The original “official hotel of the Magic Kingdom” is the Disneyland Hotel. Located just west of the Disney parks, the Disneyland Hotel captivates guests with its own brand of Disney magic, fun, and convenience. Of the three Disney resort hotels, the Disneyland Hotel is mid-range in price. 

AMBIENCE

A stay at the Disneyland Hotel feels like visiting your favorite Uncle Walt. Even on Jennifer’s first visit 20 years ago, she was delighted by the sense of history and the familiar Disney characters cavorting throughout the hotel’s decor and grounds. One could almost expect to see Walt himself walk around the corner here. While the Disneyland Hotel was built in 1955—the same year that Disneyland opened—it was actually built and operated by Walt’s friend Jack Wrather. The Wrather Corp. expanded the resort from its original structure by adding the three towers. In the ‘80s, the Disney Company purchased the entire corporation, thereby becoming the hotel’s owners as well. The hotel was then completely renovated to evoke the magic of Fantasia and the towers (formerly Marina, Sierra, and Bonita) were renamed. A second renaming came along with a big renovation and update of the resort, 2009-11. The monorail originally connected to the Disneyland Hotel, but after hotel renovations the monorail stop is now a 5-minute walk away inside Downtown Disney. The hotel isn’t themed like the Grand Californian, but it has its own, unique magic.

HOTEL LAYOUT & ROOMS

Mickey and Minnie await!
by GingerJ

The 969 guest rooms at the Disneyland hotel are housed in three towers named for "lands" in Disneyland Park: Fantasy Tower (north) is 11 stories, Adventure Tower (east) is also 11 stories, and Frontier Tower (south) is 14 stories. Visitors to the hotel prior to 1999 may remember garden villas, but these were removed to make room for Downtown Disney. Guest rooms have a new, contemporary look, along with amazing, light-up Sleeping Beauty Castle headboards. Standard rooms range from 364 to 415 sq. ft. and have two queens or one king bed, plus either a sofa bed or a comfy chair and footstool. Most rooms sleep up to five guests. Other room features include a desk, free wi-fi, a small refrigerator in the armoire, two-line phone, an in-room safe, coffee maker, hair dryer, satellite TV with premium channels, iron/ironing board, makeup mirror and crib/pack-and-play. One-, two-, and three-bedroom suites are also available, sleeping 6-10 guests. New themed Signature Suites—Adventureland, Ambassador, Big Thunder, Blue Sky, Fairytale, Mickey Mouse Penthouse, and Pirates of the Caribbean—come in a variety of combinations of king, queen, or twin beds and queen sleeper sofas, but only sleep up to six adults. The luxurious decor in the suites follows the themes faithfully, with canopied beds, artwork, upscale fixtures, and magnificent views from huge picture windows. If I ever become a millionaire, I'm staying in the Fairytale Suite! If money is no object, look into the Signature Suites; for now, though, most of us will have to be content with drooling over photos (check them out at https://disneyland.disney.go.com/hotels/disneyland-hotel/rates-rooms!). Standard room layouts differ—see two typical floor plans below. Standard rooms have one of three views: standard (views of trees or parking lot), deluxe view (pool), and premium view (pool or Downtown Disney). Fantasy Tower has concierge rooms offering upgraded amenities, light snacks, nightly wine-and-cheese reception, and views of the pool or Downtown Disney. Suites, from one-bedroom and up, range in size from 740 to 3400 sq. ft. Barrier-free rooms are also available.