Matt 236

Most cheeky abandons experience for me was probably the first Nandos I had back in 2012 (yeah was a bit of a late starter I think) when I had one in my local Nandos in Watford with college mates and there was loads of chat and everything p,U.S. Some of us decided to put the very spicy sauce on our meals, one even nearly snorted it up his nose. Haven't been Nandos since Tpm Christmas, so probs due another visit soon.

I'm Looking forward to this meet, plus the new additions in Heartlake City should have also opened by then too. Does anyone know what the plans for what's happening get for the meal afterwards?

Out of interest, what's the easiest/cheapest way to get to Efteling and what hotel is best to stay in? Would 2 days cover the park?

A big Happy Birthday to TPM's wonderful cheese loving meet organiser Peaj

What a loverly video, Absolutely can't wait until this park reopens, this all sounds very exciting stuff and for me at the moment is probably the most exciting thing happening in the UK theme park industry (prior to thorpe' dark ride & SW8). Definitely hope to get down there this year at somepoint

Having recently been myself, I should hopefully answer your questions. 1/ A Disney annual pass is something I would strongly recommend buying. The fantasy is the one you should buy which costs €179 (less if anyone in your party is an existing pass holder) and if you're doing more than 2 days I would suggest getting this. Another reason being you get 10% discount I shops and restaurants plus you get magic hours in the main park from 8 which to avoid queues and get rides done in fantasy and discovery land is recommended. 2/ I haven't been to Asterix yet so cant say, but I think there's a way by getting a train to Paris then getting the metro system but I'm unsure I'm afraid. 3/ As long as you get the fantasy pass you should be ok, I bought mine on the day when I went and didn't have any problems. 4/ Once again I haven't done Asterix, but as long as it's not heaving there you should definitely get the main stuff done such as Oziris, Tonne De Zeus, Goudrix and a few others, 5/ Ok here's a few tips Try do crush in the morning If it's busy you get fast passes for big thunder and Indiana Jones (they're free) Get Ratatouille fast pass at the start or do it towards the end of the day Food wise, Planet Hollywood is decent and Earl Of Sandwich is great value for something easy Must do rides/ Disneyland Park: Big Thunder Mountain, Soace Mountain (if open), Star Tours, Buzz Lightyear, Phantom Manor, Disney Dreams closing show Studios: Ratatouille, Tower Of Terror, Crush, Rock N Roller Coaster Hope I helped you a bit

Europa Park looks amazing, how would you compare with Disneyland Paris? Yeah despite the major refurbishments in the main park, I thought there was a lot of life and atmosphere there. Small World is apparently the next major refurb after SM and then Big Thunder after Christmas for a year

Whilst I have strong intentions of going here(amongst others (you've probably seen)) and can do plane & trains and book stuff, It's not quite as easy for me currently due to home folks not condoning travelling on my own most of the time.I am gradually getting these parks done one by one. This year saw a major milestone reached (you know the one) and should things go my way next year, it will be an exciting year (and I don't mean Thorpe's new ride). If I had the powers to simply just book a weekend trip like that ( without personal constraints) I would've definitely done a good chunk of Europe parks in the last couple years.

The Dome will never leave, it's the park's centrepiece in many ways (after the rides) and is equivalent to something like the towers and sleeping beauty castle (but not quite as picturesque). With budgetiory reasons on top of this, I doubt the dome's going anywhere, unless it gets to a state of disrepair merlin won't invest in. Back on track, the changes made to fins look great and really add character to the place. Whilst it's not quite a patch on Disney, his shows that Merlin can do theming.

Play station

e4 (the channel that shows misfits)

Looks like I'm going be extremely envious then

Tag (old primary school games)

Part 6 is here to conclude the Disney & The Creek, featuring a short interview at the end. The end is here.

Professor Drunk will be there in spirit (I'll be drinking in Watford that evening after all)

tbh the way the park's going, they might need one eventually, but then with the green belt thing I doubt they will. In fact this year they have actually halved the main car park for hotel users, not a good move IMO. Chessington is just a game of tug of war at the moment.

Chestnuts

I won't be making this I'm afraid, as On top of father day, I'm working 2x Sunday & have a party on the Saturday. Have fun guys

Double Post [no one mentioned anything about Part 4], The fifth instalment of my Disneyland Paris Vlog is now up and ready, where the number in our parties goes up to 6. Part 6 will be coming tomorrow, tears at the ready

Bolt (Disney film)

I've decided I'm going to vote for the Matt Creek Party this year. Their manifesto says they plan to improve the economic situation by building more theme parks and experiences and they will improve transport structure by linking Glasgow and London by the worlds fastest roller coaster. They will help the housing crisis by building 100 themed hotels with 180 rooms, 70 which will be in London. One of their other policies is to scrap planning permission to replace it with a landscape alteration act which can only be revolver if it effects nature or pollution. Matt creek party it is for me.

Ok, Part Four of the trip is now up which features Ratatouille and the Dreams amongst other things.

What have I come in to? Back on topic, Southend is a decent little park with some decent rides such as Rage & Barnstormer and suite a lot of flats, it's not quite Thorpe but it's good.

Wow, that theming certainly does look spectacular, this ride almost seems to have appeared from nowhere.

Despite our slightly stumbly trip back from Mcdonalds, we made it back to the hotel in where Part 3 of the trip shall now entail. After a waking alarm at 7am, packing our bags and everything, we headed back to Disney, this time using Peajy Taxis instead of the train. During the 2nd day at the park, we gain a sixth person to our party, Sam [Lightyear93] as one of my sixth form mates was able to join us for the day [who is currently doing a placement in Paris]. He too has a Disney Pass. After failing to get my lovely chocolate croissant due an arrogant Frenchman in front at Mainstreet, I sadly had to settle for a normal bog standard one [though Alex kindly let me have a bite of his] where our first ride of the day would be Pinoccio's Daring Voyage. And what a loverly little dark ride it was. I've always had a soft spot for the Disney film [for some reason]. 7/10 better than the random knock off at Tivoli World. After giving a little whistle while we worked our way in Fantasy Land, we did the Snow White ride which was nearby. This was another exciting little dark ride which I really enjoyed and definitely had a lot more details and effects than what I had watched on POVs from ages ago and was very enjoyable, 7.5/10. I preffered the Snow White ride to the Pinoccio one, because I think it told the film's story just a little better and showed us more key scenes, eventhough the latter is a little higher on my list of favourite Disney films. In terms of all fantasy land dark ride, I would put Snow White first, with Pinoccio closely following second with Peter Pan third and it's A Small World unsurprisingly being fourth. We will take in a few shots of the Castle [because you can never see too much of the castle], before we check in to somewhere much different. We had problems with our hotel earlier one so were directed to this place which definitely looks a grand giant place. This Place sure looks like it hasn't been worked on for quite a while. It was moments later we were sent to the hotel's library where we waited for our rooms to be ready, just as the television suddenly turned on and told us about a strange incident that took place over 70 years, before we got sent to the service lift where we entered and left the Twilight zone. Twillight Tower of Terror is an absolutely fantastic attraction, highly immersive from beginning to end, starting with the creepy worn hotel foyer with the very much in character bell hoppers, the mysteriously themed library room, the eiry boiler plus the ride itself which is packed with some amazing scenes and effects on top of a drop sequence that upstages even Detonator, the weightless you feel is just amazing. I almost lost my Goofy hat my second go too Definitely the best ride at the resort, best drop tower I've done and my favourite dark ride which shoots straight up to number 1 on my dark ride top 10, where the result of the new credits of high quality dark rides on this trip have placed Hex down to 3rd. 11/10 Now on to an even bigger opinion splitter than Saw The Ride, Animagique. Alex hates this, but Peaj loves this, but what would I reckon to it? The show was alright. It was fun, it was cheesy and featured some good old fashion Disney fun with Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck and a string of other characters from Disney classics wrapped up in song and dance. It was very interesting how they did all the backdrops and transitions during the show and you can't fault a show that features Mickey in it. 6/10 I would much rather watch this on repeat all day than riding it's a Small World. During our time, we managed to experience Lights Motors Action, which was an absolutely amazing packed action show full of impressive stunts, effects and car chases featuring quite a few Vauxhal Astra cars [Adam's after us]. 7/10 Then It was Cinemagique which was an absolutely magical show, featuring the story of a man who answers his phone during the movie and is then sucked in to a reel of films from the ages including early black and white films, westerns and even Star Wars. There's also a Damsel in distress throughout the action too where both end up together through film. There's even a few touchy moments too including the end of Toy Story 3. 8/10 Next up was Rock N Roller Coaster, a ride which for me was definitely the most coherant to my occupation due to it's theme on being a music studio. Despite it's split opinions on this rides [some love it, others hate it], I really enjoyed this, from the music studio theme to the launch which felt similar to Rita's but far more pleasant. I love the light sequences and inversions on top of the synced audio throughout the ride which feels like a superior and thrilling equivalent to X at Thorpe [where similar statements about both ride's similarities have been made]. This was [and still is] Sam's favourite Disney ride which is no surprise really, however he wasn't too happy to learn that this ride in the future is set to be re themed in to A spider man coaster, when this will happen I don't know but reckon 2018 once the 25 anniversary celebrations start to wear off and focus comes back to improving the park's ride line-up. From a Rock Tour to a Tour Of Rocks, as we went on the Studio Tram Tour ride. It was an ok ride, nothing special really, very mediocre if I'm honest. The canyon effects with the truck was interesting and the London scenes were an ok distraction, but otherwise the ride was mostly forgetable, 3/10. We also did Armageddon later on. The actual main section of the attraction was pretty impressive, where youre very much in the centre of a working film set featuring loads of effects such as things from the side and ceiling moving and falling off plus several moments of fire interactions so close, you almost believe you're going to burn for the slightest of milliseconds. The pre show however ruined this for me as it was so boring and incoherent and one of the few moments in the day I felt underwjelmed. 4/10 [the preshow is that bad]. After this ride we went off to Planet Hollywood as we were all getting really hungry [the tour having not helped] to eat with the stars. Despite containg some pretty decent movie related theming inside, I was a little concerned at how this restaurant would turn out having read some negative reviews on there recently. However luckilly we had a very good meal, the food was much better than expected although in some cases a little smaller than expected, the burger I had there was excellent. The guy serving us was very friendly and a right laugh, asking if all of us were having a lads holiday thing or something and quesitoning why we went Disney, before we explained why, such a fun restaurant. After this, it was time to parade out of the planetarium structure back in to Disneyland Park in time to catch the daily parade [after Peaj did some pintrading]. I didn't take as many pictures as I had originally hoped [probably because I was filming and the weather was pretty miserable at this moment in time].. Absolutely loved the parade, it's a staple activity for any trip to Disney long or short and is such a great sight seeing all the characters from Pinoccio to Frozen and Disney mascots with all the performers looking so happy and enthusiastic [and as one would hope]. I also love the soundtrack too. After this, we paraded back to the Studios and did Crush's Coaster which proved to be the longest wait of the ride at 60 minutes which in the end we just went for [high popularity+ Low Throughput= Forest Fire]. The first queuing section of the ride is a fairly dull cattlepen [least it;s undercover and features the odd bit of theming], but the indoors bit of the queue is much better due to the range of extensive theming and the Seagulls with their famous catchphrase. Whilst Cattlepen's, Low throughputs and long waits don't often indicate great rides, this was actually fantastic. I loved the interactive elements in the ride and spinning of the car on top of the numerous twists and turns throughout the circuit. This is probably my favourite spinning coaster now [topping even fury just], probably helped that Finding Nemo is another film I strongly enjoy. 9/10 [if it weren't for the queue and throughput I might have given it 10]. From one PIxar land to another, we headed to Pixar play land to get a ride on RC Racer. Sam poses with Buzz and Buzz Lightyear, The Rc Racer queue line is very well themed, it's a lot like a giant Scalextric track and builds up the ride quite well. Until you reach the indoor cattlepen, least it's still themed though. Rc Racer was a ride I really enjoyed, I loved the ride when it got to the high points during the ride as it offered a bit of air time each moment it did this, shame it was a bit on the short side, 7/10. We didnt do the parachute drop or slinky dog due to lack of time so moved on to something new. [imghttps://fbcdn-sphotos-d-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xtf1/v/t1.0-9/11102662_948259215224775_6943918262360886461_n.jpg?oh=7685b2d40106df07c57ba166da4b4a85&oe=55DE2122&__gda__=1440660089_e78f3cdac430b41c58eece2a8f04b6d0[/img] Off to experience the park's latest addition Ratatouille, when approaching the ride you the attraction's own dedicated courtyard which features beautifully themed facade's to the ride and parisian style paving on top of a very picturesque centrepiece fountain. The queueline like most studios rides starts off rather cattle penny but for some reason feels more bearable queuing than most, maybe due to the atmospheric music, posters and bits of theming that are present in the surrounding areas, but then indoors again it becomes much more interesting due to the heavily themed Parisian rooftop style scenery and the interactive Gusteu who comes to life every few minutes in the queue. Ratatouiee for me is a very good dark. Whilst it doesn't quite top Tower & Pirates for me, it is overall a very fun interactive with lots of different features which work to a degree where it makes you feel like you're completely in the action from the kitchen chase to the exploding champagne bottle. 9/10 We entered the shop which like most at Disney is heavily themed plus featuring plenty of merchandise along the way too.It was also here Alex learned his disappointment on how he could've bought his Ratatouille hat for a cheaper price. The Studios Park had now closed for the day and from this moment onwards, I slowly got more of a feeling that the end was nearing, my magical trip to Disney was much nearer to the end. After this we went back to the main park and did another ride on Buzz Lightyear, Sam beat by quite a margin and Peaj dressed as Buzz with the mask and startled quite a few people in the ride's exit. Then we did it's a small world again [the horror] and in the process we had just missed our last chance at getting rides on Casey Jr & The Canal Boats as it was no 8pm. As we planned to leave the park around 9pm [before the crowds rounded up for another viewing of Dreams], we had around just an hour left to experience the magic of Disney and so it was decided we would experience two park staples once more, Pirates & Big Thunder. Pirates was amazing as ever [despite getting the slight stacking thing towards the end again] whilst despite appearing to have capacity problems as just one station was being used, Big Thunder was an excellent end to the trip featuring it's amazing layout in the twilight. Once our ride one Big Thunder was up, so was the Disney magic as it was time to prepare for the long journey back home. After slowly walking through the now lit streets of Main street for the last time this trip, Tom & I shopped around for merchandise in World Of Disney whilst Peaj and the others got food from the earl to eat just before our trip home. The World Of Disney shop is a massive place with loads of merchandise where I spent a good 90 euro or so on things to buy. One thing I have realised since going to Disney is unlike the uk parks, the big gift shops don't sell all the park merchandise so sadly I'll have to get a tower of terror and Rock N roller t-shirt on another visit. And once out of the shop, I said farewells to Sam who left just before us to get a train back to Paris and then reunited with Peaj & co. to eat my last Disney meal, an Earl Of Sandwich which was absolutely delicious and prepped me well for the long journey back. After final loo breaks and filling petrol up at the park's petrol station, we all headed off in the car watching Disneyland Paris slowly vanish and disappear in to the darkness with the smallest of tear in my eyes as the magic was over and we drove back to Calais ready to return to the real world. How Does Disneyland Paris Compare to everything in the UK so far? The park is amazing, it features heavy immersive theming, a great selection of rides, lots of shows and entertainment and decent park hours. Whilst the park has it's fair share of faults, the main park is in the middle of a parkwide refurbishment with scaffolding and closed attractions everywhere and the Studios seems to be an extreme of rides that are excellent such as Tower or poor such as Trams & Armageddon, I hate to admit it but the place wipes the floor with most of the uk offering. The overall magic of disney full of characters, theming and interaction verses the secondary full of rundown, mediocre themed and over kill of cattlepens can't be compared to what's just over the english channel.Then again, Disney has a much bigger budget for about everything, has the privilege of owning much more land and having much less hassling building issues such as landscape and noise pollution due to it's area. The uk themeparks however still win for me in the following categories though: Park Wifi Park Toilets They're easier to get to [mostly] So until my hopeful return here in September, I say Goodbye and head in to the sunlight of the real world once more.