Disneyland Hotels
Disney has 3 hotels within the Disneyland vicinity – The Grand Californian, The Disneyland Hotel, and the Paradise Pier Hotel. The discounts for eligible military members are offered on a sliding scale and range from up to 30% at the Paradise Pier Hotel to 40% off at the Grand Californian.
Why Stay at a Disney Hotel?
One of the best perks of being a guest of a Disney Resort hotel is Extra Magic Hours! Extra Magic Hours gives registered hotel guests with a valid theme park ticket the chance to enter a particular park earlier than the general public. The schedule is as follows:
- Disneyland Park: Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, one hour prior to park open
- Disney California Adventure Park: Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays, one hour prior to park open
The Grand Californian
The Grand Californian is Disneyland’s deluxe and most luxurious resort. It’s location is one that can’t be beat – it’s located in the middle of Downtown Disney and also has it’s own entrance to Disney’s California Adventure Park!
Staying at the Grand Californian definitely comes with a high price tag. The average cost per night can range from $500-$1000! Pretty crazy, huh? Well, luckily for those military members eligible for the discount, you can get rates up to 40% off ! We’ve stayed here before for only $305/night. Yes, it seems pricey, but our kids were really young at the time, and it was worth the convenience to be able to make the quick trip back to the room for a nap and to be able to sleep in a bit and not have to rush to the park in the morning to beat the crowds. The hotel has its own security entrance, which saves a lot of time and hassle in the mornings! It was worth every penny!
The one thing I will say is that if you are looking for “Disney Magic,” this is not the hotel for you. It has nice subtle Disney touches but
The Disneyland Hotel
The Disneyland hotel is absolutely beautiful! It’s what you imagine when you think of “Disney Magic.” It’s located at the end of Downtown Disney, so it’s about an additional 5 minutes further than the Grand Californian. But it’s typically priced more “reasonably” than the Grand Californian is.
The Disneyland hotel averages between $400-$700 a night. Eligible military members can receive a discount of up to about 35% off. You could save up to $245 per night!
We have also stayed at the Disneyland Hotel and absolutely loved it! It fit our family of 5 perfectly into one room. It was close enough where the walk wasn’t too unbearable after a long day at the park…especially since we were able to enjoy Downtown Disney on our way back. If we had to choose between the Disneyland hotel and the Grand Californian, we would definitely choose the Disneyland Hotel, just for the “magic” of it all!
Paradise Pier Hotel
Disney’s Paradise Pier Hotel is Disney’s most affordable on property resort option. However, it’s location is not ideal. It’s about a 15 min walk from the gates.
The Paradise Pier hotel averages about $330-$500 a night. Discounts for eligible members are up to about 30% off. That’s a savings of up to $150 a night!
We have not stayed here because the benefits (Extra Magic Hour) of staying at this particular Disney Resort don’t outweigh the cost. We could easily stay at one of the closer non Disney resorts for a lot less! We could use the money we saved to splurge on some of our favorite Disney treats!!