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11/1/09 to 11/5/09
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Reviewer: AZtwinmommy
Arizona
November 13, 2009
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We had the best vacation ever! We are a family of four, dad, mom, twin boys age 5 (turned six on trip), who are heavily scheduled, very busy and stressed. We wanted a nice family vacation for our boys sixth birthday, and something that we would always have memories of. Just a little background- I am a cardiac intensive care nurse who works 3 nights a week, and my husband is a hospital manager who works 70+ hours a week, so when he said we were going on vacation, we were all so happy. We drove from AZ to Disneyland, a six hour drive, and it was the start of a wonderful trip. First of all, I took away his blackberry and told him "You will not do any business on this trip" We left really early in the morning (5 am) but with the time difference it got us to the Disneyland hotel at noon CA time. My husband was talking to the valet and bellman, so the boys and I went to stand in the check in line. There was no check in line, so we went right up to a CM that checked us in, in about 3 min. We got a packet of hotel info that included coupons and discount for Downtown Disney, and the best thing was that there were four hotel keys in the packet, one with each of our names on it. OMG, my five year old twins thought that having their own key with their name on it was the best thing ever. Our room was in the Wonder tower with a view of the waterfalls, pool, and because we were at the end of the floor, we could also see the wedding pavillion, Big thunder mountain, and the Matterhorn. Our room was ready when we checked in, and it was comfy and clean, and beautiful. We went to the pool right after we checked in (It was 88 degrees and sunny when we got in) Later that afternoon we went to Disneyland Park and saw the last night of the Halloween fireworks and rode rides.
All of our five days were wonderful and fun, we ate at Goofy's kitchen twice, Rain Forest Cafe twice, and The Blue Bayou, New Orleans Jazz Kitchen, and Mama Jo's, and they were all great. But, the best part of our vacation was seeing my 45 year-old husband, and two 5 year-old boys, singing along to the disney songs, and dancing and skipping along to the music. It was truely a vacation that we all got to be kids again. In fact, we have already for the same time next year!!
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1
out of
1
people found this review helpful
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8/21/09 - 8/23/09
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Reviewer: Sansarc
Pacific Palisades, CA
August 26, 2009
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Date(s) of Stay: 8/21/09 - 8/23/09
· Type/Class of room: Standard with "fireworks view" of Disneyland
Accommodations Review: We made our reservations months ago for a standard room. When we arrived, we asked for an upgrade to a view room, so we were given a room on the 11th floor of the Magic tower with a view of the Disneyland fireworks. I regretted this almost immediately because the room that they gave us was extremely small and almost directly across from the elevator bank. There are only 3 of us, though, so it isn't like we NEEDED a lot of space . . . but we definitely felt how small the room was. The beds were double instead of queen sized and there was no couch, just two chairs, a table, a small (very small) desk and an armoir with the TV. The bathroom had a single basin sink. It was very small as well. The beds were high -- it was difficult for me to climb in! I know they're renovating the hotel, so I'm sure this room will be significantly updated. It was clean, though, and cool. The air conditioning definitely worked well. The view WAS nice -- we saw the parking lot, but also, we could see Disneyland as well as Knott's Berry Farm. Plus, it was nice not having anyone upstairs -- no footsteps! The room was very quiet. We did not hear the elevator because the room was set back with a narrow exterior hallway and separate door. We received cell phone reception in the room, a good internet connection (it never disconnected! Yay!) and the TV was great, too.
I have to commend the staff on their service, too. We asked for a coffee maker -- and they brought it up almost immediately. When I'd made the reservations, I'd also asked for balloons to be delivered in honor of my son's 13th birthday. The balloons did not appear all day -- even though I reminded them the day before by phone. Finally I called guest services again during the afternoon of our first day, and they apologized and arranged to have the balloons delivered while we were at dinner. When we came back, my son was really excited to see the colorful balloons in the room as well as a signed photo of Goofy. I know he's a teenager -- but he was really happy with this extra touch.
Rate/Night: $325 (I think -- but I know it was over $300)
Appreciated, but Optional:
Ease of Disney Park Access: Great, about a 10 minute walk, plus it was wonderful being able to access Disneyland by the monorail each day
General Restaurant/Lounge Impressions: We had a very nice dinner at Hook's Pointe. I submitted a separate review for this. I would definitely recommend this restaurant for dinner. It was quiet, with good food and great service.
Pool Description/Comments:Our main complaint (besides the small size of the room) was the Neverland pool area. Because our visit coincided with hot and humid weather (it was August!), it seemed as if everyone staying at the hotel was also at the pool in the afternoons. The chairs and lounges were all taken. Quite simply -- there was absolutely no place to sit or lay down by the pool. Other guests had staked out lawn space as well as ROCKS by the pool to set their towels and shoes. The overall scene was chaos and insanity to me. The pool was extremely crowded.
Dejected, we decided to walk around the property before returning to our room. We found a smaller pool located near Goofy's Kitchen. We had no idea that this pool even existed. There was a sandy area for volleyball here, too. Several lounge chairs were available on the sand, so we set our towels down. Almost immediately, there was a powerful, awful smell -- maybe from the sand, or the nearby restrooms -- I'm not certain. But it was very unpleasant. On top of that, one particular family had "saved" several chairs and lounges around the pool area based on the shade and the movement of the sun. They refused to give up any of these chairs/lounges to other families even though they weren't using them. Several arguments ensued -- which also made us uncomfortable. Then, one family started playing a very loud game of Marco Polo in the pool. The older man became especially loud -- shouting, "Marco, Marco, Marco!" over and over like a madman. We finally left. The whole experience was extremely unpleasant and aggravating.
Considering how hot it was, the lack of a pleasant pool was hard for us to take. There was no escape, in other words. No place to just relax and swim, cool off. This was the low point of our stay at the hotel.
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8/14/09-8/19/09
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Reviewer: AnimeMomLeika
Near Seattle, WA
August 25, 2009
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I was really worried about the reviews but we had the best vacation ever. We too are a family of 5, and needed towels and they came quickly. We had 4 nights of turn down service w/chocolate mickey & friends coins. We even had a free photo autographed delivered w/cake made from ribbon & towels for a birthday & more chocolates our 1st night, around 12am when we came back to our room and asked if we wanted turn down service. Tinkerbell around ceiling glowed in the night. Only complaint mold in bathroom. But the best comfy beds and standard room had view of Matterhorn and fireworks from Disney every night. No complaints of noise either. We were in Magic tower, the side of parking lot, 4th floor. Room 2215. With 2 queens and a sofa bed.
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1
out of
1
people found this review helpful
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08/04/09-08/09/09
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Reviewer: shelle99
utah
August 13, 2009
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I was a little worried after reading some of the reviews. I need to say that this was the best vacation ever the staff here was always nice they gave suggests on where to start with our children and answered all of our questions. Guest Services helped with planning a princess breakfast which my girls loved and will alway remember. House keeping came quickly when we needed more towels, because there are five of us and only four towels set in the room. I'm sorry for all of you that had a bad experience, but I can't say anything bad about this hotel. They made everything magically for my girls and that was all that matter. The girls wished we could have stayed there forever. Thanks again Disneyland staff you are terrific.
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2
out of
2
people found this review helpful
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April 5-10, 2009
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Reviewer: disneyz4me
Northern California
April 16, 2009
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We reserved an Upper Theme Park View room at the Paradise Pier hotel, but our travel dates changed at the last minute, so we had to accept a Standard View room at the Disneyland Hotel due to a lack of availability at the Paradise Pier. I booked the vacation through the AAA Travel Service, as I got a bit of a discount. Even so, because we had to travel during spring break, our rate ended up being $383/night for the four of us. When we arrived, we pulled up to the check-in area, and the Bell Person took our bags, gave us a claim ticket, and said once we were settled, to simply call the Bell Desk and have our luggage sent up - this made check-in much more pleasant. I noticed the valet parking charge was $12 per day, and we decided to self-park. We were able to park in a near-by lot, and didn't need to use our vehicle for the rest of our stay, so I asked and was assured that security regularly patrolled the lot, and that there were security cameras, which I didn't see. But, we had no problems, the van was just as we left it when it was time to leave.
We had a minimal wait at the front desk, as it was about 3:15 PM and several people were checking in. It was simple, and the cast member was efficient, if not overly-friendly. I did have to ask about the $150 gift card we were to receive for booking a 4+ night stay - a limited time promotion - or I wouldn't have received it. We were given our room keys, and directions to our room - all the way to the back of the property - the 'Wonder Tower.' We were asked to give the housekeeping staff until at least 3:30 PM, as the rooms weren't guaranteed before then. So, we explored, and shopped a little. The kids (ages 7 and 14) were thrilled when they saw the pool - the big one with Captain Hook's ship and the Skull Rock water slide. At about 3:45 PM, we arrived at our room. It was very small, and more disturbing, there were only 2 queen-sized beds. We had given our children's names, ages, and sexes to the AAA agent when making our reservation, and I specifically asked about the sleeping arrangements. I was assured that "all the rooms have 2 queen beds and a daybed." That is NOT the case. This room was so small, there wasn't room even for a roll-away. So, that was not going to work, as my children do NOT sleep together, and weren't about to start. So, my husband went back downstairs to have the situation rectified. Not 15 minutes passed, and my husband returned, and we went back to the elevator, went upstairs and to our new room. It was much larger, had a daybed and 2 queen beds, but best of all, it had a great view of Downtown Disney, the Matterhorn, and the waterfalls below. We found it to be clean, the beds comfortable, and the bathroom was adequate if a bit small. There were extra blankets and pillows for me to make up the daybed, and when I called down for extra sheets, housekeeping was generous and prompt. Needless to say, we were all very satisfied, especially that night, when we sat on our beds, opened the drapes, and had a perfect view of the fireworks!
After we settled in, our bags delivered and unpacked, we went down to the pool. It was a bit crowded, but the water was warm, and the day was a little cool, so we went right in and started having fun. We were about to try the water slide, when the lifeguards started ordering everyone out of the pool, and the slide was closed. Apparently one of the children had an accident in the pool, despite several signs posted that small children wear swim diapers, and that the hotel provided them! It took an hour to treat the pool and we were able to sit in the hot tub while we waited. The second, slightly smaller pool was still open. A woman near us complained to a cast member that this was the second time during her stay this had happened, and the cast member replied that this was a regular occurrence - that it happened about once a day - so be prepared. We got on the slide eventually and had fun. A caveat - the large slide is quite a ride, and children who aren't very strong swimmers shouldn't ride, as parents aren't allowed to wait at the bottom and catch their little ones. Life vests are provided, and so are towels.
The stay was, while not exceptional, comfortable. We were pleased by the housekeeping staff - the room was kept clean, and after the first night, the housekeepers made up the daybed for me, in addition to the other 2 beds. My youngest unfortunately became ill, and housekeeping came up in the middle of the night to clean up and make everything like new again, bless them. There was always hot coffee in the lobby of the building everyday.
The hotel is deceptively close to the park, but one has to walk all the way through Downtown Disney, about a mile to and from the park. The monorail does shorten the journey somewhat, but there is often a line, so it's often quicker just to walk. Some of the hotels on Harbor Blvd. are closer.
Overall, there were some things we liked about the stay, such as the lobby, pools, shops and common areas. Some things we were disappointed by such as the distance from the parks and the magical experience we were hoping for as the rooms and hotel are in need of refurbishment. I would recommend that everyone stay on the Disney property one time, but this hotel was a bit too pricey for the amenities, and therefore, I can't give it a higher rating.
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14
out of
15
people found this review helpful
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March 19-22 2009
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Reviewer: backsthepack
Litchfield Park, AZ
March 23, 2009
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We had another wonderful experience at this hotel. We arrived about 9pm for late check in. Our package was pre-booked using Disneyland.com. Check in was a breeze, no wait at all. We were informed that we were getting a free upgrade. We stayed at the Dreams tower, 6th floor. Our room over looked Downtown Disney and had a great view of the fireworks. The room was very spacious and the bathroom was as well. Lots of room for the 3 of us. The room was clean and well kept.
We used the valet parking. $17.00 a day, but it is nice. They park for you and bring your vehicle back to you. No walking to the lots or looking for a good spot. It gets billed right to your room when you check out.
The bell desk employees were very nice and very helpful. Room service staff were most friendly.
We go to Disneyland quite often and decided this trip to actually spend time at the resort and not all of our time at the parks. We utilized the pool, game room and things. The game room is the only complaint I had. Old games that take the childs coins and it smells old and musty in there. Really not very entertaining for kids.
The staff was amazing. Coffee every morning in the tower lobby. Also, if you call house keeping you can have a coffee maker brought up to your room. We needed this as I get up early and coffee isn't brought into the tower until 6am.
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6
out of
7
people found this review helpful
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9-07-2008
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Reviewer: disney4me58
Oxnard CA.
September 09, 2008
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Completely disappointed !!!!! My family an I are Disney Annual passholders. Our year ended on 9-09-2008. So we were very excited to be able to end our year by staying at the Disneyland hotel, after staying pass visits at neighboring hotels accross the street from the Main entrance to Disneyland. We arrived at 7:00 am with such excitement, we were stunned by the $17.00 valet parking fee, but were told by the valet guy that we could pay the $17.00 at check in and the $17.00 would be added to our bill. My daughter and her family who had arrived maybe 5 minutes before us, were told by the Valet guy to pay with HIM to which my son -in-law handed him a $20.00 dollar bill, he did not receive his $3.00 change, so assumed the valet guy took it as a tip. Upon checking in we were told to call back about noon, to find out the status of our rooms and were told it would be ready by 12:30. My daughter called to find out the status of her room (which was connecting) and was told "Not ready yet..call back later." she called back 4 or 5 times more and kept getting put on hold, or completely blown off. They told her that it was "Guaranteed 3:00 check-in"..3:30 rolls around she calls back and still no room. Finally got a manager and was told another 25 minites. We had dinner reservations at the RainForest for 4:30..so by the time my daughter and her family got in their room, they had to rush to clean up..to make the reservation..absolutely NO time to sit and relax before dinner. NOW, when check out the next morning came..we checked out earlier than my daughter and I specifically told the rude idiot at the check out counter, that my daughter would be checking out at 11:00, My daughter and her family had left the room before 11:00 to walk around before actually checking out, and upon coming back to their room..they were locked out !!!! THEN after reviewing my bills (we were paying for my daughters room along with our own room), I noticed that the $17.00 valet charge was on my daughters bill..I told Mr. Idiot at the check out desk that my son in law had paid his valet to the valet guy when they pulled in the previous morning...Mr. Idiot basically told me it was our word against the valet guys word..and that alot of times the valet guys take the money as a "very generous tip"..thats a bunch of bull..this valet guy new EXACTLY what he was doing..he saw a guy who looked very trusting..and took advantage of that. Upon arriving home..I was going over my bills and noticed that I was charged $179 instead of the $169, "AP7" deal when I originally made the reservations. I immediatey callled the "guest services" number at the bottom of my bill, which clearly states to call if you have any questions about your bill..I got some girl named Melissa, told her about the error of the room rate..she told me there really wasn't anything she could do for me?..I hung up, had a fit then called back, I got Melissa on the phone again, this time I was staring at my computer where the "AP7" room rate clearly said $169..I told her this, and told her that the only day showing $179 per nite was September 20, which obviously did NOT apply to me..again she told me she could not help me, I asked who could, and she said there really wasn't anyone who could..I hung up. I will never stay at any of the Disneyland hotels, I will tell all my friends and family about the RIP-OFF..and I will give a negative review to any "Hotel Review" Website I can find. Just remember when you do check in and decide to Valet park...ask for a receipt...otherwise the Valet guy will think your being "very generous" with your tip. One more thng, If I am paying $169 or $179 for a DAY..why is it I can't get in my room till 3:00pm..BUT I have to be OUT by 11:00am the next morning. I don't have to be a rocket scientist to know that 3:00 pm to 11:00 am the next morning is NOT 24 hours !!!!!!!! We were in room 2455 in the Dream tower (more like the nightmare tower).
M. Vegas
Oxnard Ca.
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41
out of
86
people found this review helpful
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09/07/2008
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Reviewer: MFletcher
Oxnard, CA
September 08, 2008
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WHAT A JOKE! My family and I were excited to finally stay at this hotel after always staying at the off-site hotels, let me say this we were better off at those other hotels. When we pulled in, we decided to park in the valet. It was $17 to do the valet and when the valet guy came to take our keys, my husband asked him if we pay with him or at the desk, my husband handed him a $20, he said that he would take care of it. Fine, so we checked in at 7am and waited at the Monarail for the early entry at 8am. Everything in the park was great, no complaints.
The hotel gave us a number to call to check to see when our rooms were ready. My parents room was ready at 12:30, but ours wasn't. We went back to the hotel to wait since we had connecting rooms. Well, we must of called about 5 times between 12:30 -3:00. The operator was real snotty and rude, kept saying "Gurantee Check-In at 3pm". So I called at 2:58 and she said that we'd have to call back at 3, cuz that's when the room would be ready. Fine, so we called back 2 min. later and she kept putting us on hold and finally at 3:30 the manager gets on the phone to say that we needed to give them 25 more min to clean and that they would lower the room price. By this time we were lit cuz we had dinner reservations at 4:30, and we wanted to clean up first. So at 3:55 we finally got in and we had to hurry.
The rest nite went fine and the following morning my parents checked out before us. She had a question about the bill and the clerk at the front desk was a Rude Jerk with her and basically told her don't bother him and to just read her bill, that would answer her question. She also told him we would be staying until 11 so that can't lock us out of the room. And, come to find out that valet pocketed that $20 and we had to pay for the valet AGAIN! He told us it was our word against his. So I had left to room to go and get ice and guess what my key didn't work and we were locked out. At this point we just wanted to get out for there. Left about 9. When my mother got home she was looking at her billing statements and she noticed was charged $179 instead for the AP price of $169 that she booked it at. After about 3 phone calls to the hotel and customer service they pretty much told her tough and that there was nothing they could do about it. So if you think that staying you will have a Magical Experiance, think again. They talk down to you here and treat u like an idiot considering how much money it costs to stay there.
Oh yeah, and the fridge in our room didn't work and our TV had bad reception! We were in Room 2453 in the DREAMS TOWER.
WE WILL NEVER STAY HERE AGAIN!
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2
out of
28
people found this review helpful
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5/25/08 to 5/28/08
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Reviewer: RizzotheRat80
Chicago, Illinois
June 02, 2008
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Our room was in the Wonder Tower on the 3rd floor facing the koi pond. The room was between $200 to $250 a night. We had just gotten off the Panama Canal Disney Cruise. Our smaller stateroom on the ship was nicer than the room at The Disneyland Hotel. Our room's upkeep was not good at all. The carpet was extremely dirty, ripped (repaired with duct tape), and there was a huge stain (which looked like it was either blood or feces) on the carpet. The bathroom was semi-clean (the tile grout was stained with something). The room temp gauge wasn't working real well because it would say that the room was colder than it actually was.
We were there Memorial Day weekend which was a big mistake. The crowds in the parks were terrible because all of the locals were there. I found a lot of the tourists/locals at Disneyland are way ruder than Disney World. At Disney World people appologize if they bump into you and at Disneyland forget it, they just run you over and keep going. The bathrooms were not clean at all. The park was not kept up very well at all. There was only one Monorail running; they were testing a new one. The Disneyland Express to the Airport was very disorganized (the driver didn't know what airlines people were going to and almost missed a few drop offs).
The three days we were in Disneyland I was very disappointed with. The west coast and Californians can keep it, I'm sticking to Disney World.
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11
out of
45
people found this review helpful
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1/8-1/13
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Reviewer: lbrackjo
Seattle, WA
January 15, 2008
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We booked AP5 rate for downtown disney view $188/nt. Room was on 6th floor of the Dreams tower. (Others in our party had pool-side views in Dreams tower.) 2 Qs. room was clean, but the flo bulbs in the lamps left it a bit dark at times. about the size of a Paradise Pier room, but the bathroom is bigger. Very quiet at night, no hallway noise. A little above room shower/toilet noise. Excellent HVAC system.
Check in was slowish, but not bad. On only one of the morinings was coffee put out in the tower lobby--it was available each moring in the main tower lobby.
No problems with elevator waits. Very little interaction with CMs becasue you don't go thru the main lobby after checking in for this tower.
AAA rates it as 3 stars and that is right on the mark for the room. The pool area and access to on-site resturants makes it a 4 planet rating.
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7
out of
7
people found this review helpful
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