MickeyBlog News for October 2nd, 2023
For the first time in more than 20 years, Disneyland Resort opened a new hotel.
At Walt Disney World, the water parks offered a deal, Journey of Water | Inspired by Moana couldn’t make up its mind, and a mysterious barge appeared.
We’ve got an eclectic week for MickeyBlog News.
The Villas at Disneyland Hotel
I’m going to say something that applies to all of us, no matter how old we are.
During our adult lives, Disneyland Resort has lacked official hotel space.
Technically, Disney owns only three resorts, and it bought two of those after the fact.
Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa is the only property that Disney planned and constructed. Until now.
We must take a step back before we talk about it, though.
Roughly five years ago, Disney executives planned a new, stylish hotel at Downtown Disney.
At this point, Disney filed updated paperwork to petition for the project…and everything went awry.
The city of Anaheim had promised Disney a $267 million tax incentive for this new construction…at a different site two blocks away.
Once Disney changed the plans, the Anaheim City Council revolted and refused to honor the agreement. It was a whole thing.
I considered this act the most glaring example of bureaucracy and governmental abuse I’d ever covered at the time.
Four years later, Florida said, “Hold my beer…” but that’s beside the point.
Anaheim earned a staggering amount of its tourism tax revenue thanks to Disneyland Resort.
The city and the business needed one another, something that became glaringly obvious during the year Disneyland Resort closed due to the pandemic.
Anaheim officials suddenly tracked a financial shortfall of about, oh, $100 million. Suddenly, they appreciated Disney again.
In between these moments, Disney officials recognized the simplest way to add more inventory. They could expand the Disneyland Hotel campus.
Welcome Home
Disney has needed to add more inventory for many years now.
The third-party hotels listed as Good Neighbor properties wouldn’t be necessary if Disneyland offered enough hotel rooms of its own.
Now, Disney has finally done something about it. On Friday, September 28th, 2023, The Villas at Disneyland Hotel opened to the public.
Technically, this expansion tower standalone resort is a Disney Vacation Club property, but anyone can book here.
Thanks to its opening, Disneyland Hotel fans finally have a new option.
Many of us love the history of this resort, which dates to the earliest days of Disneyland.
However, some of us prefer new hotel rooms to ones that are decades old.
When you book at The Villas at Disneyland Hotel, you embrace the best of both worlds.
The timeless backdrop and short walk to Disneyland Hotel connect you to some of the greatest moments in Disney history.
The resort itself is impossibly modern and colorful, though. Disney has built a 344-room hotel close to its most storied hotel.
Walt Disney World fans should view The Villas at Disneyland Hotel in the same light as Bay Lake Tower at Disney’s Contemporary Resort.
One is decades older than the other, but the two feel connected by their names and proximity.
Staying at The Villas at Disneyland Hotel
As for the hotel itself, this new 12-story expansion tower has dazzled guests with its design and vibe.
Disney has emphasized color here so much that it feels like an artist’s palette.
A curved mural in the hotel lobby honors the style of Mary Blair, but it celebrates more recent Disney characters like Moana.
Other Disney touches, like a Steamboat Willie Splash Pad, will delight guests of all ages.
As for the hotel rooms, you’ll find everything from Studio Duos to Grand Villas here.
The Studio Duos will remind you of the Tower Studios at Disney’s Riviera Resort if you’re familiar with them. These rooms sleep two.
They’re ideal for guests who are traveling solo or romantic couples who don’t mind rubbing elbows throughout their hotel stay.
Depending on the status of your relationship, these are either intimate spaces where you can bond or a claustrophobic environment that’ll lead to a breakup.
I’m mostly joking, as the Studio Duos are still larger than some other standard hotel rooms you’ll find. Small for Disney ain’t that small.
As for the Deluxe Studios, they’re plush. The rooms sleep up to four on a pair of queen beds. One of them is a pulldown that hides in the wall.
You’ll find theming for several Disney characters related to nature and the outdoors. The new interactive televisions are available here as well.
Disney has built an exceptional new property, and we’re only getting started in learning about all its features and amenities!
Stay tuned to MickeyBlog to learn more in the coming days and weeks! Oh, and if you want to stay here – and you really should! – speak with a MickeyTravels agent!
Disney Miscellaneous News
Disney’s water parks offered a creative new option this past week.
For a limited time, you can buy a season pass that provides admission to Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon and Disney’s Blizzard Beach.
You can visit either water park as often as you like from now through May 24th. So, it’s like a half-annual pass for $80.
At EPCOT, we’ve got two other stories to cover. First, I should mention the fluidity at Journey of Water | Inspired by Moana.
No, that’s not a water joke. I’m referring to the virtual queue that comes and goes during the current previews.
Journey of Water started with a digital queue but then switched to a standby line.
Lately, it’s anybody’s guess whether it’ll use standby or digital on a given day. Plan accordingly.
Also, the end of Harmonious did NOT mean the elimination of all barges. We’ve got a new one at the park!
This barge is for Luminous: The Symphony of Us, which will replace Harmonious.
At Disney Springs, you can participate in an exceptional photo op featuring characters from Haunted Mansion!
Disney Springs has also posted the sign for Summer House on the Lake. And there are some new parking changes you should know are happening soon.
Finally, Disney has offered three new discounts for upcoming hotel stays. One of them may interest you.
Thanks for visiting MickeyBlog.com! Want to go to Disney? For a FREE quote on your next Disney vacation, please fill out the form below, and one of the agents from MickeyTravels, a Diamond Level Authorized Disney Vacation Planner, will be in touch soon!