PP experiences?

[ByTheHook]

Okay, as long as I'm at it, could you also tell me about your experiences (good and bad, please) at PP? Tell me anything memorable, random, frustrating, etc. about your stay there. Room appearance, noise, parking, pool, amenitites, customer service, etc.-- sky's the limit. ;-)

Thanks again for your help here.

 

[disney-super-mom]

We've had a great time there last year, and we're going back this year!

Great experience, from check in, to the sevice of the CM's, to the pool, and watching the "Wishes" fireworks show from the pool deck with the music piped in, all the while relaxing and having a glass of wine.....it was PERFECT! (to NOT have to fight the crowds for a good spot, and then walk with the herd of people to get out of the park after the fireworks...priceless!)

We LOVED the pool area for our little guys (ages 7 & 3 at the time). The slide there empties the kids into a catch-trough instead of a pool, so there's no swimming required. Plus the wading pool is located right next to the slide, so our kids could go from one to the other easily. Also, the lifeguards there crowned our 3 year old "King of the Slide". They made an announcement to everyone there with a bullhorn, then put a leigh around his neck, and then they took a picture to capture the moment. It was cute and fun!

The rooms there are large and comfortable. We had no problems with our room or housekeeping, and everything seemed to be in great condition. The decor of the rooms is very cheerful as well.

Our room overlooked the pool/slide area. Okay, so it also overlooked a parking structure behind the pool area, but so what. It was still great to be there. Also, I don't recall any noise issues at all.

The room service was quick (we ordered it everynight we were there for dinner) and the food was really GOOD. (Although the menu is limited).

Can you tell we enjoyed our stay there? We'll let you know how it goes this October/November.

 

[lisadoll93]

We have always had great time when we have stayed there. The staff has always been super nice. Check in is so much quick than DLH. The theme park view is unbelievable!!! We watch the electrical parade from over room. We got to see Lighting Mcqueen and Mater driving around the backlot.

The character breakfast is good. Its not as crowded as Goofys. so the character interaction was very one on one. The rooms are a little smaller than DLH but they still are a very good size.

The walk to the park is not that bad. I do not like walking across harbor with a ton of people while pushing a double stroller with 3 tired kids and a cranky dh.

It is great hotel, that does not get enough credit. We will stay there again in a heartbeat. We have stayed there 4 times, DLH 3 times, GC (Oct for the first time).

 

[ShawnaF]

Staff is great, not quite as high level as the other two hotels but still very nice. Room service isn't as good - not even close, even VP told us after some problems that they were still trying to work on some issues - but nice. The rooms aren't as well insulated for noise as the other two, but you can sleep - we had been living in a very remote area with NO noise around us so that made things more difficult. The rooms are newer and nicer than the DLH, so that is a nice perk. Pool is great and the Lilo & Stitch breakfast is great too.

 

[shoppingmom]

We have only ever stayed at PP and we love it. The first trip we had a slight view of CA but last fall we paid for the park view and it was unbelievable! The staff were great, the rooms were large, the service was just perfect. We weren't doing the Lilo Character Meal but the hostess allowed our dd to get her picture taken with a few characters because she was wearing a birthday button. We haven't stayed at the other two resort hotels so I am slightly biased. For the amount of time we actually spent in the room but at the same time wanted to be in a resort hotel PP was the perfect choice. We also used the pool a couple of times and it was great. We are heading back next fall and will do PP again! We ate in the restaurant with Lilo Meal for supper late one night (no characters) but the food was awesome.

 

[silence]

We were at the PP in May. We had also stayed at the DLH, which I prefer after both stays.

There was nothing "wrong" with PP, but we definately felt the MAGIC much more at the DLH. The decor isn't very "Disney" in my opinion.

We were on the 3rd or 5th (can't remember!) floor facing the parks (same floor as the pool, but facing the other side). Couldn't really see anything, but then we didn't have a "view" room booked.

Personally, if we are going to pay to stay on site again, we'll stay at DLH or GC. Otherwise, we'll save some money and stay off site.

 

[CamColt]

I've stayed there twice and have great experiences both times. I don't think I can come up with one negative. If I can't get a good rate for the Grand Californian on our next trip I will likely be staying there again.

Oh wait, I do have a negative...they do not have a laundry room which would be useful, but I lived without it.

 

[Phalene]

I've stayed there a few times, the first when it was still the Pan Pacific, I think.

I've always been very happy with the service and the room. Its not quite as Disneyfied as the other 2 hotels, but still very nice.

 

[ByTheHook]

Thanks, everyone, for the replies. It's good to hear that the Pier is not the big disappoitment that some others make it sound like.

We're anxious to check out the fireworks there too, DizMom. ;-) Our courteous and very (if not over-) helpful CM at booking time told us the same little "secret" about the view and the music. --Will sure beat contending with the crowds on those nights when we're just too tired to be in the park.

We're just hoping for maximum time in the park but the best and most reasonable Diz hotel for (primarily) overnight time. Sounds like we found our winnner!

Thanks again for all of the info.-- please keep posting if you haven't yet (and even if you have) about PP. You've all made our day!

 

[Misskitty3]

We stayed at PP last November and enjoyed our room very much. The lobby isn't anything spectaular but that isn't a big deal for us. The only negative thing we encountered was the volume for the fireworks soundtrack was unbelievable. We had our kids tucked into bed because we had to get up early the next day for our flight and all of a sudden we heard music and Julie Andrew's voice as if they were playing the sound track full blast in the hallway.

 

[abby]

I too am interested in these replies. We are book at stay at PP concerige in December. We have stayed at DLH before and loved it, (regular room) and HOJO's and enjoyed it. We got a great rate at PP so thought we'd try that (179 a night for concerige on an AP rate...now I have to get an AP)

 

[victorandbellasmom]

We stayed there for my son's 9th birthday in Feb and we had an excellent stay. We checked in early, around 8 am, and avoided the long lines at front desk by heading staright to the beachcomber's lounger on the 2nd floor. We had to knock as we didn't have our keys yet and the cm who opened the door checked us in. We didn't expect our room to be ready yet but it was. We grabbed some drinks and pastries and headed to our room. We had paid for a city view and got upgraded to a DCA/park view and it was stunning. We were on the 14th floor and had a wonderful view of the paradise pier area. We never closed our curtains throughout our stay as we loved being able to see DCA. We loved the convenience of having snacks and drinks available to us for our stay. Dh and I loved the wine and cheese hour as well. The staff at PP was awesome. They were always asking us if there was anthing else they could do for us. We had some ps booked through vacation planning before our trip. As our plans changed the cm's in the lounge helped to cancel and make some new ps for us. We've stayed at all 3 DLR properties and dh loved PPH the best. I'm still partial to GCH, with dlh the last on both our list. I think you'll have a great stay.

 

[Pacific Northwest]

We just returned from a 3 night stay at PP. We stayed at DLH about three years ago. My DS5 and DD7 enjoyed themselves. Our room was on the third floor facing California Adventure. I liked the hotel as much as DLH. The distance I had to walk to get to the parks was kind of annoying (mostly because my kids were whining about it which annoyed me). I like the DLH pool better, but we were given a key card to get into it when we checked in (my wife asked if we could use the other hotels' pools and the CM gave us a card to the one at the DLH). I was awakened every morning by traffic noise at about 6 A.M. which really didn't bother me much as I was getting up anyway to have fun in the parks. I would certainly stay there again.

 

[beansf]

My husband and I stayed at PP last November for 2 nights. We had a park view room. The things that I remember are:

Seeing the fireworks from the balcony at the end of the hallway, which was really nice.

The pool was very toasty and warm. We weren't sure if it would be warm enough to go swimming, but it was! Also, I really liked the light projection of Mickey that was in the bottom of the pool at night.

We went to the restaurant for breakfast (no PS) during the Lilo & Stitch breakfast. We ordered off the menu and enjoyed watching the children ignore their expensive buffet meals in lieu of interacting with the characters. We even had visits from Daisy Duck and Minnie Mouse, ourselves!

The room was comfortable and I have no complaints about the PP. I would stay there again.