News New Polynesian Resort DVC villas building to open 2024

[UNCgolf]

What recent 15-ish story DVC towers are you referring to. VDH, BLT? Nothing else is within range of being a 'high rise'. The only example of a high rise actually being added to a resort without being high-rise based is Gran Destino... and that's on the hotel side. Apart from that I think we have to go back to Swan/Dolphin?

Is it mid-rises you dislike? The low-rises had their time, but they lead to a certain amount of sprawl that actually isn't that popular with modern guests.

The Riviera?

 

[Bocabear]

Oh Yeah! The Riviera is the case study for usual-ness invading the WDW Resort....
It doesn't even try...

 

[BrianLo]

15-ish so without nitpicking over numbers and to clarify, yes, I would put mid rises in that category. I understand some seem to prefer the more centrally-located amenities and limited walking these newer structures provide. But as others have mentioned, the other issue with these newer projects is the lack of theme and architectural quality/cohesiveness relative to their surroundings.

The original WL and AKL buildings are great examples of mid-rises that meet the expected WDW standard of quality. They are both jaw-dropping architectural gems rich in detail and theme and worthy of inclusion in the WDW landscape.

Many of the newer DVC projects and mid-rises, including the one at the Poly, fail to meet either bar. They're taller *and* more generic which is why they stand out as incongruous. If they didn't look so bland and cheap (relative to what we know WDW is capable of) their placement, while still intrusive, might be easier to justify. But in the case of the "Polyday Inn" you get the worst of both worlds-- a taller structure that's incongruous by virtue not only of its height, but also its lack of cohesive theme relative to its surroundings.

What troubles me and others here is that this project is part of an ongoing and disappointing trend toward the ordinary-- in what's supposed to be an extraordinary place. You should never expect to see mundane structures common in everyday urban landscapes at WDW. It's what folks go to WDW to get away from. Yet here we are. It's a paradigm shift that's fundamentally changing the nature and essence of the resort in incremental but irreversible ways.

Completely and I was not meaning to entirely get caught up in semantics, though people were using high rise technically too liberally. I did forget Aulani though, that would qualify!

I think my broader point is that "DVC" somehow gets the blame for being the issue. It's really just hotel design in general from modern WDI. It just so happens that DVC leads to a lot of the hotel builds at WDW

There is nothing wrong with mid-rise hotel design or even a few of the high-rise designs (Disneyland Hotel that is sort of grandfathered in and I personally think Aulani is great). I think that gets misattributed. I'd argue my personal favourite resorts at WDW are all actually mid-rises. Poly suffers obviously because it's a mid-rise being added to a low-rise resort.

But more to my point about how this problem is not purely "DVC" related: the Disney Fantasy Springs Hotel in Tokyo. That thing is an atrocious mess and it is all hotel based from a provider who is willing to spend money. They just can't figure out how to design hotels these days, even if some of the rooms are nice.

 

[BrianLo]

The Riviera?

Is also a mid-rise. I know it's semantics, but it matters when the definition of a mid-rise is 5-15 stories and Riviera is smack in the middle of that range.

The Riviera's issues really are not its height, the lodges are very well received I think, despite being in the same range.

 

[Animaniac93-98]

The Riviera's issues really are not its height, the lodges are very well received I think, despite being in the same range.

Riviera's height is more noticeable because is so close to the rest of Caribbean Beach's 3-story structures (a byproduct of it being on a former section of that hotel).

Wilderness Lodge is nestled in the trees and doesn't have another building so close to compare.

 

[UNCgolf]

Is also a mid-rise. I know it's semantics, but it matters when the definition of a mid-rise is 5-15 stories and Riviera is smack in the middle of that range.

The Riviera's issues really are not its height, the lodges are very well received I think, despite being in the same range.

You're right -- it's shorter than I realized.

It seems taller than it actually is, likely due to the location.

 

[lazyboy97o]

Is also a mid-rise. I know it's semantics, but it matters when the definition of a mid-rise is 5-15 stories and Riviera is smack in the middle of that range.

The Riviera's issues really are not its height, the lodges are very well received I think, despite being in the same range.

Per code a high rise has occupied floors more than 75’ above the lowest level of fire department vehicle access.

 

[nickys]

Aside from the main restaurant at the top, are there other dining choices at the Riviera? We stayed there in one of their 3 bedroom units. I will say, the room was beautiful, HUGE and very well appointed. We had a great view of the lake and other resorts. Having the Skyliner was a plus that we also really enjoyed except for the many times on that trip that it was down due to thunderstorms. I recall no theme whatsoever at the hotel beyond a photo here and there, and some wrought iron details around the entrance. If not for that this could have been any nice modern hotel... Having no discernable theme beyond it's name makes it feel like we stayed at a non-Disney resort... It didn't feel like we were in the bubble other than the sporadic Skyliner availability. RE hotel amenities, there is a pool and a restaurant on the top and I don't recall anything else...it did not feel like a resort you would want to hang out in and explore...Like the Poly or the other Disney resorts....
We would not go out of our way to book it again...
it was not bad...the room was lovely... the experience as a whole was just ok.

Maybe not a theme as such but I found a lot to interest me. The library / lounge room is chock full of photos and memoribila, and two hallways full of photos. The mosaics in the tunnel through to the Skyliner. I loved the splash pad, nice to see Fantasia get some love at WDW. All of that is literally Walt Disney themed.

I also liked the style of the “formal gardens” around the pool with Primo Piatto (? Spelling) opening out onto it .I enjoyed visiting and spent far longer there than I’d anticipated.

That though is separate from the design aspect of say AKL, WL or the (original) Poly. I certainly wouldn’t claim the design of Riviera compares favourably to those resorts.

 

[nickys]

Sorry if someone already asked, but does anyone know if the new tower rooms are already in the DVC inventory for booking. We are planning an early January trip. We rent from a family member, he can't book until June. Right now only studios in SSR and GFV available. We were really hoping for Poly

No it isn’t.

They still haven’t announced an opening date or declared rooms into DVC inventory.

We should hear sometime in the Summer about an opening date, with sales starting November / December. It probably won’t open until Spring 2025. Usually it’s a few months from sales to opening.

 

[Doberge]

No it isn’t.

They still haven’t announced an opening date or declared rooms into DVC inventory.

We should hear sometime in the Summer about an opening date, with sales starting November / December. It probably won’t open until Spring 2025. Usually it’s a few months from sales to opening.

Did I miss a schedule change? I thought we were still on at a late 2024 opening? I've been looking forward to April/May teasers, May/June news, and Julyish opening sales to open tower in November/December.

 

[DCBaker]

Did I miss a schedule change? I thought we were still on at a late 2024 opening? I've been looking forward to April/May teasers, May/June news, and Julyish opening sales to open tower in November/December.

Within the last week, Thomas Mozloum said "And we’re so excited to offer even more magical experiences later this year with the openings of The Cabins at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort and a new tower at Disney’s Polynesian Villas and Bungalows."

 

[Brian]

Within the last week, Thomas Mozloum said "And we’re so excited to offer even more magical experiences later this year with the openings of The Cabins at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort and a new tower at Disney’s Polynesian Villas and Bungalows."

This tower may very well be started and finished in less time than the Cake Bake Shop.

 

[nickys]

This tower may very well be started and finished in less time than the Cake Bake Shop.

Did I miss a schedule change? I thought we were still on at a late 2024 opening? I've been looking forward to April/May teasers, May/June news, and Julyish opening sales to open tower in November/December.

Yeah, I must have had the wrong timeline in my head.

But the timelines are getting shorter.

Riviera sales started in March and opened in December - 9 months.

The Cabins at FW sales started in February and opens in July - 5 months.

I can understand that one because they don’t need all cabins done to open.

If Poly Tower sales start in July and it opens in December, that would also be 5 months.

 

[MagicRat]

Given this analysis of 5-15 floor Marriott hotels and it’s similarities, would the OG Disneyland Hotel qualify?

 

[ToTBellHop]

This tower may very well be started and finished in less time than the Cake Bake Shop.

It is well-established that 10-story buildings are built faster than 10-layer cakes. You can’t rush pastry.

 

[Doberge]

Yeah, I must have had the wrong timeline in my head.

But the timelines are getting shorter.

Riviera sales started in March and opened in December - 9 months.

The Cabins at FW sales started in February and opens in July - 5 months.

I can understand that one because they don’t need all cabins done to open.

If Poly Tower sales start in July and it opens in December, that would also be 5 months.

My guesses are based off FW. I think shorter time lines work great to sell a few points before opening but maintain a larger cash inventory. All new rooms open with big cash demand so maximizing opportunity on cash side makes a lot of sense, imo.

 

[Virtual Toad]

Given this analysis of 5-15 floor Marriott hotels and it’s similarities, would the OG Disneyland Hotel qualify?

I would give it a pass in terms of this discussion as it was the product of a different time and place, when Disney had limited resources financially and very little real estate to work with. The original DL Hotel wasn't even owned by Disney when constructed and the Anaheim property has always been boxed in. The DL hotel is simply a product of the company doing the best it could at the time.

The issue for me at WDW is a shift towards relatively bland vertical construction in places on property where it intrudes on carefully crafted landscapes. In these instances, Disney is in full control of the real estate and decisions regarding its development and has extraordinarily vast financial resources-- yet this is the path they have chosen to take. It belies a callous disregard of the company's own time-honored standards of quality and a total lack of respect for its own brand.

Inserting bland and generic buildings into meticulously developed settings is a short-sighted and monumental mistake that is not easily corrected. The new Poly building will likely be a part of the Seven Seas Lagoon landscape for the next half-century or more.

Perhaps a little more thought, care and expertise should have been brought to bear before making such a careless decision, one which seems more like a typical real-world urban real estate development project than a shining example of world-class architecture, placemaking and Imagineering.

The Polyday Inn would look great on US 192 or I-Drive. It would even fit in nicely next to the Royal Pacific at Universal.

But it boggles the mind that anyone thought it would be even remotely acceptable in the very heart of Walt Disney World.

 

[MagicRat]

Where is all of the vitriol for the new entrance canopy currently being built?

Maybe everyone likes it because it reminds them of all the small canopied entrances to the original longhouses.

 

[Mark48]

Everytime I see a photo of this " Tower of Terrible " I get the runs.

 

[DCBaker]

Video and photos from today - the video also has a look at the front of the tower from the monorail.