It was gone 7pm by the time we arrived at our Disney hotel. Our initial thoughts when we pulled up were definitely on the wow factor scale. Sequoia Lodge is based on USA national parks as the theme and this was right up our street. It reminded us of Centre Parks and log cabins with all the beautiful decor surrounded by woodland. We knew the moment we checked-in we’d chosen the perfect hotel for us. The Disney film this hotel is inspired by is Bambi so there is little nods to the movie all around the place.

We were greeted by a friendly cast member who said we can keep the room key as a souvenir after we check out. It worked as both our key, dining plan vouchers and our Disney tickets! Pretty nifty use of technology i’d say.

After being given a resort map we headed to Sierra Lodge where we were staying. The setting was beautiful. We could tell instantly that we’d chosen the right resort and that our time here was going to be quite something.

When we reached our lodge room we were so excited and impressed by the facilities! First time I’ve ever been in a hotel that provides you with a fancy coffee machine and complimentary pods! We don’t even drink coffee yet found ourselves making the most of these from the moment we arrived! Haha. Can you tell we may have got a little used to our budget caravan stays?

Hilda felt right at home instantly and made herself comfortable playing with her toys in bed. We used this to our advantage and started to unpack whilst she was settled. This included the major collection of outfits for all of us. I even brought my own hangers for her princess dresses! The sheer organisation put in to this trip is ridiculous but I don’t regret a second of it.

After filling our room from floor to ceiling we grabbed the pram, packed in our kid and started our stroll to Disney Village. Perks of staying at Sequoia Lodge meant that we were staying on Disney property. This meant we could easily walk to the parks any time we wanted and walk to the nearby Disney Village full of late night shopping options and plenty of food places. I loved the ease of this and i’d struggle to ever stay off-site in future now!

It was a beautiful evening with clear skies and temperatures warm enough to not require a jacket. We took a stroll through the trees by our hotel walkway and headed towards lake Disney. Here we were met with the sight of the iconic Disney Village Balloon.

We stopped to admire the scenery for a while. Our daughter Hilda normally goes to bed at 7pm and by now it was pushing 9pm. We had no idea what sort of schedule she’d fall in to on holiday but we were happy to go with the flow and let her enjoy herself.

When I worked in Walt Disney World, Florida, the best food place by miles was a place called Earl of Sandwich. I lived on their amazing chicken ranch salads! Knowing from previous visits that there was one of these in Disney Village we headed here for a late dinner. One buffalo chicken wrap and a tasty brownie later we left with full bellies and wandered over to the giant World of Disney.

I enjoyed the quiet shops after dark whilst everybody else was getting ready for the fireworks – best time to visit! We did see a few of the fireworks in the distance peeking over the roof tops too. Our daughter pointed at them excitedly shouting fire! After this, every time she saw something that looked remotely similar to a firework or light she would excitedly say fire and more hoping that she might catch another display any moment.

Just about making it past midnight we were all so shattered we headed back to the room setting our alarm for a bright and early start the next day. We’d need a good nights sleep if we wanted to cram everything in over the next few days. It was about to be the busiest trip we’d ever know!

~ Visited Sequoia Lodge in June 2025 ~