Our family loves the pools at Disneyland Hotel. Our littlest adventurer likes to sail through the Steamboat Willie Splash Area and our older ones cannot get enough of the Monorail water slides. We think these pools are the best reason to book a stay at Disneyland Hotel, so we are sharing practical advice about all of the features of the aquatic recreation area.
We hope this information will help you decide whether to stay at Disneyland Hotel or The Villas at Disneyland Hotel. If you have made your choice, we hope our detailed information will help you prepare for your stay.
Now, speaking of those two sides of the Disneyland Hotel, let us start by exploring what that means for your stay (on either side).
Villas and Guest Rooms: The Two Sides of Disneyland Hotel
Disneyland Hotel was, as the name suggests, the first hotel at Disneyland Resort, opening in 1955 with Disneyland Park. It has developed and changed significantly over the years, but it has always offered rooms, recreation and an easy trip to Disneyland Park.
In 2023, Disney opened The Villas at Disneyland Hotel. This new block of accommodations makes up the new Discovery tower at Disneyland Hotel. It is both a part of the Disneyland Hotel and part of the Disney Vacation Club (DVC). Luckily, the Villas are available to general guests as well as DVC members. With the addition of the Villas came an expansion of the pool recreation area.
Before we move on, please note that there are two other Disney-owned hotels at Disneyland Resort: Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel and Spa and Pixar Place Hotel. We mention this because some people see the magnificent Grand Californian bordering Disney California Adventure Park and assume that it must be THE Disneyland Hotel. It is a Disneyland Resort Hotel (and the most luxurious of the three) but it is not the one actually called “The Disneyland Hotel.” In this article, we are covering the pools at Disneyland Hotel and the Villas at Disneyland Hotel. For a comparison of the three different Disneyland Resort Hotels, check-out this post.
Stay Here to Swim in the Disneyland Hotel Pools
The good news is that guests staying anywhere in the Villas or the original Disneyland Hotel can access both pool areas. So, if you are staying in a standard guest room at Disneyland Hotel, you can access the Villa’s Palette Pool (in addition to the pools on the Disneyland Hotel side). The reverse is also true. If you are staying in the Villas, you can enjoy features like the Monorail water slides.
In fact, the two sections are really part of one big pool recreation area: there is no fence dividing them. You can move freely between the Villas and traditional Disneyland Hotel side. To reach one side from the other, you will go under a hotel building and past the Palm Breeze Bar seating.
We like both sections of the pool for different reasons.
Highlights of the (Original) Disneyland Hotel Pool Area
We love the original Disneyland Hotel pools. This older side of the pool complex feels epic. Like the Disneyland Hotel itself, it calls upon the history of Disneyland and the Walt Disney Company. So, the pool area is sprawling in both a physical and historical sense. The multiple large pools and changes in elevation make this feel like a land unto itself. It includes the E-Ticket and D-Ticket Pools, two Monorail Waterslides, a pair of mini-slides, a splash play area, two whirlpool spas and plenty of space to relax.
This hotel side of the pool complex is older, and it shows in a good way. The landscaping is lush and mature, which creates the feeling of a tropical retreat. We like that the exciting waterslides are mixed with lovely leafy hideaways to create a unique pool area. This is somewhere we will happily hang-out for hours.
Highlights of the Villas at Disneyland Hotel Pool Area
The Villas at Disneyland Hotel section has the brand new Palette Pool, Steamboat Willie Splash Area and a whirlpool spa. It also offers new amenities like the Palm Breeze Bar and more colorful seating areas.
This new Villas pool area feels more intimate than the other side. The different elements are closer together and you can see the whole section more easily than on the Disneyland Hotel side. We appreciate the design of this pool area when we are trying to keep track of several children at a time. Another helpful feature for families with young children is that the bathroom facilities are very close to the splash play area. These restrooms also have some nice amenities (more on that below).
At the time of writing, the Villas section is very new. You might like this pool area if you want to see the latest work from Imagineering or like fresh facilities. Again, the good news is that you do not really need to choose. You can visit one side and then the other!
On that note, let us dive into the cannot-miss features of the Disneyland Hotel pool complex. From this point forward, we are going to hop back and forth between the two sides, because that is exactly what you can do during your own visit!
Two Towering Monorail Water Slides
Even if you are just passing by the pool area, the two Monorail water slides at the Disneyland Hotel are likely to stop you right in your tracks. They wind around their tower in a manner that seems to be just this edge of chaotic, and the whole thing is topped by a delightfully retro Disneyland park sign. This water slide tower is vibrant, nostalgic and invites you right into the fun. Plus, it glows at night.
The Monorail water slides are located in the original Disneyland Hotel pool area on the southern end. Really, you cannot miss them: when you see two Mark 1 Monorails racing down from a classic Disneyland sign, you will know that you are in the right place.
When you are ready to take a ride on these slippery Monorails, you can choose between orange and yellow. We think both Monorail slides are fun! The yellow slide is smaller and ends in a sort-of shallow wet runway. The orange slide is almost twice as tall and more than twice as long, and it splashes down into a small pool.
Disneyland Hotel Water Slides for Young Children
At the time of writing, there are no official age or height restriction on the Disneyland Hotel waterslides. However, there is no pair-riding, so kids wishing to experience the Monorail waterslides need to be comfortable sliding on their own. Parents can climb the stairs and wait in line with their children—and adults are absolutely encouraged to slide as well—but everyone needs to slide individually. Ultimately, the excellent cast member lifeguards may use their discretion to turn away riders if they have safety concerns.
Little ones who are not quite ready to ride the Monorail slides might prefer the pair of mini-slides at the base of the Disneyland Hotel slide tower. These small slides are straight and open. They are also surrounded by a shallow splash area with pop-jets and fountains.
When young children are ready to step-up to the Monorail slides, we suggest starting with the yellow one.
As parents, we like that we can stick close to a toddler playing at the mini-slides and jets while still being able to watch older siblings climb the tower to the Monorail waterslides. The area immediately around the slide tower is shallow and more like a splash pad than a pool.
3 Swimming Pools at Disneyland Hotel
There are three swimming pools at Disneyland Hotel: the E-Ticket Pool, the D-Ticket Pool and the Palette Pool. The first two are on the Disneyland Hotel side of the complex while the Palette Pool is in The Villas at Disneyland Hotel section. Again, all guests of Disneyland Hotel—whether they are staying in the Villas or traditional guest rooms—can use both sections.
Big Ticket Pools
The E-ticket pool is the largest pool at Disneyland Hotel. It is 4800 square feet and has a fun unconventional shape. The pool’s theme reflects a bit of Disneyland history.
In the early days of Disneyland, individual tickets were required to access attractions. You would pay for general admission to Disneyland, and then you would purchase a ticket book. The ticket books had single-use coupons for different tiers of attractions, and these tiers were designated by letters. The A-tickets were for lower-demand attractions, like the street cars. A more popular ride would have a C-ticket designation. E-tickets were introduced in 1959 because a new level was needed for Disneyland’s most thrilling new rides, including the Matterhorn Bobsleds. Want to see an E-ticket? You can find reproductions of them on the E-Ticket Pool’s tiles (a tiny detail we love)!
The neighboring D-Ticket Pool is smaller and possibly calmer, just as D-ticket rides were considered a little tamer than E-tickets. Our kids are enamored of the pedestrian bridge stretching over the pool; its not often they get to swim under a pool bridge. The Disney website says people can swim laps in the D-Ticket Pool. That seems like it would be a little tricky given the popularity of this pool, but it also seems like it would be fun.
Palette Pool at The Villas at Disneyland Hotel
The Palette Pool is in the newer Villas section of Disneyland Hotel. It is roughly a semi-circle in shape with round colorful pavement insets. When the pool is seen in combination with the Villa’s splash pad, it is all meant to resembles a painter’s palette. The insets are there to suggest dollops of paint, and sunshine through the neighboring pergola provides dynamic patches of color.
Splashing with Steamboat Willie
Cross beneath that rainbow pergola, and you will splash right into the 1928 short film, “Steamboat Willie.” In a tribute to Mickey Mouse’s film debut, Imagineers have placed a life-size model of the famous riverboat in the center of the Villa’s splash pad. A figure of Mickey Mouse is at the wheel, and water cascades down the boat while fountains frolic around it. This splash pad is our youngest’s favorite element of the Disneyland Hotel pool complex, with the mist from the boat’s funnels being the absolute highlight.
In a callback to the short film, Mickey and his boat are all in black and white, but there are streams of color on the pavement and colored lights around the pop jets. This creates the dazzling effect of the splash pad being “painted.” Be sure to take a peek at night!
The surrounding buildings can cast some chilly shade over the Steamboat Willie Splash Area, but fortunately the water is warm. Our littlest sailor likes to warm-up in the jets while waiting for the next eruption of mist from Steamboat Willie.
Hot Tubs or Whirlpool Spas
The pool complex has three whirlpool spas (aka hot tubs): one near each of the three pools. The two round whirlpool spas on the Disneyland Hotel side have adjoining “ears” in the pavement. This is meant to mimic the iconic Mickey and Minnie silhouettes for which they are named, but they are straightforward large hot tubs. Over on the Villas side, the whirlpool spa is tucked into a corner on the opposite side of the Palette Pool from the Steamboat Willie splash pad.
(Note: I am sure there are distinctions between hot tubs, whirlpools and spas. I am using the names interchangeable here, because I do not think the average guest knows those distinctions. I want to make this information easy to find.)
Seating Around the Disneyland Hotel Pools
There are plenty of lounge chairs around the Disneyland Hotel pools. Between the height of the surrounding hotel buildings and the lush landscaping, the amount of shade over these chairs varies widely.
If you are like us and prefer to spend your time in the water, just leave your shoes and towels and jump in. There are quite a few chairs around the waterslide area. But if you are planning on doing some lounging, we suggest exploring the pool complex for your perfect spot. This is not a utilitarian patch of concrete: there are neat little nooks and crannies throughout the pool area. You can find a secluded hideaway or a sunny loungechair right by all the action.
You also have the option of paying for a cabana. With a rented cabana, you will have reserved seating plus a television, refrigerator, fan and other amenities. The cabanas at Disneyland Hotel also come with food and beverage service. You can find information about cabanas on the Disneyland website here.
Dining at the Disneyland Hotel Pool
You do not need a cabana to get good food and drinks at the Disneyland Hotel pools. There are several restaurants encircling the pool area, and you can even get poolside service during certain times.
Near the E-Ticket and D-Ticket Pools, there is Trader Sam’s Enchanted Tiki Bar and Tangaroa Terrace Tropical Bar & Grill. These two restaurants share a building that is elevated above the pool level, and you should be able to recognize them by their exuberant tiki theming. You can ask a cast member if poolside service from these restaurants is available during your visit, or you can just head up to the restaurants yourself. If you are grabbing the food at Tangaroa Terrace, consider accelerating the process by using mobile ordering (that is what we do).
Right between the two sides of the pool complex is the Palm Breeze Bar. You actually walk under a building to go back and forth between the Villas and original Disneyland Hotel sides; tucked in the shadow of that building is this covered outdoor bar and restaurant. We really like the mid-century styling here. It adds a fun retro vibe to the pool whether you dine here or not. If you do eat here, you can use the Disneyland app to make advance reservations or join a mobile walk-up list. You can also just actually walk-up and ask for seats
Drinking at the Disneyland Hotel Pool
All of the dining options in the last section also offer alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages. At the Disneyland Hotel, you can drink alcohol by (but not in) the pools, but you cannot bring outside alcohol into the pool complex. So if you want to enjoy a beer, cocktail or other drink poolside, you will need to purchase it from the Disneyland Resort.
Also keep in mind that you cannot bring coolers and ice chests into the pool area, and you cannot bring any food or beverages into the pools themselves.
Restrooms
There are two restroom areas by the Disneyland Hotel pools. On the hotel side, you can find the bathrooms beneath Tangaroa Terrace and Trader Sam’s. On the Villas side, the bathrooms are in the southwest corner near the Steamboat Willie Splash Area.
We like the Villas restrooms because they have nice showers, changing areas and even a water bottle filler. If you are using the pool during a time when you do not have access to your hotel room—like on check-in and check-out days—the bathrooms on the Villas side are the best place to freshen-up and change.
Getting In
To use any of the pools at Disneyland Hotel, you will need to wear a wristband. To get a wristband you must to be staying at the Disneyland Hotel or The Villas at Disneyland Hotel. The good news is that you can use the pools during your check-in and check-out days too! We have done this and used the bathrooms to shower and change. Let us walk you through what will happen when you enter the pool on any day of your stay.
First, enter one of the pool gates using your hotel key card. There should be a pool concierge at the gate. You will tell this cast member your room number and name, and then each person in your party will get a wrist band to wear while visiting the pool. The pool concierge will also give you pool towels; do not bring your room towels down to the pool area.
These pool attendants are helpful in so many ways. During our last visit, we left some clothing in the pool restrooms. When we realized that it was missing and went to retrieve it, the clothing was no longer there. We told the pool concierge, and he radioed the rest of the hotel team to find our missing clothes. Within minutes he had determined that the clothes had been picked-up during a routine cleaning. Before we left the pool area, a custodial cast member and the pool concierge came to find us with the clothes in hand. We were relieved to have the clothes back and touched by their effort. (Of course, we submitted cast compliments for everyone involved.)
What if the Disneyland Hotel Pools Are Closed?
If the pools at Disneyland Hotel are closed, Disney will make arrangements for you to use the pool facilities at another Disneyland Resort Hotel. In our experience, this is even true if just the waterslides are closed. If this seems to be the case during your visit, ask a cast member at the pool about your options.
On a related note, a lifeguard cast member at the Disneyland Hotel told us that they have repeat problems with the mechanical parts of the Monorail waterslides overheating on hot days. When the overheating happens, the slides get shut down. If you simply must ride the Monorail waterslides, and they seem to be closed during your visit, try stopping by the pool during a cooler time.
Pool Rules and Logistics
Let us end this article with a few more practical pieces of information about pool rules and other logistics for the Disneyland Hotel pools.
Remember that no food or drinks are allowed in the actual pools themselves and that no outside alcohol or coolers are allowed in the pool areas.
Many pool toys are prohibited. You can check the Disneyland Hotel website for a complete list, but ultimately this is up to the discretion of the poolside cast members.
Lifejackets are available to borrow on a first-come first-serve basis, and swim diaper are also available upon request.
There is a pool lift to help guests access the pool, but cast members are not allowed to assist you into or out of it. You need to be able to transfer yourself or have a member of your party help you.
Finally, we have found the pool cast members—both lifeguards and others—to be overwhelmingly kind and wonderful at what they do. Please, for everyone’s safety and the cast members wellbeing, be courteous to these cast members and listen to their directions. If you are impressed by their work, remember to fill-out cast compliments.
Thank you for reading this detailed guide to the Disneyland Hotel pools.
We hope you have found this article helpful. You can find a similar post on the Pixar Place Hotel pools here. For help choosing a hotel at Disneyland, we suggest: Staying Near Disneyland: Book the Best Hotel for You. That article is part of our complete (and free) Step-by-Step Disneyland Prep. To get articles like this straight in your inbox, please consider subscribing to our newsletter below. Thanks again for reading!
