New York or Newport Bay

[StrongStyle]

Ok, getting round to booking our September visit to the park (thanks to the free night offer). We've stayed at the cheaper hotels before (pre having kids to take back and forth) and last time we were in Sequoi Lodge which was nice, but this time its Newport Bay or New York.

So which do you guys recommend and why? Does one of them have any real benefits over the other or is it just a matter of restaurant choice/room style.

On the site, Newport Bay mentions Fantasiland Breakfast and being in the park early, what's that about? (more importantly, is this a chance to get a picture on mainstreet and be pretty much the only people there)

[davewasbaloo]

Ok, getting round to booking our September visit to the park (thanks to the free night offer). We've stayed at the cheaper hotels before (pre having kids to take back and forth) and last time we were in Sequoi Lodge which was nice, but this time its Newport Bay or New York.

So which do you guys recommend and why? Does one of them have any real benefits over the other or is it just a matter of restaurant choice/room style.

On the site, Newport Bay mentions Fantasiland Breakfast and being in the park early, what's that about? (more importantly, is this a chance to get a picture on mainstreet and be pretty much the only people there)

For me there is no competition, the New York all the way. It has the best service in our experience of all the resorts, room service, better character interaction (as this is seen as an adult hotel by many, the kids get more character time), tennis courts, and lovely rooms. Plus views tend to either be theme park, Village or NBC. Lovely. Plus you can go to breakfast (with hot items) anytime in the morning.

Conversely, we have stayed at the NBC and it suffers from being the largest hotel in Europe with about the same number of cast members as the NY. Not good. Room Service is only offered on the Admiral's Floor. It's a lovely hotel to look at, but not to stay. They offer the Fantasyland Breakfast (access to the park an hour before opening, plus a chance to ride Dumbo and Peter Pan) so the pictures can be nice, but often this is limited to once per trip and cannot be guarenteed, other days you need a time slot for Breakfast. I have tried here 4 times now (2 regular and 2 admiral floor), but will not bother again unless it's a really cheap deal. I honestly feel the Holiday Inn offers a better experience.

That's my view anyway. I suggest the New York all the way.

Also, restaurant wise it does not matter as you can dine in any restaurant in the resort, but the New York tends to have better offerings anyway.

[davewasbaloo]

FWIW - our experience of DLP hotels:

Santa Fe 4 times (good if going cheap and only want a bed and shower)
Cheyenne - 2 times better, but overpriced.
Sequoia Lodge 9 times - our fav for a good value Disney hotel, best pool.
NBC - 4 times
Hotel New York - 7 times. Our favorite Disney owned hotel
Disneyland Hotel - 2 times. Overpriced and is not as good as the Grand Californian or the WDW deluxe resorts (great restaurants though!).
Davy Crockett Ranch once- not bad, some great ameneties.
Holiday Inn - 6 times - excellent value. Between the quality of the NBC and the HNY for the price of the Santa Fe, cannot be bad.
Kyriad - once. Functional, but often HI can be cheaper.
Explorer's once - had potential, but not great.

[nathan detroit]

Stick with Sequoia. Pound for pound the best there is.
NY and Newport are too 'shiney' for my tastes - I personally love the 'homeliness' of Sequoia. Take a Montana room - only £8 prpn extra.
Up to you though.

[davewasbaloo]

Stick with Sequoia. Pound for pound the best there is.
NY and Newport are too 'shiney' for my tastes - I personally love the 'homeliness' of Sequoia. Take a Montana room - only £8 prpn extra.
Up to you though.

good point. If you are only really worried about Swimming, air con and a mini bar as ameneties, the Sequoia Lodge is maybe the best choice (certainly better than NBC)

[Olivier]

Ok, getting round to booking our September visit to the park (thanks to the free night offer). We've stayed at the cheaper hotels before (pre having kids to take back and forth) and last time we were in Sequoi Lodge which was nice, but this time its Newport Bay or New York.

I've been to both. Service is better at Disney's Hotel New York, but I prefer Newport Bay Club. Much more disneyish.
I found the overall atmosphere of the NYH very cold.

[pussnboots]

There's the obvious, that HNY has better amenities and service because hey, it's more expensive. That shouldn't come as news for anybody.

The point I'd like to throw in the mix is that the Newport Bay Club, more so than most other Disney hotels even, has that oh-so-faux thing going on where a monstrous hotel with more than 1000 rooms in the middle of France poses for a quaint New England seaside resort, which strikes some people as charming and others as lurid and dull. The Hotel New York however is clearly the work of an architect (Michael Graves). It's less family-oriented and more yuppie-oriented. It does however feel a bit outdated here and there (art deco reinterpreted circa 1990). If that's your thing, the HNY is for you.

In short, the Newport Bay Club is themed, the Hotel New York is designed. The rest should speak for itself.

[DutchDisneyFan]

NPBC is my personal favourite when it comes to looks and theming, it's grand and splashy, yet BUSY! I remember the early DLRP years when crowds were too small but it was more comfortable to visit, NPBC is very crowded. HNY is better and nearby (that walk to NPBC around lake disney can get boring after a few days). compared to Disneyland Hotel the best price-quality-access ratio.

[StrongStyle]

Thanks for all the feedback.

In the end we've gone with New York. I have to admit, that after walking past the hotel on every visit since opening I've always wanted to stay there so this seemed like the chance and the price wasn't that much more than Sequoia Lodge. Plus it's location means I can pop to both Newport and Sequoia each evening and see which characters they have appearing the following morning so we can be at whichever offers the best meet opportunity.

[Zarniwoop]

In the end we've gone with New York. I have to admit, that after walking past the hotel on every visit since opening I've always wanted to stay there so this seemed like the chance and the price wasn't that much more than Sequoia Lodge. Plus it's location means I can pop to both Newport and Sequoia each evening and see which characters they have appearing the following morning so we can be at whichever offers the best meet opportunity.

If you'd go for NPBC; to avoid the haste book an Admirals Floor room and you get access to AF reception and room service. With 8 € you can have your breakfast delivered to your room.

[WDW1974]

There's no way I could ever advise anyone to stay at Newport Bay after my experience last year.

Frankly, all of the DLP resorts appear to be very overcrowded and the cast overwhelmed ... Sequioa definitely has the best vibe for the least money, though.