UNCgolf
Well-Known Member
I think they could easily do some kind of small retheme without needing to tear down any of the buildings. It's not like that style of house only existed on plantations or is somehow inextricably linked with slavery.
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News New Polynesian Resort DVC villas building to open 2024
- Thread starter wdwmagic
- Start date
I think they could easily do some kind of small retheme without needing to tear down any of the buildings. It's not like that style of house only existed on plantations or is somehow inextricably linked with slavery.
Sir_Cliff
Well-Known Member
I know it sounds a little melodramatic, but I have the same reaction when I see this. Riviera wasn't some bizarre aberration, Disney now builds the kind of things Disney was famous for not building when I became a fan.
Now Disney is just like any other theme park & hotel company, just more overpriced and overcomplicated to visit and with a richer legacy. You can see why they lean so heavily on their IPs, as that's all that really distinguishes them.
SpaceMountain77
Well-Known Member
Eh, it was one dinner date 10-years ago where we went through the typical conventions of introductions. Thought it was interesting, did not forget the conversation. Recall it whenever Port Orleans comes up in discussion threads.
flynnibus
Premium Member
Their target pricing is based on someone who books deluxe properties... their entire value proposition is around saving vs your deluxe hotel stay. You can't do that when you build value to moderate resorts and DVC is now targeted more upscale.
pdude81
Well-Known Member
I read your post but didn't want a four mile quote when I thought I would focus my copy on two short statements that made no sense to me. This time I hit the preview and I can see it at least gets corralled into a smaller bucket.
First, I likely am part of the problem, but nothing I said in that post would give any information in that regard.
Second, you make wild assumptions and make claims in this last post that are at best rooted in your own opinion. So let's dig in a bit.
"Most DVC members don't want to stay in a hotel room at all" - This is your opinion and one shared by many DVC members, who are looking either for large accommodations or who have some large attachment to reheating leftovers in the studio microwave. However, demand is consistently higher for bookings in studios across the network, and studios that can hold 5 are even more in demand. You are correct that people don't want to spend $600 a night at a deluxe. But these days everybody knows about renting DVC points to get a similar thing for $400 a night. This is part of the reason that studios across property get wiped out very quickly, except of course for Old Key West, Saratoga, Vero Beach, and HHI. Those are only very tight in prime seasons.
"All these low profile DVC buildings would work real well at the Poly, "instead of" the ugly Reflections thing at Wilderness Lodge..." - The low profile DVC buildings take up a lot of space and are designed to work in small hubs with their own satellite pools. And the biggest difference here, which I tried to touch on earlier, is that they don't hold that many rooms. The tower is designed to cram as many people as they can into this space, and to charge LV, PV, or TPV points for many of them. I didn't say I wanted this or I loved the design... I was saying that there is no way they put a new building there or any substantial offering for less than 3 million points. It's just not worth it in the current climate.
"on that giant piece of land between the Poly and Contemporary that's"not suitable for building another high rise on" and no one wants to stay in a high rise anyway" - Insiders and video from prior Disney employees have said that the Venetian plot was buildable. They just didn't want to spend the money. And as for as nobody wanting to stay in a high rise, the tower at Coronado is extremely popular and Riviera with it's high point chart sells out rather quickly. Some stuff persists shortly after 7 months, but then all the "old" points in the system book up what's left.
"most of us want more than that, that's why the biggest rooms, Old Key West being the biggest, go the fastest" -
I am on the RAT quite a bit looking at options and this doesn't match anything I've seen there in the last 6 years. Transportation ease and park access is the biggest driver of what goes quickly these days. Families are no longer buying DVC at $200 a point to stay in a traditional timeshare unit with a half hour bus ride to the parks. As I said earlier, I see OKW being consistenly one of the slowest resorts to book, even with a highly advantageous point chart.
"What Bob should want, is what we 30 year DVC members want... or he can try building "another high rise" that sits half empty most of the time" - The second part I already touched on, as I believe the "high rises" are booking quite fine (regardless of the constant complaining online about bad theming). I think what you're not getting is that Bob doesn't care much about 30 year DVC members, and he has no incentive to market to people from the "good old days" where you paid $60 a point and got free park tickets. They'd rather pretend those days never existed. And for the newer DVC owners, they never will.
DVC was originally marketed as home away from home. It has evolved to prepaid hotel.
ToTBellHop
Well-Known Member
Agreed. We can’t cancel the South, entirely. For one, WDW is in the South. Celebrate the good parts and ignore the icky parts.
CaptainAmerica
Premium Member
Realtors aren't supposed to say "master bedroom" anymore.
I think you guys underestimate the degree to which the world has gone insane.
The Biggest Bedroom Is No Longer a ‘Master’ (Published 2020)
The term’s racist and sexist undertones lead New York’s real estate community and others to rethink outdated industry jargon.
ToTBellHop
Well-Known Member
Tiana painting on every wall!
CaptainAmerica
Premium Member
My culture is not your wall art.
Monkee Girl
Well-Known Member
CaptainAmerica
Premium Member
I'm really surprised at how many people are upset about the Luau Cove part of all of this. I was under the impression that Spirit of Aloha was almost universally hated.
TikibirdLand
Well-Known Member
Well, most of the time, it's a quiet, open, walk with lush scenery. Whether you hated or simply thought it was meh, SoA will be missed as part of the original Poly. But, this last refurb turned the whole resort into a Moana-themed Comfort Inn. So, photos and pictures online will have to do. Good-Bye Poly.
John park hopper
Well-Known Member
Going to WDW and staying at one of the resorts in the 70s and 80s was it felt like some place special i.e. the Poly was that south sea island I could never afford to go to or the Wilderness lodge in Alaska etc etc and Disney is taking that feeling away with their high rises run of the mill hotels popping up on top of the the few themed resorts left.
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CaptainAmerica
Premium Member
Horizons '83
Well-Known Member
- In the Parks
- No
The only way for me personally to try to combat that is to choose not to go, which I have just recently. I decided to not go to any parks or stay on property for the first time in years when we head to Orlando in April. Instead I'll be staying in the Bonnet Creek area, using points, and enjoying the pools. I know its a futile effort given Disney's extreme popularity with the masses regardless of getting a lesser product, but hey, its a start.
Monkee Girl
Well-Known Member
It was so funny hearing how many people hated this show. I loved it. But maybe it's nostalgia. We went and saw it for the first time in 2008 or so and I wasn't really familiar or appreciative of the Polynesian arts. My family were so entertained we fell in love with it. When we got home, my aunt saw that there were hula classes taking place at our local dance school. She made me sign up with her. She never did the recital as she couldn't really move too well but I stuck with it. I have been dancing and studying hula since. It really breaks my heart they are removing the show. Yes, I can agree I would prefer more dance than story and maybe a more authentic Luau meal (Taro rolls and Haupia people! lol) but over all it was just part of the resort experience to see the dancers...It's not like you get to see a hula show elsewhere at the hotel. I also thought the cove was really cool; a lot of plants/flowers...it felt tucked away. I probably wouldn't mind this closure if I knew they were going to move the show or create another show somewhere else at the resort to keep the dance and culture visible to the guests but I doubt Disney wants to do that.
I'll also add we've stayed at the Polynesian every single year since 2008 -2018 (I decided to go to Hawaii in 2019, lol). We were so obsessed with it we stayed there during the DVC construction. So we witnessed the loss of the fountain, the loss of the bridge by the pool and addition of that lawn they added (kids tumble area), all that stuff but this...this makes me have no interest in going back. I know it won't effect the company...me leaving is no loss to them...but it does make me sad when I think how passionate and excited for Disney we used to be. I did eventually get to Hawaii (Oahu) in 2019 right before Covid and I can't imagine spending my money on Disney the way I used to after seeing the real thing.
Tom Morrow
Well-Known Member
Nah, it was alright, but probably better reserved for those who have visited many times and not first time visitors. I'm not sure when the show was made more Disney-fied, but the first part was too "Disney channel" and a bit cringe. The second half was accurate to similar tourist luaus in Hawaii though.
We get it, they have big buildings there. That doesn't justify placing them all over WDW and ruining the existing resort aesthetics.
Sir_Cliff
Well-Known Member
Yes, it's such a weird retort. Might as well build some condos in Adventureland and open a Subway franchise in Harambe as I'm sure you can find examples of similar things in the real world.
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castlecake2.0
Well-Known Member
But that hotel is IN Hawaii, not a Florida swamp. Disney was about transporting you to what you imagined an idyllic locale would be, not what it actually is. That’s why France pavilion doesn’t smell like cat pee.
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