Having taken many Disney Vacations - this was our first on Disneyland property (have stayed on Disney world). Was not overly impressed, but as usual customer service was very good. Two issues that were bothersome - the slow elevators and the lack of a laundry room/machines.

This hotel seems on the par with other moderate Disney resorts.

There is more convenience and amenities when staying at the higher end resorts, but that's why you pay more to stay at them.

Rooms were clean/fresh and pool was well kept - not much else to ask for since you are there for the parks.

This was our 7th trip to disney- 3rd "on property". If we could afford the California Grand, we would,(but cant) so we chose paradise pier. I like staying on property, but the hotels across from disney are alot shorter walk. The bad thing about staying on property is they have your "trapped" as far as walking to any little stores, so you really have to spend your $ there. When you stay across the street , you can walk to some little stores and stock your fridge. I liked the paradise pier hotel and I liked how clean it was. The rooms are nice and we had a great view of the theme park. The biggest perk was to be able to cut through the "Grand Hotel" to get to private entrance of california adventure. When we go again I would save my $ and stay across the street. Weve stayed at the disneyland hotel 2 times and I liked it better than this hotel. It was just o.k. for me as far as how much it cost.

We returned from a 3 night stay at the Paradise Pier (June 11-14). We visit Disneyland 2 times a year and this was our first stay at one of the 3 Disneyland hotels. We obtained a AAA discount which you can only obtain by telephone and is not available through the internet (we did not see an option on the Disneyland site). The discount made it more "reasonable" although it was still more expensive than some of the other surrounding chain hotels, e.g. Hilton, Sheraton, Marriott and Hyatt. We arrived a little before 10 a.m. but were not able to get a room until 3 pm. We were allowed to "pre-register" which is where they do everything but give you your room number. They given you a telephone number that you can dial in to see if your room is ready. Given that it is summer vacation, the hotel is likely at full occupancy and they are not likely able to give you an early check-in. This was fine as we left our luggage with the bellhop and went into the park. We went through the Grand Californian into DCA. It is a short walk into Disneyland - approximately 10-15 minutes via Grand Californian to Downtown Disney.

The room itself was nothing special and there was little to distinguish this "Disney" room from any other hotel room. We had two queen beds and a sofa bed. The room was clean and spacious with the most basic furnishings. I thought the lighting in the room left much to be desired. I understand how they are trying to conserve energy by using fluorescent-type bulbs, but it made the room look dark. We did not have a park view but had the view facing the parking lot and the pool. We were up on the 12th floor and did not hear any noise from the pool area. Our son enjoyed the time at the pool and playing on the slide.

We ate only 1x at the hotel which was for breakfast. The breakfast buffet was $12 for children and $22 for adults. We ordered off the menu for me and my wife whereas my son sampled the buffet. The big attraction was the visits from the various characters who came and greeted the children. My son took pictures with Lilo, Stitch, Goofy, Pluto and Minnie.

Only two negative comments about this hotel: (1) given the caliber of the hotel and the price, we expected the hotel to have a higher level of quality for its bathroom toiletries, e.g. soap, shampoo, conditioner; (2) there were people picketing outside the hotel very early in the a.m. (around 7 a.m.) clanging and chanting loudly which was very disruptive and annoying.

If we are able to get the same rate, we'll stay here again. You really are paying for the convenience and the location. I thought the staff were all very friendly and helpful. Other places that are similarly distanced from the park are not nearly as nice and family friendly. To get the same level of accommodations, you'll have to either drive or take the Anaheim Hotel shuttle which makes it less convenient.

We stayed at the Paradise Pier hotel for two nights in April. Our party consisted of my wife and I. We booked the room through Disney using an annual pass special.

Location: The Paradise Pier is located in the southwest section of the Disneyland resort and is around the same distance to the parks as the Disneyland hotel. It is less than a ten-minute walk from the hotel to the parks. The bad thing about the walk is you either have to cross a busy street to get to the Grand Californian, or basically walk through a parking lot to get to Downtown Disney. Being next to Downtown Disney there are plenty of shopping and dining options. Basically if you’re on a Disneyland vacation, the Paradise Pier is in a pretty good spot.

Outside Appearance/Lobby: Both the outside of the hotel and the lobby are spotless, just what you expect from Disney.

Check-in/Parking: Check-in took less than 5 minutes and the staff was very friendly and helpful. Parking is included in your rate and is located behind the hotel in a small garage. We couldn’t find an elevator in the garage, which was disappointing when we were trying to get back to the ground floor with our luggage. Bottom line; take out your luggage when you pull up to check in.

Accommodations: Our room had two queen beds along with a couch/daybed with a parking lot view. Everything was clean and well maintained. Amenities included free high speed internet, coffee maker, iron, and a small fridge. There was no remote for the TV when we arrived, but maintenance quickly brought one up for us. We were able to hear a bit of noise from the neighbors, but nothing major. Water pressure was good and we always had enough hot water. We really had no complaints about the room.

Extra Amenities: There’s a big pool area, and I believe there was a workout room somewhere. On the first floor there is also a room that played Disney movies all the time if the kids need a place to hang out for a bit. There are multiple restaurants and a gift shop in the hotel, which include a character breakfast at the PCH grill if that’s what you’re looking for.

Our only major complaint with the Paradise Pier was the elevators. There are only two of them for this fairly large hotel that gets lots of people going through it. This bad combo created very long waits to catch an elevator. And when I say long waits, I’m talking about 15-20 minutes plus. This was pretty unacceptable in my opinion for a hotel of this size.

Summary: The Paradise Pier was a ‘Just to say we’ve stayed there’ experience for us. The prices are astronomical, the elevators are ridiculous, and the distance to the parks is longer than some of the smaller places across from the Harbor Blvd Disneyland Entrance. We more than likely won’t be staying there again. You don’t typically get your money’s worth while staying in the Disney bubble.