A couple of weeks ago I went on a six-day trip to Paris with my boyfriend. We spent two days exploring the city, then made our way to the happiest place on earth for four days – Disneyland Paris.
I visited Disneyland Paris earlier this year however we only went for the day. It ABSOLUTELY chucked it down the entire time we were there and as a result, a lot of the rides and attractions were closed. Basically, all we managed to watch the parade, go on It’s a Small World and watch the fireworks at the end of the night.
This time we had three nights staying at one of the park hotels, which gave us around two and half park days because of our early flight times on the final day – which in my opinion STILL isn’t enough.
We stayed at the Hotel Cheyenne in the park, which is the Disneyland Paris Toy Story Themed hotel and has Wild West and Woody’s Roundup décor throughout the hotel. As Toy Story (2) is my favourite Disney movie this was the PERFECT place for me to stay and as they have recently renovated, I was excited to stay somewhere that was pretty much brand new.
Hotel Cost
Our cost for the entire trip was ridiculously cheap in comparison to what I’ve seen some people pay. We booked when the ‘Free Half Board’ offer was on meaning we automatically got free breakfast and one free meal each day with our trip – a massive saving in itself. With our hotel and park tickets on top, we paid a total of £430 for two people staying at the Cheyenne for three nights.
Obviously, our flights were on top of that, but as we were visiting Paris too, the overall cost including flights really wasn’t bad at all.
Checking-in/Checking-out
When we arrived at the hotel we were a little early, but we thought it was worth trying to see if we could check in. We had to wait in quite a long queue as it was a busy hotel (1000 rooms and fully booked!), but we didn’t mind as the décor in the reception was incredible. We were asked to fill in a form before we went up to one of the counters which was a little strange as I’d filled all my details out online, but it didn’t take long and gave me something to do while waiting.
We were told we couldn’t check in until 3pm but we could leave our cases in storage while we go into the park. The system for leaving your bag was super organised and I was amazed at the amount of bags they had, it looked like an entire warehouse full! So ideal if you want to leave your cases before checking in and after checking out, as you can’t take them into the park with you (unless you’re at the Disneyland Hotel where of course, you need to go through security with them).
Checking out was also very simple, as all you had to do was leave your key in the box by receptions front door before 11pm.
The Hotel
The hotel and its grounds (if you can call them that) were fantastic. The Wild West theme stuck throughout and the whole place looked as through you’d stepped straight into old-time Texas. I loved it! The buildings were all themed with names like Jesse James, Calamity Jane and Butch Cassidy, which we both thought was a good touch.
The hotel itself was pretty big and the buildings were all spread out, so it was great when we checked in that they gave us a map. Luckily, we were not too far from reception as after walking all day at the park that last stretch would have seemed soooo far….
Transport to The Park
There were two ways into the park from the Hotel Cheyenne, both of which were quick and simple.
The first way, and the one we used the most, was getting the shuttle from outside the front of the hotel. They came every ten minutes or so and it takes about 5 minutes to get you to the park. The bust station is just outside of the train station, so it’s only a couple of minutes’ walk before you’re in the park. We never had a problem getting on the shuttle bus and even coming from the park they were reasonably quiet.
If you’re not too tired from walking around the park you can also walk back to the hotel, which takes around 15 minutes if you don’t get distracted by everything that’s going on in Disney Village. The best route is to come out of the park, walk through Disney Village, past the lake and then it’s a short sign-posted walk from there. We only did this a couple of times when we thought the shuttle would be too busy, like after the fireworks display when the park closes!
The Room
I don’t actually know where to start with the room because oh my god, it was INCREDIBLE. As a big Toy Story fan and a lover of things that are themed well, this was probably the perfect hotel for me.
As soon as I opened the door I was in love with the place and considering we were at Disney, I didn’t find it too tacky at all. Everything was pretty subtle (apart from the giant picture of Jessie, Woody and Bullseye on the wall) and so well done. My favourite thing had to be the curtains that looked like Woody’s arms – I’d totally have them in my house if Nate would let me.
The little details were everything, with the light from the Woody’s Roundup collection on the drawers, the cow print throw on the bed and Woody’s face on the lights. It was better than I ever imagined it would be and every night I actually looked forward to going back to our room.
There was storage space EVERYWHERE too. Lots of cupboards for you to unpack your cases into, a place to hang your clothes and bedside tables each side of the bed.
The TV didn’t have many English channels but to be honest we didn’t care as we could watch the Disney Channel and with throwbacks like That’s So Raven on we were in our element.
The Food
Breakfast is served onsite at all of the Disneyland Paris Hotels, however as the place was fully booked we were given vouchers to eat in the park instead. I completely understood why they did this and the food was great value, however, it was VERY awkward having to go into the Walt Disney Studios for our breakfast each morning – especially if we wanted to do something in the Disneyland Park instead.
Onsite at our hotel there was a Starbucks, so one of the nights we decided to get a drink on our way back from the park. The service was pretty slow considering we were the only ones in there, but I guess it is like that in any Starbucks, isn’t it?
On our final night we forgot to make a reservation for the evening so we ended up having to eat at the Chuck Wagon Café, the onsite restaurant. It was a pretty decent buffet with lots of choice including wings, ribs, sausages, vegetables, chips and salad. The organisation was a little strange though as people decided to queue like there were getting their school lunches, so if like me you only wanted chips, you had to queue for about 10 minutes before you could get them. They also only served canned soft drinks, which was a little disappointing.
Comfort and Sleep
I don’t know if it was because every single night I was shattered after a day in the park or because the bed was extremely comfortable, but I slept like a baby every night.
The only thing that woke me up was excited kids each morning as they’d run past and bang on our windows, but to honest, if they hadn’t done that we’d probably have overslept and missed extra magic hours.
The bathroom had the cutest Disney themed toiletries in and it took ALL my willpower not to bring some home with me.
Extra Magic Hours
For those that are staying in an official Disneyland Park hotel you have access to extra magic hours. This means that you can enter the park 1-2 hours earlier than the public depending on the season. There are a few rides open and the chance to meet the odd character or two – but we mainly used them to get our breakfast and to be first in the queue to get fast passes for the most popular rides.
The park is still incredibly busy during these hours, but they’re definitely worth it, even if it’s just to ride Buzz Lightyear’s Laser Blast over and over again.
Overall
The Cheyenne definitely impressed me and is somewhere I would 100% stay again. Considering it was the cheapest hotel for my stay I can’t imagine what the other hotels are like. The absolute dream would be to stay in the Disneyland Hotel one day.
It’s great value for money, has great theming and an overall great atmosphere due to the friendly staff.
Can I go again now please?
Kirsty Leanne
xoxo
