Review: The Disneyland Hotel
When John agreed to spend a day in Disneyland during our recent visit to southern California, I knew this was my time to fulfill my dream of staying at the Disneyland Hotel. I know, I know, it really doesn't make a ton of financial sense given that the resort property is so small, and it's so easy to stay at another Anaheim hotel for much less money. That being said, as a nerd of Disney history I felt drawn to stay at the original hotel that Walt created, and John, not having any concept of what Disneyland entailed, agreed with my outlandish dream.
Our Disneyland voyage began with our drive down from Los Angeles, where we had just spent several days. Having heard from several locals that in addition to being home to the happiest place on earth, Anaheim also has an incredible craft beer scene. Knowing John was about to be spending approximately 48 hours immersed in Disney magic, we made time to get to Anaheim a bit early so we could check out the local scene. We ended up at Bottle Logic, and really enjoyed our flight! However soon it was time to make dreams come true, and we headed over to The Disneyland Hotel.
This trip marked my first time ever having a car at a Disney property, and after being misled a bit by Google Maps on how to park at the Disneyland Hotel, a very helpful and friendly cast member pointed us in the right direction. We self-parked, and headed into the lobby. We had taken advantage of the online check-in, however since it was our first time visiting the resort, I wanted to check into the front desk to get directions and a “First Time” button for John. While the hotel was unfortunately out of the buttons (don’t worry; I was able to snag one for him upon entering the park the next day), the front desk staff was able to help direct us to our room, which we were excited to discover was in the Adventureland Tower.
We were staying in a standard guest bedroom with a pool view, which was super fun…though probably less fun currently due to our more prominent view of the construction of the new DVC towers. That being said, anytime I get to look down upon the majesty that is a pool themed around monorails I’m happy as a clam. Now, while you may have seen images of the Adventureland suite online…that is not where we were staying. Our room was decorated in classic Disney style, complete with both subtle (Mickey’s on the faucet in the bathroom) and not so subtle (terrifying Mickey hands holding the lamps in the bathroom) touches. My favorite part of the room was twofold: the firework decor on the carpet, and the “Kiss Goodnight” headboard. We must have played it at least three or four times before we fell asleep each night, and each time was more magical than the next!
Our first evening at the hotel we took advantage of dinner at Trader Sams, and after approximately three to four cocktails plus a Pu Pu platter we were ready to explore Downtown Disney! One of my favorite things about staying at the Disneyland Hotel was the proximity to magic. This was especially true staying in the Adventureland Tower, which is the closest tower to the entrance to Downtown Disney! Going through security from the hotel was truly a breeze; at no point did we encounter a line or any stress entering the shopping district. We enjoyed going in and out of all of the stores, and eventually made ourselves to World of Disney where the Trader Sam’s cocktails convinced us it was a good idea for us to purchase a new Mickey shirt for John, new Mickey jean jacket for me, a pair of Mickey socks for John, and His and Hers Hercules and Megara shirts. Like I said, the cocktails made us do it. We also used this opportunity to clock how long it took us to walk from the hotel to the entrance to Disneyland, which at the brisk pace John is able to maintain due to his long dancers legs, only took us around 10 minutes.
After a brief stop at Salt and Straw, we enjoyed the Disneyland fireworks from our Downtown Disney vantage point as we walked back to the hotel. While I’ll recap our Disneyland experience at a later date, here are my final thoughts on staying at the hotel itself:
I don’t know that you can beat the simplicity and ease of entering Downtown Disney from the Disneyland Hotel, unless it’s through the Grand Californian (an experience I cannot speak to). However the 10 minute walk to the entrance in the morning was stress-free and quick. My only other experience at Disneyland was entering from the other side of Downtown Disney, which was a much longer security line.
Being so close to our hotel allowed us to take a mid-afternoon break with ease, something that I NEVER do at Walt Disney World simply because the travel time isn’t worth it. However being able to quickly jaunt back to our hotel room and take a short air-conditioned break truly revitalized us for the rest of our day.
We took advantage of both Trader Sam’s and Goofy’s Kitchen while on property, both of which we really enjoyed. John had no concept of what to expect at Trader Sam’s, and had never experienced the magic of a Disney buffet.
The bed. The bed was super comfortable and had magical firework lights on the headboard. I loved it.
The Monorail Pool. The Monorail is my favorite thing about Disney. A pool themed around that? I’m sold!
The history. I cannot overstate enough how much I love the history behind Disneyland, and how much fun it is for me to stay at an original property that Walt had a hand in constructing. Earlier in our trip we had the opportunity to visit a few Disney-specific locations in Griffith Park, which I’ll be sharing about too.
The immersion. As stated at the beginning of this entry, it doesn’t fully make a ton of sense to stay on Disney property at Disneyland, especially when there are so many close and walkable options at the fraction of the cost. However, when I go to a Disney property, I want to be able to block out the outside world. Staying at the Disneyland Hotel allowed us to fully immerse ourselves in the magic of the park, and truly feel like we were in a little oasis. It truly felt like the Happiest Place on Earth.
