The new Villas at the Disneyland Hotel have now hosted the first guests and I was there to capture the entire experience. This new Disneyland Hotel Discovery Tower is built to be sold as Disney Vacation Club timeshares but is also available to be booked by guests interested in staying at the Disneyland Hotel.
You can read much more about the new tower, sample pricing, and how to book in our Disney Vacation Club Disneyland Hotel tower FAQ. There are a number of layouts of hotel rooms within the tower. I captured all of them to share with you. This photo tour is based on our recent media day where we got to tour the various room types and spend the night in one of the new rooms. For a general “review” of the hotel, take a look at our Disneyland Hotel review which discusses if staying at the property is “worth it”, the layout of the hotel, and other amenities. As we were hosted for this media preview, we refrained from giving a “worth” review for the new layouts.
You can read more about buying into Disney Vacation Club in our guide. We have another article planned discussing the specifics of buying into the Villas at the Disneyland Hotel planned as there are some differences here that make buying into this property than others. Based on what we heard about the speed that the villas are selling, you have plenty of time to decide on buying into the property and have time to book a stay here to see the property before buying. You can read more about how to get a discount on booking the hotel with tickets through our travel partner here.
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First Take Villas at the Disneyland Hotel
The new Villas at the Disneyland Hotel are framed as a tribute to the films of the Walt Disney Animation Studios. This new tower sits among the three other towers at the Disneyland Hotel which honor Frontierland, Fantasyland, and Adventureland. In an interesting choice, they chose to paint the new hotel tower brown with colorful panels on the exterior. This stands in very sharp contrast to the other three light blue hotel towers.
During the tour some suggested, including designers on the project, that the tower could have been a Tomorrowland theme to stay in keeping with the theme of “lands” from Disneyland. I don't think this was necessary. For one thing, the rooms in the other towers don't actually feature differing theming based on the theme of the tower. The designers did a great job here breaking the mold of the other towers of the hotel and delivering variety of rooms with a variety of different in-room themes. I am quite pleased that they chose to bring in all different room styles rather than delivering variances on one character theme or room style. If they were going to bring a theme from the theme park in, they could have leaned into specific intellectual property the way that they are for the new Disney Treasure cruise ship. Generally, I like the variety that we got here and hope that they keep this up for future themed rooms.
Even if they could have carried the Tomorrowland theme into the rooms of the hotel, we have enough mid-century modern hotels in Anaheim and I don't think we need to have them included here.
Instead of choosing one of the theme park themes for the new hotel, they opted to lean into the stories of Walt Disney Animation Studios. They did a great job bringing in new and rarely seen artwork to drive the themes of the rooms. Rooms are themed to The Princess and the Frog, Fantasia, Sleeping Beauty, and Jungle Book. The uber-lux Grand Villas also feature Frozen, Moana, and Bambi.
As you'll see in the photos below the rooms bring in artwork and fixtures to lean into the designs. Surfaces are all themed with additional artwork even hidden away in the closets and within murphy beds. They did a great job balancing the expected modern hotel style that Disney is bringing to all hotel refurbishments with a themed character design. The Disney artwork gives the rooms a pop of color and detail that makes these far more interesting than many of the other more recent room designs.
Generally the rooms look far better than the original concept artwork released which made the rooms appear relatively flat.
Villas at the Disneyland Hotel Photo Tour
Now, let's get into our hotel tour of Disneylands' new Villas at the Disneyland Hotel tower. The tower is tucked away behind the monorail waterslide pool. Walking over the bridge from alongside Goofy's Kitchen character dining, you'll see the building looming large behind the slide.
The lobby of the new hotel features a new mural designed specifically for the hotel by Disney Animation artist Lorelay Bové. Her first film she worked on at the studio was “The Princess and the Frog” and most recent film was “Encanto.” The mural features scenes from favorite Walt Disney Animation Studios films and a couple of hidden Mickeys.
You can see Lorelay point out the hidden Mickeys in the video from our Instagram below. Be sure to follow us there for more from the parks.
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The lobby also features a library-style setting which includes some nice displays of pieces from the Walt Disney Archives. These are all meant as a tribute to the Walt Disney Animation Studios.
New Disneyland Hotel Pool Area
Before we getting into the rooms, take a look at the new pool area and Steamboat Willie splash pad that is now available for hotel guests.
The new pool area consists of the Palette Pool, Palm Breeze Bar, and a new splash pad. The splash pad incorporates elements from the classic Steamboat Willie short!
The splash pad features a large model of the boat from the short film helmed by Mickey Mouse. The boat also includes a waterfall, misty fog effects, and a variety of fountains. This is a nice addition to the existing Disneyland Hotel pool area that features the awesome retro Disneyland Monorail slides.
The new Palm Breeze Bar is inspired by the classic art style of Disney Legend Mary Blair while the entire pool area is designed to feel like a mid-century modern hangout. The new bar is not yet open, but construction continues.
Though the new pool area was added as part of the Disney Vacation Club addition the new pool area is available to all Disneyland Hotel guests!
NEW Disneyland Hotel Fitness Center
Also in the lobby area is the new Disneyland Hotel fitness center which is available for all hotel guests. This is one of, if not the, nicest fitness center at any of the Disney hotels in Walt Disney World or Disneyland that I have seen. The gym has big glass windows that look out on the pool area and plenty of space. This is a big upgrade from the temporary fitness center that has been offered at the Disneyland Hotel during construction.
There is also a brand new fitness center that will be the fitness center for all guests at the Disneyland Hotel now!
The fitness center faces the pool area.
The fitness center is a great addition but I'll continue to love the fitness classes available for Disneyland Resort Hotel guests.
First Look at Disneyland Hotel Disney Vacation Club Rooms
Now, let's take a look at the new Villas at the Disneyland Hotel. These rooms are themed to the classics of the Walt Disney Animation Studios.
Disney promises the tower will “immerse you in discovering the creative storytelling process” and that the tower will bring favorite stories to life in unique styles of themed accommodations. The detail starts in the hallways which you can see above. There is great artwork and unique arches in a “D” for Disney style. You can also find fun wallpaper featuring character silhouettes in certain parts of the hallway.
Disneyland Villas Deluxe Studio
There are deluxe suites available that can sleep up to four guests that are themed to Princess and the Frog or Sleeping Beauty. Here is the full photo tour of one of the Sleeping Beauty deluxe suites.
The headboard pays tribute to Sleeping Beauty and the art of Mary Blair which is a wonderful touch.
The bathroom also includes artwork from Sleeping Beauty. Throughout the rooms there are unique pieces of artwork that were created specifically for these rooms or pulled from the Walt Disney Animation Research Library which stores the hundreds of thousands of pieces of artwork from animated films.
Notice the mirror has Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather, the three good fairies, from Sleeping Beauty!
The headboard features a scene from Sleeping Beauty and pulls in the inspiration from the art of Mary Blair.
The kitchenette provides everything you need! This is one of the perks of staying at the Disney Vacation Club hotel.
So many hidden details! Check out the video tour of the room that I stayed in that overlooks the Disneyland Hotel pool area.
Villas at the Disneyland Hotel Duo Studio
Here's a look at the Jungle Book-themed duo studio. This room type is specifically designed for two with the comfortable murphy bed that comes out of the wall. For all of the murphy beds, the couch does not need to be moved and the bed just has to be pulled down. The beds are comfortable queen beds that are far more comfortable than a couch pull out as the mattress doesn't need to fold at all.
Beautiful Jungle Book themed artwork on the walls.
Jungle Book artwork on the exterior of the pull out bed.
The details also extend to the rugs and flooring. On the carpets in each of the rooms you'll find a specific phrase related to the film the room is based on.
One Bedroom Villas Disneyland Hotel
The one-bedroom villa sleeps up to five guests and the two-bedroom villa sleeps up to nine guests. These rooms are inspired by the colors of Fantasia or Princess and the Frog. Here is our full room tour of the Fantasia villa suite! I love this piece of artwork featuring Sorcerer Mickey.
The headboard features a scene from Fantasia. Notice the light fixtures in the flower blooming look.
The villas include a washer and dryer, a living area, and a full-sized kitchen with all the cookware you would need.
Look at the beautiful details on the headboard in the Fantasia room!
The bathrooms are simply stunning. Notice the different mirror designs.
The details on the mirrors add to the beauty of this Fantasia themed room.
The elegance of the theming is gorgeous.
The full sized kitchenette offers plenty of space to cook.
All the colors continue to match the Fantasia theme.
Next up, the Princess and the Frog themed suite that is also a single bedroom.
The room also connects to a deluxe studio themed to Princess and the Frog so this room can become a two bedroom studio.
The suite captures the elegance of Princess Tiana. Notice the substantial finishes and unique flourishes in each of the rooms. This room includes touches to reflect the bayou and the New Orleans city look. You can see more about Disney taking inspiration from New Orleans for their new Princess and the Frog attraction here. They really went all out finishing these spaces.
These suites are breathtaking and are sure to be popular for bigger families.
Grand Villa at Disneyland Hotel
The NEW Grand Villa at the Disneyland Hotel is fun to dream about. This is a three-bedroom, multi-story, villa that can sleep up to 12 guests! There are three bedrooms themed to Bambi, Frozen, and Moana. There are two Grand Villas available in the hotel that have sweeping views out across the Disneyland Hotel grounds and out to Disney California Adventure.
The first floor of the villa includes a full-size kitchen, a large dining area, and a double-sided fireplace that connects the living room with the private outdoor balcony. On the first floor, you'll also find a primary suite inspired by Bambi.
The second floor of the suite includes a Frozen-inspired bedroom and Moana inspired bedroom.
The second floor also includes a washer and dryer!
The Frozen mural in the upstairs bedroom is beautiful. The horse seen here is from Frozen 2.
The bathroom is large and features more artwork.
And of course, there is a Frozen-themed bathroom! The Grand Villa is truly a dream come true that of course comes at a price. Reminder that you can see sample pricing for the DVC Villas at the Disneyland Hotel here. The suite pulls in multiple different film themes unlike any of the other villas. The designer shared that it is kind of the grand finale of the tower as it features films from Snow White to Encanto.
Are you ready for a stay at the new Disneyland DVC villas?
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