Bummed about staying in Sante Fe-Magic please!

[mulan1]

Hi guys,
After we decided to get APs, we went and bought our eurostar tickets, then realized we can't get the free under 7 pass as the offer ends before we go, then realised we have to get 3 dream Aps as the days we go are blackout days on fantasy, then went to book room only via expedia and only sante fe was available, hubby really not keen on staying there, and i'm worried that if we don't like the theming it will take away from our experience, it's all booked though as we didn't want to be off site, just hoping you can help cheer me up as normally i'd be very excited to have the trip booked, but i'm actually feeling quite down about it, and i keep thinking, "what will be different when we go? we've been before" i'm just having one of those days...

 

[thelittlemermaid83]

Im staying at the Santa Fe on Monday Im well excited!

 

[Cyrano]

Strange title

We don't mind staying off-site but without doubt saying in a Disney hotel gives you that special magic
You have characters about in the morning which gets everyone extra excited.
You can have your purchases sent back to the hotel.
In the evening you can have a stroll around the other hotels and not leave the Disney bubble

It is always my intention to have at least visited all the hotels as I think each has a different charm

 

[mulan1]

i suppose i'm being silly really, i'm sure it will be lovely and yes it'll be nice to have visited each different hotel, just when hubby is negative rubs off a little, i'm sure i will perk up, i've been looking at pics on line and i doesn't seem too bad, besides we'll be in parks most of the days anyway. thanks!

 

[Cyrano]

i suppose i'm being silly really, i'm sure it will be lovely and yes it'll be nice to have visited each different hotel, just when hubby is negative rubs off a little,

Tell him the DIS crew will be round to sort him out if he is not sing "Just like we dreamed it" in 5 minutes

 

[mulan1]

aw! that really cheered me up! *big grin*
thanks reid! I feel much better now, and i will tell him that, yes and the funny thing is he liked that song from the parade lol!
i make him sound like a misery guts don't I? Bless him, he does work awfully hard for us all so i shouldn't complain, he's a dear!

i'm happy now, going to think about what we can do each day...

thanks to you all so much!

 

[A Small World]

We have stayed twice at Santa Fe and thought it was fine. The beds were really comfy, rooms were clean and large enough for what we needed the room for.

We were there in April last yr and yr before (Easter) and the parks were open quite late. As you're going when some French schools are off it could be the parks are open later (have you checked?) in which case you'll hardly be in the park.

There were characters in the lobby everyday and a well stocked shop. We only used the restaurant for breakfast and didnt really go in the bar area so unsure what they were like.

It was very close to the Esso station to be able to buy cheap snacks and drinks.

We walked to the parks most of the time- took us about 15 mins along the canal and by the lake and was a nice pleasant walk.

You can always go into the other hotels to sit/visit etc if you want to see what they're like

 

[kazdudds]

We've been to the Santa Fe before and loved it! I think that all the Disney hotels have so much magic and really make a big difference to your stay. It would be horrible to have to leave 'disney' each night!!!!

 

[Shizara]

Having just had 3 nights at the Santa Fe it really wasn't that bad. There is the same scrum to get on the buses as the other hotels, the room was clean, comfy beds and had all that we needed. Breakfast pretty much the same as Cheyenne. Distance from the park isn't much more than Cheyenne. Think of the money you save by not spending it on the expensive hotels. More to spend in the park!

 

[Cyrano]

aw! that really cheered me up! *big grin*
thanks reid! I feel much better now, and i will tell him that, yes and the funny thing is he liked that song from the parade lol!
i make him sound like a misery guts don't I? Bless him, he does work awfully hard for us all so i shouldn't complain, he's a dear!

i'm happy now, going to think about what we can do each day...

thanks to you all so much!

Don't worry everyone here tolerates my Disney geekness
I threaten them with Disney videos, cds, podcasts if they don't get the Disney thing
DS introduces every home video as this is Jack at Reid's Disney geek TV

 

[mulan1]

thanks everyone, you're all so wonderful, i feel much better about it now, you're right we'll have extra money to spend on goodies!
we never did walk last time when we stayed at cheyenne, but is something i really want to do at least once while we're there. And it'll be good to be next to the esso for those cheaper snacks and drinks.
i wonder if anyone knows, what the maximum number of floors that the blocks at santa fe have, my husband doesn't like heights much or lifts either.

Thanks again everyone, i'm really excited now!

 

[bavaria]

Well, I stayed at the Santa Fe late last year, and I have to tell you that I had the best check in experience of any DLRP resort. For once I didn't have a CM who assumed that I was British and insisted that I listen to his bad English. I had a wonderful Frenchman who engaged me in conversation in French, and was very complimentary towards my ability to speak his language. We chit chatted at length about a variety of subjects, and he made me feel like I was in a regular Parisian hotel and not DLRP. (I'm trying to make that sound positive - I do get annoyed with the ongoing assumption by the DLRP CMs at the hotels that one only speaks English)

Breakfast was actually better than at the Cheyenne; again, I had two CMs greeting people who didn't assume that I was British (not that there is anything wrong with that, but if I am in Europe it takes me awhile to adjust back to English). They were wonderful at explaining everything to people, and bid me goodbye when I left each day. There was no pushing and shoving, lots of choices, and lots of seating (this when all the hotels were sold out)

Frankly, the service at the Santa Fe was far better than that at the other resorts at which I have stayed at DLRP! The rooms are a little sparse and perhaps a little tired, but I did have my request met to be up high. The walk to the park was quick (well, I do walk quickly ) and pleasant. I only took the bus once, and it was a little crowded, I will admit.

I think that if you give the Santa Fe a chance, you may be pleasantly surprised!

 

[DLPdaft]

Most of the room blocks at the Santa Fe are ground floor and first floor only. There are taller blocks (3 or 4 floors high) right next to the riverside looking over to the Cheyenne. I've never had a room in the big blocks, only the smaller ones. Our room this last time we went was ground floor, and overlooked a little pond with rushes and lily pads on it.

Elaine

 

[jillrobinson]

I think SF does take a bit of a bashing sometimes but in our experience there's nothing fundamently wrong with the hotel.
The rooms are clean and the beds are comfy, the breakfast experience is the same wherever you stay, have a read of the NPB breakfast scrums and we witnessed long queues at SL last time. They're easily avoided if you arrive at 7.00/7.30 and with little ones I'm, sure this won't be a problem.
Shuttle buses, (I hate them with a vengeance and it's why we've twice stayed at SL and probably will again although I don't like the hotel), but with a bit of planning it doesn't have to be a fight, leave the park a bit earlier or go for a wander around the village if the kiddies are up to it after park closes, just to let the crowds disperse.
You'll have a fabulous time I'm sure.

 

[mulan1]

You guys are all so wonderful, thank you so much for all your encouragement, I'm really looking forward to it now, going to bring our buggy board for DS, hope he isn't too big for it, then we can have a nice walk to the parks and avoid bus scrum, it's a relief that most of the bocks are only 2 stories high, i'm hoping we do get a ground floor room. it seems very peaceful there from the photos i've seen, it'll be nice to experience it at least once also, then in future maybe june or july we'll book earlier and stay at HNY for a night.
I'll thank you all with a gleaming report of how much we liked it after all!

I love my husband, he's a wonderful man, and he puts up with a lot from me, including my disney fanaticism!

Can't wait to go!!
xxx

 

[mulan1]

We were there in April last yr and yr before (Easter) and the parks were open quite late. As you're going when some French schools are off it could be the parks are open later (have you checked?) in which case you'll hardly be in the park.

I did have a look at the times for april but they are not up yet, although it seems like they EMH in the mornings.

 

[poppyolivia]

We have only been 3 times and always stayed at Santa Fe....There is nothing wrong with it..and the beds are sooooooo comfy!!!..in saying that when I was booking the holiday they tried to get me to upgrade to a differnet hotel and I said I wanted to stay at SF cause the beds were comfy, the lass laughed and said that ALL the beds in the Disney Park are ALL the same!.....is this true?..same mattresses?????

The staff are so good too really nice!

And you can get a big bottle of water at the Esso garage for 80 cents...bargain!!!

We are just back and our room was RIGHT next to the volcano they have..when we looked out the window there it was in all its glory, a big mound of concrete...kids loved it!! We had to climb stairs to get to our roon because there was no lift there...abit of a pain with the buggy etc but not too bad! At least we were close to the reception area!

Have a great time and tell us all about it!

 

[NIK]

I stayed in the Santa Fe myself on my first stay. V nice theming - almost expected to see Clint Eastwood stalking out of the toilets ROFL

I have stayed in the Sequoia ever since but I'd have no problems staying at the Santa Fe. Staff were helpful, the hotel was clean, bright and friendly.

My only complaint was the stairs. I hadn't realised that there were steps to many of the rooms and I had cause to be glad there was no one around with a video camera when I was trying to totter back to my room after my first marathon slog round the park ROFL.

 

[stevelamb121]

Aww don't be bummed anymore. We stayed in May for our 1st trip. It was great. We were ground floor just across the road from la cantina. We found it to be great. Hated the buses though. Going again in May and think we will walk this time.