The Disneyland Hotel is getting ready to go through some big renovations right now, including a new pool area, restaurant complex, and hotel tower renovations. These new additions, however, must come at a price, as many of the hotel’s existing features must close to make way for what’s ahead. Already closed are Euro Gift and Collectibles, Hook’s Pointe and Wine Cellar, the Video Arcade, and the Jungle Cruise Remote Control Boats; in addition, the hotel’s popular Koi pond has already had its fish move to the Huntington Library in San Marino, CA. Set to close today are Croc’s Bits ‘n’ Bites and The Lost Bar. But it is the hotel’s waterfalls’ closing on August 16, the OC Register reports, that is causing the biggest controversy, as fans are fighting to save the “relaxing, free amenity” that has been a fixture at the hotel since 1979.
The closing of the waterfalls comes in order to make space for a new grass area for events. In a comment on the Disney Parks Blog, Heather Hust Rivera, Manager of Print and Social Media for the Disneyland Resort, writes:
As we reconfigured the pool area, we had to make a few changes and needed to remove the koi pond and waterfalls. We lost some grass area as a result of our fun additions, and we realized that guests still needed this grass area for events. This decision is also more environmentally-friendly because the koi pond and waterfall area required a lot of water and electricity.
Fans of the falls, however, are not accepting this response. Several threads on discussion boards, including MousePlanet and Laughing Place, are dedicated to fans who want to save the waterfalls, and facebook groups and fan pages have been created for supporters of the “Save the Waterfalls” cause. In addition, fans have been writing emails and letters to Disney to let them know their disappointment in the falls’ closing. Fan Brandon Piazza, aka “Imaginears” on the MousePlanet forum, who visits the falls monthly, says:
“Why tear out something that is so beautiful and beloved when they can simply re-imagine it? Disney needs that vitality to bring in new things, but sometimes they have the tendency, for the sake of saving money, to tear something out that really needs to be redone.”
Fans of the waterfalls are encouraged to make their opinions against their removal known by contacting Disneyland directly. To contact them, Piazza advises fans to either:
-Call them at 1-714-781-4500 and ask for “Guest Communications” or
-Email them here through the Disneyland website
