DLP in end January choose between sequoia and santa fe

[azimx]

hi everyone, have been lurking in these forums for a while, gotto say it looks like you have a fantastic community here.
i have a couple of questions i hope some one can answer or help with.
werea family of four ds is 5 dd is 7 and they have been wanting to go disney for years now. looking at the disney website there are some cheap deals on for january. so i have decided to book for end of jan (27th for 3 to 4 days not decided yet).
i really want to give the best disney experience for my kids but am limited by budget. reading on the forums everone agrees that half board is the way to go.
dd loves swimming pools so got a quote for santa fe and sequoi lodge.
on the website when you book sequoi you only have the option for Half board plus (i guess because the 2 hotel restaurants are plus ones).

the sequoia is approx £190 more than santa fe (taking into account Half board plus).
does anyone think that going for the sequoia and halfboard plus and swimming pool is worth the £190 extra. or would i be better off saving that money and spending it on a shorter holiday here in the uk.
ive also heard the pools are unbearably cold during january?
i think if it means the overall holiday experience will be better i think i might go for it.
also dd does not eat much at all.. if we eat at a table service restaurant can we make part payment using the vouchers even when one of us isnt ordering any food (i mean share 3 meals between 4 of us) i know this will be out of the questioon at a buffet service reataurant.
ps we are all vegetarian (though the kids do have some meat). any ideas on which place is best for veggies. had a look on the reccommended sites here..but there is very conflicting views from customer reviews.
i hope i made sense.

 

[tennisfan]

If you are on a budget then I would stick with the Santa Fe, ok it doesn't have a pool like the Sequoia Lodge. The money you are saving could give you a little bit more spending money. If you do stay at the SL check that the pool will be open during your stay, as you don't want to have to pay out & not be able to use the pool.

Having said that the SL is closer to the parks.

I have never used the half board vouchers, you can always upgrade the half board vouchers to the ones you want but I think this has to be done over the phone. The vouchers are the way to go at the moment due to the € being poor. I would buy them if I was going soon.

 

[cap'njack.]

Personally I'd stick with the Santa Fe and spend the extra £190 in the parks. There isn't too much difference between the hotels to warrant £190 tbh and when you are on that limited a budget the extra money is incredibly important.

 

[mommy2ash]

i havent stayed at the sl but i stayed in the santa fe in oct and will be staying there again in march. i had no problem with the hotel. i was actually expecting less. tbh if you are on a budget (as i am) then i would prefer to spend the extra in the parks on gifts or a nice meal

 

[azimx]

thanks for the replies everyone. i think most everyone thinks the money will be better spent elsewhere.
i have another question. do you think 3nights/4days is enough to do the park and also spend one day sightseeing around paris?
my flights are arrive at cdg airport around 12-1pm try booking in to hotel/else leave bags and try and get a few hours in the park. second :-day spend all day/night at park. third day :- spend all day sightseeing paris. fourth day:- checkout of hotel (leave bags at hotel).. spend all day in park.. pickup bags.. get shuttle to airport for flights at 9pm.

when it says when bookin " 3night 4 days" am i right in presuming it means 4 days park pass?

can i leave my bags at the santa fe after i have booked out from the hotel.. to pick up later in the evening?


does my iterinary look ok or should i stretch to 4 nights/ 5 days...with the money saved from not going sequoia??

think im just going to get on the train to paris and get a sight seeing bus.. any ideas on stuff kids will like in paris?

 

[wyre forest red]

The 3 nights 4 days will include 4 days at the park. I would have thought that you can leave your bags in the hotel but don't quote me on it... others on this forum will know far more than me. Me personally would put up with eating McDonalds for the entire stay, and the cheaper hotel, if it made the difference between a four day and a five day stay, your plan has 2 and a bit days in the parks.... I'd have thought enough to do everything once....... you might want to return to see some of the shows/ parades/ rides etc... though.

Will be interested in replies about visiting Paris. We're going in March on a strict budget and were intending going into Paris, up the Eiffel Tower etc..... After a few internet searches the train fare into Paris, coupled with added on costs up the Tower etc.... is beginning to put me off, it could end up being an expensive day out that I could spend in the parks without any extra cost.

Seems like it could be at least £50 for the 4 (2 adults, 2 kids) of us to get Paris Visite cards for trains into the city which to me is very excessive..... what cheaper options do I have to get to the Eiffel Tower from the resort? I have thought about going to Paris on our last day, checking out of the hotel and perhaps parking somewhere nearer before setting off for the ferry around tea time. Are there any good places to "park and ride" into Paris?

Finally, any good web links for "doing Paris with kids on a budget??!!!"

Sorry to hijack your thread..... hopefully any replies will answer your questions too.

 

[mommy2ash]

personally i would opt for another day in the parks if you plan on going to paris. especially with kids. im going for six days next time lol i need it with a toddler i had to stop for breaks too often lol. anyway if you stay at the santa fe the money you saved should be more than enough for an extra night

 

[BRobson]

Hi azimx - Jackie,Elaine,Reid and Elaine all welcome you to DLP DIS board
We are a friendly bunch here so please join in on any other thread or if you have a number of questions then just start a new thread for each

If you have not had a look yet, DLP posting rules are here. DIS posting guidelines can be found here.

 

[poppyolivia]

Hi there!

The santa Fe hotel is brill, I love it! Its only about 10/15 mins walk away from the parks (nice walk even in the cold conditions) or you can get the free shuttle bus which will take less than 5 mins.

I'm going from the 25th Jan til the 30th so if you see me come say hi!

You will absolutely love it but you might get a tad obsessed so don't say you weren't warned!

oh yeah and please don't forget your thermals!!

 

[joolz1910]

I don't want to sound uncultured but I wouldn't bother having a day in Paris with young children. I know my kids would resent being dragged around a city, when they could be on Peter Pan. I'm not a huge fan of Paris and going up the Eiffel Tower in January doesn't really appeal. I know there are some beautiful places (Sacre Coeur sp and Notre Dame) but I can't imagine my 4 year old liking them better than Mickey!

 

[DLPdaft]

I have to admit, my daughter would feel exactly the same joolz - I can just hear her now "what do you mean we're not going to see the Parade today???"

 

[joolz1910]

I have to admit, my daughter would feel exactly the same joolz - I can just hear her now "what do you mean we're not going to see the Parade today???"

I know. Mine would think they were being punished. It would be, 'Please take us back to Disney, we promise to be good.'

 

[dlpfan]

you are saying that your kids will get bored in paris. i really do understand what u mean cause on our trip to disneyland we spent a day in paris and both me (im 20 years old) lol and my boyfriend just couldnt wait to get back to disney...we headed straight for BTM

 

[jillrobinson]

Well despite our several trips I still haven't made it to Paris, sorry but nobody is dragging me away from the park.
I also wouldn't worry too much about the swimming pool, my kids love swimming too, but we've never managed to get to a pool during our visits, stay at the SF and make the most of the extra spending money. If you're going to get the HB vouchers then I'd suggest going for the HB plus, as they cover some of the character dining experiences.

 

[tinks4ever]

stya in the santa fe just got back from the Sequoia lodge and had to have room changed 4 TIMES !!!!!!!!!!!

 

[azimx]

Santa fe it is then...thank you all for the advice.

@poppyolivia- hi to you too ..wil def keep an eye out for you if we book for the 25th jan week..will go through cheyenne anyways to see what it looks like.

@tinks4ever- did you try the pool? what kinda probs did you have?

am suprised at the consensus at going to paris...i WAS being a bit selfish (i always wanted to see paris)..but thinking at it now like everyone says the kids will definately not want to go. we had a trip to london earlier this year...guess what they enjoyed most from the trip??
not the sights (big wheel, parliment, tower of london, london bridge etc) but the kids playing field at regents park!!! there was swings and roundabouts, and climbing frame..they absolutely loved that.

can anyone confirm if we can leave our bags at reception on the last day and collect them later (around 6pm) inn at the santa fe?

do these hotel have any guest utility rooms? some here in uk have a room with a fridge, microwave and washing machine and sink for general guest use. just thinking something like that at a disney hotel would be perfect.

 

[Cyrano]

do these hotel have any guest utility rooms? some here in uk have a room with a fridge, microwave and washing machine and sink for general guest use. just thinking something like that at a disney hotel would be perfect.

This type of amenity is not normally available.

There is a laundry facility at Hotel Cheyenne for use by all Disney Hotel guests

 

[A Small World]

yes you can leave your luggage in the hotel- there is a storage room