The Disneyland Hotel Superthread

[cruisehopeful]

Checking in tomorrow! Yay! I understand you can go early and use the pool before check in...how does that work exactly? Is there a place to ditch luggage or do you drag it to the pool? How do you access the pool? Is there a changing room to use there?

I've seen people saying the lines to check in are really long and it's best to just check in through the app and use and electronic key, but what if we have more another adult who needs a key (and don't want to download the app)? Can I share the electronic key somehow or do you have to have the app? Is there anywhere I need a physical key for? I thought I read someone say that somewhere but now can't find where.

Thanks!

You can check your luggage with Bell services which is right outside the door of the front desk. You'll need to be in your room to have it delivered or you can pick it up from them yourself. You can change in one of the restrooms.

I usually check in on the App, but I still go to the front desk for a key card when it's not busy. When you check in through the App and have blue tooth enabled, your App will unlock all common area doors like the ones to the pools. Personally, mine is too slow and I like to use the key card in instead.

 

[AustinTink]

Hi guys! I have a few questions about groceries. When we stay at the Beach Club in WDW, I order groceries from Instacart and bell services holds them for us until we arrive. Is this how it works at the Disneyland Hotel as well? If so:

Do they keep refrigerated items cold at bell services?
Do they deliver the groceries to your room after you arrive?
Do you need to be present in the room to receive them?
What grocery store do y’all typically use within Instacart?

Thanks in advance for any advice.

 

[AndrewC]

Are all "Downtown Disney View" rooms in Adventure tower?

 

[Wedgeout]

Are all "Downtown Disney View" rooms in Adventure tower?

With buildings layouts, I’d say yes on that east side of Adventure Tower. Club lounge up top.

 

[AndrewC]

With buildings layouts, I’d say yes on that east side of Adventure Tower. Club lounge up top.

That's what I figured, I was curious if there might be any corner rooms on the other towers that technically were Downtown view rooms...

I mainly care that I'm in Adventure, lol

 

[Wedgeout]

That's what I figured, I was curious if there might be any corner rooms on the other towers that technically were Downtown view rooms...

I mainly care that I'm in Adventure, lol

Completely understand. Technically there may be side balcony areas on that Frontier tower that face that way. They would still be great views. Otherwise it’s only what can see through the spaces between buildings that I sure wouldn’t classify as DD view.

 

[aleh021]

I am trying to decide if whether to book a deluxe studio (preferred view) or a regular non-DVC room (premium view) at DLH.

I've stayed in the regular rooms before but not sure if the DVC studios are worth a try this time around?

It’d be 4 in our group. (if everyone does go)

PS: We are booking on cash this time not points sadly. but that’s okay.

 

[catloaves]

I am trying to decide if whether to book a deluxe studio (preferred view) or a regular non-DVC room (premium view) at DLH.

I've stayed in the regular rooms before but not sure if the DVC studios are worth a try this time around?

It’d be 4 in our group. (if everyone does go)

PS: We are booking on cash this time not points sadly. but that’s okay.

The DVC rooms are definitely worth a try, especially if you've already stayed at the traditional rooms at DLH.

The main consideration, especially since you're a group of 4, is that the Deluxe Studio room type in the Villas is only offered with 1 regular bed + 1 Murphy bed. You can still sleep 4 people, but the Murphy beds are marginally less comfortable than the regular beds in the traditional rooms.

 

[catloaves]

That's what I figured, I was curious if there might be any corner rooms on the other towers that technically were Downtown view rooms...

I mainly care that I'm in Adventure, lol

I've also heard of people who booked DTD View rooms being assigned what @Wedgeout is describing — side balcony rooms in the Frontier Tower. Not sure if those are formally in the DTD View category, or if they're used as overflow at the room assigners' discretion. I'm pretty sure those are also 1BR suites only.

The one time in the past where I wanted a 100% guaranteed room in the Adventure Tower facing east / DTD, I booked a Club Level DTD room which guarantees the Adventure Tower, since Club Level DTD rooms are explicitly carved out to be the 9th-11th floors facing east, allowing for convenient access to the E-Ticket Lounge. Probably not worth the extra $$$, but if you have the budget and want the guarantee and peace of mind, that's an option.

 

[aleh021]

The DVC rooms are definitely worth a try, especially if you've already stayed at the traditional rooms at DLH.

The main consideration, especially since you're a group of 4, is that the Deluxe Studio room type in the Villas is only offered with 1 regular bed + 1 Murphy bed. You can still sleep 4 people, but the Murphy beds are marginally less comfortable than the regular beds in the traditional rooms.

Yeah we’ve slept on them before at Riviera and Wilderness Lodge and honestly they were comfortable for us.

I personally like a firm bed.

But it’s so hard to decide. On one hand we’ve done the regular rooms (4 times). Another hand I wonder are the DVC rooms large enough or similar size?

 

[AndrewC]

I've also heard of people who booked DTD View rooms being assigned what @Wedgeout is describing — side balcony rooms in the Frontier Tower. Not sure if those are formally in the DTD View category, or if they're used as overflow at the room assigners' discretion. I'm pretty sure those are also 1BR suites only.

The one time in the past where I wanted a 100% guaranteed room in the Adventure Tower facing east / DTD, I booked a Club Level DTD room which guarantees the Adventure Tower, since Club Level DTD rooms are explicitly carved out to be the 9th-11th floors facing east, allowing for convenient access to the E-Ticket Lounge. Probably not worth the extra $$$, but if you have the budget and want the guarantee and peace of mind, that's an option.

Can’t go that expensive… my insanity has already earmarked my $$$ other places, lol

 

[catloaves]

Yeah we’ve slept on them before at Riviera and Wilderness Lodge and honestly they were comfortable for us.

I personally like a firm bed.

But it’s so hard to decide. On one hand we’ve done the regular rooms (4 times). Another hand I wonder are the DVC rooms large enough or similar size?

It's hard to answer because the regular rooms can have slight variations in layout (even within the same category), whereas the Deluxe Studios are completely cookie cutter and almost all identical. So some regular rooms are larger than Deluxe Studios, while some are roughly the same size. If you want to be conservative when making your decision, assume the Deluxe Studio will be about 5-10% smaller — that's been my personal experience. This is largely due to the sleeping/living area by the way; the studio bathrooms are actually slightly larger than the regular bathrooms, but it's the living area that's sometimes a hair smaller.

If you've stayed in regular rooms 4 times and you're good with the Murphy beds, I'd say go for the Villas while the tower is still brand new and the studios are in good condition. The theming is lovely, it'll be a fresh experience, and the potential difference in room size isn't really large enough to make a difference.

One note: There are a couple Standard View studios that have pretty crappy views — facing a wall or a loud vent, for example. But if you get a Premium View studio then there's nothing to worry about.

 

[soniam]

Yeah we’ve slept on them before at Riviera and Wilderness Lodge and honestly they were comfortable for us.

I personally like a firm bed.

But it’s so hard to decide. On one hand we’ve done the regular rooms (4 times). Another hand I wonder are the DVC rooms large enough or similar size?

I personally feel the regular rooms are physically larger. I would book non DVC for the extra space to spread out, 2 beds, and often a sofa.

 

[aleh021]

It's hard to answer because the regular rooms can have slight variations in layout (even within the same category), whereas the Deluxe Studios are completely cookie cutter and almost all identical. So some regular rooms are larger than Deluxe Studios, while some are roughly the same size. If you want to be conservative when making your decision, assume the Deluxe Studio will be about 5-10% smaller — that's been my personal experience. This is largely due to the sleeping/living area by the way; the studio bathrooms are actually slightly larger than the regular bathrooms, but it's the living area that's sometimes a hair smaller.

If you've stayed in regular rooms 4 times and you're good with the Murphy beds, I'd say go for the Villas while the tower is still brand new and the studios are in good condition. The theming is lovely, it'll be a fresh experience, and the potential difference in room size isn't really large enough to make a difference.

One note: There are a couple Standard View studios that have pretty crappy views — facing a wall or a loud vent, for example. But if you get a Premium View studio then there's nothing to worry about.

Good point. It's funny how when booking a hotel room, you have no idea what the layout will be until check in. Some rooms feels huge while others are definitely on the small side at DLH.

I've seen videos of the studios and read reviews but its always so hard to get a feel for the real space.

We might go with the studio just for the new experience. I will say they do look amazing, in my opinion.

 

[Porsche4]

Good point. It's funny how when booking a hotel room, you have no idea what the layout will be until check in. Some rooms feels huge while others are definitely on the small side at DLH.

I've seen videos of the studios and read reviews but its always so hard to get a feel for the real space.

We might go with the studio just for the new experience. I will say they do look amazing, in my opinion.

The other good part about the studio rooms is that you can fold that murphy bed up until the night time when everyone wants to hit the hay that way for the rest of the time you have a lovely large room with plenty of floor space and a nice comfy couch to relax on.

 

[aleh021]

The other good part about the studio rooms is that you can fold that murphy bed up until the night time when everyone wants to hit the hay that way for the rest of the time you have a lovely large room with plenty of floor space and a nice comfy couch to relax on.

True! I’m so split on the two options. I’ll figure it out soon of course lol. Ahh.

 

[AustinTink]

Just back from our first time at the Disneyland hotel. Glad we tried it, but we won’t go back. The accommodations were so underwhelming I just can’t believe we spent over $750 a night for this room.

The pros:
-Adventure Tower location was great. The back entrance was so convenient.
-Every cast member we dealt with was outstanding. They really were exceptional.
-The little extras in the room made it less gross/dreary. The headboard, etc. was very nice.
-Staying at the original hotel is now something I can check off my to-do list.
- I think we were pixie dusted with our room view because we had a view of the pool and not an air conditioning unit or a parking lot. That was very nice.
- The beds were comfy.

The cons:
- The room smelled like must and mildew from the first moment we stepped in until the moment we left. It got worse as our stay went on.
- The carpet was filthy/sticky and made our socks black.
- Barely a trickle of water pressure in the sinks, hardly enough to brush our teeth. Water pressure in the shower was also horrible. We walked around with low-flow hair for 3 days since we couldn’t rinse thoroughly.
- Speaking of the water, it smelled so disgusting I don’t even know how to fully describe it. It wasn’t sulphur, I can recognize that smell. It was more like raw sewage smell every time we turned on the sink faucets. The right sink was way worse than the left but both stank. My family called it “poop water” the whole time. I ended up washing my face with bottled water by the last 48 hours. I had developed a rash all over from the water. My face burned and itched from it.
- The furniture was all banged up and in disrepair. The drawers to the dresser stayed open the whole time because they were so warped they couldn’t close fully. The rest of the furniture had dings all over it.
- There was a thick layer of dust on everything. I shined the flashlight so I could read something and was so grossed out when I saw the dust.
- The shower: a long curly hair stuck to the wall that did not belong to me and a blood stain on the shower curtain. Just disgusting.
- Broken coffee maker. We brought our own Keurig pods and were hoping to have a nice coffee each morning. Our machine was broken and spilled water everywhere. Yes, we could have requested a new one but we just didn’t have the energy to deal with it and just wanted to get to the parks.
- The pool needs a facelift and the hot tub was out or order when we went down to soak our tired feet.

And, yes, we could have requested a new room but with only having 3 days at DLR we didn’t want to waste any time on changing rooms and waiting around. Plus we didn’t know if the other rooms would be any better.

All in all, a trip to Disney is way better than sitting at home on the couch. I get that and I’m very grateful we get to go each year. Just passing along my observations.

 

[AndrewC]

Just back from our first time at the Disneyland hotel. Glad we tried it, but we won’t go back. The accommodations were so underwhelming I just can’t believe we spent over $750 a night for this room.

The pros:
-Adventure Tower location was great. The back entrance was so convenient.
-Every cast member we dealt with was outstanding. They really were exceptional.
-The little extras in the room made it less gross/dreary. The headboard, etc. was very nice.
-Staying at the original hotel is now something I can check off my to-do list.
- I think we were pixie dusted with our room view because we had a view of the pool and not an air conditioning unit or a parking lot. That was very nice.
- The beds were comfy.

The cons:
- The room smelled like must and mildew from the first moment we stepped in until the moment we left. It got worse as our stay went on.
- The carpet was filthy/sticky and made our socks black.
- Barely a trickle of water pressure in the sinks, hardly enough to brush our teeth. Water pressure in the shower was also horrible. We walked around with low-flow hair for 3 days since we couldn’t rinse thoroughly.
- Speaking of the water, it smelled so disgusting I don’t even know how to fully describe it. It wasn’t sulphur, I can recognize that smell. It was more like raw sewage smell every time we turned on the sink faucets. The right sink was way worse than the left but both stank. My family called it “poop water” the whole time. I ended up washing my face with bottled water by the last 48 hours. I had developed a rash all over from the water. My face burned and itched from it.
- The furniture was all banged up and in disrepair. The drawers to the dresser stayed open the whole time because they were so warped they couldn’t close fully. The rest of the furniture had dings all over it.
- There was a thick layer of dust on everything. I shined the flashlight so I could read something and was so grossed out when I saw the dust.
- The shower: a long curly hair stuck to the wall that did not belong to me and a blood stain on the shower curtain. Just disgusting.
- Broken coffee maker. We brought our own Keurig pods and were hoping to have a nice coffee each morning. Our machine was broken and spilled water everywhere. Yes, we could have requested a new one but we just didn’t have the energy to deal with it and just wanted to get to the parks.
- The pool needs a facelift and the hot tub was out or order when we went down to soak our tired feet.

And, yes, we could have requested a new room but with only having 3 days at DLR we didn’t want to waste any time on changing rooms and waiting around. Plus we didn’t know if the other rooms would be any better.

All in all, a trip to Disney is way better than sitting at home on the couch. I get that and I’m very grateful we get to go each year. Just passing along my observations.

First time to the DLH I see....

So in my experience (about five stays over the last six years) most those room issues aren't normal, except for the darkness of the rooms, the aging "look" of them, and the sort of banged up furniture. So that certainly was abnormal... but I suspect you still would have largely the same feelings based on cost. They're $750 because they can be. It's on property, it's old, it's "historic," people pay that much. It's stupid and I hate it, but Pixar Place is even worse (to me, largely because of the "look" and feel of the hotel, I'm sure the remodeled rooms are fine) because it's way overpriced for what it is. Grand Californian is *absurdly* priced and honestly isn't that much better when it comes to the rooms. Disney is crazy over priced, but people pay. Down the street just a little bit, the Westin, often *half* the price of a Disneyland Hotel room and it's an amazing brand new property. I honestly don't know why I don't stay my whole trip there... I'll be spending two nights there to book end my trip and I think each night was about $400 after tax.... I used the 25% Disney Visa discount for the Disneyland Hotel for 4 days and it's over $700 a night after tax.... why am I staying there? Honestly don't know, I like the hotel, I like the background sounds, it's a pretty property, it's closer to the parks, it's a nicer walk with no public streets and almost no public sightlines. It's certainly not because it's worth it, it's because it's Disney.

Just put your mind at ease that if Disney ever gets around to building a 4th hotel in the area... it's likely planned to be a step above Grand Californian in terms of luxury, so hopefully the rooms will be beautiful and modern. We won't talk about any future predictions on price....


It is truly the only thing I'm jealous of with Disneyworld, the amount of room they have and hotels, Disney offers some really good deals.

 

[AustinTink]

First time to the DLH I see....

So in my experience (about five stays over the last six years) most those room issues aren't normal,

So the poop water isn’t normal? Great. My face is still all rashed up.

They're $750 because they can be. It's on property, it's old, it's "historic,"

It’s not even the original buildings though.

Grand Californian is *absurdly* priced and honestly isn't that much better when it comes to the rooms.

Here’s where I will disagree. The GCH rooms are much better in my opinion. We have stayed there many times and never had poop water. The rooms just feel fresher there altogether.

the Westin, often *half* the price of a Disneyland Hotel room and it's an amazing brand new property.

It was on my maybe list this year. Should have done it.

it's a pretty property, it's closer to the parks, it's a nicer walk with no public streets and almost no public sightlines. It's certainly not because it's worth it, it's because it's Disney.

The bubble. We like being in the bubble.

Just put your mind at ease that if Disney ever gets around to building a 4th hotel in the area... it's likely planned to be a step above Grand Californian in terms of luxury, so hopefully the rooms will be beautiful and modern. We won't talk about any future predictions on price....

One million dollars a night.

It is truly the only thing I'm jealous of with Disneyworld, the amount of room they have and hotels, Disney offers some really good deals.

Yes, for sure. Their hotel game is on point. The Yacht Club is our favorite.

 

[AndrewC]

So the poop water isn’t normal? Great. My face is still all rashed up.

It’s not even the original buildings though.

Here’s where I will disagree. The GCH rooms are much better in my opinion. We have stayed there many times and never had poop water. The rooms just feel fresher there altogether.

It was on my maybe list this year. Should have done it.

The bubble. We like being in the bubble.

One million dollars a night.

Yes, for sure. Their hotel game is on point. The Yacht Club is our favorite.

Nope, I haven’t experienced the smell before, crazy low water pressure isn’t normal for me either, but kinda crappy low water pressure is.

The GCH is nicer and better, but in my experience their cheapest room is ~$950 after tax (unless on promo), and they *certainly* aren’t worth that much.


Just checked the Westin again, and not this coming weekend, but next weekend a Saturday to Sunday night is $307 (!!!!) *after* tax! That’s crazy cheap! It must kill them that with their nice new $250 million property they can’t fill rooms all the time unless rates drop as low as $260 before tax, lol