Disneyland Hotel California Review

My first time staying at The Disneyland Hotel in Anaheim, California was also my first time staying on property at Disneyland. This might be surprising to anyone who knows me as The Tipsy Mousewife and has read other Disney reviews I’ve done.
I haven’t made nearly as many trips to Land as I have to World and when I did I usually stayed at the Westin down the street. This time I booked a King Room with a Premium View at the Disneyland Hotel.
So how was it? In a few words, awesome if a little old and with somewhat underwhelming food.
For more words and my more specific thoughts, keep reading on so you can decide if it’s the right place for you!
Hallowed Halls
The Disneyland Hotel is very retro but also very meticulously maintained. I spent hours walking around looking at the landscaping, the Disney memorabilia that was up all over, and the hidden details throughout the grounds.

Rumor has it that this is the only Disney hotel Walt himself stayed at and, this will sound weird but, you can seriously feel all his touches in this property.
The room and hotel were clean and the housekeeping was awesome, but this hotel is older so some things look a little “less clean” than they are.
I think if I’m being honest the housekeeping could have paid a little more attention to detail in my room, but it was nothing worth complaining about. Overall the staff is really, really happy and fun and helpful.
I thought the pool area was absolutely awesome, with two vintage monorail inspired water slides. It was in the 40s so I didn’t swim, but I have a work trip here in July and plan on renting one of the cabanas on my day off and taking full advantage of the water.

On the topic of water, the water in this hotel was even worse than Florida water. It was very slimy and made my hair feel greasy, just an FYI.
The hotel was very quiet, which I appreciated, so I got a lot of sleep.

How Big Are the Rooms at the Disneyland Hotel?
My room was incredible and huge. It had an amazing view, and the bed was one of the most comfortable beds I’ve ever slept on.

In fact I actually couldn’t wait to get home every night to sleep!
There are no balconies for the most part in this hotel unless you stay in the Disney Vacation Club tower or get one of the top floor suites, so heads up if you’re the kind of person who needs to go on the balcony and sing to the woodland creatures each morning.

Is There Good Food at the Disneyland Hotel?
The food in the hotel was not great, unfortunately. The coffee I had from the coffee shop was so bad I threw it away.

I also ate and had some drinks at their newer Sleeping Beauty themed lounge called Broken Spell. The drinks were strange and I did not really enjoy them.

The truffle fries I ordered were not good either. The theming of the lounge was OK, but it kind of felt like an airport terminal to me.
I was excited to check out the original Trader Sam’s and Tangaroa Terrace, but was a little underwhelmed. The drinks were strong and delicious and totally worth it but the food was just fine.



The good news about the food is that you are just steps away from Downtown Disney and places like Din Tai Fung and Parkside, which is a cafeteria style place.
Does the Disneyland Hotel Offer Easy Access to the Parks?
The proximity to the parks and Downtown Disney is one of the best aspects of staying at the Disneyland Hotel. I literally walked out the back door of my building and was through security and into downtown Disney in 2 minutes.
I stayed in the Adventureland Tower but all the towers are close.
The monorail is immediately past the security gates and you can ride it right into Disneyland and get off in the middle of Tomorrowland. This was awesome.

I am a magic key pass holder so it was nice to pop in and out of the park.
Ultimately I think this hotel is definitely worth the price for convenience, comfort, and giving you the full Disneyland nostalgic experience. I will definitely be staying here again.
