[Chat] What is your favorite Disneyland Resort hotel?

[DrFink]

Granted this question applies to those to utilize the DLR hotels, but which of the Disney hotels is your favorite? Disneyland Hotel, Grand Californian, or Paradise Pier?



I have only ever stayed in the Disneyland Hotel and Paradise Pier but out of those two I would have to say I did like Paradise Pier a lot. The decor was nice, the pool on the roof was also neat, and I liked the PCH Grill a lot. I also thought the rooms were nicer than the ones at Disneyland and having everything in one building was nice. When I was at the Disneyland Hotel I was in the back tower and the only thing that I remember really having was a gift shop downstairs. In order to get food or any other services you had to walk from tower to tower. However, that was in 2008 and it has been remodeled since then so my opinion might be a bit skewed. Hopefully I will be able to stay at the Grand Californian someday. I just can't justify spending that much money for a hotel room that I am rarely in.

My only real complaint about Paradise Pier, and I mentioned it when we checked out, is the elevator situation. Let this be a disclaimer to anyone staying at this hotel... there are only 3 elevators that serve 13 floors. Whenever we would leave the room to go to the park we'd have to wait a good 10min in order to get an elevator that wasn't jammed full of people. The reason? If you get on the elevator at a lower floor you have to go all the way to the top before going to the main lobby. If you get a room on the 6th floor you had to take a trip all the way up to the 13th and then all the way back down stopping at every single floor. It was exhausting and extremely claustrophobic. I also didn't notice any stairs or else I would have gladly walked down them despite being up on the 12th floor.

[G24T]

Re: What is your favorite Disneyland Resort hotel?

I would have said "I Love Them All" but I don't love Paradise Pier.

[swampymarsh]

Re: What is your favorite Disneyland Resort hotel?

I would have said "I Love Them All" but I don't love Paradise Pier.

I could say the same. I don't hate PPH but don't usually consider it as an option.


I like the GCH because it's close, but that's about it. With 3 in the room and that with two kids it's fine.

I like the DLH because it's Disney all over the place. It's not just highly themed like disney hotels, it's disney themed.

[napamaninsocal]

Re: What is your favorite Disneyland Resort hotel?

I picked the Disneyland Hotel. I love the new rooms and the pool. The PPH is great if you have a dca view. WOC is awesome from the room but the pool is boring and that whole area I think needs a rework. GCH is probably my least favorite. It was very nice having the short walk but I didnt feel very Disney there and the pools are nice but nothing special and again a little boring.

[calsig31]

Re: What is your favorite Disneyland Resort hotel?

I've never stayed at the Paradise Pier. Betweent the Grand Californian and the Disneyland Hotel, it is very close. I miss the balconies that the Disneyland hotel used to have. That would have put it over the top. However, the open lobby/atrium in the Grand Californian is very nice also. I guess it is really too close to call.

[DrFink]

Re: What is your favorite Disneyland Resort hotel?

I walked through the GCH when I had the early entry into California Adventure and I must say that is an amazing hotel. At least from what I saw. If I ever get married maybe I'll stay there, lol.

[Acpisme]

Re: What is your favorite Disneyland Resort hotel?

I love the Grand Californian, it is nicely themed without being in your face and it is so close to the parks. I love the ability to leave DCA right to the hotel and the walk from Disneyland is negligible. Having said that, I still stay off property most visits because the cost for the Grand or the Disneyland Hotel are prohibitive to multi-day stays we tend to take over the course of a year. We like taking the money we save from not staying on property and spend it in the parks.

[fifthrider]

Re: What is your favorite Disneyland Resort hotel?

The Grand Californian is probably better in many ways but I'll vote Disneyland Hotel out of nostalgia. Give it a few more years for the loss of the dancing waters and colorful caverns ( and everything else ) to set in and I'll probably snap to my senses.

[Zeth]

Re: What is your favorite Disneyland Resort hotel?

Nothing beats the Grand Californian. It has such a homey feeling to it, and the the quick entrance to DCA, overall the hotel is just awesome

[lalolovesme]

Re: What is your favorite Disneyland Resort hotel?

We haven't tried DLH yet, but we will in June. We booked there for the Halloween party last year, but got bumped to PPH at the last minute.

We liked it so much we stayed at PPH again on our next trip. I have to say, the walk from PPH to DL is not any longer than the walk from some GCH rooms to DLR. I doubt I'll ever stay at GCH again because the closeness is really an illusion for a lot of the rooms.

That said, I'm a single mom traveling with three kids, boy17, girl16, and girl7. It really makes more sense for us to get connecting rooms or a suite off-property. That way we can all get a little more privacy and space, and save about $100+ per night.

[chadb14]

Re: What is your favorite Disneyland Resort hotel?

My family has only stayed in GCH and DLH, and none of those stays have been recent. We have never tried the PPH.

That said I would have to say that neither of the hotels made enough of an impact on me to choose one over the other. If you forced me to pick one, I guess I would pick GCH, but not with much favor of one for the other.

I always stay offsite in order to save a few bucks for use on something else, I.E. food, gifts, etc.

[DrFink]

Re: What is your favorite Disneyland Resort hotel?

Walking to the parks from Paradise Pier isn't much longer, if longer at all, than the walk from the Disneyland Hotel. It's a matter of crossing an extra crosswalk and that's about it. You still have to walk an equal distance through Downtown Disney to either the Monorail or the park entrances.

[BlAcKoUt510]

Re: What is your favorite Disneyland Resort hotel?

Walking to the parks from Paradise Pier isn't much longer, if longer at all, than the walk from the Disneyland Hotel. It's a matter of crossing an extra crosswalk and that's about it. You still have to walk an equal distance through Downtown Disney to either the Monorail or the park entrances.

Exactly. You can also cut through GCH to get through the parks, which we did a lot.


I've had the best times at Paradise Pier. The park view is just awesome, the rooms & theme just make me happy to be at Disneyland during the summer.

Winter trips are always GCH. It's just beautiful!

Disneyland Hotel is good but it's the hotel where it's just more like "Why not?"

[Slappypunk]

Re: What is your favorite Disneyland Resort hotel?

The Grand Californian. It's so beautiful and it's got it's own entrance to DCA.

[lctom1]

Re: What is your favorite Disneyland Resort hotel?

We have stayed in all three.

The Grand Californian is wonderfully situated and a lot of detail has gone into the decor and feel of the hotel. Our room at the Paradise Pier was fantastic ... one of the top floors overlooking DCA. But ...

Our favorite has always been the Disneyland Hotel. Notalgia might play a part of it, but within its boundaries we truly feel that we are at Disneyland. It has more Disney magic built into it and we feel that we are really a part of the adventure, or fantasy, that is Disneyland.

[DrFink]

Re: What is your favorite Disneyland Resort hotel?

Exactly. You can also cut through GCH to get through the parks, which we did a lot.


I've had the best times at Paradise Pier. The park view is just awesome, the rooms & theme just make me happy to be at Disneyland during the summer.

Winter trips are always GCH. It's just beautiful!

Disneyland Hotel is good but it's the hotel where it's just more like "Why not?"

I'm still kinda pissed I got screwed out of my park view room at Paradise Pier. I reserved a park view room and was placed in one on the 11th floor but the window was covered with clouded plastic due to the building being painted. I requested another room and was placed in a room one floor up with a lovely view of the parking lot. I could see part of DCA from the hallway but I wasn't going to hang around the hall all night. After changing rooms and going through the elevator situation twice I decided to just stay put but I wasn't too happy.

[DisneyChrisDotCom]

Re: What is your favorite Disneyland Resort hotel?

The only hotel I ever stayed in was the Disneyland Hotel - this was back in about 1980 or 81 though - it has changed a lot since then. Back then there was very little in the rooms to remind you that it was a Disney hotel. It was just like a Hilton or a Sheraton, nice, but noting special, and nothing at all Disney. I was very disjointed. I was expecting Mickey Mouse sheets and a Mickey shaped toilet bowl. (I was only seven years old) Now - there is much more in the hotel to remind you that it is Disney. I guess they were tired of all the disappointed kids.... (and probably adults too)

[AhpalovestheDuck]

Re: What is your favorite Disneyland Resort hotel?

From my grand kids perspective the Disneyland Hotel wins hands down because of the Disney Decor. While I found the rooms smaller, the Grand Californian is the place to stay. It is more elegant, I can sip a cool one in the grand lobby, and being an "old guy" the walk to the park is much shorter. When our average mileage is 8.8 miles a day, the shorter distance to the parks is critical and the dinning is a plus.

[frankiefalzon]

Re: What is your favorite Disneyland Resort hotel?

Obviosuly the Grand is the most stunning, though I chose the Disneyland Hotel. Whenever I'm at the resort I always stay at the Disneyland Hotel. Also with the recent remodel the Disneyland Hotel looks great.... Now I didn't mind staying at the PPH one time, though I really hope that it's completely demolished in the near future. It is such an eyesore from DCA and its just not really Disney feeling, the overall quality of the Hotel just feels tacky as well.

[mickdaddy]

Re: What is your favorite Disneyland Resort hotel?

Being a DVC member and the Grand Californian is our home resort I absolutly love that resort!