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[Disney Matt]

Hey everyone

Heading off to Disney 1st Feb (flights booked...yayy!!) but hotel is not!
Have been looking at the Newport Bay Club but not sure whether to go for it or stay in the Santa Fe as its cheaper.

Anyone wanna help?

[msRavenswood]

It depends on how close to the parks you want to be.

[jj554]

Plus how much cheaper are we talking? Santa Fe is a bit of a trek to the parks which wouldn't be so bad in the warmer months but a bit of a drag in chilly Feb, or faffin about on the buses. And if you can get a refurbed room at Newport (if they are done by then) that would be a nice treat too!

I think the room rates are pretty cheap in Feb so even if you go for Newport you'll still be getting a good price.

That said, I've never even stayed at Santa Fe, but I think distance wise it's similar to Cheyenne.

[Disney Matt]

I've stayed at the Santa Fe before & the walk never bothered me so much.
The moneys not a major issue for me its for my friend (cost-wise). It is quite a lot cheaper in Feb but that extra £50 to £80 saved is a good thing, isn't it?!

[jj554]

If the price difference is as little as that (ok I know it's not a few pounds but still) then I think Newport would be great. It's nice to try a new hotel.

But if the money will be a problem for your friend then Santa Fe is best option because you don't want them to feel pressured otherwise they might not enjoy themselves as much. I suppose the room is just a bed to sleep in anyway and you're out most of the day!

[polar vixen]

If it's less than a £100, I'd definitely go for the nicer hotel, and pool, ( I think the main thing for me is because the cheaper hotels are typically busier, after being at the Cheyenne and the craziness there for breakfast I'd go for the nigher standard hotel everytime.  I loved the theming of the Cheyenne, but when I saw the breakfast room even at 7:30, it was enough to make me want to skip breakfast and pay for something later on.  If theres a chance breakfast would be quieter, I'd take it, plus being closer to the parks in winter would be lovely

[samuelvictor]

IMHO the Santa Fe and Cheyenne are both really nice hotels. Everything is clean, and the rooms are a decent size, and the theming, atmosphere and staff are great. The only thing to choose between them is whether you want two double beds (Santa Fe) or one double and bunk beds (Cheyenne).

They are both probably an extra 5 minutes more of a walk than the Newport Bay. Its a pleasant walk, all flat, alongside the Rio Grande "river".

In all honesty, having been inside the other Disney hotel rooms, the design/decoration of each of them is different, but not inherantly worse or better, unless you pay for a specific special room/suite, or the big pink hotel.

However, as previously noted, the cheaper hotels are definitely more busy - so if you plan on using shuttle buses, or going for meals at peak times, that may be a concern for you. Personally for us, we always walk, and we go to breakfast as soon as it opens (7am) and there are little to no queues at that time The extra people don't really make a difference to noise levels in your room, as both the Santa Fe and Cheyenne are "hotels" split into around 20 separate buildings.

Ultimately I guess the decision rides on if you 100% want a pool, or you really love the design/theming of one hotel over another. I'd like to give a quick shout out for the Exporers' Hotel - the pool and facilities there are excellent, and the rooms and breakfast are a step above the Santa Fe and Cheyenne - though you can often book it for the same price or cheaper. The drawbacks with it are no EMH, and you are reliant on (free) shuttlebusses. Oh, and no Sophie!

[Komble]

We are off to Disneyland on the 1st February, too!!!!!

We are staying in the Santa Fe as we found a brilliant deal on Hotels.com - check it out, it even has the Disney Hotel for a reasonable price, haha!

If you do book Santa Fe, I promise I won't push you out of the way at breakfast

(Edit: the long wait is terrible so far... I want to go now!!!!)

[Disney Matt]

Thanks everyone for your replies! & all the detail you've gone into
The walking from Santa Fe in the past never bothered me as i just don't like the pushing for the buses...not worth it in my opinion lol!

& komble i'll promise not to do the sae to you

[ilovemainstxxx]

hi there

we were the same as you, going for new year and didn't know whether to go for Cheyenne or SL for 200 more...
in the end we thought about it and have gone for Cheyenne as we wont be going back for a while , and our daughter will be 18 next year and may not come with us again and this is our family favourite with DLH ,
the extra 200 is our petrol money or ferry and 2 nights at premier inn on way there and back

we have only used the buses a couple of times and never again ,we love the walk along the river talking about being excited by the day ahead or buzzing about the the day we have just had and is allot calmer than the bus, and when on the bus i feel like i am leaving the bubble ,you see that the real world exsists ...also the Newport bay is the largest capacity hotel i think so the bus problem might be the same ...

breakfast again as samuelvictor said be there for 7 and not a problem , even if you cart get a 7am slot you can still turn up a 7 and they will let you in once they have let the tickets in , also i think that sometimes you can get breakfast in the park which might be worth asking about , and again i could see the same problem with Newport as a big hotel...
the pool and things dont really bother me , im at disneyland , i want to be in the parks all day, not the pool i can do that at home at my local baths
now if money was no object , then i think i would stay at the DLH as i think new year is going to be packed , but  that 200 saved is better in my pocket for use on something else...