Disney Dork Tom

I know that everyone who loves Disneyland probably also loves the Disneyland Hotel even if staying there is only sort of a fantasy for “one day”. Whether you stay there or not, there’s still a lot of cool things to explore either way and I thought it would be fun to outline five cool things about the Disneyland Hotel that most people may not know about.

#1 – Was not originally owned by Disney

In fact, not only was the Disneyland Hotel not originally owned by Disney, but they didn’t purchase it until 1988! When it was constructed in 1955, it was owned by oil millionaire Jack Wrather and his wife, the actress Bonita Granville. Walt Disney actually asked Wrather to build the holel when he had exhausted his own credit building Disneyland. When Walt tried to buy the hotel back later, Wrather refused. The Walt Disney company finally acquired the hotel when it purchased the Wrather Corporation in 1988.

#2 – Signature Suites

I was blown away – like, jaw on floor blown away – when I first saw some of the pictures of these signature suites. They’re not a secret by any means, but so many just don’t know they exist. The theming in these rooms is exceptional (and the price tag is probably proportional) and they come in a few themes: Adventureland Suite, Fairy Tale Suite, Big Thunder Suite, Pirates of the Caribeean Suite, and the Mickey Mouse Penthouse. For those of you who have never seen them, be sure to click here to scroll throw Disney’s picture gallery for all of these rooms. If they don’t leave you speechless, I actually don’t know what will!

#3 – Extra Magic Hours

Any guest at the Disneyland Hotel (or the other two Disney-owned hotels) are eligible for Extra Magic Hours on each day of their stay. This means that they’re allowed entrance into the parks one hour earlier than everyone else (for each day of their stay at a Disneyland Resort hotel). Currently, it’s an hour early to Disneyland on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays and an hour early to California Adventure on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays. This is completely independent of the other early-admission program, Magic Morning, whereby anyone who purchases a 3+ day ticket will enjoy early access to Disneyland on one Tuesday, Thursday, or Saturday during their stay.

#4 – No monorail station at the hotel

This may not be a big deal to some, but for those who are used to Walt Disney World this may be a surprise. At Walt Disney World, a number of the Deluxe resorts are connected to the Magic Kingdom and EPCOT directly by monorail (with monorail stations at the hotel). This isn’t the case with the Disneyland Hotel (nor any of the Disney-owned Disneyland hotels). The monorail station is located close by, but requires a walk to Downtown Disney and lets people off within Tomorrowland.

#5 – Steakhouse 55

I am as guilty as anyone who always makes dining reservations inside the park instead of outside. For those of you like me, one of these fine days you should give Steakhouse 55 at the Disneyland Hotel a whirl. It’s a nice, classy restaurant with delicious steak, chops, and seafood. If you need a wee drink, too, there is also a lounge that you can enjoy a nice cocktail at if you’d like.

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Have you stayed at the Disneyland Hotel recently and have more tips or fun facts?? We’d love to hear your feedback in the comments, too! And, if you’re craving more Disney insight be sure to check out these other fun articles:

• Five Food Tips for Dining at Walt Disney World
• Big Thunder Mountain: More than meets the eye at Disneyland

Thanks for reading!!
— Disney Dork Tom (follow me on Twitter and Facebook, too, for non-stop daily Disney action!)