Are the Pixar Place elevators still terrible?

[ParkHopper1]

Check the review date. They upgraded the PPH elevators to “smart elevators” a few years ago which resolved most of the issues reported but they can still be crowded at night when everyone is heading back at the same time. Not an issue any longer IMO that would be a factor in my decision the stay there or not

 

[LAS2AMS]

Check the review date. They upgraded the PPH elevators to “smart elevators” a few years ago which resolved most of the issues reported but they can still be crowded at night when everyone is heading back at the same time. Not an issue any longer IMO that would be a factor in my decision the stay there or not

The smart elevators have been there awhile. They appeared around the same time Hilton put them in the Hilton Hawaiian Village, and I haven’t stayed there in maybe a decade.

 

[kikismom]

Oh no, I did not mean to cause anyone to worry. I was just hoping to give a heads-up based on our experience before anyone requested a room expecting to use the stairs.
I remember the cast member I mentioned and another two in the lobby saying that the stair doors to access the guest room floors were locked from the inside. They said that guests could not exit the stairs to access upper guest room floors.
However, I would assume you could enter the stairs from the guest room floors and exit the stairs on the ground floor at any time. I felt confident that we could have exited the hotel if we needed to do so, and the lobby stairs between the first and second floor were not enclosed and seemed to be in constant use.
Additionally, there was a lot of construction still happening at Pixar Place Hotel at the time, so I would not be surprised if policies were continually changing.
Unfortunately, we were not in a position to be able to use the stairs on that specific visit, so I did not go test the doors myself. I hope you get a chance to hear from someone who stayed recently and used the stairs. We really enjoyed our time at the hotel.

Oh don't apologize at all! I really appreciate the information as someone who takes the stairs often. I have nothing against elevators but we just like the extra walking it gives us. It would make me not stay somewhere if I didn't have access to the stairs. Kind of silly but there are just so many options that not staying at one hotel won't kill me.

When I started thinking about it, I work in risk and also have anxiety, I realized that it's kind of crazy to not be able to use the stairs freely as a guest. I can think of many reasons that could cause issues in emergency situations from a safety standpoint. But alas I'm sure they consulted risk experts with more experience than I have before making the decision.

 

[daneenm]

DD and I stayed in August for D23. The destination elevators were the only thing that would keep me from going back to Pixar Place. When they were bad, they were horrendous! We waited 30 minutes with a huge crowd and our floor was never called. The stairs were not an option, as others have stated….ok to go all the way down and out but not up or between floors. I can only hope they have improved them.

 

[youngdeb12]

We were just there last week and had very few issues with the elevators. When it was busy, it took a bit longer to get an elevator but there were no excessive lines. We found that staying on a higher floor (we were on 12) was better than staying on a floor mid way (6-10) as we would often get on an empty or nearly empty elevator and have to leave others behind as the elevator was full. I would say the longest we waited was 3-4 minutes. We rope dropped, returned for a mid-day break and came back from the parks around 9-9:30

 

[RickNJane]

We are staying at the Disney Hotel Villas and took a stroll to PP. They had 2 cast members directing guests to the elevators. People were getting angry and a little hostile. The line snaked all the way to the lobby. Occasionally a cast member would take a group of guests around the corner. I assumed it was to use the stairs or a freight (staff) elevator. I would assume that the staff would not use the public facing elevators due to the issues. We never have to wait on an elevator at the DVC tower.

 

[Pluto468]

We are staying at the Disney Hotel Villas and took a stroll to PP. They had 2 cast members directing guests to the elevators. People were getting angry and a little hostile. The line snaked all the way to the lobby. Occasionally a cast member would take a group of guests around the corner. I assumed it was to use the stairs or a freight (staff) elevator. I would assume that the staff would not use the public facing elevators due to the issues. We never have to wait on an elevator at the DVC tower.

Thanks for the update! I was just looking at Pixar Place rates again, but everything I read says the elevators are still awful. Not worth the headache, it seems like. I will stick with DLH or GCH.