Anabella to be demolished

[minneylovesmicky]

The Anabella usually has deals when they need to fill rooms. All hotels do.

The hotel is still going to be open for at least three years. It is business as usual.

How far ahead can you usually book, as I was looking for some prices for next year and can not get prices beyond May 17 2017. The whole rest of year past may is not available to book.

 

[sdchickie]

Thanks for this post. I've been hunting for a hotel for an upcoming visit, and although the Eden Roc had come up in searches, I hadn't really looked at it. I think it will be a perfect fit for our family and it was $74+tax cheaper than our other option! Doesn't include breakfast like the other one did, but for $74/night I think we can manage ....

Ask for a room facing the parks on the 2nd floor. There are 2 sides to this resort and the other side does not have a park view. I've heard that the 1st floor rooms can hear people walking above because they are not carpeted. Enjoy your stay!

 

[My3Princez]

Ask for a room facing the parks on the 2nd floor. There are 2 sides to this resort and the other side does not have a park view. I've heard that the 1st floor rooms can hear people walking above because they are not carpeted. Enjoy your stay!

I did know about the noise and was planning on requesting second floor, but didn't know there were park view rooms. Thanks for the info. Do you think that is something I should call and request ahead of time, or should I request it when we check in?

 

[sdchickie]

I did know about the noise and was planning on requesting second floor, but didn't know there were park view rooms. Thanks for the info. Do you think that is something I should call and request ahead of time, or should I request it when we check in?

We requested theme park view when we booked as well as when we checked in. There's not too many rooms that would have a good view, that side is shaped like an L so only one side would have the view we did. If you were on the other row of rooms you would have to step out of your room and look right to watch the fireworks or the back of the mickey wheel.

 

[sdchickie]

Here's the view from my bed. You can see the view from the other side of rooms.

 

[My3Princez]

We requested theme park view when we booked as well as when we checked in. There's not too many rooms that would have a good view, that side is shaped like an L so only one side would have the view we did. If you were on the other row of rooms you would have to step out of your room and look right to watch the fireworks or the back of the mickey wheel.

Thank you very much for the helpful info!

 

[agamble]

Since Disney owns Carousel, does that mean that Disney also owns Anabella?

No. Disney didn't buy the company, they just bought the building/land. They own only the Carousel, not all other associated hotels.

 

[frank430316]

I never stayed at Anabella, but I stayed at the Magic Carpet in 1976 when I was a kid and we all drove down for our first visit to Disneyland!
I am happy that there are more higher end hotels opening that are walking distance to the parks. We used to stay in Garden Grove because we preferred the security of interior corridors at hotels. It would also be nice if more upscale hotels available would put pressure on Disney to lower the room rates on the DL hotels. I can always dream, right?

Hey, we stayed at the Magic Carpet in '73, though no kids at that time - it was our honeymoon!

 

[MICKEYFIL]

I'm truly sad about this. I truly despise developers, I really really do. They do what they can, to make money, without any concept of what is right.

Who built the Anabella in the first place? The pioneers? Without those hated developers you wouldn't have had the Anabella in the first place. "They do what they can, to make money"?! You do realize you are on a forum for Disneyland right? This isn't a non profit organization.

 

[castleofmist]

I have a feeling the experience at Anabella depends VERY heavily on what room/building you are assigned. I stayed there with my friend and daughter the night before D23, so we could be close to the Convention Center, and I was expecting a good experience based on the *majority* of the Yelp reviews. I think those reviewers must have been given one of the first or second floor rooms near the front of the property.

I can say Anabella is one of only 2-3 hotels I have ever stayed at, anywhere, ever, that I would not stay at again, even if free. I am not someone who has to stay at "high end" hotels, and only when at Disney do I splurge for the experience and convenience. I sometimes even prefer motels, because one can usually drive right up to the room and not worry about trekking through a parking lot or waiting and paying for valet. Give me an up-to-date Choice Hotel (Best Western, Days Inn, etc.) with a small lobby and continental breakfast any day.

When I checked in at Anabella, I was a bit disappointed when we were assigned a room on the 3rd floor at the very back left of the property. I didn't really mind, though, because I could just take the elevator. Right? Wrong. It was so frustrating to check in after a late night flight, head for the room, hunt for 5-10 minutes for a parking spot, then drag all of our heavy bags (had my daughter's costumes and our souvenirs from earlier in the trip) past 2-3 buildings just to get to the building we were staying in.

Then, I had to walk completely around that building to find the inevitable elevator, only to figure out there must not be an elevator, and have to drag all of the heavy bags up 2 flights of concrete steps with open spaces in between. I was seriously afraid I was going to tumble down the steps, as I dragged each bag, thunking step-by-step as I went. I had my friend wait with my daughter in the car in the dark parking lot while I did this. I understand it is an old hotel, but at the very least, a heads up from the front desk staff would have been nice.

Then, when we got to the room, the air was very, very damp. I am from Texas, so dampness does not usually bother me, but this was so bad it totally grossed me out. The air never did clear up while we were there, though the air conditioning was on full blast when we walked into the room. The parking situation continued to be impossible as well, and we never did park closer than 2 buildings away.

I am all about original Disneyland charm. After Anabella, we moved to the Disneyland Hotel, and I fell in love with the small details there. I have also stayed at other older hotels around Disneyland that I really liked. I am sorry to say that I think Anabella is one hotel whose time has come to be replaced. The fountains around the parking lots and the pool area are beautiful, but that's about it.