News Refurbishment coming soon to Disney's Polynesian Village Resort - Moana details to be included

Disney Analyst

Well-Known Member
These rooms are beautiful.

I understand why some people might want a more generic wallpaper or art vs. MOANA!!!, but I love it all. I love the colors. I love the furnishings. I love that they look special, not something you can get somewhere else.

I appreciate that WDW is bigger than the characters, and many people dislike the injection of IP at every turn, but if they're going to do it, I think this is a pretty good application of IP in a place where it makes sense. My family absolutely loves the small murals inside the pull-down beds in the DVC rooms we've stayed in. It always felt like a special Disney touch. I love that they tried something and went bold with it here in a tasteful way.

Also for the people saying a wallpaper border would be more subtle -- have you seen any house or hotel or office made in the past 20 years with a wallpaper border? Borders are out of style, while feature walls are in. When they refurb the Poly again, feature walls may no longer be fashionable and they can easily remove it. (If you hate the HGTV-ification of the resorts, you probably hate a lot of popular interior design trends in general. Which is fair. I know architects and interior designers who hate it too. Everyone has different tastes. But certain things sell. Just like how home buyers no longer want carpet or granite. )

This is definitely an on trend decision, which is why I think I like it. Totally my style.

And as you said, when the trend changes they can change it, but it’s nice to have hotel rooms that are matching current design trends.
 

CaptainAmerica

Premium Member
As someone who’s never stayed at the Polynesian, I was waiting for a comparison photo before making an opinion. And I would MUCH rather stay in the below room. Geez, this is what we’re fighting about? The old rooms are so drab, outdated, and save for the headboards, generic. New rooms have nice splashes of color, elegant flooring, and I think the mural is beautiful. As someone who’s stayed at Art of Animation, the comparison is laughable with no basis in reality.
The extra hilarious part is that the "older" rooms were actually criticized for the exact same reasons as the new rooms. People preferred the *even older* rooms before those.
 

UNCgolf

Well-Known Member
The new rooms actually remind me a lot of rooms at the Royal Pacific at Universal, although I think the Royal Pacific rooms are nicer other than the bathroom. The Royal Pacific just has big flower prints on one wall instead of the Moana tattoos.
 

Disney Analyst

Well-Known Member
The extra hilarious part is that the "older" rooms were actually criticized for the exact same reasons as the new rooms. People preferred the *even older* rooms before those.

Does anyone have photos of the rooms people loved so much, would love to see how it alters my opinion, if it does.
 

CaptainAmerica

Premium Member
Does anyone have photos of the rooms people loved so much, would love to see how it alters my opinion, if it does.
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EDIT: I've been informed that this is actually the Contemporary. My point remains. The good ol' days weren't always good.
 
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Communicora

Premium Member
View attachment 537408

Is this new? I don't remember seeing this listed as a room category before.
No but I think online booking was added fairly recently. Here are some photos from a few years ago.

 
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UNCgolf

Well-Known Member
I did have a nice exchange with someone on here that has an opposite opinion, and we agreed we have different tastes and expectations.

This is what I wish more people would realize. Everything about this is personal preference. I don't dislike modern hotel rooms -- I quite enjoy them. I loved the rooms at the Royal Pacific, which, as I mentioned above, are very similar to these new Polynesian rooms (albeit significantly less expensive). It's just not what I want when I'm at a Disney resort. I want something unique that takes me to another time/place.

There's no need to attack other people over it. Almost everything about this is subjective.
 

LSLS

Well-Known Member
Personally, just too much Moana in it for me. If they had the same colors and design without having all the characters all over the place I think I'd really like it.
 

aliceismad

Well-Known Member
Aww. I love this picture. My grandma would've loved that room. She had similar rooms in her home at one point. Her dream in life was to go to Hawaii. She loved Disneyland. She never got to WDW, or Hawaii, but she did enjoy Adventureland.

I have to wonder how the ability to travel impacts Disney. Part of the appeal of Disney theming, at least for my grandmother, was to be able to experience a little bit of a place she'd never be able to go to (or at least a perception of that place). Now we have planes that can go halfway around the world in a single flight. I've been to Hawaii multiple times and have the ability to go to Polynesian islands. Most of the resorts at WDW are fashioned after places I have traveled to. So what makes someone stay at one vs. another?

(ETA: Tuvalu pointed out that's the Contemporary, not the Poly, which makes sense. Still reminds me of my grandmother.)
 

SpectroMan93

Well-Known Member
How about these? The fact is, the hotel rooms have ALWAYS been a product of their time and they date quickly. That's why they're refreshed every 7 years.

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Lol you know I actually don’t hate those rooms. In fact I really love the top room, granted it’s in black and white. But I agree with previous posts, how you feel about the rooms is gonna be a matter of taste. I think this renovation is very modern and clean, which is something I think a majority of guests will care more about. It just makes my eyes roll to the back of my head when I see the words “Value resort” or “Holiday Inn”. If we’re gonna be critical, can we at least avoid being hyperbolic?
 

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