her ground. We asked him what we should do if our taxi driver didn't turn up and he said that we should find an alternative mode of transport to get us to the hotel. This made us angry. We'd paid for a service that we weren't getting and the guy on the phone was asking what the real problem was. Under no circumstances were we finding another mode of transport, we were getting this transfer whether they liked it or not.
To cut a long story short, the taxi driver turned up an hour and a half late and then drove like a mad man to our hotel. I don't think I've ever been so scared to be in a car with someone. Finally, after taking us to the wrong hotel, we arrived at the Kyriad, checked into our room and got ready for our first evening in the park. Expedia has also been contacted about our appalling treatment but we have yet to hear anything back. I wouldn't recommend booking transfers via Expedia ever again.
It took us around 10 minutes to get through, and thank goodness we had free minutes on our phones because we were on the phone to them for over an hour. Once we'd explained our situation to them, they attempted to contact the transfer company who provided us with the number of the taxi driver. I then rang him only to find that he spoke no English so, therefore, couldn't understand what I was asking him. Then an English woman grabbed the phone and said that he was just dropping her family off and that he would be with us in ten minutes which confused us further; had he decided to take another family instead of us? Or was he just running late?
By this point, the guy on the phone was trying to get rid of us but Liv stood her ground. We asked him what we should do if our taxi driver didn't turn up and he said that we should find an alternative mode of transport to get us to the hotel. This made us angry. We'd paid for a service that we weren't getting and the guy on the phone was asking what the real problem was. Under no circumstances were we finding another mode of transport, we were getting this transfer whether they liked it or not.
To cut a long story short, the taxi driver turned up an hour and a half late and then drove like a mad man to our hotel. I don't think I've ever been so scared to be in a car with someone. Finally, after taking us to the wrong hotel, we arrived at the Kyriad, checked into our room and got ready for our first evening in the park. Expedia has also been contacted about our appalling treatment but we have yet to hear anything back. I wouldn't recommend booking transfers via Expedia ever again.
We decided that it wasn't worth spending our first night in the park due to our horrible transfer and a full day of travelling (and unnecessary stress). Instead, we opted to have a night in the Disney Village which was really relaxed and lovely. I think that the Village is so overlooked in terms of what it has to offer because if you're not walking to your Disney hotel then you don't normally make it past World of Disney.
We had some food in Planet Hollywood where we were seated and served quickly. I wasn't a massive fan of this restaurant on my last trip but I've changed my opinion on it. It's a restaurant that caters for everyone and it was perfect for Liv who is gluten free. It's definitely the safest option and if you can't find something on the menu that takes your fancy then you must be the fussiest eater in the world. Rach and I had some lovely cocktails and shared a pizza whilst Liv had a glass of water and a salad.
When we'd finished at Planet Hollywood, we walked down towards the Disneyland Hotel as it was too early to go back to the room. It was so hard to resist not going into the park but we managed it by having a photo shoot next to the flowers in front of the hotel. The park was quiet at this point so we could pose and pout to our heart's content, and a lovely French family offered to take a group photo of us next to the fountains. We could hear the music of Main Street echoing in the distance but it prolonged the excitement of us entering the park the next day.
We then headed over to the Disneyland Hotel to have a wander and a whiff of baby powder. That's the only way I can describe the smell and if the scented candle wasn't 40 euros, I'd definitely have it in my house. Liv and Rach had never been into the Hotel before so it was lovely to show them around and give them a guided tour. We explored the lobby, café Fantasia, Inventions and the hotel shop which has become one of my new favourite places to buy rare pins. When we walked down the grand staircase, the girls agreed that it made them feel like a Princess and as we went outside to see the front of the hotel, it was more beautiful than I ever remember it being. I say this every time, but one day when I have a best selling book or I win the lottery, I will stay in that hotel.
Reluctantly, we left the Disneyland Hotel and made our way back to the village. We couldn't resist the charms of the World of Disney so went in to have a little browse before heading back to our hotel to prepare us for a fun packed day in the park.
Lots of Love,
Meg
xox
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