Originally Posted By sjdimon Since the Disneyland Hotel did a bit of work just a couple of years ago (when they built the Neverland Pool and the Hooks Pointe Restaurant). Were they planning even back then to make the changes that they are currently working on (especially with the pool area) - in other words - had they planned (even back then) that this was going to be a very temporary installation? Just wondering....
Originally Posted By Dr Hans Reinhardt I doubt it. The Neverland Pool was a replacement for the hotel's main pool that was removed for DTD. It's pretty evident by the lack of any real concept art or detailed descriptions of what is being done that the current renovations was not confirmed when the previous changes were done.
Originally Posted By sjdimon That's kind of what I thought - it seems a little strange almost that they are renovating that whole area again so soon.
Originally Posted By Dr Hans Reinhardt What's even stranger is that there seems to be precious little information on exactly what they are planning to do. For example we've seen no concept art of what the other towers that haven't been refurbished will look like. Until the pool update on Disney Parks Blog there was basically no information at all about what the outdoor areas would look like.
Originally Posted By mickeymorris1234 Maybe they don't even know The hotel is very old and is in need of some serious modernization. I think we are going to see a lot more modernization in the new hotel rooms and the design overall.
Originally Posted By skinnerbox <<Since the Disneyland Hotel did a bit of work just a couple of years ago (when they built the Neverland Pool and the Hooks Pointe Restaurant).>> I find this statement rather odd, since the Neverland pool area opened 11 years ago this coming Friday: <a href="http://www.laughingplace.com/News-ID500080.asp" target="_blank">http://www.laughingplace.com/N...0080.asp</a> Eleven years is far from "just a couple of years ago," especially with regard to hotel properties. While so many on LP are dumbstruck that the Neverland theme and waterfalls are being removed, I'm left wondering why Disney didn't remove them sooner and expand that pitifully tiny pool area with a much larger and more cohesive theme for the entire resort.
Originally Posted By sjdimon <<Eleven years is far from "just a couple of years ago," especially with regard to hotel properties.>> OK - let's put it this way - the Disneyland Hotel hadn't remodelled their pool area since the time it had opened until the Neverland Pool remodel. It's just surprising that they are remodelling their Pool Area again - seemingly so soon (when compared to how long the pre-Neverland pool was around).
Originally Posted By cheesybaby <<While so many on LP are dumbstruck that the Neverland theme and waterfalls are being removed, I'm left wondering why Disney didn't remove them sooner and expand that pitifully tiny pool area with a much larger and more cohesive theme for the entire resort.>> Thank you. I agree completely. Long overdue.
Originally Posted By sjdimon <<While so many on LP are dumbstruck that the Neverland theme and waterfalls are being removed>> I would not say that I was "dumbstruck" - rather that I was curious to see if the current theming was intended to be a short-term thing from the outset. Probably the only piece of this whole thing that I would prefer that they not tear out is the Waterfall area. As many have pointed out - this is a somewhat unique feature to the DLHotel - and removing it will be (as Kevin Yee puts it) "Declining by Degrees". I am not zealous about it - and I am sure that the new pool area and restaurants will be wonderful - it's just when Disney removes something and then does not replace it with anything either equivalent or better, that some eyebrows will be raised and the question comes up as to why they did that.
Originally Posted By TP2000 The Neverland Pool itself will remain, but the Peter Pan themed stuff on the south side of the pool will be removed and replaced with the larger waterslides and a second pool. The Neverland Pool installation in 2000 was nice, but not exactly ground breaking when it comes to resort pool design, even for 11 years ago. When you look at what some resorts in Vegas offer, or mega-resorts like Atlantis in the Bahamas, the Neverland Pool at the Disneyland Hotel was wimpy and not very lavish. Like so much of its era, it was just barely enough to get by while charging top rates, and then given a Disney veneer to try and create "magic".
Originally Posted By skinnerbox <<OK - let's put it this way - the Disneyland Hotel hadn't remodelled their pool area since the time it had opened until the Neverland Pool remodel.>> That's not true, either. The Neverland pool was added when the original DLH pool was removed for DtD in the late nineties. That was the second time swimming facilities were expanded at the DLH. The swimming pools next to the old Fantasy Waters show were added in the seventies, and the very first DLH swimming pool, which was east of the Dreams/Sierra tower, was removed with the hotel's original shops and restaurants when DtD was created. The Neverland pool replaced the old marina, which wasn't a swimming pool but a large body of water with paddle boats you could rent.
Originally Posted By WorldDisney Yeah I remember the old marina area (wasnt that long ago lol). When my family stayed at the DLH which we use to do every summer when I was a kid, the paddle boats use to be our favorite thing to do. We would try and do the paddle boats at least once a day if we had the time. We use to love hitting the arcade there as well. When they got rid of it for the pool, it felt like part of my childhood died with it. But change is always good I guess.
Originally Posted By sjdimon <<Aah yes, the underwater Atari Adventure!!>> Oh yes! That's right! That was that cool arcade under the Marina Area. I also seem to remember that they had Polynesian Dancers that would perform around the Marina as well - so in a sense, this "update" is actually taking a step back in time.
Originally Posted By DlandDug >>We would try and do the paddle boats at least once a day if we had the time. We use to love hitting the arcade there as well.<< I just hope you weren't hitting the arcade with the paddle boats...!
