Last week I told you that we had just come back from Disneyland Paris and that I would tell you more about our experiences this week.
Although we were gifted the hotel and park tickets from Christian Lewis trust we were in charge of how we got there and I took a long time checking travel times, prices and modes of transport. Obviously, it would be easier for us if we had flown from Manchester but with the flight times we would have missed most of our arrival and departure day which would have only left us one full day in Disneyland Paris.
We thought about getting the train and then the Eurostar but again the times were not great and girls don’t like sitting on a train for very long. We looked at driving and then getting the ferry which was what we almost did.
In the end, we opted for speed of transport and great flight times from Easyjet at Luton airport and then a quick train from Paris airport direct to Disneyland Paris. In total our travel cost £381 but we arrived by 10am on the first day and left at 7pm on the last day. This meant we really did make the most of our time at Disneyland Paris. The travel was definitely not the most comfortable journey we have ever had and after travelling with British Airways the week before to Kos the differences were even more glaring.
The Easyjet staff were friendly, helpful and the flight was quick but that was as much of a positive as I can give. The leg room was non-existent, the seats were uncomfortable, the toilet was tiny and the advertisements on the headrests were just plain annoying. The tiny luggage allowance that we had to pay extra for was ridiculous and after buying some souvenirs we were unfortunately over our luggage weight limit. We got away without the extra charge but only just. We also had to include Alison’s pushchair as one of our pieces of cabin baggage!
It seems that me and budget airlines do not get on especially when I have children travelling with me. It made me wish we had booked the ferry. We would have had our own car with in car DVD players to keep the kids happy, we could have taken our time with the travelling and enjoyed the three-hour sail to France. We could have packed as much as we wanted or needed as long as it fit in the car and the girls could have slept when they needed too.
Travelling by ferry is not a new thing for me and when I lived in Shetland ten years ago it was the only part of my long journey to visit family that I enjoyed. Standing on the deck watching the waves and the dolphins will always stay with me and I would love the girls to have those same experiences and memories.