Decor at PP Hotel. Retro Charm or Reminder of Failure?

[kevdo]

With the early entry into Cars Land we are considering paying the premium for Disney-owned hotel for our next trip. And since Paradise Pier Hotel is considerably cheaper than DH or GCH we are leaning to this hotel (it also seems like less walking distance to the entrance of the parks).

Anyway, I noticed last year while walking through the lobby, and have seen in many of the trip report photos that there is all kinds of concept artwork from the original DCA planning period. And while I did find the "old" Paradise Pier charming I don't think anyone prefers that design to the current one.

So, is this now-outdated concept artwork full of retro charm? Or is it a reminder of failed and soon-to-be forgotten era? Discuss...

 

[Ingrid0382]

It's definitely not a shorter walking distance than GCH, but you can cut through GCH to get to the parks.

As far as the decor, I never got to see the original DCA. We only go to PPH for the Surf's Up breakfast and I always thought it was okay. It feels fun and sunny in there.

 

[bumbershoot]

Since I loved DCA before, I haven't a clue what you mean by "failed" anything. And I actually don't recognize what you're talking about in terms of artwork, despite having stayed at PPH a few times before the refurb and twice after.

You leave PPH by the front door, go to the crosswalk, cross and walk through the lovely front doors of the Grand. If you are heading to DCA, go straight through the lobby and follow the outdoor path to DCA. IF you are heading to Disneyland, after coming into those big doors, turn left down a long corridor until the end, turn right through automatic sliding glass doors, go along that outside path until you reach DTD. Turn right, walk through a bit of DTD, get through bag check, go to Disneyland gates.

Although there are some seriously far-away rooms at the Grand (we stayed in one of them were it was literally as far away to walk from the room to the center of the esplanade as if we had walked from the sidewalk outside HoJo), I haven't mapped the walk from the front of PPH to see how it compares.

I love PPH (didn't like my first stay, but that was just newbie madness and mistakes like following the PPH's signs to get to the parks), loved the decor before and after, and stay there quite willingly!

 

[kevdo]

(it also seems like less walking distance to the entrance of the parks).

I meant compared to DL Hotel.

 

[kevdo]

Since I loved DCA before, I haven't a clue what you mean by "failed" anything.

Seriously?

The billion dollars spent to retheme or demolish nearly every original attraction at a park barely more than a decade old? Come on...

And I actually don't recognize what you're talking about in terms of artwork, despite having stayed at PPH a few times before the refurb and twice after.

All the artwork reflects the "Sun Wheel" and "Orange Stinger" attractions and long-gone things like Pizza Mow Wow and SS Rustworthy. Not, you know, the character-based attractions and theme-appropriate restaurants in Paradise Gardens.

 

[FourM's]

Ohhhh man, Just kidding! I enjoy the Paradise Pier, it's not my favorite (GCH), but it is fun in its own way. I think its theme holds its own.

 

[BlueBayou]

Count our family in as one that never looked at DCA as a failure. We had young kids (our first trip to DCA was about 6 months after it opened. Our first DD was just 6 months - we had family from back east visiting at DCA) We only had one day - DCA was brand new (April after it opened I think) and that is where we went.

As our kids have grown - we have always had park hoppers. We spend as much time at DCA as DL. Even before Bugs land and Toy Story Midway Mania.

As for PPH we would pick it above DLH. Our DLH stay was not bad, just blah (and there were enough issues on night one we got a $50 credit - believe me, we are not complainers - that was offered because they checked us into a room at 11pm that would not have hot water until 6am). Our stays at GCH and PPH were far superior to DLH.

 

[HappyHaunt]

It's definitely not a shorter walking distance than GCH, but you can cut through GCH to get to the parks.

For the most part that's true. But I think a lot of those rooms in the back at GCH are probably about as long of a walk.

We stayed PPH in May, and really liked it. The walk wasn't nearly as bad as I was worried about. Yes out of the 3 hotels is last in "resort" feel. I actually like the art work, I like to compare the pictures to how it actually turned out.

 

[Eeee-va]

I think just changing out the big Paradise Pier art in the rooms would make a world of difference. I only recall seeing one picture in our room (maybe there were more)...I know they probably would end up buying new frames and such, instead of just swapping out the art, but I can't imagine it'd be terribly expensive to make that small change.

 

[pixiewings71]

Seriously?

The billion dollars spent to retheme or demolish nearly every original attraction at a park barely more than a decade old? Come on...


All the artwork reflects the "Sun Wheel" and "Orange Stinger" attractions and long-gone things like Pizza Mow Wow and SS Rustworthy. Not, you know, the character-based attractions and theme-appropriate restaurants in Paradise Gardens.

I'm with Molly, I never disliked DCA at all, in fact we spent more time in DCA then we did at DL most of our trips. The didn't retheme or demolish nearly every attraction, they changed what, 3? Let's see, the "fun" wheel (aka MWOD lol), the orange stinger, mulholland madness....Got rid of McD's for real food and added a whole new land, am I missing something else? Besides removing the maliboomer?

I like the artwork, IMO it is Retro and should be left alone. I also enjoyed my stay at PPH very much. Of course not everyone feels as we do.

 

[TheZue]

I'm with Molly, I never disliked DCA at all, in fact we spent more time in DCA then we did at DL most of our trips. The didn't retheme or demolish nearly every attraction, they changed what, 3? Let's see, the "fun" wheel (aka MWOD lol), the orange stinger, mulholland madness....Got rid of McD's for real food and added a whole new land, am I missing something else? Besides removing the maliboomer?

I like the artwork, IMO it is Retro and should be left alone. I also enjoyed my stay at PPH very much. Of course not everyone feels as we do.

I'm with you guys as well. We loved DCA from the beginning. When we went on our honeymoon they were building it, and when we came back our son was 7 months old, and we have many great memories from the latter trips. I'm emotionally attatched to that park. Also the over-all look from a distance in Paradise Pier isn't that different than it was in 1.0. They changed some artwork on a couple rides and took out the maliboomer and added more theming:

VS.

It definitely looks better now, but it's not like the hotel is based on Superstar Limo or something...It's based on the parts of 1.0 that generally worked. I never viewed it as a failure; I viewed it as young and expected it to grow and fill out and change like any Disney park does. I'm glad it got the love it deserved. I personally see the 90s redo of tomorrowland as a much bigger failure.

And for the record I am going to miss the Maliboomer. The puke shields made me laugh, and the view was amazing.