Hotels In and Around Disneyland

Disneyland Resort Hotels – Overview

The resorts at Disneyland are probably the priciest accommodations since there are many more economical hotels/motels that are within easy walking distance.  Having stayed at both Disneyland resort hotels and the other off property hotels, the main difference from a family perspective is the immersion factor of staying in a Disney property.  Each of the Disneyland Resort Hotels is themed with everything Disney.  This immersion factor creates the feeling of never really leaving the park, and staying at these hotels offer some nice guest perks as well.

Grand Californian Hotel

The most convenient and newest hotel to Disneyland is the Grand Californian Hotel which is themed like one of the great 20th century arts and crafts craftsman hotels.

In my opinion, this is the nicest hotel of the Disneyland Resort hotels, and it is the only Disneyland hotel with a hotel park entrance for guests.  The Grand has its own entrance to Disney’s California Adventure theme park, and it also boasts some spectacular room views of California Adventure and Downtown Disney as well.  The Grand Californian also offers easy access to Disneyland, Downtown Disney entertainment, shopping and restaurants.

The Following are a few pictures of a standard theme park view room in the Grand Californian Hotel:

Disneyland Hotel

The Disneyland Hotel is another popular Disney themed hotel that is located at the western edge of Downtown Disney.  This resort offers three towers that surround a Never Land themed pool.  The Disneyland Hotel has views of Downtown Disney and California Adventure from a distance.  This hotel is more economical priced than the Grand Californian Hotel, but it is also a longer walk to the Disneyland or California Adventure entrances.  The good news is that the Disneyland Hotel is very close to the Disneyland Monorail which allows easy access into Disneyland without walking all the way to the main entrance.  The monorail requires that you have a valid Disneyland ticket for admission and it drops you right into the heart of Disneyland’s Tomorrowland.  As mentioned previously, the Disneyland Hotel borders the western edge of Downtown Disney, but it is very convenient to all the entertainment, shopping and restaurants located within Downtown Disney.

Here are a few pictures of a Standard Room in the Disneyland Hotel:

Paradise Pier Hotel

Last, but not least, is Boardwalk themed Paradise Pier hotel.  This is the most economical Disneyland hotel, but it is also the furthest Disneyland Resort hotel from the Disneyland main entrance.  The upside here is that the Paradise Pier hotel is just a little south of the Disneyland Hotel, and in reality, it is not too much of a walk to the Disneyland Monorail station located in Downtown Disney.  Please note that you must have your Disneyland tickets for admission to the Disneyland Monorail.  The Paradise Pier Hotel is located approximately 1/8 mile from Downtown Disney and plenty of the same entertainment, shopping and restaurants.

All of the Disneyland Resort hotels offer themed pools, several hotel restaurant options, as well as room service, gift shops, valet parking and free hotel self-parking.  One of the fantastic perks of staying in the Disneyland hotels is the feeling that you never leave Disneyland, and you can never tell when you will run into Minnie, Mickey or Pluto in the lobby.

The perks of staying at any of the Disneyland Hotels include guaranteed admission to Disneyland with a valid ticket.  This guarantee gets you in the park even when the park has reached maximum capacity.  Depending on the season and events, there are occasions for hotel guests to receive early park admission.  Disneyland Resort Hotel guests also have monorail access to “Disneyland Resort Only” priority line for your return to the Downtown Disney station from the Tomorrowland Monorail station.

Disneyland Area Hotels – Overview

If variety and many, many economical options fit within your planning desires, you are in luck.  The good news is you will have many hotel and price options to choose from.  Many of the surrounding Disneyland off property hotels are within easy walking distance.  Many of these hotels are actually closer than some of the Disneyland Resort hotels.  A majority of these hotels are affiliated with Disneyland and are considered Disneyland good neighbor hotels.  These hotels can be priced in a Disneyland vacation package via the Disneyland website or packaged through Expedia or Travelocity travel based websites.

Staying at the off property hotels allows you more restaurant options at non-Disney food prices.  Surrounding many of these hotels are the common familiar chain restaurants and many other locally owned businesses and services.  Almost all the major hotel chains have properties in the Disneyland area and some even offer their own private shuttle buses to the gates of Disneyland.  The most common mode of off property transportation from your hotel to Disneyland is a trolley bus service call ART (Anaheim Resort Transit).  Passes for ART can be obtained in Disneyland packages or directly from ART.  The ART service runs round trip routes to many of the surrounding hotels to and from Disneyland.  A one-day unlimited per person pass costs about four dollars a day and is a little cheaper as 3- or 5-day passes.  The bus routes are also useful for transportation to area restaurants, shops or entertainment on their defined routes.

For more ART details, please review their website for pricing and route information by following the link below.

http://www.rideart.org/index.php?loc=1