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PHOTOS - Disney reveals new lobby design and Trader Sam's lounge for the Polynesian
- Thread starter wdwmagic
- Start date
betty rose
Well-Known Member
I would think that's a place you might need a drink.
ford91exploder
Resident Curmudgeon
I would think that's a place you might need a drink.
A VERY stiff drink indeed... - But probably not the best place to get it lest one trip over one of the special snowflakes
Sage of Time
Well-Known Member
EVERYONE NEEDS A TIKI DRINK IN THIS THREAD
And with that, off to Disney World! Bye guys!~
And with that, off to Disney World! Bye guys!~
ford91exploder
Resident Curmudgeon
Have one for me at the Tambu Lounge!, But most important have a GREAT TRIP @Sage of Time I always do!
betty rose
Well-Known Member
I'll be following you in four days, flower and garden crossed off my bucket list!
betty rose
Well-Known Member
Me too.
Mike S
Well-Known Member
Me three. Going back the beginning of May.
prberk
Well-Known Member
Why would anyone come away with the impression you don't have a good time at WDW?
I have to admit, @jakeman , that I sometimes identify with @ford91exploder , because I think that they remember a time when WDW was all about customer service and human experience, while still using and displaying cool new technologies. Now it seems that the technologies run the game, and the humans are not allowed to be in control.
We fell in love with a WDW that we see declining by degrees while being more and more expensive. And with MM+, the technology has tipped the boat beyond being a nice amenity, to being a "must." You shouldn't need a degree in Disney before you get there to enjoy most things there. We would rather have seen more investment in renovation and new actual rides.
Some of us love Disney, but many of the reasons that we fell in love with it are changing.
prberk
Well-Known Member
I stopped by the new Polynesian lobby last night. Everyone else in my party (who didn't even know it was going to be different) said they actually preferred the new lobby, and I hate to admit it, but I almost did myself. It's much more open and bright now; I didn't really realize how dark the old lobby was until I saw this one. The new lights are very colorful and eye-catching, and the colors in general around the lobby are really appealing. That said, the resort changes as a whole are certainly a mixed bag and I'll share some thoughts.
Couple of notes and observations:
- One thing I listened for specifically was whether the new fountain made enough ambient noise to be heard throughout the whole lobby, and I'm pleased to say that for the most part, it definitely does.
- Unfortunately, the new seats around the columns are as stiff and uncomfortable as others have posted; I couldn't imagine sitting on them for more than a minute or two. The red works pretty nicely in person though. In other words: better to look at than to sit on.
- The new art was one of my favorite parts of the new lobby. The art, whether Mary Blair paintings or concept art of Adventureland, does a great job of showcasing Disney's long associations with Polynesian culture. I was very pleased to see this, and the art looks very in-theme even if you weren't aware of the Disney connection.
- Speaking of art, the new Polynesian travel posters in Captain Cook's are WONDERFUL. I loved seeing some of the more obscure Pacific Islands featured, as well as the nod to King Kamehameha on the Hawaii poster. I hope Disney sells prints of these someday, because I'll snap up as many as I can.
- I greatly missed the 24-hour dole whip access in Captain Cook's.
- That said, the new Pineapple Lanai looks nice and conveniently located, and I love the idea of sitting out there with a dole whip on a warm day. It was closed when we stopped by though (like I said, I miss the 24-hour access).
All in all, and as a preface to my final point, I thought the lobby renovation was mostly successful. The lobby now recalls the feel of several historic hotels we've stayed at in Hawaii, and has that "tiki" feel of midcentury American interpretations of Hawaiian culture. The fountain was nice but the new lobby still stands on its own without it.
All that said, my LEAST favorite part of the redo was something that was actually celebrated on these boards previously. One of the most iconic aspects of the celebrated Hawaiian hotels is their dedication to lush tropical outdoor spaces. And it seems the Polynesian's gardens, for the time being at least, have been greatly compromised. As others noted earlier, one can now stand in the front entrance of the lobby and see directly out the back window, all the way to the castle.
While this may be nice for castle visibility, it also speaks to how much outdoor landscaping must have been ripped out to create that effect. Hopefully, this is a temporary side effect of the construction occupying many of the outdoor spaces, and the gardens will be filled with trees and waterways again soon. As it is, I would argue there are more than enough places around Seven Seas Lagoon to look at the castle (the Contemporary and its sister DVC resort are completely designed around it), but there was only one hotel on property that enjoyed such lush tropical landscaping.
I'll try and get some pictures up soon
@MarkTwain , did you ever get us pictures?
Thanks for the review, by the way. Sounds like some nice things.
I, too, wonder, though, about all the lush greenery. That, plus the big tiki lamps, always really made it for me. And as for the castle, ummm, you should not be able to see it from the lobby. That takes away from the theming, which is NOT "Cinderella," but the Polynesian isles. You are supposed to be in Hawaii. So, I hope that they did not cut down all of that for a sightline to Cinderalla's castle as you enter the lobby of the Polynesian Village.
I also hope that they restore the lusch tropical fountain and gardens outside the door if they took it down temporarily... or maybe even enhance it.
ford91exploder
Resident Curmudgeon
Well said @prberk, Yes I fell in love with WDW in the 80's as a TEENAGER and back then there were lots of things for TEENS to do back then and every trip there was something new and different and frankly amazing in those days, After college went to work for the government and found my department was a nest of WDW fanatics and a bunch of us would go down and rent a treehouse for a week, EPCOT was AMAZING and showed what was possible with technology. (Video reservation system anyone)
Fast forward to todays WDW every trip it's more expensive and there is LESS to do for more money, The CM's have been hobbled in their ability to make special moment in your vacation, The IT systems frankly are a disaster and have become a GOD box which control most day to day decisions by the CM's,
Because of the incessant focus on toddlers Disney today is a place most teens would not be seen dead in. UNI now has that bit of mindshare when you see teens and college students decked out in Hogwarts and Slytherin apparel, Where do you think THEY are going to take THEIR kids when they have them, Hint for the slow it will not be Disney as the nostalgia will belong to the OTHER park in Orlando.
I became an outspoken critic when LILO went online and ate half of a planned 10 day christmas stay yet insisted on CHARGING for the whole thing. After a couple of weeks of increasingly unfriendly calls we finally got our points back, But I'll never get that planned time with family back.
This is why I refer to myself as a 'reformed' pixie duster, I think the only reason my family did not sour on Disney then is that I clean up IT messes which no one else can for a living so my family knows computer systems break and frequently they break BADLY which is when I go in to FIX IT and vanish for weeks on end.
I'll continue going but being DVC we've recently spent a LOT less time in the parks because NO ONE in my family likes being micro-scheduled on vacation.
When my family stops enjoying it and having a good time I'll stop going, Until then I'm having a good time just being with family.
jakeman
Well-Known Member
Does your discontent lead to fabrications? Does it lead to the owner of the site telling you to stop?
My issue isn't with complaining, it's with...well there is no other word for it...lying.
My issue is with statements like "Disney will charge for front desk access" when there is no indication as such.
Complain away. I have no issue with that, but folks, like @ford91exploder should at least have a modicum of honesty about it.
So apologies if I question someone's affinity for a place when complaining about the current issues isn't enough and they feel the need to fabricate things to be upset about.
Rescue Ranger
Well-Known Member
Still anxiously awaiting the tiki icon statue to be placed atop the water feature. Hopefully by April 1st. It will help pull everything together and improve upon a rather lacklustre fountain centrepiece.
prberk
Well-Known Member
Jake, I understand somewhat where you are coming from (too much complaining can go overboard and make it so that we don't see good things), but I think you are mistaken about the lying. The statements like, "Disney will charge for front desk access," are usually meant as hyperbole. I cannot speak entirely for @ford91exploder , but I know that sometimes I say things like that as an exaggeration to make a point -- the purpose of hyperbole. In fact the quote you use is a future tense ("will charge"), and cannot by definition be a lie, because it speaks to the future if taken literally. In the worst case it would be seen as a prediction. But obviously statements like that are meant as an exaggeration for a point, but also a warning -- that if things continue on the same trajectory this is what will be next.
But I think what can get lost between "pixie dust" and even, yes, sometimes, full on bitterness (of which all of us are capable), is the plain truth that he stated as the reason that he has become disillusioned: Disney used to inspire us all, teenagers included; but now it has taken away so many of the things that made it great (not good but GREAT) in a misguided attempt to plan out and streamline everything -- all while the park itself was getting stale, while Universal was doing wonderful things that Disney used to lead on. And the worst part is the forced-planning approach that takes most of the wonder and surprise out of a Walt Disney World vacation. If you have to know all about it and plan it six months out, is there much more to leave for wonder and surprise?
BrerJon
Well-Known Member
Start of June for me - wasn't planning another trip until Pandora opened, but gotta see that Chinese Theatre.
Is there a thread where people post travel plans? I'm sure there must be times when posters on this site are all at the parks at the same time but don't realise it.
Mike S
Well-Known Member
Most likely. I was in Universal once and saw someone from here was to but we didn't meet up.
ford91exploder
Resident Curmudgeon
There is usually at least one meetup thread in the Trip Reports forum
Best board is for meetups is the board which must not be named ... DELTA-INDIA-SIERRA
BrerJon
Well-Known Member
I'd probably choke on the pixie dust.
ford91exploder
Resident Curmudgeon
What a nice komissar Jake would make, now people are not allowed to speculate about the all holy Disney and predicting future actions based on past action. And furthermore all posts about Disney are to be made in passive voice.
And any news about Disney must come with 3 signatures at director level or higher signifying that the news or rumor is approved by TWDC.
Go work for them jakeman if you do not already, you certainly spend enough energy carrying their water.
And any news about Disney must come with 3 signatures at director level or higher signifying that the news or rumor is approved by TWDC.
Go work for them jakeman if you do not already, you certainly spend enough energy carrying their water.