Laughing Lindsay

Travel Reviews, Giveaways, & More!

Sheraton Park Hotel Review

By Leave a Comment

On my most recent visit to Disneyland, I stayed off-site to save some money since I was traveling solo. However, I didn’t want to stay somewhere shabby. So, I stayed at the Sheraton Park Hotel at the Anaheim Resort. This is my review of my four night stay there!

Sheraton Park Hotel

Sheraton Park Hotel

Unlike Walt Disney World, Disneyland has only three on-site resorts and they are all considered deluxe resorts. Seeing as how this was a last minute solo trip, I didn’t feel right spending that much money on this trip. So, I opted to stay somewhere that was nice and within walking distance to the parks without paying a fortune. I ended up going with the Sheraton Park Hotel at the Anaheim resort. Here are the pros and cons of staying here.

Pros

The majority of these bullet points are the exact reasons why I chose to stay here.

  • Location. It’s technically near the convention center, so it would make a great conference/event hotel. It’s also a 15-ish minute walk to the theme parks. I loved being able to just walk to the parks. That’s a huge perk over visiting WDW and dealing with the buses.
  • Restaurant. Unfortunately, I never was hungry enough to enjoy dinner here, but it sounds amazing! Nonetheless, I was very thankful for the 6 AM breakfast of french toast. I always prefer to stay somewhere with a restaurant so I don’t have to wander far if I get hungry. So, this was a nice perk.
  • Newly refurbished. The rooms were recently refurbished and are really nice. Everything still looks shiny and new, so you don’t have to worry about something falling apart or being overly dirty.
  • Comfortable. The beds are very comfortable. Also, I had a very quiet stay here, which is more than I can say for some other theme park stays.
  • Balconies. Every room has a balcony to look out over California. Some rooms even have a theme park view. I had a city view and was happy with that.
  • Disney Good Neighbor Hotel. I booked a Disneyland Good Neighbor package, which was super convenient for booking the hotel and park tickets together. Plus, I was able to log-on and make payments. I intend to make a future post about the pros of staying at a Good Neighbor Hotel in the future.

Cons

Now, admittedly some of these are minor or even petty complaints. However, they are things that I didn’t like and want to share for complete honesty.

  • Walk by homeless. Remember that short walk I mentioned as a pro? Well, it seems a lot longer when you are dodging the homeless. This certainly wasn’t the hotel’s fault as it wasn’t on their property. Although, a free shuttle to/from the park would be a nice amenity to have at night here. I probably won’t stay here again for a strictly theme park visit again unless I’m with my husband simply due to the night time walk.
  • No free in-room Wi-Fi. This was a complete surprise as I assumed every hotel with business guests would offer free Wi-Fi. However, there was only free Wi-Fi in the lobby here and that was a nuisance.
  • Dark bathroom. This probably wouldn’t bother most people. However, there isn’t a light over the shower. So, it was a darker bathroom than I’m used to. Also, I could see how people with limited vision could have trouble with this room.
  • Air conditioner is finicky. It seems like it shuts off after there’s no movement in the room for a period of time. I can’t guarantee that’s what was happening, but the room was certainly warmer when I slept or left it. I can see this being a bigger problem in the heat of summer.
  • No early access to room. I attempted to check in a little early, however my room wasn’t ready. In fact, my room wasn’t ready at check-in time either. They did store my luggage for me while I waited, but it was a bit of an annoyance to start the trip this way.

Is the Sheraton Park Hotel worth it?

If you are considering a stay at this hotel for a conference at the convention center, it’s probably a good option. If you are comfortable walking past the homeless population, then it’s a terrific option for a Disneyland stay as well. As I said above, I will probably look at spending a good bit more money to stay on-site next time just to feel safer on the walk as a female traveler.

Have you stayed here before? What was your experience like?

Disney100 at Disneyland Resort Review

By Leave a Comment

Just last week I was lucky enough to experience the Disney100 at Disneyland Resort. That’s the limited time celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Walt Disney Company taking place at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California! Take a look at all of the things I was able to experience during this celebration!

Disney100 at Disneyland

Disney100 at Disneyland

If you have plans to visit the Disneyland Resort anytime soon, you can witness a few special limited time entertainment and food options celebrating 100 years of the Walt Disney Company. Here’s a look at what I experienced and my thoughts on the offerings.

Special Decor

Around the resort, you can find several platinum medallions, statues, and banners celebrating Disney100 at Disneyland. The medallions and statues interact with a MagicBand+! The beautiful banners make for unique photos in front of the castle. I also enjoyed seeing the Fab Five in their special outfits with the Disneyland Band on Main Street, U.S.A. Personally, I could have gone for more decor around the parks, but maybe that’s me. I loved seeing the special decor at the Disneyland Hotel and Grand Californian.

Disney100 Fireworks

At the Disneyland park, you can catch the special Disney100 fireworks show on weekends or the special projection show during the week! It’s called Wondrous Journeys and it showcases the past 100 years of films from the Walt Disney Company. I knew I had to see this show when I learned (spoiler alert!) that it featured Baymax flying through the air! He’s faster than you think! My pictures of him are a little blurry, but you can tell what’s happening. I really enjoyed this show. Seeing Baymax along with the blue fairy was the highlight of this day.

World of Color – One

World of Color – One is the special nighttime entertainment at Disney California Adventure park for the 100th. The park’s standard show is World of Color and this has a special twist to celebrate. I booked the World of Color – One dessert party and posted my review of the pricey ($89) experience last week. Click that link to see if I think it’s worth it.

Magic Happens Parade

Technically, the Magic Happens parade premiered right before the pandemic. However, they brought it back to celebrate! I loved this parade! There are so many amazing small details on the floats and on the characters’ costumes! If you have a trip planned, you must catch the parade!

Special Food

A good amount of restaurants have a special dessert or treat just for the celebration. The only one I had the time and stomach space to sample was the lemon chiffon pie from Plaza Inn. I really enjoyed it and would eat it again! It was tart and tasty! It was great for a warm day dessert after the somewhat heavy chicken they serve.

Is It Worth Visiting?

I think it’s a great time to visit the Disneyland Resort. The addition of the decor, entertainment, and food makes for a memorable trip. Plus, you will always know how you celebrated 100 years of the company!

World of Color – One Dessert Party Review

By Leave a Comment

I just returned from my first visit to Disneyland in 9 years. While there, I was lucky enough to do the World of Color – One dessert party at Disney California Adventure. So, I thought I would do my very first Disneyland post on this expensive, but possibly worthwhile add-on experience.

World of Color - One

World of Color – One

The last time I visited DCA, I watched the original WoC show. Now, in celebration of 100 years of the Walt Disney Company, they have premiered the World of Color – One show. Both are beautiful light, laser, and water fountains shows. I think both shows are definitely worth seeing, if you happen to be visiting when either of them are playing. However, it tends to be a very popular show, especially the first (or only) showing of the night.

World of Color Viewing Options

As of May 2023, you can view the show with a few different options. First off, you can join the virtual queue (for free) at 12 PM. You simply need to ensure your tickets and park reservations are linked to your account ahead of time. You must also have scanned into the park prior to joining the queue. Either a blue or yellow section will be assigned to you when you join the queue.

Another way to view the show is with a dining package. You simply have to book an advance dining reservation for lunch or dinner at Wine Country Trattoria or dinner at Storytellers Cafe. Unfortunately, you can’t book a dining package in advance. Rather, you will have to let your server or host know that you would like the package when you arrive or pay the bill. If there are two showings, then dining reservations between 5 and 6 PM at Storytellers will be given passes to the first showing. Reservations between 6 and 7 PM at Storytellers Cafe will be assigned the second showing. The package costs $59 for an adult (aged 10+) and $35 for children ages 3 to 9.

It should be noted that technically there is a free walk-up option. However, this is not guaranteed as they will pull from the walk up line only if there is room and people don’t show up from the queue.

Dessert Party

When I visited DCA on May 4, 2023, I booked the World of Color – One dessert party! This is the only guaranteed seated viewing option available. For $89, you get a plate of goodies, a few beverages, and a great seated view of the show! During my party, I received a selection of cheeses, crackers, grapes, a riced cereal treat, raspberry filled shortbread cookie, mini bundt cake, triple chocolate layer cheesecake, and a birthday macaron. I enjoyed the cheese and crackers, grapes, cereal treat, bundt cake, and macaron. However, the cheesecake was really dry as was the shortbread cookie.

Unlike the dessert parties at Walt Disney World, this wasn’t unlimited food. Rather, I received just one plate of goodies. However, there really wasn’t time to visit a buffet and this was plenty of food for me personally. I also received a non-alcoholic blue cherry breeze drink, water, and a hot chocolate due to the unseasonably cool weather. I could have had some alcohol, but I don’t feel comfortable drinking alone. So, if you drink alcohol, you can count the costs of it towards the price of the party.

Tips

If you decide to book the dessert party, I highly recommend arriving early to check in and to be seated. I was able to choose my table at check in, so the earlier you check in, the better your selection. Then, when you are seated early, you have time to enjoy your treats as well as ask for more beverages. You are seated with other parties, so it’s also nice to get to know your tablemates during this time as well. Additionally, you have to pre-pay for this reservation, so keep that in mind when you register. Also, I noticed that the party came and went with availability. So, keep checking back if you want it.

High vs Low Table

Update: In May 2023, I selected a high table. When I returned with my mom in September 2023, she chose the low table view. She is short and thought it would be easier for her to sit down on a lower chair than to get out of a higher chair. While it was still a great view of the show, personally I prefer the high table now. Here are some pictures from the lower view for comparison.

Is it worth it?

At $89 a person, it’s a very pricey add-on to an already expensive trip. However, it was so nice to be able to sit down at the end of a long day. Plus, it made it easier to take pictures/video of the show since I was seated. I think it’s worth it if you can afford it. However, if you don’t want the food or to pay $89, the virtual queue would also work.

You can view my other post on the Disney100 at Disneyland Guide to see all of the other fun limited time celebratory events happening at the resort in 2023!