Help me choose a room category at Disneyland Hotel, please

[AngiTN]

Some background
It's our first trip to DL (WDW vets)
It's 3 of us, DH, myself, and DGD (7)
We are staying 6 nights
We have 5 day Park Hopper tickets
As I understand it, we'll have more than enough time to get everything done with 5 day tickets.
We hope to get a fair bit of down time to enjoy the Resort

I've tried to research online but there really is very little out there on the DL Resorts. If you know of a website to direct me to please do
Right now I have booked a 1 bed room suite
My 2nd option was a Premium room
Am I setting myself up for disappointment with a 1 bed room suite? Do some have bad views? I'd be upset to pay more and get the view of a standard room. This is why I tried to find out where the suites are located but struck out
We don't have to have the extra room of a suite. I thought it would be a nice splurge for our likely 1 and only trip to DL
If you were in our shoes, what room would you book?

 

[StellaD]

I've never been there before either and wasn't sure what to book. The suites were not in the cards for us, but the person at Disney booking center recommended the deluxe view and either the Fantasy or Adventure tower. She put us down for adventure. She didn't think we needed the premium view, that deluxe would be good just not as high up. We will see what we think when we get there on the 15th.

 

[Aspoonfullofsugar]

Well if you can afford it a suite is nice. So is the concierge level. Other than that, I've had the lowest category room on the second floor of the adventure tower with a great view and nice and quiet and I just had a premium view room on the 9th floor of the same tower where all I could see was the palm tree right in front of my window. Downtown Disney views can be nice but they can also be very loud too. That band that plays at night by the ESPN zone can be very noisy. I guess that really we are usually so busy in the parks or at the pool or at Trader Sams (where that nice quite Hawaiian duo can really echo through some of the rooms too) that, unless I have a suite in the Frontier tower to see the fireworks on a balcony, it really doesn't matter to me what the view is as long as I have a quite room when I want to sleep and my light up headboard.

 

[BoomerThePirate]

Ive stayed at DLH 3 times and each time we did concierge level room. only for a night or 2. We wound up in a 2 queen bed room and were amazed at how big it was. the concierge lobby (e-ticket lounge) is on the top floor of the adventure tower and the views of DTD are amazing. my advice is get as much as you can afford since it is your one and possibly only trip to DL. if you have a decent amount of downtime i recommend the concierge(which can be added to any room i believe but best if staying in the adventure tower.) you can rent movies for your room 2 at a time. free snacks and drinks all day as well as beer and wine. They also pipe in the fireworks music and shut out the lights in the lounge. its a decent spot to watch although you dont get any view of the castle.

 

[AngiTN]

Ive stayed at DLH 3 times and each time we did concierge level room. only for a night or 2. We wound up in a 2 queen bed room and were amazed at how big it was. the concierge lobby (e-ticket lounge) is on the top floor of the adventure tower and the views of DTD are amazing. my advice is get as much as you can afford since it is your one and possibly only trip to DL. if you have a decent amount of downtime i recommend the concierge(which can be added to any room i believe but best if staying in the adventure tower.) you can rent movies for your room 2 at a time. free snacks and drinks all day as well as beer and wine. They also pipe in the fireworks music and shut out the lights in the lounge. its a decent spot to watch although you dont get any view of the castle.

Hmmm... I didn't know what about the fireworks and Club Level. We have opted for CL at WDW several times and love it. We loved that for breakfast each day, and adult beverages each evening.

I gave thought to it at DLH but with so little to use for research out there wasn't sure how it was.

I wouldn't be adverse to switching from our suite to CL, which is actually cheaper. I'd do that before adding CL on to the suite.

Do you happen to know, if I do book a CL room, am I guaranteed to be on the same level/tower as the lounge or do you just get access to it and your room could be anywhere?

 

[BoomerThePirate]

if you book a premium view CL it should be in the adventure tower. ive only ever stayed in the adventure tower. i always suggest calling for your reservation so they can note the tower and any special needs or wants or celebrations. you wont be disappointed in a 2 queen room. the light up head board spans both beds and is enormous. the room itself is huge too. Also i like to be extra friendly with staff at the DLH you never know what perk or surprise might happen. ive been comp'd breakfest at steakhouse 55 in the past.

 

[BoomerThePirate]

ps its hard to get the same level as the e ticket lounge as thats where the signature suites are located. they do have a few rooms available that are normal concierge level rooms. i was lucky enough to get the top right hand corner once.(king room)

 

[beachdreamr1229]

The suites are amazing and very spacious, but expensive. We had a 1 bedroom suite a couple of years ago and had plenty of room for me, my husband, my mom, and my then 2-year-old. If you can, request Frontier Tower on one of the higher levels with a pool view. We had a beautiful view of both the pool and Disneyland and could see the fireworks from the room, which was pretty magical.

 

[Halloweenqueen]

We recently returned from staying in two connecting standards. I would not recommend it. We were on the top floor of the Frontier tower facing the parking lot. The view didn't matter to us, but the size of the rooms were noticeably smaller than previous stays. The connecting room door was between the two vanity areas...an ackward place to walk between. No daybeds, so some of our children were in sleeping bags the hotel provided.

 

[AngiTN]

if you book a premium view CL it should be in the adventure tower. ive only ever stayed in the adventure tower. i always suggest calling for your reservation so they can note the tower and any special needs or wants or celebrations. you wont be disappointed in a 2 queen room. the light up head board spans both beds and is enormous. the room itself is huge too. Also i like to be extra friendly with staff at the DLH you never know what perk or surprise might happen. ive been comp'd breakfest at steakhouse 55 in the past.

ps its hard to get the same level as the e ticket lounge as thats where the signature suites are located. they do have a few rooms available that are normal concierge level rooms. i was lucky enough to get the top right hand corner once.(king room)

Thanks, good info. I guess I need to study on it all some more

 

[jeeperwy]

We have stayed in a 1 bdrm suite and CL pool view. The 1 bdrm we had was on the lounge level. All of our CL stays have NOT been on the lounge level. It's not a huge deal but it is a little inconvenient, especially when you have to wait for an elevator.
If you don't need the extra room for privacy then if it were me I would pick the CL with an upgraded view. The 1 bdrm was nice when we had DS 17 with us because he could stay in the living room and stay up late when we wanted to go to bed but the regular room is about the same size as a deluxe room at WDW. In fact it felt bigger than our room at the Poly.
Hope that helps some! If you have other ?'s I would be happy to try and help.
Kari

 

[AngiTN]

We have stayed in a 1 bdrm suite and CL pool view. The 1 bdrm we had was on the lounge level. All of our CL stays have NOT been on the lounge level. It's not a huge deal but it is a little inconvenient, especially when you have to wait for an elevator.
If you don't need the extra room for privacy then if it were me I would pick the CL with an upgraded view. The 1 bdrm was nice when we had DS 17 with us because he could stay in the living room and stay up late when we wanted to go to bed but the regular room is about the same size as a deluxe room at WDW. In fact it felt bigger than our room at the Poly.
Hope that helps some! If you have other ?'s I would be happy to try and help.
Kari

Thanks. Very helpful.

Maybe you know this... I've been trying to research the room options but so much of the info is old and outdated.

Are there still CL rooms in all towers or did they move them all to Adventure Tower? I can handle the lounge being a different floor (AKL is like this) but not in a different tower. That would be a deal breaker for me. I know I could request Adventure Tower but I know it couldn't be guaranteed. I'm hoping they made adjustments during the last renovation so the rooms are at least in the same tower as the lounge

 

[wdwfan22]

Some background
It's our first trip to DL (WDW vets)
It's 3 of us, DH, myself, and DGD (7)
We are staying 6 nights
We have 5 day Park Hopper tickets
As I understand it, we'll have more than enough time to get everything done with 5 day tickets.
We hope to get a fair bit of down time to enjoy the Resort

I've tried to research online but there really is very little out there on the DL Resorts. If you know of a website to direct me to please do
Right now I have booked a 1 bed room suite
My 2nd option was a Premium room
Am I setting myself up for disappointment with a 1 bed room suite? Do some have bad views? I'd be upset to pay more and get the view of a standard room. This is why I tried to find out where the suites are located but struck out
We don't have to have the extra room of a suite. I thought it would be a nice splurge for our likely 1 and only trip to DL
If you were in our shoes, what room would you book?

While I can't help you with selecting a room category at the DLH (I wish I could afford to stay there!) I just wanted to mention that you can not get everything done in 5 days. You can certainly get everything done that you want, if you have priorities set out. But there is an amazing number of attractions (only a couple less in 2 parks than in 4 at DW), and it will not be possible to see and ride everything in 5 days with a fair bit of down time to enjoy the resort. I'm not trying to sound negative, you will have a Magical time!!

 

[AngiTN]

While I can't help you with selecting a room category at the DLH (I wish I could afford to stay there!) I just wanted to mention that you can not get everything done in 5 days. You can certainly get everything done that you want, if you have priorities set out. But there is an amazing number of attractions (only a couple less in 2 parks than in 4 at DW), and it will not be possible to see and ride everything in 5 days with a fair bit of down time to enjoy the resort. I'm not trying to sound negative, you will have a Magical time!!

Fair enough. I should have said everything we want to get done. We don't want to do everything.

 

[ktlm]

We are fellow WDW vets, that also love DL. We have stayed at DLH several times. We always get a pool view room. I usually just book the lower level pool view room (which I think they call the Deluxe room), although we have been upgraded to upper level (which I think they call the premium room). We always love the view. We like the Disney bubble and I definitely would not want a parking lot view. There are suites that do face the parking lot. Here is a youtube video I found of one of the suites in the Fantasy Tower with a parking lot view:

You can see the park off to the right, but it is not a view that I would want if I paid the price for a suite. Here is a view of a standard room with a pool view:

. We have not stayed in the adventure tower where this view is from, but we have stayed in both the Fantasy Tower and the Frontier Tower and have liked the pool view from both. We prefer the Fantasy Tower as it is the building that houses the lobby, restaurants and gift shops. We have never stayed in one of the suites, but it is my understanding that they are significantly bigger than the regular rooms. I have seen it reported that the regular rooms are 364-415 square feet while the one bedroom suites are approximately 740 square feet. We are a family of 3 and we are perfectly happy in the regular room. The rooms are nice. It is really a matter of personal preference, but for us I would take the premium view smaller room and stay in the Disney bubble over a suite with a parking lot view. I know the 1 bedroom suites book up quickly and are really hard to get, so there must be people that absolutely love them!

 

[5forMickey]

Suites at the DLH are scattered between all three towers. I suspect that they save the suites in the Adventure Tower for guest that are adding club level services to their rooms, but it still would not be guaranteed.. The nice thing about the 1 bedroom is that it will give you a little private space from each other. You will have a room about the size of a regular room with a couch, tv,and table that connects to a regular room with either a King or Two Queen beds. Some have mini bars, some don't. The ones we have stayed in also have a second half bath in the "living room" area. As others have said, a regular room would be plenty big enough for 3 people. We have had 5 adult size guests in a standard room and did not feel crowded. If the view is going to be important to you, especially if you are going during a busy time, I would for sure book a category that would at least be the minimum to make you happy. I think if you book a standard and hope for a premium view you will be setting yourself up for disappointment. With three people, I think I would choose the premium view, club level. Have a great vacation!

 

[MommyJKM]

Thanks. Very helpful.

Maybe you know this... I've been trying to research the room options but so much of the info is old and outdated.

Are there still CL rooms in all towers or did they move them all to Adventure Tower? I can handle the lounge being a different floor (AKL is like this) but not in a different tower. That would be a deal breaker for me. I know I could request Adventure Tower but I know it couldn't be guaranteed. I'm hoping they made adjustments during the last renovation so the rooms are at least in the same tower as the lounge

If you book CL your room will be in the same tower as the lounge for sure. Our friends stayed in a Themed Suite in the Adventureland Suite in the Adventure Tower and it was on the CL floor so I suspect a good amount of the Themed Suites are on the CL floor. But I don't think having to take the elevator to another floor for the lounge is a big deal.

While I like the 1-bedroom suites, I ALWAYS prefer the view rooms (we stay at GCH not DLH but I would make the same choice). There is just nothing like waking up and opening the windows and looking out onto the Happiest Place! So I would choose a Park View + Concierge Lounge room over a suite. Your 7-yr old will love the view room!!!

I'm not a DLH expert but we stay at GCH often and I can help with any Resort Hotel questions if you want.
Also, make sure you call the day before and ask the front desk to have some "Magic" waiting for your DGD (usually a signed picture and a button with her name on it). And since you'll be there for a good amount of time - do both the GCH Art of the Craft Hotel Tour & the DLH Hotel Tour and on your day off do the Morning Walk through DCA before it opens - that's available for hotel guests only.

For your DGD: if she is a Build-A-Bear fan take advantage of the private pre-opening hour that they will escort you to (my 6-yr old niece INSISTS on this each time), the kids love the hotel Treasure Hunt and Trivia Challenge that you get at the front desk, and the Movies at Night. At GCH it's on the lawn and at DLR it's by the fireplace. Last time we went my niece did the hotel guest only private Magic Shop "class" at Disneyland and STILL talks about it.

Oh, and if you want to take advantage of your wonderful California weather and do the pool - you can do a half-day cabana rental - you don't have to rent it for a full day. We like to do this for the afternoon so the kids swim in the morning and by the time it's lunchtime and they're tired, we have the cabana and order food and they nap/rest in the cabana and we only pay for half the day! Whooooo.

 

[AngiTN]

While I can't help you with selecting a room category at the DLH (I wish I could afford to stay there!) I just wanted to mention that you can not get everything done in 5 days. You can certainly get everything done that you want, if you have priorities set out. But there is an amazing number of attractions (only a couple less in 2 parks than in 4 at DW), and it will not be possible to see and ride everything in 5 days with a fair bit of down time to enjoy the resort. I'm not trying to sound negative, you will have a Magical time!!

We are fellow WDW vets, that also love DL. We have stayed at DLH several times. We always get a pool view room. I usually just book the lower level pool view room (which I think they call the Deluxe room), although we have been upgraded to upper level (which I think they call the premium room). We always love the view. We like the Disney bubble and I definitely would not want a parking lot view. There are suites that do face the parking lot. Here is a youtube video I found of one of the suites in the Fantasy Tower with a parking lot view:

You can see the park off to the right, but it is not a view that I would want if I paid the price for a suite. Here is a view of a standard room with a pool view:

. We have not stayed in the adventure tower where this view is from, but we have stayed in both the Fantasy Tower and the Frontier Tower and have liked the pool view from both. We prefer the Fantasy Tower as it is the building that houses the lobby, restaurants and gift shops. We have never stayed in one of the suites, but it is my understanding that they are significantly bigger than the regular rooms. I have seen it reported that the regular rooms are 364-415 square feet while the one bedroom suites are approximately 740 square feet. We are a family of 3 and we are perfectly happy in the regular room. The rooms are nice. It is really a matter of personal preference, but for us I would take the premium view smaller room and stay in the Disney bubble over a suite with a parking lot view. I know the 1 bedroom suites book up quickly and are really hard to get, so there must be people that absolutely love them!

Suites at the DLH are scattered between all three towers. I suspect that they save the suites in the Adventure Tower for guest that are adding club level services to their rooms, but it still would not be guaranteed.. The nice thing about the 1 bedroom is that it will give you a little private space from each other. You will have a room about the size of a regular room with a couch, tv,and table that connects to a regular room with either a King or Two Queen beds. Some have mini bars, some don't. The ones we have stayed in also have a second half bath in the "living room" area. As others have said, a regular room would be plenty big enough for 3 people. We have had 5 adult size guests in a standard room and did not feel crowded. If the view is going to be important to you, especially if you are going during a busy time, I would for sure book a category that would at least be the minimum to make you happy. I think if you book a standard and hope for a premium view you will be setting yourself up for disappointment. With three people, I think I would choose the premium view, club level. Have a great vacation!

If you book CL your room will be in the same tower as the lounge for sure. Our friends stayed in a Themed Suite in the Adventureland Suite in the Adventure Tower and it was on the CL floor so I suspect a good amount of the Themed Suites are on the CL floor. But I don't think having to take the elevator to another floor for the lounge is a big deal.

While I like the 1-bedroom suites, I ALWAYS prefer the view rooms (we stay at GCH not DLH but I would make the same choice). There is just nothing like waking up and opening the windows and looking out onto the Happiest Place! So I would choose a Park View + Concierge Lounge room over a suite. Your 7-yr old will love the view room!!!

I'm not a DLH expert but we stay at GCH often and I can help with any Resort Hotel questions if you want.
Also, make sure you call the day before and ask the front desk to have some "Magic" waiting for your DGD (usually a signed picture and a button with her name on it). And since you'll be there for a good amount of time - do both the GCH Art of the Craft Hotel Tour & the DLH Hotel Tour and on your day off do the Morning Walk through DCA before it opens - that's available for hotel guests only.

For your DGD: if she is a Build-A-Bear fan take advantage of the private pre-opening hour that they will escort you to (my 6-yr old niece INSISTS on this each time), the kids love the hotel Treasure Hunt and Trivia Challenge that you get at the front desk, and the Movies at Night. At GCH it's on the lawn and at DLR it's by the fireplace. Last time we went my niece did the hotel guest only private Magic Shop "class" at Disneyland and STILL talks about it.

Oh, and if you want to take advantage of your wonderful California weather and do the pool - you can do a half-day cabana rental - you don't have to rent it for a full day. We like to do this for the afternoon so the kids swim in the morning and by the time it's lunchtime and they're tired, we have the cabana and order food and they nap/rest in the cabana and we only pay for half the day! Whooooo.

Y'all have settled my dilemma. I'm switching from 1 bedroom suite to Club Level. We have never regretted our club level stays at WDW.

And thank you for such wonderful advice on some special things to do.

 

[AngiTN]

After much back and forth arguing with myself I ended up canceling our Suite. And instead of springing for Club Level I opted to extend our trip by 1 day. We are now staying 7 nights and have a 5 day PH ticket. This gives us arrival day, departure day and 1 more day to skip the parks and hang out and do other things in the area. We don't want to hit up the other parks but did want time to relax. I'm thinking this will also let us skip the parks on Saturday, or whatever is deemed to be the busiest day of that week.