A Look Around Disneyland Hotel’s “Big Thunder Suite”

From the Disney Parks Blog:

Hang on to your hats and glasses because there’s a new signature suite at the Disneyland Hotel – the Big Thunder Suite. Today we’re giving you a sneak peek at the Big Thunder Suite, and in the coming weeks, we’ll also share details of some of the other signature suites, including the new Fairy Tale Suite, Mickey Mouse Penthouse and Pirates of the Caribbean Suite. All are located on the 11th floor of the hotel’s Dreams Tower and boast a distinct design, luxurious amenities and amazing views.

The Big Thunder Suite is the wildest suite in the wilderness and immerses up to six pioneers in 1,400-square-feet of luxurious rustic accommodations inspired by the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad attraction at Disneyland park.

Big Thunder Suite Bedroom

Howling wolves sound to the push of the suite’s doorbell as guests step into a mine shaft foyer inlaid with Fool’s Gold and hear the rumble of a passing runaway mine train. A button on the wall can be pushed to trigger sound effects from the attraction. The mine shaft leads into a living and dining area that separates the suite’s two bedrooms. In many rooms, repurposed wood from a Midwestern barn is used as flooring and paneling, which is complimented by textured earthen walls.

Big Thunder Suite Dining Room

A stone-hearth fireplace in the living area serves as the suite’s centerpiece and houses a mounted flat-panel television. When not in use, the TV is cleverly concealed by one of the many pieces of attraction concept art found throughout the suite. The living area also includes a surround sound-stereo system and displays antique tools once used for mining gold, including an 1850s gold scale and pan.

The centerpiece of the dining area is a knotted table with seating for eight, with a wagon-wheel chandelier. Nearby is a wet bar made of petrified wood and above the bar hangs a “living portrait” of a gold miner who magically changes activities over the course of the day.

Rustic décor belies the luxurious amenities found in the suite’s two bedrooms. The master bedroom is appointed with a desk, sitting area, TV and king-sized bed with a commanding headboard made of rich wood, brown leather and exposed brackets.

The master bath is revealed through a sliding barn door, where a free-standing copper tub is surrounded by a dramatic stone wall. The tub’s copper finish matches the copper piping in the adjacent steam shower, which is tiled with an earth-tone mosaic. A television is concealed behind the mirror above the bathroom’s bucket sinks.

Big Thunder Suite Bathroom

To inquire about prices and availability, please call (714) 956-6425.

New Hotel Tour Announced

With The Disneyland Hotel going through some many changes right now, this may be your last chance to see some of the hotel’s biggest landmarks.

From The Disney Parks Blog:

Disneyland Hotel
If you have a passion for Disney history, then you will definitely want to take the “The Happiest Hotel on Earth” Tour at the Disneyland Hotel.

Did you know that the Dreams Tower (formally named the Sierra Tower) was Orange County’s first high-rise when it opened in 1960? Or that the Disneyland Hotel, built in 1955, was owned by the Wrather Corporation until it was officially acquired by the Walt Disney Company in 1988?

This tour will give you a glimpse of the history and magic of the Disneyland Hotel and how it all began nearly 55 years ago.

If would like more information or want to sign up for this complimentary tour, visit the Guest Services Desk at either hotel.

Disneyland Hotel Renovation Begins

According to the OC Register’s Around Disney blog:

Guests staying at the Disneyland Hotel will be sleeping on new beds alongside new furniture.

“We wanted to make the rooms a more immersive experience for our guests,” said David Gill, media relations for the Disneyland Resorts.

Construction crews began work in the Dream Tower last week on the project that will take three years to tackle the entire hotel. Work includes stripping the rooms down to the bare walls, upgrading the electrical and plumbing and then bringing in carpeting, paint, furniture, beds and bathtubs.

The new furniture is being lifted into the tower via a temporary elevator mounted to the exterior of the building.

“Some of the furniture is so big that we want to get it in and out effectively without disrupting the rest of the hotel,” Gill said.

The new look for the rooms was conceived by designers at Walt Disney Imagineering, and includes many Disney touches such as hidden Mickeys in the carpeting, the bathrooms and other niches; and headboards that light up with a fiber-optics display of the world famous Disneyland fireworks above Sleeping Beauty Castle.

Other details include a pair of Mickey Mouse hands holding the lights in the dressing area. Even Tinkerbell is hiding out in the room.

“We wanted the guests to continue to feel the Disney magic when they return to the rooms from our parks,” Gill said.

The rooms will be outfitted with energy-efficient lighting and double-paned, energy-efficient windows that will be tinted blue to give the towers a new look.

The work is being done in phases, with the Dream Tower scheduled for completion in June, followed by the Magic Tower then the Wonder Tower. All the work is expected to be complete by 2012.

Disney officials declined to give a cost for the renovations.

All of the old bathtubs will be donated to Habitat for Humanity, while the beds and furniture will be offered to cast members at a highly discounted rate with proceeds donated to local charities.

Kenny Siegel’s DLR Photo Report

My good friend Kenny Siegel was at the Disneyland Resort last week & sent us in this photo report:

A look around the Princess room that was attached to Kenny’s main hotel room at the Disneyland Hotel.

Now a look around the main part of Kenny’s hotel room.

What an awesome closet design!

Gotta love the awesome complimentary toiletries.

A look outside Kenny’s window.

A look at construction on the It’s a Small World Toy Shoppe. The store has since re-opened.

And we end off this photo report with some construction pics from It’s a Small World.

Mickey Mouse & Princess Rooms at the Disneyland Hotel

ANAHEIM, Calif. — August 19, 2008 — When it comes to magical vacation experiences at the Disneyland Hotel, it’s character that counts. That’s why the famous resort hotel, located next to Disneyland and Disney’s California Adventure parks, is now featuring the opportunity to book Character Quarters – connecting rooms for children that are specially themed with Mickey Mouse or Disney princess décor.

Character Quarters are standard, smaller guest rooms that have a connecting door adjacent to a standard guest room. By reserving Character Quarters and a standard guest room, guests can guarantee connecting rooms, which are ideal for families traveling with younger children. (Character Quarters cannot be booked without a connecting standard guest room.)

Each Character Quarters room features a themed television set and two twin beds. The Mickey Mouse-themed quarters have flat screen televisions, floor-to-ceiling Mickey décor, furnishings, fixtures and amenities that match the rich, blue carpeting with lively “hidden Mickey” swirls and bright golden stars.

The Disney princess-themed rooms offer furnishings fit for royalty. The rooms are beautifully adorned with carpeting, wall coverings, Cinderella comforters and other amenities fit for a princess.

“The all-new Character Quarters allow our guests to immerse themselves in character magic typically only found in our theme parks,” said Tony Bruno, vice president of Disneyland Resort Hotels.

The Disneyland Hotel is the only hotel where guests can stay the night completely surrounded in the world of Mickey Mouse and Disney princesses, extending the magic of their experience at the Disneyland Resort.

For more information, please visit www.disneyland.com or call (714) 956-MICKEY.

Hotel Protest

From MyFox Los Angeles:

Workers at Disneyland Hotels are fighting to keep their health insurance benefits. Contract negotiations with Disney are not going well so the hotel workers took their fight to Main Street and Disneyland itself. Gigi Graciette was in Anaheim, where workers and their supporters held a candlelight vigil.

You can find a video with more information & a couple of interviews at the link above.

Authorities ID Man Who Jumped from the Disneyland Hotel

From the OC Register:

ANAHEIM – Authorities have identified a 48-year-old man who apparently jumped to his death Friday from the 14th floor of the Disneyland Hotel’s Wonder Tower.

John Newman Jr., of Santa Cruz, jumped from a balcony in the hotel’s south tower onto a parking lot at 1150 Magic Way, authorities said.

Newman was in town on business and was staying in a room with a business associate; the business associate was in the room when the man jumped, said Anaheim police Sgt. Rick Martinez.

Newman was pronounced dead at the scene.

Detectives interviewed possible witnesses to see if anyone saw what happened.

The hotel has been the scene of at least two other suicides. In 1994, a 75-year-old man jumped from the ninth floor and was pronounced dead at the scene. Two years later, a 23-year-old man committed suicide by jumping from the 14th floor of the hotel.

In 1998, a 23-year-old Walt Disney Co. employee jumped from the 14th floor but survived the fall.

Suicide at the Disneyland Hotel

According to MousePlanet:

At approximately 11:00 a.m. today, a man jumped to his death from the 14th floor at the Disneyland Hotel. According to Anaheim Police Department spokesman Sgt. Rick Martinez, APD is treating this as a suicide based on what police have found so far.


A couple of onlookers turn to view the activity at the Disneyland Hotel, as a police officer keeps the area clear. Numerous police cars are parked in the hotel’s driveway as the Anaheim Police Department investigates an apparent suicide of a man who jumped out of the 14th floor. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.

The man, approximately between 30 and 40, was in a south-facing room of the Wonder Tower (formerly Bonita) of the hotel, facing a parking lot. According to police, the man was in town for business. He was in the room with an adult male associate when, shortly after 11 a.m., he stepped out onto the balcony, made a statement, and jumped.

Emergency services are on scene at the hotel, and although the area is cordoned off, the scene has been visible from the balconies by hotel guests staying in the tower.

MiceAge DLR Rumor Update

The plans for the DCA renovations always keep changing, & the latest changes were reported today in Al Lutz’s latest column on MiceAge. We’ll also take a look at some other new stuff supposedly coming to Disneyland, & the resort as a whole:

  • The Walt Disney Story show that was supposed to of gone into the new Walt Disney Plaza has been dropped from the plans. Team Disney Anaheim’s idea behind this is that DCA already has too many shows, & too little good rides. So the last thing DCA needs is another new show! But the extravagant Carthay Circle Theater will still be built, but will only be a facade.
  • With the Walt Disney Story not happening, this now may have Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln being re-installed into the Opera House on Main Street.
  • When Sunshine Plaza is under refurbishment, the temporary entrance may now be the big gate right by Soarin’ Over California, instead of the Millionaire building. You can see exactly where this is by viewing this picture.
  • A water play area themed to King Triton is now planned to be put right next to the new Little Mermaid attraction.
  • The Ariels Grotto restaurant may be re-themed a general Princess restaurant, Princess Palace. The more modern sections of the current exterior of the restaurant would be made more “Princessy”.
  • Originally, the renovation plans for the Disneyland Hotel was to of had each building extensively refurbished, one at a time. Well now, TDA & WDI are looking to completely rip down the current Disneyland Hotel, & re-build it all from scratch!
  • This summer, a Indiana Jones stunt show should take place in Adventureland. We’re not sure if it will last past the summer though.
  • No new attractions are currently planned for the resort in 2009, except for the new It’s a Small World. So Disneyland Park will have a major entertainment themed ad campaign, which will include the proposed new Wonder day-time parade, a new ending to Remember… Dreams Come True, new effects added to Fantasmic, & get this… the return of the Main Street Electrical Parade!

For complete details on all of the things mentioned above & more, check out this MiceAge article!

MousePlanet DLR Update

Here’s a few interesting topics brought up in this week’s MousePlanet Disneyland Resort Update:

  • A few new things have been added to the line-up for this year’s California Food & Wine Weekends. Junior Chef sessions with an (at the moment) unnamed celebrity chef will be held through-out the Festival. Chefs from Cafe Orleans will show guests how to prepare a Monte Cristo. Many Downtown Disney restaurants will have culinary demonstrations. And finally, “signature” dishes will be added to DCA’s counter service restaurants, such as a chili cheese corn dog at Corn Dog Castle.
  • 2008’s Mothers Day Brunch will be held on May 11th in the Disneyland Hotel Grand Ballroom. The price will be $83 for adults, & $23 dollars for children (3-11).
  • The Snow White & the Seven Dwarfs 70th Anniversary exhibit inside Disney Animation may possibly be leaving at the end of April, to be replaced by a similar Sleeping Beauty themed exhibit in the Fall.
  • The Mark Twain Riverboat will have a very short refurbishment from April 21st to the 23rd.
  • Finally, Bill Stevens on MousePlanet caught a glimpse of the Mark VII Monorails actually running on the track by the Matterhorn. But to see the picture, we’re gonna have to make you check out the DLR Update on MousePlanet!