From KAUST to London and Paris

The next big adventure

Fresh off of the success of our first international "holiday" to Dubai, we have started to plan the next. It looks like the finalist is going to be 3 weeks in Europe. One of our next adventures has us headed to London and Paris. We will go to London in early August and probably take the train to Paris.

So far we have locked in the airline tickets and Barbara scored an AWESOME Priceline deal in London. One of the difficulties with us is finding accommodations for 6. So Barbara bid $85 USD for 2 rooms and got a yes for a Marriott near Hyde Park!!! It is still more expensive than our little American minds like to deal with, but we were stoked given what we have been seeing. We will see how it actually turns out, but for now it was exciting

We still need to lock down the lodging and transport to Paris, the "Paris Pass", and the details for Disneyland Paris.

Paris Lodging

In the end we will probably try the Priceline option in Paris, but for right now we are looking as some of the vacation rentals we can find. Unfortunately Craigslist is just full of scammers (they should just not even have that option on the page. I didn't see one option on there that did not look like a scam, but I digress, but Tripadvisor.com has a pretty good inventory so we are hoping that something will work out in our favor.

Paris Pass

In Paris it seems that the "Paris Pass" is going to be a great deal for us. It includes a pass for the Paris transportation network, another pass for a number of the Paris museums/ galleries, and other perk such as the Big Bus tour that shows many of the Paris icons.

This will be one of my first times relying exclusively on public transit for my family, so we will see how it goes, but for now it seems like the "Paris Pass" is at least going to help check some of the transportation boxes and some of the "cultural" boxes. Plus the good thing about it would seem that it will give us the incentive to visit some of the museums that are not on the normal must see sights. We will just leave if we dislike it. Instead of feeling like we paid some money and should at least try and find some redeeming value.

I will fill you in as we go along this planning process, plus I have some more updates from our Dubai trip that we took at Christmas, but I haven't transferred the photos yet. Hopefully I will get it posted before CiCi and I start diving next week and add a whole new topic for discussion ;-)

Best wishes, KC

Explorers Hotel at Disneyland Paris Explorers Hotel at Disneyland Paris is located close to Disneyland Paris, Golf Disneyland Paris, and Centre commercial Val d'Europe. Additional points of interest include Sealife Aquarium and Aquarium Sea Life Paris. Hotel Features. Dining options at Explorers Hotel at Disneyland Paris include 3 restaurants. A bar/lounge is open for drinks. The hotel serves a complimentary breakfast. Recreational amenities include an indoor pool and a children's pool. This 3 star property offers a meeting/conference room and audio visual equipment. Complimentary wireless Internet access is available in public areas. The property has a theme park shuttle, which is complimentary. Tour/ticket assistance and tour assistance are available. Guest parking is complimentary. Additional property amenities include a concierge desk, an arcade/game room, and multilingual staff. This is a smoke free property. Guestrooms. 390 guestrooms at Explorers Hotel at Disneyland Paris feature coffee/tea makers and safes. Accommodations offer garden views. Beds come with pillowtop mattresses. Bathrooms feature shower/tub combinations with handheld showerheads, and hair dryers. Wireless Internet access is complimentary. In addition to desks, guestrooms offer phones. Flat panel televisions have satellite channels and pay movies. Rooms also include ceiling fans and windows that open. Guests may request irons/ironing boards, hypo allergenic bedding, and wake up calls. Housekeeping is available daily. Guestrooms are all non smoking. Notifications and Fees: This property offers transfers from the airport (surcharges may apply). Guests must contact the property with arrival details before travel, using the contact information on the booking confirmation. A resort fee is included in the total price displayed The following facilities will be closed from 17 September 2012 to 19 September 2012 (dates subject to change): Swimming poolOne of the dining venues Some properties have extra fees for amenities or services that may apply even if you do not use them. Government fees or taxes also may be charged to you when you check in or check out. This property told us they will charge you for the following: A tax is imposed by the city: EUR 1.1 per person, per night We have included all charges provided to us by the property. However, charges can vary, for example, based on length of stay or the room you book. The following fees and deposits are charged by the property at time of service, check in, or check out. Airport shuttle fee: EUR 18Airport shuttle fee per child: EUR 15 (one way), (from 3 to 12 years old) Additional towels/sheets fee: EUR 2 per stay The above list may not be comprehensive. Fees and deposits may not include tax and are subject to change. Notifications and Fees: This property offers transfers from the airport (surcharges may apply).