PHOTOS - Disney reveals new lobby design and Trader Sam's lounge for the Polynesian

[MissMorrow]

Is there no one with authority in this company, at least in Orlando, who understands that you can update things without ripping the heart and charm out of it? Might as well gut the Grand Floridian and start over because it's so old looking. Smash that Victorian elevator and beautiful bird cage into the dumpster. Get rid of the piano and the band because my spreadsheet tells me people don't like to listen to old fashioned music!

This reminds me of the hub tree massacre.

 

[John]

Mostly the over riding opinion seems to be that removing the water feature is a mistake ( mine also) some of you just cane t get why some of us feel that way. what's so special about the stupid water feature anyway? We even have a trained psychologist chiming in on this fascination with a "stupid water fountain" that "we hate change". That well mat be. But IMO its the absolute familiarity we have with the place we love so much. They greet us with a "welcome home". We all go home at Thanksgiving for the same things.....Mom's pumpkin pie...or watching the lions lose another football game ( sorry Detroit). Its the familiarity.

When we go to the Poly we expect to be greeted by the water feature. We subconsciously are looking for it the moment we pull up. When we are in the real world we can close our eyes and hear it....smell it. Same as we can smell Moms pie and hear her Jack Russell barking.

Its the "welcome home" the water feature represents. But this time someone has moved the furniture when we got there. We pay for that familiarity, when there is a change we feel we are being cheated out of something special. If you "don't get it"....that's OK. To you its just a hotel. To some of us its more then that. Remember that Disney has made way more money on selling nostalgia then anything else in its parks. They literally have made billions off of it. This is where Disney doesn't get it. Again they kill the golden goose.

They could have saved the water feature and "refreshed" it. "....."plus" it...."Enhance" it....call it anything you want. But don't remove it for heavens sake.

 

[dgp602]

No, people hate change they don't see as an improvement. If you convinced them this was BETTER... the majority would buy in. But they are failing to convince people where the improvement is.

Could not have said it better myself!!!

 

[Slowjack]

I find that strange. You are saying people loved that it felt like the 70s? I'm not trying to sway anyone, either. I am admittedly, not overly enamored with the concept art, either. I think the issue as someone pointed out is that they are trying to squeeze the modern grand feeling into a smaller space. They need to actually redo the whole building. Instead, Disney splits the baby and then, well, no one really wants 1/2 a baby.

Speaking for myself, I don't think the Poly feels like the 1970s, and I think if you went back and looked at some pictures of the resort as it appeared in the 1970s you would probably agree that's the case. Colors and patterns on materials, for example, are very different in the current Poly than what was common in the 70s. The probable reason that it feels dated to some people is that it's "tiki," and the tiki style itself may strike some as old-fashioned. But tiki wasn't really a 70s thing -- it got big in the 50s and early 60s, and was on the wane in the 70s.

For many Poly fans like myself, the tiki style contains two layers of exotic "cool." First, the faux-Polynesia cool of the tiki itself, and second, with the passage of time, the cool of the 50s tiki culture. The lobby style in the concept art doesn't look very tiki to these eyes -- more like a nice, reasonably upscale lobby with a few tiki touches -- and so I feel it's a downgrade.

Some people say the place looks "Brady Bunch" but what that really means is that the Brady house and the Poly both share a few influences. The 2014 Poly doesn't have carpet or any of that burnt orange from the Brady house. What it shares are elements like dark wood and riser-less staircases, which many people remember from the 1970s but which didn't originate then and isn't really a 70s thing.

Anyway, that's my take on it.

 

[dgp602]

I am going to self- plagiarize a little. I originally posted this about 6 months ago on another thread about the Poly renovations. I fell it is worth repeating as this is how I feel:

Part of me tries to live by the theory that WDW was never meant to be a museum. I get that. Growth, change and upgrades are inevitable. However, what keeps me going back to Disney year after year is the familiar sights and sounds that as a child I shared with my parents, and now as a dad, I share with my kids. That connection cannot be duplicated at Universal or Seaworld or any other major theme park. For instance, when I walk into Poly on that first day of my trip, I am hit with the sight, sound and smell of that beautiful fountain!! It immediately transports me to 1977 and my first trip as a 10 yr old. THAT is what the Disney planners are missing when they destroy/replace cherished rides ( see Snow White ) or places. Certain rides, certain places within the World, should be protected and treated as "special". Now the question becomes, "Well, who decides what is special and what isn't?". The answer? I think some places and some rides are obvious. I mean really, in the Magic Kingdom we are probably only talking about a handful of rides ( a couple of which are now gone ). The same goes for the World. Example? The Hoop Dee Do Review. I think, but I could be wrong, that this show is universally liked and should forever have a place at Disney. The fountain at Poly is, I believe, another one of the universally cherished places.

 

[Father Robinson]

I find that strange. You are saying people loved that it felt like the 70s? I'm not trying to sway anyone, either. I am admittedly, not overly enamored with the concept art, either. I think the issue as someone pointed out is that they are trying to squeeze the modern grand feeling into a smaller space. They need to actually redo the whole building. Instead, Disney splits the baby and then, well, no one really wants 1/2 a baby.

Yes they did. The Poly was one of the last things that seemed untouched, yet had the appeal that draws people to Disney in the first place. Watch the Travel Channel every now and then. Whenever they air a Disneyworld episode they always cover why the resorts have the appeal that they do. They're unique to Disney. That's why everyone doesn't stay at non ghemed hotels to save a few bucks, they are willing to shell out for the experience

Mostly the over riding opinion seems to be that removing the water feature is a mistake ( mine also) some of you just cane t get why some of us feel that way. what's so special about the stupid water feature anyway? We even have a trained psychologist chiming in on this fascination with a "stupid water fountain" that "we hate change". That well mat be. But IMO its the absolute familiarity we have with the place we love so much. They greet us with a "welcome home". We all go home at Thanksgiving for the same things.....Mom's pumpkin pie...or watching the lions lose another football game ( sorry Detroit). Its the familiarity.

When we go to the Poly we expect to be greeted by the water feature. We subconsciously are looking for it the moment we pull up. When we are in the real world we can close our eyes and hear it....smell it. Same as we can smell Moms pie and hear her Jack Russell barking.

Its the "welcome home" the water feature represents. But this time someone has moved the furniture when we got there. We pay for that familiarity, when there is a change we feel we are being cheated out of something special. If you "don't get it"....that's OK. To you its just a hotel. To some of us its more then that. Remember that Disney has made way more money on selling nostalgia then anything else in its parks. They literally have made billions off of it. This is where Disney doesn't get it. Again they kill the golden goose.

They could have saved the water feature and "refreshed" it. "....."plus" it...."Enhance" it....call it anything you want. But don't remove it for heavens sake.

This is it!!! I wish this could be officially published!!! Bravo, you naiked it!!!

 

[orky8]

so by your point.. all hotels should be modernized and remove the very specific themes they once had?
That is akin of going to an ancient french hotel with exquisite 1800's architecture and rebuild it to look like your modern EXPRESS hotels.

I don't equate modernization with removing theme. Unless the theme is retro throwback.

 

[momof1princess]

I'm just glad I finally got to take my daughter there last year, and took loads of pictures.

 

[Belowthesurface]

An intern or one of their hack celebrity imagineers with a clever twitter handle

TRUTH!

 

[psherman42]

The new lobby looks pretty but like everyone else I'm going to miss the waterfall. My first Disney memories are from when my family stayed there so I'm devastated. Does anyone know when (if it hasn't already) construction begins on the lobby? I'd love to get over to the Poly one last time before it's gone forever.

 

[steve2wdw]

Polynesian Village Resort...two thumbs up.
Trader Sam's....another two thumbs up.
Water Feature removal....just plain wrong.
Now that I've stated my feelings on those three issues, the elephant in the room (IMO), is 'Ohana. To me, 'Ohana destroys the laid back atmosphere that the Poly should exude. The whole second level of the lobby is a mess during the time of day that the lobby should feel relaxed. Do I think that 'Ohana should close...no....should it be moved...yes. Where you ask? Well how about that rather large, empty restaurant formally known as the Tangaroa Terrace. The views from the current 'Ohana location are wasted on the concept of the current restaurant. As it sits, most everyone in the place is too involved in large amounts of meat arriving on very large skewers, followed by kids racing around the tables, pushing coconuts, or whatever the current game of the day is, to really notice the Seven Seas Lagoon or any other picturesque view outside those huge windows. The 'Ohana space should be occupied by a Polynesian version of Artists Point (at Wilderness Lodge)-a high end experience that doesn't feature gimmicks. It would be far quieter, and it would complement the vibe the Poly lobby should have. And as far as the old TT location for 'Ohana...I don't think a move there would hurt sales one bit. Heck, I'm sure the Imagineers could cook up a great new look for a new 'Ohana, and then maybe they'd leave a certain waterfall alone.

 

[The Mouse]

I guess I'm the only one but I'm not bothered by the new lobby design, still looks nice to me and I'm a huge Poly fan

 

[steve2wdw]

And a quick PS...the Disney Parks Blog was at 57 comments, and pretty much every single one BEGS Disney to leave the water feature. Heck, if it's in bad shape, rip it out BUT rebuild as is. The magic of the Poly lobby is that when you walk through the front doors, it feels as if you've stepped outside again. And have you ever been in a tropical jungle....it feels dark and claustrophobic and humid. The original Imagineers were geniuses in my opinion, as they captured each of those moods on the first level. As you climb to the tops of the trees (the second floor), that's when things should lighten up, just as it is now.

 

[SirNim]

Get rid of the piano and the band because my spreadsheet tells me people don't like to listen to old fashioned music!

That ostensibly was Nordstrom's excuse for firing all its pianists a few years ago... :/

 

[stlphil]

I want to thank Disney for taking out the water feature, because now there is no longer any chance that I will ever be tempted to pay their exhorbitant rates to stay at the Poly ever again.

#NoDinTDO

 

[rct247]

If you ask me, the lobby concept art doesn't really show anything new EXCEPT that the waterfall/planter has been replaced. The furniture, ceilings, and floors all look pretty much the same... at least in my memory.

 

[Cosmic Commando]

Removing the water feature from the Poly lobby would be like making the Wilderness Lodge and Animal Kingdom Lodge lobbies one story tall.

 

[TP2000]

I'm looking at your picture of the Uh Oa...did they run out of the original Uh Oa bowls again and using the clamshell by TikiFarm? Or is that an older picture?

It's an older picture. They have the Uh Oa custom barware still; I saw several served a few weeks ago. And I've had a few myself in the last couple years. Hic!

 

[Crafty]

Oh Thank God! The lobby now looks like any Hilton or Westin Lobby. Whew...Glad they didn't make it all unique and special...because when I am paying over $300 a night for a room, I want it to be generic with just a vaguely tropical feel... and it's great to hang $50 fishing floats from the ceiling...no one will notice how boring the new interior is...and how economical the decor!
The Trader Sam's art is equally vague and boring.... are there no creative designers left? or have they all been appropriated by the Shanghai Project??

Value engineering at its finest.

 

[MinnieM123]

Because so many others have stated their opinions, about the impending slaughter of the Polynesian lobby, there's nothing further I can add to those. The redesign plans are a major disappointment to me.

I doubt that Disney will reconsider their decision at this point, despite so many negative reactions. They have their own agenda and, in my opinion, either don't hear (or ignore) the voices of quite a number of their loyal Polynesian fans.