Paradise Pier Hotel Feedback

[we"reofftoneverland]

Just posting some observations for anyone interested in staying here. We just finished a 4 night stay at PP.

GOOD:
1. extra magic hours: This is honestly the main reason to stay here. We used it 3 times on a 5 day pass. We would have have been able to use it once at a good neighbor hotel-- once would have been fine honestly.
2. cute hotel: upbeat decor, typical fun Disney vibe
3. clean, although not impeccable
4. smells great: Disney is the master of smell and all of their hotels (at least the ones with room entry from interior hallways) smell wonderful and relaxing.
5. Pool has a nice setting, although the pool itself is not spectacular.

POSSIBLE NEGATIVES:
1. Parking is adjacent to the building and even though it is multi-floor, it has no elevator. If you do not drop off your luggage at the front door of the hotel, you will be lugging it down steps to get it to your room. And every time you need something out of your car= same.

2. The staff at guest services is not always friendly. I saw them speak harshly to multiple families who walked up to the desk, telling them before they even said anything that they could check in but rooms were not ready. You could tell the people were taken aback. I do not think they had any notion that their rooms would be ready. The problem is that you have to check in early to get your park passes if you book through Disney Travel. Disney Travel actually tells you this ahead of time. You would think the people working at guest services know this. Guest services was also pretty cold with us when we tried to add an extra day onto our stay. "Absolutely not," and they were not interesting in helping us further. We ended up staying one night at Hyatt Place where the staff was just lovely. Much warmer than the Disney guest services staff ironically. The Hyatt parking is also right under the hotel and continues on the same elevator which makes it very easy to get to your car and also transfer luggage.

3. The walk to the parks is not short. So I would not book PP thinking it will be convenient. We tried to go through the Grand Californian once and got chastised by security. Security asked for our room number and when we told them we were staying at PP, they told us that we had to walk back around through Downtown Disney. People parking in daily parking have a tram pick them up at the beginning of Downtown Disney, but PP guests have to walk through DD and down the street to PP to get "home." It is a strange setup.

4. The monorail was not always working and was often backed up. After two attempts to use the monorail halfway through Downtown Disney, we realized it actually took us less time to just walk to the front of the park.

5. The PP room slept 5, whereas the room at Hyatt Place slept 6. The Hyatt room was overall a larger room. We only needed it for 5, but you could feel the extra space at the Hyatt.

6. No free breakfast at PP. This wasn't a huge deal for us, because we do pop tarts lol, but the Hyatt breakfast was REALLY nice. Management was on it and everything was very well run.

6. There are not a lot of amenities at PP for the price. This wasn't a big deal for us, but we noticed it.

7. PP is expensive, or at least this is my opinion. We paid about $370/night plus parking. The Hyatt was $180/night plus parking. Honestly, in case you cannot tell from my review, next time we wll do the Hyatt the entire time. The Hyatt seemed to be going the extra mile, where PP service was a bit complacent. Also, the clientele was very similar at both hotels, if anyone is worried about that. The Hyatt was also very clean.

Any question, feel free to ask. We had a great time, although the parks were more crowded than we thought they would be, especially Disneyland. We once overheard someone in line behind say, "Thank goodness for the annual pass. I would be mad if I had paid for this on a regular pass." Ugh. We found some of the restaurants in Disneyland to be impossible. Pizza Planet was a mob, and we walked out and ate in Downtown Disney, much more relaxing. We did the same the next day. We did not get maxpass and enjoyed the "old" fastpass system. We miss it at wdw where we are regulars.

 

[Malcon10t]

1. Parking is adjacent to the building and even though it is multi-floor, it has no elevator. If you do not drop off your luggage at the front door of the hotel, you will be lugging it down steps to get it to your room. And every time you need something out of your car= same.

Valet is also available. We generally use bell services and valet to make this easier on me.

2. The staff at guest services is not always friendly. I saw them speak harshly to multiple families who walked up to the desk, telling them before they even said anything that they could check in but rooms were not ready. You could tell the people were taken aback. I do not think they had any notion that their rooms would be ready. The problem is that you have to check in early to get your park passes if you book through Disney Travel. Disney Travel actually tells you this ahead of time. You would think the people working at guest services know this. Guest services was also pretty cold with us when we tried to add an extra day onto our stay. "Absolutely not," and they were not interesting in helping us further.

This time frame they are sold out, so checking in early or adding days is almost impossible. I'm sorry you had a negative experience, we have never had a rude CM at any of the 3 hotels.

3. The walk to the parks is not short. So I would not book PP thinking it will be convenient. We tried to go through the Grand Californian once and got chastised by security. Security asked for our room number and when we told them we were staying at PP, they told us that we had to walk back around through Downtown Disney. People parking in daily parking have a tram pick them up at the beginning of Downtown Disney, but PP guests have to walk through DD and down the street to PP to get "home." It is a strange setup.

Due to the very limited security set up, they had to limit the entrance to GCH guests only. You can however exit the parks thru the Grand, we do this almost every day. If we have left DL, we frequently go thru the Grand to get back to either PPH or the DLH. In the morning, the walk from PPH going over to the entrance by Earl of Sandwich is about 5 mins longer than going thru the Grand.

4. The monorail was not always working and was often backed up. After two attempts to use the monorail halfway through Downtown Disney, we realized it actually took us less time to just walk to the front of the park.

I think it is said by all DL vets, don't use the monorail if you are trying to get in the park quickly. Unlike WDW, the monorail is not for transportation, but is a ride.

5. The PP room slept 5, whereas the room at Hyatt Place slept 6. The Hyatt room was overall a larger room. We only needed it for 5, but you could feel the extra space at the Hyatt.

Yes, Hyatt Place is a suite hotel, larger rooms and Fire Marshall allows 6 because of the larger square footage.

6. No free breakfast at PP. This wasn't a huge deal for us, because we do pop tarts lol, but the Hyatt breakfast was REALLY nice. Management was on it and everything was very well run.

I'm glad you liked Hyatt Place, they do offer a decent breakfast. Most of the regular hotels (Hilton, Marriott, DLR, Hyatt Regency) in the area do not offer breakfast, while the suite hotels (Residecne, Hyatt Place, Homewood Suites, Embassy) do. (When we were at WDW, neither AKL nor the Contemporary offered a breakfast, but like DLR hotels they had restaurants.) If you add club level services to the DLR stay, they do have a very nice food set up all day.

6. There are not a lot of amenities at PP for the price. This wasn't a big deal for us, but we noticed it.

What amenities are you looking for?

7. PP is expensive, or at least this is my opinion. We paid about $370/night plus parking. The Hyatt was $180/night plus parking. Honestly, in case you cannot tell from my review, next time we wll do the Hyatt the entire time. The Hyatt seemed to be going the extra mile, where PP service was a bit complacent. Also, the clientele was very similar at both hotels, if anyone is worried about that. The Hyatt was also very clean.

Both hotels serve a specific group. The times we have stayed at the PPH, we have had great stays and the CMs have been great. I've also enjoyed the Hyatt, but for me, the PPH or DLH offers more of what I am looking for.

Any question, feel free to ask. We had a great time, although the parks were more crowded than we thought they would be, especially Disneyland. me the next day. We did not get maxpass and enjoyed the "old" fastpass system. We miss it at wdw where we are regulars.

When were you there? I know it has been busy, but I think we are used to them. I know the crowds at WDW bothered me a lot. I think a lot of my issues were more that I was out of my element more than the actual crowds. I am surprised about Pizza Port as while sometimes it can seem busy, it is usually pretty quick service even when it is swamped, but then we understand the set up, and there is a ton of seating. Even on NYE, I've always been able to find a table for our group of 10-12.

I'm sorry you didn't enjoy the PPH hotel, but that is why there are so many hotels in the area. You can pick and choose what is important for you! It sounds like PPH wasn't right for you.[/quote][/quote]

 

[we"reofftoneverland]

Valet is also available. We generally use bell services and valet to make this easier on me.

This time frame they are sold out, so checking in early or adding days is almost impossible. I'm sorry you had a negative experience, we have never had a rude CM at any of the 3 hotels.

Due to the very limited security set up, they had to limit the entrance to GCH guests only. You can however exit the parks thru the Grand, we do this almost every day. If we have left DL, we frequently go thru the Grand to get back to either PPH or the DLH. In the morning, the walk from PPH going over to the entrance by Earl of Sandwich is about 5 mins longer than going thru the Grand.

I think it is said by all DL vets, don't use the monorail if you are trying to get in the park quickly. Unlike WDW, the monorail is not for transportation, but is a ride.

Yes, Hyatt Place is a suite hotel, larger rooms and Fire Marshall allows 6 because of the larger square footage.

I'm glad you liked Hyatt Place, they do offer a decent breakfast. Most of the regular hotels (Hilton, Marriott, DLR, Hyatt Regency) in the area do not offer breakfast, while the suite hotels (Residecne, Hyatt Place, Homewood Suites, Embassy) do. (When we were at WDW, neither AKL nor the Contemporary offered a breakfast, but like DLR hotels they had restaurants.) If you add club level services to the DLR stay, they do have a very nice food set up all day.

What amenities are you looking for?

Both hotels serve a specific group. The times we have stayed at the PPH, we have had great stays and the CMs have been great. I've also enjoyed the Hyatt, but for me, the PPH or DLH offers more of what I am looking for.

When were you there? I know it has been busy, but I think we are used to them. I know the crowds at WDW bothered me a lot. I think a lot of my issues were more that I was out of my element more than the actual crowds. I am surprised about Pizza Port as while sometimes it can seem busy, it is usually pretty quick service even when it is swamped, but then we understand the set up, and there is a ton of seating. Even on NYE, I've always been able to find a table for our group of 10-12.

I'm sorry you didn't enjoy the PPH hotel, but that is why there are so many hotels in the area. You can pick and choose what is important for you! It sounds like PPH wasn't right for you.

[/quote][/QUOTE]
The time we tried to enter through GCH and got reprimanded was in the afternoon, so we thought we would be "safe." I read online not to try it in the morning. We did exit through GCH from California adventure once, but we went to Disneyland 4 out of 5 days. We tried to exit from Disneyland/Downtown Disney through GCH once and also got turned away, but not reprimanded. lol. We really felt like busted high school kids. It is a weird system. If they would have let us enter through GCH with a GCH room reservation, there really isn't any reason not to let PP folks through too.
Unfortunately, we don't do valet, so not an option for us.
Just to add, we really liked PP, but it seems like they have a lot of room for improvement. It's a one and done for us.

 

[Skyegirl1999]

[/QUOTE]
The time we tried to enter through GCH and got reprimanded was in the afternoon, so we thought we would be "safe." I read online not to try it in the morning. We did exit through GCH from California adventure once, but we went to Disneyland 4 out of 5 days. We tried to exit from Disneyland/Downtown Disney through GCH once and also got turned away, but not reprimanded. lol. We really felt like busted high school kids. It is a weird system. If they would have let us enter through GCH with a GCH room reservation, there really isn't any reason not to let PP folks through too.
Unfortunately, we don't do valet, so not an option for us.[/QUOTE]
You can’t ever go through GCH hotel to get into the parks anymore. There’s no time of day that it’s ok; you have to be a guest or have a restaurant reservation to get in the front entrance.

You can walk from DTD into the Grand anytime, though, so that doesn’t make sense...

 

[tink89]

The time we tried to enter through GCH and got reprimanded was in the afternoon, so we thought we would be "safe." I read online not to try it in the morning. We did exit through GCH from California adventure once, but we went to Disneyland 4 out of 5 days. We tried to exit from Disneyland/Downtown Disney through GCH once and also got turned away, but not reprimanded. lol. We really felt like busted high school kids. It is a weird system. If they would have let us enter through GCH with a GCH room reservation, there really isn't any reason not to let PP folks through too.
Unfortunately, we don't do valet, so not an option for us.[/QUOTE]
You can’t ever go through GCH hotel to get into the parks anymore. There’s no time of day that it’s ok; you have to be a guest or have a restaurant reservation to get in the front entrance.

You can walk from DTD into the Grand anytime, though, so that doesn’t make sense...[/QUOTE]

When we were there in December we entered the GCH many times through DtD. and we entered through DCA in to GCH also. Sometimes we had a reservation but it was never asked for. We never tried entering through the front entrance because we were staying AT DLH and we knew that only guest staying at GCH could use that entrace in the AM.

 

[DisIvyCo]

Usually when we go we stay at the Candy Cane Inn, but in June we will be staying at PP. Apparently I have stayed there when I was young but I don't remember so this will be a "first" for me.

Thank you for your honesty! I have heard some things about the hotel, especially the walk due to not being able to enter into GCA. I heard that you could only enter the hotel from DCA, but other than that its off limits to enter without staying there due to security. They said it because the Vegas hotel shooting, which is why they are on more high alert at the moment.

 

[Malcon10t]

There’s no time of day that it’s ok; you have to be a guest or have a restaurant reservation to get in the front entrance.

You can walk from DTD into the Grand anytime, though, so that doesn’t make sense...

When we were there in December we entered the GCH many times through DtD. and we entered through DCA in to GCH also. Sometimes we had a reservation but it was never asked for. We never tried entering through the front entrance because we were staying AT DLH and we knew that only guest staying at GCH could use that entrace in the AM.

The above has been our experience also. Entering the GCH from either DTD or DCA, I have never been questioned (done it at LEAST 100 times.)

But you need a hotel reservation or a dining reservation to enter the front doors of the Grand. (Exit all you want!)

 

[Malcon10t]

If they would have let us enter through GCH with a GCH room reservation, there really isn't any reason not to let PP folks through too.

Actually, there is. The bag check area is very limited. It was overwhelmed before when they were allowing everyone thru. So, they made it a benefit of staying at the GCH. People staying there are paying $600-800 a night, so it is a small amenity offered to them. Adding another 2,500 people being allowed to use the entrance would overwhelm it.

I heard that you could only enter the hotel from DCA, but other than that its off limits to enter without staying there due to security. They said it because the Vegas hotel shooting, which is why they are on more high alert at the moment.

You can also enter from DTD by Sephora.

 

[emmybee]

The walk to DL from PPH via the checkpoint by the sandwich spot is not at all a big deal. It was always a pleasant stroll, and I enjoy walking through DT Disney. Sure it was nice to go through the Grand, but it is not a catastrophic loss like I first feared. My husband won't consider hotels across the street despite my lobbying for newer hotels w/ more space at less cost. It's understandable that others have different priorities.

 

[blackjackdelta]

The way they do security now make alot of sense. If you are not a paying guest of GCH, they do not want you come thru the front entrance, many times we have stayed at the Grand it made a huge cluster with people checking in. I love it. If that gripes anyone, make a reservation.

Jack

 

[we"reofftoneverland]

Definitely not trying to detract from people staying at GCH, just commenting on how it felt staying at PP. The situation felt awkward. We are athletic, so the walk wasn't the end of the world for us, but it felt half-baked, like there was a better way to go, especially for the price. Maybe they could make the entrance at GCH larger. I do not have the answers.

 

[sherilaine]

The reasons you listed are the exact reason we will pay way less for way more to stay somewhere else. Disney is in high demand and quite honestly they do not have to be nice, they do not have to care, they are full up and honestly you are lucky they take your money in most instances. I get why they do not let people go through the GCH as people staying there are really getting hosed so they should at least get some perks from it. I just think it's good you are warning people that staying at the PP is NOT close - the walk from the HOJO is no longer than yours would have been.

Glad you found the place you will return next visit - having had this experience will make you appreciate it even more!

 

[blackjackdelta]

"Getting hosed" The GCH is always packed so there must be many people loke behosed. And I hate the term "worth it" my "worth it" woll be much different then most folks like to stay off site. I have been going a very long time and I am not happy about the way many things have gone with Disneyland, very unhappy.

Jack

 

[we"reofftoneverland]

Usually when we go we stay at the Candy Cane Inn, but in June we will be staying at PP. Apparently I have stayed there when I was young but I don't remember so this will be a "first" for me.

Thank you for your honesty! I have heard some things about the hotel, especially the walk due to not being able to enter into GCA. I heard that you could only enter the hotel from DCA, but other than that its off limits to enter without staying there due to security. They said it because the Vegas hotel shooting, which is why they are on more high alert at the moment.

I am sure you will have a great time regardless!

 

[Malcon10t]

The way they do security now make alot of sense. If you are not a paying guest of GCH, they do not want you come thru the front entrance, many times we have stayed at the Grand it made a huge cluster with people checking in. I love it. If that gripes anyone, make a reservation.

Jack

Another side of it is other than guests who are checking in or those who have a dining reservation, people in the hotel have passed thru security to get into the hotel. Since non-guests can only enter the hotel by exiting an area that has been screened, it could be it does keep it slightly more secure.

 

[agamble]

Usually when we go we stay at the Candy Cane Inn, but in June we will be staying at PP. Apparently I have stayed there when I was young but I don't remember so this will be a "first" for me.

Thank you for your honesty! I have heard some things about the hotel, especially the walk due to not being able to enter into GCA. I heard that you could only enter the hotel from DCA, but other than that its off limits to enter without staying there due to security. They said it because the Vegas hotel shooting, which is why they are on more high alert at the moment.

They began only allowing those staying at the Grand to use the entrance when they changed security around. That was before the Las Vegas shooting.