I wouldn’t exactly describe myself as ‘young’ anymore now that I am steadily approaching my thirties but I do appreciate that there are things I enjoy doing which typically cater to an older demographic – cruise holidays being one of them. My partner and I are both in our mid-late twenties now and whilst some may still say we are young and have a lot to learn about the ways of the world we don’t quite feel like we’re in that category anymore. Nor are we an ‘old’ couple, really, we are sort of stuck in this inbetween place where you’re not quite sure what kind of leisure activities we ‘should’ be doing if we wanted to fit into our stereotypes.
We have never been interested in pubs and clubs, or 18 to 30 holidays…as the years go by I favour a glass of water or a cup of tea over a glass of wine and hangovers take far too long to get over if we’ve had a night out. We are also finding our feet and enjoy exploring the world, our holiday destinations are not based on typical young choices such as big cities, great nightlife or amazing shopping. I suppose some of that comes with having a child in the household however we are lucky enough to have plenty of time together as a couple which means we want to see what the world has to offer us. Even so, with or without children, we are the sort of people that favours good food, amazing scenery and a comfy bed when it comes to our trips and holidays.
Because of this, we really do favour cruising as our way to travel and I have quite a few reasons why.
Check-In is less stressful at a Cruise terminal than an Airport.
It really, really is. On our last cruise we waited around twenty minutes to check in and as soon as that was done we breezed through security and we were on board the ship. Our holiday began as soon as we walked on. I love that. I love that we could go and check out our cabin straight away and get stuff put away before grabbing a coffee. Check In was so straightforward.When you arrive at the departure lounge, ours was in Southampton, you are given an embarkation letter and when that letter is called you join the queue for the Check In desks. This is staggered throughout the afternoon so you’re not left waiting around too long. However in Dock 10 there was plenty of seating, clean toilets and refreshments available whilst you do wait. When you reach the Check In desk you hand in your tickets, show your passports and have your photo taken for your cruise card. This is all with P&O Cruises but I assume most others have a similar embarkation routine. This was less stressful for me than any other mode of transport I’ve ever used, and I’ve used a lot in my time.
Great Food 24/7
On our last cruise we had some amazing food from the restaurants on board the ship. Food is available all day, every day and with P&O pretty much everything is included in the price, it it isn’t you’ll see how much it is and you simply charge it to your on board spend account which is settled at the end of the cruise. For us we had breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea and five course dinners. There’s a buffet restaurant available throughout the day for snacks, hot and cold meals and even late night treats. Even room service is included. Drinks are what will cost you but with P&O everything was in £’s and it was what we would expect to pay in our local pub or restaurant anyway. It was really, really affordable. Plus there’s good quality tea in your cabin anyway.
Ability to Explore
What we really love about cruising as a young couple is the ability to see lots of different places in a short amount of time and whats more there are excursions at every port to cater to everyone. Or, you can just go and explore on your own which is what we really love to do. Just having a wonder around, taking in a new culture, trying new food, enjoying our day really. Our next cruise is in August and as well as a few coach tours there is the chance to ride a cable car up a mountain and ride in a RIB boat along the Fjord.
Kids Club for young families
We’ve yet to take Mini Kat on board a cruise with us but we will be next year knowing that she can have loads of fun with us, eat whatever she wants, whenever she wants and have a great time playing and making new friends in the kids clubs, which are supervised so they can stay there whilst you’re on the ship. If you do disembark at port you do need to take them with you! Lots of our friends have young children and the idea of a kids club appeals to them. An area where they can have fun whilst you relax.
A chance to dress up
With P&O cruises they have a couple of casual and black tie events so it gives everyone a chance to dress up for dinner in glamorous attire. I love getting ready for a great night and with cruises that can include pre-dinner drinks in a cocktail bar, a five course meal followed by a live show in their on board theatre. Or perhaps there will be a comedy gig you want to make, or a film you want to see – our next cruise has an open air cinema and I love the idea of relaxing under the stars with a great film. I love a chance to get glammed up and feel good about myself and a gala dinner is a great reason to do so.
Adam and I on our recent cruise for our Anniversary
So there you have it, five reasons why I think cruises are for young, or at least in our case, younger couples. They’re also a really affordable way of holidaying. Mainly because all of your food is included in the price you pay and each time we’ve booked a select price with P&O we’ve gotten free on board spending money to go towards drinks and other purchases. It gave me and my partner a chance to get away and enjoy ourselves for a couple of nights and we can not wait to go on our next cruise. Two months and counting!
With my boyfriend turning 25 on Monday we started our celebrations last night at Pizza Express. It’s been open in our town for a couple of months now and it’s the second time I’ve been but the first time we’ve all been as a family. Adam was pretty keen to try it and Mini Kat just wanted dough balls. It seemed like a win-win for us all. It’s sort of felt like a ‘last meal’ for me as well as today I am healthy all the way. Well, except for a few things I’m sure but I’m making much more effort to be healthy from now on. Good thing about pizza express is they have plenty of light options on their menu so we can easily return! Adam loves pizza and so it was fitting that we had his favourite cuisine to begin celebrating his birthday weekend.
We booked a table for eight people which included the three of us, my dad and his fiance, my sister and her girlfriend and my younger sister who was going to be taking Mini Kat back to my mums after dinner for a sleepover. We booked for quite late in the afternoon but before the dinner rush so that Adam and I could head over to the cinema afterwards. The table we were given was in the middle of the left side of the entrance and it was a lovely long booth so we could all sit together comfortably and chat.
I loved that a menu for Mini Kat was already out which included some colouring pencils for her which really helped to keep her occupied whilst we were chatting and waiting for our food. As the three of us were the last to arrive I’m not sure if that’s because my dad asked for the child’s menu as I hadn’t told them a child would be coming myself but the fact that it was there before the three of us was great. After we were sat down and a few minutes of saying hellos our drinks order was taken. Adam and I had a bottle of red between us and adding a drink on to the child’s menu was very low cost. This included most of the soft drinks available but as it was a treat my daughter was allowed a coke. We did ask for a straw but unfortunately they were all out.
Our drinks came fairly quickly and then there was a bit of a wait for our food order to be taken but we were all pretty busy chatting away. The young man that took our order was very friendly and helpful however he did forget one of our parties starter and main course order which lead to a slight delay on her food. He did rectify it with some complimentary olives to nibble on however as he admitted and acknowledged that it was his error. Any new drinks ordered came pretty quickly too. We also brought in a cake which they kindly brought out for us and provided with plates for the order after our main meal plates had been taken away.
For our food Adam and I shared the Antipasti Platter as a starter which is just delicious. You can double up and share for just under £13 and you get a big platter of cold meats, dips, cheesy dough slices, olives and tomatoes. We really enjoyed that as a starter, it was really quite filling actually. Mini Kat had dough balls which is the only option on the child’s menu but as she loves them she was happy. It also came with a few salad bits which she could probably give or take. She did happily help herself to our mozzarella and olives though! Our starter did come on a sort of tower thing with the plates underneath so we could share easily. It was a little big but we kind of new what we were going to get as we’ve been to other Pizza Express restaurants before.
Our main meals came very quickly after our starters which I’m sure those of the party that didn’t have a starter were grateful for. I opted for the new Hawaiin pizza which was really delicious. It came with a pineapple chutney which was really sweet alongside the smokey bacon and the cheese. Each pizza came with an individual pizza slicer too which was great although it made them all very accessible to my daughter and one turn of my head saw her waving one around and we helped her cut up her small pizza which was ham, olives and mushroom – Mini Kat really loves her olives! Quite a few went for the American hot pizza which looked good. My dad had the American Hottest as one type of chilli clearly isn’t enough for him! All the pizzas looked great and tasted better.
We were there for around two hours chatting, eating and drinking and had a really great meal. Apart from the small hiccup with the food delay I have no other complaints. The setting inside is lovely and as it’s only been opened for a few months now the decor inside is still new and fresh. It’s comfortable and the service has been pleasant for me each time I’ve been there. As Pizza Express is a chain all the prices are pretty similar around the country and they have plenty of special offers and discounts if you sign up to email updates on their website. Pizza Express is also experimenting with delivery options however this isn’t available in our town yet. For the eight of us our bill totaled £156 which included a few starters, drinks, all main meals and the child’s menu which is priced at just under £7. We enjoyed our meal and it’s really nice to see more places open up in our town. I really hope it stays because we would happily become regulars.
For those of you that are unaware Younique are a beauty company founded in America that are really branching out across Europe. The started with their Fibre Lash Mascara and have brought in so many products it’s no wonder it’s one of the fastest growing network marketing companies. I really wanted to see what all the fuss was about as the products look amazing and so I went ahead and got myself a kit. I’m not the world’s best seller but I’m a sucker for a personal discount and I absolutely love to try new products. I paid the £69 and £6.95 courier delivery charge to have my kit shipped over to me from the Netherlands. It took around a week to get to me which is pretty good although it would have been a little less of a wait if the courier hadn’t decided to give up looking for my house and go home for the day instead…still a little bitter about that, but that’s a rant for another time and I don’t want to tarnish this post with negativity.
I always think its better to start a business with a kit because how do you know if you are actually going to love the products if you haven’t already tried a good handful? How can you show people what the products are? I firmly believe that face to face networking is the strongest and most successful way to network with others, especially when you have something that another person can touch, smell and see. It’s all about building trust! Especially with cosmetics, because it’s a very personal buying decision, especially with things like foundation. People want to be able to try before they buy, you can’t really do that without a kit which is why I think it’s a bit silly having all these “free” opportunities. Nothing is free. It will either cost you time or money before you see a return, or both!
Anyway, I feel like the kit is a great price especially as the products inside are worth £175 so you’re already getting a really good discount. I think that’s why so many people kitnap and then go on to sell to family and friends. They get a great deal, show some friends, get a couple of Mascara’s sold and BOOM they’ve made back their money. Younique’s starting commission is 20% which seems to be about average but you can increase that as you move through the ranks and increase your personal retail and team sales volume. This is pretty average for any network marketing business to be honest, the more you work and the more you bring in the more rewards and money you will make. Younique also allow you to host virtual parties which you can do very easily and it helps earn you commission and half price items. Because of this it looks like Younique is an incredibly lucrative way to build your kit up without you having to use all of your commission.
Let’s get into what’s in the actual kit though shall we?! Firstly it comes in a lovely black and purple box with some gorgeous black and purple tissue paper which matches my bedroom very nicely. The case is really nice and the packaging has a luxury feel. Immediately you can see why these products come with a higher price tag, you are buying what is being marketed as a luxury brand. You can really see and feel it in the care and quality of the packaging. Younique also market themselves as being cruelty-free and suitable for all skin types, including sensitive skin. The kit case has made a very nice addition to my desk.
The first thing I noticed when I opened it up was all the literature that is included in your kit. Most of these are samples however there is also a very helpful and handy presenters guide which you should take the time to read and a catalogue so you can start making a list of all the products you’re going to want and showing friends and family the wide range that’s available.
I then noticed the makeup remover cloths thanks to the bright yellow packaging. I’ve used these and found they remove makeup really well. They do contain a lot of oils which made me very wary that it would make my skin oily but I haven’t had a bad reaction to them so I’m really happy with that and they smell quite nice too, not as heavily fragranced as some other wipes I’ve used before and they are suitable for eye-makeup removal.
I then wanted to take a look at what eyeshadow palette I was given as it’s chosen at random. I want all three of them personally and I’ve started with number one with is a mixture of matte and shimmers in lovely earthy tones that I feel will help me with a good base to other eyeshadows I have.
The next thing I took out was the Fibre Lash Plus mascara that Younique are pretty famous for which is a bottle of black transplanting gel and a bottle of fibres for great length and volume. I was actually really surprised by this mascara as I’ve never been able to find one that really gave volume. Personally, it’s probably not an everyday mascara for me but for evenings, nights out or when I have time I will probably be using this one, mainly because I feel like I am rushing around in the morning and sometimes don’t have time to put much makeup on. #
The next full sized product is the brand new self tanning lotion which is a generous sized bottle of lotion. This is a brand new addition to the Younique presenter kit which I think is fantastic. It’s so easy to apply, smells nice and gives you a gorgeous summer glow.
The item I was most impressed with is the Splurge Cream shadow in elegant. I’ve never used a cream shadow before but this was lovely to apply and to wear so I’ve been really impressed with it. Alongside this were two eyeshadow brushes and one particularly designed for the cream shadow and the other for the palette and blending.
There are also a fair few samples included in the kit so you can find your ideal shade and get some photo evidence and show of the products nicely. The samples include 3 shades of beachfront bronzer, 5 shades of blush, touch mineral foundation samples and shade selector, 5 mineral eyeshadow samples and a huge selection of lipgloss and lipstain samples which are just fantastic to help you create multiple looks with your kit when you’re just starting out.
I really like that the kit has a great range of full sized products and samples as this helps you to find your favourite shades and know where to put your money. It is also a great way to make those first few sales from friends and family as if you choose to let them you can pick a perfect shade with them. Having this mix really does make an excellent investment because there’s a great amount of choice and it really makes you choose the perfect full sized product!
When it comes to network marketing, as I’ve said before, you need to have passion for the product and be consisitent and persisitent everyday. Find a company that fits in with your ethos, take your time to research, buy a couple of products to try from any friends, start speaking to people regularly not with the intention to sell or recruit but purely to connect and build up strong relationships.
Thinking of working from home selling ActiLabs products? This blog gives you everything you need to know about joining Actilabs from my time as an ambassador.
Acti-Labs is a network marketing company to help ambassadors sell skincare and makeup online. There are lots of ways people earn money these days. I recently wrote about my top five favourite ways to boost your monthly income. I used to be affiliated with ActiLabs and so I wanted to write this post to help those who are looking to become an ambassador make an informed decision. If you’re interested how to join acti-labs you can sign up here.
Acti-Labs UK: What Is Involved
As I work from home full time and network marketing plays a part in that and helps me earn a bit of commission directly into my bank account every Friday. Networking Marketing is not my full time ‘job’ as such however and it’s actually quite a small part of my day.
I love beauty products and so having a chance to try new things always appeals to me, particularly when I can earn a little bit of cash doing so. If you want to try some new products but can’t commit to an online business I recommend trying out BirchBox which is a great way to earn cash for your recommendations.
I use the products, I tell people about them and I check in with my team. Training is at a convenient time for me and I have access to all the information I need. It is a way to earn extra money around other commitments so if you’re a full time mother, working full time, studying or already busy I can assure you that if I have time to fit it into my daily schedule around blogging, promotion, social media management, filming and parenting and making sure I have time to myself to do the things I want to do then anyone else can too. What I like about the company I promote is it means that each weekend some play money whether that’s to go to the cinema, a meal out or a trip away it’s good to know that we have a little flexibility. Before reading through everything below feel free to watch this video about my personal journey with network marketing.
Which Company were you with?
The company I used to promote is called Acti Labs which sell French skincare and make up products. The message Acti Labs want to promote is affordable surgery inspired treatments that you can do at home. That’s nothing scary, I promise, all it means is that the products have a high amount of active ingredient in them which is what makes them work so well. For example, the collagen night cream we retail has a high amount of collagen in and because our products are sold through ambassadors there’s a lot of fee’s to be cut out meaning the money can go into sourcing the collagen rather than into other people’s pockets. When you buy from an Ambassador you are buying a product direct from the laboratory.
What products does ActiLabs sell?
If you’d like to find out more about the products I sell then you can watch this video here showcasing a few of my favourites.
Here is a before and after picture of me. The after picture is using all Acti Labs products except the eyeliner. I’ve used:
Mesoderm Moisturiser HD Foundation with a Beauty Blender Contour Palette for contour, blush and shimmer highlight in gold Diamond Dust in Caramel Glow for a matte finish Skyscraper Mascara in black Lip Liner in Candy Mega Matte Liquid Lipgloss in Candy
Acti Labs have a huge range of products including mineral makeup, skincare, personal care, inch loss solutions, dietary supplements and there are a fair few new products launching in the next few months in these categories. I personally really like the products because they are paraben free, not tested on animals and work really well for my skin. These opinions are based on personal use of the products. I mostly sell to friends and family and have a few regular customers however it’s possible to make a lucrative income from this business. You can sell on social media, you can leaflet/brochure drop if that’s your thing, you can discuss storing products in salons and beauticians or you can get involved in party plan. It’s important to know that your Acti Labs business is your own and as long as you are within compliance guidelines you can run the business however you like.
My current selection of Acti Labs products with the old Acti Derm logo including some from my original kit when purchased.
How can I join Acti-Labs UK?
First of all you will need to connect with a sponsor who will help and guide you as well as bring you up to speed with any training you might need. There is no easy way to find a local ambassador but I would advise reaching out to your network on social media as a friend might know someone that already does it which would then give you a connection. If you want to discuss joining my team you are more than welcome to but please connect with me first using the social media channels or the contact page above which contains my email address. You might want to research the acti-labs compensation plan before you join to find out how exactly you might earn money by selling these products.
Starting a business with Acti Labs is both affordable and really simple to do. You can simply start online only and buy a website with a retail store for £20 or you can start with a kit from £32.50 which is great as you get a few products to try and to start you recommending them. The only condition if you start with a kit is that you need to match the kit value in sales in your first four weeks. So if you start with the £32.50 kit you need to place orders worth £32.50 in your first few weeks of business. If you purchase the £100 kit then you need to place orders worth £100 in the first four weeks. I personally started with the £100 kit and easily got my first £100 orders so it can be done. If you start with the £20 website only offer then you have no targets or sales requirements to hit. This is basically to prevent kitnapping and just buying a kit for personal discount on the products. When you sign up and select your kit option then there’s a terms and agreements form to read and sign if you agree and then you provide a few personal details. You’ll then receive an email to the email address you provided with your log on details and access to your personal shop. The next step is to ensure your information is correct and add your bank details so you can get paid.
Here is the vanity case that came with my £100 start up kit when I joined in November 2015
How Do I Get Paid with Acti-Labs and How Much?
Payment is made on week in arrears on a Friday into your bank. You will earn 20% commission on every order placed by yourself or by customers through your shop link. If you’re looking to work from home you could always have a quick read of my top five ways to boost your monthly income.
Are there any bonuses?
Yes. If you achieve sales of £350 within one calendar month you achieve Diamond status and you will get a 5% bonus on all futher sales placed through your account. So if you have sales of £600 in one month, you will get 5% bonus on the £250 sales. When you achieve Diamond status for the first time you will get a pandora style bracelet and your first charm. You will then continue to get a charm each time you move up a level through the career plan or with any promotions the company is running. You can also earn Acti Cash. Please note this information was written a couple of years ago now and may have changed. Speak to an ambassador or look on the actilabs website for more details on the compensation plan.
What is Acti Cash?
Acti Cash is a reward which equals to an online credit on your back office which allows you to purchase products at a discount. This is very useful to expand your kit without actually having to keep paying for them with the commission you earn weekly.
You can use Acti Cash as a way to top up your kit without needing to use all of your weekly commission. Focus on retailing the products and you can expand your kit for free*
How Much Acti Cash can I earn and does it expire?
Acti Cash does expire within one month of it being applied to your account so you need to make sure you use it. You can get £10 Acti Cash if you process orders of £100 in the first 9 days of the month. The Acti Cash will then be applied on 10th day of the month. You also earn Acti Cash for high sales in the month. When you get to Diamond Status you will earn £25 Acti Cash and the amounts increase with the more sales you put through. £500 is £50 Acti Cash and so on. Another way you can earn Acti Cash is by placing bulk orders. A bulk order is an order over £100 and this will earn you 5% Acti Cash. For every £100 order you put through your back office you will earn an extra £5 in Acti Cash as well as the £20 commission paid into your bank account.
Do I have to build a team?
No but you can if you want and yes you can earn commission on team member sales.
Is Acti Labs a Scam or Pyramid Selling?
No. Scams and pyramid selling is illegal. A pyramid scheme never has products to sell and the targets are so unrealistic that only the person at the top ever makes money…hmm…sounds a bit like most huge corporations doesn’t it? Where the CEO gets all the profit and the people at the bottom are stuck doing all the hard work for minimum wage? However, in the aim of transparency it is commission based and you only earn money if you sell products. In my experience Acti Labs seem to be the fairest and have the most affordable product line. I’m seen people have success with these products and this business but MLM companies can get you into debt if you buy more than you can sell. You do not need to stock products but it is advisable to use and showcase use of these products to help generate sales so people can see results and personal feedback.
ActiLabs have products available for consumers to purchase and they reward the affiliate the individual purchases from. They then reward affiliates for introducing others to the company and generating revenue. Instead of using the company profits to buy vacation homes the owners of the company choose to pay commission to the sellers involved. It is a sales job but instead of being in an office you connect with people you already know. Think of it this way…would you prefer to work in a call centre and earn commission speaking to people you don’t know and recommending a product you don’t believe in (PPI comes to mind…) or would you rather recommend products you actually use to friends and family if you think it would benefit them?
Obviously, it’s a personal choice but it really bugs me when people say this is pyramid selling or a scam. It’s a business, and if you work hard at it, like you have to do at anything in life, you will be rewarded. It’s just an alternative way of earning money which has a lot of negative stigma from people who either do not understand or who have had a bad experience.
Will I Make Money with Acti Labs?
Like any position that is sales based – whether that is employed or self employed there is no guarentee I can give you that you will make money. This is not a get rich quick scheme but a genuine business opportunity that can help those that want to give it their all an extra income around their current commitments. If you are consistent, persistent and have passion for your product you will generate some interest. We do not believe in hard selling and pushing our products onto friends and family but instead offer support to speak to others outside of your usual friendship circle and try. A regular business takes between three to five years to turn a profit and as you’ll already have a website set up and ready to retail and possibly a kit there is the chance to make a profit in a quicker turnaround. There are lots of ways you can make money from home, this is just one option. There are five things I do every single month to help me work from home.
You need to put time and effort into your business and work it properly or you won’t see results. One selfie and an update of your kit will not get you £1000’s of orders or people flocking to you. You’ll need to show these people they can trust you and that you have something to offer before they’ll make a purchase from you. Parties are a great way to give yourself a confidence boost and get your first few sales because you’ll be showcasing the products and talking to people face to face. Face to face is the best way to network.
My advice would be to treat your business like a business, attend the trainings, be in contact with your upline, stick to the 80:20 social media rule – that is 80% personal and 20% business posts and be P.C.P about it – persistent, consistent and have passion!
As you know we’ve just returned from a fantastic time away in Disneyland Paris. We travelled light and spent four nights and five days over in France making sure we took in some of the sights of Paris before heading home. If you want to take a look at the whole of our trip take a look at my travel diary day one with tips on how to get to Disneyland Paris from Paris Gare du Nord. You can also check out my video of the Disney Princesses dancing when we had lunch with them and read all about days two and three which have loads of great pictures of our time. If you’re interested you can also read all about the perks of having a Golden Forest room in Sequoia Lodge.
Day 4 – Final Day In Disneyland Park
On our fourth day we rushed into the park for the extra magic hours at 8am and headed to the first character meet and greet queue to meet Minnie Mouse! Luckily Mickey was there too so we got a picture of both of them together which was great. We then headed over to meet Goofy and Pluto who quickly became a firm favourite of my daughters as he gave her a lot of hugs and kisses.
After that Adam braved Space Mountain alone and said it was a great ride, if a little dated, but I think that’s the charm of the ride. It’s pretty old now and is due for refurbishment next year in honour of the 25th Disneyland Paris Anniversary. During that time Mini Kat and I headed around the some of the stores in Discoveryland looking at all the fantastic merchandise. You could literally spend a fortune here – stay strong!
We braved a few more rides as it was nice and sunny including It’s a Small World before heading back to our hotel as my partner was feeling a little rough and suffering with toothache. It was also really cold that morning so I took the chance to have a lovely hot bath and we spend a bit of time relaxing before heading over to the Rainforest Cafe for a late lunch. We did have to wait for about fifteen minutes to get a table but there’s so much to look at in the shop before the restaurant and the environment itself. Mini Kat loved watching the fish swimming in the pillars and over the entrance. Afterwards we spent a little time grabbing souvenirs and finishing of Mini Kat’s spending money on Lego in their fantastic lego store in the Disney Village. We then headed over to Ratatouille with our fast pass, watched the parade and went back for an early night.
We actually spend a little bit of time in the bar before heading up to our room and I got to sample a delicious Blue Glowtini which comes with a glowing ice cube that you can keep. It’s a vodka cocktail and is €14.95. Childrens versions are also available but Mini Kat wanted a rainbow slush puppy.
Day 5 – Checking Out and Wondering Around Paris
Check out is at 11am so we had a late breakfast, finished packing and were at the desk for eleven. We decided to head into Paris for a bit before our Eurostar connection rather than spend the last few hours in the park so we will definetly be going back next year for the anniversary celebrations, more rides and lots more character meet and greets. Next time we are going to look at staying at Newport Bay or Hotel New York with a Premium Meal Plan so that we can book tables again at ADC, Inventions Character Brunch and Cafe Mickey in the Disney Village. I love the character dining experiences as you can sit down whilst waiting for the characters so it means we can then queue for others we hadn’t had the chance to meet. We also want to go back when Big Thunder Mountain has reopened because I loved that ride as a child.
As we were travelling on a Tuesday we got two Mobilis tickets and one child Paris Visite as they allow you on all modes of transport in Paris. We got off at Charles de Gaulle to take a peak at the Arc de Triomphe first before walking over to the Eiffel Tower. The walk took around 40 minutes but it was a lovely sunny day and it was great to take a chance to walk around.
We then got the metro from Champs de Mars over to St Michael Notre Dame where we found a little cafe aptly named Cafe Notre Dame for lunch. I tried French Onion Soup for the first time which was really warming on a cold day. I also tried pickles and found out I quite like them, especially with ham. Mini Kat was happy with a Pain au Chocolat.
Getting home took a while but it was a fantastic holiday. There’s a few things I would do a little differently. I would consider upgrading our Eurostar seats just to make it a little more comfortable and booking a later train into Paris and an earlier train home. I will always book a club room with Disneyland Paris hotels because of the ability to get free drinks and I will book a meal plan next time so the money we save for Euros between paying off the holiday and actually going can be used on spending money for us all. I would have loved to get all the Lego sets available over there as well as a cuddly toy or two or a snowglobe. That being said, we came back with €100 so I don’t think we did too bad and we didn’t scrimp on anything.
