Hey guys!
In the past I have reviewed most of the hotels that I've stayed in at Disneyland Paris, however, the Disney owned hotels don't always suit everyone's budget and more recently as an annual pass holder I have found myself looking at off-site hotel options to try and keep the cost of my trips down. On my most recent trip, I stayed in a partner hotel, an off-site hotel which is not owned by Disney, but does partner with them to offer some of the perks at a reduced price, and decided it might be useful to start sharing my thoughts on these hotels too.
The Vienna House Magic Circus is a 396 room circus-themed family-friendly hotel just a few minutes drive from Disneyland Paris, the hotel has a restaurant, bar, swimming pool and other facilities and as part of its partnership with Disneyland Paris, it also has a small shop which sells parks merchandise as well as the expected amenities and a free shuttle bus to and from the parks each day.
The hotel can be booked as part of a package which includes your park tickets, or you can book the accommodation on its own, this is what we did as we did not need park tickets. We booked through Hotels.com and found the rate to be extremely favourable for our dates when compared to the Disney owned hotels, the booking process was incredibly easy and we were also able to book adjoining rooms online due to the size of our party. We paid in full online at the booking stage, but there was also the option to reserve with a deposit and pay on arrival for the room, the only additional cost was the city tax which is payable on arrival for each guest, this is the same tax you would pay in a Disney hotel but it is included in their initial booking cost.
As we were only on a one night trip we arrived at the hotel fairly late in the evening to check-in, I would imagine it was around 9pm, to keep costs down we had driven over, so I didn't get to experience the hotel shuttle bus but was pleasantly surprised by the amount of free parking on offer and didn't struggle to find a space. The reception area is open plan, bright and spacious, even though we had arrived quite late there was still ample staff available to assist with checking in and the reception area has a small seating area where the rest of your party can wait as well as a water dispenser.
Past the main reception, there is a small shop which as well as selling your toiletries and other essentials, also stocks a range of Disney parks merchandise including Mickey/Minnie Ears, autograph books and pens and a selection of plushes and other toys. Further round the corner there was more seating areas and a number of different arcade machines which would be great for distracting the kids during check-in. The hotel restaurant is also on the ground floor, we didn't actually get to use it on this trip due to the short nature of our stay, but we were offered a breakfast service which we could pay on the morning if we changed our minds for €16 per adult.
Check-in was easy and quick and we were assigned to 2 adjoining rooms on the first floor, we were booked as a party of 5 adults and 1 child, however, we only ended up being 5 adults. The two rooms were identical and there was an adjoining door which needed to be unlocked from both sides before it could be used, the rooms had a double bed and then a set of bunk beds, a modern good sized bathroom, 2 TVs and a kettle and facilities to make hot drinks as well as a generously sized fridge, there was a menu in the room but as we had already eaten I didn't pay too much attention to whether it was for room service or the main restaurant.
I was particularly impressed with how modern everything felt and also the level of decoration and theming in the rooms, I also liked how the room could be separated for kids and adults with a curtain that pulled around the bunk beds, which had their own bedside table and TV! The beds were really comfortable and we all got a great nights sleep, which is super important when you're up early for another busy day in the parks.
The bathroom was a really good size, was incredibly clean and modern, a selection of toiletries and towels were also provided, my only areas for improvement here would be that the hairdryer provided was not particularly powerful, and only having 1 sink in a room designed for 4 people can be a pain. The room had lots of storage including a large wardrobe which is great for longer trips where you want to unpack your clothes and hang things up, or even for just storing your bags or other luggage out of the way as the rooms weren't huge.
As I mentioned briefly above, if you aren't driving, or are staying for more than one night there is a free shuttle bus provided by Disneyland Paris to get to and from the parks, the shuttle is approximately once every 20 mins from around 8 am until around midnight and stops directly outside of the reception and drops off just outside of the train station at the entrance to the parks. The shuttle services a number of the nearby partner hotels so can get busy at peak times, but they have ample room for pushchairs and wheelchairs and are provided completely free of charge, a timetable can be picked up in reception to allow you to plan your timings.
If you want to venture further afield you can use the free shuttle bus to get to the parks and then catch the RER from here to go into central Paris, or you can get the RER or walk from the Disney Village to the nearby Val D'Europe shopping centre which has a selection of places to eat and shops (including a very popular Primark) as well as a pharmacy.
Although my stay at Magic Circus was incredibly short, we may have spent less than 12 hours at the hotel, I was incredibly impressed during my stay and would definitely book to stay again in the future. The hotel was clean and modern, with a fun, family-friendly theme, every member of staff I spoke to was friendly and helpful and many of them spoke multiple languages outside of French and English. The location of the hotel is excellent, it is only a few minutes away from the Disney parks by bus or by car, but has the advantage of a lower price tag by being outside of the main Disney property.
I hope that I will be able to stay again soon and experience more of the hotel facilities, and of course, if I do, I will update this review with my impressions.
Have you stayed at Magic Circus, what did you think? Drop me a comment below with what you liked most.
Hoodsie xx
