| Product: |
Camp Davy Crockett |
| Date: |
30/05/08 (111 review reads) |
| Rating: |
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Advantages: Facilities and the cabins are spacious and well equipped
Disadvantages: Can only be sold on a self drive
I stayed at the Davy Crockett ranch in December 2006 with my husband. We booked the whole package together and we paid £560 for 2 adults including the return ferry, our cabin with breakfast, our Disney passes for 4 days for both parks, the Buffalo Bills and 2 days meal vouchers for planet Hollywood.
The hotel:
I say hotel but this particular Disney themed hotel is actually set out so that all the rooms are individual cabins. These are set in different areas that are all linked by the road running through it and each area has about 40 cabins. I would say there was about 8 or 9 different areas too from what I can remember so overall quite a lot of cabins.
The reception is at the front as you enter the resort from the main road and this has a barrier system in operation so they can check as you arrive if you have a reservation. There is a car park here. The resort is a Disney resort hotel so sometimes you will see characters around and so you have the bonus of the extras such as extra magic hours in the parks and being able to park free at the parks and hotel as you are staying in a Disney hotel.
Check in:
Upon arrival we were a bit early to normally check in but the hotel mustn't have been full so we were able to check in straight away. We did travel on a Wednesday, however we noticed nearly every cabin had people in at the Friday and Saturday so if you want to avoid the crowd go mid week. Reception staff were excellent as they spoke a multitude of languages so every one was happy! The reception was exactly as you'd expect too for the theme of the hotel with a log fire and the whole cabin was made from wood. As it was Christmas season too it was dolled up with tinsel and playing carols etc and even had a log fire so really felt very christmassy!
Anyway, as we showed the lady our reservation she gave us our keys to the cabin, advised us what area it was in along with our Disney passes and our tickets for our Buffalo Bills show which are always given out at your hotel if you are in a Disney hotel rather than being sent with your other documents in the UK. She advised about breakfast times and where to get it and told us that if we needed anything we could ring them from our cabin or come and speak to them and they could also arrange reservations for the restaurants too if needed.
Overall a very nice smooth check in and a pleasant start to our stay.
Location:
The ranch isn't as far from Disney as it seems from the way it is worded in a lot of the UK travel brochures. As you come out of the ranch there is a roundabout which takes you onto the motorway and then you come off within a minute or two at the next exit! This then takes you straight onto the main road into the Disney resort area and so you just follow it for the car park It definitely didn't take us 15 minutes to get to the parks - less than 10 minutes more like! So don't let the sound of it being away form the parks be too much of an issue - obviously you cannot walk as it is across a motorway but if on a self drive holiday then it is a good choice of hotel. Parking is free at the Disney parks for Disney hotel guests - just show your pass as you get to the entrance to the car park.
Facilities:
The hotel has swimming pool which unfortunately was closed for maintenance while we were there but is pretty big with a slide and is all indoors. There is also a shop which sells food and souvenirs although there isn't the widest choice for people who do want to use the self catering facilities in the cabin. They have a restaurant which we didn't eat in but I spotted a lot of people in it on the evening I went up to this area to use the pay phone. Prices seemed pretty reasonable for a hotel restaurant too. They have a small farm and you can do loads of activities like horse riding, adventure trail, etc. They also have a small arcade with a few classic games like time crisis and pacman. We did actually book to do the adventure trail but unfortunately it got cancelled due to weather! Typical - can't escape the weather! It would have cost us 55 euros for the two of us but you can book it in the UK with some operators before you go and the cost is roughly the same. This adventure trail consists of the climbing the assault course and zip wires so is pretty good fun for older children and adults.
Rooms:
As mentioned each room is an individual cabin that is made for 4 passengers plus infants. The cabin we stayed in was a 1 bedroom cabin which was more than adequate for just the two of us. This consisted of a bedroom that had a double bed and a set of bunk beds in along with a open plan kitchen and living room and a separate bathroom. The living room area had a sofa and TV and the kitchen area had a fridge, microwave, a table with 4 chairs and a cooker along with plenty of cupboard space and utensils.
The bathroom had a bathtub with an overhead shower, toilet and a sink. There was a couple of soaps provided but the bathroom was on the tiny side. Not really an issue for us but possibly tiny if a family was in the cabin!
However for bigger families there are 2 bedroom cabins which are the same in terms of facilities but have the added space of the extra bedroom. These can fit 6 people in plus any infants.
Each cabin has the space outside to park a car and they also all have a barbecue with a bench. My husband would have loved to have used this for tea if we'd have been there in the summer so a great bonus of staying here if you ask me! I personally loved these cabins and would love to go back.
Food and drink:
As mentioned before they have a restaurant, which anybody can eat in not just hotel guests but you'd have to make a reservation as it did seem busy. Breakfast was included in our stay and this was continental. Each morning the cabin at the front of each section of the area you were staying in would open up from 6am and guests could go and collect their breakfast. You would have to take your card with you that you received at check in so that they could cross off that mornings and they would give you the croissants along with your choice of tea or coffee and which jam you wanted all in a box. For us it was really convenient as our cabin was the first in the area so we were always first in line! It was nice actually being able to eat in your room without having to eat in a breakfast room with a load of strangers in the morning so I thought this was a nice touch.
Other things:
This hotel can only be booked as a self drive package due to it's location. Or alternatively, you could book just the accommodation and then arrange car hire from the airport. However if you are thinking of staying on a self drive basis this hotel is pretty cheap compared to some of the other Disney hotels.
If you are driving it takes approximately 3 hours from Calais to Disney and there are tolls on the way so bear this in mind and have some change to pay for them!
Overall opinion:
We both loved this resort for a variety of reasons. The cabins were really nice for a start especially as it felt like you had a lot more privacy than being in a conventional hotel and the fact that it was actually set away from the other hotels meant that as 2 adults travelling to Disneyland it felt a bit more relaxed away from lots and lots of children! At the same time however we still got the bonus of staying in a Disney hotel such as the free parking at the parks and the extra magic hours so it was the best of both worlds. This place would be amazing in the summer especially with those barbeque's although even staying here in the winter was great with the log cabins and the decorations everywhere. The amount of facilities this hotel has compared to a couple of the lower end Disney ones that are nearer to the parks is also an added bonus. For example for the price we paid you would expect to pay roughly the same for the Santa Fe or the Cheyenne and yet these do not have swimming pools or the extra stuff to do for children so this is worth considering when looking at Disney hotels.
I would go back to this hotel in an instance and thinks it is the perfect hotel for adults on their own or families who want a lot to do apart from just the parks.
Summary: A good choice for everyone.
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