When selecting the place to remain in your Disneyland trip, the primary huge determination you’ll want to make is whether or not to remain in an official Disneyland lodge or one of many a number of lodges within the surrounding space.
Associated: The most effective lodges close to Disneyland: The place to remain on- and off-property
Disneyland has three on-site lodges: the Disneyland Lodge, Disney’s Grand Californian Lodge & Spa, and the not too long ago reimagined Pixar Place Lodge. Once you select certainly one of these properties as your “dwelling away from dwelling” throughout your Disneyland trip, you will get entry to particular advantages you will not discover anyplace else.
Disneyland Resort lodge fundamentals
Earlier than we get too far into the advantages, this is a bit of data on every of Disneyland’s three lodges that can assist you select which one is greatest on your trip.
Disneyland Lodge
The Disneyland Lodge dates again to 1955 — the identical 12 months that Disneyland opened. Although the lodge feels subtle and trendy, you will discover design particulars round each nook that harken again to Disneyland’s previous.
The primary pool’s waterslide is modeled after a Monorail automotive, and the outsized chairs within the foyer resemble the Mad Tea Social gathering teacups. Murals within the visitor room towers depict basic Disneyland sights.
The Villas at Disneyland Lodge, a brand new Disney Trip Membership tower, opened Sept. 28, 2023. The Villas at Disneyland Lodge are available in varied sizes, from studio rooms for as much as two company to three-bedroom villas that sleep as much as 12.
Room charges on the Disneyland Lodge common round $600 per evening.
Disney’s Grand Californian Lodge & Spa
Disney’s Grand Californian Lodge & Spa blends conventional California Craftsman type with luxurious lodge facilities corresponding to an enormous stone fireplace fire, rustic furnishings and an outdoorsy colour scheme.
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This lodge can also be the closest to Disneyland. It affords a non-public entrance to Disney California Journey Park and a separate entrance to Downtown Disney (which you should utilize to entry the Monorail to Disneyland Park).
Room charges at Disney’s Grand Californian Lodge & Spa common round $700 per evening.
Pixar Place Lodge
Pixar Place Lodge, previously Paradise Pier Lodge, is the latest lodging possibility at Disneyland. It is also probably the most inexpensive. At this lodge, you will discover nods to every Pixar film, together with a meet-and-greet with Bing Bong from “Inside Out” and a “Discovering Nemo”-themed waterslide and splash pad.
Pixar Place Lodge additionally has a non-public walkway and entrance into the Paradise Gardens space of Disney California Journey Park. The rooftop pool deck is a first-rate fireworks viewing spot, too.
Room charges at Pixar Place Lodge common round $450 per evening.
Early theme park entry
Friends at any of Disneyland’s three lodges can benefit from 30-minute early entry to both Disneyland Park or Disney California Journey Park (legitimate park admission required). This enables company to get a head begin on common sights earlier than the park opens to common daytime guests.
Which park opens early varies per day, however the present schedule is as follows:
- Disneyland Park: Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays
- Disney California Journey Park: Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays
Thirty minutes might not sound like a lot, however it might imply the distinction between ready solely 5 minutes versus an hour to get on Area Mountain. At Disneyland, you may start making Lightning Lane Multi Move “skip the road” reservations sooner than different company as a result of Disneyland requires you to be contained in the park earlier than you start making journey choices.
Handy entry to the parks
All three of Disneyland’s on-site lodges are inside strolling distance of the resort’s two theme parks. Because of its walkable footprint, you may attain the parks rapidly within the morning or stroll again to your lodge for a midafternoon break.
Friends of the Disneyland Lodge can observe the walkway to the outlets and eateries in Downtown Disney. You’ll be able to both stroll all through Downtown Disney to the esplanade between Disneyland Park and Disney California Journey Park or take a shorter stroll to the Downtown Disney Monorail station for entry to Disneyland Park.
If you happen to’re staying at Disney’s Grand Californian Lodge & Spa, you may stroll straight into Disney California Journey Park by way of the lodge’s personal theme park entrance. You will additionally get pleasure from a a lot shorter wait at safety versus company who use the principle entrance. If you happen to’d fairly go to Downtown Disney or Disneyland, there’s a separate walkway and entrance.
Final however definitely not least, Pixar Place Lodge company can use a devoted walkway throughout the road from the lodge to entry Disney California Journey Park or stroll out of the lodge’s again entrance towards Downtown Disney.
Fireworks, characters and enjoyable actions
Once you keep at a Disneyland lodge, the enjoyable would not cease while you depart the parks every day.
You might occur upon your favourite character with out stepping foot inside a park. You’ll be able to usually discover Bing Bong from “Inside Out” greeting company outdoors of Pixar Place Lodge, and you may take heed to the musical stylings of Joe Gardner from “Soul” enjoying piano contained in the foyer.
Disneyland lodges provide character meals at Goofy’s Kitchen on the Disneyland Lodge, in addition to at Storytellers Cafe and Napa Rose on the Grand Californian. You might be fortunate sufficient to satisfy with characters within the Disneyland Lodge foyer, too.
There are not any scheduled occasions for this shock meet-and-greet, however your greatest guess is between mealtimes at Goofy’s Kitchen when the characters make their technique to or from the restaurant.
If you happen to love fireworks however your children tire out earlier than nighttime, there are a number of fireworks viewing choices from Disneyland’s lodges. If you happen to keep on the concierge stage on the Disneyland Lodge, you may view Disneyland’s fireworks from the E-Ticket Membership lounge. The lounge additionally serves complimentary meals and drinks all through the day.
Friends on the Grand Californian can entry a viewing deck on the sixth flooring that has spectacular views of the World of Coloration at Disney California Journey Park. These staying in a club-level room can get a partial view of Disneyland’s fireworks from the concierge lounge balcony.
As talked about above, the Pixar Place Lodge’s rooftop pool deck is a superb spot to look at the Disneyland fireworks. The property even pipes in music from the present to present you a better expertise to what you’d get contained in the park.
Every lodge additionally affords a calendar of weekly actions, starting from health courses to arts and crafts. A number of of our favorites embrace an academic strolling tour of the Disneyland Lodge, free drawing courses at Pixar Place Lodge and morning yoga overlooking Disney California Journey Park at Disney’s Grand Californian Lodge & Spa.
You’ll be able to view a full lodge exercise schedule right here.
It is not as costly as you would possibly assume
There are some helpful methods to include bank cards or rewards factors into your Disneyland planning to pay much less out of pocket on your Disneyland lodge keep. TPG has a full information on the greatest bank cards for Disney, however beneath are a number of of our greatest suggestions.
When you’ve got a card that comes with entry to the Citi journey portal — just like the Citi Strata Premier℠ Card (see charges and charges) or a no-annual-fee possibility just like the Citi Double Money® Card (see charges and charges) or the Citi Rewards+® Card (see charges and charges) — you may usually e-book Disneyland lodges that method. Your Citi ThankYou Rewards factors are value a flat 1 cent apiece while you redeem them for lodge stays by way of the portal.
Equally, if in case you have a card just like the Capital One Enterprise Rewards Credit score Card, the Capital One Enterprise X Rewards Credit score Card, or the Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit score Card, you may redeem Capital One miles at a fee of 1 cent every through the Capital One Journey portal for Disneyland lodge stays.
When you’ve got a card that comes with an annual journey credit score, you may apply it towards purchases that code as “journey.” For instance, you should utilize the Chase Sapphire Reserve®‘s annual $300 journey credit score on a Disneyland lodge if the cost codes as journey. To make sure it does, e-book your room or hotel-and-tickets bundle immediately with Disney or through a journey agent, corresponding to TPG’s companion Mouse Counselors.
The Capital One Enterprise X Rewards Credit score Card has an identical $300 annual journey credit score, however you may solely use it towards bookings made by way of the Capital One Journey portal.
With the Disney® Premier Visa® Card and the Disney® Visa® Card, you may earn rewards {dollars} that you may then redeem for Disney lodge stays. One rewards greenback is value $1 towards your invoice.
Along with varied methods it can save you utilizing factors, miles, and journey credit, Disneyland commonly affords reductions of 25% to 30% on lodge stays. You’ll be able to view the newest affords right here.
Backside line
There is no denying that Disneyland’s on-site lodge choices are costlier than most off-property lodges, however nothing can match the sensation of staying in the course of the magic. The advantages of staying on property are clear, and with a little bit of factors and miles pixie mud, you may cut back the out-of-pocket price of your Disneyland trip.
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