Just back from 4 nights / 5 days at Sequoia Lodge. A lovely trip with unseasonably dry and sunny weather!
Sequoia is still our go-to resort but it’s a bit tired around the edges now. We had a lodge, and rooms could do with an update (as planned) soon, but the exterior refurb from the last few years with wood replaced by uPVC looks fantastic. In room tea and coffee was welcome, the coffee was fantastic (!) and worthy of note is the double outlet / USB A/C / wireless charger block they’ve added to rooms in the interim. Still a lovely resort, walking around at sunrise, late afternoon and after dark is still beautiful.
Prices are up everywhere, DLP is no exception, but we still see value here. Especially booking early. As Michelle says you can at least see where your money is going. Between the hotel and the parks were 6 areas walled off for expansion. Disneyland Parc had 9 areas under refurb (some much bigger than others). The Studios is easier to see what’s NOT walled off, although the majority are for the ongoing repaving and beautification projects. The current layout is a big problem with only one cross-park route for everyone to use. Hopefully the area between Tower and Toy Story will open later this month with the refurbished Studio One area. They’re certainly working hard at it all day long. It won’t be fun in the summer if not.
Additional attraction capacity won’t be enough for the Studios with Frozenland. Lion Kong - and more - can’t some soon enough. But it will be nice to have to choose which night show to watch. Disneyland is currently down 3-4000 guests an hour with its refurbs and it shows too. Very crowded by late morning. Speaking of night shows, Tales of Magic is a grower. Memorable theme song, great effects - dozens of new searchlights in the hub and Main Street as well as the usual rooftops, full Main Street projection mapping, more lasers, smoke and snow on Main street, smoke machines in the hub… the list goes on. I can’t help but feel a little more pyro here and there and a real villains section would have made it a real winner. It does have a good story (for a night show), has good structure and pacing, and despite my thoughts it’s still very very very good.
Upkeep is still great, though it’s clear custodial has been cut back. Messy bathrooms were common, as were hand dryers not working. I did see cleaners, just not enough. A few of my go-to show quality tests passed; smoke machines for the Peter Pans Flight chimneys and the Phantom Manor skeleton cemetery were always working. As I mentioned the new Space Mountain LED lighting system is starting to look great. I noticed some moving head (Vari*Lite type) units and their weather domes ready to go on the roof; a great effect that will look superb again if done right. Speaking of HSM, theme aside, it was nice to see all the star projectors working inside. They just need a good clean. Whilst on quality, we noticed numerous uneven and loose paving stones on the new plaza adjacent to the main security checks. Oops. I’m sure discussions are being had with the contractor - as it seems they had with the rooftop lighting supplier for the refurbished Disneyland Hotel. When it reopened a year ago the LED popcorn lights looked awful with so many broken within months. Now, I’d say 95%+ are working - even a section that didn’t work since it closed in 2020. The central spire still needs work, but access will be the main issue. A welcome sight.
Oh, and overall the cast were better than ever - and that’s saying something. All in all, another great visit.
Sequoia is still our go-to resort but it’s a bit tired around the edges now. We had a lodge, and rooms could do with an update (as planned) soon, but the exterior refurb from the last few years with wood replaced by uPVC looks fantastic. In room tea and coffee was welcome, the coffee was fantastic (!) and worthy of note is the double outlet / USB A/C / wireless charger block they’ve added to rooms in the interim. Still a lovely resort, walking around at sunrise, late afternoon and after dark is still beautiful.
Prices are up everywhere, DLP is no exception, but we still see value here. Especially booking early. As Michelle says you can at least see where your money is going. Between the hotel and the parks were 6 areas walled off for expansion. Disneyland Parc had 9 areas under refurb (some much bigger than others). The Studios is easier to see what’s NOT walled off, although the majority are for the ongoing repaving and beautification projects. The current layout is a big problem with only one cross-park route for everyone to use. Hopefully the area between Tower and Toy Story will open later this month with the refurbished Studio One area. They’re certainly working hard at it all day long. It won’t be fun in the summer if not.
Additional attraction capacity won’t be enough for the Studios with Frozenland. Lion Kong - and more - can’t some soon enough. But it will be nice to have to choose which night show to watch. Disneyland is currently down 3-4000 guests an hour with its refurbs and it shows too. Very crowded by late morning. Speaking of night shows, Tales of Magic is a grower. Memorable theme song, great effects - dozens of new searchlights in the hub and Main Street as well as the usual rooftops, full Main Street projection mapping, more lasers, smoke and snow on Main street, smoke machines in the hub… the list goes on. I can’t help but feel a little more pyro here and there and a real villains section would have made it a real winner. It does have a good story (for a night show), has good structure and pacing, and despite my thoughts it’s still very very very good.
Upkeep is still great, though it’s clear custodial has been cut back. Messy bathrooms were common, as were hand dryers not working. I did see cleaners, just not enough. A few of my go-to show quality tests passed; smoke machines for the Peter Pans Flight chimneys and the Phantom Manor skeleton cemetery were always working. As I mentioned the new Space Mountain LED lighting system is starting to look great. I noticed some moving head (Vari*Lite type) units and their weather domes ready to go on the roof; a great effect that will look superb again if done right. Speaking of HSM, theme aside, it was nice to see all the star projectors working inside. They just need a good clean. Whilst on quality, we noticed numerous uneven and loose paving stones on the new plaza adjacent to the main security checks. Oops. I’m sure discussions are being had with the contractor - as it seems they had with the rooftop lighting supplier for the refurbished Disneyland Hotel. When it reopened a year ago the LED popcorn lights looked awful with so many broken within months. Now, I’d say 95%+ are working - even a section that didn’t work since it closed in 2020. The central spire still needs work, but access will be the main issue. A welcome sight.
Oh, and overall the cast were better than ever - and that’s saying something. All in all, another great visit.
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