Paradise Pier for a first time DL family trip?

[DisMama31]

I go to Disney World 2 times and year and love to be completely immersed in everything "Disney". We always stay on property. So I am taking my first ever Disneyland trip in April with my entire family (6 adults and 3 kids), we are booked to stay at Paradise Pier but I have read mixed reviews. What is everyones opinion of this hotel? I was very interested in the Disneyland hotel but it was so expensive for a 7 night stay. Should I stick with Paradise Pier or look into good neighbor hotels? Of note my parents will be with (early 60's) and kids age 3,5,8. Thanks.

 

[Darkbeer1]

There is a BIG Difference between WDW and the Disneyland Resort.

The Paradise Pier Hotel was originally a Japanese Business Hotel bought by Disney, and is not very Disney, especially the Pool area. It is also the farthest out and the walk is about 3/4 of a mile (Disney does not offer any sort of Transportation from the Hotels to the park entrance)

The Hotel room views include a lot of the city of Anaheim, and not just Disney property, since it is in the middle of a Urban area.

To me, it isn't worth it to stay on property, as many off-Property Hotels can be found in the same 3/4 mile range to the park entrance area.

With your group, I would look at something like the Residence Inn on Clementine or the Tower version on Katella. Nice Large Rooms/suites, comes with a Kitchen, and a nice free Breakfast. Also access to basic shopping at places like CVS and Walgreens.

 

[azdisneylover]

Our first trip as a family, we stayed at the Paradise Pier Hotel. It was fun for the kids and we all had a good time. The elevators can be quite slow during morning and evening rush. I don't know when in April you are going, but if you are going at the end of April, you might want to consider going during Dapper Days. Dress up a bit and get a great picture! We have done it and it is nice to have everyone looking so good at Disneyland! You can get a decent rate on a room too. I would suggest the Disneyland Hotel since the Grand is under refurbishment, otherwise, I would say, stay at the Grand!

 

[PoohsFan1]

We stayed there for one night in June and we really liked the hotel. We did have an upper floor Theme Park View which showed all of PP. My kids loved the pool and we really enjoyed the breakfast at Surf's Up. As for Disney themed, it does have some Disneyish things in the hotel, for example, the Goofy statue in the lobby, but it isn't like being at the DLH where everything is themed Disney. Now, with that said, we are going back for 8 nights during Christmas and New Years this year (yes we are crazy) and we are staying at the PPH again because it is the cheapest hotel. Now if a deal comes out, before we leave, for the DLH we may jump on that (I may even upgrade to a upper floor Theme Park view at PPH again), but if there isn't a deal, I am happy to be staying at PPH again .

 

[Angrose]

We just stayed at the PPH for the first time in mid-Dec. I have stayed at DLH twice before. I thought PPH was a perfectly fine alternative since we could not afford the DLH this time around. I really wanted to be close to DTD and the Grand so that we could take advantage of walking around there in the evenings when we weren’t in the parks. When I stay offsite I tend to not spend very much time in DTD or at the Disney hotels and I wanted this trip to be more immersive. The PPH worked for this purpose. Yes, the other two hotels are much nicer and PPH does not have that WOW factor but we enjoyed it for what it is. Oh, and we had connecting rooms with my mom and sister which made it feel really spacious.


About the pools…we only spent one afternoon at the PPH pool and it was perfectly fine, but it definitely does not live up to DLH or Grand standards! If you want, you could rent a cabana at the DLH for a half day to take advantage of those fun pools. I want to say it was around $200 for a half day rental and it accommodates 6 people, so if your entire group was going then you would need to get two cabanas. You can make your reservation 60 days in advance.


Regarding Dapper Day, you can get a discounted rate if you will participate in Dapper Day which is April 22-23. You can book the discounted rate up to a week before or a week after, but at least one day of your stay needs to overlap with their dates. Here is a link their website http://dapperday.com/


Hope you have a fun trip!

 

[GatorChris]

On our first trip to DL after 7 trips in 10 years to WDW, we stayed at PPH. Everyone had told us to stay across the street on Harbor, but I just couldn't accept not staying in a Disney hotel after staying onsite in Orlando all those years. It just didn't compute in my brain.

We did stay and it was a good fit for us. However, it was very pricey compared to Good Neighbor hotels and even compared to the moderate Disney hotels we stayed in at WDW. I'll say this: you won't feel the bubble at DL like you do at WDW. I can't explain why....you just don't. I've stayed at PPH and at DLH and I've not felt the bubble. I have a feeling that the Grand Cali helps you feel the bubble because of the theming and the fact you don't have to walk through a commercial area to get to the parsk. But that place is out of control with pricing.

All in all, PPH would be a safe pick for you, even though I'd say you'll be just as happy at the HoJo or Tropicana Inn or somewhere close by.

 

[EsmeCullen]

I'm staying at the PPH in Feb for the first time. What I like about DL hotels is that you can have your purchases sent to the hotel so you don't have to carry them around everywhere. That, the EMH and the fact that it is the least costly of the three park hotels is why I reserved it. You just have to weigh your pros and cons.

 

[DisMama31]

Thank you wveryone! This makes me feel much better about our choice. I am traveling with 3 little boys so I don't need a fancy hotel by any means, just something clean, fairly close, with a Disney feel.

 

[Aimeedyan]

We stayed at PPH on our first DL trip in November and really loved it.

When we were planning our trip, I struggled to find an offsite hotel that met my vacation "standards". I really wanted interior hallways, decent amenities, onsite dining/bar, and a king bed. The closest I could find was still $200/night, and we could stay at PPH for the same price. The onsite perks were obviously worth something so it made PPH a no brainer.

The way some talked about it on here I thought we would be roughing it but it was a great hotel. We had no issues with elevators, our room was huge, the beachy decor was fun, and the jet across to the park was easy.

 

[DisMama31]

We stayed at PPH on our first DL trip in November and really loved it.

When we were planning our trip, I struggled to find an offsite hotel that met my vacation "standards". I really wanted interior hallways, decent amenities, onsite dining/bar, and a king bed. The closest I could find was still $200/night, and we could stay at PPH for the same price. The onsite perks were obviously worth something so it made PPH a no brainer.

The way some talked about it on here I thought we would be roughing it but it was a great hotel. We had no issues with elevators, our room was huge, the beachy decor was fun, and the jet across to the park was easy.

This is great to hear, thank you! As far as dining options and bar can you tell me what is exactly in the hotel? I have read about the reastaraunt PCH Grill, but is there a quick service type of option? Bar/lounge area? Coffee counter? Thanks for your help.

 

[3TinksAndAnEeyore]

The DISUnplugged did a podcast review of the PPH. Here's the link: http://www.disboards.com/threads/di...show-sundays-7pm.2855816/page-2#post-45994688. The link is in post #35. They've done several podcasts about the dining choices at the resort, too.

 

[Darkbeer1]

This is great to hear, thank you! As far as dining options and bar can you tell me what is exactly in the hotel? I have read about the reastaraunt PCH Grill, but is there a quick service type of option? Bar/lounge area? Coffee counter? Thanks for your help.

There is a combination area next to the front desk that serves coffee, alcoholic drinks and snacks/sandwiches called the Surfside Lounge

On the 3rd floor pool deck, there is a bar called The Sand Deck, that is only open in the Summer.

But that is it, you could walk south to Katella Avenue and eat at Coco's, Tangerine Grill at the Anabella, and then Tiffy's, which tends to not get many recommendations. Or head to Downtown Disney or the Dinseyland Hotel options.

 

[PatMcDuck]

i like PP quite a bit, I have stayed there 4-5X. Unfortunately, you can not currently just cross the street to GC to use the entrances there to DD, DL via DD, or DCA.

I always have had the DCA view, which is REALLY a GREAT view, and a bookable view, no stress about getting it or not.

 

[Steven G]

I stayed once there. We had the paradise pier view which was very nice, I could watch world of color from my room.

For me, it's a perfectly nice hotel, just a bit too expensive for what it is.

And yeah, now that security is blocking the main entrance to the grand Californian to only hotel guests and people with reservations at restaurants, the shorter way into the parks is no more, so that's now a distinct negative to pph.

 

[rentayenta]

We just had a terrific stay at the PPH. I was hesitant to stay there as we have been spoiled with the GCV. We stayed 3 nights in a theme park view concierge level. The room was bright and cherry and the service was awesome. At the time we could still cut through the Grand so I am unsure how that will effect your stay. I'd rather stay at the PPH than any of the Good Neighbor Hotels. Having access to EMH is a total bonus especially because all of April is Spring Break and pretty crowded.

 

[hsmamato2]

we walked to a character breakfast there..... it was NOT like an onsite WDW property at all,it's back behind DTD,and across a busy street. And as noted- getting back to parks requires a fairly long walk around,thru security at entrance to DTD, no shortcuts. I'd either stay offsite(but much much closer to parks) or at the hotel that's right there in the middle of it all. Not impressed with the layout of where this hotel is. I'm a WDW vet BTW.

 

[DisMama31]

I was able to get 20% off of the Disneyland Hotel with a promotion and changed our reservations from PP to DL Hotel! So excited for 7 nights at the DL hotel in April! What is everyone's favorite thing about the disneyland hotel?

 

[Aladora]

I was able to get 20% off of the Disneyland Hotel with a promotion and changed our reservations from PP to DL Hotel! So excited for 7 nights at the DL hotel in April! What is everyone's favorite thing about the disneyland hotel?

I love the headboards at DLH!

 

[amyg1975]

I was able to get 20% off of the Disneyland Hotel with a promotion and changed our reservations from PP to DL Hotel! So excited for 7 nights at the DL hotel in April! What is everyone's favorite thing about the disneyland hotel?

What was the promotion? I can get 15% off with Orbitz, but 20% would be better!

 

[bumbershoot]

You changed? Aw man. I would have gone PPH over DLH.

And yeah, now that security is blocking the main entrance to the grand Californian to only hotel guests and people with reservations at restaurants, the shorter way into the parks is no more, so that's now a distinct negative to pph.

It's not a *negative*. It's how it has been signed all these years. Plenty of people have followed those signs, not overthinking it, and have a perfectly fine time going to and from the parks. It's a perceived negative because you had a shortcut, but remember there used to be an ACTUAL entrance for PPH people into DCA, that was taken away even before my first stay at DL (which was in '07), and it didn't make me not go there.

I mapped it once, and yes, through the Grand is shorter to the center of the esplanade at .47 mile vs following the signs from PPH at .63 mile.

But if the OP is put in Frontier Tower, as we were once (and it was a lovely tower that I wouldn't reject in the future), well, that's .55 mile from the center of the esplanade. So....