Our First Stay at Disneyland Resort’s Pixar Place Hotel

As of the time of this writing, the once-Paradise Pier Hotel reopened as the Pixar Place Hotel, a celebration of Pixar films old and new. On our most recent Disneyland vacation, my family was able to reserve a room at Pixar Place, about which we were ecstatic after having seen so much footage from this incredible hotel. Come along as I share my thoughts on Disneyland’s newest resort. The Pixar Place Hotel must be explored! Not as catchy as Russell’s catchphrase, I know, but bear with me as I try to be punny.

Rooms

Some people may consider overt Disney decor tacky, and I admit it sometimes can be. Pixar Place, however, manages to inundate guests with Pixar characters without being gaudy. The hotel accomplishes this through an emphasis on art, evident in the lobby, recreation areas, and even the guest rooms. Upon entering the hotel room, one immediately notices the spectacular headpiece, the centerpiece of every guest room, which features colorful concept art from various Pixar films. Not only is the headboard breathtaking, but there is also a collage of Pixar characters and motifs rendered in a bold, abstract style, a long portrait of characters running, each according to their own personalities, and even an adorable, framed painting of Luxo above the toilet. Instead of copying and pasting Pixar characters from their respective films into the hotel rooms, the artisans of Pixar Place rely on more abstract, personable renderings of the characters we love to create an environment that is at once marvelously fun and effortlessly sleek.

Moving on from the sheer artistry of these rooms, let’s talk about the nitty gritty details. These rooms are relatively small, but we had all the room we needed; can anyone ask for more than that? Where space, or lack thereof, did become an issue was the bathroom. Despite the long white countertop, there is only one sink, which makes it difficult for multiple people to get ready at once. Furthermore, unlike other Disney resorts, the toilet and shower are in the same room, not separated by a door. Along with the shower’s transparent sliding glass door, this lack of any partition, or a “toilet closet” as my sister refers to it, makes it impossible for anyone, particularly families, to be in the bathroom while someone is showering. Although this didn’t ruin our stay by any means, it was inconvenient, and I wish there was at least an opaque shower curtain to make mornings and evenings smoother.

That was my biggest complaint about the room. Otherwise, it was wonderful. Our view was stunning. We could see everything in California Adventure (we even had a “front row” seat to World of Color), the Matterhorn in Disneyland Park, as well as the fabulous San Gabriel Mountains. We had two queen beds and a day bed, which is my family’s ideal setup. And I cannot emphasize enough how much the art elevated this from a nice hotel room to an impressive live-in exhibition of Pixar magic and artistry.

Dining

The lack of outstanding dining options is Pixar Place’s biggest disappointment. Pixar Place only boasts two restaurants, and neither is worth your time or money. Sketchpad Cafe is the hotel’s grab-and-go spot. Their menu features several tasty and fun items, including a saucy pizza bagel, along with quick service mainstays like muffins and croissants. At first, my family was excited to eat here, and we expected to dine at Sketchpad Cafe every day of our trip. What made us forget this fantasy was the price. We all know that Disney food is expensive, but the cost of the basic fare at Sketchpad Cafe is intolerable. For example, Sketchpad Cafe served overnight oats priced at $14 during our stay. For a mixture of oats, milk, yogurt, and fruit, that is ridiculous. The one time my family ate at Sketchpad Cafe for breakfast, we bought 4 black coffees and 4 pastries, steering clear of the priciest items, mind you, and we still spent $40 for what was essentially an early morning snack. Besides the overinflated prices, Sketchpad Cafe is only open from 6AM-5PM. This means guests returning to the resort in the evening have no options for a quick late-night snack besides a handful of offerings at the hotel’s gift shop. I will say, though, that while I don’t recommend eating at Sketchpad Cafe if you can help it, I do suggest popping by at least to admire the precious Pixar wall art.

Besides Sketchpad Cafe, guests may also dine at Great Maple: A Modern American Eatery, which is a non-Disney table service restaurant. My family ate there once during our trip only to be disappointed by the lackluster offerings. To be clear, nothing we ordered was bad. Everything was enjoyable, just not remarkable, especially not for the high price tag. Also, the drab, generic decor of Great Maple interrupts the otherwise extravagant theming. The only signs that this restaurant is in a Pixar-themed hotel are several haphazardly placed noir-style portraits of various characters. Simply put, Great Maple does not belong at Pixar Place. If you need a meal at Pixar Place, whatever you order at Great Maple likely won’t offend you, but it also likely won’t wow you, which is what I want when I dine at any restaurant, particularly an expensive eatery on Disney property. Going forward, I would love to see Disney refurbish the space to match the rest of the hotel’s theming.

Lobby

Walking into the Pixar Place lobby is like walking into a Pixar lover’s dream. Although this was good timing, not guaranteed magic, Bing Bong was greeting guests at the front door as we first arrived at the hotel. I mean, a character waiting to welcome guests to a resort is like something straight out of a Disney commercial. If a pink cat-elephant-dolphin wasn’t enough to make this the most magical lobby I’ve ever seen, a giant Luxo lamp balances on the Pixar ball in the middle of the foyer beneath abstract glass mobiles of Pixar characters. Beyond that lies an even greater treasure trove of Pixar history and paraphernalia, including maquettes, bright concept art murals, a winding, Heimlich-shaped sofa, a glass elevator adorned with Carl Frederickson’s flying house, and Joe Gardner’s piano, waiting patiently for someone to tinkle the ivories. Everything is so detailed, so overwhelmingly Pixar—and I mean that as the highest compliment. It’s sleek, modern, and oh-so-Disney, which is exactly what I want when I stay at a hotel on Disney property. And luckily for us, that over-the-top Pixar theming continues throughout the hotel.

Before we leave the lobby, I must mention Pixar Place’s live-in characters: Bing Bong from Inside Out and Joe Gardner from Soul. Bing Bong roams the lobby in early hours, and Joe Gardner serenades guests at his piano in the evening. Both characters fit into the hotel so well; it’s like they’re meant to exist in this space, which just underscores Pixar Place’s to-infinity-and-beyond theming.

Location

Because of Disneyland Resort’s small size, every hotel is well within walking distance of both theme parks, but unlike the Disneyland Hotel, Pixar Place is a road-crossing away from California Adventure. In all our years of Disney travel, we have never stayed in a resort closer to a theme park. The only resort nearer a theme park is Grand Californian, Disneyland’s flagship resort, which is practically part of California Adventure and has an in-park entrance that allows guests direct entry into Grizzly Peak. This entrance, however, is accessible to any Disneyland visitors, whereas the Paradise Gardens entrance is exclusive to Pixar Place guests.

Recreation

It was too chilly to swim during our trip, but we did explore the pool deck to admire all the Pixar short Easter eggs. There are fun games, each based on a different short film, as well as fairy lights in the style of the plinking stars from “La Luna,” a red and blue umbrella one may recognize from “The Blue Umbrella,” and fireplaces molded to look like Anger, Ember, Uku (one of the volcanoes from “Lava”), and Jack-Jack. These nods to Pixar short films are delightful and whimsical; they are certainly worth a few minutes of your time.

Final Thoughts

It is unbelievable that this is considered Disneyland’s lowest-level resort. Not only is the theming impeccable, but Pixar Place is steps from California Adventure’s Paradise Gardens. I admit, the dining is lacking, and the hotel room bathrooms aren’t set up to accommodate families, but this is still a fantastic resort, one of my favorite at which I’ve ever stayed and certainly Disneyland’s best hotel, given its relatively affordable price and incredible atmosphere. Needless to say, my family knows where we’ll be staying the next time we get to visit Disneyland Resort.