Are the Pixar Place elevators still terrible?

[Pluto468]

I found a great rate for Pixar Place and might stay there in February. My only hesitation is the elevators. From some online reviews, they sound like a nightmare. Is that still the case? Is the hassle worth avoiding the hotel altogether?

Thanks!

 

[SFMommy]

I stayed at Pixar Place last summer and had no issues with the elevators. I also stayed there a few times when it was the Paradise Pier and didn’t have any issues. I never really understood all the complaints about the elevators.

 

[mom2rtk]

I stayed at Pixar Place last summer and had no issues with the elevators. I also stayed there a few times when it was the Paradise Pier and didn’t have any issues. I never really understood all the complaints about the elevators.

I didn't understand either after several stays with no problem. Then I came back one night to a line that snaked through the lobby.

Haven't stayed there recently though for a current report.

@Pluto468 You might want to consider requesting a lower floor room so the stairs are a good alternative if there's a long wait.

 

[Pluto468]

I didn't understand either after several stays with no problem. Then I came back one night to a line that snaked through the lobby.

Haven't stayed there recently though for a current report.

@Pluto468 You might want to consider requesting a lower floor room so the stairs are a good alternative if there's a long wait.

Good idea! If I end up staying there I'll call and request a low floor. We'd only be there for 2 nights so even if the elevators are bad we wouldn't be dealing with them for long. They do sound frustrating, though!

 

[MouseBrief]

For what it’s worth, we were told this summer that taking the stairs to guest rooms floors was not an option. A hardworking cast member was directing guests to the elevators after fireworks viewing one night, and she kept saying that those stairs were for emergency only. I’m sure if she had been allowed to send people up the stairs she would have: there were a lot of people waiting, and she was working hard.
In our experience, the toughest time for the elevators was each day during the afternoon when folks were checking-in. The longest wait we had was attempting to leave the pool area one day around 4pm. We waited ten minutes.
Otherwise, we had no problem at park opening and closing. Even leaving the roof deck after fireworks viewing on the night I just mentioned was not bad. Yes, there was a large crowd waiting, but I thought it was handled as efficiently as could be expected for such a large group.

 

[MillauFr]

If there is a huge line in the lobby wouldn't people just walk up to the 2nd floor and push the down button? When it gets to floor 1 you just stay on and push your floor? Or do the elevators not have any floor buttons in them?

 

[LKing]

For what it’s worth, we were told this summer that taking the stairs to guest rooms floors was not an option. A hardworking cast member was directing guests to the elevators after fireworks viewing one night, and she kept saying that the stairs were for emergency only.

That's really odd. Do you remember if there was a sign on the door to the stairs stating that?

 

[LAS2AMS]

A lot of people don’t understand… it’s not that the elevators are slow, it’s that there’s so few of them. PP has half the rooms as DLH but maybe 1/5 the total elevators, for comparison. That said, the number of elevators is really no different than what you’ll find at many buildings around the world… but if your travel experience is largely Disney; it’ll be different. To compensate, Disney installed smart elevator (you push the button if your floor and it assigns an elevator) but a lot of people aren’t comfortable with it.

To be clear… the only times you’ll typically wait for an elevator is rush periods. Check in/ out times, breakfast/ park departure, park return, etc. at its worst you may wait an extra few minutes… it’s really a non issue.

 

[mom2rtk]

A lot of people don’t understand… it’s not that the elevators are slow, it’s that there’s so few of them. PP has half the rooms as DLH but maybe 1/5 the total elevators, for comparison. That said, the number of elevators is really no different than what you’ll find at many buildings around the world… but if your travel experience is largely Disney; it’ll be different. To compensate, Disney installed smart elevator (you push the button if your floor and it assigns an elevator) but a lot of people aren’t comfortable with it.

To be clear… the only times you’ll typically wait for an elevator is rush periods. Check in/ out times, breakfast/ park departure, park return, etc. at its worst you may wait an extra few minutes… it’s really a non issue.

In non-Disney settings, people have more varied schedules. There is no rope drop or fireworks crowd to contend with.

 

[mom2rtk]

For what it’s worth, we were told this summer that taking the stairs to guest rooms floors was not an option. A hardworking cast member was directing guests to the elevators after fireworks viewing one night, and she kept saying that the stairs were for emergency only.

That is so odd. I'd love to hear more on why they would do that. I can't even come up with a theory.

 

[LAS2AMS]

In non-Disney settings, people have more varied schedules. There is no rope drop or fireworks crowd to contend with.

Any setting will have its “rush” periods - people tend to leave, have dinner, etc. at specific time periods.

But it’s a non-issue. Anyone complaining about the elevators needs to take a cruise… on the first and last days, they’re practically unusable.

 

[MouseBrief]

That's really odd. Do you remember if there was a sign on the door to the stairs stating that?

I’m sorry, I don’t remember anything about signs one way or the other.

 

[10stime]

I found a great rate for Pixar Place and might stay there in February. My only hesitation is the elevators. From some online reviews, they sound like a nightmare. Is that still the case? Is the hassle worth avoiding the hotel altogether?

Thanks!

I stayed there three times in 2024 and while during peak times you might encounter a full car and have to wait for a second elevator it's really not that bad.

 

[elvispursley]

Surely they can’t be worse than the DCL or Contempory elevators? We’re looking to book a DLR vacation in the fall and this was a possibility but I don’t want bad elevators to sour my DH on DLR! He’s already said he’s not going back to WDW anytime soon

 

[Iceman93]

If there is a huge line in the lobby wouldn't people just walk up to the 2nd floor and push the down button? When it gets to floor 1 you just stay on and push your floor? Or do the elevators not have any floor buttons in them?

No, they do not. Each landing has a screen where you touch the floor you want to go to and then it tells you which elevator you'll be taking. Once you're in the elevator itself, there are no buttons to select different floors.

 

[kikismom]

I'm interested in the stairs situation. We tend to take the stairs often instead of the elevators. If that isn't an option PP is definitely not on our list to stay. Is anyone going soon that could test the doors to the stairs?

Also my overly active anxiety makes me wonder about a fire if the stairs are locked all the time. What if the mechanism to release the doors didn't work in the case of a fire. You'd just be stuck.

 

[LAS2AMS]

I'm interested in the stairs situation. We tend to take the stairs often instead of the elevators. If that isn't an option PP is definitely not on our list to stay. Is anyone going soon that could test the doors to the stairs?

Also my overly active anxiety makes me wonder about a fire if the stairs are locked all the time. What if the mechanism to release the doors didn't work in the case of a fire. You'd just be stuck.

You can absolutely use the stairs, they’re most definitely available and not locked.

Many hotels (and other buildings) lock the doors from the stairwell, meaning you can exit via the stairs but cannot enter through it. Often the stairs will be marked as emergency exits and an alarm may sound if you open the door. This is not the case with PP, but if it was, rest assured that those doors are checked regularly.

It’s Disney + it’s California. You shouldn’t worry about these types of problems . If it were some random amusement park in a country not known for regulation… maybe.

 

[MillauFr]

No, they do not. Each landing has a screen where you touch the floor you want to go to and then it tells you which elevator you'll be taking. Once you're in the elevator itself, there are no buttons to select different floors.

When you hear people complaining about eliminating the buttons inside of the elevator you can explain it prevents people from cutting the line like I proposed.

 

[kikismom]

You can absolutely use the stairs, they’re most definitely available and not locked.

Many hotels (and other buildings) lock the doors from the stairwell, meaning you can exit via the stairs but cannot enter through it. Often the stairs will be marked as emergency exits and an alarm may sound if you open the door. This is not the case with PP, but if it was, rest assured that those doors are checked regularly.

It’s Disney + it’s California. You shouldn’t worry about these types of problems . If it were some random amusement park in a country not known for regulation… maybe.

I was basing this off of another poster in this thread who said the stairs were unavailable to use on their trip and they had to wait for an elevator. That's where the worry came from. I'm hoping someone reports back who has been recently to confirm they could use the stairs.

 

[MouseBrief]

I was basing this off of another poster in this thread who said the stairs were unavailable to use on their trip and they had to wait for an elevator. That's where the worry came from. I'm hoping someone reports back who has been recently to confirm they could use the stairs.

Oh no, I did not mean to cause anyone to worry. I was just hoping to give a heads-up based on our experience before anyone requested a room expecting to use the stairs.
I remember the cast member I mentioned and another two in the lobby saying that the stair doors to access the guest room floors were locked from the inside. They said that guests could not exit the stairs to access upper guest room floors.
However, I would assume you could enter the stairs from the guest room floors and exit the stairs on the ground floor at any time. I felt confident that we could have exited the hotel if we needed to do so, and the lobby stairs between the first and second floor were not enclosed and seemed to be in constant use.
Additionally, there was a lot of construction still happening at Pixar Place Hotel at the time, so I would not be surprised if policies were continually changing.
Unfortunately, we were not in a position to be able to use the stairs on that specific visit, so I did not go test the doors myself. I hope you get a chance to hear from someone who stayed recently and used the stairs. We really enjoyed our time at the hotel.