As you may know we recently went to Disneyland in California! While this wasn’t our first time at Disneyland specifically, it was our first time staying at the Pixar Place Hotel. Having now stayed here I have officially stayed at all three Disneyland *owned* hotels. And honestly, Pixar Place Hotel really surprised me in the best way! That’s why I wanted to share a Pixar Place Hotel honest review.
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Pixar Place Hotel is relatively new to the Disneyland Resort lineup. Just a few short years ago it was essentially a totally different hotel, Paradise Pier Hotel. With the renovation if DCA’s pier area in ~2018 the hotel ended up getting a major facelift along with it a few years later.
Back during the Paradise Pier Hotel era most people categorized this at Disneyland’s value offering. But since that renovation and visiting myself, I can tell you this is anything but a value resort.
While the outside doesn’t boast much, the rest is totally Disney! We stayed here on this trip simply because it was the “cheapest” option (still around $400/night) – plus we love trying hotels we haven’t before. I wasn’t expecting anything good nor bad, but I cannot deny I was pleasantly surprised with this hotel!
There were Pixar details EVERYWHERE, making it definitely more *kitschy* but it definitely makes you smile. I also loved that they offered character interactions with Pixar characters you literally cannot meet anywhere else! If you’ve dreamt of meeting Bing Bong from Inside Out, or hearing Joe Gardner from Soul play the piano live – this is the perfect hotel for you.
The Rooms
The rooms were well done overall. Not the largest Disney hotel room I’ve been in, but I was certainly a comfortable size. There were so many charming Pixar elements in the room including the iconic lamp. The details went down to the laundry bags which featured 2319 art – IYKYK! Housekeeping was on top of it as well – which I can’t always say for Walt Disney World Resorts. Overall, great experience!
Pool Deck Amenities
We were disappointed that the pool at our hotel was not open during our trip. But we were able to go out to the deck area that offered more than just a pool. The sun deck featured some great seating options – great for family time or maybe if you need to get some work done alone. It also had tons of lawn-style games with Pixar flare; from cornhole to shuffle board, there was fun for the whole family. They also have the cutest fire pits that they turn on at night.
I will say the pool itself was quite small, which is understandable considering the hotel structure is older and the pool is technically on the 3rd floor. However, every single Disneyland hotel we’ve stayed at in the past – The Grand Californian and Disneyland Hotel – the pool situation has been an actual nightmare. Wayyyyy too many people for the space they have, even though with the other resorts the pools are quite sprawling. So I can only imagine this pool during the summertime is equally, if not more of a nightmare. That being said, anymore when I visit Disneyland I do not expect to have pool time.
Dining
The dining here is quite limited, which is the main thing I am not a fan of. They have no quick service aside from the coffee bar that is only open in the morning. I also noticed The Grand California has closed their quick service since us staying there, I’m not sure if this is a permanent closure or just a renovation closure. Coming from Disney World where I’m used to every resort having a quick service option, not having one is quite inconvenient.
They do have a sit down restaurant which is actually a local restaurant called Great Maple Modern Eatery. We didn’t try this as we spent most of our time in the parks, but I’ve heard mixed reviews. But if you do want access to a quick service option thankfully Disneyland Hotel is a super short walk away and has a quick dining option. You can also easily access restaurants at The Grand Californian, Downtown Disney, and of course in the parks with a valid ticket.
The Elevators…
If you’ve stayed at this hotel yourself recently, I’m going to address the elephant in the room… The elevators. This was the worst part of our stay hands down. 80% of the time the elevators were PAINFULLY SLOW. These elevators do operate on a “smart” system – where you pick your floor and it instructs you what elevator to board. I’ve used these systems before and they’re great – but for some reason these ones missed the mark. The parts of the day the hotel wasn’t busy we typically didn’t have issues. So plan accordingly.
In Conclusion
As I said earlier, this resort feels anything but value. While it isn’t as swanky as The Grand Californian, it still has tons of perks you typically see at deluxe Disney Resorts. They had a great sized gym, they offer club level hotel rooms, they have a rooftop fireworks viewing area, and you get access to a private entrance that takes you right into Pixar Pier! This makes rope drop that much easier. And honestly, most of the time we chose to go back to the hotel that way, even if we were coming from Disneyland versus DCA.
After having stayed at all three Disneyland Resort Hotels myself, while some may feel more aesthetic or more high-end – I truly think this is where I enjoyed my hotel stay the most. I would certainly stay here again and would highly recommend it! I think any Disney World lover may be weary to stay here versus the other two Disney-operated resorts – but I think this is a fabulous option.
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I hope you all enjoyed this honest review of Pixar Place Hotel. It’s not every day I get to experience a *new* Disney resort so it’s fun when I get the opportunity! Be sure to subscribe to my email list for more content like this and check out my other Disneyland content here.
Thanks for reading!
xoxo
Jayme
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