Globetrotting: to Disneyland Paris and back with TCD

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

It seems like a lot of you are as excited to get to Disneyland Paris as we were.

 

So, let's get out of London and get there.

 

There were certainly much cheaper ways for us to have gotten from London to Disneyland Paris, but I had heard so much about the Eurostar train that we had to try it.

 

Like with a lot of things, I could have done it a lot cheaper had I purchased my tickets well in advance, but this piece of the puzzle came very late in the planning process.  As I said already, once I got the Disneyland Paris quotes from Jason, I had written off the idea, and we were just going to take a flight from London to Paris, and perhaps take a day trip from there.

 

But, once I found the deal, I had to get us to Disneyland Paris.  Fortunately, there was availability on the train.  Unfortunately, the tickets set us back $175 a piece.  One way.  But, we would get a meal out of the deal, and get to ride a high speed train through the Chunnel, and be delivered right to Disneyland Paris.  I was up for that.

 

Our train was scheduled to depart at 10:15.  I was paranoid that we'd miss it, so we got there a bit early.  Better safe than sorry.  We were checked in and in the waiting area by 9:06, according to this photo:

 

 

Traveling from one country to another in Europe is a lot easier and hassle free than I thought it would be.  I thought that there were immigration and customs checks, but when we left Ireland, and now when we were leaving England, we basically just went through security, showed our passports, and we were good to go.  It was hard to tell, but I think we actually were cleared by the French authorities by a guy at this train station, because we never had to show our passports again when we arrived.

 

The waiting area in the train station was pretty nice:

 

 

And the time passed quickly.  Before long, they were calling us to board.  We reported to our train car, and found our seats.  Here we are ready to leave London:

 

 

When I booked our tickets, I booked us one level above the basic level.  That let me choose our seats, and came with a meal that would be served to us.  I had read a tip on line that it's nice for people traveling together to get seats that face each other and a table, so that's what I booked us.  But, that meant one of us would have to ride backwards the whole way.  I think I would have been fine, but I didn't want to take a chance of getting carsick, so after a bit, I moved to an empty forward facing seat behind our seats.  This is a photo of the family seated across the aisle from us.  They were nice, but they had never taught their kid about using his "inside" voice, and he was loud!:

 

 

The train was amazing.  The ride was incredibly smooth and quiet, and we zipped through the Chunnel before we knew it.  DD was using up the data plan I bought her for the trip by making Snapchats, and there's an ap on there that shows how fast you're traveling.  At one point, we were going 180 mph, and I swear if you closed your eyes, you wouldn't even know you were moving.  The scenery just flew by:

 

 

After we entered France, the train crew came by with our breakfast:

 

 

They like their bread in France.

 

I thought our trip would be non-stop, but we did stop a couple of times to pick up passengers at stations that we passed. That was no big deal.  We were never stopped for long.  I snapped this photo at one stop:

 

 

You could get up and walk around the train, and I did. There was a full bar in one car, and a few folks were hanging out there.  It was too early for me, plus I was going to be driving soon, so I passed on the bar.  I did stop at the Loo, though:

 

 

Isn't that cute?

 

BTW- note that they are calling it the Privy here.  We actually never head anyone call a bathroom "the Loo" the entire time we were in London.

 

As we zoomed through France, we were happy to see that we were again blessed by another nice day of weather:

 

 

The trip from London to Disneyland Paris is 2 hours and 42 minutes, according to the ticket.  But, we passed through a time zone, so our arrival time was 13:57 local time (they use what we call military time in Europe).  That's 1:57 to you civilians.

 

When the train came to a grinding halt, I was surprised that we were already there, but when I saw a familiar looking balloon out the window, I knew that we were:

 

 

I knew that the train station was close to Disneyland, but it's more than close.  It is literally right at the park entrance.  Like,  the train station is closer than the parking lot, if you can believe that.  Good deal for those arriving by train.

 

But, we weren't going to the parks just yet.  First, we needed to check in at Davy Crockett Ranch.  That meant I had to find the Hertz counter.

 

In researching the trip, I learned that Hertz has an office right in the train station.  That sounded easy, so I booked with them.  I'm a USAA member (thanks Dad), and I was able to use a code provided by them to get a discount on the rental.  Today was a Sunday, and since we were just going to stay two nights, I wouldn't be returning the car until Tuesday.  That meant I had to pay for a three day rental.  I knew we wouldn't be driving all that much- just back and forth from Davy Crockett Ranch- so I went for the smallest and cheapest rental I could.  I got a rate of $98 for a 3 day rental with unlimited kilometers (they don't say mileage over there), which I thought was great.

 

Sure enough, the Hertz counter was right there, just a floor above where we got off the train, and I walked right up to the counter and was immediately helped- no line!  Awesome.

 

The Hertz representative just needed my driver's license, passport and credit card, and began to process my paperwork.  It was that easy.  That surprised me.  I've heard of international drivers licenses and such.  It turns out you don't need one.  And, they didn't even ask me for proof of insurance or anything.

 

So, basically, it's easier and cheaper to rent a car in France than it is to rent a golf cart at Fort Wilderness.

 

While the Hertz agent was processing my paperwork, another customer came up to the counter.  It was a man traveling alone, and he had obviously done this before, as he just plopped his passport and driver's license on the counter while the Hertz agent finished with me.   When the man put his documents down, I glanced at them, and saw that he had a Florida driver's license.  I said hello to him, and told him that we were from Florida too.  We had a little chat then, and it turns out that the guy was an engineer employed by Disney who was here to check on a water treatment plant.  What a cool job he has. I told him that my two younger daughters had just completed the Disney College Program, and were about to do a second one at Disneyland.  He said he had started with the company via the Disney College Program, which was good to hear.  He asked us where we were staying, and he said that he had heard that there was a big construction project going on out by Davy Crockett Ranch.  Uh oh.  That was news to me.  He said not to worry about it- he was staying at a golf resort near there, and the construction was in the area of the resort, not at the resort.

 

We were only at the Hertz counter for a little while, and then the agent handed me my rental contract and keys, and told me that the car was parked and ready to go in the parking garage right around the corner. And it was.

 

Here's our ride- it's a Fiat Panda.  If they have these in the US, I haven't heard of them.  It was much larger and nicer than what I expected:

 

 

As soon as I got in, I got a little surprise- the car had a stick shift.  I haven't driven a manual transmission car in over 20 years, but I guess it's like riding a bike- you don't forget.  It actually ended up being a lot of fun, and I only forgot the clutch once or twice on the way to Davy Crockett Ranch.

 

Aside from a bit of gear grinding, the drive to the ranch was quick and easy.  I think there was just one traffic light the whole way, and a couple of traffic circles.  But, I learned to drive in Jersey, so a French traffic circle was kid's play.

 

I don't think it took more than 15 minutes for us to find the entrance to Davy Crockett Ranch, and I started to drive in, waiting for the glorious arch and Musket Mickey to come in to view.  When we saw it, I planned to pull over and pose for a photo.  I was probably the most excited that I had been on this trip so far.

 

As we drove in, we saw the construction project the man at the Hertz counter told us about.  It was hard to miss- driving in to Davy Crockett Ranch felt more like we were driving into a construction zone than we were driving in to a resort.  There were construction fences up on both sides of the entrance road, and we could see big cranes towering behind them.  Oh well, as long as it was just here around the entrance, that wasn't a big deal.  So, we kept driving.  Right up to the guard shack.  But wait.  Where was Musket Mickey?

 

I am sorry to say that the big sign and Musket Mickey along with it were not there.

 

Some guy dressed in construction gear "greeted" us at the guard shack.  He didn't have on a CM name badge.  He was dressed like a construction worker.  He asked for my photo ID and my reservation papers.  I wasn't ready to show my reservation papers, so I had to dig those out .  He studied them with a scowl on his face, and let me pass.  No "welcome home," no nothing.  Not very magical so far.

 

And this is why I have no photos of our arrival to Davy Crockett Ranch.  We had driven in and past the construction mess before we knew what was happening.

 

We pulled up to the Reception building.

 

A sign outside said that only one member of each party should come inside.

 

That meant DD had to wait in the car, while I went in.

 

I had read complaints about slow check-in's here, and I was worried what the one person per party policy meant. but that worry was dispelled as soon as I entered the reception area and saw that it wasn't very busy, and there were plenty of CM's on duty:

 

 

Kind of looks like the Fort, doesn't it?

 

Check-in went fine.  I had a nice young man, who spoke excellent English.  He was efficient, and I have no complaints about that.  He noticed that I was from Florida and was curious about Disney World.  I told him I knew it well, and that I was most looking forward to seeing how Davy Crockett Ranch compared to Fort Wilderness.  "What is deez Fort Wilderness?," he asked.  I was shocked.  The guy had never heard of it.  I told him about it.  He said it sounded nice.  I couldn't wrap my head around the fact that I was speaking to a young man who was trained and employed to work at Davy Crockett Ranch, and had never heard a word about Fort Wilderness.

 

As I exited the check-in building, I snapped this photo looking back toward the guard shack:

 

 

If we zoom in on that photo, you can see that the entry area is bordered by construction fences, and there's a big construction trailer there on the right behind the fence.  You can also see the thuggish security guard/construction worker who was working the guard shack:

 

 

Here's a look at the reception building- there's another construction fence there on the other side of the building:

 

 

So far, this was not going the way I had expected it to.  There was no Musket Mickey, and the construction surrounding us detracted from the wilderness feel I was hoping for.

 

But, we were here, and we would make the best of it.

 

We pulled around the building, toward a security gate that required a code.  There was a short line of cars waiting there, as the genius at the front tried to get the gate to open:

 

 

And not to complain, but check out the nice construction fences and bulldozer that were here to welcome us to the ranch.

 

We waited and waited. There was no CM there to resolve the issue, and the genius in front actually left his car and ran back to the reception area to get the code.

 

Magical.

 

And let's stop for a minute and ask why this gate was even here when they had the thug up front scrutinizing who was coming in?  That's easy.  That thug apparently worked for the construction company, and that shack was also where construction workers would be coming in to the area.  They apparently went through the construction fences somewhere to get to the work sites, while the Davy Crockett Ranch guests had to enter their code to get into the resort area.

 

Magical.

 

Despite all the complaining I do, I really am a "glass is half full" kind of guy, and while I didn't like any of this, I wasn't about to let it ruin our trip. 

 

The genius who forgot his code came back, and we all made it through.

 

Here's a map to show you where we're going.  We were assigned to the 200 loop:

 

 

It's quite a long drive from the reception area back to the loops- much longer than the drive at the Fort.  Along the way, we ran into a stretch of the road that was confined to just one lane, and had automated lights at either end making traffic stop so that oncoming traffic could pass.  We had to wait about three minutes for that.  There was a crew digging up the side of the road to lay pipe.  Again, not real magical.

 

But, everything was fine when we pulled into our loop.  It was a lot like the cabin loops at the Fort.  We drove around to our cabin, and we were here!:

 

 

I was happy with how things looked- we had a grill, and lots of trees and privacy:

 

 

This is the main room- there was that couch, and a nice table with six chairs.  You can see one of the bedrooms through the open door:

 

 

Yes, I said one of the bedrooms.  There were two.  This is the second one:

 

 

In addition to the three single beds you see, there's a trundle bed under one of the beds, so this bedroom has four single beds in it.

 

The kitchen was small, and not as well appointed as the kitchens in the Fort Wilderness cabins, but it had everything you need:

 

 

Note the full size dishwasher, but no oven.  That's a little strange.

 

They had both a full sized coffee maker and one of those electric kettles that people in Europe apparently love:

 

 

This is the inside of the other bedroom - I would say that's a queen sized bed:

 

 

This bedroom has an attached bathroom with a sink, toilet and shower.

 

Here's a look at the refrigerator and freezer- the doors to the right are the entry area, and you can see the deck outside.  The door on the left is for the other bathroom- which is a split design. There's a toilet and sink in that room, and another sink and a shower across the hall:

 

 

Here's a look at the deck, and the TV mounted on the wall:

 

 

There is a cabinet and a built-in desk area there next to the TV:

 

 

The porch had a nice big picnic table and plenty of trees:

 

 

This view really reminds me of the Fort:

 

 

That window you see there is in the front bedroom- there were a lot of window in the cabin:

 

 

So what do you think?

 

I loved the cabin.  It felt a lot more like a trailer than the Fort Wilderness cabins, but I loved the lay-out,  A cabin like this would have been great for my family when our kids were smaller- one room and bathroom for the kids, and another for mom and dad.  And two bathrooms!  

 

We went ahead and dropped our bags in the cabin, and then headed out.

 

We had three day park passes burning a hole in our pocket, and we needed to go!

 

Of course, I took the long way out.  The day was pretty, and I wanted to get some photos of the rest of the ranch just in case the weather wasn't good for the rest of the trip.

 

So up next, we will see Crockett's Tavern.  And the Trading Post.  And the Bike Barn.

 

Yipee!

 

TCD

[dblr....Rennie 224]

WOW!!!!!!!! Looks really nice so far. the train ride sounded good also, wonderful trip so far.

[Beckers 1,136]

It is comforting to me that even though I have been gone from FF a lot, and have missed out on so much, your selfies still suck. The familiarity of it makes me feel right at home.

Carry on.

That's hilarious.

[Travisma 1,317]

 thought our trip would be non-stop, but we did stop a couple of times to pick up passengers at stations that we passed. That was no big deal.  We were never stopped for long.  I snapped this photo at one stop:

 

I'm betting less time then it takes to get the MK tram moving from the time you get on till the time it actually leaves!

[wdwpoohbear...Jennifer 40]

Too bad there was so much construction at the front there.  And boo on no Musket Mickey!  But, the cabins are really nice.  Can't wait to see the rest!

[Momof6....aka Marty 769]

I am curious about the "free cleaning kit" you can get by showing the map at the Alamo Trading Post Shop.

 

 

 

 

[Momof6....aka Marty 769]

Ghost.  But since I am here, isn't Trading Post Shop redundant?

[DaveInTN 3,247]

Well that was a disappointing update.  

 

No Musket Mickey?

 

Construction?

 

Security gate snafus?

 

And trailers masquerading as cabins? 

 

Are you sure you weren't at the Fort?

[Family of Bears 98]

I googled. I'm so ashamed

This is amazing. Awesome report so far.

[Memphis 105]

IS that 2 different 4 digit gate codes or 1 9 digit?   Why 2 codes or why such a long code?  The cabins look very utilitarian inside but in a nice surrounding.  Are the building an abomination there too or is the construction to benefit the resort?   

[mouseketab.....Carol 1,261]

Like it!!! Although, I think they are missing a big market by not having a "caravan" park

[CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 547]

How did you get around inside the Ranch?  Were you able to drive your car?  I don't see any bus stops on the map.

 

(Marty, behave yourself!)

[Momof6....aka Marty 769]

 

(Marty, behave yourself!)

As if!   :rofl2:

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

WOW!!!!!!!! Looks really nice so far. the train ride sounded good also, wonderful trip so far.

 

Yes, aside from the construction mess, it was nice.

 

And I loved the train ride.  I highly recommend it for the next time you find yourself in London and want to go to Disneyland Paris.

 

That's hilarious.

 

I see how it is.

 

 thought our trip would be non-stop, but we did stop a couple of times to pick up passengers at stations that we passed. That was no big deal.  We were never stopped for long.  I snapped this photo at one stop:

 

I'm betting less time then it takes to get the MK tram moving from the time you get on till the time it actually leaves!

 

LOL.

 

That's the truth.  Those WDW trams drive me nuts.  How many times do they say no further boarding, then play the safety spiel, then let more guests on, and then say no further boarding?

 

Let's go already!

 

The Eurostar runs on a tight schedule.  They stop, and you get on or you don't.  They're going to leave when they're supposed to either way.

 

Too bad there was so much construction at the front there.  And boo on no Musket Mickey!  But, the cabins are really nice.  Can't wait to see the rest!

 

I am sorry to tell you that we have just begun to see the extent of the construction.

 

I was and am still sad that I didn't get to see Musket Mickey.

 

But we ended up enjoying our stay. 

 

I am curious about the "free cleaning kit" you can get by showing the map at the Alamo Trading Post Shop.

 

Great minds think alike.

 

I was curious too.

 

What's a free cleaning kit, and why couldn't they give it to me at check in or leave it in the cabin?

 

I had to find out.

 

And I did.

 

And so will you.

 

When we get there.

 

Ghost.  But since I am here, isn't Trading Post Shop redundant?

 

There's a lot of stuff like that in France.  Especially when they're trying to sound American.

 

Well that was a disappointing update.  

 

No Musket Mickey?

 

Construction?

 

Security gate snafus?

 

And trailers masquerading as cabins? 

 

Are you sure you weren't at the Fort?

 

You need to add Idiot Managers to that list.

 

You're right- the idiots who run this place must have been imported from America.

 

I saw a lot of dumb stuff.

 

And, it appears that Davy Crockett Ranch is the red-headed step child of the Disneyland Paris resorts, just like the Fort is at WDW.

 

I googled. I'm so ashamed

This is amazing. Awesome report so far.

 

Did you find anything interesting?

 

The Disneyland Paris website is woefully deficient in providing Davy Crockett Ranch information. 

 

It's almost like they don't want guests to stay there.

 

IS that 2 different 4 digit gate codes or 1 9 digit?   Why 2 codes or why such a long code?  The cabins look very utilitarian inside but in a nice surrounding.  Are the building an abomination there too or is the construction to benefit the resort?   

 

I admire your powers of observation, Harold.

 

Yes, there are two codes.  They change the code every Monday.  Since we checked in on a Sunday, we had one code to use that day, and another for the rest of the stay.

 

Utilitarian is a good name for the cabins.  They felt very European- like they had been furnished by Ikea or something.  But, the surroundings were great, and I have lots of photos to share of those.

 

Good question about the construction. I eventually found out what's going on.  I'll get to that later in the report, after I give you a good look at everything

 

Like it!!! Although, I think they are missing a big market by not having a "caravan" park

 

 I agree.

 

I saw a lot of RV's in the Disneyland Paris parking lot, and word is that they let guests overnight there.

 

It's definitely something I would consider doing now that I've seen a bit of what it's like driving there.

 

TCD

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

How did you get around inside the Ranch?  Were you able to drive your car?  I don't see any bus stops on the map.

 

(Marty, behave yourself!)

 

Great question.

 

That reminds me of part of the conversation I had with the young man who checked me in.  I asked him about renting a golf cart or bicycle.  He said that was a great idea, but they didn't do that.  What about the Bike Barn, I asked him.  He then told me it was closed.

 

So, you get around by walking, or driving.  They have a parking lot in the "village," which is what they call what we know as the Settlement.

 

Thanks for trying to get Marty to behave, but you and I both know that's a lost cause.

 

As if!   :rofl2:

 

See what I mean?

 

TCD

[dvccamper 32]

I like the design of the cabins but I can't say I like the decor. Great though for families with kids.

My sister in law is from Europe and she claims that that its only we Americans that refer to it as the Chunnel. Is she right?

[Seals 111]

The cabins look very cute.

 

I have a question and I know I could look it up, but it's so much easier just to ask you. How far is Disneyland Paris from the actual Paris? And related questions -- if the train pulls up right near the front gate (how cool is that!) does it go through Paris on the way there? Or does one take a different train if one wants to go to the actual Paris?

 

I'm waiting for you to announce that they are building a Four Seasons resort abomination right there next to Davy Crockett Ranch.

 

And LOL at you thinking a 4ish year old boy even HAS an indoor voice. 

[Littleolwoman.aka.Kristie 119]

Nice cabins. They need to paint trees and a landscape design on the construction walls ; 0). The guard at the gate is odd. I would not have liked giving him any info on my stay. The cabins are really nice. I too like the separate bedrooms.

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

I like the design of the cabins but I can't say I like the decor. Great though for families with kids.

My sister in law is from Europe and she claims that that its only we Americans that refer to it as the Chunnel. Is she right?

 

You are right about the décor.  It was seriously lacking. 

 

I think your sister-in-law might be right, I never heard anyone say Chunnel.

 

The cabins look very cute.

 

I have a question and I know I could look it up, but it's so much easier just to ask you. How far is Disneyland Paris from the actual Paris? And related questions -- if the train pulls up right near the front gate (how cool is that!) does it go through Paris on the way there? Or does one take a different train if one wants to go to the actual Paris?

 

I'm waiting for you to announce that they are building a Four Seasons resort abomination right there next to Davy Crockett Ranch.

 

And LOL at you thinking a 4ish year old boy even HAS an indoor voice. 

 

I think they say that Disneyland Paris is about 20 miles from the city of Paris.  It's about a half hour train ride on a train that makes stops along the way.  There are also shuttle services that run back and forth from the airport.  I think it's like a 45-60 minute drive, as the airport is on the other side of Paris.  I don't think the Eurostar train we were on went through the city, but there are routes that do.

 

I will be explaining later what's going on next to Davy Crockett Ranch.  I haven't come up with a name for it yet, but it looks like the word abomination is the same in French, so that might be as good a name as any.

 

You are probably right about 4 year old boys.  And girls.  LOL.

 

Nice cabins. They need to paint trees and a landscape design on the construction walls ; 0). The guard at the gate is odd. I would not have liked giving him any info on my stay. The cabins are really nice. I too like the separate bedrooms.

 

Yes, the cabins are nice.  I agree that they're a bit plain, but it as fine for us.  They were very clean, which is maybe the most important thing.

 

TCD

[Dalspot ... Karen 21]

You know, there is NO better way to travel than by train ... Least not in my book. :)

 

There were certainly much cheaper ways for us to have gotten from London to Disneyland Paris, but I had heard so much about the Eurostar train that we had to try it.

 

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

How about another batch of Davy Crockett Ranch photos?

 

OK.

 

We are on our way out to the parks.

 

But, like I said earlier, I wanted to get some outside shots today while it was nice out, just in case.

 

This shot was taken from in front of our cabin, looking toward the end of the loop:

 

 

It was kind of weird that it seemed like almost every driveway around us was empty:

 

 

 

We initially thought that we were placed on an empty loop.  But, when we came back that night, every single driveway was full.  DD pointed out that everyone has to drive to the parks here, and that is what everyone did.  There's not point hanging around the ranch during the day- there's not a whole lot to do.

 

The trash cans are themed, but above ground:

 

 

I really liked the forest feel of the ranch- it was very different from the swampy feel of the Fort:

 

 

We had a good driveway.  I found out another day, when I accidentally parked at the wrong cabin, that some of the driveways are much shorter:

 

 

These were are 3 day park hopper tickets.  Good old paper tickets.  Like the good old days at WDW:

 

 

Here's something I found annoying- in order to be able to turn the lights on in the cabin, we had to insert our key and turn it.  That way we couldn't leave the lights on when we left.  They only gave us one key.  So, that was a pain:

 

 

Here's the instructions we were supposed to follow in case of emergency- note that the logo they're using here is not Musket Mickey:

 

 

From here, we headed out to the parks.

 

But,  first, I had to make a little detour to check out the village area.  We drove there, and I parked, and took a quick walk around.

 

This big building is their answer to Pioneer Hall- it houses Crockett's Tavern as well as the indoor swimming pool:

 

 

I give the groundskeepers an A+:

 

 

This area looked like it used to be nice.  Unfortunately, half of it was walled off:

 

 

There was a map posted here that told me what was supposed to be where:

 

 

I zoomed in on the area where we are so we can all orient ourselves:

 

 

Here's the guide to the numbers on the map:

 

 

Davy's Farm and the Bike Barn were behind that wall.

 

The Trading Post wasn't behind a wall, but it was hidden behind this scaffolding:

 

 

At least it was open, though. I knew we'd be back here, so I didn't stop in there on this quick look around.  Don't worry, I have photos of the inside to share later.

 

You can see the sign for the Bike Barn on the left in this photo- it looks like they're fixing up and improving this area.  Too bad for me they were doing it now:

 

 

Here's another look at the Bowie's Bike Barn sign, and what looks to be a new building on the other side of the wall.  Note how the lampposts here are very similar to what they use at the Fort:

 

 

Here's Crockett's Tavern- it was open and operating.  Well, not at that particular moment.  As far as I could tell, they only serve dinner there.  We will be back here tomorrow night to try it:

 

 

This is the entrance for both Crockett's Tavern and the pool:

 

 

While Disney has worked very hard to remove all native American images and references from the Fort, they have no problem with those images here:

 

 

If you're curious about the pool, check back,   I packed my swimming trunks, and we will be taking a dip a bit later in this report.

 

I never really associated Davy Crockett with longhorn cattle, but they do here- I guess it's OK since Davy did end up in Texas:

 

 

This is the information board. We will be back to study this later:

 

 

The playground was not fenced off, and is at the end of this path.  And if you look close, there's a genuine totem pole on display down there.  Once again, we will be back for a closer look later:

 

 

That's it for the quick look.  Now, I'm heading back to the car.  Look at those beautiful flowering bushes over there.  They were like azaleas, but a little different.  Maybe rhododendron?  It was weird to see them in full bloom in the middle of May, our azaleas were done blooming by early March this year. Paris is pretty far north:

 

 

It was 3:40 when I took that last photo.  From there, we loaded up, and drove slowly out of the ranch and toward Disneyworld Paris.

 

it was 3:54 when I took this photo- so 14 minutes.  And, I'll bet 4-5 minutes of that was spent getting out of the ranch:

 

 

Um

 

WE ARE AT DISNEYLAND PARIS!:

 

 

Is anyone else excited?

 

Next up, we will see all that we can see in an afternoon and evening.

 

And we will enjoy a dinner at the Plaza restaurant.

 

It's good to be TCD.

 

TCD

[dvccamper 32]

I'm excited! I literally have NO idea what they have here. And I refuse to google it, your TR is more fun if I don't know what to expect.

[DaveInTN 3,247]

It's interesting seeing all the Davy Crockett stuff in France.  His name is pretty prominent around here.  While most people relate him to Texas, he was actually from Tennessee and has a huge legacy here in state parks, schools, community centers and a county all named after him.  Although most everything named after him here is named "David Crockett" rather than Davy.  He went by the name David throughout his life, but it was after his death at the Alamo that writers and journalists created the larger than life persona of Davy, which culminated with Disney's tv show back in the day.  

[parrothead7368 aka Norm 101]

I was already looking at prices. LOL

 

Best Regards,

Norm

[Momof6....aka Marty 769]

I'm excited! I literally have NO idea what they have here. And I refuse to google it, your TR is more fun if I don't know what to expect.

Ditto!  

 

:popcorn: