flyerjab
Well-Known Member
I wonder how much money he spends on helicopter flights. I’ve never done something like that so I have no idea of the cost.
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News Disney Lakeshore Lodge (Project 89 - Development near Fort Wilderness)
- Thread starter danlb_2000
- Start date
mysto
Well-Known Member
Lakeshoreopolis. The monster theming is yet to be announced. (kidding)
I wonder if discovery island will be usable in some way or forbidden? Old topic, I know, but still it calls to me.
DisneyHead123
Well-Known Member
My guess is that we’d know something via permits and such if it was going to be involved, but hey, you never know what might happen in the future, right?
Haymarket2008
Well-Known Member
I know this isn't a thread about the Riviera, but the talk of it being a thematically successful resort is......objectively not correct.
It is a perfectly fine resort. The cafe in the lobby, Topolino's and Primo Piatto are all EXCELLENT. I will also commend the lovely themed library space next to the cafe as a major highlight.
Everything else, while nice, is thematically incoherent. And the French/Italian movie posters on the lower level are so tacky.
It is a perfectly fine resort. The cafe in the lobby, Topolino's and Primo Piatto are all EXCELLENT. I will also commend the lovely themed library space next to the cafe as a major highlight.
Everything else, while nice, is thematically incoherent. And the French/Italian movie posters on the lower level are so tacky.
I'm fairly sure the new structure mentioned is where the TSR will go, just a stones throw away from the pool area.
For the record - OKW is my favorite DVC resort. I absolutely love the vibe there. SSR is our first DVC home, and it took several years and many improvements for it to become "serviceable" for our family.
Back to Lakeshore Lodge now.
Chef idea Mickey`=
Well-Known Member
RIV has definitely Disney touches from the music to the name inspirations found for The Petite Cafe or Topolino meaning Mickey in Italian. The library and hallway has vintage Walt Disney images of him vacationing with his wife/family. Poly Tower has none of that only a Moana splash statue and a hidden Mickey?
JoeCamel
Well-Known Member
I believe he has an arrangement and support for his mission.
We thank our lucky stars bio has the drive in his life to bring us the best theme park coverage in the world, simply amazing what he has done
Bocabear
Well-Known Member
But even with those little things it does have, it still fails to feel like a Disney Resort... I would argue that the Poly Tower, as egergious as it is, still has a tad more thematic touches overall...though I feel neither truly feelm like a Disney resort....and the Poly Tower is kind of a blight on the resort when it would not have been difficult to make it at least feel like the rest of the property.... Riviera is nice for a partner hotel... but absolutely does not feel like the Riviera or a classic Disney resort....I feel like Lakeshore Lodge is just the next installment of Disney forgetting what made the Disney resorts special.... but we will see....
lazyboy97o
Well-Known Member
It’s this line of thinking that gets you to the conclusion that work done by Disneys isn’t “Disney.” The problem with Riviera and so many recent Disney projects is not a lack of references to things already known as “Disney”. Being Disney was a quality of design, not just slapping a picture of Mickey or Walt on a wall.
Horizons '83
Well-Known Member
- In the Parks
- No
While I know we will most likely never get another highly themed resort like the GF, WL or AK, I suspect that they will at some point need to differentiate themselves from said Marriot's and Hiltons to boost occupancy. Some of the recent promotions/discounts are very telling and I am curious to see what discounts are announced for Jan - Mar of 2026.
I am not sure how Lakeshore will be but my hope is that is somewhere between GF and Riviera thematically.
I am not sure how Lakeshore will be but my hope is that is somewhere between GF and Riviera thematically.
flyerjab
Well-Known Member
I have no issues with the new resorts. RIV is still my favorite. When it comes to the resorts I appreciate all of the deluxes. Each has their pluses and reasons for staying.
We just stayed at the Poly Tower for one night and loved it. It was the best duo room layout. The terrace garden rooms are BEAUTIFUL. And the lobby is gorgeous. We’ve already dined several times at that restaurant and every meal we’ve had was excellent. And coffee at the restaurant in the morning is…something…
We would stay here again in a heart beat. The theming at the resorts was never a priority to me. In the parks absolutely. And this time we tried something different. We stayed at Bonnet Creek the first night. Then we moved to the Poly tower. Bonnet Creek was nice but it couldn’t hold a candle to the Poly Tower or the RIV.
We just stayed at the Poly Tower for one night and loved it. It was the best duo room layout. The terrace garden rooms are BEAUTIFUL. And the lobby is gorgeous. We’ve already dined several times at that restaurant and every meal we’ve had was excellent. And coffee at the restaurant in the morning is…something…
We would stay here again in a heart beat. The theming at the resorts was never a priority to me. In the parks absolutely. And this time we tried something different. We stayed at Bonnet Creek the first night. Then we moved to the Poly tower. Bonnet Creek was nice but it couldn’t hold a candle to the Poly Tower or the RIV.
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DisneyHead123
Well-Known Member
To my mind the issue (and I say this as someone who loves Disney resorts) is the loss of perks without corresponding hotel upgrades. Riviera does offer things like a small gym and somewhat more luxe bathrooms, but nothing that’s going to blow peoples minds. In the meantime, the past five years have seen the loss of Magic Express, airline checkin, luggage delivery, much earlier FP booking windows, extra magic hours, room service (with limited exceptions)… I’m sure there are even more I’m forgetting.
I am kind of a traditionalist at Disney so to me staying at a Disney resort is just one of those things I want to do for its own sake, like a beloved tradition. For people who are looking to maximize the cost / rewards ratio on their trip, however, I really don’t know how much sense a Disney resort makes. Especially now that there are luxe resorts nearby offering all kinds of extras plus shuttles to the parks, in addition to the rise of Air B&B and such.
BrianLo
Well-Known Member
Indeed. I don’t think Disney is at fault here. The post OKW membership has strongly voted that they prioritize hotel rooms in convenient locations. Hence the first version of Poly, nothing but hotel rooms.
You asked an interesting question about if Disney hotels aren’t themed, what is the point? My long standing position is that Disney hotels have always been overrated as a function of price. Or that sometimes theme is leaned on too much to cover up functionally motels. I have the same opinion on DCL, while actually a premium mass-market family line, it’s very overrated for its price point.
I can simultaneously say Mira Costa is probably one of “Disney’s” best hotels and I think people who stay there are being foolish and swindled. For 300/400% less, the Bay Area hotels offer such better value.
Now I’ve softened with time. DVC is a back door into reducing hotel cash rates. Which helps with the calculus. But the point is likely Location, Quality, Transportation, Amenities, Theming and Perks. Maybe even in that order, for me. If there was a gondola running to the JW Marriott I’d probably pontificate about that one. IF the price was right.
As a small aside: what has attracted you so much to cash rooms but never DVC? Was that all historical when DVC was less of a hotel club and more of a condo one?
Chef idea Mickey`=
Well-Known Member
Yes, I know that. Apart from Poly Tower's location and views, the lobby feels cold and there isn't little nods to the OG Polynesian to make it relate it's name other than it's shared location. Riv is the same it's location and views, it's little touches adds more that I don't see Poly Tower standing out even if it's to some just slapped on it.
Casper Gutman
Well-Known Member
There are a few answers to your question at the bottom. I always liked southern beach villas - if my family wasn't vacationing at WDW, we were likely vacationing at such a villa. That was an environment with a lot of timeshare pressure, and my family and I have always looked at timeshares in general as more or less a scam.
We did attend a DVC pitch meeting the first year they were offered - '92 I believe. We paid the premium to stay on property for two reasons - theming, and to be inside "the bubble." OKW was nice enough, but we didn't find the theming to be on the level of resorts like the Grand Floridian or Port Orleans. We also wanted the flexibility to try the cool new heavily-themed resorts Disney was building at an astounding rate back then.
The main reason, related to the first two, is that we didn't want to get locked into giving Disney money regardless of what they did, surrendering the only real leverage we had if they did things we didn't like. That was a good call, because around about the mid-2000s we began staying at Disney less and less and moved over to Universal, which had HHN and a very nice "bubble" and was steadily improving. Before this year I hadn't really stayed at a WDW resort in over a decade, although that's changing - Universal raised their hotel rates an INSANE amount this year and outside of EU they've lost quite a bit of their pre-covid spark. This is the first year in decades that I got an AP and that makes WDW rooms competitive with comparable Uni rooms, especially with that massive price hike. Even shifting back to Disney, however, I'm not tempted by DVC. I blame it for playing a significant role in killing the resort theming I loved.
Trueblood
Well-Known Member
Is the arrangement and spacing between the buildings based on a diagram, or is that just hypothetical?
nickys
Premium Member
lentesta
Premium Member
From the blueprints from @HauntedPirate is my guess.
The SFWMD permits show the location and spacing as well.
It looks like each building has ~33' to 40' of space between it and the next. If the post-it note I'm using to judge scale is accurate.
Trueblood
Well-Known Member
That's a little less than the distance between my house and my neighbor (in the suburbs). I'm a little surprised and delighted that it's that much.