Tilly Pitt and Herbie Pitt in Disneyland

As far as Tilly was concerned, Disneyland was the sole purpose of this holiday. Forget the champagne region, the historic chateau, the cave paintings, Toulouse, Perpignan and our two weeks in Mallorca. This holiday was about going to Disneyland and I would be lying if I did not admit to being slightly apprehensive as we left the Lemon Hotel And started our drive towards DISNEYLAND.

We were staying in the Davey Crockett Ranch and I checked the booking information and it said nothing about having to check in first - so we headed straight for Disneyland. Again, our information had let us down. We drove into the main entrance with Tilly screaming 'DISNEYLAND' in the back on the car., we drive up to the toll both with Tilly screaming 'MICKEY MOUSE' only for them to tell us to drive to the ranch and check in.

Fine, we get straight there - check in within 10 minutes and are beck at Disney for 8.25am. We have 1 and a half hours before those not in Disney hotels ate even allowed in. We are there!

Then creeps in my apprehension again - what if Tilly finds out that it isn't the real Disney? A boy at school had already told her that they aren't the real princesses - only for me to utter my best 'YES THEY ARE!' Fort £150 for a meal with them - they better bloody be!

We parked in the front row - no need to remember the character name - and headed in. From that point onwards my apprehension never again arose. This is no longer Eurodisney, this is non longer a poor man's version of Disney, or more accurately a French version of Disney. This is the real deal.

Everyone speaks English. Now this is not me being a typical Brit abroad. I will always try to speak French and hate those Brits that don't try at all. The traditional British person speaks in a weird slow version of English and if they don't understand you, then they repeat it only this time even louder and even slower! NO, my problem with Eurodisney of the past is that everything was French, its a small world was French, Goofy was not called Goofy and the biggest sin of them all! Mickey spoke in French! This is not an English abroad issue it is a Disney issue. Cinderella is American, Belle is American, Pinocchio is American, The Arsitcoats are American, Ariel is American, Baloo is American, Those girls from Frozen are American, Samba is American, Basil The Great Mouse Detective is American!!! Hang on, something seems a bot wrong with that lost of characters. Anyway, Pocahontas is really American and whatever Disney have done to alter books or geographical locations of their films, Mickey Mouse is most definitely NOT FRENCH.  C'est la vie!

Anyway that is my final rant of this blog entry over and done with as the rest of the day was truly great.

The Peter pan ride had a queue of 5 minutes, Dumbo ride - 5 minutes, tea cups - 5 minutes.
Mickey Mouse 1 hour 50 minutes - but Tilly was terrified of men in outfits and so we went nowhere near this queue. The boy at her school had done us a favour. As much as we would have loved a family picture with Mickey, a day without any kind of queuing in a Disneyland Park is incredible.

We crossed to the other park and met Piglet (the only character in a costume Tilly would go anywhere near) and then off to Disney Junior Live. Clare tells me that we watch too much Disney Junior but when Tilly and I were dancing and singing to Mickey Mouse Club House, Little Einsteins, Handy Manny (ok, he is allowed to speak some Spanish) and Winnie the Pooh, this really was Disney at its best.

We returned for one more go on Its a Small World (Tilly's favourite Ride) and then went back to the ranch. When I was 18 and in Florida, Its a small world would be an annoyance, an extra ride that I believed no one would want to venture into. Now, as a dad of a young girl - it is the best ride in the world. No queue, relaxing and it teaches (however stereotypically) about world cultures and differences. By the 5th time, I was still enjoying seeing Tilly's eyes light up as she saw the people of New Zealand and the mermaids in Hawaii (maybe they are really there, I don't know, I have never been).

The ranch was also excellent. Normally I would rant about the price paid for a lodge that was actually a caravan painted like wood. But this is not the point. The point is that we each got a room, the kitchen area meant we could cook as a family, open a bottle of wine and get a much needed good night's sleep after the horrors of the Lime Hotel. Already I believe a part of me is lost there forever, that like in the Shining there is a picture of me in the lobby from 1802 and that part of my soul is never going to be returned.

The other main reason for the lodge is the excellent village centre. With shops, bars, restaurants and an amazing swimming pool. This was a Disney Holiday Park!

As we checked in the people looked disappointed that we were there for only one night. I thought this was some kind of pressure to get us to book for more but being in the village made it clear that this was made for people to stay for longer. Horse rides through the woodland, tennis courts, basketball courts, a petting zoo. This was again a reminder that this was no longer Eurodisney. This was DISNEYLAND!

Tilly and Herbie we t to sleep as soon as their heads hit the pillows, we followed shortly after and all the apprehension of the previous night with the gypsies and Lemon Hotel Dread was replaced with real excitement for the day to come. Exactly as Disneyland should be.