The Villas at Disneyland Lodge is now open! This shares pictures & video of the usual rooms, plus a peek contained in the 1-bedroom, 2-BR, and duo studios. Additionally, some ideas on how these evaluate to Disney Trip Membership’s latest and not too long ago redone resorts at Walt Disney World.
Disney has been advertising and marketing the Villas at Disneyland Lodge (VDH) as mixing paintings from Walt Disney Animation Studios classics with up to date designs, providing a celebration of Disney historical past within the place the place it began. Each house within the 12-story tower at Disneyland Lodge is designed to immerse visitors within the storytelling course of, bringing to life fan-favorite Disney tales in a wide range of themed rooms.
The Villas at Disneyland Lodge is the fourth tower on the AAA 4 Diamond resort, albeit with a a lot bigger footprint and better room depend measurement it’s not only a big rectangle. VDH is situated inside strolling distance of Downtown Disney District, Disneyland, and Disney California Journey.
Earlier than going by way of the rooms, let’s focus on the sensible aspect of staying right here. In the event you love what you see and wish to instantly go all in, Disney Trip Membership gross sales for the Villas at Disneyland Lodge at the moment are open. The per level price is $230, with add-on incentives obtainable for present Disney Trip Membership Members who buy VDH. The financial savings are far much less important for brand spanking new patrons, sadly.
Personally, I’d wait till seeing the Villas at Disneyland Lodge earlier than busting out my checkbook and dropping tens of 1000’s of {dollars}. However that’s simply me–you do you! Though it’s solely the second DVC property in California, there must be completely no considerations in anyway in regards to the Villas at Disneyland Lodge “promoting out” anytime quickly.
Though we anticipate this DVC addition being extremely in style, it’ll nonetheless take years for the Villas at Disneyland Lodge to promote out. So you’ve gotten loads of time to make a journey out and see them in individual earlier than you commit to purchasing right here and paying repairs for many years to come back.
To that time, one choice is making an attempt before you purchase. As common readers know, we’re large followers of renting DVC factors. (See Methods to Save Cash Renting Disney Trip Membership Factors.) Sadly, until you’re wanting fairly far out or e book confirmed reservations, availability through DVC level leases goes to be troublesome.
The opposite various is paying a money price through Disneyland immediately. That’s going to be far more costly however, on the plus aspect, you shouldn’t have points reserving. You is perhaps questioning why Disneyland has availability however not DVC or about to shout that “it’s a rip-off!” Surely, it’s as a result of so few DVC factors have bought, that Disney hasn’t declared all the stock. In very reductionist phrases, the resort aspect nonetheless owns many of the nights for the Villas at Disneyland Lodge as a result of the DVC contracts haven’t bought and ‘transformed’ to factors but.
On the plus aspect, there are (very meager) Halloween & Christmas 2023 Reductions on Disneyland Resort Resorts, together with the Villas at Disneyland Lodge. In the event you’re affected person, time shall be your pal. There’s a near-certainty that reductions shall be higher and total costs shall be considerably decrease from mid-January by way of early March 2024. Simply one thing to bear in mind.
Within the curiosity of full disclosure earlier than getting going, we had been invited to a media preview to tour the brand new rooms and keep in a studio on opening evening on the Villas at Disneyland Lodge. That’s why this can be a room tour moderately than a full overview. We have already got stays booked at VDH with our personal DVC factors within the coming months, and we’ll do a complete overview primarily based on these experiences. Within the meantime, you’re welcome to ask no matter questions you may need within the feedback. I’m not shy about editorializing–good, dangerous or ugly.
Anyway, on with the room excursions. I’m not going to caption each picture with textual content that pertains to the corresponding picture, however these are introduced with the studio pictures first:
The Villas at Disneyland Lodge’s Deluxe Studios sleep as much as 4 visitors and are themed to the tales of “Sleeping Magnificence” or “The Princess and the Frog.”
Deluxe Studios are the most typical room class within the tower. Of the 344 rooms on the Villas at Disneyland Lodge, roughly 250 are Deluxe Studios.
These rooms are DVC’s newest designs, similar to what was first pioneered at Disney’s Riviera Resort. That type of room has since been launched to many different Disney Trip Membership resorts which were renovated, and for good purpose, member satisfaction surveys give these rooms very excessive marks.
These studios have made nice strides in space-saving design and including progressive options just like the pull-down Murphy sleeper that’s someway each a cushty sofa and a cushty mattress. That is the fruits of lots of classes realized by DVC during the last decade. They iterate on previous successes, disregard previous failures, and are available collectively completely. They’re a pointy distinction to the Villas at Disney’s Grand Californian Lodge & Spa, that are a couple of years overdue for their very own overhaul.
Particularly, the brand new Inova pull-down couch mattress and sofa combo is an absolute game-changer.
This can be a colossal improve over the pull-out couches, and has been an enormous hit with Disney Trip Membership members. It has been one in all a number of useful enhancements which have actually improved the ‘high quality of life’ of DVC rooms–whereas Imagineering has additionally completed a strong job weaving themed design into the upgraded models.
To that time, the Deluxe Studios on the Villas at Disneyland Lodge are tastefully designed, with an animation-meets-modern aesthetic. They give the impression of being clear and crisp, with good shade decisions that pop and provides the rooms loads of persona. In the event you’re a fan of the Walt Disney Animation Studios, you’ll most likely like these.
Personally, I want they’d’ve made this a love letter to Walt Disney’s authentic magic kingdom, like the remainder of Disneyland Lodge. This may have been the proper alternative for a Tomorrowland tower, that includes mid-century trendy design and self-referential nods to Disneyland historical past.
I presume this was not completed as a result of Disney Trip Membership needed the tower to be extra “mainstream,” however I actually suppose that underestimates the fervour and data of Disneyland followers who’re inclined to drop tens of 1000’s of {dollars} to decide to staying right here for many years to come back. A lot in regards to the big-picture stylistic decisions right here perplex me, however I suppose that’s one other matter for an additional submit (the total overview).
Regardless, there’s a ton of texture and element to the rooms on the Villas at Disneyland Lodge, and the inside design exudes a stately high quality.
Particulars like tile wall behind the tv, mattress frames, patterned carpet, and good ambient lighting give the room a way of luxurious. Regardless that there’s so much that’s “cartoonish” in regards to the rooms–a lot of particulars in ours from the Princess and the Frog–they nonetheless really feel refined.
My solely actual criticism is that that is one other room that minimizes desk and desk house, however that is hardly distinctive to the Villas at Disneyland Lodge. It’s turning into more and more frequent with new Disney designs and within the resort business as a complete. If you’d like a devoted desk, household suites or 1-bedroom lodging are more and more the best way to go.
As somebody who truly makes use of resort room desks, I don’t love the development of eradicating or minimizing them, nevertheless it’s not an enormous factor. I can use my laptop computer on the couch or in mattress. Plus, I feel the wall behind the mirror and the entire look of this space actually pops. It makes an awesome first impression, and punctuates the design as a complete.
One other disappointment is the shortage of any kind of bedding past the crisp hospital sheets.
I do know I’ve been beating this drum typically (too typically?) in terms of new resort designs, however I point out it right here as a result of Disney Trip Membership had been one of many final holdouts in terms of bed-runners. For a short interval, DVC had mattress runners even after they’d vanished elsewhere. That hasn’t been the case in the previous couple of years, although.
The loos within the Deluxe Studio are fairly good, with the form of lighting, sink, and bathe you’d count on of newer DVC rooms. I recognize the distinctive mirror. I additionally like that it’s an precise walk-in bathe as an alternative of a tub. (Nicely, I like this for now. I’d find yourself consuming these phrases in a couple of months or years.)
What I’m not wild about is the bathe and sink sharing the identical house. For some purpose, I used to be underneath the impression that the bathe and sink can be separated, however as an alternative, it’s the bathroom that’s in its personal room–however nonetheless behind the primary door of the lavatory.
The Villas at Disneyland Lodge’s visitor rooms are pretty according to the idea artwork, however as with many issues, are extra spectacular once you’re standing in them moderately than a flat picture on a pc display screen.
My first and lasting impression was that the rooms are nicer than I used to be anticipating. Sarah additionally loves the light-up headboard and the yellow accent window (for lack of a greater time period) adjoining to the mattress.
Right here’s a video tour of our Deluxe Studio shot by Sarah:
Subsequent, let’s take a fast have a look at the Duo Studio:
In the event you’re searching for more room, you and your loved ones can unfold out in a one or two-bedroom villa, sleeping as much as 5 and 9 visitors, respectively. These rooms are impressed by the colourful colours of “Fantasia” or “The Princess and the Frog.”
The Villas at Disneyland Lodge ought to function 20 two-bedroom villas and 19 one-bedroom villas. These villas embrace a washer and dryer, comfy dwelling space, plus a full-size kitchen outfitted with all of the cookware it’s worthwhile to put together meals.
Right here’s a have a look at these:
Like different current rooms, the Villas at Disneyland Lodge’s rooms do an awesome job of balancing competing pursuits and visitor preferences. They’re concurrently luxurious, trendy, and tastefully embellished with inspiration from Walt Disney Animation Studios movies. Reaching this trifecta is one thing with which Disney has struggled previously, however they’re more and more hitting their stride with current redesigns and new rooms.
My private choice is for rooms that skew extra in direction of the themed finish of the spectrum, as I feel that’s what Disney does finest. Nevertheless, it’s additionally truthful to say that Disneyland Lodge doesn’t have an immersive unifying theme within the first place. It’s a self-referential love letter to the park, whereas this tower is one to animation. Identical concept, totally different topic.
Nevertheless, I can acknowledge that not all the pieces Disney does must cater to my preferences. For what Disneyland Lodge is, the rooms hit the correct notes. The studios, one-bedroom, and two-bedroom models are on par with the visitor rooms at Disney’s Riviera Resort at Walt Disney World.
We’d add that the visitor rooms on the Villas at Disneyland Lodge are additionally superior to the final ‘wave’ of redone rooms, again earlier than the Inova Murphy beds had been added. Regardless that I far choose the Grand Californian as a complete, these rooms completely trounce the outdated DVC rooms there. It’s not even a remotely shut name. Not less than, for now. Grand Californian must be getting new rooms very quickly. (For a comparability of the resorts as a complete, see Grand Californian vs. Disneyland Lodge.)
Finally, the visitor rooms on the Villas at Disneyland Lodge proceed Disney Trip Membership’s current development of marrying kind with operate. The tip result’s lodging that feel and appear luxurious whereas additionally providing loads of nods to Walt Disney Animation Studios, and have handy and cozy options. These rooms are well-appointed, have cute Disney touches, and the craftsmanship typically appears excessive.
All of that is unsurprising after the final a number of years–it’s so much simpler to critique exteriors or the place they’re constructing, however the rooms have been distinctive throughout the board. For potential or present Disney Trip Membership members wanting a house resort on the West Coast, the Villas at Disneyland Lodge is a powerful choice. Which is nice, as a result of apart from paying a premium for the Grand Californian through the resale market, it’s the one choice!
For complete planning recommendation, seek the advice of our Disneyland Trip Planning Information for all the pieces it’s worthwhile to know! In the event you’re contemplating becoming a member of DVC, first you’ll want to learn our Final Information to Disney Trip Membership. In the event you nonetheless can’t resolve whether or not membership is best for you, “attempt before you purchase” with the suggestions in Methods to Save BIG on Deluxe Disney Lodging Renting DVC Factors.
YOUR THOUGHTS
What do you consider the rooms on the Villas at Disneyland Lodge? Higher or worse than you anticipated? Any explicit particulars or design components you like or hate? Will you be shopping for (or do you already personal) on the Villas at Disneyland Lodge, or sitting this one out? Any questions on VDH? Listening to from you is half the enjoyable, so please share your ideas within the feedback beneath!