We’ve stayed at many places during our visits to Disney, but never onsite at one of the three Disneyland Resorts. On our most recent trip where we were reviewing Galaxy’s Edge, we thought we’d take the opportunity to review the Disneyland Hotel as well. While the Parks have great accessibility in the form of the DAS pass and more, the hotels to not have sensory accessibility per se, although they will offer help when asked.
Not many hotels in the area offer Autism/Sensory Accessibility. The only one we know of is the Sheraton Park at Anaheim; if you are interested in their Autism program (called their Max program,) view our future post or call them directly.
While many hotels still don’t offer accessibility options to Autistic individuals or those with sensory difficulties, many hotels have built-in amenities that make a stay more Sensory Friendly. Here are the things we look for:
- Amenities such as weighted blankets, noise machines and choice of pillows.
- Ability to interact with staff in text or writing if non-verbal or just feel more comfortable not talking one on one
- Safety for younger kids – door locks that are up high and heavy items bolted down.
- Ability to make the room quiet and dark
- Gluten free/casein free options at restaurants, etc
- Colors and textures in the room and lobby
- Ease of navigation
How did the Disneyland Hotel stack up? See below!
Amenities:
Disneyland Hotel does not currently offer any amenities specific for sensory needs. Their in-room amenities (soap/shampoo) were mild and not overpowering.
Staff Interaction:
Most things still requires some staff verbal interaction, but it was possible to make dinner reservation through the app, which was nice.
Safety:
The room did feature latches up high which would decrease likelihood of elopement of younger kiddos. Everything was well attached so minimal ways for young kiddos to get hurt
Ease of Navigation:
Signage was fairly average; the hotel has several Towers so navigating to the correct Tower was not intuitive, and remembering which one you were in to navigate back and forth was needed.
Food Options:
Every Disney Restaurant does a fantastic job with food options and intolerances/allergies. We ate both at Goofy’s Kitchen, which we will review in another post (Sensory alert!), and at the famous Trader Sam Enchanted Tiki Bar/Tangaroa Terrace; which while crowded, was lovely. We did have to at first share a seating area with strangers, which is always hard for one of our team members, but soon we had the table to ourselves and really enjoyed the Tiki atmosphere and food & drinks. We did not head into the bar due to the long line.
The Lobby:
The Lobby was modern and had a soft blue glow to it, which was not too overwhelming. Although we did have to wait every time we needed help (there were usually only a few people at the front desk) there were many seating areas opposite the front desk, including some shaped like Alice’s Teacups!
The Hallways
I know it seems silly to discuss hallways but some hotel hallways are reminiscent of The Shining, and Disney Theming is awesome. We loved this carpet!! The hallways were themed and quiet, and easy to navigate.
The Rooms
I’ve stayed at some nice hotels, and after doing some research, knew that part of the price (on average $550 per night) includes just the fact that it is Disney and that it is close and convenient to the park. There are also amenities such as a special lanyard/pin, extra magic hours every day, etc. We were not disappointed! While many hotels with that price tag probably have other luxuries, the rooms itself with its magical wall hanging that lulled us to sleep WAS magical.
At night, the backdrop has fireworks and plays “When you Wish upon a Star.” It was super lovely and magical at night, and wonderful way to fall asleep, although our autistic teen did not prefer it after Day One when he was super tired. This may be better when you are not overwhelmed already/ your spoons are full.
The room was nice and quiet and there were no odd lights at night. The curtains were heavy and dark so that light could be blocked out if so desired.
The beds were super comfortable and had many pillows to choose from, and the cute Disney pillows were a nice touch.
The bathroom was not super special, but did feature cute touches like Mickey lamps and faucets. Not too overdone, but nice and subtle, the way I prefer. The colors are all very subdued, and the textures fairly minimal, with nice soft sheets and a firm mattress.
So, is Disneyland Hotel Sensory Accessible? It certainly could be, with a few modifications, such as adding some of the sensory amenities and offering non face to face ways to interact with staff. But for now, we’ll give Disneyland Hotel a solid 7/10, which puts it in the Sensory Friendly range. To see our Sensory Rating Sheet (TM) for this hotel, click here:
This review team included an Autistic Teen, Neurodiverse Teen, and SPD Psychologist.