Disneyland Paris Hotels: Impressions
Disneyland Paris has 6 hotels within walking distance of its parks. This post features our thoughts, pros & cons of each hotel, photos, and recommendations of where to stay at Disneyland Paris. While we have not stayed at all of these hotels, we have visited and spent time at each, touring all of them and having drinks or a meal at the hotels, at the very least.
Since it’s unlikely that we will ever stay at all of them (for reasons set forth below) and because we have received a lot of questions from people wondering where they should stay when they visit Paris in response to our Disneyland Paris Trip Planning Guide, we thought we would at least put this together to provide a synopsis and our thoughts about each Disneyland Paris hotel.
If you are considering one of the hotels at which we have not stayed, we highly recommend getting a second opinion, as we are the first to admit that visiting and touring a hotel is hardly an adequate substitute for staying at a hotel. While you can learn a lot about a hotel just by spending some time at it, you still only have a partially-formed opinion.
With that said, let’s take a stroll around the hotels at Disneyland Paris…
Disneyland Hotel
If money is no object, Disneyland Hotel is without a doubt the hotel at Disneyland Paris for you. This is the flagship hotel, and many of the higher-floor rooms offer views over the train station and down Main Street at Le Château de la Belle au Bois Dormant. For me, seeing that castle from the balcony of a room is what totally sold me on this hotel. I can only imagine how awesome watching Disney Dreams from your hotel room must be.
Then I saw the price. With rates starting in the $700/night range and exceeding $1,000/night, a stay at the Disneyland Hotel is going to be a substantial splurge for most guests, and puts it squarely in the “someday when we win the lotto” category for us. Disneyland Paris touts the hotel as a 5-star luxury hotel, and although the hotel is quite nice and a well-done execution of the Victorian theme, I’m not sure if I’d label it either a luxury hotel or a 5-star hotel. It’s a beautifully themed hotel with some lavish and ornate details, but that doesn’t make it 5-star or luxury (statuses I think very few Disney hotels can claim–perhaps I’m a bit hard on them).
From what I have seen, the hotel could use a bit of a refresh and modernization (once Hotel New York is done with its ‘Art of Marvel’ refurbishment, it’s likely Disneyland Hotel will be the next to receive a wholesale refurbishment), as it feels slightly dated in unintentional ways and there are signs of wear in common areas.
In fairness, Disneyland Hotel isn’t remotely as bad as some of the other hotels at Disneyland Paris, and the huge selling point here is really the location and that view (for some rooms). And what a view it is. I would go as far as to say it’s arguably on par with Hotel MiraCosta at Tokyo DisneySea, which is really saying something. Although not technically inside Parc Disneyland, it’s a 1-minute walk to the turnstiles–about as close as you can get.
Hotel New York (Closed for Renovations)
Note: Hotel New York is currently closed for a multi-year renovation, during which time it will be totally re-imagined into the Disney’s Hotel New York – The Art of Marvel. We could do without the Marvel decor, but a top to bottom refurbishment is way overdue. Hotel New York – The Art of Marvel will open in Late 2020.
If Disneyland Paris hotel ratings are relative, Hotel New York makes Disneyland Hotel look like a 17-star, super-duper luxury hotel. As you can read in my Hotel New York Review, based upon my stay there over the winter, this is one of the most disappointing hotel experiences I’ve ever had, and the prices that this supposed 4-star hotel with “contemporary urban décor”, as Disney claims, are ludicrous given the quality of the hotel.
The decor is the biggest offender, which only passes for “contemporary” Manhattan styles if you’re taking cues from a season 1 episode of “Friends” or “Seinfeld.” Seriously, I would be shocked if the design here has been touched much since the hotel opened in the early 1990s, and it really shows. The one upside is the short 10 minute walk to Parc Disneyland and the Walt Disney Studios Park, but that’s about it.
If you’re at all familiar with the problems that have plagued Disneyland (Resort) Paris throughout most of its existence, this probably doesn’t come as much of a surprise. With top to bottom refurbishments tentatively scheduled for several of the resort hotels over the course of the next several years, hopefully Hotel New York will see its Art Deco style refreshed with actual contemporary flourishes and a feel of timelessness, as the concept of the hotel and its theme are actually pretty intriguing. However, as of right now, I cannot fathom staying here, especially with better, cheaper options on-site.
Newport Bay Club
Newport Bay Club recently finished its own significant, multi-year refurbishment and is now a great place to stay at Disneyland Paris. You can read more about our stay here, which was something of a mixed bag, in our Newport Bay Club Resort Review.
Thematically, the yacht club theme is on-point, and there are a variety of restaurants, lounges, and other public spaces that reinforce this. In that regard, it’s akin to Yacht Club at Walt Disney World, albeit somewhat scaled back. This is the largest hotel at Disneyland Paris, and only about a 15 minute walk to Parc Disneyland and the Walt Disney Studios Park.
If you are visiting Disneyland Paris and want nicer accommodations, I would put Newport Bay Club on the short list of places to stay. Newport Bay Club has significantly improved following its refurbishment, and is now a strong contender for the best hotel at Disneyland Paris.
Sequoia Lodge
This is the first Disneyland Paris hotel at which we stayed, and, as you can read in our Sequoia Lodge Review, I absolutely loved it. To me, it’s Wilderness Lodge meets a post-modern design stylization, and it works really well. This was the first hotel at Disneyland Paris to receive a top to bottom refurbishment, and I think it looks excellent now.
A common complaint you’re going to find about Sequoia Lodge is that the rooms aren’t the prettiest, and frankly, this is a common complaint among Disney’s ‘rustic park lodge’ themed hotels. It’s simply difficult to merge upscale and rustic elements, so it’s a hotel that might not be for everyone. Personally, I had few quibbles with the rooms themselves, and thought they did a decent job with managing theme and quality. Not the best, but sufficient.
That aside, if you enjoy the rustic lodge theme, Sequoia Lodge really cannot be beat. Of the more upscale, higher “keys” hotels at Disneyland Paris (Disneyland Hotel, Hotel New York, Newport Bay Club, and Sequoia Lodge) I would say that Sequoia Lodge presently offers the best bang for buck. The amenities are nice, the hotel is well-maintained and has been refreshed, and it’s only a 15 minute walk to the parks. I would certainly recommend it above Hotel New York and (for now) Newport Bay Club.
Hotel Cheyenne
Occupying the 2-key tier of Disneyland Paris hotels (roughly akin to a Value Resort by Walt Disney World standards), Hotel Cheyenne is themed as a wild west frontier town, with each building of hotel rooms being a different building (or buildings) in the town.
Personally, I think this works really well from a thematic perspective, and I far prefer this approach to the clusters of resort buildings at the Walt Disney World Value Resorts that are simply cartoonified with oversized icons. This feels like it’s actually themed instead of just decorated.
It’s about a 20 minute walk from the parks (a free shuttle is also available), so it’s not as close as the higher-tier hotels, but considering that it’s a ‘value’ hotel, being within walking distance of the parks, period, is nice. While we have yet to stay here, if I were considering budget accommodations at Disneyland Paris, I would choose Hotel Cheyenne–hands down–over Hotel Santa Fe. For what it is, I think this is a very well done hotel.
Hotel Santa Fe
It sort of boggles my mind that Hotel Santa Fe made it off the drawing board. I can’t quite understand how someone didn’t speak up and say, “this looks like a cluster of prison buildings” when it was pitched. Nevertheless, it does exist.
Hotel Santa Fe was designed to evoke the feel of a motel on Route 66 in the American Southwest, such as those you’d find in Santa Fe, New Mexico with typical Pueblo Revival architecture. It succeeds in that style to a degree, but “success” there isn’t necessarily a great thing, as many Route 66 motels are derelict and depressing. Adding to Hotel Santa Fe’s problems is that its clusters of room buildings are basically boxes with windows.
The end result is a resort-hotel that feels very cold and uninviting from the outside, and really unlike any other Disney hotel I’ve seen in that sense. Despite my thoughts on the cold exterior, this might be one for families to consider due to the renovated Cars themed rooms.
That’s not enough for me to get past the rest of the hotel, but in the interest of fairness, I know a lot of people disagree with my take on this hotel. When I’ve expressed my unfavorable opinions on it in the past, many have said how much they like Hotel Santa Fe, and that’s in large part due to those Cars rooms, so your mileage may vary on this one. It’s another ‘value’ resort, also about a 20 minute walk to the parks. We have not stayed here, and I would not even consider doing so.
Overall, the hotels at Disneyland Paris are a bit of a mixed bag, but they do seem to be on an upward trajectory and things should continue to improve leading up to Disneyland Paris’ 25th Anniversary. Regardless of thoughts on any specific hotels here, we do recommend staying on-site for the Disneyland Paris leg of your visit to France. The resort is actually in Marne-la-Vallée, not Paris, meaning it’s a bit of a commute from the city center. While rack rates at these hotels are often quite expensive, Disneyland Paris does run a lot of special offers and discounts that can make the prices much more appealing.
For the basics of planning a visit to Disneyland Paris, check out our Disneyland Paris Trip Planning Guide. Want to see more photos or read about Disneyland Paris in agonizing detail? Check out our Disneyland Paris Trip Report!
YOUR THOUGHTS
Have you stayed at any of the hotels at Disneyland Paris? If so, what did you think? Agree or disagree with our assessment of the hotels? Any other thoughts or tips to share? Any additional questions about the hotels at Disneyland Paris? Your comments are half the fun, so please share any questions or feedback about dining in Disneyland Paris that you have in the comments!
Hey Tom, me and my wife are planning to take advantage of the extra magic hours by staying at either sequoia lodge or hotel Cheyenne, but we’re planning to buy the park tickets and hotel separately. Is it still possible for us to take advantage of the extra magic hours?
Thanks for your time!
We stayed at the Hotel Cheyenne and it’s probably worth noting that the air conditioning is basically non-functional, at least by “American standards”. It’s seems to just make noise rather than make cool air.
Great overview! This page should probably be updated to reflect the Hotel New York undergoing refurb later this year and the Newport Bay Club’s finished refurb.
Ok, we just stayed at the Running Bear building at Cheyenne and in regards to distance, it was furthest from reception (which wasnt important as we didnt have breakfast included) and closest to the park. It was just around the corner from New York and around a 15 min walk. Id guess that its not further away from the park than some of the NPBC or SL rooms. As for SF, we liked it a lot when we stayed 1 night in 2014 (sons wish) before we transfered to Sequoia Lodge Golden forest. However, now we stayed again, the last night (booked 3 nights/4 days Cheyenne with Disney and with hotels.com just hotel room at SF for the last night so we wouldnt waste the last day at the park by having to return early), and it already showed significant signs of use (only 3 years after the renovation) which is a huge shame. We wont be staying again. For next year were currently deciding between Cheyenne again or the newly introduced Halloween room at NPBC.
Have you had a chance to stay at any of the Partner hotels? I did a quick search of your site, so forgive me if you’ve written up something and I just didn’t come across it. Particularly looking at Vienna Dream House Castle. Will be our first time going to Disneyland Paris!
I’ve got to say we love both the New York and the Disneyland Hotel. We tend to stay at DLH these days as, particularly if you go in the cold weather, the convenience is second to none. That said I wouldn’t hesitate to stay at HNY again and if the weather is good the outdoor pool is lovely.
I stayed at Hotel Cheyenne in autumn 2013. It was perfect for what we wanted (a place within walking distance of the park to crash after full days on BTM basically 😉 ) My boys (and I!) loved the theming, especially cool in the foggiest Halloween atmosphere you could imagine 😉 One thing to know about the rooms is that there is a double bed and bunk beds. Brilliant with kids the age of mine (especially as they were too tired after a full day at the parks to argue on who would get the top bunk!) but it might not be very convenient for very young children or four adults, as the rooms are really small. And get to breakfast early, otherwise it’s madness! All in all it was perfect for us, I refuse to pay more for a room we just use to shower and sleep, but I can understand that other people might want more…
I agree! Having stayed in all of them, I’d rate them Disneyland Hotel (it’s above the parks, it’s pink, it’s Victorian theme is perfect, the bar is ace) then Seqouia (beautiful, close to parks, balance between Lux and affordable) then Cheyenne (love the theming, affordable), then Newport Bay (poor mans Disney Boardwalk) then New York (depressing 90s decor) then Santa Fe (messy scrum, ugly, kill it with fire)
Hi Tom. Helpful post. Do you have any plans to go to the Davy Crockett Ranch? We’re staying at Christmas (with hot water bottles).
You can’t be more accurate with your critic of the DLP’s hotels, as a local who stayed at all hotels in and around DLP, I can tell you that if you are looking for good experiences, short walk and cheap prices, try the Val d’Europe and Val de France Hotels, like de Hotel Elysée Val d’Europe or the HiPark Residence.
Example : The HiPark offers free shuttle to the parks, is a 20mn walk (same than Cheyenne or Santa Fe), proposes little appartments with a little kitchen and cost only 80€/Night for 2, almost year round.
Want a more upscale experience ? The Elysée Val d’Europe was for many years a property of Disney (without the name), and is still used by many TWDC Execs when they are at DLP and want some intimacy. Also free shuttle service, close to the Val d’Europe Shopping Center (and its outlet area) and really great rooms for half the price of the NewYork Hotel (beetween 100 and 200 €/Night).
The only “little” problem is that you have to pay separatly for your entry pass, but you can find really good offers with dated tickets on the official website of DLP, and you are close from the RER if you want to go to Paris (45mn to go to the Champs Elysées). Because Disney Hotels impose you to have entry tickets for all days of your stay, not a good point when you want to use them as the HQ for a combo DLP/Paris visit.
I looked at the HiPark for August 2016. Unfortunately, if you add a child that bumps you up from a studio to a suite and doubles the price.
Thanks – this fits into our planning for next summer. We have accommodations booked in Paris, but haven’t booked anything for the days we’ll be at the park.
At WDW, we have always stayed on-site, but in France I think we’ll probably go off-site. There seem to be a plethora of decent hotels not much farther away at half (or less) the price of the Disney hotels.
We stayed at the Santa Fe in Feb 2014… never again.
We booked last minute after finding and offer for £250 in total each, for 3 nights including accommodation, park tickets and transportation to Paris (we’re based in the UK). It felt way too good to pass up!
Santa Fe for us was seriously a lesson in ‘you get what you pay for’. The hotel was pretty ugly and out-dated, as you mentioned, and the bed was like a stone slab covered in a thin sheet. I’m not usually that precious about hotel beds, but doing full days from EMH to park closing, then feeling like you’re trying to sleep on Pride Rock wasn’t a lot of fun.
Definitely wouldn’t recommend the Santa Fe to anyone, unless you’re desperate to stay on property and it’s the only hotel with availability/in your budget.
You are spot on! We stayed in all but New York and man, i almost wished I never stayed in Disneyland Hotel as it just ruins it, to know how it really kan be. Please, for anyone reading this, if you do win the lottery, spent your first money on a stay in a suite in the Disneyland Hotel. It’s just Disney heaven. For example: the suites (Castle Club) have an elevator that’s 5 steps from your room and puts you right in front of the turnstiles!. If you want the “Disney bubble experience” there is just no other way. O and you get a ‘free’ High Tea buffet between 4 and 5, the best food I ever had in any Disney hotel or resort.
As for all the other hotels, I fully agree with your assessment. Sequoa as long as Newport Bay isn’t ready, forget about New York and definitely Cheyenne above Santa Fe.
As for off site hotels, we love and stay quite often (year passes 😉 in The Radisson Blu Golf hotel, 10 minute drive form the parks with included shuttle or your own car. But do make sure to only book this one the day of arrival, it makes a room of about 450 euro for about 95 euro, and the beds really are 4 star hotel quality!
I’ve stayed in all hotel exacpet the Disneyland Hotel (kept for when I’ll win the Lottery) and I agree with your comments.
If budget is a concern, the Cheyenn is rustic but still nicely themed. Otherwise book the Sequoia.
However, for anyone really wanting to do go to Disneyland Paris on a budget, Bussy Saint George offers a few budget hotel that are good for just a place to sleep and are very inexpensive. The train station is 5 minutes walk from the parks and in less than 10 minutes you’re in Bussy. It’s not much more than walking from the parks to the Cheyenne or the Santa Fe.
However, for a once in a lifetime visit, then onsite is the way to go.
The Santa Fee was a great hotel back in 1992 – before it got watered down, before “Cars”… I dare to say that it was almost a work of art – with its symbolic representations of myths and legends, it was more abstract than any other Disney hotel, but i have to say that it absolutely blew my mind. I adored its boldness, I loved how it dared to try and be more than just another sweet Disney hotel.
In the words of architect Antoine Predock:
“I thought the project should be like a Wim Wenders movie, like ‘Paris, Texas’, rather then having the sweetness and nostalgia of Santa Fe.” It is obvious that most guests prefer the “sweetness and nostalgia” – but there are ore than enough Disney hotels for them, and I am sure that Eisner greenlit the project in a second. And as far as I can tell, the santa fe is the hotel that got the most attention by architectural critics.
Over the years, the imagineers have tried to make it “more friendly” – the most noticeable change are the colors. They used to be highly symbolic, too – now they are just supposed to look “warmer”. And that´s where the problem starts: If you do sth like the Santa Fe, if you want a hotel with a more abstract theme, then you have to go all the way, or it falls apart. You cannot have a scene from “Cars” on the movie screen at the entrance – it has to be Clint Eastwood. You cannot repaint the buildings (the colors originally represented the transition from Earth to Sky, reddish for the first floor, blue for the top floor) in order to make the colors more “friendly”. And you cannot, absolutely cannot tolerate *any* form of unintentional signs of age – a physical representation of ideas must not show any signs of wear, otherwise the whole idea falls apart.
To cut this short: I used to love the Santa Fe, and I think it´s horrible what they have done to it (to some extent, that can be said about the entire park… a castle in generic princessy pink and white? John Hench must be rotating in his grave…) ISomebody should have put a preservation order on it.