Okay. So we went to stay at the Paradise Pier Hotel. It was great, actually. For the very first time since we have been staying on property at DLR (about 3 times a year for the last 10 years) we got an upgraded room just out of the blue. That was beyond wonderful! We paid for a concierge room with a theme park view (so pretty good at that hotel)--but they ended up giving us a suite! The suite was overlooking California Adventure--and it had an awesome view. We were so happy with it. It had 2 bathrooms and an extra room--plus the great veiw.
The only complaint I have at this hotel is that:
1. The elevators are really slow and very packed. It is pretty bad. You hear guests talking about it in the lobby, in the elevators, and just around the hotel. They have an elevator problem. They need to address that eventually.
2. Concierge has pretty bad food. It isn't food poinsoning bad, but it is bagged bagel (like a cut rate Thomas's white bread bagel) bad. Breakfast is cheap danish (the kind you can buy at Safeway in boxes) and cheap bagels. Some cereal thrown in, but nothing hearty. The night time offerings were the same re-heated tortilla chips and really bad hot appetizers (southwest spring rolls).
But other than that, great beds (super firm yet plush), nice decor and beautiful views if you spring for the the theme park view.
But then, I bring you to the Union Protester segment of the vacation. Apparently those disney union protesters (and apparently Disney has MANY unions--not just one) love the Paradise Pier Hotel because it doesn't have a private property buffer zone. The public property is right on the street outside this hotel, so they can make their disturbance very clear to paying guests.
So, after staying up with my girls till 1:30 a.m. after the Halloween party, and promising them we will not only sleep in very late on our last day, but will get room service--the protesters had another plan. They were outside our window at 6 am screaming into a megaphone AND microphone "Disney like to break the ruuuules...we don't like your attitude" over and over add nauseum for hours. we literally couldn't even stay in our room because it was so loud and disruptive. We left and went to airport early (by 3 hours) in order to get some peace.
It was so bad. I wanted to dump a bucket of ice on the guy singing the chants! But that isn't good enough. Instead he must save up for many months working as a special education aide to take his daughters on a dream vacation, and then be awoken at the crack of dawn to annoying chants that drive him from his hotel room in a panic. Oh wait, that is what happened to me. So yeah, that.