DLP trip report June 2022

marni1971

Park History nut
Premium Member
Original Poster
Still suffering from long covid, and with my bosses blessings, we spent 4 nights 5 days at DLP recently. We approached with some uncertainty in how we would physically cope but I’m glad to say we managed it, albeit slower than normal and with a lot more rests. And as Michelle put it we don’t have to do everything since it’s not like we’ve not been recently.

Given the mess of the aviation industry, I was pleasantly surprised that Manchester airport, Air France and CDG had their acts together - we arrived a good 2 hours earlier than I expected. With baggage too! The Magical Shuttle transfer was once again spot on and (again) took back roads since the motorway was jammed with accidents. Plus the coaches have good aircon!

When we booked Sequoia Lodge we opted for a cheaper “lodge” room - usually we stay in the main building. There’s 5x 2 and 3 storey lodge buildings scattered through the woods next to the main building, all in the hotel grounds. I wasn’t sure how it would work out being away from the main building but to be honest I prefer it now. It’s so peaceful, the forest landscaping is fantastic and walking around the pathways early morning or at night is wonderful and so immersive. Lodge rooms are the same as the standard rooms in the main building. One thing Sequoia needs to look at is power points. Since the rooms were refitted a decade ago things have moved on, and it’s a bit of a miss having just 2 regular power points (and one is behind the door). New York, Newport and even Cheyenne have addressed this various ways in their refurbs - Sequoia needs to too. Luckily we always use a extension block / power strip. Work is almost finishing on the massive hotel facia project with new insulation and cladding for all the buildings but what’s been done so far looks great.

Security checks for the hotel and parks sterile zones was as efficient as always - despite obviously being a contracted 3rd party the staff are as friendly as always. Strangely the Village didn’t seem bad (not that I think it’s currently awful anyway) but maybe the weather helped lend a party atmosphere with plenty of outdoor dining. It’s worth mentioning we visited during a heatwave with the temperature regular passing 90 that kind of added to the trip in a way.

Disneyland hotel is still under its major rebuild and will be into next year. I have to commend them again by using cherry pickers on the facade above the park entrance as opposed to scaffolding it up. Much more pleasant even if it’s more difficult. And every day they were working at 8am and every night at 11pm. A word about park hours - Studios was open until 8pm for now, but Disneyland opens for hotel guests and APs at 830am and if you stay for fireworks at 11 you’ll still be in the park near midnight. Every day in the summer. These can be long days (you get your moneys worth though)

Disneyland Park was as good as ever. Clean. Very clean. So well maintained. Ongoing paint touch ups everywhere (seems a constant thing). The new paving of Fantasyland looks gorgeous, not that we thought it needed doing beforehand. Ride and show effects are still well maintained. My 2 nit pick areas of concerns were BTM is still having lack of smoke issues on the 3rd lift (the LN2 is stored on the shore and doesn’t always get to the mountain properly) and Hyperspace Mountain. The IP overlay notwithstanding, inside the mountain the star projectors either need a good clean or replacing. The exterior building lighting is still hit or miss regarding how much will work. And the roof will need a good paint again soon. Better news was the audio sync issues the ride had last year have been fixed, and the newish MK-1212 cars are still much smoother than the originals. Speaking of effects, bonus points go to all the Indiana Jones flame bowls still being lit, plus new flame effects I didn’t even know existed were working - the torches above the Frontierland entrance and above the PotC exit were all burning away. More bonus points on Main Street for the gas pump still glugging, and the coffee sign still smoking. PotCs auctioneer had some issues but I’d like to think my reporting them helped in them being fixed the following day :)

What else… Autopia still looks great after it’s rebuild. Phantom Manor and Pirates looked and sounded great as did other attractions. When all the various water effects work in Alice’s Curious Labyrinth you know they’re doing well. The 30th parade / stage show extravaganza (4 times a day) Dream and Shine Brighter is a work of art. So ambitious, so well done. Plus they still run the regular parade Stars on Parade too. Come 1055 pm the 30th projection, fountain and drone show starts. Very impressive, and wonderful to hear the ooohs from the crowd as the drones appear. We didn’t stay for Illuminations (fireworks) this trip due to tiredness. Plus it’s a less crowded walk back to the hotel. Again, the village and the promenade around the lake were spotless and so well maintained.

Breakfast at Sequoia is an all you can eat buffet, and wonderful as usual. Get there for 7am - it’s a walk in. Leave it until 830 and the queue to get in is colossal. As before we go for the half board meal plan (but no longer included in the stay- thanks Chapek) for convenience and saving maybe €5 each per day. 3 main meals a day would be too much, so we get breakfast and (our choice) lunch. At lunch there’s so much food we normally only need an ice cream or snack in the evening. Food was good as always in taste and portion size. We ate too much again at Downtown (as good as it was in November), Plaza Gardens was as enjoyable as our last trips as was Remys, and it was great to eat in Walts again and to have a decent menu to choose from again - in 2019 we cancelled Walt’s since the menu had gone all fancy with daft small portions. Now it’s back to being sensible again and in wonderful surroundings. Remember if you’re staying on site you can book restaurants 2 and a bit months usually - sometimes more - in advance. You need to, especially for peak times.

The Studios were as expected. The ropedrop run and wait times for Crush’s Coaster are insane. Thankfully it isn’t something we think is worth the wait. The new Tower of Terror is still great. Rat is Rat. It’s worth mentioning here that attractions do close for technical issues quite often - and this is reflected quickly on the app. It’s also worth saying they usually reopen very quickly too assuming it’s not serious. Kudos to the standby maintenance teams. Rat was down for a period then reopened as we were just stood nearby. Bonus ride with a ten minute wait! Last trip was a Phantom Manor evac. This trip was Hyperspace Mountain - and we’d left everything with a camera on it with a non rider. Lights on walk through the mountain interior and a return Fastpass. I’m glad we missed the Avengers Campus opening by a few weeks. The crowds will be insane in an already small park. The new area looks great mind and is a huge improvement on what was left of the 2002 park, plus it will add some capacity to a park that’s bursting at the seams. They just need to get the lake extension open. Next summer will be a mess capacity wise. And of course the park will still need more attractions (Rise and Avengers at the very least cough cough) - not to mention the legacy park is approaching the need for more capacity too.

Big shout out again to the cast members in general - it’s definitely a European version of a Disney park and that’s part of the charm. Cast were great as they have been on our previous trips. Special thanks to the PM cast on the evening of June 15th too. And also kudos for what seemed constant replenishing of the 30th merchandise.

Overall it was another great trip. The weather helped add to it (and that the shade is cooler than the sun with lack of humidity) but we had a wonderful if tiring time. I’ve probably forgotten so many details, and pardon any covid induced grammatical errors. And I’m open to questions 😁
 
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marni1971

Park History nut
Premium Member
Original Poster
Some Sequoia specific photos

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ajrwdwgirl

Premium Member
Nice report. I really enjoyed staying at Sequoia a few years ago. I stayed in the main building with a balcony which was nice and the balcony was huge. I missed exploring some of the resort though by being in the main building it was nice seeing your pictures. I'm looking to go back to DLP and I want to stay in Sequoia again but the trip will be a gift to my niece so I'm going to let her pick the hotel, but I might show her your pictures to help her with her choice. :)
 

ToTBellHop

Well-Known Member
When you mention showing up at 7 for breakfast, do you need a reservation? I’ve never found breakfast reservations through the app.
 

marni1971

Park History nut
Premium Member
Original Poster
When you mention showing up at 7 for breakfast, do you need a reservation? I’ve never found breakfast reservations through the app.
No. First come first served, hence the lines can get long. Half 7 seems okay, more towards 8 and the lines get longer. You just present one Magic Pass per party to be admitted If on a dining plan, or pay at the door. Also we were there at the start of peak season.
 

marni1971

Park History nut
Premium Member
Original Poster
I should also say we didn’t pay extra for a single ride and did everything we wanted (multiple times in the main) and after the trip I got a very interesting and detailed survey where they wanted to know so much in depth - and it wasn’t biased to positive answers. If they listen is another thing of course.
 

ToTBellHop

Well-Known Member
I am wanting to go back to Paris soon, would have gone around Easter/Whitsun but we have Anaheim booked for August and I didn’t want to spoil that.

Also a great trip report and photos, but can this really be @marni1971 without a picture of him in a sleeveless top?
We can all agree that 90 degrees is too hot for sleeves. European standards, be damned.

I don’t know how I will survive Rome in sleeves but it’s not my job to question Vatican policies.
 

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