Since this topic still remains one of the most frequently asked about, I thought it was about time that this post was updated. Initially uploaded in 2019, a lot has changed!
This is a blog post that has been requested and actually it’s probably quite a good question – which hotel do we chose when visiting Disneyland Paris?
First up – Disneyland Paris, Which Hotel?
We have visited DLP now many times and on every visit we learn more!
We have previously stayed at The Disneyland Hotel, Newport Bay, Sante Fe and a few different partner hotels including Vienna Magic Circus Hotel, Algonquins Explorers Hotel and the Radisson Blu. We will be staying at Disney Hotel Cheyenne on our next visit in August, which will be a first for us and then we have booked to stay at Newport Bay again for our visit over Christmas. However, now that we are annual pass holders we want to also use some of the cheaper non Disney accommodations close to the parks too!
Let’s start by explaining that there are six Disney hotels;
The Disneyland hotel, Disney’s The Art of Marvel, Disney’s Newport Bay Club, Sequoia Lodge, Hotel Cheyenne and Hotel Santa Fe.
There are then two Disney Nature Resorts; Disney Davy Crockett Ranch and Les Villages Nature Paris.
And then there are eight “partner” hotels; Radisson Blu, Vienna House Dream Castle, Vienna House Magic Circus, Marne-la-Vallee Val d’Europe, Algonquin’s Explorers Hotel, Campanile Val de France, Hotel I’Elysee Val d’Europe and lastly B&B Hotel.
DISNEYLAND PARIS HOTEL – 5 stars
(Currently closed for renovations)
This is the main Disney hotel in Paris, situated just outside of the park gates. The decor is Victorian inspired and is described as being opulent and luxurious.
The convenience of this hotel is non comparable. You step outside and the park is right there. Many of the rooms overlook the park too. The price does reflect this though and it is the most expensive hotel to stay in at Disneyland Paris.
This hotel also includes the Disney benefits of magic hours, park tickets being included and also the character encounters. With that said, we actually didn’t see any characters at all when we stayed here and that was very disappointing!
On level 2 of this hotel you will also find the Princess for a Day boutique which is very much the DLP version of Bippidy Boppidy Boutique. The hotel is also home to Inventions restaurant where there are special Sunday brunches. The bar is my absolute favourite place to head to for some rest and grab a glowtini.
The hotel is beautiful but the downside to this hotel is the fact that almost all visitors to the parks will want to visit the hotel for a look around. As such, it’s always very busy.
DISNEYS – THE ART OF MARVEL – 5 stars
This hotel is possibly the most elaborate of all the DLP hotels I think. It was closed for a long time and reopened in 2021. It is now known as the Marvel hotel.
This hotel has 2 new restaurants; Manhattan and Downtown as well as a bar called the Skyline which shows off an impressive view of the Manhattan skyline. Every now and then, you’ll see a superhero flying past.
Something that really sets this hotel apart is the Marvel Design Studio where you will be able to learn how to become a comic book artist. There is also a Super Hero Station for marvel meet and greets.
Unlike the main Disneyland Hotel, there is also a pool at this hotel which is a plus since the only other Disney hotel to have a pool is Newport Bay.
The hotel itself is not far and is walking distance to the parks at about 10 minutes. It is basically at the end of the Disney Village.
We can’t wait to stay here at some point!
DISNEY NEWPORT BAY – 4 stars
Renovated as of Spring 2016, this hotel is based on a coastal mansion right by Lake Disney. This hotel is 15 minutes walk from the theme parks and runs a free shuttle.
You can upgrade at this hotel to the “Compass Club”. This includes a private check in/out, beautiful huge rooms overlooking Lake Disney, access to the Compass Club Lounge, complimentary food and drinks and also a dedicated concierge.
Many people have recommended the upgrade and since we’re booked to stay here over Christmas 2022, we may just do that.
This hotel also includes the Disney benefits of magic hours, park tickets being included and also the character encounters. Again, there is also a pool at this hotel (though it is very small).
DISNEY SEQUOIA LODGE – 3 Stars
The Sequoia Lodge is based on a cosy mountain retreat and those who have stayed there have feedback that it really does feel authentic. It is described as having a “Bambi” feel to it. Although, my perception is a tad different as I personally think it is the least themed Disney hotel and could benefit from a little make over.
It is a 15 minutes walk to the parks and a free shuttle bus.
This is one of the cheaper priced Disney hotels, but is really worth the value since you still reap the benefits of staying in a Disney hotel ie Magic Hours and Park tickets being included in your booking price. However, as stated above, it really doesn’t have a Disney feel.
DISNEY HOTEL CHEYENNE – 2 stars
We are staying at Hotel Cheyenne in August and honestly can’t wait. This hotel has a very heavily themed Wild West style so over the last few years especially, it has become associated with Woody (from Toy Story of course!). Woody’s Roundup rooms are standard but feature decor inspired by Sherrif Woody himself.
Aesthetically, this hotel looks amazing and so fun for small children. It is so heavily themed that although it is a very reasonably priced option, you do feel like you are always in “Disney”. Frankly, it doesn’t look like a 2 star hotel.
You can meet characters here daily including Woody and Jessie. There are even pony rides here!
It is a 20 minutes walk from the parks (there is a free shuttle though!) and having walked from Sante Fe on previous trips, I’m gonna say the walk isn’t bad at all!
This hotel also includes the Disney benefits of magic hours, park tickets being included and also the character encounters – infact it is not uncommon for Woody to be spotted in the hotel often.
Parents – there is a Starbucks on site!!
DISNEY HOTEL SANTA FE – 2 stars
This Disney hotel was initially designed based on Route 66 but is now more commonly known as the “Pixar Cars” hotel. All of the rooms are now based on this movie!
We stayed at Sante Fe last October, the day of the reopening since it had been closed throughout the pandemic. Staff were wonderful and there was such a buzz!
The hotel is more like apartments. The rooms are small but we found them to be clean. We did feel a little cold but put that down to a combination of it being the end of October and the hotel reopening.
The “La Cantina” tex-mex buffet restaurant is so different to what is served in the rest of Disneyland Paris and I know people who, even though they weren’t staying here, have deliberately eaten here!
This hotel also includes the Disney benefits of magic hours, park tickets being included and also the character encounters. Again, there is also a Starbucks on site!
We saw so many characters here and I adore there new bespoke Cars outfits.
This hotel though does feel more dated that the other 2 star hotel being Hotel Cheyenne and they are the more or less the same cost too. So it’s really worth debating what theme you would prefer.
One more thing, we found that the Disney shop inside this hotel was fantastic and had some really unique merchandise!
NOW, that is the round up of the Disney hotels, let’s move on to the two Disney Nature Resorts.
These are based a bit further out, both at about 15 minutes drive. I wouldn’t recommend taking a walk as it isn’t an easy route. However, there are shuttle busses which take about 25 minutes to take you to the parks.
LES VILLAGES NATURE PARIS – 4 stars
This resort is described as a holiday in itself and therefore it’s probably not somewhere you would stay if you were only visiting Disneyland Paris for a few days.
Within this resort there is a huge water park and heated outdoor lagoon, a farm and a forest with tree top trails! Activities include cooking classes and bowling.
As explained, it is further out and you do have to pay for the shuttle. Also, this is NOT a cheap option at all for a Disney Trip and there is no Disney magic on site.
DISNEY DAVY CROCKETT RANCH –
Now, this is a strange one. I say that because most people, children especially, will be thinking “who the heck is Davy Crockett?”. Well turns out he is an American folk hero and was famous for hunting! And this is why I believe the concept is totally lost on Europeans.
The retreat is nestled in a forest and the rooms are more so like cabins. Again, there is no Disney feel here and there is also no shuttle service either! I really would not recommend this accommodation if you are planning a short trip to Disneyland. It makes no sense to.
AND THAT BRINGS US TO THE END OF THE NATURE RESORTS…
Let’s discuss the Partner Hotels.
These are without doubt the best “budget” hotels. I use that term very lightly however, since sometimes these hotels cost more than staying within a Disney hotel.
It is worth noting that if you are staying in one of these hotels, then you will need to add the cost of your park tickets on top! And they ain’t cheap…
We have stayed at the Vienna House Magic Circus Hotel and Algonquin’s Explorers Hotel – both before Ita was 3 years old (as this is when she would be charged as a Disney customer). We also recently stayed at the Radisson Blu for one night. However, did it actually work out cheaper? Hmmm, no! I’ll get to that in a bit…
VIENNA HOUSE DREAM CASTLE HOTEL – 4 stars
This hotel is stunning and is very much like a castle, perfect for a little princess. It is very close to the parks at only 10 minutes by free shuttle bus. The interior is beautiful!
However, when we have previously searched for Disney breaks, this hotel actually came up as more expensive than staying at Disney’s Newport Bay!! And here is why, the hotel itself is not particularly cheap and on top of that breakfast is an add on.
As this is a partner hotel, park tickets are not included either. This means, if for example you are a family of 2 adults and 1 child over 3, you will need to find an extra £313.42 per day for a 1 day/2 Park ticket. (Prices found on the Disneyland Paris website). Of course you can pick up discounts and offers, but it really is never going to be too much less.
Here is a quick example! If you were to book this hotel for a Friday to Monday in October it would set you back a whopping £1,036 on booking.com – crazy!! JUST THE ROOM!!
My advice here is simple, do your research.
VIENNA HOUSE MAGIC CIRCUS HOTEL – 4 stars
This hotel is obviously styled on a Circus theme which we found was carried throughout the hotel. It really is quite striking and fun which is why we initially chose to stay here.
With that said, there really is no Disney feel and even though the Dream Castle hotel was also not a Disney one, it had the princess theme to rely on!
I’ve heard that this hotel wanted to make you believe it was based on Dumbo, without actually having a Dumbo presence.
My advice is the same as above – it is not a “cheaper” option in the long run and we found that whilst the shuttle busses going to the parks were done, coming back was a nightmare!! The busses aren’t too frequent so they get completely packed out.
RADISSON BLU HOTEL – 4 stars
The Radisson group are well known and have cleverly places themselves here by Disneyland!
Prices start at about £90 per night so this is definitely a cheaper option but again it has no Disney feel whatsoever and park tickets are not included.
However, we spent 2 nights here on our last visit and this hotel was super clean and perfect for a short break.
ADAGIO MARNE-LA-VALLEE – 3 star
Well this is more so a set of apartments rather than a hotel. It is also by far the cheapest option of accommodation since you can get an apartment for about £70+ per night. We are actually planning on using this Aparthotel soon as we are now Annual Pass Holders so will update you on this one!
Since it is a self catering apartment this may appeal to bigger families or those on a strict budget.
There is a free shuttle and it is only about 10 minutes away from the parks.
However, it is not somewhere to stay if you want Disney magic.
ALGONQUIN’S EXPLORERS HOTEL – 3 stars
This hotel is described as having a marine style to it but unless you are staying in a standard room, you might miss that!
Budget wise this hotel can be booked at about £80+ per night. It is very close to the parks but again tickets are not included so they will need to be factored in.
We found staying here was ok and we really enjoyed the pool, we just didn’t feel any of the Disney magic and found the shuttle busses to be problematic!
CAMPANILE VAL DE FRANCE – 3 stars
The views are pretty and it includes a free shuttle too! But that’s we’re the positives end.
Ive had a lot of people warn me against this accommodation. The rooms are TINY!! Yet they are loaded with furniture – a standard room has one double bed and one set of bunk beds but there is no room to swing a cat. It is described as “cosy” and I genuinely think they were giggling to themselves when they came up with that one!
We have also found this hotel to be more expensive than Radisson Blu! So cheeky considering! I also don’t understand how this hotel is a 3 star when both Santa Fe and Cheyenne are considered 2 stars!
HOTEL L’ELYSEE VAL D’EUROPE – 4 stars
So many people have rated this hotel highly and I can see why. It has a total Parisian feel to it and is convenient since there is also a free shuttle bus. It is also really close to the Shopping Outlets and the Sea Life aquarium.
If you are planning a Disneyland trip for longer than a few days then this really is an ideal place to stay!
It is also very close to the train station that can bring you into Paris in just 35 minutes.
Prices don’t always work out cheap here to be honest but every now and then I have seen you can secure a room here for about £120+ per night.
Here is a little tip here too – on Magic Breaks I have seen you can book 2 nights stay with 3 day Disney passes for only £209 per person when staying here – That really is a bargain.
THINGS TO REMEMBER!
If you are planning on a short Disneyland trip then it almost always works out more convenient (and actually cheaper!!) staying in a Disney hotel.
Many firms now including Disney and Magic Breaks allow you to book with a deposit and pay it off as you go along.
We have booked to stay in a 4 star Disney hotel for as little as £700 for all 3 of us, which includes our park tickets (for 4 days) AND meal plans AND also a character breakfast! Prices vary on dates so try and be flexible if possible.
It’s easy to become fixated on saving money and thus you may end up booking things separately and staying far away from Disneyland – but ultimately it can all add up and why would you not want the Disney spirit continued in your accommodation?
In the next few weeks I will also upload a post on restaurants in Disneyland Paris and the Disney Village (including meal plans) which is also something I’m often asked about!
Garcia Family UK 