Walking from Paradise Pier Hotel

[NewDVCowner]

I just got back from a weekend stay at Paradise Pier Hotel and wanted to let people know that they're no longer allowing people to cut through the Grand Californian to cut off some of the walk to the parks. You need to walk to the Disneyland Hotel and enter Downtown Disney near the AMC theater.

It may have something to do with their new security checkpoints (though that's just my assumption). There are quite a few bag check tables and metal detectors near the theater where there's just one set up at the Grand Californian gate into Downtown Disney. I image they're trying to cut down on the number of people that are going through that one checkpoint.

On that note, moving the security to the Downtown Disney area, as opposed to just at the parks, seems to have cut the waits quite a bit - at least coming in from the Disneyland Hotel side. We were there the weekend before Christmas (which was crazy busy) and never had more than two or three people in front of us at the bag check. I think having the people coming in from the Mickey and Friends parking structure getting scanned seperately from people walking in from the hotels really reduced the traffic jam that I've been stuck in when the checkpoint was closer to the parks. I never came in via the Harbor Blvd. side, though, so I can't say how that was affected by the change.

[HiHoKermitTheFrogHere]

Just curious -- how do they prevent you from walking through the Grand Californian? Do you need to show a Grand Californian room key to get into the front entrance of the hotel now? And if so, how would they deal with day guests who are visiting Grand Californian, for instance, to eat at Napa Rose?

[NewDVCowner]

At the intersection/crosswalk at the Grand Californian they have security guards stationed at the corners asking where people are going. If you tell them the parks they direct you around to the AMC enterance. They won't let you cross to the hotel.

We did exit DCA through the Grand Californian' exit and had no issues. We didn't try to enter from there again later, but it didn't LOOK like they were checking room keys for the people coming in. That was in the afternoon, so I don't know if things are different during busier times.

[BrerGnat]

Just curious -- how do they prevent you from walking through the Grand Californian? Do you need to show a Grand Californian room key to get into the front entrance of the hotel now? And if so, how would they deal with day guests who are visiting Grand Californian, for instance, to eat at Napa Rose?

They are only allowing people with a dining reservation or hotel key to come in the hotel FRONT DOOR. They have a printed list of ADRs.

Anyone can enter the GCH via the Downtown Disney entrance at any time. There is a security checkpoint coming back into DtD from the Grand.

Only guests of the Grand Californian can now use the DCA enyrance before 11am. Anyone can enter the Grand from the DCA entrance.

[dtootsie42]

Thanks so very much for all the info!

[PopPhan]

Was this just for the holiday season, or has it continued into the new year? I know I am late in checking up on this, but the timing seemed reasonable. Still, does that mean that you could not go through the Grand Californian to look at the decorations?

[BrerGnat]

Was this just for the holiday season, or has it continued into the new year? I know I am late in checking up on this, but the timing seemed reasonable. Still, does that mean that you could not go through the Grand Californian to look at the decorations?
This change is permanent.

You can still visit the Grand by entering through the Downtown Disney entrance or from the DCA entrance. Only people coming into the front doors of the Grand are those who have a dining or room reservation.

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