Disneyland Hotel
- Price Range: $$$
24 Reviews for Disneyland Hotel
I really liked staying at this hotel. It was pricey, as in six-hundred dollars for only two nights, but it is within walking distance from downtown Disney and the park. It also has Disney gift shops, restaurants, etc right there in the hotel. It is also home to Goofy's' Kitchen and has a great peter pan themed pool.
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What a grand place to stay with so much history!
As soon as you enter, you feel as though you're in a first rate hotel. The majestic gardens and hallways welcome you into the hotel. I loved the feeling of being in this hotel!
My friends and I spent countless fun hours running through the gardens and having fun in the pool, exploring the landscape as though we were all 7 (we were 15-17 at the time). The pool is huge and inventive. Plus, there is always music playing, so you never feel as though you've left the Disney experience.
The room itself was humongous and spacious. About 8 of us fit in there comfortably and we had a great time. We had a great view of the parks from our window.
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Love this place. There is nothing that quite matches vintage Disneyland than the Disneyland Hotel. It still has charm and is very close to the parks as intended.
If you look hard enough online or are an annual passholder, you should be able to get an okay rate for a room. Right now, with attendance low, you should be able to find a room between $200 and $250 here.
I recommend it for people that really want a full Disney experience. Will you pay more for it? Absolutely. Is it for everyone? Nope. If you can afford to give yourself or family a cool experience, give it a shot! You only live once.
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Stayed here last week and had a great time. It may be a little more pricey than some of the local hotels. But the extras you get out of it (charm and convenience) were worth the cost.
I do, however, have to mention that the front desk service sucked. We checked in before our normal check in time, and were able to leave our bags so we could enjoy the park. Awesome! After a very long day of frolicking in the sun (and standing in plenty of lines), we came back to the hotel to zonk out on the bed. But, we had to "stop" by the front desk to pick up our key. We stood in line for almost 40 minutes AFTER WE HAD ALREADY CHECKED IN!!!! I was livid, and tired, and cranky. And this was Disney.....who think of everything!
It was still a decent stay, despite the major inconvenience.
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This place is still as old as I remember. Due to its old structure and electricity problems, no fridge or microwave...so not so good if you need those and if traveling with babies (ie..fridge baby bottles or warm up baby food). Also have to request a coffee pot. We did receive a suprise VIP Guest status once and that was sweet...nice little treats :)
Everytime we've had a great view...from Downtown Disney to the pool view...
Ohh!! But one of the most memorable parts...my husband and I took two of my little cousins with us. While my husband was checking into the hotel and we were sitting in the lobby...here comes Goofy! Plopped himself on the couch with us! It was perfect timing...no one else was there and we had been traveling alllll day!! We needed a good cheering up!! The kids loved it and then he went up and suprised my husband at the counter! There were many, many pictures taken!!
The Disneyland Hotel positives and negatives make it completely neutral in my book. Hence the 3 stars which sort of means average in my mind on this occasion.
As for the positives - it's super close to the Disney parks and Downtown Disney which is awesome. You also get to ride the monorail into the park thereby avoiding the entrance lines. And there is a Peter Pan themed swimming pool that has a slide for adults, too.
On the downside it's a terribly low quality room with paper thin walls. When the people next door blowdried their hair it sounded just as loud as when someone in our room did the same. And the bathroom/shower ceiling is so low that I could put my hand on it flatly while standing flat footed in the tub (I'm 5'7") so tall people don't really fit well in there. For the money we paid I think everyone was expecting a little more.
However, all of the people working there are completely courteous and friendly and they seem to do a good job when hosting events so we enjoyed our stay well enough.
The Disneyland Hotel is 5 stars, all the way.
When I think of a perfect hotel, a hotel to model a hotel after, I think of the Disneyland Hotel. It's cool. It's retro. The rooms are small, practical, gets the job done. It's always the perfect temp. In Summer's death heat (and believe me, I stayed there on the hottest day in SoCal's history) your room is a private little sanctuary. The rooms are good enough to hang out in, but not over the top so you are tempted to only do that. The rooms scream: "Hey bud, hang out for awhile, watch some Disney cartoons, but please, get the hell out of here and enjoy the park, for Christ's sake!"
The hotel has a 2 pools, several restaurants, two bars, snack kiosk, arcade (yes, a large arcade!), gift shop (yawn), a coffee house and several other amenities.
I'd be a liar to say that I didn't have a personal love for Disneyland and the Disneyland Hotel that could cause my review to be a bit biased. Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe it, compared to other hotels, is a crumby hotel. Maybe it's a blind spot, and it's not fair for me to write a review of it. Well, maybe, but I'm a normal guy, in my mid-twenties (ugh, time does fly, don't it?), am not oddly infatuated with Disney so why wouldn't you, too, fall in love with it? Why wouldn't you stay there and have the time of your life, allow all of life's BS melt away and become a kid again? Most likely you will, because goddamnit, Disney is especially good at making you feel young and full of life.
So, if you are in the area, contemplating staying there, just go. You won't regret it.
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The last time I came here was for the 50th Anniversary and that was WONDERFUL!!!
I've always wanted to stay at the Disneyland Hotel, but my parents always told me that it was "way too expensive" and opted for the other hotels around. Well when I had a chance to finally go, I finally got my wish to stay at the Disneyland Hotel. It was great!
There are 2 Disneyland Hotels and I stayed at the very far one. I think I had to shell out more, to stay at the one that has a beautiful view of Downtown Disneyland. (I will do that next time) It was so fun. Everything was Disney-themed down to the soap, sheets and wallpaper. I was in awe!!!
Although it was a farther walk to get too, I'm not complaining! This hotel is worth every single penny!!!
We just held our company's annual conference here for 3 days and it was a lot of fun. The rooms though are pretty old..no, let me correct myself. The hotel itself is pretty ancient. There are hidden mickey ears everywhere inside the room. The sink, wallpaper, shampoo bottles, even the lamp stand. If I saw one more set of mickey ears, I was going to pull out my own ears.
Overall, a great place for tourists who desire everything Disney. Not the best for a native Californian like me. Oh, and lights out at 9pm. There aren't any 'adult' things to do unless you hit downtown disney.
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Hakuna Matata!
What a wonderful phrase
Hakuna Matata!
Ain't no passing craze
[Simba:] It means no worries
For the rest of your days
It's our problem-free philosophy
[All:] Hakuna Matata!
This is what you'll be singing when you have Disney cater for you!
And I have to give Disney credit for always maintaining a high level of standard in all their establishments!
I've never stayed here as a guest but have chaperoned two Proms here as a teacher. The ballrooms were very accommodating to all the students. The dance area was very large even with the set up dining tables, they never felt squished. There was also a large separate area next to the ballroom set up for picture stations. Caricature artists were there to draw couples, although the lines were long enough that it took up half the time! They also did a nice job catering hor'dourves, dessert baked goods, and scoops-on-demand Haagen dazs ice cream with topping for sundaes!
For the teachers, there was a separate chaperon room set up with hot beverages such as tea and coffee as well as baked goods. There was even caricature artist especially for us so we didn't need to wait in line with the kids! Parking was free and never a problem.
At the end of the nights, the students was singing another Lion King tone:
Can you feel the love tonight?
You needn't look too far
Stealing through the night's uncertainties
Love is where they are
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Besides the beds and the sinks being too high for young children, it's a great place. The proximity to Downtown Disney is fantastic. Everything is very clean. AAA gives it 3 stars, but I would give it 4 stars.
at first i thought this would be a great hotel but
the beds were really uncomfortable 1 hour wait just for water
i dont think anyone should check in it and the pool was dirty
3 hour wait for food i was runing to get to the water it took me 30min just to find it and i was just eatng ice
Disneyland Hotel is a fun place. The rooms have a lot of space and offers so many little extras. The property is well maintained and clean with LOTS of palm trees and nice pool areas. The only time I ate here was when they had the Italian restaurant "Gepettos" in the late 90s- this place was a lot better than Olive Garden! Too bad this place isn't around anymore. I also miss the Coffeehouse, as they had a friendly staff who made great coffee and espresso drinks.
Disneyland Hotel is a destination in itself. Even if you re not a guest you can come and check out the place. The many times Ive been to Disneyland I always made the time to visit the hotel property.
I only stayed in the hotel once- three days and two nights. The obvious advantage is that being on the property. The big minus, and why I only gave this four stars, is the cost. You can get a similar room, which is clean and provides many extras, at a nearby hotel in the Anaheim Resort Area for a lot less. In other words, the so called Disney magic can cost at least $100.00 extra.
Don't get me wrong- Disneyland Hotel is fantastic in lots of ways, but you can find better deals close by.
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Nothing says romance like a Tinkerbell wall border, Disney Kingdom bedspread and Mickey Mouse shampoo. That's not even the best part though: you get to watch Disney Princesses read you a bedtime story on tv all night long. And if that's not enough, there's a never-ending infomercial for Disney vacation packages, just in case you want to stay up all night watching what you're missing at other Disney resorts.
In all seriousness, though, nice, spacious room, mini fridge, clean, good sized bathroom with bathtub, pool with a pirate ship in it, bars, restaurants, etc. All the things you need in a hotel. And, oh yeah, character dining in Goofy's Kitchen. That was so the best part.
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The hotel itself is kinda old but, at least it's not nasty/dirty/smoky. The hotel is conveniently located next to Downtown Disney District and the Disneyland Monorail (super short walk). The fitness center is located outside of the hotel but, it's only a 1-2 minute walk. Decent equipment inside the fitness center- several treadmills, elliptical machines, one step master, some free weights and one "total body" type of weight station. There are also two pool areas near the fitness center. I give Disneyland Hotel four stars because of the excellent customer service. For example,...
- I was having trouble adjusting the thermostat in my room so I called guest services and they told me they'd send somebody up. Being skeptical, I assumed this maintenance person would either never show up or show up 15 hours later. Within 5 minutes, the nicest maintenance guy was at my door and he adjusted my thermostat for me.
- I ordered room service during busy dinner hours. Within just twenty minutes, room service showed up and the food was actually pretty dang good! Maybe because I was expecting crap, I was pleasantly surprised.
- Last night ~ 1:45am, I was craving pizza. Actually, I was craving food, period. Called guest services, they recommended Broadway Pizza for delivery, and one of the best pizzas I've ever eaten was delivered to me in about 1/2 1n hour. Niiiice.
Would definitely recommend Disneyland Hotel if you want convenient and decent accommodations within the park. [I didn't pay for accommodations (company sponsored event) so, I can't tell you how much it costs. Sorry!]
I've had the chance to stay in two of the Disneyland hotels and hang out at the Grand Californian hotel during our friend's stay, and the Original Disney Hotel by far is my favorite hotel.
The rooms are a good size for 5 people to sleep in if you have a double and we were lucky enough to also be upgraded to a Concierge level room which was on the 9th floor overlooking the Neverland pool. The windows are amazing floor to ceiling sliding glass windows which at night gives a spectacular view of the empty pool and Tinkerbell in the water. Being that 9 floors up gives you a feeling of almost being on the Tower of Terror. But it was amazing to just sit back and watch the view from the beds.
The hotel itself is very clean and the entry way was my favorite. Being greeted by something so magical and majestic is always something that brings me back to the joys of my childhood. Having to upgrade to a concierge level is also wonderful. You have the privilege of having breakfast in the morning in the lounge as well as snacks throughout the day and my favorite, WINE serving at 7pm SHARP!!
The concierge service is also a great service to have if you are planning on staying at the resort for more than 3 nights. You have the staff at your service for every need possible. Such as being able to hang out at the lounge when your room isn't ready yet, but the staff also being able to check when your room is ready when you're hanging out in the lounge. The view from the lounge is gorgeous as it overlooks Downtown Disney and the top of ESPN Zone. FUN. When you have concierge service, you also have a "special" elevator that takes you directly up to the 11th floor without having to stop at all the other floors.
The room was clean and tidy when we checked in and pleasant to sleep in during the evening. Definitely the best place to stay in any of the three Disney resorts.
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Almost 2 decades as a Disneyland Hotel castmember and over 400 reviews and I am just now reviewing it. I don't know where to start with out writing a long freakin diary.
Worked all but 2 years in the Wine Cellar http://www.yelp.com/bi...
Worked the Lost Bar http://www.yelp.com/bi... and worked there when it was the Wharf Bar
Worked Stromboli's when we were down for rehab (now called Goofy's Kitchen)
Worked Sgt. Preston's Yukon Saloon and Dance Hall and wore a can can costume and when it was changed to the Neon Cactus, I worked there too.
Banquets yep a few times
Private parties including Fess Parkers wine tasting when they made me dress like a squaw.
Managed the Shipyard Inn now called Hook's Point and worked there too.
Marina Bar yep (now gone)
Granvilles Steak House now something else
Top Brass now something else
Chef kitchen...gone too.
I am sure I am missing something.
I did stay here once. I won a nights stay and had a room that was the top floor of the Marina Tower and half of the floor. Kind of cool but I was still at work so it was kind of weird.
My son and I learned to ice skate here when they had an ice rink during the winter holidays
I give it 5 stars because I basically grew up working here.
I quit working here this year and I miss my co-workers and my guest that I have known for years.
BTW most of the places I worked at I only worked a few times when they were short people.
Sorry if I bored you.
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I once thought of majoring in hospitality mgt, but now I'm in plain business mgt because I'm pretty much sick of hotels, food service, and other services requiring some hospitable, half-assed plastered smile on your face to the indifferent public.
This is a hotel review, whadda you expect? You have got to be kidding me.
Accept no substitutions, this place is the original Disneyland Hotel and, if you have fond memories of Disneyland in the sixties, it will take you right back to your childhood. We were lucky enough to get upgraded to a Concierge level room (10th floor of the Sierra tower overlooking Downtown Disney and the parks) and I have nothing but praise for the room and the services. The room itself, as mentioned in the other posts, has lovely details from the etching on the door of the armoire depicting the original park, the cute stardust banner around the top of the wallpaper, the Disney bedspread, and so on. If you are not into Disney, this might be a big turn-off (but then what are you doing here?), but I found it quite endearing.
The King bed was super comfy and they provided us with lots of extra bedding for the daybed for my son and the crib for my 7-month-old nephew. If you can upgrade to the concierge level, I highly recommend it. They have a lounge on the 11th floor that is open from 6:30 to 10:00 and has a fully stocked refrigerator with water, milk, sodas, and juice. They have different snacks throughout the day and a pretty good selection of pastries, cereal, and fruits in the morning. They have a huge book of videos that you can check out, for free, for a day and lots of other services. I found them extremely helpful.
I know the other posters all mentioned the walls being thin, but we had families on both sides and I didn't hear a thing. Also, if you have a parkhopper pass and don't need to get your tickets at the main gate, you can walk a few feet to the Monorail and get off in Tomorowland. We found this very helpful, especially at the end of the day when our feet were dragging.
Finally, if you should find yourself with a very sick child on the third day and in need of some basic medicines (Tylenol, Motrin, Robitussin DM), the small shop in the Marina building opens at 6:30 a.m. and carries all the basics.
What can I say? In spite of everything, I still love Disneyland and the Disneyland Hotel was everything I hoped for. Definitely worth a splurge, especially if you have kids or are a kid at heart.
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As a family home base during our time at Disneyland, the Disneyland Hotel was just about perfect. They've been in this business a long time, and there's a reason they can get away with high rates for what would otherwise (meaning for adults without kids or those not going to the Disneyland parks) be a somewhat tired 3 star hotel. Namely:
- It's very convenient to Disneyland, which means you can easily bring the kids back for the midday nap.
- Everything is kid friendly... to the point where even the room furniture has rounded edges for your wobbly toddler.
- The Disney theme extends throughout the hotel, so your little guys can enjoy Captain Hook and Mickey Mouse before and after you're at the park.
I'd definitely do it again.
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I agree with Travis that the walls at the Disneyland hotel are a little thin. I am actually at the hotel right now for a conference and as we speak I can hear every word of the conversation going on in the next room and the screaming of a child running down the hallway who seems to have stopped right in front of my door to have a little tantrum.
But thin walls aside, I like this hotel. A lot. Here's why. The trim on the wallpaper shows Tinkerbell sprinkling a trail of magic pixie dust along the top of the wall. The comforters have scenes from the rides in the park. The headboards depict the magic kingdom. The TV cabinet has a beautiful etched map of the park. The lamp at the desk has mickey ears. And in the bathroom? Mickey Mouse hands are holding the two lamps. It's totally adorable and warms even my jaded i' m-just-here-for-work-and-not-going-to-spend- $70 to go into the park-heart.
Want more reasons why this hotel rocks? OK, walking through the hotel yesterday I came across Goofy just chilling in a chair in the guest services area talking to a hotel employee. The hugest hot tub I have ever seen is 5 minutes from my bed. There is a cool Swiss Family Robinson-esque path that meanders around part of the property around some luscious foliage and Koi ponds. There is a spacious fitness room with lots of brand new equipment. You can dine with the characters all day long.
I could go on gushing but I'll stop. Basically, if you're a hipster looking for the ultimate trip back to childhood, check this place out. It has just that enough kitsch to make for a truly great visit. If you have kids, definitely stay here. It's expensive, but seriously, it's fantasy land.
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Hmmm, how many stars should I give? Positive first: I haven't had a problem with the thin walls, but then again, we are at the park all day and come back when most are in bed or going to bed. It's location is great. It's close to the Monorail, which will take you to the back of the park by the time others are waiting in line at the front of the park. You also get the early admission on a day when you stay at their Hotel. The pool is great. It's a shallow and heated pool. Perfect for the kids. They supply you with unlimited towels and life jackets for the kids. They have a slide for older kids (cannot use the life jacket and parents can't wait at the bottom to save kids from drowning in their 4 foot pool). The other slide is life jacket friendly and for small kids. They have a cute Disney Store and a Sundries where you can get everything from bathing suits to the cigarettes Mom and Dad are smoking, see below). Now for the Negative: The rooms are way overpriced for what you get. Especially if you plan on staying during the holidays! They do have some cute touches in the room (Disney themed wood cabinet, Mickey soaps etc), but still not worth the price. The regular rooms are small. We had a Pool View room (the other option is a Parking Lot view, I believe, which doesn't sound great). They have a tiny little ledge with rusted rails (usually you will see Mom and Dads smoking here). Last time we stayed, I took off my socks and my feet got wet. Well, they had some kind of leak that was by the sliding window (it was pretty soaked, you don't think someone didn't know about this before we arrived?). They had a huge bubble in the bathtub, due to some other water damage, I'm sure. My husband called to complain about the room and how we didn't want to spend $200/nite for this room. We were hoping for a good discount, because they said the hotel was booked. They didn't offer a discount, my husband asked for the manager to meet us at the room. The manager came, apologized and gave us, free of charge, a suite! Now that was sweet! The only bad thing, we had to pack our stuff (we were staying for 4 days) and move to a different tower (see other review). It was worth it though and we had 2 balconies and a view of the Hollywood Tower Hotel. Good Customer Service. Needless to say, we continue to stay at this hotel (Grand California was basically the same, but more expensive. Paradise Pier just isn't as close). We stayed at a Good Neighbor one for the holidays, it was much cheaper, but just not the same experience. I'd say to try the hotel atleast once. Location, location, location (and it's cute, too).
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Disney theme parks are renowned for their attention to detail and quality, so people often have high expectations of Disney--in particular when paying the premium the company commands.
Unfortunately the Disneyland Hotel fails to live up to standards, particularly when charging more than $200 per night (which is how much our $149 discounted rate was after taxes and "resort fee").
The major problem with this hotel is that it's actually 3 hotels (towers) served by a single central infrastructure. So if you're not fortunate enough to be in the main tower, plan for a nearly complete absence of hotel staff in your building and a somewhat lengthy walk. They really should add a customer service desk to the Sierra and Bonita towers. After checking in at the main tower, exiting the building, walking some distance to the Bonita tower, and finding our room on the top floor, we discovered 2 twin beds instead of the queen bed we reserved. We decided to just live with it since resolving it would have meant going all the way back to the main office in another building, luggage in tow.
Our room at the Bonita tower was pleasant and clean, but nevertheless only 2-star quality. My major complaint is noise. The walls seem to be paper-thin, definitely worse than in many other hotels I've encountered. An added problem from being on the top floor was noise from the elevator. At random intervals, we'd hear a noise that sounded like a jet airplane flying overhead at a distance (at first that's what I thought it was but we finally figured out it was part of the mechanics of the elevator). Speaking of the elevators, there were continual problems with them. In some cases the buttons didn't light up when you push them and in one case a button was missing entirely revealing ominous looking electronics underneath. For two days the button for the top floor wouldn't work at all in one of the elevators so we would have to step in, push a button to get the elevator to move to a higher floor, quickly step out of the elevator, and then call for one of the other elevators (otherwise we'd be left with the faulty elevator and unable to go to the top floor). Since there were never any staff conveniently nearby, I never reported the problem (and apparently no one else did either).
Despite the noise and elevator snafus, this isn't a bad hotel. It's just that the quality doesn't remotely match the price. It would be OK for about half the price that they charge.
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An amazing hotel in its own right with plenty to do and so close to disneyland the park that you could practically smell the churros and hear the screams from california adventure and space mountain, which are the two best coasters there. The hotel was really nice and the pool was a lot of fun. Great slide while the peter pan theme was very cool. When in the pool, it's fun because me and my brothers just enjoy ourselves by wrestling constantly and playing catch. The game room was not too shabby either while the gym was fairly comprehensive, if not a little small. Good amount of variety in what you could do. Plenty of treadmills, although I don't know why you'd need it if you're walking around Disneyland all day. The rooms were really nice and spacious while the mickey soap was just cool to look at. One of the best parts of the hotel was Goofy's Kitchen which is a restaurant in the hotel that serves some great breakfast food. You're going to be full after this one. Great hotel with plenty of stuff to do while taking a rest from the overstimulating parks. As a first timer to disneyland, I really enjoyed it and I'd definitely stay there again.
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