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Hello everyone,
In my continued effort to catch up on my reports, today I am going to share with you my photos from our amazing experience at the Disneyland Resort Thanksgiving Banquet.
The Thanksgiving Banquet was held on Thanksgiving day, November 2017, at the Disneyland Hotel. The Banquet was held in one of the main ballrooms, and required pre-booking at least 60 days in advance.
The main reason for us wanting to attend this experience is because in previous years they have had some really neat characters. While we didn't get anyone super rare at this one, there was a really good number of characters in attendance, including many of our favourites.
The food was pretty good, and was buffet style. We did have a server who brought drinks and saw to any requests we had. The buffet food was pretty good, and while there wasn't anything amazing for vegetarians, there was enough for us to eat.
For the money we paid (and while I don't recall the exact cost right now, it was certainly less than $100 per person), it was exceptionally good value. The sheer number of characters and the amount of time we spent there (at least four hours!), and the quality and quantity of the food, made it well worth it. Regular character meals can easily cost upwards of $60 per person these days, and the fact there were 18 characters at this meal made it phenomenally good value.
My only complaint is that the character lines were long (you lined up, as opposed to them coming to you), and they rotated without guarantee who you would get - hence why we spent four hours there! It took us three attempts of standing in line to get Horace, which was a little frustrating. However, the backgrounds were really nice, and well themed for Thanksgiving/fall.
Since it was several months ago now, I won't say anything more - so please enjoy these photos!
[ Read More... ] |
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Hello everyone,
This week's restaurant review is about one of Jon and I's absolute favourites at any Disney Park or Resort - Inventions at the Disneyland Hotel in Disneyland Paris.
Inventions is situated on the second floor (European, or third floor to Americans), in the main "hub" area (known as Main Street Lounge), of the deluxe Disneyland Hotel.
The Disneyland Hotel is hard to miss, as it serves not only as the resort's flagship hotel, but also as the entrance to Disneyland Park.
Inventions is one of two restaurants at the Disneyland Hotel, the other being California Grill right next door. There is also a bar across the way, called Cafe Fantasia.
Inventions is always a buffet restaurant, regardless of the meal, but don't let that fool you, as I know some people don't really go for buffets.
The theme of the restaurant is a beautiful infusion of Victorian architecture, with that typical Disney twist, but a decidedly French flair.
The dining rooms are filled with details and artefacts from the Victorian era of discovery and travel. Bicycles, cogs, dirigibles, cameras and instruments line the walls and even the ceiling!
Virtually all tables (though not all) are situated next to windows which look directly onto Main Street below! You can see Main Street Station, the tops of the buildings beyond, and even the majestic Sleeping Beauty Castle.
Inventions has class, theme, detail, an unbeatable view, and as you'll discover below, incredible food at every meal!
Let's start at the beginning of every day, and that's with breakfast.
Breakfast at Inventions is served free for Disneyland Hotel guests, on presentation of valid Hotel ID, and is available usually from 7am until about 11am (it's best to check on the day of your arrival).
If you are staying at one of the other on site Disney Hotels, you may also eat here, but you may be charged an extra €12 per person, depending on how busy the restaurant is.
The main reason for other hotel guests to dine here is that Inventions actually serves really good, hot food, such as sausages, eggs and beans.
The other Disney Hotels offer decent food, but it's all croissants, rolls, cold meats etc. The Disneyland Hotel is a premium buffet, and that's why it's usually extra for non Disneyland Hotel guests.
Moving on, and we come to lunch and dinner. Lunch is usually presented from 12.30pm until 3pm. Dinner is from 6pm until 10.30pm.
Lunch may or may not be attended by Disney Characters - you'll know when you arrive as they usually have a sign - but dinner is always in the presence of our beloved Disney pals.
Lunch and dinner offerings are varied, and really good. I could go on and on about the food, but I'll let the photos speak for themselves!
There are several stations, each offering different a course for your meal, from seafood, cheeses, salad and starters, to mains, and finally desserts.
Characters in attendance at dinner can be fairly standard, but they can also be pretty random at times - you just have to get lucky!
Here's a few of the Disney Characters we've seen during dinner here over the years.
Finally we come to the best thing about Inventions, and the best character dining experience at the resort. The Sunday Brunches.
The Inventions Sunday Brunch happens every Sunday, from around midday (times can vary) until 3pm.
The brunch theme changes every week, meaning that every week the Disney Characters who appear are from a particular theme, movie or region of the world! Some of the brunch themes include:
and at seasonal times of the year can include:
The food at the brunches is usually a mixture of their standard lunchtime fare, and some additional items especially for the theme (for example London cuisines, or exotic dishes).
They usually try to decorate the buffet area too, and you may find the Cast Members in special clothing, as well as excellent themed ice sculptures, or other carvings!
Here's some of the fun characters we've met during the small number of themed brunches we have attended (we really want to attend them all, but that would mean being there all year round!)
Prices for Inventions can vary depending on when you visit, but are upwards of €35 for lunch and €54 for dinner. Brunch starts at €59, but at seasonal times can be a lot more. The drinks available for purchase are varied, and include wines, fruit juices and soft drinks. Birthday cakes can be arranged, and come at a significant extra cost (at least €25 for a cake that serves up to 8 people).
Reservations are highly recommended at Inventions, as the themed brunches can be very popular. You can make reservations with any Disney Hotel concierge, any guest relations location at the theme parks, directly at the restaurant itself, or 60 days in advance over the telephone by calling +33 1 60 30 40 50.
Annual Passholders get a maximum of 10% discount (as it's classed as table service), and Shareholder Club members get 15% with a valid Club Card and ID.
Yes, it is expensive, but to us, it's always worth it for the beautiful theming, the excellent food and the wonderful characters. If you are coming for the first time, it's a once in a life time trip, or you visit infrequently enough that you can save some money and you want something special, then Inventions is definitely worth the extra cost.
You can leave your comments by clicking here, where you will be magically transported to our forum.
Dan. |
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Hi all, We are now getting back into our regular schedules following our whistle-stop trip to DLP this past weekend. We had a good time as always, but sadly on Saturday evening things didn't quite go to plan for one reason or another, and it resulted in us making a very serious formal complaint at City Hall. It is the first time I have ever had to do so at any park (I don't just mean minor issues here and there, this was quite serious), but I have to say that despite the fact I had to make the complaint, we were seen to by the Cast Members at City Hall with care and respect, and we thank them greatly for the efforts to compensate us for our grievance. In fact, I think you'll be surprised to learn that they managed not only to give us a free pin of our choice each from the stores, but we actually got a private meet 'n' greet with our four favourite characters in a back room of City Hall, the following day! They managed to arrange for us to meet Peter Pan, Stitch and Chip and Dale (who were in their Frontierland Native American outfits no less)! [ Read More... ] |
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