I recently returned from a 5-night stay at DLP and here are the various notes on my trip. I'll try to post them in an organized way, but since I have a lot to say some of it may be out of order, or in point form, but hopefully it'll make sense to someone.
The Hotel
Since I stayed at Sequoia Lodge last time, I wanted to stay at a different hotel this trip. I chose Newport Bay Club because I like the theme (similar to Yacht/Beach) and I knew it was going under an extensive renovation. However, almost none of it was completed for my trip.
Using the word "renovation" doesn't really convey how extensive this work really is. They are gutting everything on the inside (rooms, halls, common areas) and stripping the exterior to its bare frame and replacing all the insulation and wood. Short of demoing the place and starting new construction, this is about as major an overhaul as you could get.
To say the hotel needed this would be an understatement. The exterior is in terrible shape and many of the rooms are quite worn in appearence. This work is long overdue, but certainly more than thorough and welcome.
I knew this going in, but I thought at least the East Wing of rooms would be done. Unfortunately, this was not the case and I had to stay in one of the unrenovated rooms in the main building. Fortunately for me I was warned about this by Disney ahead of time and giving compensation as a result (a 50 euro gift card) and, more importantly, my room was not in as bad shape as I had feared. Indeed it was worn, but I had seen some scary pics on TripAdvisor of moldy bathrooms and broken furniature, so that was of some relief. I suspect it was because I was staying on the Admiral's Floor (aka Conceriege level) so the room likely saw less traffic than its standard counterparts. One thing that was gross was the comforters on the bed which looked very old, but were easily taken off and did not speak for the rest of the bed and matress.
The benefits of staying on the Admiral's Floor are not as good as Sequoia at the moment. There's no lounge area with snacks and drinks and most perks are in the form of additional in-room services (food, kettle, bell service etc). Only suites get extra FastPasses for the parks. Not sure if I would pay extra to do it again, unless some more things come out of the refurbishment.
Just a few doors down from my room, you could see through a wire-frame construction barrier one of the renovated hallways with all new cparteing, wallpaper, fixures and paint. An interesting contrast to the old look where I was staying.
Despite the contruction delays, Disney has wated no time starting work on the rest of the hotel, with both the lobby and gift shop closed off for work. In the meantime, a make-shift reception has been set up in the convention centre for guest use. One area that has finished is the resturant interiors, which look wonderful with their new paint, carpets, wood and flooring. Important when the complimentary breakfast is served in Cape Cod every morning. For some reason, Yacht Club was closed for dinner, even though it was renovated and used as overflow space for breakfast.
As much as I was disapointed with the construction delays, I was OK with my stay at the hotel. It feels odd to complain about a hotel needing renovation when it is getting one, but I hope it finishes soon for the benefit of guests staying there in 2015. From what I have seen in person and online, the work being done is excellent and should bring back the resort to the quality it should have been for the last decade. I only hope it won't be another 20 years before work is done again.
More notes on the parks and rest of trip to follow...
The Hotel
Since I stayed at Sequoia Lodge last time, I wanted to stay at a different hotel this trip. I chose Newport Bay Club because I like the theme (similar to Yacht/Beach) and I knew it was going under an extensive renovation. However, almost none of it was completed for my trip.
Using the word "renovation" doesn't really convey how extensive this work really is. They are gutting everything on the inside (rooms, halls, common areas) and stripping the exterior to its bare frame and replacing all the insulation and wood. Short of demoing the place and starting new construction, this is about as major an overhaul as you could get.
To say the hotel needed this would be an understatement. The exterior is in terrible shape and many of the rooms are quite worn in appearence. This work is long overdue, but certainly more than thorough and welcome.
I knew this going in, but I thought at least the East Wing of rooms would be done. Unfortunately, this was not the case and I had to stay in one of the unrenovated rooms in the main building. Fortunately for me I was warned about this by Disney ahead of time and giving compensation as a result (a 50 euro gift card) and, more importantly, my room was not in as bad shape as I had feared. Indeed it was worn, but I had seen some scary pics on TripAdvisor of moldy bathrooms and broken furniature, so that was of some relief. I suspect it was because I was staying on the Admiral's Floor (aka Conceriege level) so the room likely saw less traffic than its standard counterparts. One thing that was gross was the comforters on the bed which looked very old, but were easily taken off and did not speak for the rest of the bed and matress.
The benefits of staying on the Admiral's Floor are not as good as Sequoia at the moment. There's no lounge area with snacks and drinks and most perks are in the form of additional in-room services (food, kettle, bell service etc). Only suites get extra FastPasses for the parks. Not sure if I would pay extra to do it again, unless some more things come out of the refurbishment.
Just a few doors down from my room, you could see through a wire-frame construction barrier one of the renovated hallways with all new cparteing, wallpaper, fixures and paint. An interesting contrast to the old look where I was staying.
Despite the contruction delays, Disney has wated no time starting work on the rest of the hotel, with both the lobby and gift shop closed off for work. In the meantime, a make-shift reception has been set up in the convention centre for guest use. One area that has finished is the resturant interiors, which look wonderful with their new paint, carpets, wood and flooring. Important when the complimentary breakfast is served in Cape Cod every morning. For some reason, Yacht Club was closed for dinner, even though it was renovated and used as overflow space for breakfast.
As much as I was disapointed with the construction delays, I was OK with my stay at the hotel. It feels odd to complain about a hotel needing renovation when it is getting one, but I hope it finishes soon for the benefit of guests staying there in 2015. From what I have seen in person and online, the work being done is excellent and should bring back the resort to the quality it should have been for the last decade. I only hope it won't be another 20 years before work is done again.
More notes on the parks and rest of trip to follow...