Need some input - Paradise Pier

[Karlzmom]

I need some input from the DL'rs who have stayed at PP. What WDW hotel is it comparable to? I'm considering springing for it in Feb on an AP rate, but not certain its really worth it. I stay deluxe at the world...the YC is our favorite, but I always manage to score a great deal when we go. I'm seeing that DL hotels are much more expensive..and really am not sure the $$$ best spent there. So give me the good, bad and ugly. Also, how is the CL at PP? The $$ difference doesn't appear to be that much over a "normal" room...and we LOVED the CL at the YC in Sept.

If you have a reason to rave about another onsite DL hotel, please let me know.

TIA!

 

[grumpy's fan]

We've always stayed at the WL in WDW and PP is not comparable IMO. We recently stayed at the PP in November, used a special Expedia rate that was much better than the AP rate. Staff was nice and friendly, hotel clean but elevators excrutiatingly slow. We were on 9th floor and my DD often wanted to walk up the stairs to avoid the long wait - and that was after all day at the park. Room was spacious and clean, but loud. Could hear neighbors talking and TVs in their rooms next door. It was nice to have early entry while we were there but we won't stay again for that perk. Just read that they changed the character dining meal to include Mickey and friends so that is a bonus.

 

[DirkLogan]

We stayed there because we wanted to experience the on-site "magic" but choked on the other hotels price tags. It was nice, but not worth the money in my opinion. The pool is ok, the slide is lame. It is quite a distance from the parks, parking is good. The rooms were good, decent mattresses and linens, clean all the stuff you would expect. I just didn't think it was worth the price tag when compared to some of the near by hotels. I would compare it to the Days Inn that is south of Disneyland a mile or two in quality.

 

[Ctsplaysinrain]

We stayed in October. At first, I was a little bummed because I really wanted to Stay Grand California but this was very,very last minute and it was booked. I was expecting the hotel to be holiday inn quality based on reviews here and such but I was very surprised... IMO, it reminded me of Beach Club rooms at WDW. Our room even had a daybed.

 

[bumbershoot]

I've read that the concierge level is better than that at the DLH. And unlike what I've read at WDW, at DL resort concierge level, you can take the bottles of water with you.

Every room has the daybeds, but they look SO much like couches and have such a strange mechanism, that even though I KNEW they were daybeds, it took me three stays to finally figure it out.

Don't take the normal elevator; take the glass elevator. It's sort of sticking out there in the middle of the lobby. If you have a bit of a problem with heights, just put your back to the 'view' and avoid looking at any other reflective surfaces (that's how I can ride it). If you have serious height fears...don't ride that elevator, of course.

To get to the parks, just go out the front door, walk to the crosswalk, go into Grand Cal. At that point, the walk is only as far as from the Grand.

Whatever you do, do NOT follow the signs inside the hotel to the parks/DTD, b/c that will take you a long time. If you really want to take the monorail in to Tomorrowland, then follow those signs, but if you have luck like us, you'll do that and the monorail will be down/closed, and you'll have to walk all the way through the mall, er, DTD, anyway.

I haven't stayed at WDW yet, but I actually really like PPH. On our dime we've only stayed when they've had a cheapie rate...my SIL paid for a night for me and DS at a rate higher than I would have paid...it's been worth it. Having now stayed at DLH concierge and at the Grand, I would say that PPH is my fave onsite DLR place.

 

[disney-super-mom]

We love staying at the Paradise Pier. Out of all the Disneyland hotels, we feel we get the most bang for our buck here. The rooms are large and very nicely decorated with Disney beach/surfing accents, the beds are comfortable, the pool area is cute with a boardwalk/beachy theme, and the slide is great. Our active boys love it! There's a nice view of the fireworks from the pool deck area as well, and they even pipe in the music. Room service is also great with wonderful food quality.

I LOVED our upper themepark view room here. The view was AWESOME!

We've also had a standard view room before (overlooking the pool area), but we much prefer the themepark view from an upper floor.

I've heard others complain of slow elevators here several times, but I have to say, we've never experienced slow elevators ourselves. I don't know why. Maybe we're just lucky.

Hmmmmm, which WDW hotel is it most like? Well, that's hard to say because the hotels at WDW are more like resorts with expansive grounds, whereas the Paradise Pier is a large, single building hotel with no grounds really. At WDW, I've stayed at Saratoga Springs (in a studio), Coronado Springs, and All Stars Movies. Our rooms at the Paradise Pier were definitely larger and nicer than the newly redone rooms at Coronado Springs (although for a moderate resort, the new rooms at Coronado Springs are lovely and comfortable). And actually, due to the floor plan of a studio at Saratoga, I would say we are more comfortable space wise in a room at the Paradise Pier as well.

 

[bumbershoot]

I meant to mention...the NICE thing about the slide is that, since it does not empty into the pool, smaller kids can go on it! CA laws differ from FL laws, and the other pool slides at DLR don't allow the little bitty ones who still need/want to wear life vests. But since the one at PPH doesn't empty into a deep body of water, and someone can stand at the end to help the child out, littler kids can slide. So that's nice!

 

[Karlzmom]

Thanks for the input....I do believe i'm going to have to think this through a bit more....

 

[disney-super-mom]

Yes, like Molly (bumbershoot) was explaining, your three year old would be able to use the big water slide at the Paradise Pier for sure. Although the slide is fairly long (the longest water slide out of all the Disneyland hotels) it's rather mild speed wise, so the littlier ones can use it without getting scared.

However, if he can't swim without a lifevest, then he won't be able to use the big water slides at the Disneyland Hotel or the Grand Californian.

But I wouldn't at all worry about the actual rooms or the Paradise Pier hotel itself. The Paradise Pier is very nice and certainly feels on par with the Disneyland hotel. The rooms are just as nice as the other Disneyland hotels, and definitey larger than the rooms at the Grand Californian. The Grand Californian is right across the street, and if you stay at the Paradise Pier, you will end up walking through the Grand Californian everyday to and from the parks, so you will still be able to enjoy the beautiful lobby even though you aren't staying there.


Here is our room number when we stayed in an upper themepark view room. See how the room numbers are on a cute surf board.

Looking at room from entry hall (standing in front of the closet).

Entertainment cabinet/dresser (mini-fridge located behind the left hand door) with Mickey lifeguard lamp on top and sofa bed to the right.

Close up of desk area with sun mirror and lighthouse lamp.

Close up of carpet in room. (Looks kind of like waves and bubbles).

Bathroom Vanity.

View from room looking slightly to the left over the Grand Californian and Disneyland (notice you can see the Matterhorn and Space Mountain).

View from room straight ahead and slightly to the right looking over California Adventure. Can you imagine watching the World of Color (new show to start in Spring 2010) from here at night?!!! Breathtaking.

 

[disney-super-mom]

Here's a couple more pictures.


Closeup of hallway carpet in the hotel. Looks like Mickey's Fun Wheel.

We were there during Halloween, and so even the rubber duckies came in costume.

This picture gives a better view of the sofa and the lamp and side table (shaped like a surf board) in the corner. You can also see the picture better, which shows a little different version of Paradise Pier in California Adventure.

The water slide.

My then three year old climbing out of the water trough at the bottom of the water slide. He went down the slide probably two hundred times in four days.

 

[honugirl]

Personally I liked Paradise Pier. The one thing I didn't like was the elevators. I had an ECV and I'd play the elevator game every morning... usually it took me 30 minutes + to get one. I didn't really have a choice to use the stairs, or I would have from the 8th floor. The evenings aren't as bad (maybe 'cause we stayed in the parks really late). The glass elevator is nice, but there's no button if you want to catch it from your floor. You can only go up from the lobby in it.

 

[bumbershoot]

The glass elevator is nice, but there's no button if you want to catch it from your floor. You can only go up from the lobby in it.

There are buttons on some floors. 2 stays we've used it up and down. The last stay, however, no button on the floor we were on. Meant to ask, but it was a one night stay, no time.

 

[sonnyjane]

Disney Super-Mom, when did you stay at PPH? It looks like your shampoo bottles do NOT have the cute little Mickey ears???

 

[bumbershoot]

That's what our toiletries during our '07 trip looked like, FWIW. Trip last summer had the mickey tops (same with, I think, our '08 stay).

 

[honugirl]

There are buttons on some floors. 2 stays we've used it up and down. The last stay, however, no button on the floor we were on. Meant to ask, but it was a one night stay, no time.

There's no button on floor #8. I know that! There was a guy working on it when I was there last and he said that there's no floors with buttons. You can only go up in it, so that's where I got that info. Maybe they took the buttons out of service? Who knows. This was back in November.

 

[disney-super-mom]

Disney Super-Mom, when did you stay at PPH? It looks like your shampoo bottles do NOT have the cute little Mickey ears???

It was in late October/early November 2007.

 

[sonnyjane]

It was in late October/early November 2007.

Whew! Okay. As pathetic as it may sound, I am inching ever nearer (thanks to the enablers here) to booking at either PPH or DLH and the Mickey toiletries are on my "pro" list lol!

 

[boiseflyfisher]

There are buttons on some floors. 2 stays we've used it up and down. The last stay, however, no button on the floor we were on. Meant to ask, but it was a one night stay, no time.

I believe the buttons are on the concierge designated floors.

 

[Karlzmom]

Disney Super-Mom- Thanks so much for the pics! They look amazing....hmm....need to talk to DH. My biggest hesitation is that I have some "freebie" rooms at nearby hotels, and to stay offsite would be free. If it were simply the matter of $30 I think I'd give it a chance in a heartbeat based on what I see.

Its my b-day trip....might be my only opportunity to convince hubby to spring for it. I'd love the GC, but not in the budget at all....and I can't figure out why DLH is sooo expensive....must be the name

 

[I'm_Wishing]

This is my opinion so take it for what it is worth. If you are used to staying at deluxe resorts then you may be disappointed with PP. We have only been to WDW once and stayed at the GF. So we cannot compare the YC to the PP for you. We have stayed at all the on-site hotels at DL and PP is our least favorite. The concierge lounge is the least crowded one we have ever been in. The staff CM's there are some of the most helpful and friendliest we have met. But that could be because of the lack of clientele. We were told that most people staying there are there for the value and do not splurge for the concierge level. The food there was the usual for DL. Although the lounge does not stay open as late as the other hotels there. The walk to the hotel did seem to get longer every day. We asked why it was so far away for a Disney hotel and were told that it actually was built by a Japanese company that eventually sold the building to Disney. And were also told that this is why the hotel has a 13th floor. The elevators are slow, but we did not seem to wait overly long. The glass elevator is for concierge level floors so it helps a little. Definitely request a resort view.
With all this being said, it is a Disney hotel, and part of visiting disney for us is staying where you get some 'magic' while at your hotel.