I had booked a privilege ticket for this day but was also on the waiting list with my annual pass and luckily got in on the wait list, despite the parks being full.

I really wanted to try and meet chip and dale so I knew I needed to be up early but I also need to finish packing, check out and drop my bag somewhere, I was aiming for the lockers at the train station and had some cash ready for that! I did get up but everything takes longer than I think and after dragging my case all the way to the village and then getting it and all the bags attached to my chair through security I couldn’t face the extra steps of exiting to the train station and coming back in again and having to take it all off again so I just used the luggage storage at the parks and for one cabin case only it was worth the €8! The queue for left luggage was massive so I felt guilty that they had an accessible queue too so I gave some pixie dust to the people I ended up pushing in front of! Then the queues to get in were massive too but were fine for the accessible entrance.

I made it into the parks at around 10 and went straight for Chip and Dale and got maybe the second to last slot, then went back to try for Winnie the Pooh as he was one I also really wanted but Chip and Dale were the priority! Pooh is also out for longer so I did also manage to get a slot for him and both were for early afternoon. That was really the main thing I had wanted to do that day, anything else was now a bonus! I had been so tempted to stay in bed longer so I was now glad I had dragged myself up and out!

I then went and met up with some friends again and they had booked hero training centre so I headed over with them, happy to sit it out but the cast member did let me in too. We met Natasha who was a really great meet, really fun and interactive. We were now hungry and I had been wanting the vegan shawarma for super diner all week and I wasn’t the only one so we headed there. Wheelchair access is at the far side of it and you do into a back door but they do have a half booth with movable stools there reserved for such access requirements as otherwise it’s quite a tight squeeze inside and all booths or the counter. They come and take your order, you pay them at the same time and then the food is delivered to you, or you can get it to take out. I really enjoyed the food here, but it’s a very limited menu of either shawarma (vegan or meat) or a chicken ceaser salad, so may not be for everyone!

After food we headed back to the Disneyland Park, for our meets with Chip and Dale and Pooh. Chip and Dale were exactly what I’d hoped for, funny and cheeky, they were initially upset they weren’t on my wheels until I showed them they were on my bag and then they were fine. They were both claiming each other was on the naughty list and hadn’t got any presents, and they each adopted one of my friends so I claimed I needed to have them both! Straight after that we headed to Winnie the Pooh and he told us he had got a very large pot of honey for Christmas but had eaten it all already! He gives great hugs so we had a fantastic half hour!

My friends stopped to say hi to a friend of theirs who was working at city hall, please be kind to cast members, then we decided we were on a roll with characters so went to princess pavilion. The entrance to the accessible queue was chaotic as there was a massive group where it wasn’t clear if they were in the queue or just standing there having come off small world, this may have put people off joining as we went to look closer and they weren’t in the queue and there was only about 3 groups in the queue so that was the shortest pavilion queue I’d been in in a very long time! Still took a while but when we got in we met Cinderella, who was as lovely as ever.

After this we wanted a snack so we were heading to Victoria's but looking at the time we stopped briefly to see the princess come out to head to the castle stage. Once they had passed we went and joined the queue for Victoria's. I don’t know if we could have shown our priority passes but we didn’t as we had seats so we waited. It was a slow moving queue but we didn’t have any other plans. Once we got to the front we were shows to a larger table that had plenty of space for both my chair and my friends walker, it had been empty while we had been waiting and we had heard someone else in the queue asking why there was an empty table and they hadn’t seated anyone there but it is there to be a more accessible table, which it was, so much easier than trying to squish and then be in other peoples way too.

The cake was to share but I wanted to try it so got it anyway and managed about 3/4! It was light and citrusy so was quite easy to eat. My friends had the cute Mickey waffle!

Despite having just eaten we decided now was the time to try one ride for the day, and that ride was hyperspace mountain! I do this ride with my eyes closed as otherwise I get so lotion sick but I enjoy the sensation even with my eyes closed and luckily none of us felt too ill after, despite having just eaten! This is such a hard ride to get back out of though so both me and my friend struggled, the cast member helped though. Then as we were in the area we went to see Mickeys Philharmagique mostly as it’s one of those things I barely ever go to see and they hadn’t seen in Disneyland Paris. It’s fine! It’s indoors and not a long wait so it fills a bit of time but it’s not something I’d try to fit into a full park day! Saying that it is another option that doesn’t require transferring out of a wheelchair so that’s a bonus.

It was now nearing the time to think about leaving, initially my friends wanted to try and catch the Christmas parade but everywhere was rammed so we just went for food instead. Got to cowboy cookout and were too late as it had just closed, so went to lucky nugget instead. This was nice, quite quiet, you order on entering then are seated then they bring it to you, on plates with proper cutlery! There is a lot of bench seating, then some tables that they usually keep reserved for larger groups/families, but there are a couple of accessible tables near the entrance and they recently added a platform lift in to give access to more tables, though that was largely blocked by chairs and a Christmas tree! But we had a table and it’s also good that here has a separate accessible toilet which is rare in the parks. The veggie burger here was also nicer than the one that you can get at a lot of quick service places, mostly as it had a nicer bun!

And then it was time to leave! I have been leaving I caressingly early for the train but had tried to leave at a reasonable time though I was nervous about this. Went to put my attachment back in my chair and it wasn’t having it to have to break out the torque key and make some adjustments which added to the stress a little, but then we were off, no queue at guest luggage storage and even the station was quite straightforward, a little wait to get to the service desk but then the staff member said he would phone through and someone would meet us in the platform, this was sooo much easier than the journey from Gare du Nord! 

Trains all ran as they should and assistance took us out of the RER part using a quick route with a nice large lift, then up to Eurostar. Bit of a wait while they confirmed the ramp (that I booked, emailed back and forth 5 times about, and had a wheelchair space booked but they still needed to check again!) and then to get through. It was mega busy, the queues were massive and though we were brought forward and through there was points where I just physically couldn’t my get through the number of people but we made it. An assistance person then took off with my case so I had to follow so missed the tax refund machines which was a little annoying, but we went straight to board. The train was then delayed half an hour while they got everyone through! 

The delay meant it was a little tighter than I would have liked getting from St Pancras to Victoria coach station but this tube journey is an easy step free access to train one, all lifts were working and I have done it before so know the route and lift locations so it was very smooth, if only the RER had step free to train access! Made it to Victoria with a few minutes to spare and the coach driver found me almost straight away and took me out to get all loaded and sorted before everyone else started boarding. Honestly apart from the time it takes and the faff of taking everything off the chair using national express is really easy and I have never had a bad experience. 6 hours later I was in Leeds and the new driver took all my stuff off before I got off so it was ready, and then a quick walk over to the train station where at the last hurdle the train was cancelled! Luckily only about half an hour for another so treated myself to a coffee and I have now eventually made it home! And now I’m going for a nap!