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

[ford91exploder]

Hopefully at least some peeps with cameras to provide us GMR Spire Replacement watch imagery.

Yes - even selfies with spires would be nice to see

 

[ford91exploder]

I get what you're saying and I don't think I'll be a fan if they DO decide to implement ADRs, but how else is the soccer mom supposed to compete with the lifestyler? If the only two options are make a reservation or camp out for hours in the hopes of MAYBE getting in, which is the lesser of two evils?

Unfortunately the ADR is the ONLY solution which will work in this case which is why I said it's inevitable, And frankly ADR's make sense for small establishments.

 

[ABQ]

Unfortunately the ADR is the ONLY solution which will work in this case which is why I said it's inevitable, And frankly ADR's make sense for small establishments.

I'm sort of surprised we didn't get a Lifestylers only preview like they did after the California Grill remodel. Nothing like watching video of folks stuffing their faces in one of the supposedly classier establishments in sweats and t-shirts.

 

[doctornick]

I get what you're saying and I don't think I'll be a fan if they DO decide to implement ADRs, but how else is the soccer mom supposed to compete with the lifestyler? If the only two options are make a reservation or camp out for hours in the hopes of MAYBE getting in, which is the lesser of two evils?

IMHO it seems incredibly hyperbolic to think that there's going to be such a need. It might be busy for a few months as it is new and shiney, but the likelihood is as @71jason indicates -- "lifestylers" and off duty CMs aren't going to be packing the place every night. By the end of summer, I would expect people to be able to walk right in most of the time. And if you have to wait 15-30 minutes to get in, that's not a big deal or unreasonable.

Projecting the long waits that can occur now to anything down the road seems absurd to me.

 

[flynnibus]

Ok, nobody jump all over me, because I am NOT a fan of taking the fountain and lushness out of the lobby, but here are a few examples of hotel lobbies in Polynesia.

Hotel Bora Bora:

Outrigger hotel in Fiji:

Intercontinental Resort in Tahiti:

Hotel Iririki Island Resort in Vanuatu:

Nary a fountain in sight.

While the new lobby is definitely a downgrade (in my opinion) and I agree that the situation at the Poly is different because it is not actually in Polynesia, it still 100% gives guests "Polynesia."

You misunderstand what i said. The shill said people are excited about seeing the castle and the swamp. I said i want to see polynesia - not the castle when i'm trying to set the stage.

Unlike your examples, florida does not have those surroundings right outside or setting that environment... So part of the value of the old lobby was recreating that tropical setting - not that each lobby should have fountains.

 

[ford91exploder]

IMHO it seems incredibly hyperbolic to think that there's going to be such a need. It might be busy for a few months as it is new and shiney, but the likelihood is as @71jason indicates -- "lifestylers" and off duty CMs aren't going to be packing the place every night. By the end of summer, I would expect people to be able to walk right in most of the time. And if you have to wait 15-30 minutes to get in, that's not a big deal or unreasonable.

Projecting the long waits that can occur now to anything down the road seems absurd to me.

The issue here is TS:GG is accessible without park admission SO this will be Lifestyler and CP central for the forseeable future just as 'the other bar' at PI was.

 

[Sage of Time]

He asked us to rate our overall experience, food/drinks, interactions with our server, and atmosphere. Then he gave us extensive lists of negative things regarding the atmosphere (long waits, no seats, etc.) and server (unknowledgeable, inefficiencies, etc.) and asked if we encountered any. There were a couple questions about how the atmosphere contributed to our enjoyment (the live music, etc.). He also asked what could be improved and we said the price was a bit high for what you get (especially regarding the appetizers) and my husband mentioned the drinks could be a bit stronger (I do not agree with him on this, lol!). At the end he asked if we were DVC Members.

Interesting! I hope this means they're tightening up service.

There is literally zero reason to think that ADRs are coming to TSGG. Someone on this thread tossed the idea out and others have run with it -- including people chastising Disney for doing so even though there is no reason to think that it is even being considered. It's absurd.

It's a bar, it's not going to have ADRs.

Preach.

It IS a bad product because it took an immersive environment and made it bland and generic with some crappy glass bits hanging overhead which will be filthy in months because no one will ever clean them due to access issues. They are not hanging from a theatrical grid to facilitate lowering to ground level for cleaning. Just a cheap and nasty redo of a formerly iconic space.

If you compare it to what was once there? Yeah. It's crap and it's terrible and I really dislike it.

If you just look at it without any idea of what was once there? It's passable.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

IMHO it seems incredibly hyperbolic to think that there's going to be such a need. It might be busy for a few months as it is new and shiney, but the likelihood is as @71jason indicates -- "lifestylers" and off duty CMs aren't going to be packing the place every night. By the end of summer, I would expect people to be able to walk right in most of the time. And if you have to wait 15-30 minutes to get in, that's not a big deal or unreasonable.

Projecting the long waits that can occur now to anything down the road seems absurd to me.

If it becomes easy to walk in in the future, then it'll also be easy to get a reservation in the future. It's really a zero-sum game because capacity is what it is.

 

[RayTheFirefly]

You misunderstand what i said. The shill said people are excited about seeing the castle and the swamp. I said i want to see polynesia - not the castle when i'm trying to set the stage.

Unlike your examples, florida does not have those surroundings right outside or setting that environment... So part of the value of the old lobby was recreating that tropical setting - not that each lobby should have fountains.

Which is why I said that I see the difference, given that the Poly is not actually in Polynesia, giving it more of a need for those elements in the lobby to recreate that atmosphere. You also misunderstood what I said. I also said that I agree that the fountain was needed and that I'm not a fan of it being gone. I didn't think you meant that a having a fountain is "Polynesian."

Castle aside, the design of the lobby being an open hall with views to water (however murky it may be) is very Polynesian. Even without the fountain, the hotel and lobby do a very good job of giving the customer a Polynesian environment. Was it 1000x better with the tropical fountain? Absolutely. But the current design is extremely similar to most hotels in Polynesia, and is not as woeful as many are making it seem. It's a pretty authentic "Polynesian" experience as it is now. You said "give me Polynesia" and the lobby is designed in a very traditional "Polynesian" way. So that's what they gave you, past manifestation aside.

 

[doctornick]

If it becomes easy to walk in in the future, then it'll also be easy to get a reservation in the future. It's really a zero-sum game because capacity is what it is.

My point is that having ADRs for a bar doesn't make sense. If TSGG becomes too crowded and difficult to get in, there are other ways to manage that situation -- for starters, I think a simple solution would be a cover charge to get in (perhaps with that being able to be applied to your first drink).

 

[flynnibus]

Which is why I said that I see the difference, given that the Poly is not actually in Polynesia, giving it more of a need for those elements in the lobby to recreate that atmosphere. You also misunderstood what I said. I also said that I agree that the fountain was needed and that I'm not a fan of it being gone. I didn't think you meant that a having a fountain is "Polynesian."

But you also highlighted it's absence... instead of highlighting the common traits you thought the properties shared.

I disagree with the emphasis on 'view' and say the more common element is the 'open air' aspect... the idea that spaces should be open and airy - and not just 'inside vs outside'. Obviously that is harder to do in FL which doesn't have the amazing year round weather the places it's trying to replicate has.

But the current design is extremely similar to most hotels in Polynesia, and is not as woeful as many are making it seem. It's a pretty authentic "Polynesian" experience as it is now. You said "give me Polynesia" and the lobby is designed in a very traditional "Polynesian" way. So that's what they gave you, past manifestation aside.

But lets' stick to the tangent here about the VP's comments. Listen to her talking points about why this place is great
-relaxing
-place to gather
-comfortable
-chandelier
-lighting
-interactive guest experience

Even when given the softball on addressing the change about the waterfall... instead of any line defending the new choices as authentic or whatever.. she goes right into the relaxing, place to gather talking points. Not once in the interview does even dare approach the topic of authenticity or transporting the guests to someplace else.

She might as well have been describing a future reimagined lobby of the Grand Floridian. Replace Tiki with any other icon and her entire interview could be about some place ENTIRELY DIFFERENT.

 

[71jason]

The issue here is TS:GG is accessible without park admission SO this will be Lifestyler and CP central for the forseeable future just as 'the other bar' at PI was.

Eh, if you're not drinking, not a whole lot to see or do. Not saying there will be nobody in here, saying turn-over should be decent. Honestly it feels less like a "hang-out" than even the Anaheim version.

 

[RayTheFirefly]

But you also highlighted it's absence... instead of highlighting the common traits you thought the properties shared.

I disagree with the emphasis on 'view' and say the more common element is the 'open air' aspect... the idea that spaces should be open and airy - and not just 'inside vs outside'. Obviously that is harder to do in FL which doesn't have the amazing year round weather the places it's trying to replicate has.



But lets' stick to the tangent here about the VP's comments. Listen to her talking points about why this place is great
-relaxing
-place to gather
-comfortable
-chandelier
-lighting
-interactive guest experience

Even when given the softball on addressing the change about the waterfall... instead of any line defending the new choices as authentic or whatever.. she goes right into the relaxing, place to gather talking points. Not once in the interview does even dare approach the topic of authenticity or transporting the guests to someplace else.

She might as well have been describing a future reimagined lobby of the Grand Floridian. Replace Tiki with any other icon and her entire interview could be about some place ENTIRELY DIFFERENT.

Oh, well I didn't watch the video. I didn't realize your original comment was in reference to the video. Of course that's absolutely problematic if authenticity or transporting guests to another place are not important to them. I was just saying as an outside, objective perspective, the lobby is pretty darn Polynesian. It may look plain compared to the lovely tropical lushness that was there before, but it is definitely still pretty thematically appropriate.

 

[ford91exploder]

I

Oh, well I didn't watch the video. I didn't realize your original comment was in reference to the video. Of course that's absolutely problematic if authenticity or transporting guests to another place are not important to them. I was just saying as an outside, objective perspective, the lobby is pretty darn Polynesian. It may look plain compared to the lovely tropical lushness that was there before, but it is definitely still pretty thematically appropriate.

Formerly it was immersive now it's just decorated and the lobby was destroyed simply so the bloody MK castle would be visible as you walked in.

 

[RayTheFirefly]

I


Formerly it was immersive now it's just decorated and the lobby was destroyed simply so the bloody MK castle would be visible as you walked in.

Did you read my post at all?

 

[doctornick]

Eh, if you're not drinking, not a whole lot to see or do. Not saying there will be nobody in here, saying turn-over should be decent. Honestly it feels less like a "hang-out" than even the Anaheim version.

All right, I've avoided videos intentionally. But can you expand on this? Couldn't someone "hang out" and just watch the drink preparation "shows" or the effects around the bar? How frequently does "stuff" happen?

I understand that it's not the same at the AC, but you don't think that people could just park themselves and watch the show while milking their drink for a long time? Is it not entertaining enough over time?

 

[Sage of Time]

All right, I've avoided videos intentionally. But can you expand on this? Couldn't someone "hang out" and just watch the drink preparation "shows" or the effects around the bar? How frequently does "stuff" happen?

I understand that it's not the same at the AC, but you don't think that people could just park themselves and watch the show while milking their drink for a long time? Is it not entertaining enough over time?

Agreed. The thematic product is basically the same as Disneyland's. No idea why TSGG wouldn't be a 'hangout'.

 

[ford91exploder]

Did you read my post at all?

I did while the poly may be thematically correct for a Polynesian styled hotel. It no longer evokes the south seas because FL does not have the beautiful weather and natural waterfalls. WDW was designed by brilliant set designers who understood what elements were needed indoors and out to evoke the desired feelings. Now we have a hotel decorated in a thematically correct manner but no longer evokes the feeling of BEING in Polynesia as the hotel once did.

 

[RayTheFirefly]

I did while the poly may be thematically correct for a Polynesian styled hotel. It no longer evokes the south seas because FL does not have the beautiful weather and natural waterfalls. WDW was designed by brilliant set designers who understood what elements were needed indoors and out to evoke the desired feelings. Now we have a hotel decorated in a thematically correct manner but no longer evokes the feeling of BEING in Polynesia as the hotel once did.

I already said a dozen times that I agree that it was better with the lush fountain and that the view is obviously not the same, making theme elements like the fountain necessary. I'm just responding to the comments of "if I'm staying at the Poly, give me Polynesia." The current design still does that.

 

[71jason]

All right, I've avoided videos intentionally. But can you expand on this? Couldn't someone "hang out" and just watch the drink preparation "shows" or the effects around the bar? How frequently does "stuff" happen?

I understand that it's not the same at the AC, but you don't think that people could just park themselves and watch the show while milking their drink for a long time? Is it not entertaining enough over time?

Someone "could," sure, but bigger question is will they. There's five effects IIRC--I think it's a stretch calling them shows--and each lasts less than a minute. Sit there for an hour, you'll see each a couple times (maybe not the Nautilus). I don't see a whole lot of repeatability. Contrast with, say, the Grand Society Orchestra, who play new songs every set ... or the 6 hours of continuous new shows at the AC. If you're not drinking and/or enjoying the company of friends, I think anyone would get very bored very quickly.

Also, with the smaller bar, the shows often feel more localized to tables throughout the bar. When any guest orders an Uh Oaa in Anaheim, it's a big deal, because 80% of the bar sees it. Here, you'll notice the lights flicker, but when the show is focused across the room, not as big a deal.

Once the novelty of a first visit wears off (and even then), can't see anyone just sitting there watching the same canned effects for 3 hours straight.