CycloneMan Posted January 25, 2009 Report Share Posted January 25, 2009 The Trip On January 14th, I drove up to my friend Marc's house in Montreal. We've planning this trip for a while. The idea was for us two to fly out of Montreal to Paris and meet up with his cousin Alex at the airport, and his friend Louis was going to pick us up, drive us around, etc. Basically that is what happened, but it was the background to the trip, so deal... January 15th, 2008 Disneyland Paris I don't feel like typing the entire day, being there are so many pictures that it's self explanatory. So enjoy. This trip report is brought to you by blurry Airplane yogurt. Marc and I on the plane from Montreal to Paris. Here we are finally in Europe. It amazed me how much shorter the flight was, than my drive to Montreal... Here's Louis, who picked us up and was an excellent host. Driving down the road, we saw our first sign of Disneyland Paris. We parked here, because it's closer than the parking lot for the parks. ...and this is where I started hyperventilating. Yea, I'm so gangsta, don't be hating My friend Emmanuel (and his friend Maxime) were waiting for us inside the park. Disneyland's Castle? Sleeping Beauty's Castle is definitely the best Disney castle I've ever seen. We headed into Discoveryland for our first credit... ...Space Mountain!!!! I've waited 14 years to ride this (no lie, I have). So this is like a Super Nova or something... The Columbiad is what blasts you into space. They were only running two trains. The ride was very rough, but I still loved it. Out of the entire trip, we rode it 4 times. First meal of the trip, PIZZA BURGER! It looks so wrong, but it tasts so right... Seriously, wow! Going into Frontierland... ...to find Big Thunder Mountain closed So we went over to Phantom Manor. Love it! Love it! Love it! Then we went all the way over to Indiana Jones et le Temple du Péril. Seems to be running fine. Until we were next and it broke! We left and did it again at night (but I didn't take pictures of it, so oh well). They did a great job on theming. Exiting out of Disneyland to go to... ...Walt Disney Studios! It was hands down my least favorite Disney park I've ever been to. hmm...where have I seen this before? This way to Crush's Coaster! Marc, Louis and I inline for Crush Crush's Coaster was allright. They had terrible operations, but the ride was okay. Not worth a wait over 10 minutes. Construction photo zomfg! Out of the three Tower's I've ridden, this was my least favorite (I've never ridden California's) Nice garden, eh? The boiler room wasn't as good as Florida's... Next up, Rock N Roller Coaster. It's a clone of Florida's, except for going to a concert, you're at a concert. We saw Moteurs Action! Which was really cool. Afterwards, we went back to Disneyland The group outside of Space Mountain. Alex, me, Emmanuel, Marc, Louis and Maxime. This is the last picture before my battery died. After we did Space Mountain again, we did a few dark rides, and got all the credits at Disney before leaving. It was probably the best Disney visit I've ever had. And the park was basically empty. There were times where we'd walk from one attraction to another and we'd see no guests. It was awesome. We'll finish with me at the Creperie, where you get all you can eat crepes! -Dainan "Next up, Phantasialand (with more pictures)" Rafferty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Master Posted January 25, 2009 Report Share Posted January 25, 2009 (edited) Cool pics of Disneyland Paris! I would like to go there some day. What was the weather there like? Looks like their is ice in front of BTM . CA's Tower of Terror looks just like the Paris version in your pics, even the boiler room. Space Mt station looks alot like the station for California Screamin's station in DCA, I am surprised it is outdoors like that. Edited January 25, 2009 by The Master Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Up_Up_and_Away Posted January 25, 2009 Report Share Posted January 25, 2009 Big Thunder was working just fine in FL this week... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CycloneMan Posted January 25, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 25, 2009 We ended up riding it, and it was awesome Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarioSonic94 Posted January 25, 2009 Report Share Posted January 25, 2009 Hey Dainan, what was your favorite ride in Fantasyland? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Master Posted January 25, 2009 Report Share Posted January 25, 2009 What was the weather there Dainan? Looks like it is cold there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CycloneMan Posted January 25, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 25, 2009 (edited) ^^I guess It's A Small World. But my favorite attraction was Le Taniere Du Dragon =) ^It was pretty cold there. Snowy and rainy the entire trip Edited January 25, 2009 by CycloneMan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Master Posted January 25, 2009 Report Share Posted January 25, 2009 (edited) Wow I am surprised they can keep the park open during such cold weather. Even Disneyland closed down 2 hours early on a cold rainy night and it was still above 40 for their low, SoCal almost never drops below freezing. Edited January 25, 2009 by The Master Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CycloneMan Posted January 26, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 26, 2009 (edited) January 16th, 2008 Phantasialand On January 16th, we woke up at Louis and Marc's friend Stéphanie's apartment in Luxembourg. Luxembourg will be our home for the next three days. Because there were 5 of us at this point. Louis, Alex and I were crammed in the back of Stéphanie's car. When we crossed into Germany. Louis and I bought this interesting snack. It was very good. Turbines everywhere!!!!!!! Sorry to disappoint, but this isn't a real castle! Here we are at Phantasialand. Where the parking lot hat more people than Disneyland Resort Paris the day before! Um...what? There Main Street was really pretty These characters are a part of Phantasialand's winter celebration. Construction photo! ooOOooh First up, Wuze Town. Sadly, this is the only photo I have of Winjas. Which is easily the most awesome ride ever! I'm not going to ruin anything about it, but there are some cool surprises. Next up, the indoor Vekoma mine train type coaster thingy The ride was pretty long, and interesting. Up next, Hollywood Tour My pictures didn't come out good. But it was some messed up boat ride! At least this one is still here, and not on fire! I will obsess for a moment about the theming of Phantasialand. WwWOoO0owW ZoMfG!!!!1!!11!1!!11 Alex was impressed, and took some pictures as well. Black Mamba didn't open yet, so we kept on walking. It just looks so good! And it was! We were hungry so kept walking by Colorado Adventure So cool Who knew China was in Germany? I'm that much of a nerd! But so is Louis Stéphanie, me, Marc, Louis, and Alex at the awesome Chinese resteraunt That had the best beer I've ever had! Feng Ju Palace is a Vekoma Mad House The theming was pretty good, but the ride itself wasn't that good. Houdini's Great Escape was alot better. Mystery Castle Mystery Castle was friggin awesome! It's an indoor Intamin Air compressed tower! They made me (the token Yank) take a picture in the American section. Har har River Quest froze over, so now you can ice skate on it! "Pandas, calling me, from the bamboo trees to play with me!" "Mommy mommy! I want to ride Michael Jackson!" They were running two trains, and not stacking. This made me happy. Time for Black Mamba The icy queue with no banisters. That didn't make me nervous or anything... They were only running one train. So the line was a little longer than it should have been. The station was dark and very well themed! The ride was incredibly smooth and forcefull. It's awesome! Dainan aproved! These guys were really cool as well. Talocan was my first floorless Top Spin. And it was painfull, but totally awesome! Chocolate covered bananas! I totally love this park! Silbermine was the most screwed up Mexican themed dark ride ever! WTF!!!! So, if you thought this place was beautiful in the day! It was evern better at night! Yes, that's Alex and I. (Photo taken by Stéphanie) I LOVE there costumes! This was on the back of her skirt! Good bye Phantasialand. Thank you for the awesome day! -Dainan "Next stop, Toverland" Rafferty Edited January 26, 2009 by CycloneMan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JetsDevs4Lyf Posted January 26, 2009 Report Share Posted January 26, 2009 The whole trip so far looks like it was amazing. Nothing like some good rides in the snow and ice to really feel adventurous. Can't wait to see what comes next. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Master Posted January 26, 2009 Report Share Posted January 26, 2009 (edited) Looks like alot of these European parks stay open during the cold of winter when most US parks close down. I doubt I could stand riding coasters in the cold, ice, and snow like that. Edited January 26, 2009 by The Master Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CycloneMan Posted January 27, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 27, 2009 ^I've done that in Europe and in Asia! Then again, I've ridden Nitro in the snow Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JetsDevs4Lyf Posted January 27, 2009 Report Share Posted January 27, 2009 Given the chance I would ride any coaster in the cold. Then again I am one of the few who loves winter and the cold weather so I suppose that is no shock. Seriously though Nitro in the snow would be awesome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Master Posted January 27, 2009 Report Share Posted January 27, 2009 (edited) ^I've done that in Europe and in Asia! Then again, I've ridden Nitro in the snow When did you ride Nitro in the snow? I have been to GAdv at times when they closed down early because of unusually cold temps with no snow. Usually GAdv is not even open during the normal snow season around here, Jan-Mar. Anyway cool pictures of Phantasialand, that Hollwood rides looks weird LOL. Edited January 27, 2009 by The Master Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CablesEric Posted January 27, 2009 Report Share Posted January 27, 2009 The close proximity on that Top Spin look to make it an intense ride. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CycloneMan Posted January 28, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 28, 2009 ^It was pretty awesome. It was also cool being all the people were watching! ^^I rode Nitro in a snow flurry in April 2001 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CycloneMan Posted February 1, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 1, 2009 (edited) January 17th, 2008 Toverland After driving over four hours from Luxembourg, through Belgium, to The Netherlands, we finally stopped at a Burger King Conveniently next to a Texaco! Interesting... It may look innocent, but the mayo is AWESOME! Driving down the deserted rode, we pray for salvation! And then we see it! Welcome to Toverland It has a bit of an interesting look to it! First order of business... TROY!!!!!!! Seriously, just look at that beauty! Marc and I before my first ride on Troy! The photo tells it all! Me and my 2nd favorite coaster in the world! We did Booster Bike next... It wasn't as good as it looked. As you see, Marc and I are getting the full experience of Vekoma! Though Alex and Stéphanie thought it was fine... Marc challenging his limits on the Towers of Adventure! Until he falls and everything fell out of his pockets to the nets below! Louis had no problem climbing up! It's blurry, but it gives you an idea of how awesome this stupid play structure was... Mirakelroute Boomerang is a Vekoma....but not a Vekoma Boomerang....interesting... This is the only picture I got of Hara Kiri (the wet/dry slide). It was fast and my raft came off the slide on the dips! We go outside to make our way over to... TROY!!!! These are some cool looking trains, eh? Seriously =) ...seriously I was the only one to ride Backstroke STOP WATCHING ME! Louis, Marc, Stéphanie, and I trying to pull the Trojan Horse, with no help from Alex! Villa Fiasco was an awesome fun house, with a lot of gags I've never seen in the states! We didn't ride Sim sa la Swing, but I did take a picture of it... I'm so totally confused by this guy and what the hell is he holding!?!? So long Troy! You were so awesome! (It was cold and rainy when we were there, so the ride was FLYING!) We stopped at Quick (in Belgium) for dinner I'm not going to lie, this was probably the best fast-food I've ever had. So, back at Stéphanie's apartment in Luxembourg, Louis passed out and the rest of us played Monopoly. Where Marc kicked all of our butts! Alex has to find food and a way back to Canada! Stéphanie doesn't know what to do! And someone stole my pizza! -Dainan "Next up, A day in Paris" Rafferty Edited February 1, 2009 by CycloneMan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JetsDevs4Lyf Posted February 4, 2009 Report Share Posted February 4, 2009 Troy looks pretty awesome. And since I've never done any what are the bike coasters like because they seem interesting but not sure how I'd feel about riding one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CycloneMan Posted February 4, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 4, 2009 Booster Bike was very shaky and just not fun IMO Check out this POV of Troy (It's not mine...Cameras aren't allowed on Troy) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JetsDevs4Lyf Posted February 4, 2009 Report Share Posted February 4, 2009 Troy really looks like a beast. My kind of ride for sure. Too bad about the bikes though as it seems like an interesting concept. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CycloneMan Posted February 4, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 4, 2009 (edited) January 18th, 2008 Paris On January 18th, we said good bye to Luxembourg and drove back to France. We had a enough Sausage snacks to last us a life time The highway had some random heads on the over pass... The French country side was beautiful Alex: "If we hit a deer here, does that mean we killed Bambi?" Yup, we're here at Davy Crockett's Ranch As you see, it was a ghost town! It was a little strange to be honest It looked like we were at a Six Flags park Though we were only there to get champagne from a friend that was holding it for us. Anyway, back to our day in Paris Notre Dame The following pictures were taken in the back of Louis' car, while he was trying to get a spot. Alex and I were climbing over each other trying to get pictures l'Elysee And this is what was left of Alex after he desperately had to go to the bathroom, and he jumped out of the car. We never saw him again.... Um....wtf!? The Metro was our friend of the day The Paris Metro reminded me of the DC Metro Um...guys....where are we? L'arc de Triomphe Much bigger than the one at Washington Square Park Up-skirt shot Luxembourg, represnt! The amount of Obama stuff in Paris was really suprising My sister wanted something from Louis Vuitton....so I got her a picture It follows you EVERYWHERE! Um...note taken! Yogurt and cheese as far as the eye can see! And then it rained "Bonjour Asterix! Ca va?" To escape the rain, we went to Galeries Lafayette WOW! Stunning, absolutely stunning This is my second favorite picture I took of the Eiffel Tower. We took the previous three photos from here. I couldn't resist Time to take the metro again. This time we found some amuzing adds This I thought was hilarious! "Stop massacring English" "Yes, I speak Wall Street English!" This just reminds me of a really bad Japanese add. We see you. We'll be there tomorrow What on earth is this bear doing? Marc and Louis on the Metro Alex and I on the Metro Interesting indoor strip GTFO! Too bad Marc couldn't get these back into Canada! There will be more about Banania later The representation of my people. Sigh We never did have a clear day in France come to think of it. Eiffel Tower credit, check! Alex, Marc, Louis and I This is, hands down, the best photo I have ever taken! Oh dear Up-skirt shot I have a terrible phobia of elevators, so getting me to the top of the Eiffel Tower was a handful, but I did it. Too bad it was night, and the pictures will never captivate how beautiful it was up here! French Cub This is how gangsta I am Haven't we seen this picture before? This is where Princess Diana was killed. How pleasant? Yum, dinner time! J'dore Paris I ate Foie Gras just to piss off my vegetarian mom! And it was good! So was my meal =) And my dessert =) This is Le Chateau de Mortefontaine at night. Louis' sister and her husband own the chateau, and let us stay there for one night. We were only allowed in two bedrooms, and half of the place had no electricity. We were also never inside the chateau in daylight, but overall, it was an amazing experience. Also, this was a total suprise to Alex and I This was the bed room where me and Louis slept. 2nd floor hallway. The kitchen Alex on one of the stair cases! The chateau was owned by Napoleon's brother. This is also where the Louisiana Purchase was signed Louis trying to hook the internet up. This was Alex's last night in Europe. He was excited to say the least. Marc was very happy to be there as well Me using Louis' laptop. Sadly, we never got interenet connection. Just a little look around! Did I mention this was a chateau! On this note. We said good night and went to sleep! -Dainan "Disneyland Paris, next" Rafferty Edited February 4, 2009 by CycloneMan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Master Posted February 4, 2009 Report Share Posted February 4, 2009 (edited) Nice pictures there! The French sure do have some odd things over there. L'arc de Triomphe looks alot like the National Memorial Arch at Valley Forge except it's alot bigger. Edited February 6, 2009 by The Master Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CycloneMan Posted February 24, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 24, 2009 (edited) Hey guys, I’m really sorry for not posting this sooner. I’ve had a lot of things come up recently in my life, and I just haven’t had the time for it. But a late PTR is better than no PTR, eh? January 19th, 2009 Disneyland Paris Welcome to early morning at Disneyland Paris. This is the Disney’s Newport Bay Club resort. On this date, it was just Marc and I. Alex was dropped off at the Airport to go back to Canada, and Louis had to work. So we got there an hour and a half before the parks opened. We decided to walk around the Disney Village We wanted to get food, but everything was over priced. Either we’re still at Toverland, or this is Rainforest Café. I love the crowds! I couldn’t resist We did some browsing, but no actual shopping. My mom saw this picture, and yelled at me for not getting her anything. Oops… Sorry Marc, check in isn’t till later Lol, wat More shopping….um…yay? Yea…I think I’m that cool! El Bandito A good example of me not knowing my camera settings They had every state except for New York…but they had Prince Edward’s Island!?!? Next time I’ll see the show Good to see that it’s not frozen today! ] Love. This. Castle. ZOMFG!!!!!!!!!! We lined up for the rope drop in Discoveryland, so we can be the first train out on Space Mountain But it was closed when we got there. So we headed to the other side of the park. From a Vekoma to an Intamin, we head to Adventureland for the worst coaster ever. Indiana Jones et le Temple du Péril This is me filming. Marc decided to sit out this one. (He’s ridden it before) This is my front row POV of the ride. The caves in Skull Isle were cool. We didn’t do it. That makes 3 Disney parks on my list so far! NOT FROZEN! What can be over here? Pirates of the Caribbean opened up from it’s refurb, just a few days before. They had the best station out of any of them I’ve been on This is the best POC I’ve ever been on Marc and I were offered a second ride, and we got our own boat. Next, we went over to Fantasyland to find Emmanuel. Dumbo! This is easily the most beautiful of the Magic Kingdoms! Over at Les Voyage de Pinocchio we found… Our friend Emmanuel! Yay! The back side of Sleeping Beauty’s Castle Looking up, something doesn’t seem right. This is what separates this castle from the others. You go upstairs and there’s stained glass and paintings. It was beautiful “Mon amour, Je t'ai vu au beau milieu d'un rêve” Totally awesome! Looking down, there’s an empty castle Looking outside, you see an empty Fantasyland. It’s like a real fantasy =) Go down stairs and a mystery awaits you! OH SNAP! It’s a dragon! Seriously, I can’t love this park anymore already Me in front of the castle. We got lunch at the Cowboy Cookout It’s nice to see free roaming characters again! Marc with the badass Chip and Dale. There is a reason behind this photo. Click the link below to find out. Big Thunder Mountain is coming right at us! AHHHHHH!!!!! I really liked that it is on its own island. They did really good with dispatch times on this one. I loved the theming of this place. Adventureland has a village theme, a jungle theme, and a pirate theme. It was really cool It works very well You’re not doing it right! This is not any other park! Genie welcomes you! It’s just a bunch of dioramas What I found interesting was that there was no Cast Member to watch over the guests. Au revoir! Edited February 24, 2009 by CycloneMan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CycloneMan Posted February 24, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 24, 2009 Next we headed over to Walt Disney Studios That explains a lot! You’re not doing it right! It may not be the best Tower of Terror, but it’s still fun. The queue is always nice. It just seems so much smaller than the two other TOTs I’ve been on. We were sent upstairs to our elevator. This is a bad photo, but this is me and Marc laughing because we put some annoying French girl in her place. We were waiting in line, and we’re talking about stuff in English. Well, these two French teenie boppers are behind us complaining about us in French. We’re annoying them, etc. Then one girl says to the other, “I bet they don’t even speak French!” I caught this and flashed my eyes to them, for Marc to notice. We start listening closer, and then Marc turns around, and in perfect French says, “So, have you girls ridden this ride before?” The girl looks at us and just stares with her mouth open. We just laughed and said stuff like, “Cette pute!” Moving on. This is the only picture I got of Armageddon Special Effects. Everyone kept telling me the pre-show is really lame, etc. But that’s all I knew about it. Needless to say, the attraction totally surprised me, and I was blown away. I wont ruin anything about it, but let me just tell you that this attraction is hot! Next up was Rock N Roller Coaster, except it went 101 on us. It did let me get some neat “coaster porn” pictures. Here’s the catch car that pulls the train down the launch track. The trains look a bit better than Florida’s Then the ride went 102 and re-opened. We ended up getting the “test train.” The test train launched at 70mph. It doesn’t stop accelerating at all on the launch track, and you can truly feel the difference through out the ride. Just ask my neck! And then it rained…shocking! I’m sorry, I just can’t like this park. I tried, I really did…but it’s the saddest excuse for a Disney park. Six Flags America puts this place to shame! We headed on over to Disneyland see if Space Mountain had reopened yet! Nope! So now I have two! Two closed international Space Mountain’s on my list. The other one was at Tokyo Disneyland, it was closed my entire visit in Japan. Star Tours time Walk-on is fine by me! This chart is unique to only Disneyland Paris This is why I love the off-season! I swore I heard rumbling from within the mountain! OUI!!!!!!!!! Sadly, it was only testing. Nautilus time Walking down into the depths of Captain Nemo’s Nautilus Another example of me not knowing how to use my camera settings. It was really cool. “Hey Florida! Remember me?” We headed back over to Space Mountain to see if it was reopened, but it wasn’t. Videopolis looks pretty interesting. So….we headed over to ride Indy again… The queue had some okay theming. We only went on it to pass the time for Space Mountain to open. Yea… This isn’t the best ride. Intamin copied the layout of the Pinfari TL59 coaster. Thus…it’s terrible. It’ll also send you to First Aid. Well Marc and I were boarding the wet train, Marc slid and banged his knee pretty hard against the seat divider. He rode the ride with a bloody knee and some nice bruises, and the Cast Members didn’t offer any assistance. Afterwards, we went over to Big Thunder Mountain. Where we got the first row. And no the moment we’ve been stalling for all evening! Space Mountain finally opened! “Rien ne saurait donner une idée de la détonation épouvantable de la Columbiad ni les éclats de la foudre, ni le fracas des éruptions!” The queue! Electro de Velocitor She was running smoother than she was the week before! You can tell that this photo is definitely not from this day. The reason I’m posting it now, is because I kind of lost it in Louis car, and was half-convinced I left it at Stéphanie’s house in Luxembourg. But I got it in the mail from Louis today, so now I’m posting it. So in this photo is, Emmanuel, me, Alex and Maxime, from our first day in Paris. Liberty Arcade It’s an indoor Main Street. The other side had “Discovery Arcade” I really got a kick out of it. If you didn’t know it was there, you might miss it. Disney beauty! I see this statue every day. I’m not going to lie, seeing this made me feel a bit home sick and depressed. Being this was my last night in Europe! Our final dinner was at a rotating Sushi bar outside of Disney. I now have three rotating Sushi bar credits: Tokyo, New York (my home) and now Paris. That doesn’t look very Japanese! -Dainan “Next up, last day” Rafferty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Master Posted February 24, 2009 Report Share Posted February 24, 2009 Nice PTR update, shame your friend got hurt on that Indy coaster that sounds lame. They should have built an Indy adventure ride instead like Disneyland has since that ride rocks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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