We are currently booked at the Disneyland Hotel over Easter. We've stayed there twice in the past and love it.
Paradise pier hotel is offering big discounts during our time..is it worth a switch? What can you tell me about this hotel??
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We are currently booked at the Disneyland Hotel over Easter. We've stayed there twice in the past and love it.
Paradise pier hotel is offering big discounts during our time..is it worth a switch? What can you tell me about this hotel??
We stayed at paradise about 5 years ago. It's nice, plain, but nice. I would equate it to just a regular hotel. It is also the farthest away from the parks, and you have to walk through a parking lot to get to the parks. Takes a bit of the magic away for me. There is amazing views of california adventure park on the one side. And the japanese restaurant is amazing.
Again for us it was some time ago and it was, as you said much cheaper.
On the other hand disneyland hotel just completed a major top to bottom refurb and is supposedly spectacular. I don't think you would go wrong with paradise, but if it was me i'd stay at Disneyland hotel.
I have not stayed there, but have see the rooms. As the PP said.. it is plain, but nice. The pool is just that... a rectangluar pool. The slide looks fun, but does not empty into the pool but into a landing area instead.
Unfortunately, the Japanese restaurant is no longer there.
If it was me, I would stay at the Disneyland Hotel. I remember your troubled visit when you went to stay at the CR resort instead of the Poly. You already know and love the DL hotel. Good luck with your decision. Maybe we will see you around DL.
First of all, I am SO jealous!
Okay, with that off my chest, how much of a difference are we talking here?
I've stayed there twice, and my biggest issue with it is that regardless of the obvious Disney decorations in the lobby, the hotel just doesn't "feel" Disney to us. DH is the one who feels strongest about this. He once called it "a beachy themed Holiday Inn that happens to have Disney's name on it." It just lacks this overall vibe that the well done Disney hotels put out. This hotel used to be owned by a Japanese company, and the Disney company basically just bought it and slapped some Disney characters on it here and there. It very much feels like "any old hotel in any old place." The pool area is a joke.
We were able to stay there on HUGE AP discounts. The first time, the room was $99/night so it was a no brainer. The second time, we got Club Level in a Pool Cabana room for something like $159/night. So, again, no brainer. However, our stays there were adequate at best, and I really didn't enjoy the walks to/from the parks and Downtown. You have to walk across parking lots, along a busy street. It's just weird. You definitely feel the "real world" aspect of being in Anaheim a lot more.
That said, if you would be saving a SIGNIFICANT amount of money, if you can score an upper level theme park view, it's spectacular. If your kids can do without using the pool (which might be acceptable if the weather is too cool in April), then you'll be fine. There really isn't anywhere to grab quick food there, though. You'd have to make the walk elsewhere if you want more than coffee and a muffin (or a full service character meal) at breakfast. There is literally nowhere to grab a CS lunch or dinner, though. There is a huge room full of vending machines (Japanese style), though! So, if you're hungry and want your food to come out of a machine, you're in luck 24/7. :D
For you, personally, I wouldn't recommend it. It's a definite step down from the DLH. You will probably regret it the whole time. I would honestly recommend an offsite place to people looking to save money rather than recommend the PPH, to be honest. There are better places offsite for less and closer to the parks, for what it's worth.
If I had the choice, and money wasn't an issue, I'd stay at the Disneyland Hotel. Like someone mentioned, with the recent refurb, the rooms look spectacular and the new restaurants look fun! I'm not really sold on what they did to the pool though, but maybe my opinion will change when I see it in person.
I've always liked PPH, and would recommend it to anyone. Yes, it is furthest away from the parks, but taking it all into account, it's really not far at all. And I've never walked through a parking lot to get to the parks. :confused: There is a nice crosswalk to cross Disneyland Drive, then you walk up a sidewalk into the Grand Californian where you can then enter either California Adventure via the backside of the hotel or go into Downtown Disney area to walk up to Disneyland Park.Quote:
Originally Posted by sixshot19
If you want to go to the Disneyland Hotel, like for food or something, you have to walk across the parking lot between the two resorts (that's the fastest way). The Grand CA self parking is what this lot is used for.Quote:
Originally Posted by Melanie
When you want to walk through the Grand Californian, you do use a sidewalk, but it is the main entrance, and it runs along the port cochere and the valet parking lot, so you are basically walking through a parking lot. There is almost a constant flow of cars coming and going.
My point in saying this is that you don't experience that when staying at the DLH or the Grand. You can leave your room and walk through Downtown Disney or into the parks without ever seeing a street, cars, or a parking lot. You get more of the immersive feeling from those two hotels whereas that goes away entirely when you stay at the PPH.
Done that walk many times (FROM DLH to PPH mind you ;) ) and I get what you're saying. That kind of thing just doesn't bother me though, being that it's parking lots galore at WDW. And I still don't consider the walk to GCH from PPH through a parking lot. :confused: We'll have to agree to disagree on that one. ;)Quote:
Originally Posted by BrerGnat
Thing is, I don't mind PPH as so many of you do here. It's a place to sleep while still having the Disney presence and being close to everything the resort has to offer. We all have different priorities and likes/dislikes. I'm not crazy about Grand Californian. I can stay elsewhere and still enjoy my favorite parts of that hotel (lobby, Storytellers, Hearthstone, White Water Snacks) without having to stay in one of those cramped standard rooms and paying an arm and a leg.
The new rooms are really nice - but I am not blown away with the rehabs done outside and surrounding. However, it depends on how much time you utilize the resort and your finances.
I will also add -- I just got back from a week at the Grand Californian Villas and walked at least 6-8 times to either the Disneyland Hotel or Paradise Pier and used the sidewalks delegated. Never walked through a parking lot. :crazy:
They are all very close to each other. LOVE the Grand Californian but would not consider any of the walking to be far - especially if you use the walking done at Walt Disney World as a gauge. I'll take walking around the grounds at Disneyland Resort over spending hours busing to and from places -- to me that is 'not' magical. ;)
:twocents:
We'd save about 2,000 dollars staying Paradise Pier. We'd stay Club level at either place (DLH or PP)..so...
As someone pointed out..we had a really bad experience switching up from the Poly one time and regretted it..and all of you seem in tune with us and how we like to stay..you all seem to be swaying me towards keeping our DLH reservation..
$2,000????? :eek:
Sorry, Lisa, but that is some serious savings. You can do so much more with $2,000. You could have dinner at Napa Rose every night of your stay with that kind of money!
Under those circumstances, I'd choose Paradise Pier and just stick it out. We did CL at Paradise Pier. It was fine. Just didn't like the limited lounge hours, but maybe that has changed?
I wonder why such deep discounts for PP but not any of the other resorts? How long are you staying? Do you have APs?
$2000, wow that would pay for our flight and a good chunk of our food for the week.
PPH like I said is not bad by any stretch it is a great hotel and views of california adventure are great. It is just not going to wow you. Disclaimer to that is it is the only place i've stayed at DL.
To clarify the parking lot walk that I was referring to. We liked to walk through DTD in the morning for breakfast or just coffee. The only way to get to the top of DTD is to walk through the lot, if there is another way through though I personally didn't know it.
Part of our vacation is always to get as far away from our car and cars in general. For us it was a bit of a let down in that respect. And disclaimer again I work in a car, my car is my office, lunch room, water cooler etc. so part of a holiday for me is distance from cars, not the movie though kachow.
At least I am not going crazy. You DO have to walk through parking lots, or at least ALONG SIDE them on a sidewalk. Still, though, you are walking by parking lots and dealing with traffic.Quote:
Originally Posted by sixshot19
Maybe that's not a huge deal to most people. It's not that big a deal to ME, especially when I lived there and did it all the time. However, when I am on vacation, I don't want to feel like I'm there for the day.
All one has to do is look at Google Maps Satellite View of the DLR hotels. You can see the parking lots you have to walk through/along side quite clearly. The PPH is like an island in a sea of parking lots...
Knowing Lisa and how much her family likes the immersion/themeing of the Disney hotel properties, I really thought this had to be mentioned if they were looking to have the "immersive" Disney experience they had the last two time sat the DLR when they stayed at the DLH. It's worth noting, because it does change the experience.
In the GRAND scheme of things, Disneyland Resort is in the middle of chaos, period. When you can see the Matterhorn and Tower of Terror from the interstate, your vacation will not be totally immersive.
Yes, but can you see the interstate from the Matterhorn? ;)Quote:
Originally Posted by Melanie
Outside looking in is one thing. Inside looking out is quite different.
You can see it from many parts of DCA. Disneyland, I'm not sure, but I don't really care. You know, WDW and HK are immersive for me. Tokyo and DLR, not so much, but still just as magical. I'll take a Disney parking lot any day over a Target parking lot. ;)Quote:
Originally Posted by BrerGnat
LOL, we're off topic.
I guess I will never understand why people feel WDW is immersive when you spend so much time transporting via buses in traffic on the roads. (I see no difference between that and DL (except for walking as opposed to riding.)
I'd agree if I was staying on a monorail resort and never ventured beyond Magic Kingdom -- but then you can still see parking lots from the monorail. ;)
Can't argue with that!Quote:
Originally Posted by Melanie
Lisa, have you made a decision?
We are sticking with the Disneyland Hotel, club level.
Honestly, when we checked out PPH on one of our last visits, our initial reaction was, we wouldn't want to stay here. I was tempted by the special offer, but when I ran it past the DH and kids, everyone was pretty adamant that we love DLH, and if we can pull it off, thats where we want to stay. Natalie seems to know me by my posts, and I am very sensitive to place, and I think you know we wouldn't be thrilled there. We are in full agreement! Three weeks to go, and I'm not sure how to pack. Plus, we got tickets for the Kodak theater and the Cirque there and that is amazing. We also booked WOC picnic for Easter night after spending the a.m. in Malibu. Lot's to look forward to. Including Katie's 18th BD which includes lunch with the Billies and dinner at Storytellers cafe and a full day, beginning at opening, at the parks!!! Now if I could only get the packing down, I'd be in business!
Sounds like you are going to have a wonderful time. Great planning! :thumbsup: