News New Polynesian Resort DVC villas building to open 2024

Casper Gutman

Well-Known Member
As a kid, I was incredibly excited by the Floridian, the Lodges, Port Orleans - not excited to be at WDW, but by the theming and scale of the hotels themselves. They were special all on their own. Is any kid going to be excited by this hotel?

Who are the people who want to spend thousands at Disney World but don’t want to deal with all that “theming?” Where did they stay before the wave of bland new hotels? Did they stay at the Wilderness Lodge two or three times a year but constantly grit their teeth and think, “Boy, I wish this was more SUBDUED?”
 
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monothingie

Nakatomi Plaza Christmas Eve 1988. Never Forget.
Premium Member
It has the same vibe as World Celebration. More than adequate on it's own, extremely underwhelming for what we (should) expect from Disney.

But if you listen to the cupcake brigade on Disney's approved media list, they'll tell you it's the best thing since SPAM on King's Hawaiian.
 

peter11435

Well-Known Member
It has the same vibe as World Celebration. More than adequate on it's own, extremely underwhelming for what we (should) expect from Disney.

But if you listen to the cupcake brigade on Disney's approved media list, they'll tell you it's the best thing since SPAM on King's Hawaiian.
I think the current group of bloggers, vloggers, and media assets would have their minds implode if they stepped into a new resort of the quality and attention to detail of Wilderness Lodge.
 

monothingie

Nakatomi Plaza Christmas Eve 1988. Never Forget.
Premium Member
I think the current group of bloggers, vloggers, and media assets would have their minds implode if they stepped into a new resort of the quality and attention to detail of Wilderness Lodge.
Sadly Disney is incapable of reproducing the grandeur of a Wilderness Lodge or the AKL.

Either because they do not have the talent or because they don't need/want to.
 

Phicinfan

Well-Known Member
As a kid, I was incredibly excited by the Floridian, the Lodges, Port Orleans - not excited to be at WDW, but by the theming and scale of the hotels themselves. They were special all on their own. Is any kid going to be excited by this hotel?
yes, I believe so, it is a beautiful look and views to MK and other areas are really good.
Who are the people who want to spend thousands at Disney World but don’t want to deal with all that “theming?” Where did they stay before the wave of bland new hotels? Did they stay at the Wilderness Lodge two or three times a year but constantly grit their teeth and think, “Boy, I wish this was more SUBDUED?”
Ok first of all I love Wilderness lodge and feel it greatly themed. So not sure what you mean by the above. Not all theming HAS to be Mickey and co.

But to answer you other question, there were other resorts that were not heavily "themed" but have other advantages with transportation or such. Not everyone enjoys a high priced over decorated place to stay when most of the time they are at the parks.
 

ToTBellHop

Well-Known Member
It has the same vibe as World Celebration. More than adequate on it's own, extremely underwhelming for what we (should) expect from Disney.

But if you listen to the cupcake brigade on Disney's approved media list, they'll tell you it's the best thing since SPAM on King's Hawaiian.
That’s true. It’s the best DVC they’ve built in awhile but nothing like they opened in the 90s and early 2000s.

They know how to build an AKL, and yet
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lazyboy97o

Well-Known Member
Who are the people who want to spend thousands at Disney World but don’t want to deal with all that “theming?” Where did they stay before the wave of bland new hotels?
We do have people who will insist the work of the actual Disneys is somehow not “Disney” and should be changed to be “more Disney.” It’s not a consistent position. It’s not about the experience but the Disney Lifestyle and the signifiers of that.
 

Casper Gutman

Well-Known Member
yes, I believe so, it is a beautiful look and views to MK and other areas are really good.
In my experience hotel room views and subtle decorative patterns aren’t things most kids care about. That’s “Disney lifestyler” stuff.
Ok first of all I love Wilderness lodge and feel it greatly themed. So not sure what you mean by the above. Not all theming HAS to be Mickey and co.

But to answer you other question, there were other resorts that were not heavily "themed" but have other advantages with transportation or such. Not everyone enjoys a high priced over decorated place to stay when most of the time they are at the parks.
Absolutely NOBODY has equated “theming” to “Mickey and co.” The overuse of IP characters is an element of the new wave of “decorated” resorts, which mixes understated decorative elements with ham-handed, explicit references to marketable characters. That’s part of being “decorated” rather then “themed.”

Which pre-AoA resorts were less heavily themed? Only the Disney Golf Resort and Disney Institute spring to mind, and those resorts underperformed to the extent Disney repurposed both properties repeatedly. And frankly, the Inn/ Golf Resort was more attractive then the more recent hotels.
 

flyerjab

Well-Known Member
From my point of view, I expect and need over the top theming in the parks. I don’t need it for the resort that I am staying in. What I enjoy now is that if I want to stay in an overly themed resort, I can. Also, if I want a more elegant, understated experience, with very nice rooms, views and park proximity, I have those too.

We own at GFV and Riviera. We prefer Riviera. I enjoy the inspired touches that it has add opposed to the all out theming that some of the others do. And the dining - QS and signature - are out of the park spectacular. The grounds are lovely and the quiet pool is the best property. A lot comes down to personal preference and satisfaction.

We tour the tower tomorrow and from what I have seen I absolutely love it. I can almost guarantee that we will be buying here. There was no urgency before as I wasn’t a long house fan. The tower, however, is gorgeous. All my opinion of course.
 

lazyboy97o

Well-Known Member
From my point of view, I expect and need over the top theming in the parks. I don’t need it for the resort that I am staying in.
There are people who do not expect or need over the top theming in the parks. A hyper coaster sitting over the Magic Kingdom could do gangbusters, but it would absolutely be detrimental to the park experience even if a bunch of people love it. Even if it was hands down one of the best coasters on the planet, that positive would not negate the larger impact it would have on the park.
 

Casper Gutman

Well-Known Member
From my point of view, I expect and need over the top theming in the parks. I don’t need it for the resort that I am staying in. What I enjoy now is that if I want to stay in an overly themed resort, I can. Also, if I want a more elegant, understated experience, with very nice rooms, views and park proximity, I have those too.

We own at GFV and Riviera. We prefer Riviera. I enjoy the inspired touches that it has add opposed to the all out theming that some of the others do. And the dining - QS and signature - are out of the park spectacular. The grounds are lovely and the quiet pool is the best property. A lot comes down to personal preference and satisfaction.

We tour the tower tomorrow and from what I have seen I absolutely love it. I can almost guarantee that we will be buying here. There was no urgency before as I wasn’t a long house fan. The tower, however, is gorgeous. All my opinion of course.
If you’re eager to draw a line between your resort and the “over-the-top” Disney parks, far superior services and amenities at a much more reasonable price point are available at non-Disney resorts all around WDW. Many of those resorts are decorated very nicely. The only thing they really lack is the brand.
 

WDWTrojan

Well-Known Member
I don’t think they are incapable. They have the talent and the resources. They just don’t want to because they don’t think they need to.

I dunno. The great Imagineering purge of 2019/2020 really got rid of so much of the institutional memory of how to design things based on story and theme, rather than based on IP.
 

Bocabear

Well-Known Member
yes, I believe so, it is a beautiful look and views to MK and other areas are really good.

Ok first of all I love Wilderness lodge and feel it greatly themed. So not sure what you mean by the above. Not all theming HAS to be Mickey and co.

But to answer you other question, there were other resorts that were not heavily "themed" but have other advantages with transportation or such. Not everyone enjoys a high priced over decorated place to stay when most of the time they are at the parks.
So you are saying that most people prefer high priced under-decorated and under-designed spaces? because the price point keeps going up....and the uniqueness of these spaces keeps declining... Will you all cheer and be excited when they literally build a copy of the Fairfield Inn with some Mickey decals in the lobby for $450/nt (no breakfast included)? Because that seems to literally be the track they are on....
 

Chef idea Mickey`=

Well-Known Member
So you are saying that most people prefer high priced under-decorated and under-designed spaces? because the price point keeps going up....and the uniqueness of these spaces keeps declining... Will you all cheer and be excited when they literally build a copy of the Fairfield Inn with some Mickey decals in the lobby for $450/nt (no breakfast included)? Because that seems to literally be the track they are on....
Maybe their track is on the path of literally see how much they can pull out and get away just look at designs for merch as well.
 


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