Disneyland Paris - October 2015 - Trip Report - A Few Disappointments and A Lot of Stand Out Moments

Hey everyone. I hope you enjoyed reading my last trip report. As I said, it was great to get back into the habit of writing again as it's been a couple of months, but I'm definitely right into it again! Sadly, this is my final trip report from last years visit to Disneyland Paris. Don't worry though, I've got a lot more blogs on the way. As this is is a page about Disney Village, I will be writing more blogs about the Disney Village area itself.

This final trip report is about some disappointments we experienced on our trip last year. There aren't many of course and it's not all doom and gloom because this is also going to be about some of the big stand out moments for me on the trip. Enjoy!

A Few Disappointments 

Extra Magic Hours

Don't get me wrong, I think Extra Magic Hours are an amazing perk for anyone staying at the Disney hotels as they give you early access to one of the parks depending on the time of year. It's also a blessing because you can get in and pretty much be guaranteed to meet all of the main Disney characters before the large crowds come in. The reason I've put Extra Magic Hours as a disappointment is because there simply isn't enough of the park open for these hours. When we went, only Main Street USA, Discoveryland, and Fantasyland were open, and even in those parts, not all of the rides were open. I appreciate that you can get in early and meet the characters but if you're staying for more than a couple of days then you don't really want to do that every day. It's such a shame that Frontierland and Adventureland aren't open during these hours because they feature some of the parks best attractions like Big Thunder Mountain and Pirates of the Caribbean for example. I personally think that if the areas are open for Extra Magic Hours then they should have all of the area's rides open. When we visited each morning, Star Tours was never open in Discoveryland, and neither was Autopia. In Fantasyland, only the Mad Hatter Tea Cups and Peter Pan's Flight were open. As I've said, I'm not knocking Extra Magic Hours in anyway, but I just think if you are staying for a little while like 5 days for example then you can get quite stuck for things to do during those two early hours. 

Please open this up early!

No Characters in Discoveryland

If you read my trip report about the characters then you'll know that we met a lot to say the least! We couldn't quite believe our luck with how many we met but one thing did bother me. Every part of the park, other than Discoveryland, had characters. Why not have any characters in Discoveryland? This is such a missed opportunity as you could have lots of different characters in this area. As it's space themed, you could have lots of characters dressed in space outfits. Take Star Tours for example, you could have lots of different Star Wars characters in this area. With the success of the new Star Wars film, hopefully Disney will add some Star Wars characters into Discoveryland. I'm sure many people would want to meet Star Wars characters, especially the likes of Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader, and Chewbacca. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for my honeymoon trip to Disneyland Paris next year that I'll get to meet at least one Star Wars character! 

We need some Star Wars characters!

Where's Sally?

Before going to Disneyland Paris last year, I asked a lot of members on different Disneyland Paris Facebook groups about what to expect at the parks during Halloween. Pretty much everyone I spoke to said that there would be a photo opportunity with not only Jack Skellington but also Sally, both from The Nightmare Before Christmas. We met Jack on his own during our trip in 2014. He was a great character to meet but I wasn't fussed about meeting him again on his own, but after being told Sally would be with him too, I couldn't wait to meet them both together. This wasn't to be though. Every morning we went to the meet and greet spot where Jack was and Sally was never there for each of our five days of the trip. I was so disappointed. Still, maybe next year! 

Where's your girlfriend gone, Jack?

Crush's Coaster

Now this one really did disappoint me on our 2015 visit. I honestly think Crush's Coaster is one of the best coasters to be found at any Disney park. The reason I had to put this as a disappointment this time though was because of the reasons I didn't actually get to ride it. It was open every day of our visit but one thing was missing, the Single Rider line not being open. I couldn't quite believe or understand this. Considering the queue for Crush's Coaster was well over two hours each day, you would expect them to keep open the Single Rider line, but they didn't. This is one of the only times where I've ever compared Disneyland Paris to Walt Disney World in Florida. There is no way they would keep a Single Rider line closed in Florida if a ride was so busy. I did ask the Cast Members at Walt Disney Studios why the line was closed each day and I got different responses such as staff shortages or simply it was just shut. I would say this ride is Walt Disney Studios' most popular ride so it really baffles me why the Single Rider line was closed each day. This isn't the first time it's happened though, in 2014, the Single Rider line was only open two days out of five. Bit of a strange one really.

Please open the Single Rider line!

Please Update Walt Disney Studios!

I love Walt Disney Studios. I'm a massive film fan so this place really appeals to me. It's very similar to Disney's Hollywood Studios in Florida, but you shouldn't really compare them as the Paris park is much smaller. My biggest problem with Walt Disney Studios is the fact that some of it seems quite dated even though it's only 14 years old. Two attractions need a total makeover in my eyes. The two I'm referring to are the Studio Tram Tour and Armageddon. Although I enjoyed experiencing Armageddon for the first time on my 2015 trip, I did get the impression that I hadn't really missed much. Don't get me wrong, it's very impressive to witness the special effects right in front of you, but not that much really happens. I actually enjoyed the pre-show interaction more than the main event itself. I know from talking to others and reading comments online that the Armageddon special effects show is not particularly liked by many and a majority of people would like a new attraction in its place. I agree to be honest. While the special effects are good, there's not much story or anything that makes you leaving the show and wanting to experience it again. Also, the film Armageddon wasn't that amazingly successful and you don't really hear many people talk about it these days, kind of making the attraction seem quite dated. The Studio Tram Tour is also another attraction in need of big changes. It does look like the attraction will be getting a much needed refurbishment, thank god! It is still a good attraction, especially the Catastrophe Canyon scene. However, some of the big set pieces are very very dated. I mean yeah, the Reign of Fire film set of a ruined London looks very impressive, but be honest, how may people remember the film or have even seen it! Also, the large set from Dinotopia seems extremely out of place for some reason. Like Reign of Fire, I'm sure most people have never seen the Dinotopia series. Hopefully with the new refurbishment on the cards, we will possibly see these removed with some new set pieces. Fingers crossed!

Please give Walt Disney Studios some very much needed TLC!

Well that's the bad over and done with! Now onto the good stuff, my personal stand out moments from the trip!

Stand Out Moments

The California

Now I know what some of you are thinking. 'What's The California? I don't remember seeing that at Disney!' Well you didn't see it because it wasn't there. The California was actually the hotel we stayed at in London, the night before we got the Eurostar to Disneyland Paris from St Pancras Station. I've added this to my list of stand out moments because we were really surprised with the hotel. We had not stayed at The California before so were reserving our judgement before staying there, and we really were pleasantly surprised! The hotel was in such a good location, literally opposite St Pancras Station! The hotel had a lovely theme inside as well, the room was also very lovely themed and felt very welcoming. Staff were all lovely. I would highly recommend this hotel if you want to stay in London the night before you get your train to Disneyland Paris, or even if you're spending the night or having a break in London. You won't be disappointed.

The California, truly loved it.

Characters

As I mentioned earlier, we met so many characters on the trip that it was quite unbelievable! Two characters stood out for me though, Peter Pan and the Ugly Stepsisters. We waited to meet Peter Pan after a Cast Member told us he would be back in a couple of minutes. Most people walked away but we waited and were first in line. I have to say, the guy playing Peter Pan was so in character it was just like being in the film! I had quite a good little chat with him, including discussions about Pirates of the Caribbean. Smee was also standing with Peter Pan, although he didn't speak, he was still pretty funny too! Meeting the Ugly Stepsisters (Anastasia and Drizella) was a great experience! As it was Halloween season, there were photo opportunities with a lot of the villains, such as the Ugly Stepsisters, Gaston, and Jafar. It was a bit of a free for all with these photo opportunities as none of the characters had their own queue or anything. Anyway. Me and Laura were lucky enough to be at the front to meet the stepsisters and we took some great photos with them. They were both just hilarious and really into their characters. If there's one thing Disney does best, then it's hiring the right actors to play their characters!

Me with Smee and Peter Pan, best character experience of the trip!

Me with the quite wonderful Ugly Stepsisters, Anastasia and Drizella.

Cast Members

Like the characters, I dedicated a whole trip report to the different Cast Members we met. They are all so lovely in Disneyland Paris. Sadly, people compare the Cast Members to the ones in the American parks and mention that they aren't as friendly, but I find this to be so untrue. We never met a rude Cast Member in Disneyland Paris. In all my trips of going I've never met a rude Cast Member! In my Cast Members trip report, I mentioned how many of them pointed out the shirts me and my partner were wearing which led to some good conversations. By far the nicest Cast Members we met were to be found in The Disney Gallery in Disney Village. I've never had better service from Cast Members anywhere! One thing I did on this trip that I had never done before was take photos with the Cast Members. They were all more than happy to have photos with me and they made for some really great photos. The best Cast Members for photos were the ones to be found at Pirates of the Caribbean. I love the costumes they wear there. One of the Cast Members I asked for a photo told me to wait a minute then he pulled a pistol out aiming at me which made for a quite hilarious photo, probably one of my favourites of the trip!

Loved this guy! 

Hotel Santa Fe

Again, this is another topic I dedicated a whole trip report to. Hotel Santa Fe was such an unexpected surprise to me, it probably made the holiday for me! A lot of people never speak about the Hotel Santa Fe when talking about the Disney hotels in Paris so I wasn't quite sure what to expect. I totally fell in love with it the first time we walked to it past the Rio Grande river. I absolutely loved the theming here, like you're somewhere on America's famous Route 66. The Cast Members here were as exceptional as you'd expect anywhere in Disneyland Paris. All Cast Members made us both feel very welcome at all time, whether it be when we checked in and out or when having something to eat. Talking of eating, the Hotel Santa Fe has an absolutely fantastic buffet restaurant, La Cantina. This is where you also have your breakfast each morning. Breakfast here is your usual Continental fare, croissants and breads, that kind of thing. Dinnertime has a lot of options though, and we ended up eating here twice, using our Standard Half Board vouchers. The buffet is mostly Tex-Mex fare, like chicken, wraps, nachos, etc. We never felt that La Cantina was over crowded at any time like some people have been known to report. It was one of our favourite buffets of the trip. Even if we don't stay at the Hotel Santa Fe for our honeymoon, we'll definitely be paying it a visit for a meal and maybe a drink at the Rio Grande Bar, which I might add is probably one of the most relaxing and quiet of all the Disney hotel bars.

Right this way to the Hotel Santa Fe!

Animagique

There was such a good feeling when we watched Animagique on the trip. It was the first time either of us had seen it, quite surprising considering I've visited Disneyland Paris so many times before. We knew the show was most likely more for the kids, but we both came out like kids! I mean I act like a big kid during most of my time at Disneyland Paris, but Animagique was something quite special. I would say I don't want to ruin the show for you but I'm pretty sure most of you have seen it, and it is closing for good very soon, which came as a shock to me. The show features many classic Disney songs which me and Laura sang away to and some of the glow in the dark costumes and puppets were just amazing. It was a very impressive show to say the least. I can't believe it's closing down, typical as we only saw it for the first time last year and were looking forward to seeing it again. Hopefully they'll create a new show which is just as good or even better, although that would be very difficult considering how good Animagique is!

I'm such a big kid!

Meeting Jordi and Filip 

If you are unfamiliar with these two, then let me explain. Filip is the creator of the YouTube channel 'dlrpfans' and Jordi is the star of these videos, as well as hosting his own channel 'Mr Themeparkfans'. I've been watching their videos for almost two years, which started just before we went on our 2014 trip. I love watching videos of Disneyland Paris before I go there and stumbled onto Filip's channel. I couldn't believe how funny the videos were, especially Jordi and his antics! I added them as friends on Facebook before the 2015 trip and had some great discussions with them about Disneyland Paris and many other things. They're both great guys. I couldn't believe my luck though when they were both at Disneyland Paris at the same time as me. Obviously I couldn't resist meeting them and having a chat. It was great to meet them both, they're both really lovely guys, so passionate about Disneyland Paris as well. I had photos with them both then saw them a couple of times later on the trip. I felt like I had met Disney royalty! When I came back from holiday and started writing my trip reports, I also managed to write up interviews with Filip and Jordi, which you can read here: http://disneyvillagefans.blogspot.co.uk/2015/10/interview-jordi-from-dlrpfans-youtube.html (interview with Jordi) and http://disneyvillagefans.blogspot.co.uk/2015/10/interview-filip-creator-of-dlrpfans.html (interview with Filip)

Me with Filip and Jordi.

Well sadly that is the end of my trip reports from 2015. I hope you have all enjoyed reading these and I have genuinely enjoyed writing them all. Now I'll be writing some blogs about the history of Disney Village as well as some other things currently in the pipeline. Thanks again to all of you that have read my articles and kept this page going. It means a lot to me. Always happy to share my love for all things Disney.

No more trip reports from last year but there's plenty more to come. See you all soon!

Disneyland Paris - October 2015 - Trip Report - Food

Now it wouldn't be a trip to Disneyland Paris without trying any of the wonderful food on offer! I've already mentioned in previous articles about where we eat on our recent trip in October, so I'll be including some reviews for those places as well as telling you about some of the different places you can find food in the parks as well as in Disney Village, and also some of the places where we just enjoyed a drink. I'll also tell you a little bit about how you can use some of the food offers which may be included as part of your Disneyland Paris hotel package. I feel like I haven't written one of my trip reports for a while, so it's nice to get back into the swing of things!

Our trip this October was my first time using any of the Disney hotel food offers. When our holiday was booked we were lucky to have the Standard Half Board meal plan as part of our package. This was great because it would save us extra money on food each day. Another good thing about booking this was that we could both decide on where we would like to use the meal vouchers. I can't tell you exciting it was to look online at all the different places we could eat. Even though I've stayed at some of the hotels before and eaten breakfast in the restaurants, I had never had another meal in them. We wrote a list beforehand of where we wanted to use our meal vouchers and although I've lost that list, I'm pretty sure we eat at all the places we wanted to! We were still planning on where we wanted to eat while on the Eurostar journey to Disneyland Paris! 

La Grange at Billy Bob's Country Western Saloon, Disney Village

Our first meal was at La Grange, which is situated above Billy Bob's Country Western Saloon. Surprisingly being an avid Disney Village fan, I had never stepped foot inside Billy Bob's until this trip. The theming inside the bar downstairs was fantastic. Just like the name, Billy Bob's is themed like a saloon bar right out of the Wild West. La Grange is upstairs and features the same theming found downstairs. We presented our meal vouchers, ordered our drinks, then were shown to our table. I think it's fair to say we made a wise choice choosing this as our first food destination, because the food was delicious! There was a great mix of food, mostly barbecued meats and other Tex-Mex style food, similar to the choices at La Cantina at the Hotel Santa Fe. We were pleasantly surprised by this place, but then again, you don't expect poor food anywhere on a Disney site! My only disappointment with La Grange was the desserts on offer, I personally thought there could have been other choices. Still though, it was very enjoyable! After filling ourselves up, we left in good spirits, then headed back to the Disneyland Park to watch the first Dreams show of our trip. 

Rating: 7/10

La Grange is situated just above Billy Bob's. 

Rio Grande Bar, Hotel Santa Fe

After a very tiring first day, we just wanted to settle down after packing our bags and enjoy a nice cold drink! Instead of buying a bottle of drink in the hotel gift shop, we decided to treat ourselves and go to the Rio Grande Bar. Having never been there before, we really enjoyed it. Okay, it might not have very elaborate theming compared to some of the other Disney hotel bars, but it was still nice, and quite peaceful too. The bar was also showing the Rugby World Cup, which kept a lot of the guests occupied! We didn't visit the bar other than our first night, but we did enjoy it there, and I would definitely go back there on my next trip for a drink.

Rating: 6/10

Enjoy a peaceful drink at the Rio Grande Bar.

La Cantina, Hotel Santa Fe

Our first full day at Disneyland Paris began at our hotel's own restaurant, La Cantina. I had heard negative reviews about this place before we went, but I never really listen to them as I prefer to judge for myself, and I'm glad I did, because we loved it! The setting at La Cantina was great, it was like being in a roadside service station on Route 66, not surprising as the hotel is heavily themed after the famous Route 66 in America and the Cars films. Continental breakfast was on offer each morning, which suited me and my fiancee just fine. I've always thought that it's important to get a good breakfast at Disneyland Paris as it sets you up for the busy days ahead, so we certainly filled ourselves up each morning!

Breakfast wasn't the only times we visited La Cantina, we also eat there twice for dinner. We visited La Cantina for dinner on our second night and fourth and final night. I was interested to see what would be on choice at the buffet as it's not one of the ones that a lot of people mention when talking about the hotel buffets at Disneyland Paris. Just like in La Grange, we presented our dinner vouchers, then ordered our drinks and sat down at a table of our choice. One of the good things with La Cantina is the fact that you can choose to sit where you like. We were really pleasantly surprised with how good it was, hence why we eat there a second time! The food on offer for dinner service is a Tex-Mex style buffet, but there are plenty of other options. I enjoyed the tasty meats on offer, including spicy chicken, as well as roast gammon. As my other half would tell you, I love making wraps wherever I can, and this restaurant was no exception. I cut up a lot of the meat and put it in the wraps, as well as some grated cheese of course! Talking of cheese, one of my favourite things at La Cantina, was the fact that they offered the American style hot cheese sauce, perfect for nachos topping, and I certainly enjoyed a lot of it! The desserts on offer here were absolutely incredible! There were so many different cakes, yoghurts, mousses, fruit, just everything you could ever wish for when it comes to puddings. I honestly think that La Cantina doesn't get the credit it is definitely due. I personally think it's one of the best buffets I've ever had. After two lovely evening meals, I can honestly say that it is one of my favourite places to eat when at Disneyland Paris. Even if we don't end up staying at the Hotel Santa Fe on our next trip, we'll definitely be visiting La Cantina, that's a certainty!

Rating: 9/10

Breakfast out of a truck, quite a novelty!

Hunter's Grill, Sequoia Lodge Hotel

This was one of the hotel buffet restaurants that I had always wanted to visit. We decided to head to the Hunter's Grill at the Sequoia Lodge on our third night in Disneyland Paris. Although it wasn't listed as one of the restaurants on our meal plan, we could still eat there and use the meal vouchers to pay the difference, which wasn't that much. After enjoying another nice day in the parks, we went to change our clothes at our hotel, then headed towards the Sequoia Lodge. We had a table booked for the Hunter's Grill at 6pm when it opened. We queued up with some fellow Brits, who we had a nice chat with. After presenting our meal vouchers, we were seated by our waiter, I can't remember his name, but he was definitely one of the best waiters we had while dining anywhere on this trip. After ordering our drinks, we went up to the buffet, and stuffed ourselves silly! Okay, we weren't quite that bad! We did eat a lot of food though. Now the strange thing with Hunter's Grill is that I wasn't overly impressed with it. I liked it, but I felt it was lacking something. It was one of them sort of places where I thought to myself 'what is all the fuss about?' Don't get me wrong, the food was very lovely, and you could tell that some of the food (meats in particular) were better quality than some of the food at the other buffets. I was expecting a bigger buffet in all honesty. I actually thought it was one of the smallest buffets I'd seen at Disneyland Paris, but then again it makes up for it with the nice quality food. The theming wasn't anything special, I would even say that the theming at La Cantina and La Grange was better. This is my own personal opinion of course, and then again, the food is what matters most! At the end of the day though, we did enjoy our meal at Hunter's Grill, and would probably visit there again.

Rating: 7/10

Hunter's Grill is just inside the Sequoia Lodge on the right.

Planet Hollywood

If you have read any of my other blogs, then you will be well aware that Planet Hollywood is my favourite restaurant in Disney Village. I've always had a fondness for the Planet Hollywood restaurant chain, which stretches back to as far as I can remember. I still have fond memories of visiting Planet Hollywood at Gatwick Airport, which sadly closed quite a few years ago now. I used to love the original Planet Hollywood in London, which has now moved, and changed quite a bit. My favourite Planet Hollywood restaurant (well other than the one at Disneyland Paris) is definitely the one at Downtown Disney in Florida. I could be wrong, but I'm pretty sure this was the first one that I ever visited. It is very similar in appearance to the Disney Village Planet Hollywood. Anyway, I should really talk about the one in Disney Village shouldn't I! Well what I love about the Disney Village Planet Hollywood is pretty much everything, and I mean everything! I love the theming, the food, the service, just everything! Being an absolute film fanatic, this is where I feel at home. I love all of the film props inside the restaurant. It's quite fun trying to guess which films they are from, although I like to think I know a lot of them! This is a great place for families to eat. The menu is primarily American style food, not surprising as it is originally an American chain, partly owned by the likes of Arnold Shwarzennegger and Sylvester Stallone. Planet Hollywood is known for it's tasty burgers. While I haven't eaten one of their burgers for years, my other half Laura has done.

On our trip this year, we decided to go here for my birthday meal, which was also our last day in Disneyland Paris. We came in for the lunch service, and it was pretty quiet, but then again, the parks were quite quiet as well. One of the things that always makes me laugh about Planet Hollywood in Disney Village is that I always get sat near other Brits. I'm not quite sure why this is but my guess would be that it's because they have waiting staff who have better English speaking skills working in that part of the restaurant. As it was my birthday, I thought I would treat myself to a white chocolate milkshake. Words cannot even describe how fantastic it tasted! I've never quite had a milkshake like it, it was just amazing! For my meal, I had the penne chicken broccoli, minus the broccoli! This has been a favourite dish of mine at Planet Hollywood restaurants for a long time now. It always tastes great, and this year was no exception. As I mentioned, Laura had one of the Planet Hollywood burgers, and as she wasn't talking, I knew she was enjoying it, because Laura doesn't tend to talk when she is enjoying her food! It was a very enjoyable meal as it always is at Planet Hollywood.

One thing that always gets to me about Planet Hollywood in Disney Village is the fact that a lot of people simply don't like it and tend to bash it a bit. I'll always defend it, but that's probably because I've been a fan for years. I cannot understand the hatred some people have for this place. Some people say it's dated, but I think the theming works, especially all the film props. The food is also very good, I've honestly never had a problem with food at any Planet Hollywood restaurant. Quite simply, I love this place, and our recent meal was very enjoyable here.

Rating: 10/10

Love Love Love this place!

The Sports Bar, Disney Village

Now we didn't eat here on our October trip or our trip last year but we did visit the bar for a couple of drinks. I personally think that the Sports Bar is a true gem in Disney Village, and not enough people visit it. Okay there may be a more adult vibe here as it is primarily a bar, but it is still very family friendly, and I've seen many families have a quiet drink here to relax after a busy day. There are many drinks on offer here, and it's probably the best place in the Disneyland Paris resort to grab a beer if that's what you fancy! As the name suggests, many live sports are shown on all the television screens inside the bar. There is also a very large screen on the wall opposite the outside seating area. This is one of the places in Disney Village where you're most likely to find fellow Brits. On our trip this year, we visited the Sports Bar twice. Both times were only for drinks, but they were at completely different times. The first time we visited was in the early afternoon, and it was very quiet inside. The bar staff were very efficient and friendly. The next day we came back here in the evening. We hadn't planned to visit again, but when I noticed one of the screens was broadcasting a Liverpool match, I couldn't resist watching my boys and having a pint of beer! I felt like a typical Brit on holiday, watching football and drinking a pint! I have to say there was a very goof atmosphere that evening. We visited during the Rugby World Cup, and the French match was on at the same time as the Liverpool game, so you can imagine how loud and passionate all the French were! It was a really good night!

Although we didn't eat on this trip or the previous trip, I have eaten here a couple of times before, and the food is very good. It's pretty much your typical American burgers and hotdogs fare, although being in Disney, it's better than average! I highly recommend a visit to the Sports Bar, whether it's to grab a quite bite to eat, or just a drink. 

8/10

Enjoy a beer while watching live sport here.

Rainforest Cafe, Disney Village

Now I just had to include this one in a Disneyland Paris food blog! We didn't actually visit the Rainforest Cafe on our October trip (although we visited the restaurant shop) but we did eat there last year, and I have on other trips too. As with Planet Hollywood, Rainforest Cafe is a worldwide food chain, and it's another one associated with Disney. Like Downtown Disney in Florida has Planet Hollywood, it also has a Rainforest Cafe. When talking about Planet Hollywood, I mentioned how they have one in London. Funnily enough, there is also a Rainforest Cafe in London, literally just a five minute walk away from each other! Anyway, enough of me rambling on about London, time to talk about the Disney Village restaurant!

The theming inside the Rainforest Cafe is just like something out of a Disney attraction! As soon as you enter through the entrance, you have animals above your head which move about. To get to the restaurant, you have to walk through the shop first, which is pretty amazing in itself. Although most of the animals inside the restaurant are animatronics, there are also some pretty big tanks with very beautiful and exotic fish. A bit like Planet Hollywood, the menu here is very American in style. My other half Laura enjoyed a burger while I enjoyed a pasta dish with a rather cool name 'Rasta Pasta!' We really enjoyed our meal here, which wasn't surprising as I've always enjoyed my meals at all of the Rainforest Cafe's I've been to. If you have the chance to dine here, then go for it, you won't be disappointed!

Rating: 9/10

Even the theming outside is impressive here!

Plaza Gardens, Disneyland Park

Plaza Gardens has got to be the best place to eat in the Disneyland Park. Other than my favourite La Cantina, I would argue that Plaza Gardens is the best buffet restaurant in the whole Disneyland Paris resort. Sadly we couldn't eat in Plaza Gardens on our October trip because it was going through a refurbishment, but we did eat there for the first time last year. This was our first time eating at a Disney buffet and I wasn't quite sure what to expect, but quite honest, I was pleasantly surprised and loved it! I couldn't believe the wide range of food on offer here. There was literally everything you could think of! Meats, pastas, salads, breads, cheeses, desserts, everything! The theming inside was quite reminiscent of the Victorian era, similar to inside the Disneyland Hotel. It was very busy when we visited last year, and it was obvious to see why, with all the wonderful food on offer.

Rating: 8/10

Casey's Corner, Disneyland Park

Casey's Corner is a favourite of many Disneyland Paris fans, and it's very clear to see why. Casey's is very popular for it's famous hot dogs, which I personally love! There are also some other options like chicken nuggets and fries. One of the best things about this place is definitely the location of it. While there is seating inside, there is also seating outside, which many people take advantage of for viewing the evening Dreams show. Casey's Corner is a great place to grab something quick to eat, or something you can enjoy while strolling around the parks. We eat at Casey's a couple of times last year, but on our October trip, we used Casey's as part of our Pause Gourmande (Tea Time Treat) deal, and enjoyed it. One thing I will say though is expect to queue here. I've never seen Casey's Corner quiet, there are always large crowds there. The seating is also very limited, so consider yourself lucky if you manage to get a seat there!

Rating: 6/10

A standard pose for me outside Casey's Corner.

Meal Vouchers/Dining Plan

To finish, I would just like to let you know about our experience with the Disney Meal Plan. When booking our trip for October this year, we were lucky to have the Meal Plan included without any extra charge. We were given the Standard Half Board meal plan, which allowed us both to enjoy one meal per a day at any of the restaurants included. As I mentioned in the little restaurant reviews above, we used the meal plan at La Cantina, La Grange, and Hunter's Grill. It really is simple to use these vouchers. All you have to do is present the vouchers when you enter the restaurants, then your free to enjoy your meal, it's really as simple as that! Like we did at the Hunter's Grill, you can also use the vouchers at other restaurants available on more expensive meal plans, and all you have to do is pay the difference.

Again, I'd like to apologise for the delay in publishing this trip report. It's been a long time, but hopefully you've enjoyed reading this and it's been worth the wait! Thank you again for taking the time to read this, really means a lot to me.

I would also like to pay my respects to all of those who sadly passed away in the Paris tragedies last Friday. It was truly horrible, and I would like to send a prayer to every one of them souls, now resting up in heaven.

Keep sharing the Disney Village Paris love!