There are three Disney-owned hotels at Disneyland Resort, with Pixar Place Hotel and Disneyland Hotel being the most comparable to one another, and a notch below the flagship Grand Californian. This head-to-head comparison weighs the pros & cons of each, picking a “winner” in theme, restaurants, location, pools, cost, and other categories.
This marks the latest entry into our ongoing Disney Hotel Comparison Series, which otherwise addresses difficult dilemmas you might face when trying to choose the right resort. That’s primarily for Walt Disney World since there are a few-dozen hotels there, whereas there are only a few on-site hotels at Disneyland Resort.
It used to be the case that we only viewed two on-site hotels at Disneyland Resort as being worth your money. That changed with the debut of Pixar Place Hotel, which was previously Paradise Pier Hotel. We made no secret about our disdain for its predecessor, but the newly-reimagined Pixar Place Hotel is a massive improvement–a night and day difference over what it once was.
Post-reimagining, it’s our perspective that Disneyland Hotel (DLH) and Pixar Place Hotel (PPH) are the most similar to one another based on their location, style, and slate of amenities. It would seem that Disney agrees, as pricing between the two is competitive, with both routinely having rooms in the $475 to $675 per night range for dates when the Grand Californian costs $675 to over $1,000.
While it’s impossible to say that the Grand Californian is “worth it” for those price points, it is unquestionably the flagship hotel at Disneyland Resort. Instead of being a tower-style hotel, it’s a bona fide 5-star resort with countless accolades and an impressive slate of amenities. It also has a better location with a direct entrance into Disney California Adventure.
Suffice to say, the Grand Californian reminds us of one of the luxury beachfront resorts in Southern California, most of which are similarly priced, whereas Disneyland Hotel and Pixar Place Hotel are more akin to high-rise hotels around Los Angeles, but Disneyfied (and adjacent to the parks instead of within cities, obviously).
Before we get started, it’s worth pointing out that the vast majority of visitors to Disneyland Resort will want to stay off-site. That much is probably obvious based on the starting price range above of around $475 per night. That’s another way that Disneyland differs from Walt Disney World, as there are no Value Resorts at the California complex.
Instead, the budget options are all off-site, and there are excellent accommodations within walking distance. See our Disneyland Area Hotel Rankings & Reviews for advice on where to stay. Many of those are inexpensive and incredibly close to the parks. There are some, like the Westin or JW Marriott, that offer luxury accommodations at cheaper price points than PPH or DLH.
As for the Disneyland Hotel vs. Pixar Place Hotel comparison, it’s an incredibly close call. While we will draw our own conclusions as to which is better, we’ll also explain our reasoning along the way, so you can form your own opinions. Since so much of this is a matter of subjective, personal preference, that’s the best way to approach these comparisons. Plus, it would be a pretty short blog post if we didn’t offer explanatory text along with the winner of each element.
Theme: Disneyland Hotel – Theme is such a tricky subject since so much of it is predicated in personal preference. Rather than making a value judgment about which theme is inherently “better,” we approach this from their respective execution of their styles.
Unlike the Grand Californian, both are fairly straightforward hotels thematically. In fact, the names pretty much tell you the full story. Pixar Place Hotel is a place that is inspired by Pixar Animation Studios. There are lots of nods to the movies throughout, especially Cars, Toy Story, Finding Nemo, and Inside Out. But really, it’s a celebration of Pixar’s creative legacy and the animation process.
For example, the redone entrance area features a giant Luxo Jr. balancing on the Pixar ball. There are also color-changing light fixtures panels along the upper atrium, as well as a mobile with abstract depictions of Pixar characters in the early stages of Pixar filmmaking. The basic shapes and color studies, when coupled with the color-changing panels, are reminiscent of Piet Mondrian. Examples like this abound throughout the hotel, whether it be concept art in the lobby bar or nods to characters on the pool deck. There’s a lot of Pixar stylization in Pixar Place Hotel.
Ditto Disneyland Hotel. Its theme is literally Disneyland–right there in the name. The hotel is a self-referential love letter to Walt Disney and his original magic kingdom in pretty ordinary package. Disneyland Hotel’s towers each have their own theme: Fantasyland, Adventureland, or Frontierland.
There are models in the lobbies, posters, concept art, and great depth of detail. Each tower has its own distinct personality, and enough nods that it feels like you’re immersed in the hotel version of the respective lands.
Disneyland Hotel also incorporates mid-century modern design into its towers and common areas, giving it greater personality and a recognizable style. In other places, DLH weaves together both tiki culture and contemporary looks, while keeping its self-referential charm front and center. This might sound like a lot, but Disneyland Hotel successfully balances all of these elements, and never does it feel like a cheap attempt to tug at the heartstrings of Disney fans.
At the end of the day, Disneyland Hotel just works. For fans of Walt Disney or the park he built, it’s going to “click” better and be more appealing than Pixar Place Hotel. It’s also less surface-level. But if you have kids who have seen the Pixar movies and have no connection to Walt Disney or the history of his park, Pixar Place Hotel will still be more appealing, even if it’s not as well-done on an objective level.
Rooms: Pixar Place Hotel – Both hotels have rooms that were recently updated, but the Pixar Place Hotel rooms were fully gutted and redone as part of the reimagining. By contrast, Disneyland Hotel rooms had a soft goods refurbishment and are once again showing their age–and slated for a full remodel within the next few years. (Or so we were told by the hotel manager–nothing has been officially announced.)
When it comes to Pixar Place Hotel, no longer are the rooms stuck in the 90s with a bit of window-dressing. These updated rooms are spacious and modern and, finally, on par with the many real-world hotels in Anaheim that have been built in the last decade. The rooms are Pixar through and through, with colorful character-filled artwork and nods to the Pixar Lamp on the desk and the ball via the throw pillow on the bed. Color choices of blue, red, and yellow also evoke Pixar.
The Pixar Place Hotel rooms are clean and modern, and feel fresh–especially as contrasted with the rooms at DLH that are really starting to show their age. The PPH rooms have a number of quality of life improvements and space-saving design features, too. Having stayed in all of these hotels several times (including in the last year), my general impression is that the Pixar Place Hotel rooms have a larger ‘feels like’ size.
With that said, one little thing–that can make a big difference–the Disneyland Hotel rooms have going for them is the “goodnight kiss” switch that lights up the fiber optics in the headboard and plays “When You Wish Upon a Star,” music box style. If you have kids, they’ll love this. If you are an adult who is unduly impressed with things that light up and make sound, like me, you will want to leave this on all night.
The other memorable feature of the guest rooms at Disneyland Hotel is the fireworks-infused (I guess?) carpet. There are also historic photos of Walt Disney, and (if you’re lucky) ephemera in the room you can take home. Otherwise, the rooms are highly variable in layout and size, and wholly forgettable. And as mentioned above, they feel more dated with each passing year. We went from PPH to DLH in fairly quick succession recently, and both of us were surprised by just how much we preferred Pixar Place Hotel. It was honestly unexpected, but the datedness at DLH was noticeable.
With that said, the nicest rooms of all can be found in the Villas at Disneyland Hotel. This is the brand-new DVC tower, which can also be booked by regular guests paying cash rates. The Villas at Disneyland Hotel rooms feature a lot of thoughtful design features that help maximize the ‘feel’ of the square footage, while also offering a refreshing design that melds Disney characters with luxurious amenities. Something to consider if you’re debating renting DVC points to save money on a stay.
Dining: Disneyland Hotel – Both of these hotels have several dining options that serve different purposes.
However, if you consult our List of the 25 Best Restaurants at Disneyland Resort, you’ll find that 3 locations on there are at Disneyland Hotel, and zero are at Pixar Place Hotel. This is a fairly easy win for Disneyland Hotel as a result.
Tangaroa Terrace and Palm Breeze Bar at Disneyland Hotel are strong options for counter service or casual meals. On the character dining front, Goofy’s Kitchen at Disneyland Hotel is fantastic, and has no counterpart at Pixar Place Hotel. Trader Sam’s is in a league of its own as a themed bar, and also has no counterpart at PPH.
With that said, don’t underestimate Pixar Place Hotel. It’s less formidable on paper, but its restaurant roster is arguably more practical.
Unlike Disneyland Hotel (which closed Steakhouse 55 for reasons beyond us), PPH actually has a standard table service restaurant with Great Maple, which is surprisingly good–and has a deep menu. Then there’s the underrated Small Bytes, which is both the pool bar and the primary counter service restaurant at Pixar Place Hotel. This has some fantastic options, including what might just be my favorite burger in all of Disneyland Resort. With a smash burger that good, perhaps PPH doesn’t need any other restaurants?!
Let’s not get carried away–it does. The lack of a character restaurant at Pixar Place Hotel is disappointing, and no marquee table service restaurant at Disneyland Hotel is likewise a glaring weakness. Grand Californian absolutely trounces both PPH and DLH when it comes to dining.
Location: Pixar Place Hotel – Both Disneyland Hotel and Pixar Place Hotel are located on the other side of Downtown Disney, meaning that you have to walk through that shopping and dining district at least partially to access Disneyland. Of the two, Disneyland Hotel is about 5 minutes closer to the parks via Downtown Disney, as it has a direct entrance into that district. It’s either a few minutes to the monorail station or about 10-12 minutes all the way through.
However, Pixar Place Hotel has a private entrance to Disney California Adventure. This is only accessible via a room key, and is basically a shortcut into DCA that allows you to bypass Downtown Disney. Pixar Place Hotel guests simply cross Disneyland Drive and enter the gated walkway near the path to the GCH. It’s a short ~5 or so minute walk, and you’ll enter by Corn Dog Castle and the Little Mermaid dark ride.
This is a game-changer. While not as ideal as the location of Grand Californian, which also offers easy access to Disneyland, this walkway gives Pixar Place Hotel a walking distance advantage over Disneyland Hotel. That’s especially true if you have Park Hopper tickets and can use DCA as a cut-through for midday breaks.
The tricky thing here is that this entrance is accessible via a room key for any of the three Disney-owned hotels, meaning that Disneyland Hotel guests can also walk to Pixar Place Hotel to use the cut-through. It’s a bit of backtracking, but it does save time in the end. By the same token, heading the other direction from Pixar Place Hotel to start at Disneyland adds about the same amount of time to your commute.
Meaning that if you spend equal amounts of time at DCA and Disneyland, this ends up being a wash. In theory. That’s only if you don’t have Park Hopper tickets or take midday breaks. In our experience, the practical reality is that Pixar Place Hotel comes out coming on top from a location perspective. (As an aside, you should probably upgrade to Park Hopper tickets before splurging for on-site accommodations.)
Pools: Disneyland Hotel – One major difference between the two is the pool areas. At Pixar Place, this is located on the third-floor rooftop deck. While the pool is obviously the focal point, this whole area is incredibly pleasant.
There are firepits, ample amounts of seating, and fantastic atmosphere. Strands of popcorn lights overhead and a lot of atmospheric lighting all around sets the right mood. Between the heat from the fire pits and the towers acting as a wind block, it’s fairly pleasant even on chilly Southern California nights. There’s also an underrated pool bar, as mentioned above.
Then there’s the Pixel Pool and 186-foot-long Crush’s Surfin’ Slide. Little ones looking to get their feet wet can splash at Nemo’s Cove, while adults in search of a more relaxing retreat can spend time in the whirlpool. These Pixar Place Hotel pools are all satisfactory–likely to be good enough if pools are not a priority, but you want to take a quick dip. Probably not somewhere you’d want to do a fully-fledged “pool day,” though.
Disneyland Hotel is a totally different story. Here you’ll find the massive 4,800-square-foot E-Ticket Pool, which lives up to its name. This features 2 winding waterslides, both feature replicas of the original Mark 1 Monorail trains. There’s the 25-foot-high, 180-foot-long Red Monorail slide or the 13-foot-high, 80-foot-long Yellow Monorail slide.
There’s also a 2-lane mini slide for smaller children with pop jets, fountains, and a waterfall add to the fun. This nostalgic water play area is topped by a “Disneyland” sign reminiscent of the park’s classic years. This entire pool area is top-notch; it’s larger and has more fun on offer than its counterpart at Pixar Place Hotel. If you have kids of any age, there’s little doubt that they’ll prefer the pools at Disneyland Hotel.
By all objective measures, Disneyland Hotel gets the win. Frankly, though, we prefer the pool area at Pixar Place Hotel. The vibe is more relaxed and the views are nice, making it a far better option when taking time away from the parks to unwind. Children will probably disagree (there’s probably a reason why fewer guests use the pool area at PPH), but couples might give the edge to the rooftop deck at PPH. For that matter, even families might prefer the area as a whole at Pixar Place Hotel, as there are a lot of other activities and recreational offerings up here beyond the pools.
Cost: It Depends – On average, Pixar Place Hotel is slightly less expensive than Disneyland Hotel when it comes to rack rates. Both routinely are in the $400 to $700 range during most regular rate seasons. That’s pre-discount and for regular rooms, though.
Discounts definitely complicate things, especially since Pixar Pier Hotel typically offers a lower percentage savings than Disneyland Hotel. Another factor is availability of standard rooms, which are far and away the most popular booking category at all three hotels at Disneyland Resort since they’re the least expensive.
The bottom line is that Pixar Place Hotel should be slightly cheaper, but that’s only in theory. In actuality, it’s essentially a toss-up. That’s doubly true at present, as the “new hotel smell” hasn’t totally worn off Pixar Place Hotel, whereas Disneyland Hotel is old news.
Verdict: It Depends – This probably depends on how much time you’ll be spending at your hotel, and where you’ll be spending it. If you’re primarily booking for a place to stay and plan on spending most of your time at the parks–save for midday breaks to rest and recharge–then Pixar Place Hotel should be the winner for you. And probably by a decisive margin, as the rooms are much nicer and more modern, and access to and from the parks is easier.
If you’re looking for a resort where you’ll spend more time, Disneyland Hotel should be the winner. Families with kids will probably prefer the Disneyland Hotel itself for the superior pool and greater level of whimsy to the rooms and property as a whole. And if you’re spending more time at the hotel or doing more non-parks time, you’ll likely also appreciate the far superior dining options, and the immediate access to Downtown Disney.
Likewise, couples and diehard Disney fans will likely prefer the nostalgia, fun of Trader Sam’s, and other ways that Disneyland Hotel just “oozes” all things Walt Disney and Disneyland. It’s a really close call and there’s no one size fits all answer for everyone. Heck, the very same people might favor DLH at some points and PPH at other times.
Speaking of which, there is no clear winner for us. It truly is an “it depends” kind of deal. As huge fans of the history and legacy of Walt Disney, we enjoy spending time at Disneyland Hotel much more than Pixar Place Hotel. Disneyland Hotel feels like an extension of the eponymous park, and it makes days outside the parks still feel like you’re part of the Disneyland magic.
On the other hand, we recently did a parks-focused stay at Pixar Place Hotel. We used that exclusive entrance a ton, and pretty much the only time we were at the hotel was when we were in our room–which we liked more than our last stay in the standard rooms at Disneyland Hotel (the villas are a different story).
The only time we dined at PPH was at Small Bytes after leaving the park, and it was a great experience–better than what we’ve had at Tangaroa Terrace recently. Our only real complaint about that stay at Pixar Place Hotel was the glacial speed of the elevators, which may seem like an odd thing to mention, but it’s a very real problem at peak times (if there were an “elevators” category here, DLH would trounce PPH).
All of this is to say that we think most guests doing a Disneyland Resort vacation will prefer Disneyland Hotel. Those doing Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure-centric visits will likely lean towards Pixar Place Hotel. Those opting for a commando DCA-only trip will probably prefer Pixar Place Hotel.
Still not sure which hotel at Disneyland Resort is right for you? Get professional help for free from an Authorized Disney Vacation Planner (Disney’s term for a travel agent). They receive commission from Disney, so most authorized planners will not charge you for booking the vacation package and planning services. The fee-free Authorized Disney Vacation Planner that we recommend is Be Our Guest Vacations. Their services don’t cost extra, they’ll help choose the right resort for you, book your vacation, help you with dining reservations and itineraries, and apply the best discounts to your reservation.
Planning a Southern California vacation? For park admission deals, read Tips for Saving Money on Disneyland Tickets. Learn about on-site and off-site hotels in our Anaheim Hotel Reviews & Rankings. For where to eat, check out our Disneyland Restaurant Reviews. For unique ideas of things that’ll improve your trip, check out What to Pack for Disney. For comprehensive advice, consult our Disneyland Vacation Planning Guide. Finally, for guides beyond Disney, check out our Southern California Itineraries for day trips to Los Angeles, Laguna Beach, and many other SoCal cities!
YOUR THOUGHTS
Where do you stand in the Pixar Place Hotel vs. Disneyland Hotel debate? Which of these two middle-tier hotels at Disneyland Resort is the better one, in your opinion? Does cost, rooms, location, pools, dining, or something else matter most to you? Are we missing a key variable that could, potentially tilt the scales? Do you agree or disagree with our picks? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
