Djsfantasi
Well-Known Member
Boardwalk Inn. I stayed there in 2019. I can’t believe they got rid of the clown at the pool just recently. It fit in with the theming. Now the carousel themed bar/food location is minimized.
-
Welcome to the WDWMAGIC.COM Forums!
Please take a look around, and feel free to sign up and join the community.
Disney Resorts Slowly Being Eroded and Dismantled by WDI, Guest Questioners and Outside Design Firms
- Thread starter Flynnwriter
- Start date
“More modern” that’s the opposite of the yacht club.
wdwfan22
Well-Known Member
No it's not. They have done a great job with the Yacht Club Refurb. The lobby was very dark before. They have managed to lighten up and spruce it up without compromising the theme.
Sir_Cliff
Well-Known Member
I tend to be on the side of preferring a more streamlined look for the deluxes. I think the theming for the hotels tends to correspond more to the era in which they were built and themed than is the case for the parks, so the colours, fittings, etc. tend to date a lot more easily. WDW seems to be going in two directions right now: one is more subtle theming, the other is lathering on more "Disney" in places like Poly and Contemporary. The latter route is what has been happening at DLP, too, and you can see a similar refurb to what could have occurred at the Yacht Club in DLP's Newport Bay Club's new rooms:
daisyduckie
Well-Known Member
To me, the rooms are beautiful and more modern. I can see where they are not loaded down with Disney stuff, maybe because it is a convention resort.
djkidkaz
Well-Known Member
This is an issue to anyone who goes anywhere repeatedly for years. Its very hard to maintain expectations when people have them. The first time I went to Disney I stayed at Port Orleans and went in with very little expectations and was blown away by the place. The following visit to Disney we had expectations but stayed at Wilderness Lodge ( going from a Moderate to a Deluxe ) and were blown away. The following visits we tried different resorts and always had great experiences because they were new to us. But after the 5th or 6th stay at Caribbean Beach we started to notice that maybe the windows weren't as clean in the higher up areas in the dining location. Issues that I'm sure were all there on our first visits but we just didn't notice because we were focusing on the other details like the architecture, or the theming.
The amazing details start to become "normal" the more you visit a place and thus you are more prone to start looking more detailed at your surroundings.
The amazing details start to become "normal" the more you visit a place and thus you are more prone to start looking more detailed at your surroundings.
LittleMerman
Well-Known Member
Disney has been getting worse and worse every year. It's still fun and I'll always love it for what it is, but it used to be something different than it is now. Now it's more and more evident that they care more about money than the guests, which is sad bc that was the Disney difference. Makes it less magical.
Djsfantasi
Well-Known Member
Of course. But Disney is what today’s new guests want. If your stuck in memories, go to Six Flags, which is a static experience.
SeaCastle
Well-Known Member
One by one, room by room detail by detail, Walt Disney Resorts are losing their details, story and unique character and starting to look and feel like any Hotel USA.
I just posted my thoughts (review below) on this problem, from a recent stay at Disney's Yacht Club - a prime example of this erosion and dismantling of cohesive, immersive Disney Resorts. Please take a look and send a thumbs up if you agree - it is known that Disney reads TripAdvisor frequently. Thank you!
DISNEY'S YACHT CLUB RESORT - Updated 2023 Prices & Reviews (Orlando, FL)
Now $410 (Was $̶8̶8̶7̶) on Tripadvisor: Disney's Yacht Club Resort, Orlando. See 3,046 traveler reviews, 2,477 candid photos, and great deals for Disney's Yacht Club Resort, ranked #110 of 383 hotels in Orlando and rated 4.5 of 5 at Tripadvisor.www.tripadvisor.com
Once Regal, Disney's Yacht Club Has Lost Its Magic... Be careful Disney!
This once immersive and magical resort hotel was a regal, rich and layered place that told a story of glamourous yachts, exploration, the sea and a time when ocean travel was a grand experience. It was also a sophisticated (for Disney) oasis from the theme parks and chaos.
The public areas were always fresh, beautiful and pristine. The rooms were never amazing, but they offered quiet, tranquil settings with some spectacular views.
But over the past several years, The Yacht Club story and theme has been eroded, watered-down, and wiped out. It now has the middle-of-the-road, copycat esthetic of an "anyplace Hilton" decorated by your aunt who dabbles in interior design and an admiration for Wayfair and HGTV. It is a mismatched disaster. A random modern rug here, more black paint, brass light fixtures from 2016, a yellow arm chair from a nightclub. Who did this? If they work for Disney they shouldn't, and if they are from an outside design firm, Disney should think twice. And, is anyone in charge of "Disney taste and resort storytelling?" It's feeling like the answer is "no".
Disney World's greatest resorts don't look like a Property Brothers' makeover - they transport you to another time and place. They are a movie set - not a modern design job from an interior designer looking to "update" Disney's design esthetic.
The Yacht Club is now a confused mess. The old stands out from the new. The new looks cheap and out of place with the architecture and grounds. And the painfully "trying to look hip" deigns are dated from the moment they hit the floor.
You want change Disney? You want The Yacht Club to feel fresh? Don't ask the public. The public will lead you to bland and mediocre.
You want a new update? Try gutting the bathrooms, new lighting, real custom carpeting, wall coverings and opportunities for views. Change for the better and long-term can't be done by ordering a blue wave rug someone liked on Overstock.com.
On a high note, the staff was amazing and the pool is legendary.
We love Disney World Resorts, but one by one, restaurant by restaurant, they are starting to seem less special, less detailed, and more like everyplace else.
IF YOU AGREE PLEASE VISIT TRIPADVISOR AND THUMBS UP
Yacht & Beach were originally designed by an outside design firm (RAMSA) alongside nearly all of WDW's hotels. I don't miss the old rooms at Y&B but do agree that the hotels have gotten much blander. BW is still pretty nice, but something to keep in mind is that a lot of the Northeast resorts town that Y&B and BW are modeled after have themselves gotten blander... old B&B's and kitschy hotels are being replaced with more modern accommodations. Nationwide, independent hotels went from being 2/3rds of the market to 40% now so you're seeing blander designs more and more often. Disney is just choosing to lead from behind here, maybe as an insurance policy against more frequent room re-do's.
jaklgreen
Well-Known Member
I stayed there a few months ago just as they were finishing up and getting the new furniture. I actually was the first person to sit on one of the new chairs. LOL I really like the new, brighter look. To me, the Yacht club looked like one of those old gentlemen's clubs that did not allow woman in. It was dark and did not have a relaxing feel to it. It always felt stuffy and we would choose other places to stay because of it. I am staying there for the second time in 4 months when we go next week and it has become one of our favorites.
DugLovesU
Member
Personally I love Yacht Club. To me it's the classiest and most upscale Disney resort-even more so than than the Grand Floridian. I have never stayed there as it's out of my price range and doesn't have a DVC component. But I love to just relax in the lobby with my refillable mug enjoying the ambience and watching the well-heeled, $750/night world go by.
harryk
Well-Known Member
I mentioned this several years ago when they began renovating the rooms in what is now called 'Boulder Ridge' at the Wilderness Lodge. The small touches of the wilderness theme began to disappear from the rooms and hallways, making it easier to repaint, etc.One by one, room by room detail by detail, Walt Disney Resorts are losing their details, story and unique character and starting to look and feel like any Hotel USA.
I just posted my thoughts (review below) on this problem, from a recent stay at Disney's Yacht Club - a prime example of this erosion and dismantling of cohesive, immersive Disney Resorts. Please take a look and send a thumbs up if you agree - it is known that Disney reads TripAdvisor frequently. Thank you!
DISNEY'S YACHT CLUB RESORT - Updated 2023 Prices & Reviews (Orlando, FL)
Now $410 (Was $̶8̶8̶7̶) on Tripadvisor: Disney's Yacht Club Resort, Orlando. See 3,046 traveler reviews, 2,477 candid photos, and great deals for Disney's Yacht Club Resort, ranked #110 of 383 hotels in Orlando and rated 4.5 of 5 at Tripadvisor.
Once Regal, Disney's Yacht Club Has Lost Its Magic... Be careful Disney!
This once immersive and magical resort hotel was a regal, rich and layered place that told a story of glamourous yachts, exploration, the sea and a time when ocean travel was a grand experience. It was also a sophisticated (for Disney) oasis from the theme parks and chaos.
The public areas were always fresh, beautiful and pristine. The rooms were never amazing, but they offered quiet, tranquil settings with some spectacular views.
But over the past several years, The Yacht Club story and theme has been eroded, watered-down, and wiped out. It now has the middle-of-the-road, copycat esthetic of an "anyplace Hilton" decorated by your aunt who dabbles in interior design and an admiration for Wayfair and HGTV. It is a mismatched disaster. A random modern rug here, more black paint, brass light fixtures from 2016, a yellow arm chair from a nightclub. Who did this? If they work for Disney they shouldn't, and if they are from an outside design firm, Disney should think twice. And, is anyone in charge of "Disney taste and resort storytelling?" It's feeling like the answer is "no".
Disney World's greatest resorts don't look like a Property Brothers' makeover - they transport you to another time and place. They are a movie set - not a modern design job from an interior designer looking to "update" Disney's design esthetic.
The Yacht Club is now a confused mess. The old stands out from the new. The new looks cheap and out of place with the architecture and grounds. And the painfully "trying to look hip" deigns are dated from the moment they hit the floor.
You want change Disney? You want The Yacht Club to feel fresh? Don't ask the public. The public will lead you to bland and mediocre.
You want a new update? Try gutting the bathrooms, new lighting, real custom carpeting, wall coverings and opportunities for views. Change for the better and long-term can't be done by ordering a blue wave rug someone liked on Overstock.com.
On a high note, the staff was amazing and the pool is legendary.
We love Disney World Resorts, but one by one, restaurant by restaurant, they are starting to seem less special, less detailed, and more like everyplace else.
IF YOU AGREE PLEASE VISIT TRIPADVISOR AND THUMBS UP
What will they do to the grand lobby when it comes time to renovate? Repaint the totem poles or remove them? Sounds ridiculous - don't be so sure.
HouCuseChickie
Well-Known Member
I was kind of happy to see the YC rooms get an overhaul. I remember staying there in 2012 and I felt like we were sleeping in a circus tent by the sea. It didn't feel like any of it really went together, and while I tend to appreciate loud and bold designs, this was too much. Yeah, it wasn't your average US hotel room and it had all kinds of Disney touches, but I'll take generic hotel room over this.
Vegas Disney Fan
Well-Known Member
We’ve stayed at Newport a few times and I think it’s the perfect amount of Disney, enough to remind you you’re at a Disney resort but without being tacky. The only change I’d make is wood floors for cleanliness.
POFQ is our favorite WDW resort, we still love the theme of outside and common areas but the rooms have become very bland and boring over the years, I’m not saying they should go back to purple bedspreads but there’s a middle ground between in your face theming and no theme.
CaptainAmerica
Premium Member
Yeah, I vehemently disagree with the OP on this one. Some of those old rooms were EXTREMELY dated and tacky. The refurbs have been upgrades pretty much universally.I was kind of happy to see the YC rooms get an overhaul. I remember staying there in 2012 and I felt like we were sleeping in a circus tent by the sea. It didn't feel like any of it really went together, and while I tend to appreciate loud and bold designs, this was too much. Yeah, it wasn't your average US hotel room and it had all kinds of Disney touches, but I'll take generic hotel room over this.
This will be unpopular, but I think this is true of the Polynesian lobby refurb as well. The "classic" lobby was dank, dark, and humid, and stuck in 1971.
The_Jobu
Well-Known Member
They got rid of the scary clown!?!? Nooooo I never got to ride it. Why Disney, why?
That's the main attraction! It's the heyday of the tiki fad. You put on a lai, grab a pina colada and listen to Warewolves of London.
Walking in is like walking into a warm hug of nostalgia and air moisture.
CaptainAmerica
Premium Member
Ever since I went to Aulani, I *whispers* sort of hate the Poly now.
The_Jobu
Well-Known Member
CaptainAmerica
Premium Member
1. Aulani
*Huge Gap*
2. Animal Kingdom Lodge
3. Grand Californian
*Huge Gap*
4. Wilderness Lodge
5. Polynesian
6. Yacht Club
7. Disneyland Hotel
8. Boardwalk
9. Fort Wilderness
10. Old Key West
The_Jobu
Well-Known Member
Really? Very interesting...
Cant say I've ever been to Aulani, or G. Cali, but I do love AKL. What is it about Aulani that makes it a great Disney property?