# Pre-Easter trip to EuroDisney



## Steptoe (Nov 8, 2005)

[ if this report seems familiar, it is, having just discovered this section after 6 months on the forum 8O , I am reposting it here as being a more appropriate place]

Disclaimer;
I consider a tale to be more enthralling if it contains "warts an' all" , however we did, in fact, have a wonderful holiday, once across La Manche Bessie stiffened her upper lip and behaved impeccably. Even the usual arguments arising from the inevitable proximity of myself and Mrs. CK ( we normally don't meet much as she works nights ) were tempered by the grandchildren now being old enough to take sides with comments of varying helpfulness.

After watching the finish of the very exciting Australian Grand Prix we started on the journey to Disneyworld. Near Great Fransham, about twelve miles from home, there was a Great Banging on the roof, I decided that this must be the (lowered) satellite dish being caught by the strong winds. As I have never yet managed to receive a satellite signal, the only purpose of the dish being to support the included TV antenna, I returned home, threw the b…..y thing overboard, ( one of the very few heavy showers of rain that day fell whilst I was on the roof ) and put the (new) status aerial in the locker, and started out again, putting the rather tired feel of the brakes down to the full loading ( I had been to the weighbridge two days previously to find I was 100Kg over, this before my three passengers and their clothes were boarded…quite a lot was jettisoned as well as the sat dish but suspected I was still OTT….apparently, if stopped, the gendarmes allow a 5-10% margin then insist you abandon the excess gear at the roadside)

We spent a pleasant enough night at Maidstone Services from where it was possible to watch the Eurostars as well as local trains pass by, Monday morning while my passengers used the facilities I performed the usual checks; water, oil, brake fluid, BRAKE FLUID, WHAT THE ****?, a quick glance underneath found most of it on the nearside wishbone, one of the pipes having rusted through.

I broke the news to the family on their return as gently as I could, with varying reactions, mostly tears and disappointment but grandson, 13 years old but coming on for 19, picks this moment to inform me that it is not possible for steel to rust ( apparently only iron can do this ) but that it has corroded. I made tea, thought uncomplimentary thoughts about Fiats for some time, very briefly considered purchasing a can of brake fluid from the garage and carrying on, then phoned the extended warranty folks; they gleefully said "Ah, corrosion, sorry sir, not covered! "; the breakdown man was much more helpful but even he couldn't find a local garage which could take the van before Wednesday, so eventually I got a lift back home to Norfolk on the back of a lorry, arriving early afternoon.

Thank heavens, the bleed nipple and unions were not seized, so rushed out and purchased a 88p connector from the local motor factors just before they closed, then cut the pipe back to a sound, but fairly inaccessible straight section. I am no stranger to the flaring tool, even so it was a struggle on the steel pipes, however on the third go I got a satisfactory end, so job done by early evening.( during the process I was blessed by the second shower of rain we'd experienced that day ) To say I am mortified is an understatement, the old Talbot's chassis was relatively rust free after 17 years, these pipes are plastic coated steel, presumably the corrosion had occurred under the plastic, on quickly checking the condition of the others I noticed one of the offside pipes had already been replaced!

Next morning at 9am I rebooked the missed ferry crossing, however as I had got my very cheap booking in 'under the wire', P&O and the booking agents took the opportunity to levy a huge administration fee to bring it up to an economic level for them, £55 on the original £48!

In contrast to the previous day the restarted journey went very well and we boarded the 17.30 ferry as planned. This was the first time I had visited Calais by van so watched from the upper deck to see if I could determine the location of the Aire. It is, of course, very close to the harbour but unfortunately the bridge on the direct route was closed for repairs so a diversion through the town centre was necessary, so giving the 'Sat-nav' system ( grandson + his laptop + Autoroute ) it's first real test. The Aire was pleasant enough, about 1/3 full, and we enjoyed watching the ferries arrive, however the toilet block was closed until June! As a compensation the campsite was also closed therefore we were unable to pay the 7 Euros overnighting fee.

During the evening I realised I had forgotten a GB sticker. The grandchildren promptly went into competitive mode to hand draw their best creations for me to use, so, diplomatically, I stuck them both on.

As we had a firm destination and were skirting Paris I decided to use motorways all the way, the tolled routes cost 28 Euros each way, same price as for a car, though we noticed very few other vans. Despite the precaution of the homemade GB plates (or perhaps because of it!), at one point on the A1, the gaps between the bike frames were suddenly filled with blue flashing lights. I promptly pulled over, as you do, the gendarmes stopped their van in front of me, " probleme, Monsieur?" , " non, non!" , "OK, parking deux kilometre". I duly followed them to the next service area, mentally compiling a list of items to jettison, but mercifully they were nowhere to be seen, so after waiting a while we carried on somewhat puzzled about the whole incident.

Euro Disney seemed uncannily familiar, despite it being our first visit ever. Following some very useful advice gleaned from this forum we purchased 'annual passporte' fantasy tickets at a cost of 129 euros pp. These include parking, strictly speaking it should be daily parking, however there was no problem in obtaining the overnighting pass, normally this would be 20 euros per night for a motorhome. These cheaper tickets restrict access to the parks on about 30 of the busiest days of the year, but judging by the off-season crowds, Disneyworld would not be the best venue on those days in any case. Obviously these tickets are valid for a year and as Easter is earlier in 2007 it would be possible to revisit again then should we so wish. The tickets are photo ID'd, and are occasionally spot checked so are not really transferable unless the various grandchildren are fairly similar in appearance.

Though it was a large initial outlay, there was the advantage that there was no pressure to cram in all the rides in one or two days, we spread the visit over four, returning to the van for leisurely lunch breaks. We then travelled into Paris from the Park's railway station, given more time and inclination, it would also have been possible to travel further afield via the TGV lines. The 'Paris Visite' card was undoubtedly the most economical way to tour round the city, prices varying according to zones covered and duration of card.

I did wonder, in fact, if it would be possible to stay on the motorhome parking area for a much longer duration on the strength of the annual passport. We stayed for 7 days on site so our pass was marked as valid for every day in the week with an expiry date of 6th April 2007, this is all that is checked by the security patrol. I guess if one was sensible and didn't draw attention, it would be possible to stay as long as one wanted. Eurodisney naturally don't provide an onsite shop but there is a shopping centre including a very good hypermarket at Val d' Europe, some 2 ½ km away, with easy safe access by bike or train. The downside is the very basic facilities, so it would be best to treat it as an Aire. There are obviously no hook-ups and whilst campers are welcome to use the coach driver's rest rooms, water points, and dumping facilities, these can get very stretched at busy periods. I learnt from a reliable source that there are only five showers and four toilet cubicles in the ladies compared to nine and seven plus umpteen urinals in the gents. Presumably this reflects the gender imbalance in the coach driving profession, but what they thought of all the motorhoming folk using their loos I can only imagine.

The return journey was similarly uneventful apart from taking a wrong motorway exit in the environs of Paris, after a rather alarming detour, I realised I should have taken the Lille turnoff. My 'sat-nav system' went into mental overload at this point and blanked out so the Tom Tom 710 will definitely have to go on the Christmas wish list.

The brake problem was something of a reality check having never had such a failure before. I usually make a habit of checking the brake system on all my newly acquired vehicles; I neglected to do so in this case due to the low mileage, (36,000) relative newness, ( my 47 year old Rover still has most of its original steel pipes ) and that the van was supplied with a fresh MOT. It just goes to show that you should never take anything for granted, it is fortunate that I do make a habit of regular checks and discovered the fault just before the fluid level dropped below the minimum point and whilst we were still in the UK.

As non-corroding pipe has been available ever since I have been maintaining cars, and is always used for repairs, it is surprising that manufacturers are still able to fit steel pipework from new. If I am ever fortunate enough to be able to purchase a new van it is certainly something which will I will investigate on my choice of base vehicle.


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## Sagedog (Jun 28, 2005)

Steptoe thanks for your in depth report on the Euroisney Aire aka car park, just what we neded to know prior to our October half term trip.

Thanks also to stevecar for pointing it out.


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## Steptoe (Nov 8, 2005)

Youngest grandson missed out on the Easter trip so we are planning on taking him at October halfterm (subject to getting a bargain ferry fare!) maybe see you there :wink:


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## Sagedog (Jun 28, 2005)

Saturday out Wednesday return £84 Five day return fare any crossing time!! Saturday out Saturday back £58 silly early ferry times though, both Norfolk lines we have a credit to use up. Let me know if you find anything better please. Were off with Umps 2002

Cheers

Any more of us and we'll have to ask Nuke if we can borrow the Marquee :? /tent 8O /gazebo :wink: thingimejig!! 

BTW you have a PM


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