Disneyland will close an exclusive backstage entrance to Disney California Adventure that was hard to find and Pixar Place guests failed to use at the recently remodeled 40-year-old hotel.
Disneyland will close the Disney California Adventure theme park entrance that can only be used by Pixar Place Hotel guests on Jan. 4.
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Disneyland found the Pixar Place Hotel gate to Disney California Adventure was underused by hotel guests, according to Disneyland officials.
Pixar Place Hotel guests may use Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa street entrance and Disney California Adventure theme park gate beginning on Jan. 5, according to Disneyland officials.
The Pixar Place Hotel gate leading to the exclusive theme park entrance is located next to Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa street entrance.
The circuitous pathway from Pixar Place Hotel to DCA’s Paradise Gardens was carved through a backstage area of the park.
Disneyland had already started to scale back use of the Pixar Place gate earlier this year with access to DCA only allowed until noon, according to Mickey Visit. The Pixar Place gate can be used throughout the day by hotel guests exiting DCA.
“The gate was rarely crowded after a morning rush coming from the hotel,” according to Mickey Visit. “It likely reached the point where they were having trouble justifying the staffing at that entrance with such little traffic going through there.”
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The closure of the Pixar Place gate comes as a surprise after Disneyland recently installed new facial recognition turnstiles at the hotel entrance to the park.
The exclusive hotel access was created as a perk when the aging hotel was reimagined as Pixar Place in 2024 following an extensive renovation.
The hotel has been through a few facelifts over the years. The 1984 Pan Pacific Hotel was acquired by Disney in 1995 and rechristened the Disneyland Pacific Hotel before being transformed into the Paradise Pier Hotel in 2000 as part of the debut of Disney California Adventure.
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The Pixar Place entrance to DCA was locked behind a gate requiring a hotel key card to enter, according to MiceChat.
“Perhaps more guests would have used it if it were easier to find,” according to MiceChat.
The return route from DCA to Pixar Place Hotel looked like an employee-only backstage gate, according to MiceChat.
“The gateway was even more difficult to find from inside the park, with only a very small sign next to a path wedged between Corn Dog Castle and Seaside Souvenirs,” according to MiceChat.
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The latest move comes as Disneyland trimmed another hotel perk across the resort.
The Disneyland Hotel, Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel and Pixar Place Hotel will stop offering Early Entry access to Disneyland and Disney California Adventure on Jan. 5.