It's the final trip report of the April series and that makes me really sad. However, I already know that this is going to be one of my favourite posts because it contains lots of cute character photos and yummy food, so if that's your kinda thing, then I'd stick around.
Our alarms went off at 6 am so that we could get into the park in time for extra magic hours, however, this wasn't the case and we all went back to sleep. We woke up a few hours later feeling refreshed and ready to start the day. We said goodbye to our lovely hotel room, squeezed onto the shuttle with our cases and made it into the park for 10 am ready to make our last hours of this trip memorable. By the time we got through the concierge queue and left our luggage, it wasn't worth Cara and I going into the park as we had a lunch at Inventions booked for the afternoon. So, whilst Michelle and Emma went to try and get on Big Thunder Mountain, Cara and I explored the Disneyland Hotel.
If you watch my YouTube channel, you'll know that I made a bucket list video of everything I wanted to do on this trip. In this video, I mentioned that I would love to go into the Disneyland Hotel because I've never had the chance to explore it properly before. I can officially say that it is the most beautiful hotel I have ever stepped foot in. The moment we walked through the door, the smell of baby powder hit me and the whole hotel looked like it'd been sprinkled with pixie dust. Glittering chandeliers hung from the ceiling as I looked around in complete awe. Even just walking down the grand staircase in the lobby made me feel like a Disney Princess.
Cara and I then ventured into the Disneyland Hotel shop whilst we waited for Seany and Mike to come off Tower of Terror, ready to queue for Inventions. The shop display windows are some of the most beautiful I have ever seen, I mean the displays around the park are pretty impressive but this was something else. If you ever need to find something rare in Disneyland Paris then I recommend to go and have a look in the Disneyland Hotel shop. It stocks a lot of rare merchandise including various pins and clothing items. I spent most of my money in this shop and I think it may be my new favourite.
When Seany and Mike arrived, we met them in the lobby and then headed over to the restaurant. I'd never been to Inventions before so I was super excited. As we sat in the bar next to a glittering bird cage, we listened to a man playing a medley of our favourite Disney songs on the piano. However, this didn't last long as a child ran over, sat next to him and decided to play her own tune which included lots of very low notes. It was like the worst remix of 'Colours of the Wind' I'd ever heard. We didn't have to listen to it for very long as within five minutes, it was time for us to go in.
As we walked into the restaurant I could smell all the delicious food that had been placed out for us. If I could say one thing about the buffet, it had every type of food you could ever want. I think it's one of the only restaurants in the Disneyland park that caters for everyone, plus it helps that the characters are wonderful and the surroundings are beautiful. The restaurant has various, spacious rooms. We were lead to the room straight in front of us and given a table with a stunning view of the castle. Another thing I loved about Inventions is that, in comparison to Plaza Gardens, there was so much room for characters to interact with you. I cannot wait to tell you about all of my wonderful interactions so I hope you're ready for emotional rants and a lot of cute candids. I'd highly recommend Inventions to everyone, so if you're thinking of trying it out then please do.
Almost instantly Pluto came bounding over to the table. If you know me well, you'll know that Pluto and the Chipmunks are my two favourite Mickey and Friends characters, so when I saw him, I ran straight up to him and gave him the biggest hug. But a hug wasn't good enough for Pluto as we started to jump around in a circle as he swayed me from side to side giving me the tightest cuddle. The characters in Inventions give the best hugs, and that was the first of many tight hugs I got that day. Pluto was so playful and lovely, he signed my autograph book, I gave him a kiss on the nose and then we had one last cuddle before he had to go. As you can tell from the smile on my face, I couldn't have been happier.
Then came the rarest character I'd met all week. I've always wanted to meet Genie so when he came into the room, I was sure to curtsey. He accepted my gesture with a big hug, signed my autograph book and then we had some very cute photos taken. I'd just like to take this moment to thank Seany (@seanyblive) for his amazing photography. He got some of the cutest photos of our character interactions, so I think you should all give him a follow.
I love the fact that most of the main Mickey & Friends characters were in Inventions, and after I'd been and topped up my plate with some of the yummy food (including the chicken nuggets which are literally to die for) Goofy came over to say hello. I told him that this was my first proper time meeting him, because the last time he was there I was too pre-occupied loving Pluto. He made the biggest fuss and gave me a cuddle of which I returned with a kiss on his nose. Again, we took some photos and then I went to sit back down. He then picked up three of the sweets on our table handing one to Cara and one to Seany. But then he had a big decision to make, who would he choose between me and Mike? He toyed with the decision for a while, shuffling over to both me and Mike, before spotting Cara's Donald who was sat on the table and decided that he should have the last sweet. It was one of the cutest things I have ever seen, and I've put all the footage on my
vlog.
The next to come over to the table was Gepetto and he was the sweetest. I love meeting him because I think he's such an underrated character and he reminds me of my Grandad. I've met Gepetto a lot, but I think that this was the best interaction I have ever had with him. I showed him my Eeyore badge and he admired the bow in my hair before having a little dance with me and signing my autograph book. We had some photos taken, had a big cuddle and then he skipped away to find Pinocchio.
One character I couldn't wait to meet was Minnie. It would be my first time meeting her in her new look and she was as adorable as ever. I wish I made more of an effort to go and meet her on my trips, but the queue is always so big and there's always someone else I could be meeting with a shorter queue. I think she could tell that I was excited because as soon as she saw me, she came and gave me the biggest hug. I told her how beautiful she looked and we twirled around together. She kept pointing at my ears (which are from EarsEverAfter), we twirled around some more, had some photos and then she left to go and find Mickey.
Before he came into the room, he gave Minnie a big hug and then came straight to our table. I always think that a trip to Disney isn't complete without meeting the Main Mouse and I don't know about you but I always feel quite emotional. I curtseyed when he came in and he gave me a big hug before allowing me to twirl round. It was one of the best interactions I've ever had with him and my photos with him are some of my favourite photos ever. I never thought I'd have such cute photos with the main mouse. I gave him a kiss on the nose (don't tell Minnie) and then he skipped away to the next family.
And now to tell you about my two favourite meets of the day. I'm getting emotional just thinking about them because they were so special to me, and I've never felt so loved. Tigger bounded into the room, saw my Eeyore badge and without another thought grabbed hold of me and squeezed me so tight. It's the tightest hug I've ever had from any character, ever. It almost made me cry because it was a hug full of meaning and love and it's what being in Disney is all about. The happiness I felt is something that I can't put into words. I remember Seany saying to Tigger 'are you gonna let her go now?' and he just shook his head and hugged me tighter. I'm not kidding when I say that he hugged me for a good five minutes without letting go. Then we bounced around for a while, I showed him my Eeyore bow and we had another big cuddle before the donkey himself took over (you've probably seen him lurking in the photos of Tigger and I).
I really don't know how to tell you about how magical meeting Eeyore was because there are no words. Tigger pointed me out to him and he got hold of me straight away and gave me another very tight hug. The Winnie the Pooh squad were on point with their hugs in Inventions. I just kept telling him how much I love him and he acted all shy so I decided to show him the bow I had in my hair. He then showed me the one on his tail and we had yet another hug. I blew him a lot of kisses before giving him a big kiss on his nose and then he admired my bow again. I've never had a character make such a fuss of meeting me since I met Marie in my Marie ears. It was pure Disney magic. Cara and I then had a very cute photo take with him and when he left I was crying, Cara was crying and some of the Cast Members stood behind us were crying. It was an overall emotional interaction and there's some footage of it over on my vlog.
When we'd finished at Inventions we headed back down the corridor and into the shop, all with smiles on our faces after what can only be described as the most magical character dining experience we have ever had. In the shop, I treated myself to some pins and some biscuits (for my parents) and then we walked back down to the lobby to meet our friends. Laura came running in to tell us all about her meeting with Snow White and Sammy told us about meeting Jack Sparrow. We just kept talking to each other because the more we spoke, the more we didn't have to leave. However, as the seconds ticked by, we knew that it was time to go and catch our Eurostar. We headed back over to concierge, collected our luggage and with tears in our eyes, we said goodbye to our friends and to our happy place. The photo you can see above is half the gang just before we collected our cases.
Within the hour, we found ourselves back on the Eurostar and heading back to London. We couldn't stop talking about all of our magical adventures and when we had to say goodbye to Cara at St Pancras, we couldn't stop crying. I'd made such an emotional bond with these girls over the week that we were in Disney and I can truly say that they're going to be my friends for life. I love them so much.
Being able to tell you about everything that we did and to be able to share all of my photos with you has made me realise just what a magical trip I had. I'd like to say thank you to everyone that I met on this trip including all the old friends, the new friends and the cast members. You made my trip so worthwhile and the best memories have been created because of you. I'm so thankful to be able to experience the magic as often as I do and I really hope you've enjoyed reading about my adventures. As you're reading this, I'm currently preparing to go on yet another trip to the most magical place on earth, so this isn't the last Disney trip report you'll be seeing.
What's been your favourite part?
Lots of Love,
Meg
xox
