Disney Parks Blog has come out with some additional exciting details surrounding the current makeover portions of The Disneyland Hotel in Anaheim are receiving. They include enhancements to the pool area as well as the addition of two new dining establishments. The Dreams Tower (to be renamed Adventure Tower) has already been under renovation and is scheduled to be completed in 2010.

According to Disney Parks, the pool area is getting a whole new look, including a brand-new pool, all-new water play area and a complete redesign of the Never Land Pool. Plans also call for a new restaurant and bar, and re-theming of the hotel’s two additional guest room towers.

The Pool Area

With a nod to the iconic original park signage, “Disneyland” will be spelled out in familiar blocks atop a platform supporting two huge water slides. The larger slide will be 26 feet high and will stretch 187 feet before it plunges into a splash pool below. Then reminiscent of the original Monorail station at the Disneyland Hotel, at each slide’s entrance will sit a replica Monorail Car that guests will glide through as they twist and turn their way to the pool below. How cool! The pool will also feature a third, two-lane mini slide, perfect for little guests, which is just 3 1/2 feet high and is 19 feet long.

The Never Land Pool

This section of the resort will receive a complete cosmetic makeover but will retain its unique shape. A new, four-foot deep pool will be built between the Never Land Pool and the water play area. A footbridge will stretch over this new pool, connecting both sides of the courtyard area and giving easy access across the property (see illustration below). Additionally, six new cabanas will also be added.

New Eatery and Bar

Two new dining locations will be introduced in the current location of Hook’s Pointe, Croc’s Bites and Bits, the Wine Cellar and the Lost Bar. A new “smart casual” dining concept will feature Tahitian architecture that is reminiscent of the ’50s and ’60s era of the hotel and the original Tahitian Terrace restaurant in Disneyland park.

Finally, a  new bar will draw on the adventure theme from the Jungle Cruise attraction.

The new water play area, pool and dining locations are scheduled to be completed by summer 2011, and the remodeled Never Land Pool is slated to be completed by summer 2012. All makeover work on the two additional towers should be complete by 2012 as well.

So if you’re planning a trip to the Anaheim resort in the next couple of years and want to stay at Disneyland Hotel, you might want to wait until all makeovers are complete so as to enjoy everything that is being put into place. In the meantime, should you still want to stay on property, there is the Grand Californian and Paradise Pier for your consideration.

Beginning in August 2009, Southern California’s landmark Disneyland Hotel will start a significant renovation project that will include major improvements to its guest rooms and considerable changes to the exterior of the hotel. The hotel will remain open during the renovation, which will be conducted in phases, and is scheduled to be completed in 2012.

“We are excited to embark on the largest and most extensive renovation of one of Disney’s classic hotels,” said Disneyland Resort President Ed Grier. “This renovation provides us with the opportunity to bring new magic to this historic hotel, which enables us to enhance the Disney experience that our guests have come to expect. “It also reinforces our ongoing commitment and investment in the Anaheim Resort District – working with the city and area businesses to continue to evolve the District into a world-class, multiday tourist destination,” added Grier.

Significant Guest Room Upgrades, New Room Amenities and Exterior Enhancements

Disneyland Hotel’s renovated guest rooms will feature an all-new contemporary look with exquisite Disney touches woven into the décor. A stunning new headboard that features an artistically carved representation of Disneyland Park’s famous Sleeping Beauty Castle will serve as the focal point in each guest room. The background on the headboard uses fiber optics to create a magical skyline with fireworks – bringing the immersive park experience into the room. Rooms also will feature black and white art that will take guests back in time, reinforcing the nostalgia and history of Walt’s first theme park.

When completed, guest rooms will boast new flat screen TVs, mini-refrigerators, coffeemakers, safes capable of holding laptop computers and new state-of-the-art telephone, cable and wireless Internet connections. Upgrades to plumbing, electrical and heating and air conditioning systems also are included in the project.

Disneyland Resort’s original hotel, built in 1955, also will experience a noteworthy change to its exterior. All of the three towers will feature an updated look, with large windows that will give the outside a sleek, radiant blue tint. The windows will replace the current sliding doors and faux balcony railings and are specially designed to be energy efficient and to extensively filter outside noise.

“The new design for the hotel’s exterior will enhance the existing towers and compliment the Resort as a whole. The windows will feature a sky blue reflective glass that channels the feel of our bright California sky,” said Mike Montague, director of resort development for Walt Disney Imagineering.

The Disneyland Hotel is composed of three main structures – the Magic, Wonder and Dreams towers. Construction will take place in one vertical half of a tower at a time – leaving the rest of the tower open for guests. The Dreams tower will be the first to be renovated and is scheduled to be completed in June 2010.

Energy Efficient Enhancements

As with other construction and enhancements that are underway throughout the Disneyland Resort, the renovation will include energy efficient upgrades. The most notable feature will be the hotel’s new windows. With their reflective capabilities and double-pane glass, the windows will change the look of the exterior of the hotel dramatically, while reducing energy consumption by keeping guest rooms at the desired temperature.

The use of occupancy sensors in guest rooms, low-flow toilets, energy efficient light bulbs and paint low in volatile organic compounds are just a few more of the ways that the hotel will offer guests a “green” lodging experience.

Renovation is Part of Larger Resort Expansion

The Disneyland Hotel renovation is a part of a larger expansion project underway throughout the Resort. Disney’s California Adventure Park is undergoing a multiyear expansion project that includes new experiences, attractions and night-time spectaculars, culminating in 2012 with the opening a brand new land – Cars Land. The four-star Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa is also undergoing an expansion, adding 200 hotel rooms and 50 two-bedroom villas that are part of the Disney Vacation Club, which will make its first West Coast debut when it opens in the fall of 2009.

Reuters reports that a man apparently jumped to his death today from the 14th floor of the Disneyland Hotel at the world-famous amusement park in Southern California. “Right now it is certainly looking like a suicide,” Anaheim Police Sgt. Rick Martinez told Reuters. “He was seen leaping off the balcony.”

Martinez said the man, who was in Anaheim on business and appears to be in his 30s or 40s, also left evidence in the room that suggested it was a suicide. “He was sharing a room with another male associate and for some reason he went out on the balcony and all indications are that it was an intentional act, a suicide,” Martinez said.”

How sad that this would happen in “the happiest place on Earth,” a destination that for so many allows them to escape the realties of the world around us, at least for a short span of time. I was also thinking what a haunting memory that would be for some young child to witness a man jumping to his death while visiting the Magic Kingdom. The story does not indicate how many people may have witnessed this tragedy, but one can only hope witnesses did not include young children.

This story will most likely unfold over the coming days.

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