Old Disneyland Hotel vs. New Disneyland Hotel

[Eddie from the 80s]

Which one do you prefer?

Here's some old highlights from the old DLH:

Old Hotel
Activities / Restaurants:
- Remote control boats
* Fantasy Waters Show
* Atari Adventure - underwater arcade in the marina
* Shipyard Inn - seafood restaurant
* Via Verde - my favorite italian restaurant in new Goofy's Kitchen location
- Goofy's Kitchen - smaller version @ monorail station
* Neon Cactus Bar - cheesy play area for the adults
* Wharf Bar - actually overlooking the marina
* Sierra Pool - unthemed hotel pool
* Monorail Cafe - great breakfasts / milkshakes themed post-war era 50's
- Team Mickey's workout
- Grandvilles steakhouse

* - replaced or removed

For me, I miss the old hotel layout. Although I like the way the Neverland Pool looks, it was a high price to pay to rip out the old Marina. I'll always remember running the walkway into the Atari Adventure to play video games. It seemed like the A/C never worked during the summer. The temp inside was always 90+ degrees but it didn't matter to me.

As an adult, I will always have memories bringing my girlfriend (currently my wife) to have drinks on the old Wharf Bar listening to some cheesy band playing while waiting for a table at Via Verde's. On the way back to the monorail, we used to always peek in the Neon Cactus Bar only to see some drunk tourist trying to dance like his kids.

Everything changes. Sometimes you just want to go back for a day or two...

[PumpkinKing!]

From growing up in ANaheim I miss the old Hotel. Some friday nights my family and my best friens family would just go there to hang out and walk around, play with the remote controled boats and watch the water show. Yeah I would give anything to go back to those moments!

[LAURA]

i like the old hotel.....i too would spend friday night with the family watching the water show and playing those boats.

[Gemini Cricket]

I miss the central Marina area. I also enjoyed the 'underwater' arcade they used to have. That was really cool.

But I do like the Peter Pan pool area, too. It looks fun. Although, would it have killed them to build a waterslide coming from a larger mock up of hook's ship? Or even have the diving board be the ship's plank? Get it? Walk the plank? Not a fiber of creativity left in this company...

[DLtrooper]

I really miss the neon cactus, we'ed always ride the monorail over get some cheap drinks and appetizers then head back ready to deal with the crowds again.

[mickeyslittlehelper]

I really miss the boats. That was one of the best things to do! :monkey:

[DznyVan]

We actually enjoyed staying in the old Bungalow units. They took two old rooms and made one big one. We liked to stay on the ground floor so we had the large patio for the kids to run around in. We always got funny looks from the Check-In CM's when we requested the Bungalow. I think they only used those when they were near capacity or when they were requested. It was sad to see them torn down.

Progress...

[Eddie from the 80s]

We actually enjoyed staying in the old Bungalow units. They took two old rooms and made one big one. We liked to stay on the ground floor so we had the large patio for the kids to run around in. We always got funny looks from the Check-In CM's when we requested the Bungalow. I think they only used those when they were near capacity or when they were requested. It was sad to see them torn down.

Progress...

I totally forgot about those bungalows! Weren't they called, "Oriental Gardens" or something? I wonder if anyone has pics.

[innerSpaceman]

Things change and all that ... but if the rumour is true that they are going to rip out those gorgeous waterfalls in front of the Bonita Tower, I will be outraged!

I'll be forking out big mega bucks in July to stay there ... and if they have reduced the value of my stay to a major degree by removing the waterfalls that are the highlight of the property, they will be hearing a great deal of uncomplimentary non-praise from me.

[pjdonnell]

I definitely miss the old hotel layout, and I'm only 22! One of my favorite memories of Disneyland was stopping off at the hotel during a Christmastime visit, and seeing all the Christmas trees and holiday decorations up around the lake.

And the shops were always less crowded there, too. I always had a chance to get one of those hard-to-find Star Wars figures at the toy store there.

[Mousekiteer]

...Did the hotel always have scratchy, painful toliet paper?
Yeah, I miss the layout. It was a definite shortcut to your hotel from the parks. When I was at the hotel last December, it didn't feel 'authentic', if you can put it.

[Disneydanny]

Things change and all that ... but if the rumour is true that they are going to rip out those gorgeous waterfalls in front of the Bonita Tower, I will be outraged!

I'll be forking out big mega bucks in July to stay there ... and if they have reduced the value of my stay to a major degree by removing the waterfalls that are the highlight of the property, they will be hearing a great deal of uncomplimentary non-praise from me.

I admire you. even though i never di see Fantasy Waters in person I was VERRY saddened to hear of it's demise.

[Olympicnut]

I miss the Monorail Cafe

[jaybee]

Things change and all that ... but if the rumour is true that they are going to rip out those gorgeous waterfalls in front of the Bonita Tower, I will be outraged!

I'll be forking out big mega bucks in July to stay there ... and if they have reduced the value of my stay to a major degree by removing the waterfalls that are the highlight of the property, they will be hearing a great deal of uncomplimentary non-praise from me.

I think the waterfalls are staying. The fantasy water show area is what's getting replaced.

[SurfedUpDane]

Eddie from the 80's: I think you deserve a pat on the back for bringing up this topic. I have actually been wanting to do the same and you beat me to it! I also think there were some great things about the older Disneyland Hotel, yet I still like the new one more. The layout of the old one with the waterfall/lagoon thing to walk around in and the set up of the pools was interesting despite it not really being themed to any specific subject matter. I also liked how you were able to board the Monorail AT THE HOTEL! (something that needs to be addressed to a higher authority).

[CrazyDreamer]

We actually enjoyed staying in the old Bungalow units. They took two old rooms and made one big one. We liked to stay on the ground floor so we had the large patio for the kids to run around in. We always got funny looks from the Check-In CM's when we requested the Bungalow. I think they only used those when they were near capacity or when they were requested. It was sad to see them torn down.

Progress...

That's where we always stayed also. And then we would ride the pedal boats and watch the Fantasy Waters show at night. Not to mention going to the Monorail Cafe at least once a trip... *sigh*

[goober7011]

I miss the Fantasy Waters show

I liked seeing the Fantasy Waters show because it gave you an sort of disney to your stay. Since my family always arrived the night before we were to actually go into the park we would just walk the grounds of the hotel, go see the Fantasy Waters show, see the waterfalls, go on the pedal botes and just begin our Disney experience. I guess since I was young I would have liked just about anything about being in Disneyland.
-Brian

[Giant Panda]

I also liked how you were able to board the Monorail AT THE HOTEL! (something that needs to be addressed to a higher authority).

The monorail station is the exact same distance from any of the currently existing hotel rooms that it has always been .... it is in the same place. The Oriental Gardens may have been a tad closer, though.

I liked Sgt. Preston's. I still have a kid's sippy-cup from the Monorail Cafe .....good times ........

[Dustysage]

I miss the floating ice rink that they would put up in the marina at Christmas time.

[innerSpaceman]

The monorail station is the exact same distance from any of the currently existing hotel rooms that it has always been .... it is in the same place.

That may be true. The monorail station is exactly where it's always been. But they moved the Hotel further away.

It may be the same amount of footsteps from your room to the station, but you've long since left your hotel by the time you get there. The removal of the Sierra pool, and the building which housed Sgt. Preston's and the huge souvenir store has eliminated monorail service as a unique amenity of the Disneyland Hotel. Now, guests are very close to the Downtown Disney monorail station that is in the midst of the busy shopping, dining and entertainment district which serves hoardes of visitors who are not hotel guests.

Once you make that same-distance walk to the monorail, you've got a lot longer wait for it then when the station was part of the hotel (um, and yeah, longer then when more than one or two monorails were all that's operational).