{"id":633,"date":"2017-12-27T03:31:48","date_gmt":"2017-12-27T03:31:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.expedia.co.nz\/stories\/what-its-really-like-to-stay-at-disneyland\/"},"modified":"2022-04-21T01:40:50","modified_gmt":"2022-04-21T01:40:50","slug":"what-its-really-like-to-stay-at-disneyland","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.expedia.co.nz\/stories\/what-its-really-like-to-stay-at-disneyland\/","title":{"rendered":"What it’s really like to stay at Disneyland"},"content":{"rendered":"

As the final notes of the song finish, the crowd goes wild. They\u2019ve sung every word, they\u2019ve got the t-shirts, the hats, they\u2019ve even made up their own dance moves. As Mickey Mouse looks out at his adoring fans and moves on to the next number, the crowd goes wild again. No, we\u2019re not at a concert or a show, we\u2019re at Disneyland. More specifically, we\u2019re at\u00a0Disney\u2019s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa<\/a>, inside the Disneyland resort in Anaheim, California, where the magic doesn\u2019t ever seem to stop.<\/p>\n

And it is magic, or at least the parents of the 10 or so children sitting in kid-sized rocking chairs in front of a TV in the lobby seem to think so. The adults are drinking glass of wine by the fire, one eye on the flames, the other on their kids.<\/p>\n

At the end of each day it\u2019s as if a soft glow of fairy dust has been sprinkled over the hotel\u2019s cavernous lobby. The twinkle of hundreds of Christmas lights helps give that glow, but it\u2019s more than that. It\u2019s the gentle clinking of wine glasses by the fire, the tinkling of the ivories from the pianist (Disney classics of course) and the hush of families that have had a big but beautiful day exploring the parks.
\n\"Disneyland<\/p>\n

The Grand Californian is one of three Disney hotels within the resort. It\u2019s the most dramatic, decorated in the style of the Californian Arts and Crafts movement, with enormous exposed wooden beams, grand pine staircases and a plaid theme that together make you feel like you\u2019ve entered a super sized hunting lodge rather than a hotel. With 948 rooms, the hotel is enormous, fanning out in a rough U shape to hug California Adventure Park and Downtown Disney, the dining and entertainment precinct leading up to the park entrances.<\/p>\n

The biggest boon for guests, aside from Magic Hour privileges, is the dedicated hotel entrance directly into California Adventure Park. Opening right up onto Grizzly Peak, the hotel matches the faux redwood forest theme seamlessly. Guests can pop in and out of the park, with a quick security check, all day and night. This comes in especially handy when you\u2019ve just received a soaking on the Grizzly River Run water ride. Many rooms, and the club lounge, look out over the park and are positioned to catch the daily fireworks show. On the other side of the hotel, there is an entrance straight into the heart of Downtown Disney, and rooms on this side have balconies overlooking all the action. On a warm evening, opening the balcony doors and letting the live music filter in is a great way to unwind before heading down for dinner.<\/p>\n

When it comes to food, there are plenty of options at the resort, from Downtown Disney\u2019s long strip of family style restaurants, to the hotel\u2019s very own venues. Inside the Grand Californian there\u2019s the Storyteller Caf\u00e9, for character dining and casual meals, the White Water Snacks for pizzas, salads and breakfast on the go, and then there\u2019s Napa Rose, Disney\u2019s award winning fine dining restaurant. Book in for a chefs table degustation, and work your way through dishes like hazelnut beet salads, crispy Californian artichoke fritters, roasted trout and a truffle mac & cheese that\u2019s always a winner.
\n\"Disneyland<\/p>\n

The concept of Character Dining might seem odd but it\u2019s an integral part of the Disney experience. All three hotels have designated character dining venues \u2013\u00a0elaborate buffets with a smorgasbord of food and a smattering of Disney characters that pop around to tables to meet and greet their biggest fans. Watch the little ones\u2019 eyes go wide as Mickey and Minnie come over for a hug, chuckle as Chip ‘n Dale bust out a jig, and get ready to take a lot of photos \u2013 of the kids, the costumes, and especially the food. Breakfast staples include Mickey Mouse-shaped waffles and pancakes, but then there’s soft serve ice cream stations, dessert pizza, savory pizza, omelette bar, salads, roasts, cakes, cereal. You name it, they\u2019ve got it. At the Disneyland Hotel, which opened the same year as the Resort back in 1955, Goofy\u2019s Kitchen is a culinary playground where Goofy dances around during your meal and great for the little ones.<\/p>\n

Like any good resort hotel, all three properties have sprawling pool areas. At the Grand Californian there are three pools, along with a Mickey Mouse-shaped family pool, and two hot tubs. Deckchairs with cushions so thick you might as well be sitting on the couch are everywhere. If that wasn\u2019t decadent enough, the hotel has several poolside cabanas guests can hire, complete with large flat screen TV, couch and fridge,\u00a0that are hugely popular during football season.<\/p>\n

The pools don\u2019t usually get busy until the afternoon. In the mornings guests make a beeline for the parks, to take advantage of Magic Hour. At one of the parks each day, hotel guests get access to some of the rides and attractions one hour prior to the public. It\u2019s a fantastic time to experience some of the more popular rides like Space Mountain and Pirates of the Caribbean in Disneyland and the new Guardians of the Galaxy \u2013 Mission Breakout! and Radiator Springs Racers rides in California Adventure Park. Many guests get up early,\u00a0spend\u00a0Magic Hour in the park, and once the public have entered, head off to find their breakfast. This hour changes the tone of your entire day. It cuts down wait times at popular rides, and gives you a chance to see another side of the parks. It\u2019s great for families with small children who might be overwhelmed by the crowds and the heat later in the day.<\/p>\n

The other big benefit of staying on site is the ability to charge food, souvenirs and drinks to your room key. Any venue inside either park will take your key as payment, Some venues in Downtown Disney even take the card, so you don\u2019t even need to take a wallet with you.<\/p>\n

\"Disneyland<\/p>\n

So how do you choose between the three properties? The Grand Californian Hotel is big, bold and beautiful, a hunting lodge meets hotel vibe, whilst the\u00a0Disneyland Hotel<\/a>\u00a0is famous for its exclusive themed suites. From the Fairy Tale Suite to the Mickey Mouse Penthouse, it\u2019s all about the little details. And\u00a0Disney\u2019s Paradise Pier Hotel<\/a>, which sits on the outer edge of California Adventure Park, overlooks the Paradise Pier precinct and has rooftop terraces, pools with waterslides and a famous \u201cKitchen Sink\u201d ice cream sundae dessert that is not for the feint hearted. Whether you want to relax with a glass of wine, settle your kids in front of the TV, meet Mickey together over breakfast or spend the afternoon by the pool, each hotel has its own special bit of magic.<\/p>\n

There’s never been a better time to head to Disneyland, for a limited time only, Aussies and Kiwis get access to an exclusive 4 day Disneyland Resort Park Hopper ticket for the price of a 2 day Park Hopper ticket on Expedia. For this offer, tickets need to be purchased before the 31st<\/sup>\u00a0March 2018, and must be redeemed before the 31st<\/sup>\u00a0December 2018. See\u00a0here<\/a>\u00a0for more details.<\/p>\n

Lisa was the guest of Disneyland Resort<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As the final notes of the song finish, the crowd goes wild. They\u2019ve sung every word, they\u2019ve got the t-shirts, the hats, they\u2019ve even made up their own dance moves. As Mickey Mouse looks out at his adoring fans and moves on to the next number, the crowd goes wild again. No, we\u2019re not at… Continue reading What it’s really like to stay at Disneyland<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":636,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,5,2,15],"tags":[229,479,10],"authors":[],"class_list":["post-633","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-adventure","category-destination","category-experiences","category-usa-canada","tag-america","tag-disney","tag-tips","entry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nWhat it's really like to stay at Disneyland | Expedia<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.expedia.co.nz\/stories\/what-its-really-like-to-stay-at-disneyland\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"What it's really like to stay at Disneyland | Expedia\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"As the final notes of the song finish, the crowd goes wild. 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