Christmas: Really stuck hotel minefield

[SolisGazer]

Hello all

I am hoping some of you can help me. My boyfriend and I are planning a trip to Disney leaving the day before Christmas Eve and staying 4 nights. We are going to go via the Eurostar so do not have the car...we usually camp as we visit Disney in the Summer.

What we are struggling with is what hotel. We fancied the Radisson but put off by the distance and stories of packed shuttles. Can you walk from here? The Dream Castle sounds nice but the reviews on Trip Advisor et al are mixed. We have also looked at the Sequoia Lodge and Newport Bay in Disney but I find the price shocking. We are unsure whether it is worth double the price of a non-disney hotel?

So in short....what do people suggest? It is such a minefield and after a dreadful year with the sudden death of my mum a few weeks ago we are really in need of a special Christmas away.

Thanks!

 

[DLPdaft]

my first tip would be - take all tripadvisor hotel reviews with a ginormous pinch of salt . By human nature, more people will come back and post reviews when they are not happy.

I am going to the Dream Castle in November, have stayed at its sister hotel the Magic Circus and loved it, and the Dream Castle gets consistently better reviews than the Magic Circus does. Both of these are proper 4 star hotels - their comparisons at DLP onsite are the Hotel New York and the Disneyland Hotel.

In my opinion, if you are not travelling with young children (where onsite gives you advantages like EMH which are invaluable for little ones) then the associated hotels are just as good as onsite, they are served by regular free shuttle buses, and at a push, you could walk to them (they are situated along the end of the road where the Santa Fe is located).

 

[SolisGazer]

THanks for the advice. Would the dream castle be better than the Radisson...anyone stayed at both? Not looked at the circus hotel...another one to the mix Is the Sequoia Lodge worth the double price? We would get the dream pass if we stayed off site which would still give us the EMH.

Agree with you about Trip Advisor...it freaks me out with all the moaning about filthy hotel rooms...makes you not want to leave the house...lol

 

[stargatebarbie]

the kyriad is my second home cheap cheerful clean and comfy cant go wrong

 

[Ware Bears]

I sometimes wonder if I've stayed in the same hotel when I read some of the reviews on Trip Advisor. One thing I've definitely learned is that some people have totally unrealistic expectations - like wanting a champagne lifestyle when they're on a beer budget!

I'd definitely pick the Dream Castle over the Radisson as the shuttle to the latter isn't quite as regular and although I believe you could walk it, you probably won't want to, especially if it's cold. The Dream Castle can definitely be walked to - we've often walked to and from the Explorers which is next door and often beat the shuttle bus back at night, especially if we were already in the Village so well on the way there.

When you say the Sequoia is double the price - have you calculated the Dream annual passes into the equation? If it's half the price even after buying these then I'd say go for the Dream Castle. I've never read a bad review for it from a DISer. We've stayed offsite for every visit bar our last one and, while it was lovely not having to get a bus at the end of the day, if we can't get a good price for staying onsite again next summer then we'll be back offsite again - IMO you don't miss out on any of the magic by not staying in a Disney hotel.

ETA: Meant to say sorry to read about your Mum.

 

[Toksovolos]

What about Ibis? It is close to Val d' Europe RER station, which means you can use RER, free shuttle bus from Elysee Val d' Europe or even walk!
Booking.com gives a total price of 340 euros for 4 nights (Dec 24-28).
If you are on a budget, I think it is a very good deal.

 

[kizzabel]

Sorry to hear about your Mum

I would probably book the Dream Castle or Magic Circus as Ive read many great reports here for them.
Have you looked at the hotels thread on Disboards? The breakfast is meant to be better then most onsite in DLP and if youre getting Dream Passes then Id say its your best option. I know where youre coming from. Its such a hard decision to make and we dont know what offers will come out for onsite in the mean time.

Again, TA is great for pics and that what i mostly use it for. If you did happen to get a manky room you can always ask for a different one. You are paying for it but I find many reviews on TA to be soooooo picky, full of unrealistic expectations and you'll find yes the star rating standards of onsite are not favourably comparable to what you would find in the rest of Europe but people forget they are paying for the whole package and I think many return home with a gripe with the price paid for the standard of room and use TA to vent. In the scheme of things and with what I read about the hotels at WDW I think yes we do get a bit of a raw deal but I wouldnt let it marr your trip or build up to your trip. You will have a fantastic time and a much needed break away.

 

[princessmummy]

Hi there.

I have stayed at the Dream Castle twice and have found it to be great! I couldn't fault anything in either of our stays and it doesn't feel like you're away from the magic. Don't underestimate the power of NOT queueing for your breakfast, and getting a hot one at that! The buses are very regular and not THAT crowded. It is only 5-10 mins after all!!!! Having recently styed in a 5 star country house hotel in the UK for a conference I would put the Dream Castle up there!

This Xmas we are staying at The Kyriad following other great reviews on here (19-21st Dec) and booked a great deal via the kyriad website (E71 a night) as we have dream passes and want to save our pennies for yet another trip in april during the easter holidays.

Good luck with your planning.

Karen

 

[SolisGazer]

Thanks for all your help....just booked the dream castle which cost £556 for 4 nights B and B (Thomas Cook running extra £30 of too). Sequoia Lodge was £1776 which was a real difference even with the addition of dream passes for staying at a non-disney hotel factored in. Did ring up disney as the website was not offering the one night free offer which the website clearly said was on but even then I was quoted £1200.

Thanks again for your help....something to look forward to seeing Mickey for Christmas!!!

xx