Looking into a new hotel to stay at for your next Disneyland vacation? With so many options nearby it can be a bit overwhelming to decide what hotel is best for you. There are a number of things to consider before booking the hotel, like transportation, price and type of hotel (deluxe or budget), dining options, and distance from the parks.
Each one of my Anaheim hotel reviews includes a breakdown of these things and covers the good, bad, and the honest truth about staying at a Disneyland Good Neighbor hotel.
This post is all about the Radisson Blu Anaheim near the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim.
***Please note the Radisson Blu Anaheim is now The VIV Hotel, a Marriott Group Hotel. As of July 2022.
Location
The Viv Hotel Anaheim, formerly the Radisson Blu Anaheim is only 2 miles from the main transportation entrance at Disneyland but I don’t suggest walking. Anaheim can be incredibly hot, so unless it’s early in the morning or late at night, I recommend calling an Uber/Lyft or driving to the parks.
*Please be aware that parking at Disneyland is $30 for the day per vehicle.
Address: 1601 S Anaheim Blvd, Anaheim, CA 92805
Dining Options
The Radisson Blu, now the Viv Hotel, has two main restaurants on the property. The FireLake Grill House has now become Valencias at the Viv their second marquee restaurant is Top of the V, formerly BlueSky Restaurant & Bar. We tried both restaurants and I’m happy to say they were both fabulous!
[Although the hotel has changed owners, the restaurants look to be the same menus but different names]
On the first night of our stay, we booked reservations at the BlueSky Restaurant on the rooftop of the RadissonBlu. It has an amazing view of the parks and you can even catch the fireworks from there. We both ordered the tasting menu that included seven courses and we added on an appetizer course. We each had two drinks and the total came to about $400+. It’s not the cheapest thing but it is an added experience. You don’t have to order the tasting menu, you can order items a la carte too. We splurged for our anniversary because we LOVE tasting menus and trying new restaurants. Absolutely 10/10 recommend!
BluSky also has a fabulous outdoor rooftop seating area. It was closed for dinner due to rain when we visited but we did walk around to see the beautiful view. I would definitely recommend sitting outside if you’re able to do so.
We enjoyed breakfast at the FireLake Grill House on the final day of our Disneyland vacation. We made reservations for Sunday morning at 9 AM. The restaurant was full but not too crazy. You might be able to get away with no reservations but I would recommend making them just in case. The food was fantastic and they had very good portion sizes. We also enjoyed a mimosa and the service was another 10/10. I’m a stickler about good service, so when it’s great, I’m all about telling everyone about it.
Transportation
The transportation at this hotel isn’t as simple as they make it. The hotel advertises the Anaheim ART Bus as their complimentary transportation to and from the parks. In theory, this sounds wonderful but it isn’t. The only time I would recommend taking the ART Bus is in the morning if you have no early morning reservations. If you have reservations, don’t rely on the ART Bus.
The Anaheim ART Bus is notorious for being terrible, not running on time and the app is horrendous. Also, the bus isn’t free. Each person needs to pay to ride.
I was already aware that the bus was not perfect, but it’s never been an issue until this trip. No one on staff knew how to download the app or make an account but they were all advertising using it. The entire staff kept saying it was a “third party” shuttle so they had no idea how to use it but they have signs for it at the desks and on their website. Meaning someone on staff (the entire staff) should be trained on downloading the app and creating an account.
At other hotels, you can purchase a ticket at a kiosk for a single trip and it’s a lot easier than the confusing Anaheim transportation app.
The ART Bus/Shuttle says it arrives every 20 minutes but it doesn’t, especially at night. We had reservations at Napa Rose and almost missed them because we waited at the hotel for 50 minutes to be picked up after we had paid for a day shuttle pass. We ended up calling a Lyft to take us to the Grand Californian Hotel.
Be very aware that at night, after the park closes, the Disney transportation center is a mess, and trying to find the correct shuttle is difficult. Ask around to make sure you’re in the correct line. The shuttles also aren’t reliable at the end of the night and you will most likely wait for over an hour. If you plan to call for an Uber/Lyft from the designated pick-up area, most rides will cancel because of the wait and traffic to get there for only a 1-2 mile ride. I would suggest calling a ride-share from one of the Disneyland Resort Hotels.
On night one we waited 30 minutes for the shuttle at the Disney transportation center and it didn’t arrive, and the people their before us said they were already there for 30 mins. The tracking on the app isn’t accurate either. Our Lyft canceled on us twice and we ended up walking 2 miles back to the Radisson Blu at midnight. Typically Anaheim is okay within a certain radius of the Disney Resort but after 2 miles it gets a bit questionable. Our hotel was right on the cusp of being questionable – at least at night time. We had to cross a major street and also walk under the freeway. It wasn’t exactly magical and added to an already long 15-hour day.
So to summarize, plan your transportation in advance.
Amenities
The Radisson Blu Anaheim includes a number of amenities like in-room dining, two pools, and a fitness center. Most of the hotels in Anaheim will have similar amenities but one stand-out one is the hotel is pet friendly!
Below is a list of all of the services and amenities offered at the hotel:
- Dining: 2 restaurants on-site and one quick service dining option
- Free wi-fi
- Two outdoor pools, one rooftop pool and one on the lower level
- Cabanas available at the pool
- Pool bar
- Pet friendly
- Accessible
- Complimentary coffee and tea
- Connecting rooms
- Laundry Service
- Fitness center
- Hot tub
- Meeting Facilities
- Sports Approved
- Vending machines
Parking
Covered lot parking is available on-site for a daily fee. We paid $24 a day to park, call to confirm with the hotel before your stay to find out the latest parking rates.
Room Tour & Review
We arrived at the hotel on a Thursday evening in October. We planned the Disneyland vacation as part of our anniversary, so to celebrate I upgraded our room upon arrival to a park-view suite.
I had packed a TON of items (as usual) and the bellman was very friendly and helped us with our bags to the room. We had a corner suite that faced the parks and you could clearly see Mickey’s Fun Wheel, Guardians of the Galaxy and the Disneyland Castle. It was stunning! If you happen to be in your room at night, you can even watch the fireworks from there.
The suite had a lot of room and included a separate living room area with a sofa bed, a small bar area, and a TV. We packed a ton of snacks and the bar area fit them all perfectly.
The bathroom was also spacious and we enjoyed having two sinks and the large counter space in between. The shower was one of those larger accessible showers that is more like a little room. These are always fun because our shower at home is definitely not this big.
The suite also included a lot of storage for us. There was a large cabinet closet and also a large dresser. You can easily fit enough items for the whole family in here if you have kids.
Final Thoughts
While our stay was great, I still feel like the hotel is quite new, and still getting used to everything. More training at the front desk about the local area and transportation would be helpful. We have visited Disneyland hundreds of times but for most guests, it’s their first visit, and they will have a lot of questions for the hotel staff.
I do feel like the hotel is confused about who they’re catering to and who their audience is. Their social media accounts advertise the hotel as high-end and luxury but when you arrive it’s clearly aimed at families and kids. I understand they are catering to a Disney audience but it didn’t seem to match with how they portray the hotel online.
Overall, a great stay, clean rooms and fantastic food. I do feel the hotel needs a bit of time adjusting to Anaheim but we would stay hear again and we would recommend staying here if you’re looking for a nicer hotel in the Anaheim area near Disneyland.
***Update 8.8.22***
The Radisson Blu Anaheim has changed owners and is now part of the Marriott Hotel Group. I have no updates on staffing and management. The service may have improved with new ownership. The restaurants still seem to be the same and running smoothly.
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