Where to stay?

[WDW1974]

OK. Heading to DLP for the first time in May. I need some advice from some regulars and,hopefully, people who've stayed onsite recently.

I have three -- and only these -- choices for lodging:
New York;
Newport Bay;
Sequoia Lodge;

I know NY is the priciest and NB is the largest and that SL has the best pool. I favor the theming of SL, myself.

But after reading numerous reviews of all three on Trip Advisor, I am very concerned. It almost made the latter two sound like complete dumps. Only NY got generally favorable reviews.

The complaints ranged from dirty rooms to smelly hallways to rooms in disrepair to lousy, disinterested CMs and I have no clue what to believe.

The photos on the official website don't really help as the pics look like they were taken in the mid-90s.

So I need advice ... anyone have recent experiences? Anyone know if any of these hotels have had recent (within the last two years) room renovations? Any CMs out there?

Any info would be helpful. Thanks.

[pussnboots]

Hotel New York is clearly the classiest, the worldliest and the best maintained choice. It's closest to the parks and the staff is probably more helpful than those of the other two, which isn't unrelated to the fact that it's also the smallest hotel by a landslide (so there are less people to serve). It is however very expensive and perhaps a bit cold and business-like (though you may find that classy and stylish). I've always found the place to be in excellent shape and would recommend it to anyone crazy enough to spend their money on its rates.

Sequoia Lodge is cozy (no word better describes it) and surrounded with wonderful landscaping, though keep in mind that it is of course a lot more budgety than the Wilderness Lodge and the Grand Californian--so don't expect a lobby the size of the Mall of America or anything like that. The pool is great, though you'll have to go outside for a bit to reach it. I've always found the staff to be perfectly competent, though some rooms and corridors may still be in need of refurbishing. It's not very dramatic and you're unlikely to find your bed occupied by a large colony of cockroaches, but wallpaper has been known to peel here and there. It depends on how anal you are.

The Newport Bay Club is hustling and bustling at any hour. If you favour that New England flavour, with its white clapboard, boardwalks and porches, this is the place for you--but if you're looking for personal attention you will find yourself complaining on Trip Advisor yourself. The staff does what it can, but usually there's a starving, exhausted American family behind you with greater needs and both you and the staff member will feel a trifle rushed. You'll get out your travel papers and hear a female voice behind you (invariably of a woman named Bobbi) yelling at her kids: "Johnny, Ronnie, Bonnie, Conny and Steve, get your butts over here, yes mommy wants to pee too but we'll have to wait for this man to finish rambling through his bag". At this point you'll feel even more rushed and start dropping things out of nervousness. Don't even think about asking another question or you'll dehydrate someone in line and an ambulance will be required.
And here too is a problem with wallpaper. The main public areas are wonderfully maintained, but once you reach the depths of this mammoth hotel you'll encounter more paint missing than present and situations that should simply be fixed. The same goes for the outside.
However, if you're a self-sufficient type of guy who likes his hotels big and filled with people and doesn't care about a few inches of misplaced wallpaper here and there (eg: me), it's all nothing to be worried about. The atmosphere is nice inside and out and it is the one hotel situated at Lake Disney that actually feels as a part of it. Taking a stroll around the premises is quite lovely. It's recently been refurbished, but the hotel is just so huge that they've only reached a very small portion of it. What can I say, I personally love it but I can imagine that there are people who disagree to say the least.

[PeaJay18]

I can vouch for SL - my fave of the hotels I can afford to stay in!

[WDW1974]

Pussnboots, when you say Newport Bay is being refurbished does that include the rooms? When did you last stay and did you get a new room?
I was leading toward NY because the reviews on it are generally very, very good. Although being designed by Michael Graves, it does have a coldish look and feel much like his Swan and Dolphin at WDW.

My family is pushing for SL because a friend advised it, although her stay was three and a half years ago -- a lifetime in Disney hotel years! -- and it does have a great pool compared to the others. I like the theme the best, but if the room had a 'tired, dumpy' look to it, it would affect my enjoyment.

I do see on the official site that all three resorts are undergoing exterior work when we're there. That doesn't bother me. I wouldn't mind some peeling paint on the outside if my room was crisp, clean and modern.

Thanks for the post, BTW ...

I am an expert on WDW and DL, but totally lost when it comes to DLP.

[jml338]

Dear WDW1974,

I have been to all three hotels.

Weirdly enough (according to all the postings I have seen), I really like the Newport BUT I always selected the rooms with view on the lake and in the admiral's floor section. The theme of the rooms is very nice and they were always clean. I really like the swimming pool which is fun and relaxing at the same time. It is quite big if they open the outside portion (which doubles it). What I also like is the fact that they have saunas and steaming rooms. A plus for kids is that it is not a deep pool (which not the case with the New York one). I also like the fact that this is the furthest hotel: the walks along the lake are always very nice.

I have just been to the New York Hotel. I really like it but it has a more adult atmosphere. It is a bit cold but the room are bigger and definitly nicer. The swimming pool is amazing... for adult. The equipement is great (sauna, steaming room, jacuzzi) and they have a really cool bar where I LOVE to hang out.

I hated the Sequoia Lodge: I promise myself that I will NEVER go back there. Granted, I went there a long time ago (4-5 years) but the uninteresting room (really really boring and ugly) and the dirtiness of the swimming pool (which, by the way, is not inside the hotel: you have to walk outside to get there) made me want to leave. The sad part is that the lobby is amazing and cozy and I love the restaurants but to stay there: never again! The only other good part: it was the cheapest with a swimming pool...

Sooooo. I would definitly recommend the Newport because it has the best of both worlds for kids and adults and the price is right. I love the New York but I am 35 years old and I like my luxury... (Btw, amusing fact, I am currently living in the Big Apple). I hated the Sequoia Lodge.

One more thing, I have been going to Disneyland Paris almost once a year for the past 10 years, using each time one of their hotel: I have been to the Newport at least 6 times, the New York 4 and the Sequoia Lodge once.

I hope that my review will prove to be useful for you and your family. Enjoy your time there.

[WDW1974]

Thanks for the input/reviews ... keep 'em coming.

Having stuff for kids isn't important because we're all adults -- we just act like kids!

At this point, we're leaning toward NY as cleanliness and upkeep, as well as luxury are more important than saving $$$ or more of a Disney theme.
As an aside, I spent five nights in a suite at the NY Hilton last December, and so I really don't need more NY theming when I just got the real deal ... so Newport Bay is still in the picture too.

[Zarniwoop]

... so Newport Bay is still in the picture too.

NPBC (while being one of the biggest hotels in Europe) is ok when you have a room at Admirals' Floor and use the room service for breakfast in room.. like that the crowds wont make you mad.

Here's the room plan:

27 sq.meters



On request they have king-size beds too.

[pussnboots]

Pussnboots, when you say Newport Bay is being refurbished does that include the rooms? When did you last stay and did you get a new room?
I was leading toward NY because the reviews on it are generally very, very good. Although being designed by Michael Graves, it does have a coldish look and feel much like his Swan and Dolphin at WDW.

My family is pushing for SL because a friend advised it, although her stay was three and a half years ago -- a lifetime in Disney hotel years! -- and it does have a great pool compared to the others. I like the theme the best, but if the room had a 'tired, dumpy' look to it, it would affect my enjoyment.

I do see on the official site that all three resorts are undergoing exterior work when we're there. That doesn't bother me. I wouldn't mind some peeling paint on the outside if my room was crisp, clean and modern.

Thanks for the post, BTW ...

I am an expert on WDW and DL, but totally lost when it comes to DLP.

I couldn't say if the rooms were refurbished, frankly. When I was there last summer they were doing an extensive refurbishment on the outside, around the lakeside entrance. Perhaps someone else here has been paying closer attention to the tarps and scaffoldings? But from what I've seen it's not the rooms that need the attention anyway, it's the corridors and other public areas outside the core part part of the hotel as well as a lot of woodwork on the outside. The worst I've seen was a room on Admiral's Floor (of all places) that held an ice cube machine. It was positively derelict, after school special/"hello, is anybody in here, me and my friend got lost in the woods and we need to use the phone"-type derelict. I've seen less dramatic things at Sequoia Lodge, but frankly, even though I agree that things need-a fixin', I can never quite fathom why people let their trips get ruined by a little wallpaper damage.
The point is, all three hotels provide a similarly great basis for a DLRP trip, though of course you get what you pay for. I'd base my decision on two things only: what can I afford and if money is no issue, what theme do I prefer? Don't spend to much time looking into stories of people who encountered a rude this and a dirty that. You'll find your own experience will be vastly different.

[pussnboots]

Two by the ways--first of all, Zarniwoop, do you happen to have any idea on what actually is the largest hotel in Europe or when the Newport Bay Club actually had the title? I keep hearing these stories about how it was the biggest for a couple of years, but a Google search shows that about a thousand hotels think of themselves as the biggest in Europe. Surely a simple room count could show a winner?

Second of all, I just thought of another set of reasons why Sequoia Lodge is nicer than the Newport Bay Club. The thing is, when you get a parking lot (or similarly unpleasant) view at Sequoia Lodge, you'll hardly see a single car because there are thousands of trees all around, whereas at the Newport Bay Club you get a view of a parking lot in its purest, most awful form. Plus, chances are that reaching your room will prove quite the hike. I think the above paragraph renders it obvious why.