Karin1984
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Feb 5, 2012
- Messages
- 9,301
I have just returned from a two-night stay at the Disneyland Hotel in Disneyland Paris, and here are my first impressions.
I paid €550 per night for a room-only stay, which is about the lowest price you can get. Keep in mind that during peak seasons (such as Christmas Day), this same room can cost up to €2,000.
What does this price include (that you won’t get at other hotels)?
Unbeatable Proximity
This cannot be overstated. I counted—it’s only 75 steps from the park exit to the hotel entrance. If you or someone in your party has mobility issues or needs frequent breaks, this location is amazing. During my rainy visit, I forgot my umbrella, but it was easy to pop back to the room. If I had stayed at another hotel, I wouldn’t have bothered to go back and just bought a new umbrella for €30. One evening, I had a headache, so I went back to the room for an hour, then returned for the fireworks.
Plenty of Staff
The lobby is well-staffed, even during peak check-in times. There were about 10 check-in desks available, minimizing wait times. Baggage drop-off was also well-staffed.
At the Kids' Club and princess meet & greet area, at least five cast members were present when two would have sufficed. Because there’s so much staff, service feels more personal, which is a definite plus.
The hotel is also extremely clean, with staff constantly maintaining the lobby and lounge areas.
Entertainment (if you love princesses)
If you enjoy meeting princesses, this is a dream come true. You can meet them with minimal wait times (more on that later) and go as often as you like, as the princesses rotate throughout the day. There was a PhotoPass photographer available, and interactions with cast members and characters were fantastic.
The Royal Troupe, while not exclusive to hotel guests, provides great entertainment with a variety of performances. On a good day (when no one calls in sick), there are six different shows featuring at least four different princesses.
Steam Room & Sauna
A great bonus if you enjoy spa facilities. And I do
Turn-Down Service
Completely unnecessary—but delightful. Returning to a prepared room with curtains drawn, exclusive tea waiting (you make it yourself, but it's not available elsewhere in the room), and a cozy atmosphere was a nice touch.
The Room
The room itself is luxurious, with high-quality materials used for the bedding, blackout curtains, and furniture. There are thoughtful details like:
(Not really bad, but things that might make you question certain decisions.)
Not Exclusive
Since the hotel is now open for visitors, the lobby and lounge areas (where the bar and restaurant entrances are) have become extremely busy—especially on weekends, primarily with locals. I admit, I’m guilty of visiting as well.
Our Sunday stay was noticeably busier and less pleasant than Monday and Tuesday.
Longer Wait Times for Princess Meet & Greets on Weekends
On Sundays, we had to wait 15-30 minutes each time, which is still significantly better than the Princess Pavilion. It’s also included in the price, so there’s no need to pay extra for Auberge or La Table de Lumière. However, be aware that it’s not always an instant experience.
The waiting area is also quite small, so on weekends, people were lining up in the hallways—not exactly a luxurious experience.
Design Flaws?
Some design choices were questionable:
The pool has a luxurious, spa-like feel, but there’s nothing entertaining for kids—no slides, no play areas, just a few floaties. The result? Kids end up splashing in and out of the hot tub.
If your kids want to swim, stay at Sequoia Lodge or Newport Bay instead. Those pools are bigger and more fun.
Kids' Club is Underwhelming
I don’t have kids, but I spent time near the Kids' Club (since it shares a space with the princess meet & greet). It’s tiny (maybe 3x3 meters), with just a TV, a table for arts & crafts, and some board games. It seems unnecessary—Disneyland Paris doesn’t have many adult-only spaces, so most families stick together anyway. Compared to a Disney Cruise, where Kids' Clubs make sense, this one felt lackluster.
The Price
Yes, you get little extras, but are they necessary? Do I need a bathroom scale on vacation? Three cotton pads per night—what if two adults wear full-face makeup? A nail polisher, a sewing kit? These are all things that boost the hotel’s star rating, but they don’t add much value for guests.
The Ugly (or just surprising things at this price point):
A beautiful, luxurious hotel. If I can get a good price, I’d stay again—but many extras feel unnecessary. I felt obligated to do the princess meet & greets and use the spa to justify the cost. I did it gladly, but it was on the back of my mind to get my money’s worth.
For better value? Stay at the Marvel hotel.
I paid €550 per night for a room-only stay, which is about the lowest price you can get. Keep in mind that during peak seasons (such as Christmas Day), this same room can cost up to €2,000.
What does this price include (that you won’t get at other hotels)?
- Proximity (the closest hotel to the park)
- Princess Meet & Greets
- A Kids' Club
- Access to booking La Table de Lumière
- Steam room and sauna
- Bathrobes
- Slippers
- Cotton pads
- Cotton buds
- Nail polisher
- Shower cap
- A scale
- Shoe polisher
- Shoe horn
- Sewing kit
- Turn-down service with exclusive tea and a bedtime story for very young children
- Pillow menu
- Upgraded coffee & tea-making facilities (similar to the Marvel hotel)
- Huge TV (also at Marvel)
- Better hairdryer (also at Marvel)
- Dry cleaning (also at Marvel)
- Larger room (about the same size as Marvel)
Unbeatable Proximity
This cannot be overstated. I counted—it’s only 75 steps from the park exit to the hotel entrance. If you or someone in your party has mobility issues or needs frequent breaks, this location is amazing. During my rainy visit, I forgot my umbrella, but it was easy to pop back to the room. If I had stayed at another hotel, I wouldn’t have bothered to go back and just bought a new umbrella for €30. One evening, I had a headache, so I went back to the room for an hour, then returned for the fireworks.
Plenty of Staff
The lobby is well-staffed, even during peak check-in times. There were about 10 check-in desks available, minimizing wait times. Baggage drop-off was also well-staffed.
At the Kids' Club and princess meet & greet area, at least five cast members were present when two would have sufficed. Because there’s so much staff, service feels more personal, which is a definite plus.
The hotel is also extremely clean, with staff constantly maintaining the lobby and lounge areas.
Entertainment (if you love princesses)
If you enjoy meeting princesses, this is a dream come true. You can meet them with minimal wait times (more on that later) and go as often as you like, as the princesses rotate throughout the day. There was a PhotoPass photographer available, and interactions with cast members and characters were fantastic.
The Royal Troupe, while not exclusive to hotel guests, provides great entertainment with a variety of performances. On a good day (when no one calls in sick), there are six different shows featuring at least four different princesses.
Steam Room & Sauna
A great bonus if you enjoy spa facilities. And I do
Turn-Down Service
Completely unnecessary—but delightful. Returning to a prepared room with curtains drawn, exclusive tea waiting (you make it yourself, but it's not available elsewhere in the room), and a cozy atmosphere was a nice touch.
The Room
The room itself is luxurious, with high-quality materials used for the bedding, blackout curtains, and furniture. There are thoughtful details like:
- Bright lighting options in the bathroom
- Plenty of power outlets (EU and UK, plus USB ports)
- Under-bench lighting
(Not really bad, but things that might make you question certain decisions.)
Not Exclusive
Since the hotel is now open for visitors, the lobby and lounge areas (where the bar and restaurant entrances are) have become extremely busy—especially on weekends, primarily with locals. I admit, I’m guilty of visiting as well.
Our Sunday stay was noticeably busier and less pleasant than Monday and Tuesday.
Longer Wait Times for Princess Meet & Greets on Weekends
On Sundays, we had to wait 15-30 minutes each time, which is still significantly better than the Princess Pavilion. It’s also included in the price, so there’s no need to pay extra for Auberge or La Table de Lumière. However, be aware that it’s not always an instant experience.
The waiting area is also quite small, so on weekends, people were lining up in the hallways—not exactly a luxurious experience.
Design Flaws?
Some design choices were questionable:
- Strange hotel layout: The hotel has two wings. The main entrance is in the east wing, but some facilities, like the pool, are in the west wing. To get from one side to the other, you must walk through the lounge. Many guests opted to walk through in their bathrobes (or even just swimsuits for kids), which felt awkward to me as there are people in the lounge area people-watching.
- Character traffic jam: Characters for both Royal Banquet and Table de Lumière must walk through the lounge, causing crowds to gather just to watch them. A backstage route would have been much better.
- Poor bathroom ventilation: The self-closing bathroom door is likely a safety feature, but without an exhaust fan, the bathroom stays humid and steamy. I had to block the door with a towel to keep it open.
- Odd lighting choices: Every light in the room is controlled by a switch—except the toilet, which has a motion sensor. I don’t understand why. The room is dark at night, and a normal switch wouldn’t have woken anyone.
The pool has a luxurious, spa-like feel, but there’s nothing entertaining for kids—no slides, no play areas, just a few floaties. The result? Kids end up splashing in and out of the hot tub.
If your kids want to swim, stay at Sequoia Lodge or Newport Bay instead. Those pools are bigger and more fun.
Kids' Club is Underwhelming
I don’t have kids, but I spent time near the Kids' Club (since it shares a space with the princess meet & greet). It’s tiny (maybe 3x3 meters), with just a TV, a table for arts & crafts, and some board games. It seems unnecessary—Disneyland Paris doesn’t have many adult-only spaces, so most families stick together anyway. Compared to a Disney Cruise, where Kids' Clubs make sense, this one felt lackluster.
The Price
Yes, you get little extras, but are they necessary? Do I need a bathroom scale on vacation? Three cotton pads per night—what if two adults wear full-face makeup? A nail polisher, a sewing kit? These are all things that boost the hotel’s star rating, but they don’t add much value for guests.
The Ugly (or just surprising things at this price point):
- No text notification when our room was ready. The app only said "You can go to your room now," but didn’t display the room number. I had to go back to check-in.
- Bags weren’t in our room upon arrival. We wanted to go swimming but had to wait for our luggage. Tip: Handle your own bags or pack a swimsuit in your park bag.
- Missing room items. We were missing a pair of slippers, two bathrobes, and a glass. It took two trips to get everything, and we received two extra pillows we didn’t order.
- Pillowcase not replaced. I accidentally left mascara smudges on my pillowcase, and housekeeping didn’t replace it after turn-down service. Should it have been at this price point?
- Shampoo & conditioner felt cheap. The bottles look nicer, but they smell like dish soap and the same as at the other hotels.
- Rooms aren’t soundproof. We could hear our neighbors, though it wasn’t too disruptive.
- Disney+ requires your own login. Annoying if you don’t have an active account. It took me some times to get it.
A beautiful, luxurious hotel. If I can get a good price, I’d stay again—but many extras feel unnecessary. I felt obligated to do the princess meet & greets and use the spa to justify the cost. I did it gladly, but it was on the back of my mind to get my money’s worth.
For better value? Stay at the Marvel hotel.
