This is a somewhat delayed trip report, and I'm probably gonna forget bits and bobs, but here it goes:
We went on two non-consecutive days and hopped from park to park.
Day One:
We actually went first of all to Walt Disney Studios. First of all, the park has greatly improved since its opening (I last went back in 2004). It always had a cohesive enough theme, but the "working studio" approach as opposed to "the phenomenon of Hollywood" (as in Florida) always seemed a bit vague, and despite some reasonably decent attractions (especially Rock and Roller Coaster), it felt a lot like just a few curiosities on a tarmac surface. Walking into the main studios.
We didn't get on any of the newer Toon Studios rides (Cars Rally, Crush's Coaster), as the lines were too long, though I did go on the Magic Carpets (I ended up going on it alone as well - not much fun, and the theme is a bit thin). I did however, meet Buzz Lightyear! I was the only adult in the queue, but who cares.
After coming off Rock and Roller Coaster, I saw Donald for the first ever time in a Disney park, and promptly got token photo and autograph.
We also did the Tower of Terror (which I really liked; could hardly remember the Floridian version and was genuinely thrilled/unnerved in a fun way), and the tram tour (which I liked better than last time, though I do think they ought to add a few new props etc).
After all this, we headed over to Disneyland Park just in time for lunch. As I was walking along Main Street, I saw Tiana and Naveen emerge from backstage (their meet-and-greet/show in Paris is held on Main Street). We headed to Fantasyland, where we had lunch in Pizzeria Bella Notte. I'd always wanted to eat here, and it was actually really nice (plus, I'm a huge Italian cuisine buff, even if it was mass-produced Italian). The setting is loosely based on
Lady and the Tramp (moreover its most famous scene) and is basically a fantasy version of a rustic Italian restaurant. After having had lunch, we discovered that the park was basically nearly full, and that most queues were northwards of 30 minutes, and that a number of Fastpass attractions had already run out (even Star Tours, which on my past visit in 2004 normally had lines no longer than 20 or so minutes, let alone the need for Fastpass). We headed over to Adventureland, and had a look at the Aladdin dioramas in the bazaar area (nothing special, but pleasant, and REALLY cooling), and then headed over to the Swiss Family Treehouse. I'd never been up it before in any park (it was closed when I went to WDW, and I'd never got to see it in previous trips to DLP), and thought it was quite charming, though nothing gripping. We went and had a look round Adventure Isle, then we went over to Indiana Jones and the Temple of Peril (a rollercoaster set around an archaeological site), which had too long a queue (it normally has fairly light queues as it's a bit out the way). Around there, we saw Jack Sparrow very briefly, and then went off into Frontierland, where we ended up doing Phantom Manor (aka the Haunted Mansion).
Anyway, I'll continue later...