July 23, 2013 Paris France Europe

Disneyland's Dream Castle Hotel: Turns Into a Chaotic Nightmare

Phone Number: +33 1 64 17 90 00

Address: 40 Avenue de la Fosse des Pressoirs, 77703 Marne-la-Vallée, France

Website: http://www.vi-hotels.com/en/dream-castle/

Price Range: 200-350 $

RATING:42/100

Welcoming: 3/5

Food Temperature: 5/10

Ambiance / Music: 5.5/10

Menu Choice: 3/5

Food Taste: 12/30

Architecture / Interior: 4/10

Food presentation: 5/10

Service: 5/10

Value for money: Soon

I arrived to Paris. It was the weekend, calm and relaxing and I thought before starting my hectic week, I should escape out of town to enjoy some serene time away from daily rush, phones, Internet, meetings... A vacation long over due. I thought why not head down to Disneyland, especially that they are now celebrating their 20th year anniversary.

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Just a few kilometers away from Disney, in the hotel park separating Val D'Europe from the park, stands the Dream Castle Hotel, which occupies a large area of land in the middle of Marne La Vallee greenery. The 4-star Dream Castle Hotel is a Selected Hotel of Disneyland® Paris which provides numerous services like a free shuttle for the parks, a Disney® shop, tickets for the parks at the reception, Disney express service and much more! I looked up for a four star hotel and I landed on this one.

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Let me tell you that the first impression is not a great one. I entered a large lobby filled with games! "What the hell" is this an amusement center or a hotel lobby? Arcade games cover all the empty space making it hard to walk around. A Disney shop, a sales vitrine and a drinks dispenser express anything but a four stars hotel standard. I do understand that we're in Disney and it's a hotel for kids and their parents, but I was not expecting this much. Reaching the reception, I was welcomed by a trainee, a kid who knows nothing about the hotel industry. Many questions were left unanswered, especially the one about any affiliate millage program. He looked at me and said: "What is millage? Affiliate? We work with reservation companies!" Even his manager had to call someone to ask about that.

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The hotel services:

  • A 24h reception desk
  • Breakfast is served from 7am until 11am on Level 0
  • A buffet for lunch and dinner are served every day for 29euros
  • The Excalibur bar is open from 11am up until midnight
  • Spa, pool and jacuzzi

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The room amenities:

  • Double bed
  • Hypoallergenic blankets and pillows
  • Flat-screen TV
  • Internet access
  • Coffee & tea making facilities
  • Minibar (call to fill in)
  • In-room safe
  • Bathroom with bathtub
  • Body care products from L'Occitane
  • Hairdryer and beauty mirror
  • Individually controlled air conditioning

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I woke up the next morning for breakfast. I went down the stairs to be welcomed by a long queue. Complementary breakfast for all, you hear... Didn't expect it to be like a barn! 

I waited in line and as I approached, the view to the inner chaos started appearing. Wow! Hundreds of guests running over one another, devouring what is left of the buffet. A hurricane of hungry people leaving the place like a pig sty. One single waiter walks around and clean up after them.

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I sat on a square table that was dirty, no cutlery around, sugar mess everywhere, I just didn't want to imagine the rest. I stood up and walked towards the buffet trying to find an empty spot to pick something up to eat. I instantly changed my mind! Dirty plates, dirty serving spoons, empty serving bowls and those that were emptied by the minute. Let's start with an Espresso, I said to myself: I grabbed a white cup to discover yellow spots on: Yes, unwashed eggs.

Let me open a parenthesis here: I understand that it's a Disney hotel, where mainly kids are welcomed, but believe me there is a minimum. A minimum of cleanliness, or respect and organization to handle the kids and their inattentive parents. Parents eat, leaving behind the kids to break what's left standing.

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Let's "TRY" to eat:

  • Six baskets of croissants (3 choices)
  • Six buckets if corn flakes (3choices)
  • Four jars of jam
  • A bread section with different kinds of trench and square bread
  • Yogurt
  • Fruits
  • Two coffee machines
  • Four orange juice machines
  • A cheese and cold cuts section
  • Ready to eat vegetables cut in cubes
  • Eggs, bacon, hotdogs, chips and cooked ham

I honestly couldn't eat other than some croissant, which was chewy, dried out in the cold, which were obviously prepared the day before... I think I'll skip the rest.

More is yet to come: The next day, I decided to have myself a beer at the bar. I sat outside, in the corner after searching for a table for 10 long minutes. A fully booked hotel that can host up to 250 guests, has only 10 tables on the terrace during summertime. Ordering a beer is almost impossible as the waiter passes every 20 minutes. At 11:30pm, waiters started wrapping up everything as they were in a hurry to leave. I had to sit on a plastic bench since the cushions were already removed. Two waiters served me that night: a beer each. I had to pay each individually. LOL! they didn't accept to get paid at once. Waiting for more was on the menu.

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The minuses:

  • Small rooms, decorated in brown dull colours
  • Extremely small bathrooms, looking very old
  • An empty mini bar
  • Stingy bathroom amenities
  • Kids everywhere, a pool I couldn't even approach. Create special sections for them and others for adults
  • An unpleasant lobby filled with kids and games, even though a room is prepared for that matter in the basement
  • Gaining more money is the management ultimate dream

Recommended by Trip Advisor? LOL again! I don't know if I'm expecting a lot from a tourist hotel designed for kids and their parents or that there is a minimal international standard to abide by especially if they claim to be a four star hotel. I don't know other hotels around, but this is not one of those I'm coming back with my family anytime soon.

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