Holiday Inn reviews?

[smilingmouse]

I recently switched my upcoming DLP stay from 2 days Sequoia, 2 days at the Holiday Inn at DLP to all 4 nights at the HI. I was reading reviews about the HI on a different mesage board, and the hotel received many bad reviews....People said that the HI was not themes well, had a "cold feel" and rude staff members. I realize that different people will have different opinions of the same place, but seeing all of those negative reviews made me nervous. I would appreciate opinions/thoughts from others who have stayed there!

TIA!

 

[Cyrano]

Stayed in HI at DLRP in August for 3 nights in Kids Suite room. Going back for 4 nights (as we bought annual passports) for 4 nights. See sig.

We found the hotel well themed. The pool is probably the best there is at DLP.

If I had one complaint it was breakfast at €15.50 for an adult. There is no continential option and the full breakfast option consisted of spicy sausage, very streaky bacon.

But as you can see it has not put us off going back. We did not feel out of the magic and the shuttle bus to the hotels outside work just as well as the Disney hotels.

Enjoy

Reid

 

[smilingmouse]

Reid,

Thanks for the review! How often did the busses run? Did the go between the HI and DTD directly? Or, did the busses go to other hotels too?

Thanks

 

[Cyrano]

Hi
buses run approx. every 15 minutes or at least if we just missed one we never had to wait any longer.

The bus visits Explorer, Kyriad, Dream castle and Holiday Inn, and then onwards to Park.

Regards
Reid

 

[smilingmouse]

Thanks again.....so is HI the last stop before the parks? Do you think the busses will be very full in Jan?

 

[Cyrano]

Have never been myself in January. But it is supposed to be one of the quietest periods following Christmas and New Year.

Yes, when you are picked up next stop is the park.

Regards
Reid

 

[smilingmouse]

Thanks (again!)! One of the reasons I decided to go in mid Jan is thereported lack of crowds....I've heard that certain rides will be "all you can rde" while we're there, but I'm not sure which ones/how that works.....

 

[jodyb]

We were there for a week last January (until Feb.2). It was COLD and very snowy. And empty. We had a fantastic time, and the cold would not put me off going again, but be sure to bring lots of very warm clothes, hats, boots, mittens, etc. We never used fast-pass though we had some "anytime" ones with our AP - it was just never necessary. Lots of the fast food restaurants were closed - that would be my only complaint about going in January. We stayed at SL and loved it. I'm not sure what you mean by "all you can ride" - but maybe it means that when there is no line you can just stay on? This happened to us several times at Peter Pan, Small World, and at BTM. If nobody is waiting to get into your car (or boat), the CM's don't mind if you just stay in and ride again. We went around on Peter Pan until we were a little tired of it!
I'm sure you'll have a fantastic time.

 

[Bexx]

We had a fantastic time, and the cold would not put me off going again, but be sure to bring lots of very warm clothes, hats, boots, mittens, etc.

Do you have any thermals? If so, add them to the list, if not - buy some!!!

 

[smilingmouse]

Bexx and Jody,

Thanks for the replies....We're from Minnesota, so we are used to the cold....in fact, compared to the weather here in Jan, DLP will be "warm" We are already planning to bring lots of warm clothes. And, if I get too cold, I guess I'll have to buy a sweatshirt

Jody--Do you happen to remember if Victoria's was open when you were there? (BTW, I totally agree about the SL...I was there for X-mas 03 and loved it...we were going to stay there this time, but I got a great rate at the HI. I guess I'll have to settle for going for a drink in the bar at the SL

Thanks again

 

[jodyb]

I'm from Minnesota too! The funny thing is, although I live in Israel, I grew up in Minnesota, and last year when we were planning to go to Paris in January everyone here was *shocked* and kept saying how cold it was... and I just laughed them off saying "I grew up in Minnesota - Paris will be balmy in January for me!". Well, I realized later that even growing up in St. Paul where I tramped through 3 feet of snow to school (makes me sound old!) didn't prepare me for a freezing theme park. Even in Minnesota, Camp Snoopy is INDOORS and the outdoor parks are closed in winter! LOL
I'm not sure about Victorias...sorry... where is that located?
Jody

 

[smilingmouse]

Jody,

I agree, Paris will be cold---even for Mom and I who are life-long Minnesotans (we live in Duluth). However, compared to the weather here, Paris will seem warmer. I was there in Dec 2003, and it was cold, but my friend and I just wore several layers, and spent plenty of time warming up in the stores.

Victoria's is on Main Street. I want to go to Auberge too, but I have heard that it is closed often in Jan too....I guess I'll play it by ear when I get there. When in Jan. are ou going to be there?

 

[jodyb]

I just finalized our plans a few minutes ago. We'll be there Jan. 6 -13. First four days at Sequoia and last three days at Disneyland Hotel.
About the Auberge.. last January on a very snowy day, we ducked into the Auberge for refuge. They were open and very crowded. I wasn't impressed with the food or service at all, although the atmosphere was quite nice.
I'm blanking on Victoria's - sorry. Maybe someone else can answer on that. They are probably open however. As I recall it was only a lot of the fast food places that were closed.

This is way off topic, but I just wanted to tell you I have a soft spot in my heart for Duluth. In 1991, my father received a donor heart - the transplant gave him another 8 years of wonderful life, until he died at age 69 - and the donor was a young man from Duluth who died in a motorcycle accident when his bike hit a deer. On the way to the hospital (Abbot Northwestern in Mpls) after getting the call that a heart was on the way, my parents' car hit a deer! They were able to continue driving however. When they pulled up at the hospital my sister was just parking her car, which had a damaged fender - they asked her what happened and she said she hit a deer on the way too! It was a bad night for deer, and of course for the family of the man who died, but my Dad was able to travel several more times to Israel, he took my son to the Atlanta Olympics, and he witnessed the births of three more grandchildren, all thanks to the "Duluth heart".
Just some unrelated trivia that Duluth brought up!
Jody

 

[smilingmouse]

Jody,

I'm glad to hear that a Duluthian was able to have such a positive influence on your family! Your trip to DLP ends as we will be leaving for ours, we'll be there from 1/13-18.

Which restaurants did you like best the last time you were in DLP? What did you not like?

Thanks again!

 

[jodyb]

Well, we are not really frequenters of sit-down restaurants when we are at Disney. Last year we enjoyed Annettes - I think I had a bacon cheese burger - I remember enjoying it a lot..
We ate at Hunter's Grill - also quite good, and excellent service. (In the Sequoia Lodge)
In the park the only table service restaurant that I can recall going to was the Auberge, which I'v already mentioned was very underwhelming...
Sorry I can't help more on that count. I'll bet if you post a separate message on restaurants you will get a lot of info!
You will miss the Lion King show - it's closed from the 10th of January until the end of the month I think. Also, Space mountain closes on the 17th, so if it's your favorite - get in a lot of rides your first few days!
It will be fun to exchange impressions after our two January trips!

 

[smilingmouse]

I think we are going to eat mainly at quick service restaurants. I think we may go to Auberge for dessert so I can have another "Cinderella's slipper" If I were going solo, I wouldn't worry much about food, but I'm traveling with my mom, who is a VERY picky eater....

SM is one of my favorite rides at the park, so I plan to ride it often before it goes down on 1/17! I'm pretty bummed about having to miss the Lion King show, but I guess I'll need to plan another trip so I can see it

 

[Bexx]

Smilingmouse - I think that during the winter months, Victorias is only open at weekends. Put it this way - we've really only visited DLP on weekdays in November or December, and we haven't managed to find it open yet!!

 

[smilingmouse]

Drat! The one aspect that really worries me about this trip is the operating hours of the restaurants...Oh well, at least it won't be crowded

 

[Chris_ITpro]

Just going back to the original question about the Holiday Inn.

We stayed there last month and found the hotel to be very good. The standard rooms are fine for a family of 4 and ours was very clean and well maintained. There are some neat touches like wireless Internet access and a room safe. The staff were all pleasant and helpfull.

I do have a few minor issues. The shuttle bus to the park was a joke when we tried to use it on the first night. The first one was jammed full and there was no way to get our pushchair on. We then waited 30 minutes for another and it too was very full. We used the car for the remainder of the stay and used our AP free parking.

I agree with the comments about the breakfasts. Over priced at 16.50 Euros and they do serve up some strange cooked breakfasts. Also, grab the pain au chocolat when you can because they do run out. I used some American Express points for free breakfasts though (convert them to Priority Club and claim the vouchers).

We will be going back to the Holiday Inn between Christmas and New Year. I found a room for only 59 Euros a night - bargain!


Regards, Chris.

 

[Chris_ITpro]

BTW, the American sandwich place in Disney Village is a great cheap breakfast alternative.


Regards, Chris.