New Enhancements, Dining Options Coming to Disney’s BoardWalk

[lazyboy97o]

100%! It's so bizarre they would pay to replace them with worse light fittings for that space.

The new light fixtures feel like they've been put in only so whoever they hired could show they had expended some creative energy on the project to justify their fee.

There is the possibility that the old fixture could not be reused. Doesn’t excuse what’s there but there could be a reason for the previous one being gone.

 

[Disone]

It's all the same now.

Furniture upholstery color and print varies by location but furniture style is very similar. The style of the furniture at the Grand's Enchanted Rose is the same as the lobby at the Riviera and now the Belle View Lounge. In fact, the Chandelier at the Enchanted Rose (which we were told was supposed to be reminiscent of Belle's dress) is the same as the chandelier at Topolinos at the Riviera (maybe Belle had a spare dress?)

And now this coffee shop at the BoredWalk looks pretty much the same style as the Yacht's Admirals Club lounge, and the candy store on main Street, and yes the general look of the Riviera.

The Riviera has zero theme.

They just hung art on the wall and said look.... European stories equals old European feels.

No. Putting a picture of Pinocchio on the wall does not make me feel like I'm in Italy. Like wise Putting a picture of Pinocchio, Cinderella, and Snow White and the seven dwarfs does not make me feel like I've just taken a trip through Europe.

Likewise, putting a picture of a carousel and an otherwise completely generic Coffee shop called Carousel Coffee does not make me feel like this is a Disney venue.

If you want to know what the lobby of the Grand Floridians going to look like, go ahead and look at the outer lodge buildings of the Grand Floridian now. Smart money says the main lobby will match these refurbished outer lodge building lobbies. Which is exactly the look of the Enchanted Rose and Citricoos. It's all the same.....

Enchanted Rose and citricose looks like....

Disney's Riviera which looks like....

The deli, the coffee shop, and the Bellevue lounge at the BoredWalk (Only the wall pictures are different) which looks like.....

The mermaid maid rooms at Caribbean Beach

And for me... While certainly an upgrade from the beated down and worn out rooms the Grand has, I am not convinced that there's anything Victorian, or Beach, about the Grand Floridians new rooms.

I'm surprised nobody has reported yet but even Victoria and Albert has Cinderella at its entrance. Yes, look at the wallpaper. It's Cinderella. What is Cinderella doing in Victoria and Albert's?

This is the New Disney. There is no theme. Changed the color of the upholstery and put up some pictures on the wall, or some wallpaper, or some wall stickers, and that will tell you what the theme is.

And no.... I did not misspell Boredwalk

 

[James Alucobond]

If you want to know what the lobby of the Grand Floridians going to look like, go ahead and look at the outer lodge buildings of the Grand Floridian now. Smart money says the main lobby will match these refurbished outer lodge building lobbies. Which is exactly the look of the Enchanted Rose and Citricoos. It's all the same.....

The outbuilding lobbies barely changed. They kept the same tile in most places and all the same architectural details. If this is all that happens to the main Grand lobby, there's really nothing to worry about. It's basically a carpet, wallpaper, paint, and sconce swap. Biggest concerns will definitely be the chandeliers and style of tables, credenzas, etc. (they seem to be doing fine with upholstered pieces for this property).

 

[Disone]

The outbuilding lobbies barely changed. They kept the same tile in most places and all the same architectural details. If this is all that happens to the main Grand lobby, there's really nothing to worry about. It's basically a carpet, wallpaper, paint, and sconce swap. Biggest concerns will definitely be the chandeliers and style of tables, credenzas, etc. (they seem to be doing fine with upholstered pieces for this property).

I hope you're right. But even if they kept the chandeliers and just changed all the style of the tables and credenzas and etc It will greatly change the feel of the lobby.

I think the small part of the lobby that is just outside of the enchanted Rose is what the rest of the lobby will end up looking like.

Having said that, I salute your optimism and then hope that the end results are closer to your vision than they are to mine.

 

[James Alucobond]

I hope you're right. But even if they kept the chandeliers and just changed all the style of the tables and credenzas and etc It will greatly change the feel of the lobby.

I think the small part of the lobby that is just outside of the enchanted Rose is what the rest of the lobby will end up looking like.

Having said that, I salute your optimism and then hope that the end results are closer to your vision than they are to mine.

I'm not saying you won't like it less, just that I doubt there will be significant structural changes that impact anything long-term. I anticipate teal and rose large-scale floral carpeting to replace the current olive number, new teal-tinted wallpaper, fixtures with a bit more gold and crystal, some additional decorative molding, and new furniture. If anything is changed structurally, I would guess it would relate to removing the now defunct aviary and possible improving traffic flow by reconfiguring some of the planters. In short, all things that will get redone again the next time there's a light refresh. I doubt it's going to be a Polynesian fountain-killing sesh.

 

[TrainsOfDisney]

I doubt it's going to be a Polynesian fountain-killing sesh.

The fountain was the soul of the Polynesian. The orchestra was the soul of the Grand. The killing has already been done.

 

[HauntedPirate]

I realized something just now - We have it all wrong. With these bland, uninspired refurbs, Disney is actually telling us that we were all tired of seeing themed and fun decor, and that this sanitary, sterile approach is a much, much better option for all of us. I mean, there’s no other explanation.

Contemporary/OKW/Confectionary/Belle Vue. One bad refurb? Bad luck. Two bad refurbs? Suspicious. Three bad refurbs? Trend. Four bad refurbs? Direction. There are more, but four was plenty to establish the point. At this point, I’d be very, very afraid for the GF lobby.

 

[James Alucobond]

I realized something just now - We have it all wrong. With these bland, uninspired refurbs, Disney is actually telling us that we were all tired of seeing themed and fun decor, and that this sanitary, sterile approach is a much, much better option for all of us. I mean, there’s no other explanation.

Contemporary/OKW/Confectionary/Belle Vue. One bad refurb? Bad luck. Two bad refurbs? Suspicious. Three bad refurbs? Trend. Four bad refurbs? Direction. There are more, but four was plenty to establish the point. At this point, I’d be very, very afraid for the GF lobby.

I kind of think this is unfair? The Contemporary refurb is split, with a good lobby and poor rooms. I'd be very happy to see the lobby work extend out to the Concourse. The Grand rooms and Citricos are good, Victoria & Albert's is middling, and the Enchanted Rose is meh and unfitting. The Polynesian rooms are decent and Kona is a great refresh. There have definitely been way too many misses, but it's more that there are wild swings in quality, which is alarming in its own right, but at least someone seems to have some kind of idea what they're doing somewhere.

 

[peter11435]

.

This board mostly focuses on WDW, but I don't think this quality control issue is more evident anywhere than DCL's new ship, the Wish, so it's becoming a troubling pattern.

I don’t know if I would compare that to this though. At least with the wish, spaces are appropriately themed, decorated, and art decorated. The wish has some operational/layout issues, but aesthetically it’s well done. This space at boardwalk is basically a poorly laid out empty room.

 

[Brer Panther]

I realized something just now - We have it all wrong. With these bland, uninspired refurbs, Disney is actually telling us that we were all tired of seeing themed and fun decor, and that this sanitary, sterile approach is a much, much better option for all of us. I mean, there’s no other explanation.

That's basically how the world has been since the 2010s, isn't it? Colorful, themed and fun decor gets replaced by drab white and grey unthemed crap.

 

[Casper Gutman]

I kind of think this is unfair? The Contemporary refurb is split, with a good lobby and poor rooms. I'd be very happy to see the lobby work extend out to the Concourse. The Grand rooms and Citricos are good, Victoria & Albert's is middling, and the Enchanted Rose is meh and unfitting. The Polynesian rooms are decent and Kona is a great refresh. There have definitely been way too many misses, but it's more that there are wild swings in quality, which is alarming in its own right, but at least someone seems to have some kind of idea what they're doing somewhere.

The Kona redo is the definition of fine. The massively excessive praise it has garnered is part of the problem - all Disney has to do is not slam their nose in the car door and they’re praised as though they just opened a new Grand Californian.

 

[James Alucobond]

The Kona redo is the definition of fine. The massively excessive praise it has garnered is part of the problem - all Disney has to do is not slam their nose in the car door and they’re praised as though they just opened a new Grand Californian.

It's perfect for what it is, and it replaced something really tired. Kona has never been positioned as a showpiece restaurant and really shouldn't be, so I don't understand why it would need to compare to a new resort. I think you're reading effusive praise into comments that were more reflective of relief that it was done well.

 

[peter11435]

As a huge DCL fan, I couldn’t disagree more. There is massive QC issues on it.

This is just one issue (of many) where there is no self-awareness for the product. Many spaces on the ship are Disney’s best and pathetically worst efforts. Take a look at these two Star Wars places on the ship, and how ridiculously differing in quality they are:
View attachment 688957View attachment 688958

Have you been on the ship or are you just going by pictures?

You’ve shown two spaces on the wish that set out to be two very different environments. Both spaces were part of the same build and designed by the same designers. The differences are not because of quality control or cost. The difference comes down to creative choices. It’s fine that you don’t like one of them as much. But the hyperspace lounge is exactly what it sets out to be. There is themed lighting, audio, effects, props, visuals, and custom tables, chairs, and menu. It’s not full of gritty props and piles of junk because that’s not the setting they were creating.

This space at Boardwalk is plain, empty, generic, and has absolutely nothing to do with the resorts theme. Everything is out of a catalog and nothing is unique to the location.

 

[TrainsOfDisney]

Contemporary/OKW/Confectionary/Belle Vue

I actually like the contemporary refurb.

Have you been on the ship or are you just going by pictures?

Have you been on the ship? If so what are your thoughts on it.

 

[peter11435]

There’s dead space (like the Boardwalk) all over the Wish, I simply gave one example of inconsistent quality, but it’s way more than just one (although the reviews for Hyperspace Lounge have been universally poor).

Just like you can say the Boardwalk is plain (and can be inferred from photos/videos), the same can be done about the Wish.

Just watch a walkthrough of the Wish, and if you’ve been on the other DCL ships (so you have a reference idea of how DCL is), you’ll know exactly what I mean by emptiness and inconsistency. That isn’t a thing on DCL’s Dream-Class ships, and it’s a notably significant downgrade amidst other improvements.

Maybe it impresses a first timer, but seasoned cruisers at least from discussions I’ve had and talking to crew members that’ve been on it (as well as presently working on the Wish) complain about the labyrinth-like layout, the lack of adult areas (bars and pools), AquaMouse being a joke, cheap looking Concierge rooms, media overstimulation at the dining rooms, a lack of uniforming theme, and inconsistency in design/fixture quality across the ship. The Star Wars example is valid from that standpoint.

Again, not everything is bad (or that it’s even a bad ship), but I just compared parts of the Wish to the Boardwalk, in that there are equally bland areas on the ship (look at hallways in major corridors), bad areas (Hyperspace Lounge), and great areas (Enchanté), which mirrors the inconsistency in WDW’s new offerings (look back at my previous posts). I stand by that.

Quality Control is my primary issue with Disney at the moment.

I’ve been on dozens of Disney cruises on all 5 ships. Including three cruises on the Wish. I have to disagree strongly with most of what you’re saying. It’s clear you have not actually been on the ship so I think you should probably reserve judgment. I honestly have no idea what you’re talking about regarding emptiness or bland hallways you are referring to. There are some things the Wish gets wrong, but in general, artistic design, art direction, and general aesthetics are top notch.

Referring to it as a labyrinth-like layout is also extreme hyperbole. It’s honestly no more confusing than any of the other ships. It’s just different than you are use to.

 

[Tha Realest]

If you want to know what the lobby of the Grand Floridians going to look like, go ahead and look at the outer lodge buildings of the Grand Floridian now. Smart money says the main lobby will match these refurbished outer lodge building lobbies. Which is exactly the look of the Enchanted Rose and Citricoos. It's all the same.....

Enchanted Rose and citricose looks like....

Disney's Riviera which looks like....

The deli, the coffee shop, and the Bellevue lounge at the BoredWalk (Only the wall pictures are different) which looks like.....

The mermaid maid rooms at Caribbean Beach

And for me... While certainly an upgrade from the beated down and worn out rooms the Grand has, I am not convinced that there's anything Victorian, or Beach, about the Grand Floridians new rooms.

I'm surprised nobody has reported yet but even Victoria and Albert has Cinderella at its entrance. Yes, look at the wallpaper. It's Cinderella. What is Cinderella doing in Victoria and Albert's?

This is the New Disney. There is no theme. Changed the color of the upholstery and put up some pictures on the wall, or some wallpaper, or some wall stickers, and that will tell you what the theme is.

And no.... I did not misspell Boredwalk

Wait until they rip out the GF lobby marble and replace it with that garish aqua blue floral pattern that’s in the other buildings

 

[James Alucobond]

Wait until they rip out the GF lobby marble and replace it with that garish aqua blue floral pattern that’s in the other buildings

There is still tile where there was tile originally in the outbuildings. The previous floral-patterned carpets were simply replaced with new floral-patterned carpets.

 

[Centauri Space Station]

Looks like DL is getting bland versions of places as well

 

[Disone]

I wholeheartedly agree with this; the issue is consistency.

If we just focus on EPCOT, there's the picturesque Ratatouille courtyard versus the awful La Crêperie de Paris interior (and to a lesser extent, the exterior), the well-done Connections Eatery versus the hub mess across the plaza, and that's just scratching the surface.

The current output is presently such a shocking mixed bag of quality, with the highest of highs and the lowest of lows being the norm for new products, which are, shockingly enough, frequently directly next to one other.

I'm frankly not downtrodden about the future of the parks, as I enjoy them immensely. With Chapek's ouster, the long-term prospects for the parks are a lot better, and overall, I think the improvements made over the last decade have done wonders to bring WDW parity compared with the other resorts. Still, there are laughably ludicrous decision choices for nearly every positive change that I hope will be addressed.

This board mostly focuses on WDW, but I don't think this quality control issue is more evident anywhere than DCL's new ship, the Wish, so it's becoming a troubling pattern.

Ehhhh. I don't think connections eatery is well done. It looks like an airport. (I do enjoy the food at Connections) . And that store! So generic it hurts but I do like it's ceiling, but again it's not telling a story.

Back to the eatery..... It almost made me think it'd be nice if they actually executed on an airport of the future theme intentionally. They already have the floor to ceiling windows looking out at the attractions of guardians of the Galaxy, mission space, and hopefully and eventually something in between them.

Theme the entrances on that side as the boarding gates to those. Have periodic get announcements playing overhead that play tribute to both the existing and past attractions but sound like airport/spaceport terminal announcements.

 

[Tha Realest]

I think it’s time Barbara Bouza becomes a household name in the community. When we think of Imagineering, we think of the great attractions of yesteryear and exquisitely themed hotels. But they don’t seem to have an interest in that anymore. What they do have an interest in is designing and constructing bland, scantly accented living spaces and places for you to eat and shop - think EPCOT stores and new restaurants, the Palm Springs living community, the sanded down hotels, Poly DVC, etc.

So it makes perfect sense they go with a Bouza rather than a Baxter type. WDI is basically creating mixed use commercial projects and retirement communities. They don’t want to make the next Haunted Mansion.