Paradise Pier

[TX2WDW]

We are going to Disneyland for the first time this summer, and we have decided to stay at Paradise Pier. I would appreciate any little known secrets and/or advice. Thanks in advance!

 

[SeiterClan]

Following as we are staying there for the first time this summer too!

 

[KRW321]

It has been a couple years since I’ve stayed at Paradise Pier, but here’s what I would recommend.

The biggest piece of advice I would give you is to walk to Downtown Disney if you’re heading into Disneyland Park first. If you are going to California Adventure, there is a shortcut you can take through the Grand Californian Hotel to get to the park.

I believe out of the 3 on-property Disney hotels, Paradise Pier has the largest guest rooms (usually with 2 queen beds and 1 twin bed).

There is a rooftop swimming pool, which is a good place to watch the fireworks sometimes since the soundtrack of the fireworks can be heard at the pool area.

If you get a upper theme park view from your room, you may be able to catch the backside of World of Color.

I believe there is a mini movie theater that shows Mickey Mouse shorts for kids, and there is an arcade as well.

Surf’s Up is a character breakfast that my family does every time we stay at Paradise. It is one of the more expensive character breakfast that the DLR offers, however. It includes the standard Mickey waffles, fruit, French toast, smoothies, omelets, flatbreads, etc. The characters have been fantastic to meet, and the ones we encountered have been: Mickey, Minnie, Pluto, Daisy, Stitch, and even Lilo.

There is a very small cafe area that my family did every morning to save time and money for breakfast as we headed into the parks. It serves similar foods to a standard coffee shop. There is also a small lounging area to eat there if you are not in a rush.

 

[ParkHopper1]

If you are going to California Adventure, there is a shortcut you can take through the Grand Californian Hotel to get to the park.

That shortcut is no longer available due to the new security configuration. Only registered GCH guests or confirmed dining reservations can enter the GCH lobby from the street. All Non-GCH guests need to enter DTD by DLH and Earl of Sandwich. Only adds about 3 min to the average walk. Up side is that the esplanade security checkpoint is gone and you easily make up that 3 min at the typically quicker new checkpoint entering DTD.

You can still however exit through the GCH to go back to the PPH as a shortcut for the return trip.

 

[Disney Dory]

We stayed at the PPH a few years ago and the rooms did feel larger than the rooms we've had at the DLH, however, we did have some issues waiting for the elevators at the PPH. Maybe someone has a good tip to share on catching the elevators right, but we seemed to have to wait, and wait, and wait some more just to get on to the elevators! Other than that, the walk was nice to the park as we were able to use the shortcut through the Grand at that time.

 

[ParkHopper1]

Maybe someone has a good tip to share on catching the elevators right, but we seemed to have to wait, and wait, and wait some more just to get on to the elevators!

They have since installed "smart" elevators where you punch in your desired floor in the lobby then you are assigned an elevator car. While not perfect, it has greatly improved the elevator chaos that once ensued at peak times and made it much more efficient

 

[lizzytizzy]

That shortcut is no longer available due to the new security configuration. Only registered GCH guests or confirmed dining reservations can enter the GCH lobby from the street. All Non-GCH guests need to enter DTD by DLH and Earl of Sandwich. Only adds about 3 min to the average walk. Up side is that the esplanade security checkpoint is gone and you easily make up that 3 min at the typically quicker new checkpoint entering DTD.

You can still however exit through the GCH to go back to the PPH as a shortcut for the return trip.

Can you use the shortcut after 11 AM?

 

[ParkHopper1]

Can you use the shortcut after 11 AM?

No.

Anyone can enter the GCH from DTD or DCA, but the front entrance into the GCH lobby from the street is restricted to GHC guests only at all times. There is now a guard at the street corner checking room keys and name lists. PPH guests now have to walk around through DTD.

Since they added the security checkpoints in the breezeway between GCH and DTD enveloping DTD, they now restrict who can use the GCH as a shortcut to keep those checkpoints from getting backed up for the actual GCH guests.

 

[jbh275]

There are security guards out on the street corner near the PPH intersection. They will not even allow you into the lobby.

 

[Disney Dory]

They have since installed "smart" elevators where you punch in your desired floor in the lobby then you are assigned an elevator car. While not perfect, it has greatly improved the elevator chaos that once ensued at peak times and made it much more efficient

Thank you so much for sharing this information! I'm glad to hear that they have improved the elevator service!

 

[mom2rtk]

We stayed after the installation of the smart elevators and had our most trouble ever with them. It didn't solve anything for us. My recommendation is to ask for a top floor (so the elevator will be mostly empty when it gets to you, which will at least help on the trip out) or better yet, ask for a lower floor and take the stairs. We finally ended up taking the stairs from our 5th floor room every single time. The elevator just wasn't worth the hassle, even with the new "smart" system.

Yes, you will have to enter the parks through DTD. But keep in mind nobody knows yet how that route might be affected once construction gets under way this summer. Earl of Sandwich closes on 6/30 I believe.

 

[Sagginit]

I loved it there! It used to be another hotel before Disney go it so I was a bit surprised at the layout and tall tower as I'm used to WDW resorts. The elevators were annoying. There are three so sometimes you need to hover in the lobby behind people to see where each one is (if you can after they became smart, I stayed there before that). The fireworks from the pool deck were great. I know they do projections in park but it was a nice way to spend our first night there.

If you are two adults and want a King put in a request ASAP. I booked and it said two queens or king. I didn't know how to request but most places with families usually have plenty of king beds. Well there was a convention there and all the King rooms were booked. Depending on the time of year you go b/c you have to walk thru DTD you might plan to eat dinner there after the park. We went in the fall when parks closed at 9. We were doing rope drop and with the time difference were ready to go to bed by 9. We left the parks a bit before close on days we didn't want to see the nighttime stuff and had a quick dinner on our way back to the hotel.

There is a mini-fridge but the microwave when we were there was just one in the lobby, so a huge queue after the park closes. Keep that in mind if you plan on heating up leftovers or having food in your room.