Which hotel for someone who struggles to walk far!

[Pooh Bear]

Hi,

Hoping for some advice about the best on site hotel to stay, logistically, for someone with health issues which are made much worse by both walking and standing for long periods of time, particularly if it’s hot. It’s been around 4 years since our last trip and, whilst those 5 days were super fun, they broke me and my issues have got worse since then!

We’re looking at booking for either 4 or 5 nights in June, for DDs 21st birthday on the 12th. We’ve changed our original plan of being out there for her birthday on the Sunday, due to the parks being busier for the pride weekend bash, so now arrive the evening of Mon 13th instead, in the hope the crowds will have thinned out a bit. The three of us will be sharing one room (masochists) and will be competing over who can snore the loudest and spread their belongings out the most.

DD is really keen to try Newport Bay, which looks really lovely, as we stayed in Sequoia Lodge last time. On looking at prices, however, we’re now thinking the Cheyenne might be an option, which would let us stay an extra, 5th, night plus up our spending money. If we’re not going to be in the hotel room much we’d rather make our money go further on food and fun than a hotel room, plus the Wild West theming sounds great fun and right up our street! Think the Cheyenne food would be more our speed too, none of us are fishy folk, but I can’t find a menu to see.

I’m wondering how good the bus system is for getting between the hotel and parks, as I’m thinking that there’d probably be less walking between the parks and the bus stop than through the village to the NB. But if busses are few and far between, with lots of standing waiting, then maybe that cancels that out. We’ll probably end up in the village for dinner some nights so heading in the right direction for NB anyway.

The difference in price between Newport Bay and Cheyenne is nearly £1k over 5 nights, that’s an awful lot of food/spending money! But at the end of the day I need to balance what’s going to work best for my owies overall. I just remember that walk back from the park to SL at night being excruciating and by the end of our trip every step felt like torture after all those relentless park days!

Any advice about the Cheyenne and buses would be most appreciated, as would guidance from anyone with similar physical restrictions.

Any advice on nice places within the park to just chill for a while would also be gratefully received, as if I can get off my trotters and rest up for a while when the trouble twins are off doing rides I’m not fussed about then that’ll give me a bit more charge in ye olde batteries for other things!

Thank you in advance, lovely DIBBers, for any words of wisdom!

[Bondy007]

Evening, i'm sorry about your "owies", I can only imagine how painful it must be.

I'm guessing you're trying to work to a budget. If you could stretch to it, then the Hotel New York is your best choice for walking to the park and back, other than the obvious Disneyland Hotel... We'd booked to stay there last year (amazing deal for 4 nights) but thanks to COVID had to cancel...
Love Sequioa Lodge, and not too far in terms of walking - depending on physical restrictions and capabilities obviously.
Newbort Bay is a lovely hotel too, we marginally prefer SL to NB - not sure why to be honest, but it is slighly closer to the parks.
Hunters Grill in SL is a very nice buffet option for dinner on an evening, and the bar (always busy) is very comfy...

In terms of buses, I genuinely hate the DLP buses. Hardly ever used them, but when we have they always seemed to be rammed... and very uncomfortably so. I can't comment on buses from Cheyenne in terms of frequency etc...

Somewhere to chill and take the weight off your feet, maybe grab some sweet treats from the Cable Car Bake Shop on Main Street and a coffee and grab a seat somewhere in front of the Castle area / Plaza Gardens area.
In Fanatasyland theres a snack/drinks place between Mad Hatters Tea Cups and Alice's labrynth thats nice to grab a drink and a seat, people watch... etc...

Struggling to think of anything else that would help... I know there are a couple of real DLP experts on here who have some fabulous advice. Hopefully they will see your thread and provide some more useful feedback.

[Pooh Bear]

Thank you so much for your help. It’s not so much about trying to work to a budget, we’re in the fortunate position that we could pay for Newport Bay, it’s more a case of value for money, I don’t see the point in paying hundreds extra for a hotel room we’re simply not going to be in when we could use that as spending money for more merch! We enjoyed SL last time we went and we’re thinking it’s possibly a compromise. From what little info I’ve managed to find about the bus service to Cheyenne/Santa Fe, combined with your experience, it’s is not sounding like it’s a fun way to spend time on a holiday, perhaps we were just spoilt with our WDW bus experiences! The walk there along the river looks lovely, though, I just wish I could predict I’ll be up to doing it, as it’d be a lovely way to walk off a nice meal in the sunshine at the end of a park day.

A sweet treat and a coffee break is exactly what I need, you hit the nail right on the head. I just remember it being quite difficult to find a quiet spot so I’ll definitely take your recommendations on board. Oh to be able to flake out and chill on the grass! I’m not so fussed about a lot of the rides these days, but people watching and soaking up the atmosphere is a lovely way to pass some time and I fully intend to do that whilst OH and DD go off and get their thrill seeking done!

[wdw-wanderer]

Forgive me if this isn’t appropriate but if walking distances is an issue perhaps you could take a lightweight folding wheelchair with you? (And hope you have some pushers in your party). DLP doesn’t seem to have electric scooters to hire, like Florida, and I assume if they have wheelchairs they would be for park use only, and it can be a long walk back to the hotels at the end of a tiring day.

[Fraggle35]

We use ubers regularly to get both to and from the parks. We usually stay off site but even then it's only €7approx each way, the transfer buses can be horrendous esp at park close. With the difference of £1000 you would be able to pop back to whichever resort you decide to book.

[BevS97]

The bus takes you to the train station so still a bit of a walk from there.

I’d walking was an issue I’d seriously consider the Disneyland hotel. Obviously it’s very expensive, but I think in this case you are getting more than a room you only sleep in. You are getting the flexibility to take a break anytime. To stay out that bit later and push on when you are tired because you don’t have any long slog looming at the end of the day.


On a more practical note financially. We stayed at Cheyenne and mostly found the walk pleasant but one very late evening when my feet hurt it felt like miles and I really struggled to get back.


Many years ago we stayed T the Circus hotel. You have to get a bus here. But it was relatively easy and I think more pleasant than the Disney buses. Certainly if you will be getting a busy anyway, those hotels a bit further out are worth considering.

[lizzie145]

Isn't the disneyland hotel closed as undergoing a major refurb?

I would consider off site as you can get a train to val d'europe for a few € and stay by the station which can be quicker than some hotels on site!

I haven't stayed onsire for years but I did walk to the marvel hotel which means going through the village so is a fair old walk.

[Bondy007]

Originally Posted by Pooh Bear

Thank you so much for your help. It’s not so much about trying to work to a budget, we’re in the fortunate position that we could pay for Newport Bay, it’s more a case of value for money, I don’t see the point in paying hundreds extra for a hotel room we’re simply not going to be in when we could use that as spending money for more merch! We enjoyed SL last time we went and we’re thinking it’s possibly a compromise. From what little info I’ve managed to find about the bus service to Cheyenne/Santa Fe, combined with your experience, it’s is not sounding like it’s a fun way to spend time on a holiday, perhaps we were just spoilt with our WDW bus experiences! The walk there along the river looks lovely, though, I just wish I could predict I’ll be up to doing it, as it’d be a lovely way to walk off a nice meal in the sunshine at the end of a park day.

A sweet treat and a coffee break is exactly what I need, you hit the nail right on the head. I just remember it being quite difficult to find a quiet spot so I’ll definitely take your recommendations on board. Oh to be able to flake out and chill on the grass! I’m not so fussed about a lot of the rides these days, but people watching and soaking up the atmosphere is a lovely way to pass some time and I fully intend to do that whilst OH and DD go off and get their thrill seeking done!

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You're welcome. There's a whole heap of difference between WDW buses and DLP buses unfortunately (just my opinion). Frequency and occupancy are worlds apart...

Myself and my DW are very much people watchers these days and love nothing more than watching the world go by with a nice coffee and a cinammon bun...
Although, I have to admit I am still wanting to get on all the rides even if the DW doesn't.. Thats the point at which she finds somewhere comfy to sit in the sunshine while i'm thrill seeking...

We've not come across many quiet/calm spots in DLP but the one I mentioned near Alice and Mad Hatter has tended to be fairly calm... well it was last time during February half term!

If you can manage the walk then Newport Bay is a nice option, think it's been updated since the last time we stayed! In 2020 we noticed that over that side of the lake seemed to have a shorter security/bag check line to get into the village early morning.

Whatever you chose i'm sure you will have a great time. Above all though, take it easy, if you're doing 4 or 5 nights you've got plenty of downtime available in that duration. Use it to your advantage.
If you choose Cheyenne (more merch £££ ), you could go to the park or studio for the morning, get the bus back for an afternoon chill (might be less busy on the buses) then head back out later.

[nothingless]

If walking distance is your main priority, go for Art of Marvel Hotel. It is a LOT closer than Newport Bay or Cheyenne.

We stayed in NPB a few years ago and I was actually fairly disappointed in it - the beds were SO uncomfortable, the rooms way too hot and no way to turn down the heat, and the walk to the parks was actually *further* than from Sequoia Lodge! Cheyenne would only be a few minutes longer than NPB, there honestly isn't much between them in my experience. I wouldn't pay the extra for NPB again - it'd be SL, or Cheyenne/Santa Fe if we were on a budget. And Art of Marvel if we wanted to splurge.

[Tillyfloss]

If you are going to be worried about walking it’s likely that could spoil your day.

Agree with pp that walk from NPB is further than SQ and when we were there in December the alternate route and security wasn’t open.

If it were me I would go for Cheyenne, have the longer stay, see what the bus was like, walk when you’re able and use the savings for Uber when needed.