Disneyland Hotel - inside scoop?

[Dragonfly*Tink]

I have been to DLR a few times and have always stayed off-site but this time I get to stay at the Disneyland Hotel! Can anyone give me the inside scoop on the hotel - which section to ask for? Any tips or hints on what to avoid/look for?

Thank you! I apologize if this is on the threads somewhere - I did a search and couldn't find what I was looking for.

 

[Dragonfly*Tink]

Really - no opinion from anyone on the boards??!!!!

 

[TinkandPooh]

Well I can chime in a little...sorry you had to wait a bit.

As far as the hotel goes I really love it, very nice to stay there and if you like swimming you will enjoy the pool which is IMHO the best pool of the 3 resort hotels.
As far as which tower to stay in that really depends on you and what type of view you would like to have,

Pool View?

Down town Disney View?

City View?

What I would say to do is call the hotel and let them know what you really desire to have for a view during your stay and have them direct you to the tower that will best provide what you are looking for in your stay.

My personal favorite view was the Down town Disney District view but that is me and may not be what you are looking for.

Take some time while you are there to walk around and take in the resort and in the main lobby opposite of the check in area you will find several walls of Disney memorabilia (sp?) and cool pictures of Celebrities that have visited DL over the years.

What you get out of your stay will be what you would like to make out of your stay and you will experience DLH in your own very special way.

I can tell you from my experience that you will enjoy it and if you are at all like I was staying onsite will make it very hard in the future for you to want to stay off site as there is just something about the magic of staying onsite that seems to complete or should I say bring full circle the experience...well at least for me it is/does.

Hope this gives you a little bit of insight and helps you out.

Enjoy your stay and have a wonderful time

 

[Koda]

How far in advance would you book DLH? I would like to stay here at the end of June/early July. Thanks!

 

[PHXscuba]

We were just there a couple weeks ago. A few tips:

The Wonder tower is the furthest from the main lobby and Downtown Disney.

I don't know if I'd get a Downtown Disney view with small kids (from your sig) They seem to play the music in DTD pretty late -- I know it was 10 p.m. when we walked through and it was still going.

You can feed the koi fish near the Wonder tower at 9:30 on Tuesday and Thursday -- hands in the water for fishy kisses if you like.

Lots of great photo ops with all the topiaries.

My kids loved walking under the giant sorcerer's hat to get from hotel to DTD.

The monorail is on the near end of DTD. They line you up outside the station in the morning (it was sprinkling -- we were debating waiting vs. walking to the gates)

PHXscuba

 

[DizMe]

I prefer the Dreams tower followed closely by the Magic tower. Dreams looks out on DTD or the pool, so it's the first tower you come to from the parks and all views are nice. Magic is the lobby tower so it's convenient to shops and restaurants plus after checking in you can go straight up to your room without having to go outside and over to another tower. Magic has nice pool view rooms and the other side has a good view of the fireworks. Wonder is farthest away from everything, as a PP mentioned. It does have the waterfalls and koi ponds but the views are usually not as good. The back side has an uninspired parking lot view and the front often has an obstructed view due to shops etc; however, the sound of the falls is nice and sometimes you get very large rooms. I find the elevators in that tower to be extremely slow, though, and I don't like being at the far end of the complex.

My girls love the pool view. At night, it is lit up and there is a large Tinkerbell projected into it.

Every tower offers free coffee in that tower's lobby in the morning, with half-and-half, to-go cups, etc.

You can request a coffeemaker from housekeeping. They usually don't keep them in the rooms but you can ask for one and they'll bring it to your room.

Compass Bookstore is next door (in DTD) and has good coffee drinks, pastries, and many quickie items like fresh fruit, yogurt parfaits, bagels, etc. If you long for even better coffee, Haagen Daz sells Peets and La Brea has Starbucks.

Rainforest Cafe is very convenient to DLH and is a fun place to take kids. If you prefer a quieter atmosphere, try the outdoor terrace dining. We used to eat inside but no longer care about the "rain," animatronic jungle creatures and noise so we opt for the terrace.

Steakhouse 55 is a great place to have breakfast and surprisingly affordable! My girls love it. They all share a pancake breakfast but they do have a good kids' menu, too.

The rooms are mostly on the large side. You usually get 2 queens and a daybed with plenty of room for a family. There are some smaller rooms so if you get one of those and aren't happy with it, go back right away and see if you can move to a bigger room. Just be sure not to use the room first before requesting the change!

We love to take an afternoon break and hang out at the hotel for a few hours.

I've had stellar service from DLH and it happens to be my personal favorite!! Have a wonderful time!!

 

[TravelingJen24]

Here is a tip. If you do pick the Dreams tower facing Downtown disney, it can be very noisy at night. (I think that may be why they are putting in the new glass) When the bands play at night, it can sound like they are right out the window and we were on the 10th floor.
We love the disneyland hotel and have stayed there tons of times. I'm glad they are remodeling though because the rooms are becoming a little outdated. I ask for a standard room in the old marina tower, (not sure what the name is now) because it faces the park and you can watch the fireworks. Plus it is the closet walk.

 

[Tasmen]

Just a quick question -- do the rooms have refrigerators that you can use? I'll need to store milk for my daughter.

 

[rangermom]

If I remember correctly, there are refrigderators, but no microwaves in the rooms.

We had a pool view in the Dreams tower and loved it. Can't wait to go back there in a few weeks. We love DL and the DLH!

 

[Tasmen]

If I remember correctly, there are refrigderators, but no microwaves in the rooms.

Don't need a microwave so looks like we will be set then!

 

[Dragonfly*Tink]

Thanks everyone! Looks like the tower facing DTD for me! I love the music, thank goodness because all my little ones are actually now in mid to late teens!

 

[PHXscuba]

Dragonfly Tink:
Sorry -- I guessed wrong about your kids. I though the info in your signature was AGES, not DS #1 etc. . I hope you have a marvelous trip! I think everyone should stay at the DLH once just to try it.

PHXscuba

 

[Dragonfly*Tink]

Thanks! I can't wait to see the Christmas decor! This will be a first for me.

 

[maelstrom]

Thanks everyone! Looks like the tower facing DTD for me! I love the music, thank goodness because all my little ones are actually now in mid to late teens!

That's the Sierra tower and the one that is currently being refurbished. Just so you know.

 

[Queenbillabong]

Which tower has the concierge lounge???

Thanks

 

[maelstrom]

Which tower has the concierge lounge???

Thanks

Sierra.

 

[Queenbillabong]

Sierra.

Which is which tower? I know that's the old name.....

 

[maelstrom]

Which is which tower? I know that's the old name.....

The one that faces Downtown Disney. I don't know it's new name.

 

[Queenbillabong]

The one that faces Downtown Disney. I don't know it's new name.

OK - I think that is the Dreams Tower then. Thanks.

 

[DizMe]

That's the Sierra tower and the one that is currently being refurbished. Just so you know.

Actually, it is now the Dreams tower. They changed the names a few years ago. When I was at DLR a couple of weeks ago, they had changed out about 2/3 of the windows in Dreams from sliders to the new stationary type (didn't stay at DLH).

Dreams = concierge lounge, DTD or pool view (and a few standard rooms because they have obstructed views), closest to DTD and the parks.

Magic = lobby tower, pool or standard view (most std view rooms have a parking lot view but good fireworks viewing and are nicer than the Wonder parking lot std view rooms IMO), closest to Goofy's, coffee shop (take-out coffee and pastries at the hotel), Steakhouse 55, and main gift shops.

Wonder = waterfalls and koi ponds in front, close to Croc's, a bar (Lost Bar?), a nice gift shop with glassware, and I've heard it's easy to park near it if you have a car.

OP: I would definitely ask for Dreams with DTD view!! It's AMAZING at the holidays. Last year, we had a view of the beautiful giant Christmas tree, right out our window. We loved the holiday music that came in when the sliders were open. However, the sliders are being replaced with non-opening windows so I don't know whether or not you'll be able to hear it now . I liked the sliders--we opened them wide (they were huge!!!) and pulled our daybed over to watch the fireworks. I'm kind of sad that they'll be gone, but I'm sure the reno will be fantastic. It looked great in pics.

Edited to add:
Dreams.......old name Sierra Tower
Magic.........old name Marina Tower
Wonder.......old name Bonita Tower