Wednesday 3 June 2015

Disneyland Paris : Newport Bay Club Hotel.

I am incredibly fussy when it comes to hotels. Like many, I don't just want to stay in any old hotel. I want a hotel that can offer me something new, something fun and generally be nice and modern, all for a good price! I know, I don't really want a lot, do I? The great news is, with TripAdvisor and blogs and the internet at our fingertips, a little (or sometimes lengthy) search can tell us everything we need to know and lead us to the right place!

So as you may have seen from my recent posts, I recently took a return trip to Disneyland Paris to check out the awesome 'Swing Into Spring' festivities. I'm actually kind of sad that I can't just live there and it always be Spring, as it was so much fun! But, Summer is here and with the new season, comes a new set of shows and decorations to spruce the place up, and Frozen Summer Fun is the new theme. Anyone for another trip to Disney? Anna, Elsa and Olaf are waiting!


This visit, we stayed in a Disney hotel, and at the time we booked they had an AMAZING offer on, where they gave guests a whopping 30% off the bill, and a free half board meal plan! They always have interesting offers, so it's a good idea to have a nosey at the Disneyland Paris website if you're interested in booking. We were originally planning to stay off site at a partner hotel, but when we worked it all out, the amount we'd have saved by staying off site, for us wasn't an amount worth saving.

So we chose to stay at The Newport Bay Club hotel, a 1920's seaside mansion, nautical themed hotel located just a short walk from the parks, right next to Lake Disney. Being a 'three keys/three stars', the NBC is one of the pricier on site hotels. At the time of our stay, the hotel was undergoing some refurbishments. So we already knew that some of the services/areas would be closed, and the exterior would be undergoing a facelift. The cost of staying at this hotel during renovation has been adjusted to reflect this, and teamed with the other offer we had, we felt like we got a really good deal.


When we first arrived at the hotel after a fun filled first afternoon in the parks, it had gotten quite late and rather dark so we didn't quite get the full effect of the scaffolding. That was until we headed off to the parks the next morning. It was far from a pretty site on our trip, I'll give you that, and a lot of people seem to be pretty angry about it on TripAdvisor... But hey, if you scurry off into the parks nice and early, and don't look back, you can pretend it's not even there. No harm done, right?

Before we set off, we thought the Yacht Club restaurant and the Fisherman's Wharf Bar were going to be closed for renovations, but by the time we arrived both were open, and pretty darn lovely at that. The Bay Boutique shop however, was closed. We were expecting it to be the other way around, so when I went out in hunt of some fizzy drinks on the first night I thought I wasn't going to get one! But we were able to buy drinks in the bar to take back to the room, and over the next few days we knew to pick up drinks and snacks before heading back to the hotel.  *Top Tip* The Planet Hollywood shop in Disney Village was the cheapest place we spotted for bottled drinks.

I believe the renovations on the pool are complete, but I didn't go down there... So I can't comment, but all the rooms and hallways have received their facelift too, and GEE MINNIE! They're Absotively Posilutely gorgeous.


If you've spent all day surrounded by Disney everywhere you look... It might get a bit much for some, who will probably want their hotel room to be a bit of a break away from the madness magic. Personally, I don't care. Take all your Disney references and imagineering and bring it on! But I know it isn't for everyone, and even I have to admit the rooms at the Newport Bay Club were a pleasant and soothing break from the sensory overload of the parks. For me, they strike the perfect balance of Disney and the Maritime theme of the hotel.

I think most, if not all rooms have two double beds, which was perfect for us as I fidgit, non stop... All night. Like seriously, i'm awful. The beds themselves were serious amounts on comfy, like sleeping on a some sort of giant flump. I like a big squishy bed, and mum prefers a firmer mattress, but the beds in our room had just that right squish to firm ratio that kept us both happy.

I also use an obscene amount of cushions and pillows at home and I am pleased to report that the super comfy Disney bed had the perfect pillows. There were two squishier softer pillows and two heavier, more solid ones. I made a weird criss crossy perch type thing with mine and it was perfect. I sadly haven't been able to replicate it at home, no matter how hard I try. I think it may be time for new pillows...


The furniture design is a nice touch, the mirror and drawers are themed after a ships cabin and old-timey trunks, and the helm-esque headboards have been given Mickey ears in the renovations. I thought the addition of the ears on the headboard was a really sweet way of bringing Disney into the designs, but they didn't stop there! There is a border around the top of each wall with cute portholes, some of which feature Disney characters like Mickey and Donald. The curtains, cushions, carpets and bedding feature nautical and maritime designs too, which really helps bring it all together.

The design didn't really carry through to the bathroom but it was nice and bright, with white and blue tiles and a good shower. I've seen some complaints about the bathrooms due to the slightly strange layout. Personally I don't see how people can be annoyed that the sink is separated from the bath and toilet area by a door, as I think it's a pretty good idea, as it gives more space for people to get ready in the mornings at the same time. The sink shares it's space with a dressing area of sorts, which has suitcase shelves, clothes hangers and a safe, which combined with plenty of space in the drawers means there is a lot of space to put your things. My only gripe really, is that the hangers are permanently attached to the rail. I understand why, but it made an awful noise if it moved too much. Yuck, yuck, yuck!


As well as the TV (which we didn't use), there should be a kettle in each room, but as we don't drink tea or coffee so didn't bother to look for it. There was a really interesting selection of teas and coffee sachets available at breakfast for taking back to the room, and we brought a 'caramel' tea home for my dad to try. The 'red fruits' also sounded promising, and I bet it'd make a great ice tea! Speaking of ice, there is an ice machine on the first floor, but I don't know about any of the other floors.

At check-in, you will be asked what time you want to come down for breakfast. We wanted early breakfasts so we could make the most of our magic hours, and during our stay it seemed the 7:45 slot we had was the golden time, as there was never a queue on the way in, but quite a queue on the way out. When you come down for breakfast, a cast member will direct you into one of the two restaurants. They serve the same food, but Cape Cod has more drinks machines. Unless I just didn't find them in the Yacht Club, which is a possibility!

Both restaurants offer the same continental buffet breakfast, a selection of two or three sliced cold meats, cheese, fruit salad, cereal, toast, croissants and pain au chocolat on offer. Maybe it was due to how early we were, but I never saw anything running low. After four days of cheese, apple and french pastries for breakfast... I really did begin to crave some scrambled egg and mushrooms! I'd like to show you my breakfasts, but, I appear to have forgotten to take any pictures... I could have sworn I had! So instead, look how cute these cushions are! You can almost see my pillow nest here too! :)


We also ate one of our evening meals at the Cape Cod restaurant, which i'll talk about in a later Disney Food! Post, so keep your eyes peeled for that. :)

After browsing photos of all the different Disney hotels, their rooms and interiors, the Newport Bay Club scored pretty highly with me. When it comes to exterior, or overall theme-ing? This would have been high up on my choices, but maybe not taking the top spot, which I think i'd probably give to New York, or Santa Fe. Based on the rooms alone? My favourite were those at the Santa Fe, I loved all the Cars theme-ing, and the rooms at the Hotel New York didn't seem to have that little 'Disney Magic' I was looking for...  But after seeing the amazing job they have done on the refurbished rooms, the Newport Bay Club hotel has shot into the top spot.

I've heard that the scaffolding is starting to come down now, so soon we will get to see the all new Newport Bay Club Hotel. Mum and I are planning a little trip back to see the Villains at Halloween, and are totally torn between trying somewhere new or heading back to this gem of a hotel. Decisions, decisions!

Where do you like to stay when you go to Disney? Hopefully my hotel review has covered everything you'd like to know but feel free to send me any questions!

See you next time! :)








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