Why is Paradise Pier Hotel the cheapest of the three Disney hotels?

[DJ Disney Kid]

It seems this hotel has the best Theme Park Views of the three but its also the cheapest. What amenities are missing that the others offer for the increased price to stay at Disneyland Hotel or Grand Californian?

 

[SteveH]

I'm going to link to Pete's review, I think he gives a good review and touches on some reasons why it's cheaper. DIS Unplugged Disney's Paradise Pier Hotel Review

 

[cruisehopeful]

My opinion is that it's a refurbished older hotel (wasn't built as a Disney hotel) and it's a further of a walk. To me, full service hotels need to offer several options for dining and poolside service, etc. They do have a restaurant now. I could be remembering wrong (been over a decade since I stayed there last), but I think they didn't have much in the way of a restaurant before. I should probably go walk around the hotel and see what it's like now.

ETA: You are correct about the views. I've had my best views there.

 

[mad hatter fan]

My opinion is that it's a refurbished older hotel (wasn't built as a Disney hotel) and it's a further of a walk. To me, full service hotels need to offer several options for dining and poolside service, etc. They do have a restaurant now. I could be remembering wrong (been over a decade since I stayed there last), but I think they didn't have much in the way of a restaurant before. I should probably go walk around the hotel and see what it's like now.

ETA: You are correct about the views. I've had my best views there.

Paradise Pier has had the restaurant with the character meals since at least ‘02. It was Minnies character breakfast then.

 

[GoingSince1990]

By far the biggest negative for me is that you have to cross a busy street to get to Downtown Disney. If it was connected to DTD like the other two hotels it would be noticeably more expensive.
By the way I was interested to read that years ago there was a special entrance to DCA, which took you into Paradise (now Pixar) Pier, solely for the use of PP hotel guests:
https://www.yesterland.com/hotelgate.html

 

[Disney Lvr of Old]

I have stayed there a few times. I think it's less costly for a number of reasons. It's a pretty far walk and it's been made further since you can no longer cut through the GCH. (going into the parks) We absolutely loved the Surfs Up! breakfast with Mickey and friends- it was our favorite character meal. I believe they have since changed it. The only other dining option is a lounge type area. The theme park views are amazing. The pool is older and on the roof. The Concierge lounge has shorter hours. For the cost difference we chose to stay off site on our last trip since the walk was shorter. Overall though- I'd stay there again.

 

[tink89]

We have stayed at DLH and PPH. The reason we choose DLH each time we can is because DLH has better pools. DLH is a lot more renovated. DLH feels more in the bubble . DLH has more restaurants. We only stay at PPH if we are getting a much cheaper price. But with AP discount we can almost always get a good price on DLH

 

[Disney Lvr of Old]

By the way I was interested to read that years ago there was a special entrance to DCA, which took you into Paradise (now Pixar) Pier, solely for the use of PP hotel guests:
https://www.yesterland.com/hotelgate.html

I remember it and used it! It was really great- tucked away and hardly anyone used it.

 

[ChrissyLou]

I remember it and used it! It was really great- tucked away and hardly anyone used it.

Me too, that was our first trip with a little one and that entrance was great!

 

[Where's Wall-E]

By far the biggest negative for me is that you have to cross a busy street to get to Downtown Disney. If it was connected to DTD like the other two hotels it would be noticeably more expensive.
By the way I was interested to read that years ago there was a special entrance to DCA, which took you into Paradise (now Pixar) Pier, solely for the use of PP hotel guests:
https://www.yesterland.com/hotelgate.html

You walk out the back of the hotel, up the path to the DLH and you're in DTD. It's like 5 extra minutes from the DLH, and there's no crossing any kind of street.

In a nutshell, the PPH is least fancy of the hotels, therefore the cheapest.

 

[ImDMous]

We actually prefer it. We don't have kids so don't need a pool and don't mind that it's slightly farther. The rooms are bigger (at least the ones we've always gotten compared to ones we've gotten at the other hotels). We've watched the fireworks from the viewing level (pool deck) and that was fun. We really liked when they had the Beach BBQ buffet for dinner, it was really good. The one they have now for dinner is not worth going again. The cafe is also nice for coffee and a quick breakfast pickup on the way. And it's cheaper.

I do love the ambiance of the other two, but you can go hang out in the lobby of either and soak it up on the way back to your hotel and don't have to pay the extreme prices.

 

[DizMe]

There's no real lobby, no grounds, no pool that compares to the other 2 hotels, a very basic feel, and a definite sense of being outside of the bubble. The service I had the 2 times I stayed was not great and there wasn't much in the way of dining that interested me. The only thing it has going for it, IMO, is the view. I stayed in that hotel way back when it was the Pan Pacific and was a good, close hotel at a cheaper price for a Disney vacation, but it's not worth what they charge now
. For me, it really doesn't feel on par with the other Disney hotels at all.

 

[crystal1313]

We used the private entrance on our honeymoon! DCA was brand new (only open 6 months) and we never even realized there was the Hollywood land are since we didn't enter the main entrance. LOL.

We used to stay at PPH all the time when our kids were little. To me, the little bit longer of a walk is not bad at all. We are staying there in June for one night, then moving to the DLH. I would say that, looking at recent videos, the rooms are in need of a renovation. I am betting that after the DLH refurbishment they will begin on PPH. It is themed to a land that no longer exists! Curious to see how fun they make the Pixar Pier theme!

And yes, we have been upgarded to theme park views before and it was incredible! We liked sleeping with the curtains open and watching the activity in the parks after hours and in the morning before it opens!

 

[DLgal]

Because it's the furthest away, is the most "basic", and because it's not anywhere as good as the DLH or GCH. It's not a true resort. It doesn't even have a quick service food location.

 

[GoingSince1990]

You walk out the back of the hotel, up the path to the DLH and you're in DTD. It's like 5 extra minutes from the DLH, and there's no crossing any kind of street.

In a nutshell, the PPH is least fancy of the hotels, therefore the cheapest.

Sorry, my mistake! A few times when staying at the GCH we have crossed the street to get to the PP character meals. I didn't realize there was another route to DTD.

 

[sherilaine]

We just booked the DLH for 4 nights end of April and honestly the price for PPH was only $20 cheaper per night. For that price difference I would never bother staying at the PPH. It's a longer walk than the HOJO!

 

[AndrewC]

It feels old and just not as "majestic" as DLH or GC. I was told last October that they were slated for a full remodel at some point in the next couple years so maybe things will improve (but I'm curious if that would come with a price bump) but right now it just doesn't feel worth it. I feels more like a $200 to $250/night hotel, so $349 seems rough and it doesn't feel like a hidden Disney gem like the other two. When you exit the hotel you feel like you're walking outside into the normal world and are just close to Disney. With the DLH when you exit you almost feel like you're in Hawaii or something with the Tiki torches around the bar and the lush green all around you. The pools are nice (but I've never used them) and you're away from traffic. You don't cross a parking lot or walk along a road or anything. You sort of forget all that exists. GC is even more like that with an entrance right to the middle of DTD or DCA.

 

[Disney Rose]

We’ve stayed at all 3. The best view was the theme park view at PPH, but you pay a premium for that! The standard views aren’t great. The hotel feels much older than the others. The air con wasn’t as good, the lobby is much smaller, there’s often a wait for the lift, and everything feels tired and more cramped than the other 2 hotels.

My kids love it though. The character breakfast is great, the cafe in the lobby is pretty good, and they find the whole atmosphere relaxed and fun.

 

[LAS2AMS]

The then-10yo Pan Pacific Hotel completed a significant refurbishment right before Disney acquired the property in the mid-1990s. We stayed here while the property was transitioning to Disney, and the reality is that little has changed, despite the lapse of 25 years. Undoubtedly, this is because the quality of furniture and fixtures was beyond what Disney used (remember, the Pan Pacific Hotel was intended to be the top luxury hotel in the area, catering primarily to business travelers). Remember, initial speculation was that Disney wanted to knock the property down, although Disney later claimed it added a quality hotel at a low cost (they paid less than what its original owners did to construct it a decade earlier, despite the renovation or inflation; property values throughout Southern California took a hit in the 1990s as a result of the near collapse of defense/aerospace industry the local economy heavily relied upon). The most notable change was that they rebuilt the back entrance to accommodate the trams. That still exists, although the trams no longer run there.

Disney did add Disney theming to the property, but did little else. Heck, the vending area featured the carpeting that was in place in every room during the 1990s and into the 2000s, before it was replaced with the car rental desk not that long ago. When we stayed here in the late 1990s, Disney sketched its grand plans for the property... I don't think any came to fruition. Lots of continuous improvement, but the property looks exactly the same. Some aspects - the snack bar, gift shop, lobby, etc. - don't look any different.

It feels old and just not as "majestic" as DLH or GC. I was told last October that they were slated for a full remodel at some point in the next couple years so maybe things will improve (but I'm curious if that would come with a price bump) but right now it just doesn't feel worth it. I feels more like a $200 to $250/night hotel, so $349 seems rough and it doesn't feel like a hidden Disney gem like the other two. When you exit the hotel you feel like you're walking outside into the normal world and are just close to Disney. With the DLH when you exit you almost feel like you're in Hawaii or something with the Tiki torches around the bar and the lush green all around you. The pools are nice (but I've never used them) and you're away from traffic. You don't cross a parking lot or walk along a road or anything. You sort of forget all that exists. GC is even more like that with an entrance right to the middle of DTD or DCA.

All of the Disneyland properties are overpriced compared to the local market. It's hard to say the PP is only worth $200/night, when the DL regularly goes for $600+...

 

[eMoneyBug]

Smallest oldest farthest cheapest