Disneyland Paris - 13 June 2006

When you wish upon a star….

In my childhood years, I’m often glued to the tv, watching Mickey Mouse Club and it was my fervent wish to go to Disneyland, the happiest place on earth. Disneyland Paris is near to us now and several years ago, I was in Paris but I always wanted to go to the one in Florida. However, spotted a really sweet deal in the papers and after a hurried consultation with hubby and Jenol, we are off to Parc Disneyland.

It was such an early start, catching the underground to Waterloo for the Eurostar. The little one is beyond excitement. We had done a sticker chart thingy for her where if she does well, she get a sticker and when it reaches the top, we will go to Disneyland. It is very effective!! Many a tantrum had been averted with threats to remove a sticker.

After arriving at Gare du Nord, we changed to the RER train to Val d’Europe. The Hotel Elysee where we would be staying for 2 nights is absolutely fab! A very good 3-star with spacious rooms and right across a shopping mall and factory outlet. We should have really taken the day easy; perhaps as a rest day before tackling Disneyland but we were far too excited!

There is a free shuttle service to Disneyland. I excitedly pointed out the large Mickey Mouse ears in the distance to the little one and before long we are at the gates of Disneyland. Went through the ticket barrier and we found ourselves on Main Street USA. It was 3.30pm (about 30min. away from the Disney Parade) and already people were plonking themselves by the rope barrier.

We dashed into one of the stores and grabbed a Minnie Mouse hat (complete with ears and bow) for the little one and stood by the rope barrier. Mickey Mouse himself was driven past in a little golf buggy. I waved till my arm was about to fall off and had tears in my eyes. Dahsyat you! 15 minutes later, music blared out of the speakers and the first float, Steamboat Willie complete with Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Daisy and the whole gang passed by. It was amazing! One after another, each Disney character pass by in gorgeous floats – Cinderella with her prince in a pumpkin coach, Belle with the huge glowering Beast, Princess Aurora with her price and the Maleficient dragon, Ariel the little mermaid; they were all there.


Details on the Aladdin's float as seen during the Parade.


Dumbo's train in the Parade


Alaadin and Jasmine on the magic carpet


First in the Parade, Steamboat Willie! (Mickey Mouse first appearance as a cartoon)



Hmm.. who cannot guess what is this float about?


Beast and Lumiere, the talking candlestick who speaks with an outrageous French accent.


Another of the Beauty and the Beast float with Belle standing on top of a cake


After the parade, we went to Fantasyland. The Sleeping Beauty castle is as beautiful as in the pictures and it was a gateway to more kiddies ride. Despite the searing heat, the queues are phenomenal. We went on the carousel and Dumbo, the flying elephant. By the time, little one and I were done with Dumbo, it was time to wake up Jenol and MH.

The queue to It’s a Small World is definitely more manageable.I had been telling the little one about this ride; that there are dancing dolls and they are all singing. Even sang the song to her a few times. So she was raring to go. I was expecting some tacky ride and was pleasantly surprised. Yes, there are dancing dolls and wooden cutouts but all so very well done. The lighting and the animation were all first class and I could go on again.


A Thai representation in Disneyland's It's a Small World. I love the shadow puppet.


And of London with the Tower Bridge, Beefeaters and double decker bus


Here's another of the It's a Small World ride

Instead we went on the Disney Railroad Train, just to get our bearings for tomorrow all-day trip. The train went round to the five lands and I was pointing out the rides that we would take tomorrow to the little one. We squeezed in a few more sightseeing on foot and a quick recce at the shops before MH pleaded exhaustion and we had to go home.

Disneyland Paris - Day 2

Photo credit : Disneylandparis.fr

The day started well with none of yesterday’s energy-draining heat. After a good breakfast at the hotel, we clambered onto the free shuttle service and alighted at Disneyland. I was dismayed at the sight of throngs of people at the gate but it was only a bottleneck due to security checks.

The first thing I saw was Chip n Dale characters, posing for photogaraphs. Excitedly rushed there, dukung the little one and MH took a quick snap. The characters are all out in full force. Goofy was next but he was totally swarmed with kids. Still managed to get a photo after some strategic manouvering. Got one with Pluto too. Those poor people in the costumes must be swearing silently. I was looking out for Princesses for little one to take a photo with but only found Mary Poppins.

Left them searching for more photo opportunities while I dashed to Discoveryland for the Fastpasses and the elusive tickets to the live Lion King show. Fastpass is such a terrific idea. You slip in your pass and they print out a Fastpass with a time slot for you to return back to the ride. When you returned, you go on the fast queue through. I took fastpasses for the three most popular rides before heading off to Videopolis to get the Lion King tickets. They start giving tickets out after high demand and you can only get them at 11.00am. Thank goodness I managed to bag tickets for the 2.00pm shows.

Met the rest at Discoveryland after my frantic dash and we had 30min. to browse through the shops before our first Fastpass. In the shop, MH found my dream hat. I had been looking for that silly Goofy hat with floppy ears and teeth. Looked through the park yesterday with no success and hooray, we finally found it. I had that hat on for the rest of the day and MH cannot talk to me without laughing.

We went on Buzz Lightyear LaserBlast which is the newest ride in the park. The animatronics for Buzz is astonishing and we had fun blasting the aliens. Little one was tearful and was scared of all the nois though. She ended up sitting at the bottom of the ride with her face in my lap. Poor sayang!

After Buzz, it was time for Star Tours which is really Star Wars. It is probably renamed because of copyright issues. We “boarded” a space vehicle, which according to the story, was heading towards the exit but due to malfunction, went through restricted area. It was a simulation ride with a big screen and it felt like we were flying through space. What with all the tumbling and X-wing fighters flying past. We even went to hyperdrive. In the screen, you see the hyperdrive with the stars streaming past you (like Han Solo’s Millenium Falcon) and the seats went inertia like you are going really fast. The effect was mind-blowing! We passed the Death Planet and went to one of the grooves, just like Luke Skywalker did, but was sucked out at the last minute and landed back to where we started, just narrowly missing a fuel tank.

Space Mission was next. MH went on the Orbitron queue with little one instead while Jenol and I went onto the Fastpass queue. From the outside, it doesn’t look like much. Just a ride with a fast trajectory but how wrong were we! The ride started slow enough but the trajectory elicit a scream from both of us. Inside the dome, it was pitch black. I can’t see a thing except felt lots of juddering and swoops. Neon lights exploded with whirls and galaxies above us which are quite beautiful but I am glad to land safely on terra firma.

MH was still in the Orbitron queue so I went to get lunch. Oh my goodness! It must be the slowest queue ever and they are just serving burgers. and the prices are just too expensive for bad quality food. Managed to get four Kids meals which have huge servings anyway. Blotted down our food before heading for the Lion King show.

We managed to bag seats near the stage although it was too far to the right of the stage. It is a condensed version of the live musical playing in London but no less amazing. At the start, a whole curtain of water fell at the back like a huge waterfall and we were transported to deepest Africa. Timon and Pumba were two costumed characters with Pumba just metres next to us. The singing and dancing was spot-on and we left wanting more.

After the show, we traipsed across to Adventureland. Thunder Mountain Fastpass was not working and the queue is 55min. so we went to Indiana Jones and the Temple of Peril. It is an outdoor rollercoaster ride with one 360 deg. loop. It was a short ride and good but not as scary as Nemesis or Oblivion at Thorpe Park. Now that had 10 loops! A few last minute shopping with me mulling over which t-shirts to buy for whom and we hopped over to Walt Disney Studio next door.

Walt Disney Studios - Paris 2006

*I post these terbalik so we can get a full read through*

After the jam-packed Disney park, Walt Disney Studios seems empty. It is rather nice really. Queues to the rides are only about 5 – 10 minutes apart but the emptiness made the place less buzzy, somehow.

I let MH and Jenol went on the Armageddon Simulation tour which is really a Behind the Scenes tour. It took a long time so little one and I shared a pizza. They ran out Mickey Mouse shaped ones unfortunately. I thought the souvenirs are much better priced here and grabbed a pair of drinking glasses. They even had a fake long hair complete with bandana hat which looks very Mat Rock – probably a nod to the Rock N Roller coaster Ride with Aerosmith available in the park.

Finally persuaded MH to go on the ride. They came out 20 minutes later, grinning widely. I went on with Jenol and it was totally out of this world! Definitely the best ride of the day. Each seat has about five speakers and once the rollercoaster rolled into position, it immediately blasted off. It was dark but not as dark as Space Mountain. You can actually see the tracks looping. Lightbulbs flashed, neon lights goes on and off, you go through a large neon circle, turn loops and sudden drops and all the while with rock music blaring in your ears. Fantastic!

After buying the obligatory photo shoot and getting more t-shirts, we said bye-bye to Disneyland. It has been quite a trip and we wanted to come back again.


Practical Tips for Disneyland

*Scour newspapers for deals. They sometimes have great deals like kids travel free. For ours, it is £55 per person for a two-night stay (2 day Hopper pass included. The pass itself is worth £68 per pax). Book Eurostar early enough and you can get a return for £59.

*Water is 2 euros per bottle. Best to bring a water bottle since they have drink fountains around the park. Food in the park itself is expensive and horrid. There is a better choice of McDonalds, Rainforest Café, Planet Hollywood and even a Kebab shop at Disney Village.

*Good websites for Disneyland Paris is http://homepages.which.net/~ian/ and http://www.dlpuog.co.uk/

World Cup : Spain v Tunisia 19 June 2006

Check out that two mamat singapore at the left hand corner of the photo. Jenol is in yellow and MH is next to him Photo : Courtesy of BBC.co.uk


World Cup 2006
Stuttgart, Germany
Monday, 19 June 2006
Spain 3 - Tunisia 1

This posting is out of sequence. I meant to do the write-up of Paris first but that will take time. It is such a lifelong dream of every football fan to go to the World Cup. My hubby and friends had been talking of going to the World Cup for yonks! First France 1998, then Japan/Korea 2002 and finally Germany 2006. With Jenol already planning a trip to Europe this year and with us being so close to Germany, it seems a crime not to try and go to the World Cup.

The trip took a long time to plan with us registering on fifaworldcup. com for their ticket ballots. Tickets to the matches are hard to come by - only 33% are opened to the public for purchase. With millions going for only thousands of tickets, finally landing a Spain v Tunisia Group Match tickets was like winning the lottery. I remembered MH (my hubby) getting a call from Jenol in the middle of Kensington Park and him whooping for joy. Alamak ingat dapat tiket for the final, rupanye group match je... jadik lah...

So it was another early morning start for both of them on Monday, 19 June to fly in to Stuttgart. I have prepared a big file of their 9-day jaunt to Germany and Amsterdam. They were excitedly packing their bags with football shirts, cup noodles, sleeping bag, chilli sauce for Jenol and even two Singaporean flags (courtesy of Jenol's RC member friend). It won't be a luxury trip in Germany - I've booked them into Fan Camps which are the cheapest accommodation at 12 euros per night.

I received excited phone calls every step of the way, from landing at Stuttgart airport, to train station, to their campsite at Fan Camp Stuttgart and finally to the Stadium. MH was excitedly telling me how they are at the Spanish fan's end, just behind the goalpost and they had hung up their Singaporean flags. Lots of people though it was Tunisia flag and must think "Ini mamat Tunisia sudah sesat masuk Spain" and they had loads of photos taken.

In show of solidarity, I did watched the match to see whether I could spot them on TV. Just as they were playing Spain's national anthem, they did some fan shots and yes, I can make out the Singapore flag with Jenol in his bright yellow Brazil tshirt. Hooray!! and when they did a replay of Tunisia's goal, the Singapore flag was seen at the back.

Spain was lagging behind 1-0 to Tunisia at the first half. Second half was a different story with an opportunistic kick from team captain, Raul, a goal from young Torres (Man U & Chelsea are already arguing about him) and a penalty shoot from Torres. All the goals (including Tunisia's) were at MH and Jenol's goal end so it must have been pretty sweet.

Jenol's Jam-Packed Jaunt to Europe

My husband has been all smiles last week by the virtue that his old classmate from his days in VS, is finally here. It will be his penultimate Europe trip with jaunts into Paris, a five day sojourn to Germany complete with World Cup ticket (yes!yes!), a down-time few days in chilled out Amsterdam before flying into Liverpool to pay homage to Anfield, Goodison Park and Old Trafford. Manalah mat tu tak happy?

We kicked off with a whirlwind tour of London, on the hottest day of the year here. Even Jenol was surprised how hot it is here. 32º C! and unlike Singapore, no aircon shopping malls! Even our car has manual aircon i.e. bukak tingkap.

We started with a drive around Park Lane and Mayfair (which I affectionately call the Monopoly tour), passed the statue of Boudicea on Hyde Park roundabout, down Green Park where we passed the first ever Hard Rock Café in the world, passed Piccadilly Circus where statue of Eros stood. It is once said that if you sat there long enough, everyone in the world will pass by.

We turned off and passed theatre where Phantom of the Opera is still playing. I remember being mad about it in JC – finally watched it with YF after all those fan years and was slightly miffed at how cheesy it was. Still very watchable though.

We swung past Trafalgar Square with its lions. Lord Admiral Nelson is still being renovated, pass 10 Downing Street and down to Westminster Palace and Big Ben. Parked nearby St. James tube station and walked to Westminster Abbey (which is closed because of Sunday mass).

From the abbey, Westminster Palace with its House of Lords and House of Commons is a mere few steps away. I once went on the inside tour and was amazed at the difference between the gold and glitz of the House of Lords and the brown and green utilitarian look at the House of Commons. Who says there is no more class barriers in U.K.? Apparently, members of the Commonwealth nation sent gifts to U.K. and yes, I managed to check out Singapore’s gift which is a table and some chairs. How pragmatic but that’s Singapore for you.

We walked across the bridge to gawp at the London Eye. It was far too hot to stand in the queue. Jenol kept saying that it hardly moves but on closer inspection, you can see that it does. 30min. just to do one revolution!

After taking a few photos with Dali’s elephant and the London Eye pod on the background, we backtracked towards St. James Park. It was definitely much more pleasant to walk in the shade of the trees by the lake. When it is so hot like this, I often forget how cold it can get in London. Thank goodness for the shady trees in St. James park. It was so lovely to get out of the sun for a while and we walked down to Buckingham Palace with the strains of a marching band in the background.

Buckingham Palace was teeming with tourists, eager to get an eyeful of the Changing of the Guards. We decided that a quick peek is enough. Constitution Hill is bedecked with flags and we were in the middle of the rehearsal for next week's Trooping of the Colours for the Queen's birthday. Needless to say, the marching bands were very good; probably better than what we get at National Day Parades although I do miss hearing the commands in Malay.

Talking about Malay, we decided it was far too hot to traipse around London so we headed back to the car and took a well-deserved lunch at Mawar.