Why is Paradise Pier Hotel the cheapest of the three Disney hotels?

[tenneycjt]

I stayed there when they had the private entrance, it was nice. Also they had Yamabuki japanese restarant. Its just too far without the private entrance. Not too much more for Dh. Also they used to have golf cart service to the Mickey mouse hat.

 

[LAS2AMS]

Smallest oldest farthest cheapest

It's not the oldest. It opened in 1984, whereas most of the Disneyland Hotel's incumbent structures opened between 1962 and 1979 (although the hotel itself dates back to 1955).

 

[Evita_W]

The reality is that this isn't a Disney hotel in that it was originally built and run by a Japanese development company and then Disney bought it and tossed in a little bit of Disney theming. It is also further away than the other hotels and things like housekeeping, parking, accessibility and such just aren't up to the same standards as the other hotels.

 

[tasha99]

Are the views better than Grand Californian? We've had some amazing views at VGC, being able to watch WoC from our balcony. Maybe it's better because it's farther away (more panaramic). I looked out my room once and saw my kids go by on Goofy's Sky School (so weird--I wasn't even looking for them).

 

[Not Your Mom]

We stayed there in December 2018. The service was great and we had a awesome view of DCA. The aquatic themed Christmas trees were beautiful!

That being said the walk could be far for some people, my kids and I did mind it after a long day in the park. The major issue with staying at PP for me was that you had to wait in a long security line to get into DD to get into the parks. I believe the security entrance we used can be used by anyone, not just people staying at a Disney owned hotel. Even though we showed up VERY early, like an hour before EMH we still had to wait in a security line for 20-40 minutes .

We are coming up on another Disneyland trip and this time we are staying at GCH because I do not want to wait in those security lines again.

Have a great trip!

 

[crystal1313]

The then-10yo Pan Pacific Hotel completed a significant refurbishment right before Disney acquired the property in the mid-1990s. We stayed here while the property was transitioning to Disney, and the reality is that little has changed, despite the lapse of 25 years. Undoubtedly, this is because the quality of furniture and fixtures was beyond what Disney used (remember, the Pan Pacific Hotel was intended to be the top luxury hotel in the area, catering primarily to business travelers). Remember, initial speculation was that Disney wanted to knock the property down, although Disney later claimed it added a quality hotel at a low cost (they paid less than what its original owners did to construct it a decade earlier, despite the renovation or inflation; property values throughout Southern California took a hit in the 1990s as a result of the near collapse of defense/aerospace industry the local economy heavily relied upon). The most notable change was that they rebuilt the back entrance to accommodate the trams. That still exists, although the trams no longer run there.

Disney did add Disney theming to the property, but did little else. Heck, the vending area featured the carpeting that was in place in every room during the 1990s and into the 2000s, before it was replaced with the car rental desk not that long ago. When we stayed here in the late 1990s, Disney sketched its grand plans for the property... I don't think any came to fruition. Lots of continuous improvement, but the property looks exactly the same. Some aspects - the snack bar, gift shop, lobby, etc. - don't look any different.



All of the Disneyland properties are overpriced compared to the local market. It's hard to say the PP is only worth $200/night, when the DL regularly goes for $600+...

I have always wondered if Disney would eventually tear down PPH since it was not built as a Disney property....Thanks for all the info, I find it really interesting!

 

[Where's Wall-E]

We stayed there in December 2018. The service was great and we had a awesome view of DCA. The aquatic themed Christmas trees were beautiful!

That being said the walk could be far for some people, my kids and I did mind it after a long day in the park. The major issue with staying at PP for me was that you had to wait in a long security line to get into DD to get into the parks. I believe the security entrance we used can be used by anyone, not just people staying at a Disney owned hotel. Even though we showed up VERY early, like an hour before EMH we still had to wait in a security line for 20-40 minutes .

We are coming up on another Disneyland trip and this time we are staying at GCH because I do not want to wait in those security lines again.

Have a great trip!

This security entrance is the same one anyone staying at the DLH would use, and yes, it is open to anyone wishing to enter DTD from that area. But it's generally far, far faster than the entrance on Harbor. Maybe you encountered longer lines due to the fact you were there in December, which is a busy time for the parks.

 

[tink89]

We stayed there in December 2018. The service was great and we had a awesome view of DCA. The aquatic themed Christmas trees were beautiful!

That being said the walk could be far for some people, my kids and I did mind it after a long day in the park. The major issue with staying at PP for me was that you had to wait in a long security line to get into DD to get into the parks. I believe the security entrance we used can be used by anyone, not just people staying at a Disney owned hotel. Even though we showed up VERY early, like an hour before EMH we still had to wait in a security line for 20-40 minutes .

We are coming up on another Disneyland trip and this time we are staying at GCH because I do not want to wait in those security lines again.

Have a great trip!

Which entrance did you go in through? The one right in front of DLH by EoS? We stayed at DLH in December 2018 and never had more that a 5-10 min wait. The minute wait was usually in the middle of the day. We also stayed at PPH this october and it was even busier than Christmas time and it still took no more than 10 minutes. It actually took me longer to get checked at GCH when going into DTD or DCA

 

[Not Your Mom]

Which entrance did you go in through? The one right in front of DLH by EoS? We stayed at DLH in December 2018 and never had more that a 5-10 min wait. The minute wait was usually in the middle of the day. We also stayed at PPH this october and it was even busier than Christmas time and it still took no more than 10 minutes. It actually took me longer to get checked at GCH when going into DTD or DCA

Yes we used the one closest to DLH. Some days it was OK, but others it was crazy busy. Maybe I just have bad timing

 

[tink89]

Yes we used the one closest to DLH. Some days it was OK, but others it was crazy busy. Maybe I just have bad timing

Yea maybe the timing. We always line up at security around 6:30 am sometimes just walk right through but mostly its about 5 min. Very very rarely have we waited more than 10 minutes.

 

[LAS2AMS]

The reality is that this isn't a Disney hotel in that it was originally built and run by a Japanese development company and then Disney bought it and tossed in a little bit of Disney theming. It is also further away than the other hotels and things like housekeeping, parking, accessibility and such just aren't up to the same standards as the other hotels.

The Disneyland Hotel wasn't built or designed by Disney, either. But it was influenced by Disney, whereas what's now the Paradise Pier Hotel was one of the many local hotels built in time for the 1984 Olympics, and targeted the luxury convention market. When Disney acquired the property, they announced it would undergo a transformation, but that never happened - the hotel looks largely the same as it did 25 years ago, including what was intended as temporary Disney branding. In the late 1990s, they had sketches showing the radical transformation -- e.g. it showed the area between the PPH and DLH would house a new shared pool with upscale spa. Most likely, budget cutbacks ended these projects. The challenge with the PPH is that the furnishings and fixtures are more upscale than those at the DLH and even GC, so replacing them made no economic sense.

But I disagree that housekeeping, parking, etc. aren't up to the same standards. When we stayed here in the late 1990s, the chlorine in the hot tub bleached my mom, dad and my swimsuits. When we informed the front desk, they had our swimsuits laundered and returned with Disney-branded towels, gave us a $250 credit (mind you, the room was only $69/night) and sent cookies and milk with an apology note to the room.

I have always wondered if Disney would eventually tear down PPH since it was not built as a Disney property....Thanks for all the info, I find it really interesting!

You're welcome. But I don't see Disney tearing down the PPH -- it's high-quality construction, likely better then GC, and California's wacky laws + regulation will make such option unattractive. I wouldn't be shocked to see Disney do some re-imagineering to the building, especially as it approaches the end of its useful life and requires significant upgrades.

 

[RockchalkDex]

I've stayed there before. I think it's the cheapest bc it's the furthest away for sure. I personally would spend the extra money to stay closer. Or just stay off site.

 

[Sun_soakin]

We like all 3 hotels. They all have +/- . Paradise is cheaper for location and amenities

 

[l4dyj8]

It’s a standard hotel and to some, it lacks a Disney specialness. It’s also th furthest away

But honestly, I like it. We are here at the moment and can watch the fireworks and world of color from our room. In previous stays, I can also see the fireworks from Angels’ Stadium. The rooms are brighter and far more spacious. Rooms are pretty consistent and predictable. Sort of tired of being labeled as the low end visitor when you still spend a lot here. During the summer, we’ve been give large complementary bottles of water in the room. Whereas, I have never seen Grand or DH provide this.

The pool is terrible during the busy months. Standard pool that’s rather crowded. But both at PPH and at DH, there have been “incidents” that have shut down the pool. So ehhh
They still have a bar, service and towels, etc. just too crowded for my liking.

We’ve stayed at all the properties numerous times. The others are a gamble. But PPH rooms are consistent

 

[Nonsuch]

Interesting post on another board about a contract between Disney and the original Japanese developer...

 

[cruisehopeful]

I looked out my room once and saw my kids go by on Goofy's Sky School (so weird--I wasn't even looking for them).

I've also had a room where I could watch people ride Goofy's Sky School. There are some amazing park views from the VGC rooms. I think an overall view of the whole park is better from Paradise Pier. I've never had as good of a view of DCA from the hotel rooms at the Grand. Of course, I've never paid for a better view, either, so maybe there are non timeshare rooms that have a good park view.

 

[Aurora0427]

I wish Disney would go all out and retheme and re do this hotel. Maybe update it to match Pixar Pier. Do a Toy Story theme. Or do an all encompassing Pixar theme. The test Incredibles rooms at the Comtemporary Resort at WDW look totally awesome.... not sure if TS or Pixar is the way to go with this hotel, but surely they could do something with it. I don’t know if we’d stay at PPH with it in its current state and pricing, because you can usually stay at the Courtyard Marriott Theme Park for the same-ish price. But if they overhauled it we’d totally book even if they charged more.

 

[CateinPhoenix]

We like it, but we like all 3 for varied reasons. PPH is the first onsite hotel we stayed in and it's sentimental for us. The pool is nothing great, but we have a pool at home, so it's not a "must have" for us.

 

[Jsoenning]

The walk is a killer with little ones. Especially since you then have to walk through Downtown Disney. I broke my back carrying my little one so that she'd be fresh for the day at the parks.

 

[Brett Wyman]

It's literarily the last in quality of the 3. I was pretty shocked at how middle of the road it was, especially given its cost. I would stay at DGC or DLH in a heart beat but would switch to 3rd party properties if PPH was my price range.