Isn’t that what Maya Angelou always says? Maybe she didn’t mean this in a vacation context, but it applies.

Because this time at Disney I was one of those people - the kind I feel sorry for at WDW. One who shows up not having done any research and wanders around looking perplexed and annoyed.

Learn from my mistakes.

First of all, everyone told me that I could take the train to Disneyland Paris from the city, and you can, but what I didn’t know was that is was a subway train, a crowded subway train, and many people stood the whole way. Also, I was told it was a half hour trip but it took a full hour.  (The return trip took about 40 minutes - in the afternoon we didn’t make all the stops). Personally, I’d take the train again, but Brian was annoyed and wished we’d rented a car.

Another thing, we didn’t understand how the metro tickets worked and had to pay twice for the trip back to Paris. Because we tried to use 2 of our tickets in a turnstyles that was not working and did not “push the red button” and call for help ( we don’t remember seeing a red button, but whatever) those tickets were “used” and not refundable. There were no employees in sight but apparently we should have waited there until help came. Instead, we used the other two tickets that I’d bought for the return and tried to straighten it out at the station by the park. I was told, “Madam, there is nothing I can do for you. You will have to buy 2 new tickets for the return trip.”  I didn’t say it made sense - I’m just telling you what happened. If you have trouble at a Paris metro turnstyle, push the red button and wait for help.

Also, the girl at the information desk at the train station really didn’t speak English ( I don’t speak French)  and it took awhile to find someone who did. I am not one of those people who expects everyone to speak English, but it was just one more situation for which I was unprepared.

When we actually got to the park I ended up standing in the excruciatingly long and slow ticket line for at least 45 minutes. Had I only known you can buy and print up your tickets online before you get there!  (click here for link.)  I certainly would have done that because people that had done that were waltzing right in with little to no line. They looked so happy - I hated them.

When we finally entered the park it was 11:30  and we’d left the hotel at 9:00 am. By now, it was hot and crowded, and the wait times for all of the rides were long, long, long.

I think I’ve revealed enough of my stupidity for one day, so the “Misadventures of Cheri at DLP”  will have to “be continued”.  These things may sound silly, but having done a few little things differently could have saved me a whole lot of aggravation.

Stay tuned. There’s more.