In just a few days, Disneyland will be fifty-five years old, since it was created in good old ‘55.
Let’s go back now and take a look at the humble beginnings of the Disneyland Hotel, which also dates back to 1955 and will be fifty five years old later this summer. (For the record, I’ve been fifty for a few days now, but I still feel young and chipper.)
A fascinating aerial view of Disneyland in the summer of 1955. The rough encampment that was the Disneyland Hotel of those days is vaguely visible in the top center of the photo.
A pre-opening Artist’s Rendering of the very first “version” of the Disneyland Hotel. Some of these buildings survived until 2001 - when everything you see in this rendering became “property” of Downtown Disney. Absolutely none of the current Disneyland Hotel yet existed in 1955 when the hotel opened.
The original front of the Disneyland Hotel - before the monorail station was built. (My apologies for an earlier typo - the monorail station was part of the Disneyland Hotel from 1961 till 2001, not 2009.)
The first guest room tower was erected in 1962, and all of the lush Disneyland Hotel lay at its feet. Little could anyone imagine that one day, all of the Disneyland Hotel would instead lay behind it. (And apparently, no one imagined putting a Disneyland Hotel sign atop that tower when it was first built - because they didn’t leave room for it.)
A postcard of the original pool area of 1955. Tres Swanky. The swimming pool survived until the turn of the century.
It wasn’t long before someone had the brilliant idea to put a Disneyland Hotel sign atop the guest tower - except - oops - the exterior elevator is in the way! The “Euro” version of the name held sway until the Sierra Tower was expanded in 1966.
Vintage cars and architecture at the entrance to the Disneyland Hotel’s original restaurant zone. Fifties!!
A very interesting aerial view of the Disneyland Hotel and Disneyland in the early 1960’s. Pretty much everything behind the guest tower was a golf course - the main recreational activity offered in the hotel’s early years. Today, the entire hotel sits on the site of that former golf course, and everything on the Disneyland side of the tower is now officially part of Downtown Disney. Essentially, the entire hotel was moved a little to the left, and that guest tower - hidden somewhere inside a larger structure - is all that remains from this 1960’s view.
This advertisement from 1966 touts the new changes to the Disneyland Hotel. The construction of the Sierra Tower expansion is underway, and motel-style guest rooms start to encroach on the golf course grounds, pioneering the new territory that the hotel will famously occupy - when the bustling marina, Seaports of the Pacific shopping, Dancing Waters fountain show, the Horseshoe Falls, the Koi Pond, the Cove Beach Pool, the Convention Center, and the Marina and Bonita Towers will all be added!
Please join us as we famously occupy the Disneyland Hotel on July 16th for the most fabulous Disneyland Birthday Party ever! We look forward to seeing you there!
A word about staying overnight:
The day after the party - Saturday, the 17th - is, of course, Disneyland Birthday. Its 55th. Perhaps the quirkiest number birthday in Disneyland history because of its direct relation to the year of its birth. Or, maybe it’s completely meaningless. You decide.
But if you decide you want to head into Disneyland the morning after the party, you don’t necessarily need to go home. You’re welcome to stay in the suite - - if you don’t mind not sleeping in a bed (and not sleeping much). Beds are in short supply (there’s only one, and it’s taken), but space is plentiful. You can bring a sleeping bag or an air mattress or a blanket and stash them in our “quiet room” across the hall. We’ll bring out the sleeping stuff for the slumber party portion of the evening.
There’s no set time for that ... but experience shows (and we’ve been at this for 25 years) the slumber party doesn’t start much before three in the morning - - with laughter and giggling continuing till about four. Most people DO get to sleep before the sun comes up - - but sleep is not guaranteed - and activity returns to the suite early enough to get to Disneyland early (not by opening, necessarily, but early).
I understand some folks have opted to get a hotel room nearby. And while I’m not urging anyone to incur that expense - - I have to point out that anyone wishing to get a decent night’s sleep AND go into Disneyland early in the morning might want to consider their own accommodations. There are a variety of reasonably-priced hotels in Anaheim. The Camelot on Harbor Blvd is a particular favorite (we host many of our “off-year” Disneyland Birthday parties there). But I reiterate, anyone willing to coast along on fumes at Disneyland in the morning is welcome to stay in the suite.
Of course, morning’s not the only time for Disneyland Birthday fun. We’ll be heading back to the Park in the evening for the uber-fun of Disneyland Birthday Night and will be closing the Park, if tradition holds. All are Welcome.
All afternoon, we’ll be back at the Wrather Suite, continuing the party in more mellow style. Please feel free to drop on by, have a drink, nosh a bit, sit a spell, take a dip in the pool, or enjoy the current features of the Disneyland Hotel while they last - and they won’t last long.
Lastly, anyone who closes the Park with us that night (or who happens to be in the vicinity of Anaheim at one in the morning) is welcome to join us back at the suite for the After Party - our final hurrah of fun in the fantabulous Wrather Suite.
The entire weekend will be Rather Sweet. Please join us for any or all of it!