paulanddebbie
Earning My Ears
- Joined
- Nov 15, 2003
- Messages
- 53
Just returned from our latest trip to DLRP.
We stayed at the Sequoia Lodge Tues 8 Jan-Fri 11 Jan 2008. Our trip consisted of myself(27), my fiancee Debbie(32), our daughter Jessica(3) and our Mums, Sabina(54) and Christine(52).
HOTEL
This was our first visit to the Sequoia Lodge having previously stayed at the Disneyland Hotel, Newport Bay (twice) and the Santa Fe.
We arrived at the hotel at around 11am, check-in was quiet but our room wasnt ready. I was unimpressed with check-in. The lady did not speak and I had to ask her when to return for our room. She didnt tell us anything, just handed us our passes/info etc which is very unusual for cast members as usually they are so friendly. However, we put our cases in the luggage room and headed for the parks. First impressions of the hotel décor wise was very good. It looked lovely.
We returned at 2:30pm and our room was ready. We were in a Montana Room in the South Wing, room 1115. This was quite a walk from reception but we soon found the short cut outside past the restaurants and straight across. Our room was nice. Similar size to that of Newport Bay but obviously different theming. Two double beds, tv, hair dryer, hanging space (we requested extra coat hangers and pillows which were brought to us within half an hour), mini bar, toiletries, information etc. The room was very clean and had everything we needed. Impressed.
We were very impressed with the hotel on the whole. It is now our second favourite after Disneyland Hotel. The reason we now rank this higher than the Newport Bay is because it seems more homely, cosy, friendly, family-friendly and better themed. The NBC seems more formal. More for adults/couples/conferences. The SL has many more social areas where you can have a seat and relax. The central bar with its giant fireplace and bar stools is so welcoming and sociable. All the public areas surrounding the bar have seating and the whole place seemed more relaxing. The theming was fantastic in winter. The Christmas decorations were still up and the soft lighting added to the ambience. The dark wood, stone and stone floors were stunning. After a long, cold day at the parks I couldnt think of anywhere better to relax.
The bar was friendly with reasonably priced drinks and superb cocktails to try. A childrens area is beside the bar so it was perfect for our daughter to burn off that last bit of energy while we relaxed beside her with a cocktail. Perfect.
Breakfast was busy but we never had to wait. Breakfast was the usual Disney breakfast with plenty available every morning.
The buffet in the restaurant in the evening is superb and highly recommended. The cost is 27 euros for all you can eat. It is hunters themed but there is something for everyone. Everything from Lasagne to Sausages, Pork to Venison, Pasta, salads, cold meats, vegetables, potatoes, large range of desserts etc etc. Everything was cooked perfectly and it was nice and hot. It was very busy and the queue later was massive but the staff kept the buffet topped up at all times and as one dish was emptied another was brought out to replace it. We had the buffet at the NBC last year and were extremely disappointed but this was superb.
Staff in the hotel were very friendly. Check out was quick and easy as we used the check out desk. However, when we were leaving we were relieved we didnt have to use reception as a lot of guests had just arrived and it was very, very busy. The walk from the SL to Disney Village seemed quite shorter than the one from NBC. It was a nicer walk too especially walking past the busy ice rink outside the Hotel New York in the evening. Overall, full marks to the SL. A perfect winter hotel to relax in after a long, cold day. We will definitely return here next year. We quickly forgot about the rude cast member who checked us in !!
THE PARKS & ATTRACTIONS
Now onto the parks. Got to say, I was a little surprised still to see Christmas decorations around the hotels but in the parks they were gone. The 15th decorations in Disneyland looked great especially in the evening. The afternoon parade was good and the effect of each float having its own smell was great. Candleabration was nice and the Castle looked great. The park was as clean and beautiful as ever. Buzz was our fave ride as a family as it was last time ! We were so gutted though that Big Thunder Mountain was closed but we knew this prior to arrival so it wasnt as bad. BTM is mine and Debbies favourite ride and always has been so for us not to ride it this year just wasnt the same. It was strange as it is always there for us and we make a dash for it every time and love riding in the day but the added excitement and atmosphere of riding at night is special. It was strange not hearing it in action and sad not being able to ride it. However, I have a feeling that this may be an excuse for us to visit again later in the year just to ride it !!!!
Onto the Studios. Well ..what can I say? Impressed ! Very impressed. We used to visit the Studios just the once during our previous stays just to ride the Tram Tour, Armageddon and catch a few characters but after this time we will be visiting many times in future. We entered the Studios at sunset and as we walked out and saw Hollywood Tower Hotel and Hollywood Boulevard completed in all their glory we were shocked. It looked superb. So built up and the whole place didnt seem empty anymore. Seemed more busy. Hollywood Boulevard with its lighting and the sunset above looked awesome. The tower looked massive and menacing. The last time we were here was a year ago and the tower was a yellow colour. It looked amazing now. Even the road around HB looked great too and the buildings also. Brilliant job. We rode Crush three times. It was very different. The first section a traditional roller coaster, the second section with Nemo and the jelly fish was similar to Phantom Manor and the animatronics but when your turtle shell shoots up the hill and into the dark room full of drops, twists and spins it descends into just plain craziness! A really mad experience of not knowing where the next drop is, twisting, turning, dropping forwards and backwards and sidewards. Its crazy !! Very exhilarating. We enjoyed it but the third time was a different story. In the dark room I felt like I was gonna fall out on the first big drop and for whatever reason when the ride had stopped both myself and Debbie suffered bad motion sickness. Mine lasted around an hour but Debbies lasted the rest of the afternoon. It is the first time we have ever suffered motion sickness and it wasnt nice so we didnt ride it again. A lot of children go on the ride and I dont think anyone knows quite what to expect and can be taken by surprise. Whilst in the queue I took note of the people coming off the ride and I noticed a mixture of laughter, surprise, shock and even some tears !! Dont let me put you off though, its a fun ride but gets a bit wild towards the end so be ready for it. Just glad it didnt go upside down !!
Cars Race Rally and the surrounding area was great. The ride itself is lots of fun. We all went on this and it was great fun. Its not too fast and not too spinny but it does feel like you are going to hit the other cars which makes it great. Really liked this ride.
Finally, the Tower Of Terror. WOW! We didnt ride this until our final day, this was mainly due to myself plucking up the courage as I am afraid of heights ! Anyway, myself and Debbie decided to go for it ! The hotel looks spectacular on the outside both in the day and in the evening. It certainly looks more menacing in the evening. We rode in the day and just wished we had at night too. The detail inside is fantastic. It feels like you are entering a real hotel and it feels like you have stepped back in time. It looks fantastic, the room where you watch the short clip and the lightning hits is superb but as you walk downstairs in the hotel basement to the service area the atmosphere changes and it really adds to the tension. As you arrive at the lift you are told to stand on allocated numbers, it isolates you for a few moments from your friends/family and this really adds to the tension. The bellboy helps you into the lift and you do end up sat together which is a relief. He tells you about the Twilight Zone and you sit down and fasten your lap belt. He says he hopes to see you again ! Then it begins! The thrusts upwards and drops are exhilarating. The special effects as the doors open and you see yourself turn into a ghost is superb as you can wave your arms about and see you are a full ghost ! The other effects with the family in the hall are great too. The drops are unbelievable it is a completely different experience to any other ride and you really do feel like you are free falling except you dont leave your seat ! When the doors open at the top the view is fantastic and again we wished we had experienced it in the evening also. The final drop from the top is awesome and you get a real buzz ..as we stopped at the bottom everyone in the lift had linked each others arms and were grabbing on when everyone realized they had done this they burst out laughing !! It felt as if you had shared the experience with everyone on board. This truly is a fantastic ride and a superb addition to the park not just in excitement and interest but for what it has added to the theming and look of the Studios. This has got to be my favourite ride experience out of both the parks with BTM equal to it just out of the romance of it to me and Debbie.
Awesome stuff !!
We only had one day with extra hours where the park opened at 8am instead of 10am. I really would have preferred the extra hours at the end of the day instead as 10am-6pm for both parks was really short. We really noticed the difference in the park closing at 6pm instead of 7pm or 8pm. The afternoon seemed to fly. This was my only complaint. The queues luckily were short though and the longest we had to queue was 20 minutes for Crush.
FOOD
In the evening we ate at: Planet Hollywood where we had the usual wait of around 20 mins for a table. We all had Fajitas. Planet Hollywood Fajitas are my fave of all time but they must have changed the chef as the ingredients were slightly different. I preferred the old ones. However, the service and food was very nice. I have already mentioned the buffet we had in the SL Hotel restaurant, that was superb. Me and Debbie also ate in Annettes. Debbie had the meal deal of Classic Burger menu, drink and ice cream and brownie dessert for roughly 18 euros which was fabulous value for money. I had the double decker bbg/onion ring/cheese burger meal with side order of onion rings yummy! The burger was massive and was very, very tasty. The restaurant was very busy but service was good. Overall, we enjoyed all our meals that we had.
Overall, another superb trip to DLRP. Adored the hotel, weather was okay with only a few showers, the parks were fairly quiet so short queue times, food was lush, the new rides were absolutely fantastic and the only downside was the 6pm early closing time. Cant wait to visit again .maybe November fingers crossed !!!!
We stayed at the Sequoia Lodge Tues 8 Jan-Fri 11 Jan 2008. Our trip consisted of myself(27), my fiancee Debbie(32), our daughter Jessica(3) and our Mums, Sabina(54) and Christine(52).
HOTEL
This was our first visit to the Sequoia Lodge having previously stayed at the Disneyland Hotel, Newport Bay (twice) and the Santa Fe.
We arrived at the hotel at around 11am, check-in was quiet but our room wasnt ready. I was unimpressed with check-in. The lady did not speak and I had to ask her when to return for our room. She didnt tell us anything, just handed us our passes/info etc which is very unusual for cast members as usually they are so friendly. However, we put our cases in the luggage room and headed for the parks. First impressions of the hotel décor wise was very good. It looked lovely.
We returned at 2:30pm and our room was ready. We were in a Montana Room in the South Wing, room 1115. This was quite a walk from reception but we soon found the short cut outside past the restaurants and straight across. Our room was nice. Similar size to that of Newport Bay but obviously different theming. Two double beds, tv, hair dryer, hanging space (we requested extra coat hangers and pillows which were brought to us within half an hour), mini bar, toiletries, information etc. The room was very clean and had everything we needed. Impressed.
We were very impressed with the hotel on the whole. It is now our second favourite after Disneyland Hotel. The reason we now rank this higher than the Newport Bay is because it seems more homely, cosy, friendly, family-friendly and better themed. The NBC seems more formal. More for adults/couples/conferences. The SL has many more social areas where you can have a seat and relax. The central bar with its giant fireplace and bar stools is so welcoming and sociable. All the public areas surrounding the bar have seating and the whole place seemed more relaxing. The theming was fantastic in winter. The Christmas decorations were still up and the soft lighting added to the ambience. The dark wood, stone and stone floors were stunning. After a long, cold day at the parks I couldnt think of anywhere better to relax.
The bar was friendly with reasonably priced drinks and superb cocktails to try. A childrens area is beside the bar so it was perfect for our daughter to burn off that last bit of energy while we relaxed beside her with a cocktail. Perfect.
Breakfast was busy but we never had to wait. Breakfast was the usual Disney breakfast with plenty available every morning.
The buffet in the restaurant in the evening is superb and highly recommended. The cost is 27 euros for all you can eat. It is hunters themed but there is something for everyone. Everything from Lasagne to Sausages, Pork to Venison, Pasta, salads, cold meats, vegetables, potatoes, large range of desserts etc etc. Everything was cooked perfectly and it was nice and hot. It was very busy and the queue later was massive but the staff kept the buffet topped up at all times and as one dish was emptied another was brought out to replace it. We had the buffet at the NBC last year and were extremely disappointed but this was superb.
Staff in the hotel were very friendly. Check out was quick and easy as we used the check out desk. However, when we were leaving we were relieved we didnt have to use reception as a lot of guests had just arrived and it was very, very busy. The walk from the SL to Disney Village seemed quite shorter than the one from NBC. It was a nicer walk too especially walking past the busy ice rink outside the Hotel New York in the evening. Overall, full marks to the SL. A perfect winter hotel to relax in after a long, cold day. We will definitely return here next year. We quickly forgot about the rude cast member who checked us in !!
THE PARKS & ATTRACTIONS
Now onto the parks. Got to say, I was a little surprised still to see Christmas decorations around the hotels but in the parks they were gone. The 15th decorations in Disneyland looked great especially in the evening. The afternoon parade was good and the effect of each float having its own smell was great. Candleabration was nice and the Castle looked great. The park was as clean and beautiful as ever. Buzz was our fave ride as a family as it was last time ! We were so gutted though that Big Thunder Mountain was closed but we knew this prior to arrival so it wasnt as bad. BTM is mine and Debbies favourite ride and always has been so for us not to ride it this year just wasnt the same. It was strange as it is always there for us and we make a dash for it every time and love riding in the day but the added excitement and atmosphere of riding at night is special. It was strange not hearing it in action and sad not being able to ride it. However, I have a feeling that this may be an excuse for us to visit again later in the year just to ride it !!!!
Onto the Studios. Well ..what can I say? Impressed ! Very impressed. We used to visit the Studios just the once during our previous stays just to ride the Tram Tour, Armageddon and catch a few characters but after this time we will be visiting many times in future. We entered the Studios at sunset and as we walked out and saw Hollywood Tower Hotel and Hollywood Boulevard completed in all their glory we were shocked. It looked superb. So built up and the whole place didnt seem empty anymore. Seemed more busy. Hollywood Boulevard with its lighting and the sunset above looked awesome. The tower looked massive and menacing. The last time we were here was a year ago and the tower was a yellow colour. It looked amazing now. Even the road around HB looked great too and the buildings also. Brilliant job. We rode Crush three times. It was very different. The first section a traditional roller coaster, the second section with Nemo and the jelly fish was similar to Phantom Manor and the animatronics but when your turtle shell shoots up the hill and into the dark room full of drops, twists and spins it descends into just plain craziness! A really mad experience of not knowing where the next drop is, twisting, turning, dropping forwards and backwards and sidewards. Its crazy !! Very exhilarating. We enjoyed it but the third time was a different story. In the dark room I felt like I was gonna fall out on the first big drop and for whatever reason when the ride had stopped both myself and Debbie suffered bad motion sickness. Mine lasted around an hour but Debbies lasted the rest of the afternoon. It is the first time we have ever suffered motion sickness and it wasnt nice so we didnt ride it again. A lot of children go on the ride and I dont think anyone knows quite what to expect and can be taken by surprise. Whilst in the queue I took note of the people coming off the ride and I noticed a mixture of laughter, surprise, shock and even some tears !! Dont let me put you off though, its a fun ride but gets a bit wild towards the end so be ready for it. Just glad it didnt go upside down !!
Cars Race Rally and the surrounding area was great. The ride itself is lots of fun. We all went on this and it was great fun. Its not too fast and not too spinny but it does feel like you are going to hit the other cars which makes it great. Really liked this ride.
Finally, the Tower Of Terror. WOW! We didnt ride this until our final day, this was mainly due to myself plucking up the courage as I am afraid of heights ! Anyway, myself and Debbie decided to go for it ! The hotel looks spectacular on the outside both in the day and in the evening. It certainly looks more menacing in the evening. We rode in the day and just wished we had at night too. The detail inside is fantastic. It feels like you are entering a real hotel and it feels like you have stepped back in time. It looks fantastic, the room where you watch the short clip and the lightning hits is superb but as you walk downstairs in the hotel basement to the service area the atmosphere changes and it really adds to the tension. As you arrive at the lift you are told to stand on allocated numbers, it isolates you for a few moments from your friends/family and this really adds to the tension. The bellboy helps you into the lift and you do end up sat together which is a relief. He tells you about the Twilight Zone and you sit down and fasten your lap belt. He says he hopes to see you again ! Then it begins! The thrusts upwards and drops are exhilarating. The special effects as the doors open and you see yourself turn into a ghost is superb as you can wave your arms about and see you are a full ghost ! The other effects with the family in the hall are great too. The drops are unbelievable it is a completely different experience to any other ride and you really do feel like you are free falling except you dont leave your seat ! When the doors open at the top the view is fantastic and again we wished we had experienced it in the evening also. The final drop from the top is awesome and you get a real buzz ..as we stopped at the bottom everyone in the lift had linked each others arms and were grabbing on when everyone realized they had done this they burst out laughing !! It felt as if you had shared the experience with everyone on board. This truly is a fantastic ride and a superb addition to the park not just in excitement and interest but for what it has added to the theming and look of the Studios. This has got to be my favourite ride experience out of both the parks with BTM equal to it just out of the romance of it to me and Debbie.
Awesome stuff !!
We only had one day with extra hours where the park opened at 8am instead of 10am. I really would have preferred the extra hours at the end of the day instead as 10am-6pm for both parks was really short. We really noticed the difference in the park closing at 6pm instead of 7pm or 8pm. The afternoon seemed to fly. This was my only complaint. The queues luckily were short though and the longest we had to queue was 20 minutes for Crush.
FOOD
In the evening we ate at: Planet Hollywood where we had the usual wait of around 20 mins for a table. We all had Fajitas. Planet Hollywood Fajitas are my fave of all time but they must have changed the chef as the ingredients were slightly different. I preferred the old ones. However, the service and food was very nice. I have already mentioned the buffet we had in the SL Hotel restaurant, that was superb. Me and Debbie also ate in Annettes. Debbie had the meal deal of Classic Burger menu, drink and ice cream and brownie dessert for roughly 18 euros which was fabulous value for money. I had the double decker bbg/onion ring/cheese burger meal with side order of onion rings yummy! The burger was massive and was very, very tasty. The restaurant was very busy but service was good. Overall, we enjoyed all our meals that we had.
Overall, another superb trip to DLRP. Adored the hotel, weather was okay with only a few showers, the parks were fairly quiet so short queue times, food was lush, the new rides were absolutely fantastic and the only downside was the 6pm early closing time. Cant wait to visit again .maybe November fingers crossed !!!!
