cherrymarzipan
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Mar 16, 2010
- Messages
- 1,340
This is my first completed and posted trip report so please excuse me!
Here we go we arrived at the Sequoia Lodge late afternoon after a good drive down from Calais and despite catching the morning rush hour traffic at Guildford, managing to get on Euro Tunnel an hour earlier than booked. It had just started to drizzle as we got out of the car but we were excited to see inside the hotel which wed not stayed in before. We now only have the DLH to go!
We immediately liked what we saw the hotel seems very calm and spacious in its communal areas. We had booked a Montana room and our lovely check in CM upgraded us to a lakeside view. We were also offered a breakfast in the park for Saturday.
Our room was on the fourth floor with a great view from the window looking straight down the park-side path down to the lake. In the picture our room has DH at the open window.
We could see the Tower of Terror across the lake as well as the Panoramagique balloon and through a fortuitous gap in the trees, the top of Sleeping Beautys castle. We even watched Dreams from our room on Saturday night although it did help that we knew the sequence well. We loved the subtle Bambi theming in the room and it was nice having a window that opened wide although we had to keep an eye on our son, Oliver, who liked to open it and lean out. I dont think it would be a safety issue for young children as the window is probably too high for them to do this but Oliver is fully grown just with the mental age of a toddler.
Breakfast was very civilised especially as we were given VIP breakfast passes. The fresh fruit salad was lovely with lots of melon and pineapple as well as apple and grapes. The orange juice was fine I am sure it was watered down when we stayed at the Cheyenne in the summer! I still wish Disney offered a muesli option amongst the cereals but I must just remember to take some with me next time. Other guests seemed happy and polite too.
The character area was so much easier to access than the other hotels we have stayed in. The CMs accompanying the characters were wonderfully friendly too and always called DS over and helped him.
This first photo is not brilliant - I should have used the flash - but I love Oliver's smile.
It was definitely the friendliest hotel we have stayed in and the walk to the village was short and flat. You may consider all the routes flat but you wouldnt think that if you had to drag my son back across the bridge to the NBC after a long day in the park! I quite understand why so many people here love the SL as we have been totally converted. I am so glad we are staying at the SL again for the Christmas season.
We went into the park as soon as possible and whilst the ground was still wet the skies were brightening and everything looked sparkling.
Stepping through the turnstile into the park and hearing the music the excitement hit me like it does every time and I wanted to break into a dance! Fortunately I didnt partly because the parade was just coming down into Town Square which heightened the excitement but restricted movement. So we stayed to watch that then headed up Main Street towards the castle feeling buoyant and enjoying all the decorations already out.
Oliver loves ALL cast members, not just characters and he will often rush up and grab a street sweeper or parade attendant for a posed photo!
Olivers first ride choice is always Snow White so we went and did that. Lovely to see the little cart of jewels rolling down its rails from the mine at last it hasnt worked all year as far as I remember. Second ride is usually POTC so we headed off there.
Olivers favourite CMs are undoubtedly the pirates and many recognise him from previous visits and play along with his Ah- harrrs and pirate salutes.
We bought the Tinkerbelle pirate pin that Marine is wearing on her hat in this photo:
We did some other favourite rides including the Molly Brown riverboat and discovered Phantom Manor was shut for maintenance. We werent bothered by the closure as we knew it would be open in a day or two. Olivers two other favourite groups of CMs are those from the Molly Brown and the railroad crew. He has an obsession with anything that goes round and round (bet I am the only person on here who has spent an entire channel ferry crossing on the top deck watching the radar go round with an ever more animated human version alongside!) Anyway, a member of the Molly Brown crew usually does this little mime with both hands going round each other as part of the docking guidance. Oliver adores this. For me the ride is a chance to sit down and have a little relaxation.
Here is Oliver on the first evening in Frontierland (the only time we wore coats):
We were thrilled by the Halloween decorations. So much detail goes into these and there was far more to see than last year. I think my favourites were the little lanterns strung around the place and Oliver liked spotting the black cats.
More to come in part 2...
Here we go we arrived at the Sequoia Lodge late afternoon after a good drive down from Calais and despite catching the morning rush hour traffic at Guildford, managing to get on Euro Tunnel an hour earlier than booked. It had just started to drizzle as we got out of the car but we were excited to see inside the hotel which wed not stayed in before. We now only have the DLH to go!
We immediately liked what we saw the hotel seems very calm and spacious in its communal areas. We had booked a Montana room and our lovely check in CM upgraded us to a lakeside view. We were also offered a breakfast in the park for Saturday.
Our room was on the fourth floor with a great view from the window looking straight down the park-side path down to the lake. In the picture our room has DH at the open window.
We could see the Tower of Terror across the lake as well as the Panoramagique balloon and through a fortuitous gap in the trees, the top of Sleeping Beautys castle. We even watched Dreams from our room on Saturday night although it did help that we knew the sequence well. We loved the subtle Bambi theming in the room and it was nice having a window that opened wide although we had to keep an eye on our son, Oliver, who liked to open it and lean out. I dont think it would be a safety issue for young children as the window is probably too high for them to do this but Oliver is fully grown just with the mental age of a toddler.
Breakfast was very civilised especially as we were given VIP breakfast passes. The fresh fruit salad was lovely with lots of melon and pineapple as well as apple and grapes. The orange juice was fine I am sure it was watered down when we stayed at the Cheyenne in the summer! I still wish Disney offered a muesli option amongst the cereals but I must just remember to take some with me next time. Other guests seemed happy and polite too.
The character area was so much easier to access than the other hotels we have stayed in. The CMs accompanying the characters were wonderfully friendly too and always called DS over and helped him.
This first photo is not brilliant - I should have used the flash - but I love Oliver's smile.
It was definitely the friendliest hotel we have stayed in and the walk to the village was short and flat. You may consider all the routes flat but you wouldnt think that if you had to drag my son back across the bridge to the NBC after a long day in the park! I quite understand why so many people here love the SL as we have been totally converted. I am so glad we are staying at the SL again for the Christmas season.
We went into the park as soon as possible and whilst the ground was still wet the skies were brightening and everything looked sparkling.
Stepping through the turnstile into the park and hearing the music the excitement hit me like it does every time and I wanted to break into a dance! Fortunately I didnt partly because the parade was just coming down into Town Square which heightened the excitement but restricted movement. So we stayed to watch that then headed up Main Street towards the castle feeling buoyant and enjoying all the decorations already out.
Oliver loves ALL cast members, not just characters and he will often rush up and grab a street sweeper or parade attendant for a posed photo!
Olivers first ride choice is always Snow White so we went and did that. Lovely to see the little cart of jewels rolling down its rails from the mine at last it hasnt worked all year as far as I remember. Second ride is usually POTC so we headed off there.
Olivers favourite CMs are undoubtedly the pirates and many recognise him from previous visits and play along with his Ah- harrrs and pirate salutes.
We bought the Tinkerbelle pirate pin that Marine is wearing on her hat in this photo:
We did some other favourite rides including the Molly Brown riverboat and discovered Phantom Manor was shut for maintenance. We werent bothered by the closure as we knew it would be open in a day or two. Olivers two other favourite groups of CMs are those from the Molly Brown and the railroad crew. He has an obsession with anything that goes round and round (bet I am the only person on here who has spent an entire channel ferry crossing on the top deck watching the radar go round with an ever more animated human version alongside!) Anyway, a member of the Molly Brown crew usually does this little mime with both hands going round each other as part of the docking guidance. Oliver adores this. For me the ride is a chance to sit down and have a little relaxation.
Here is Oliver on the first evening in Frontierland (the only time we wore coats):
We were thrilled by the Halloween decorations. So much detail goes into these and there was far more to see than last year. I think my favourites were the little lanterns strung around the place and Oliver liked spotting the black cats.
More to come in part 2...
Halloween looks fab 
. Oliver is third of four and with the youngest an independent six-former, we are lucky to get one proper family Disney trip a year now. The teen is really only interested in the big rides but the older ones (both girls) have come back to enjoy the detail and atmosphere of the parks.
so much too!
. 
