Review of The Disneyland Hotel
Visiting the Disneyland Hotel is like visiting an old friend. It is, after all, the oldest hotel in the Disneyland area. But there have been many changes to the Anaheim landmark in just the past couple of years. For one thing, the complex on what used to be West Street that housed the monorail station, the shopping center, Goofy's Kitchen, and the Neon Armadillo (nee' "Sargeant Preston's") saloon are all gone now. The Sierra tower is now on the border of the property, just across Disneyland Drive from Downtown Disney and the rest of the Disneyland Resort. And there are many more changes to this grand lady.
This is our review from February, 2001 during the grand opening of Disney's California Adventure.
The large lagoon where in years gone by kids used to play with remote-control Jungle Cruise boats
has been replaced by the Neverland Lagoon from Peter Pan complete with Captain Hook's Pirate Ship and
(sorry it's invisible here) Skull Rock - but now it's a swimming pool. It's a great area for lounging
in the sun while Dad and the kids are frolicking in the parks. You are, after all, in sunny Southern
California so you might as well soak up some rays!
Inside, the rooms have also undergone an elaborate rennovation. The always sumptuous accoutremonts have been updated and more detailed to the Disneyland theme. For example, the large armoir that houses the television and in-room refrigerator has the famous original concept drawing of Disneyland etched into the doors.
The headboard of the beds also have been decorated in the same fashion. Even the bedspreads are themed with images from the park like The Haunted Mansion and the Mark Twain Riverboat (see below).
It's the little details that tickle our fancy. For example, even the bathroom gets a touch of the Disneyland magic. Note the Mickey Mouse glove holding the lamp, and the complete set of Mickey Mouse Club soaps and shampoos. What you can't see in the picture here is that the wallpaper is decorated with pictures of Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy, Daisy, and Pluto. Just lots of fun!
We couldn't imagine a better place to stay when you visit Disneyland. The Disneyland Hotel is just a short walk across the street to Downtown Disney and then on to Disneyland or California Adventure. And there are still shuttle busses if you need them. We always got a kick out of this giant 30-foot Sorcerer's Apprentice hat that forms the archway over the path to the parks. It's just another one of those dozens of special touches that make the trip a little more magical.