Room Views

So this is the first hotel (here in the states) that lets you stay IN a theme park, right?
Let's take a look at what you see from a room in the wing adjacent to the Bear raft ride,
facing out east over the new park (you may need to scroll to the right for the full view)...

Starting on the (above) left, that's another wing of the hotel, under which is the World of
Disney store. Below that is the entryway into the new park shown previously on another
page, the Monorail beam can be seen also. (The room where this panorama was taken from
is above the arcade and health club.) The rounded building is the IMAX ride film (California
Soaring (you can barely see Disneyland's Space Mountain peeking out from behind it). Of
course what dominates this view is the Bear raft ride, center of the photo. To the right is
is the boarding area for the ride and some shops

Here are some closer shots of the park views above... below is the
Condor Flats area...

The IMAX ride film building...

Looking past the Bear raft ride we get a bit of a peek into the San Francisco
area of the new park...

Those views will probably cost the most - if you choose a cheaper room,
here is what you'll more likely see, either the view towards the tram loading
area and Disneyland's Indy ride building (behind the camouflage)...

Or a view out towards the new mall (which for some reason has very loud
music playing all the time). You won't really be able to open up your windows
and enjoy any peace and quiet, due to the tram noise and mall music. You'll
notice too that the World of Disney store is right underneath you here

Below is a map of the area for you to get your bearings...

After getting quite the tour of the place, we do have a few observations to make.

First of all, they have done a very nice job in detailing this new hotel, specifically
the higher end accommodations. In particular, if you're staying at the Concierge
level, you will be very pleased.

Overall we've found the public spaces are wonderful, but the rooms and hallways
leading to them are a bit cramped for this price level otherwise. The rooms are
comparable in size to the Disneyland Hotel older Tower rooms, and smaller in most
cases than what is available in the Paradise Pier (formerly Pacific) hotel. If having
some space, and saving a few bucks is of interest to you, you may wish to look more
to the Paradise Pier hotel to stay at for now. If you do choose the Grand, you may
also want to avoid getting a room overlooking the mall or tram areas if noise could
be a problem for you.

A word of caution - we've become increasingly aware that Disney (in particular at
Walt Disney World) has not been maintaining the quality of the hotels. Several sources
have mentioned that if you really want the optimal experience possible with this new
hotel, you may wish to book sooner rather than later, as it may not be maintained as
freshly over the next few years. This lack of upkeep seems more of a problem in Orlando
than here (the Paradise Pier hotel was recently renovated, and the Disneyland Hotel itself
is undergoing a redo now) but resorts head Paul Pressler is notorious for allowing marked
declines in many of the properties (as well as the parks). He's focused on costs, not the
visitor experience.

Also note: The only way you'll be able to purchase park hopper tickets is to stay at either
of the three Disney hotels - as they will not be made available otherwise.