Visiting the Disneyland Resort is truly a rite of passage for any Disney fan. Not only is it Walt’s original Disney Park but it’s also the home to many unique attractions and experiences. If you frequently vacation at Walt Disney World, booking a Disneyland vacation can feel like a whole new world. There are three Disneyland Resort Hotels each with very different theming and price points – Pixar Place Hotel, Disneyland Hotel, and Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa.
I had the opportunity to stay at all three hotels this month and the experience gave me a great perspective on what makes each hotel special. The great news is there’s hotel discounts currently available for all three hotels and still time to enjoy Disneyland’s 70th Anniversary! If you’re curious about booking a Disneyland vacation, here are some things to consider when choosing the right Disneyland Hotel for you!
Pixar Place Hotel
The Pixar Place Hotel is generally the most affordable of the Disneyland Resort hotels with an average standard room rate of $450 per night without a discount. The hotel features a pool, hot tub, Finding Nemo splash pad and slide, outdoor fire pits, fireworks viewings, a pool-side restaurant, all-day coffee shop, and a full -service restaurant, Great Maple. Pixar Place’s rooms are modern, spacious, and have the most fun details. The rooms really are exceptionally themed and most sleep up to five.
Pixar Place has a lot of character… literally! You can catch Bing Bong from Inside Out greeting guests in the lobby most of the day and Joe Gardner from Soul playing piano most evenings. Everywhere you look, there is character art and details even where you least expect it. The theming makes the hotel perfect for families and anyone wanting to feel like they’re staying at a Disney hotel at all times.
While there’s not a traditional quick service restaurant, Pixar Place does have three different dining locations. These include the Sketchpad Cafe serving coffee, pastries and snacks during the day, Great Maple serving an all-day breakfast menu plus lunch, dinner, and full bar, and Small Bytes at the pool for lunch and dinner snacks and sandwiches and a full bar. While I’ve enjoyed dining at each of these locations, I do wish there was an option to grab kid-friendly food throughout the day or a more extensive menu at Small Bytes. Fortunately, the proximity of Pixar Place makes it super easy to get to Downtown Disney or either park in about 15 minutes.
Pixar Place is a very close walk to the parks. In fact, you take a 5-minute walk from the hotel across Disneyland Drive to the Grand Californian lobby to get to either Disneyland Park or Disney California Adventure. The only thing about the Pixar Place walk is that the you leave the “Disney bubble” for just a moment. While Disneyland Drive is still on property and foot traffic is pretty much just guests and Cast Members, you are crossing a sometimes busy road. I could see this being a little jarring if you’ve only ever stayed at Disney World Resorts where everything is in the “bubble”. If you’ve been to Disneyland before, especially if you’ve stayed at one of the many Good Neighbor Hotels, you won’t think twice about the walk.
Pixar Place is the right hotel for you if…
- You’re a big Pixar fan or want the most character-theming – you’ll always feel like you’re staying at Disney
- You want a close walk to the parks
- Are planning to maximize your time in the parks
- Want to stay at Disneyland with the best pricing
Disneyland Hotel
The Disneyland Hotel is the original and while it’s gone through many changes since opening in 1955, this hotel screams nostalgia. The three hotel towers are themed to Fantasyland, Frontierland, and Adventureland, the pool has a monorail slide, the lobby has a Mad Tea Party sitting area, there are photos of Walt everywhere, and the rooms are specifically themed to Disneyland. The standard hotel rooms average around $600 per night before any discounts. The newly added Villas at the Disneyland Hotel also offer a range of room types from duo studios all the way to a three bedroom grand villa.
The amenities at the Disneyland Hotel are plentiful with multiple pools, two water slides, Goofy’s Kitchen character dining, Tangaroa Terrace quick service restaurant, Palm Breeze Bar, Trader Sam’s Enchanted Tiki Bar, The Broken Spell Lounge, and The Coffee House. The range of options make it a great place to spend a day by the pool.
The rooms at the Disneyland Hotel all feature black and white pictures of Walt Disney and classic Disneyland attractions, a carved headboard of Sleeping Beauty Castle with light-up fireworks, Mickey Mouse white glove wall sconces, and firework print carpet. The rooms definitely give the feeling of classic Disney but are a little dark and in my opinion, ready for an update. One plus for families is that most rooms have a shower/ tub combination which is not found at the other Disneyland hotels.
Disneyland Hotel is the furthest from the parks, situated at the outer edge of Downtown Disney. While still within walking distance, those with mobility concerns might have a harder time. The walk to the parks is through the entirety of Downtown Disney. While it might be a longer walk, it does open up the option to grab a morning coffee from Starbucks or a night cap in Downtown Disney at the end of the night. You also can take the monorail from Downtown Disney to Disneyland’s Tomorrowland.
The Disneyland Hotel is the right hotel for you if…
- You’re a fan of nostalgia and the history of Disneyland
- You want a hotel with multiple dining options
- You plan on spending time at the pool
Grand Californian Hotel & Spa
Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa is the premier hotel at the Disneyland Resort. It’s located essentially inside Disney California Adventure and is steps away from both Downtown Disney and Disneyland Park. The proximity of the hotel can’t be beat and everything about the hotel really does feel grand. The theming is Craftsman style and feels like an upscale lodge you would find in Yosemite National Park. The lobby acts as a gathering space with comfortable seating, a large fireplace, and live music on the piano. The average standard room rate at the Grand Californian averages around $800 per night.
The rooms at the Grand Californian were recently updated to include rich green and copper tones. The rooms offer the most subtle Disney theming with art work depicting the California orange groves that use to occupy the land Disneyland is now on. These are the largest of the standard hotel rooms – most sleeping up to five with a separate vanity area from the bathroom plus a balcony. The rooms are comfortable, spacious, and some even offer theme park views.
The Grand Californian is the only Disneyland Hotel with a full-service spa with incredible theming and treatments reminiscent of what you would find at Disney’s Aulani in Hawaii. The hotel is also known for incredible dining and variety of offerings. The Craftsman Grill offers quick service dining for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, or you can dine poolside at the Craftsman Bar. In the lobby, you’ll find the Hearthstone Lounge with a cozy seating, a wide range of shareable appetizers, entrees, and a very impressive bar. Character dining is offered at Storyteller’s Cafe offering a buffet at breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Or you can dine at Napa Rose for it’s signature, award-winning dinner service or the Disney Princess Breakfast Adventure.
While the Grand Californian truly feels like one of the best Disney Deluxe Resorts, the biggest selling point is the proximity to the parks. Being able to walk directly into California Adventure is incredible. This is a major win for people who enjoy taking a mid-day hotel break or families traveling with a stroller.
The Grand Californian is the right hotel for you if…
- You’re taking a once-in-a-lifetime vacation to Disneyland
- The hotel is part of your vacation experience and you enjoy taking time out of the parks
- Having the ability to get in and out of the park quickly is of great value
- You’re celebrating a special occasion
After staying at all three hotels back-to-back, it did change up how I would rank my favorites! Grand Californian has always been my favorite for the theme park access, food, and relaxing atmosphere. Before this trip, I would have said Pixar Place is my second favorite for the amazing theming, closer walk, and updated rooms. Now I would put the Disneyland Hotel as my second favorite. I stayed in the Adventureland Tower which made my walk feel a tiny bit closer and I really enjoyed the pool and having the option to grab food or a drink from Trader Sam’s or Tangaroa Terrace most times of day. The bottom line is, I would happily stay at any of the Disneyland Resort Hotels and think you’ll too appreciate the proximity and theming of each one!
