Disney Hotel Review: Disney's Paradise Pier

I went to Disneyland this summer! It was such an amazing trip, as a Walt Disney World veteran getting to visit Walt's park is always special (you can read about my thoughts on the parks here). While we were visited I stayed at a Disneyland Resort so we could get the benefits that one gets by staying at a Disneyland Resort (early park hours and being close enough you can walk back to your room for a nap or quick refresher). In case you didn't know, Disneyland Resort has 3 resorts - Disney's Grand California Resort and Spa, Disneyland Hotel and Disney's Paradise Pier Hotel. All 3 resorts are within walking distance of both Disneyland Theme Parks and come with unique perks that are extremely beneficial to park goers. This visit to Disneyland, we stayed at Disney's Paradise Pier Hotel.  This Resort is quite lovely, has a cute beach theme, and I thoroughly enjoyed our stay there. We were fortunate to stay in a Club Level room as well that allows guests staying in a Club Level room access to the Club Lounge along with other perks.

As soon as you walk into the lobby of Disney's Paradise Pier one is greeted by a familiar face and it also lets you know that you've definitely made your way to a Disney hotel!

Hello Surfin Goofy!

To the left of Goofy is the check-in desk. TO the right of Goofy is the gift shop, restaurant and lounge area. Behind Goofy is the elevator to the resort rooms, arcade and the exit to get to the theme parks. The lobby and check-in area gives off the beach, relax vibe that the hotel is themed around.

Front Desk with sun umbrella awnings. 

One of my favorite parts of the lobby is the clear elevator that whisks you away to your room's floor. When we arrived on our floor, the top floor, we were rewarded with this amazing view of Disney's California Adventure!

View from the top of DPP!

Another cool feature, is the way you get on an elevator. There are key pads and you tap which floor your room is located on and the elevator would tell you which elevator bank to go wait at.  There are two other elevators that also reminded you of the beach theme at the resort as they have cute surfboards on the back of the walls.  Much to our delight, the hallway carpeting had Hidden Mickies on them!

Hidden Mickey Alert!

The room's at Disney's Paradise Pier are very big- which is great for families as there is plenty of room for everyone to have their own space. Our room had a king bed, a queen-sized couch bed, a desk with chair, an armoire, enclosed closet and a large bathroom.

The bed with cute beach ball pillow.

We didn't sleep on the couch bed, as there was only two of us, but it gave my fiance a spot to sit and relax while he waited on me to get ready.

Queen-sized sofa bed.

The beach touches in the room were perfect, not overwhelming but completely adorable and reminded you that you're staying a beach-themed resort. I mean, how cute is this Mickey Lifeguard Lamp?

Cute Mickey lamp.

The bathroom was even large and spacious. There was only one sink but with only two of us we had no problem with it plus there was plenty of counter space to spread all of our toiletries out on. The tub/shower combo is perfect for families. The shower curtain with the surfboards fits perfectly into the beach theme of the resort. I absolutely loved having the basket under the sink to throw our used towels in (I have no clue as to why all hotels don't do this as the bathroom felt tidier after showers because of this)!

Bathroom

 There were complimentary Disney toiletries as well. I love the Disney H2O toiletries and their grapefruit smell. I always know I'm on a Disney vacation by using these!

Disney toiletries

Of course there were Disney touches in the room as well.  The bed's coverlet had Mickey heads on them that were subtle enough but definitely noticeable.

Zoom in on the bedding for Hidden Mickeys!

This lamp next to the couch bed combines Disney with the beach theme by placing a Mickey head on a surfboard!

Ignore the crooked lamp shade please.

Disney's Paradise Pier has a rooftop pool with slide and our room happened to have a view over the pool and the firework viewing deck. There are rooms on the pool deck level that have private patios!

DPP pool with plenty of seating and shade.

DPP Pool slide!

The firework viewing deck was the cherry on top of our stay. We spent the first night of our stay there watching the view of the Disneyland Parks fireworks go off as the resort piped in the music.

Disneyland Park fireworks from DPP firework viewing deck!

When you stay in a Club Level room at Disney's Paradise Pier, you have access to the Beach Comber Club which is the lounge was located on the second floor of the resort. There is also an overlook of Goofy down below once you're in the lounge.

Sign letting you know you're here!

The Beach Comber is open for breakfast, snacks in the early afternoon, appetizers and beverages in the early evening and dessert in the evening. There is also a Cast Member desk located in the lounge and they will help you with a variety of things from helping you secure a dining reservation to printing your boarding passes. Breakfast was our most used benefit as the lounge was a perfect spot to make on our way out to the parks in the morning and get a bite to eat. They had a variety of juices, cereal, fruit and pastries in the morning. My favorite was a cup of coffee in the cute Disney cups and a piece of fruit with a bagel!

Coffee in the Beach Comber lounge.

Fruit available for breakfast. 

A variety of dry cereal and juices were available for breakfast.

 In the early afternoon the Beach Comber offers guests a variety of snacks including bagged snacks, fruit, granola, and cookies.

The granola and trail mix available.

Bagged snacks and fruit.

In the evening the Beach Comber Club serves both hot and cold appetizers plus beverages. During our visit we stopped in for one night and there was (I'm sorry no pictures, I got excited about the food...) hot mini pizzas, a cheese display with breads and crackers. We also enjoyed glasses of sparkling wine for myself and a beer for my fiance.

Chocolate Chip Micky Muffins.

The best treat overall by staying Club Level at Paradise Pier? Was coming home to these guys after a long day in the parks!

In room treats for Club Level rooms.

There are so many benefits of staying at one of the Disneyland Resorts for your Disneyland Park visit! My personal favorite is the Extra Magic Hour for Disneyland Resort Hotel Guests. Extra Magic Hour allows Resort Hotel Guests into the parks an hour earlier than the general public every day of your hotel stay! This perk alone allowed us to ride all of the major rides (including Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission Breakout!) and get FastPass to ride them again - all before the park even opened! Another one of my favorite perks was how easy it was to get to the parks! Disney's Paradise Pier is the hotel located the furthest away from the parks -compared to all 3 of the Disneyland Resorts - and it only took us 10-15 minutes to walk there through Downtown Disney. Some other great parks include Disney Character Dining right at your resort, Disney Character Wake-Up Calls, Preferred Access Reservations to restaurants and Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique, Purchased delivered to your resort and magical in-room celebrations!

Feel like you need to visit Disneyland Resort? Email me, lauren@magicaltravel.com, to book your Disney Vacation today! As a Disney vacation specialist, let me put my expert knowledge to your benefit and help you plan a magical vacation. Combine that with my free planning services, a free Disney Gift card and more - you're bound to have a magical vacation!

Disney's Port Orleans Riverside - Photo Tour

Welcome to this photo tour of one of my favorite Walt Disney World Moderate Resorts – Disney’s Port Orleans Riverside!  This is a wonderful resort that is a big step up in amenities when compared to a Value Resort - but not a big step up in price!  For travelers that want more than pool and arcade for resort entertainment and more than a food court to eat from while on vacation – Disney’s Moderate Resorts are the answer!

This is my favorite Moderate resort for two reasons: 

1. The resort and the grounds are absolutely gorgeous.
2. The Cast Members are always very friendly.

When you check-in, Disney's Port Orleans lobby is very open and airy. Very beautiful and tastefully decorated (and with hidden Mickey's to boot)! There is also a kid's area in the lobby where they can watch Disney cartoons on kid's sized furniture while parents check-in.

High ceilings in the lobby. Near the ceiling you'll notice the ports of call that you'll find along the Mississippi river.

There are two sections to this resort: Alligator Bayou and Magnolia bend. The later featuring mansion style buildings. 

Don't these grounds just scream romance? Well for one couple it did - we saw someone propose to their girlfriend in one of these gazebos. These archways also provide plenty of lighting at night making the walkways feel very safe and secure.

Most of the rooms at Disney's Port Orleans Riverside feature two queen beds with a hidden child sized bed. Some rooms have a king bed.  However, the Royal themed Guest rooms have only two queen beds (no hidden kid's sized bed).

Did you know Moderate rooms feature queen beds!

Moderate rooms are also bigger than Value resort rooms!

The rooms also feature two chairs and a table. The perfect place to have a snack in the room or to lay all your theme park treasures on.

Cute table and chairs to fit the theming of Riverside.

Upon the dresser also sits a great reason to stay at a Moderate (especially if you are a coffee drinker). The Moderate rooms come with a coffee maker! In the dresser is where you'll find a mini-fridge. There is no microwave in the rooms.

The bathrooms also have a standout feature compared to the bathrooms you'll find at Disney's Value resorts: two sinks! This extra sink can save some families from a morning fight over someone taking too long to get ready.

Two sinks allow for two people to get ready at the same time.

Another way the bathroom area of Moderate resorts' rooms sets themselves apart from those you'll find at a Value resort: a privacy curtain.

Privacy curtain shields the light from sleeping eyes - or allows for privacy.

Back to the main areas of this resort.  As you pass through the lobby you'll find the resort's restaurants and lounges. The resort has Boatwright's Dining Hall, and Riverside Mill, the Quick-Service location for the resort. There are also a few lounges including River Roost Lounge in the lobby are of the resort and Muddy Rivers poolside bar. River Roost Lounge is where you'll find one of Disney Fans' favorite entertainers: 'Ye Haw' Bob.

The main mode of transportation at Disney's Port Orleans Riverside is Disney buses. But Ferry Boats will take you to Disney Springs! This boat ride is very pretty and relaxing and is a highly recommended way to get to and from Disney Springs.

The Ferry Boat coming into port to take guests to Disney Springs.

Some of the extra amenities you'll find at this Disney Moderate resort include an awesome pool. There is a large main pool that has water spray features throughout.  There is also a curvy, windy water slide that is open (i.e. not completely enclosed for those that may be claustrophobic) but it is hidden in the trees added and extra element of fun. There is also a hot tub. Good news if you're visiting in the cooler winter months - the pool is heated!  There is also a rather large baby pool for the young guppies.  If you're looking for something a little more peaceful when it comes to pools, there are a few quiet pools throughout the resort but these do not have any lifeguards on duty.

There is also a jogging trail path throughout the resort that is one mile and you can opt to take an extended path that runs for an extra .7 miles.

Also on Ol' Man Island, where the pool is, there is also a playground for children. This is a perfect place for dads to take kids to play while mom gets ready - or vise versa.



Another neat amenity at Disney's Port Orleans includes bike and surrey bike rentals.  Guests can also sign their children up for the Pirate Adventure where the kids (no adults allowed) will use a treasure map to go treasure hunting. Guests can also take a horse drawn carriage ride throughout the resort grounds. The Fishin' Hole is where, you guessed it, guests can go fishing!



The resort also holds a nightly Movie Under the Star on a grassy lawn. Also at night, the resort hosts a campfire complete with a marshmallow roast and stories.



Sit back and relax on one of the hammocks throughout the resort grounds and listen to the jazz music that plays throughout the resort.


The resort also has a very large gift shop, Fulton's General Store. Here you'll find lots of Disney gear and gifts, prepackaged snacks, and some toiletry items you may have forgotten at home. You won't find any food that requires cooking/preparing since this is not a Disney Vacation Club Resort.

Fulton's General Store - the resort's large gift shop.

And that does it for our photo tour of Disney's Port Orleans Riverside.  I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did!

I asked clients who had stayed there if they would return to Port Orleans or pick a different resort and this is what they said:

"I'd love to stay there again. I actually have withdrawals from the trip. But the hotel is so cool. I loved every minute of the hotel/resort."

"I'm so glad that we picked the moderate Riverside over the value resort we were debating on. The extra amenities made the resort really stand out and make our vacation extra magical." 

"I've stayed at many Disney resorts and Disney's Port Orleans Riverside will be my number one choice from now on. For just a few dollars more a night my family has lots of options to do at the resort for our days off from the park." 

A Mickey towel animal!

To book your Walt Disney World vacation stay at Disney's Port Orleans Riverside, email me at lauren@magicaltravel.com. As a Disney Vacation Planner, my FREE services will help you find a Disney World resort and room that fits your family's needs and wants! I'll help you plan Advance Dining Reservation and FastPass+ reservations (essential to making the most out of your vacation) more! Plus all of my Walt Disney World clients that book a Package with me gets a FREE Disney Gift Card to use on souvenirs or extra snacks while on vacation! Email me today to start planning your vacation today!