Hotel Opinions Please?

Hi all, happy Monday!

My fiance just decided that we can take our dream wedding anniversary trip in December 2019 to Disneyland Paris. This will be our first anniversary as a married couple - but we're going in blind here!

We are looking for opinions on the best hotel to stay at that could be considered romantic and almost like a splurge trip. In addition, we believe park tickets are included in the hotel stay - is this correct?

Any tips or tricks would be greatly appreciated! Thank you in advance!

Congratulations!

Tink will no doubt post her trusted list of all the hotel descriptions ;-) But the main thing to keep in mind: In Disneyland Paris it's not a resort, it's a hotel you'll be staying in. There are not a lot of amenities in comparison to the US parks. Think first how much time you want to spend in your hotel/hotel room, and how important is the hotel to you. Will you be spending a lot of time in the room, or do you need a place to sleep? I really enjoyed Club Level in Sequoia during the Run Weekend, but that's because we really used the room to recover after the runs, spend time in the lounge and went into the pool. For the Halloween Party I need a hotel onsite (aka something within walking distance after the party) and went for Santa Fe, which is all I need. Usually we stay off site, to save money.

I think a lot of Americans go for the Disneyland Hotel, as it is a splurge and it's a once in a lifetime trip. And if it's romantic, that depends, which theme do you find romantic at WDW? Grand Floridian (Disneyland Hotel), Yacht & Beach Club (New Port Bay), Wilderness Lodge (Sequoia Lodge).
To me, as I live relatively close by, with an AP, I have never been able to justify the price of the Disneyland Hotel.

When you book via Disney, you get your park tickets included, for every day of your stay.

There have been plenty of topics lately with asking for general tips on DLP, so just browse below. And if you have any specific questions, we're here to assist!

here you go

there are 6 onsite hotels, all of which have access to early opening for all guests.

Disneyland Hotel
This is the premium priced deluxe hotel. It is located at the entrance to the main park. It is Victoriana themed

Hotel New York
This would be the premium price moderate hotel. It is located after Disney Village and is the nearest to Disney Village. It is themed as a Manhattan / New York building. It would be a 10 minute walk to the main park entrance OR you can take the free shuttle bus. This hotel is closing soon for refurb so check the dates.

Hotel Sequoia Lodge
This would be the moderate hotel. It is located after Disney Village, past Hotel New York and half way along Lake Disney. It is themed like a Californian Red Wood Forest, similar to the Grand Californian in Disneyland California. It would be a 15 minute walk to the park entrance OR you can take the free shuttle bus. The standard rooms are located in separate buildings called Lodges. The main building has the more expensive standard rooms and the Club Level. The swimming pool is located in a separate building.

Hotel NewPort Bay
This would be the moderate hotel. It is located after Disney Village, past Hotel New York and Sequoia Lodge, at the end of Lake Disney. It is themed like a Newport Bay Yacht Club. It would be a 20 minute walk to the park main entrance OR you can take the free shuttle bus. This is the largest hotel building. Some rooms can be a 15 minute walk from the main reception area where the restaurants and shop are located. It has a swimming pool.

Hotel Cheyenne
This would be the budget hotel. It is located after Disney Village and past Hotel New York. It is themed like Toy Story / Sheriff Woody, The Wild West. It would be a 20 minute walk to the main park entrance OR you can take the free shuttle bus, There is no swimming pool and the rooms are located in separate buildings

Hotel Santa Fe
This would be the budget hotel. It is located after Disney Village and past Hotel New York and then past Hotel Sequoia Lodge. It would be a 20 minute walk to the main park entrance OR you can take the free shuttle bus. There is no swimming pool and the rooms are located in separate buildings.

Partner Hotels
There are also 5 Partner Hotels. These are located on the far edge of Disney property. They are not walkable to to the parks, they have a free shuttle bus to the parks. As they are independent hotels, they dont have the Disney onsite perks of access to early opening or the shopping service.

1. Hotel Kyraid
2. Magic Circus
3. Dream Castle
4. Explorers
5. B & B Hotel

some things you need to know about Disneyland Paris which are different to the American Parks

1. You dont have to book using the website for your country. Disneyland Paris has different deals and offers on the different country websites. Most of us regulars would advise AGAINST booking with the American site as it is by far the most expensive
2. The other country websites to check are
3. http://www.disneylandparis.ie/
   http://www.disneylandparis.co.uk
   http://www.disneylandparis.fr
   http://www.disneylandparis.de
   http://www.disneylandparis.it
   http://www.disneylandparis.be
   http://www.disneylandparis.nl
4. Disneyland Paris does not mail anything in the post. You get a confirmation email which you bring with you to checkin
5. When you book direct with Disneyland Paris you are booking a hotel and park hopper tickets package
6. Your park tickets are valid for both arrival day and departure day
7. You can book direct with Disney through any of the websites. When you book through the website you will pay the full amount at the time of booking
8. You can also book direct with Disney by phone. To call Disneyland Paris and not have to pay the international phone charges, just call the regular phone number for Walt Disney World in Florida and ask to be transferred to Disneyland Paris.
9. When you book direct with Disney by phone you pay a 15% deposit and the balance is payable 30 or 60 days before arrivial, I cant remember which
10. When you have booked you will get a confirmation email with your itinerary, you will need this email to check in
11. Once you have your confirmation number you need to go to the website / country you booked with, not the country you live in. You will need to create a new MY DISNEY ACCOUNT on that website
12. When you log in to your new My Disney Account you will see your itinerary. If you have a balance to pay you will see an online payment form.
13. To pay your balance you can either phone again or pay online
14. Restaurant ADR can only be booked over the phone. Just repeat step 8 and ask for Disneyland Paris Dining Reservations.
15. Disneyland Paris Restaurant ADR open 60 days from arrival date
16. Disneyland Paris does not have Magic Bands or Fatspass ++. The Fastpass are the paper ones which you get on the day at the machines beside the rides.

The Parks

1. There are 2 parks - the main park and Disney Studios
2. Just like Disneyland California, the parks are side by side and park hopping is very easy
3. Disney Studios is a movie themed park and is mainly a half day park
4. All the ride and attraction audios are in French
5. Disneyland Paris is Frenchified Disney, an American style theme park with the cultural and social behaviours of France / central Europe
6. American visitors need to adjust their expectations, there is not the same level of Disney happy smiliey customer service from the CM's
7. American visitors need to adjust their expectations, Disneyland Paris does not have the same level of upkeep and maintenance as the American parks
8. American visitors need to adjust their expectations, Disneyland Paris, guest behaviour is very different, for example guests smoke all over the park, not in the designated smoking areas
9. American visitors need to adjust their expectations, clothes sizes are smaller, there is less variety of merchandise, guests are not into the wearing of Disney clothes or Mouse Ears or pin lanyards in the pins.

BadPinkTink said:

1. American visitors need to adjust their expectations, there is not the same level of Disney happy smiliey customer service from the CM's.
2. American visitors need to adjust their expectations, Disneyland Paris does not have the same level of upkeep and maintenance as the American parks
3. American visitors need to adjust their expectations, Disneyland Paris, guest behaviour is very different, for example guests smoke all over the park, not in the designated smoking areas
4. American visitors need to adjust their expectations, clothes sizes are smaller, there is less variety of merchandise, guests are not into the wearing of Disney clothes or Mouse Ears or pin lanyards in the pins.

Click to expand...

To add to these.
1. is a cultural thing. The French are not very happy people in general and the current climate in France is not a very positive one. Also, for many CMs it is just a job. Not something one dreams to do one day.
2. is improving after the Americans took over ;-)
3. handling smokers is also improving. Recently I saw more and more CMs addressing guests about this, they have a brochure with them that indicates the smoking areas.
4. This doesn't mean that people will look at you funny when you Disney Bound or wear ears, it's not a thing here.

.