DL Hotel Pool

Originally Posted By Dabob2

That's great for you. You can still swim together in the E-ticket pool, or choose the D-ticket pool closer to the slides.

Meanwhile, not everyone has children (or un-grown children) and might want a little quiet(er) time. DLR is for them too.

That said, it IS kind of bland. Perhaps more foliage/landscaping is to come? I could see making the E-ticket more of a "tropical paradise" type place that would have the more tranquil vibe but still have a bit more character.

 

Originally Posted By davewasbaloo

If they had replicated the pool environment of Aulani or stormalong bay at the Yacht Club in WDW, I think that would have been a much better route forward.

 

Originally Posted By gadzuux

It would also contribute enormously to making the DLH the true 'hotel resort' to match their price points. As it is now, the pool isn't significantly better than HoJo's.

 

Originally Posted By danyoung

>Gone are the shops by the old waterfalls...<

When they made the horrible decision to remove the waterfalls themselves I kinda lost interest. What an amazing, unique feature that just doesn't exist anymore. And that picture of the big lawn where Dancing Waters used to be just about made me cry.

 

Originally Posted By davewasbaloo

Agreed Dan. The DLh may not have been amazing architecturally before, but it had a lot of lovely and charming only at the Dlh type features. Now it looks like a holiday inn.

 

Originally Posted By Manfried

<<I'm getting very concerned about the E ticket pool at the Disneyland Hotel. I've been following along as the construction has been progressing, waiting for the "Wow!" moment. But the more that gets unveiled, the more I keep going "YAWN".>>

Well gosh, a swimming pool that's just a swimming pool.

 

Originally Posted By davewasbaloo

Well, if the Dlh was a hotel that charged normal hotel prices, maybe not such a big deal. But a hotel that markets itself as a premium experience and charges premium prices, better deliver.

 

Originally Posted By davewasbaloo

But we are talking about complacent rip off days of idiot Iger. Could be worse I suppose, they could have all starred the place.

 

Originally Posted By xrayvision

I guess beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I just recently stayed at the DL Hotel in the Fantasy Tower, in one of their recently updated rooms, overlooking the pools. I usually try to stay at nice hotels and I thought that the DL Hotel, even under construction, was a nice hotel. The sleeping room was a nice size, larger than my room at Animal Kingdom Lodge which was more expensive per night. The room was stylish, whimsical and tastefully appointed. The hotel service was better than I expected it to be. IMO, the monorail slides and pool looked awesome, especially at night. The other pool(s) was still under construction. But, the pool looked like it was going to be very nice, just like the rest of the hotel. The Disneyland Hotel and its amenities did not remind me of a Holiday Inn, in particularly not any Holiday Inn in Anaheim. Maybe it looked and seemed better in person, vs seeing it in pics online, when you're an actual guest of the hotel, enjoying all the amenities and services. I gave the DL Hotel a great review when they sent me a guest survey about their hotel, services and amenities. And, I included a positive comment about the new Monorail Pool in that review. But, that's just my opinion.

 

Originally Posted By Dabob2

I think if I was a kid, the monorail slides would strike me as nothing less than awesome, day or (especially) night.

I think they're getting overlooked a little here, since they've already been open a while. Looked at as a whole, the pool complex is pretty nice, for kids and adults both.

 

Originally Posted By crapshoot

<<I think they're getting overlooked a little here, since they've already been open a while. Looked at as a whole, the pool complex is pretty nice, for kids and adults both.>>

Agreed. The DL Hotel pool complex is greatly improved now that all the tacky shops are gone. And while I always enjoyed the Lost Bar, it simply doesn't compare to Trader Sam's and Tangaroa Terrace.

And I am saying this while heading to the Mirage Pool in Las Vegas tomorrow.

 

Originally Posted By 73baloo

I agree xrayvision. I prefer the magic at the Disneyland Hotel to all others even Grand Californian.

 

Originally Posted By ImTempest

Not worried about the hotel itself, I think those improvements look great. It's just the pool that seems lacking. Davewasbaloo puts his finger on the mark - they are marketing an experience and charging big bucks for that experience.
Again, my son handed me an eye opener. Not ten minutes after we talked about DLH and the new pool, the Disney Channel had a promo with the cast of Good Luck Charlie at Aulani. They were playing in a huge tropical pool with slides, a lazy river, and a man-made snorkeling pool complete with tropical fish. My son then turned to me and said "Can we stay there instead of Disneyland?" (I'm in trouble!) Apparently he knows a amazing pool experience when he sees one!

 

Originally Posted By Dabob2

With the more tropical look to the grounds in general (especially outside the Adventure Tower, and the new Trader Sam's/Tangaroa Terrace, I thought it would be a natural to theme the E-ticket pool area the same way.

Is that still a possibility? Is there landscaping to come? Or is what we're seeing "it?"

 

Originally Posted By irishfan

>>Not ten minutes after we talked about DLH and the new pool, the Disney Channel had a promo with the cast of Good Luck Charlie at Aulani. They were playing in a huge tropical pool with slides, a lazy river, and a man-made snorkeling pool complete with tropical fish. My son then turned to me and said "Can we stay there instead of Disneyland?" (I'm in trouble!) Apparently he knows a amazing pool experience when he sees one!<<

Yes Aulani does have an amazing pool system, but the Disneyland Hotel has something that Aulani will never have right next door, i.e Disneyland. I really think comparing Aulani resort to the Disneyland hotel is like comparing apples to oranges. Aulani is a "resort hotel", it has to keep it's guests entertained all day long, the Disneyland Hotel doesn't.

 

Originally Posted By ImTempest

The hotels at Walt Disney World don't have to keep guests entertained all day long, either, but quite a few of them have amazing pools.

 

Originally Posted By patrickegan

I expect magic for $250 a night! Last time we stayed I woke up to leaf blowers... not magical?? Maybe they should turn the hotel into one big gift shop with cots.

I'd better be careful... someone might steal that nugget
;-)

 

Originally Posted By irishfan

>>The hotels at Walt Disney World don't have to keep guests entertained all day long, either, but quite a few of them have amazing pools.<<

Pretty much all the pools at WDW are very nice, but I think the only really amazing pool complex is the one shared between the yacht and beach club. I still wonder why they went over the top (in a good way) with that pool facility. Maybe because they have two competitor hotels within arms reach?

 

Originally Posted By davewasbaloo

That, plus I think the deluxe crowd at the time only had the MK view resorts to choose from, they needed a reason to lure people to the Epcot resorts (or so they thought).

However, I would argue that Animal Kingdom Lodge and Wilderness Lodge have pretty awesome pools, as does the Poly now.

Even the Port Orleans Riverside Pool is better than what they have done to the DLH IMHO.

 

Originally Posted By davewasbaloo

I know though, I will not bother with the DLH unless it were cheaper than Hojo or Candy Cane now. If I wanted to splash the cash, then the Grand will still be top of the list.

I think this is a hugely lost opportunity for them. It feels like a step backwards to have so much concrete, with the ugly facade of the hotel still.

It they had rich folliage, some rocks, waterfalls, a lazy river and some nicely set slides (I think the monorail slides look like garbage, and I love monorails), then this could be exciting.

The only plus to me is the Trader Joe's/Tangaroa Terrace area and that can be enjoyed as a non resident.

So sad.