PHOTOS - Sight-line test balloons up over Disney's Polynesian Resort

[wdwmagic]

The article says there were 3 balloons but only shows photos of 2, the yellow one is over the luau building, the pink one is between the luau and the main hall but does anyone know where the third one is?

It was near to the TTC, fairly near the beach.

 

[bgraham34]

It would be a shame to lose the Great Ceremonial House. I'm rather fond of that building. It's absolutely lush with theme, and the music and central garden create such a comforting vibe. 'Ohana and Kona Cafe are two of my favorite places to eat on property. If it had to come down, I suppose an exact rebuild would be too much to ask for. But, hey, a guy can dream, right?

What is they expanded on that idea but made it a retractable dome? For the lobby anyway.

 

[The Empress Lilly]

Well I suppose DVC at the Poly is inevitable.

I had word from a WDI insider almost a year ago to document two things: Frontierland in MK and the Poly. Both might look very different in the future.

Hands off FL and the classic Poly!

FL needs the rivers, needs to fade off into infinite space.

The Poly is themed after the South Seas. Not Hawaii. I don't need to copy of a massive Disney Hawaii resort on the Seven Seas Lagoon.

 

[Tom]

The Poly is themed after the South Seas. Not Hawaii. I don't need to copy of a massive Disney Hawaii resort on the Seven Seas Lagoon.

Agreed.

New DVC facility needs to resemble what's there, and nothing else.

 

[rob0519]

Okay, I know everything changes or evolves, but in my opinion, the DVC is simply destroying the look and feel of the MK resort area. There is plenty of land to add DVC locations withing the property, but of course, the highest prices can be charged when the location is next to your signature attraction.

 

[rob0519]

Rooms will always be available at the Poly. Don't fret.

Not true. We didn't like the room we got at the Contemporary last year and asked to move to the Polynesian for all or part of the week and were told there was no availability.

Additionally, I've tried multiple times to book at the Poly and wind up at other resorts due to rooms not being available.

 

[rob0519]

While this is certainly a possibility there is nothing preventing them from making the rooms the same or a larger size in whatever new construction they do.

Actually, cost would prevent them from making the rooms the same size or larger in any new construction. The CR and the Poly were the first hotels built and have the largest standard rooms (several suites in a resort don't really count) and all resorts built since have smaller rooms.

The smaller the rooms, the more rooms you can build, the more income can be made. When a business is in pure profit mode, as it appears WDW is at this time, you can be sure they will squeeze as many rooms as possible into any new construction.

 

[jt04]

I am all for them updating, renovating, or adding a DVC wing, but Poly still has the largest rooms on the property if I am not mistaken. If they add a "tower" of rooms and keep some longhouses, the rooms in the tower will be nowhere NEAR the size of the old rooms.

Oh yeah, I also took my first steps at the Polynesian as well.

No matter as people could choose between the two.

It was near to the TTC, fairly near the beach.

Now this is what I have thought for a long time is the way to go. A tower in this location could utilize the TTC monorail station, be less intrusive to the rest of the Polynesian and still be nicely themed inside. This is a chance to phase out the largely obsolete TTC. The TTC could be reconfigured radically to open up this area to expand the Poly resort. Very cool potentially!

Well I suppose DVC at the Poly is inevitable.

Hands off FL and the classic Poly!

FL needs the rivers, needs to fade off into infinite space.

The Poly is themed after the South Seas. Not Hawaii. I don't need to copy of a massive Disney Hawaii resort on the Seven Seas Lagoon.

Agreed. I would think they would choose to keep what has made the Poly so unique and special and not clone the DVC in Hawaii. It can be done. The BLT has not ruined the atmosphere of the Contemporary except possibly when viewed from a distance and I expect they could also apply those lessons to any Poly expansion. I understand some feel the towers at the GF and CR are intrusive but they are likely necessary to keep the resort viable into the future and to meet guest demand.

So what rumors of changes to FL have you heard that causes concern about the rivers in FL? I understand the 'fading into the distance' and agree but couldn't they do something in FL without ruining the effect?

 

[maxairmike]

This is a chance to phase out the largely obsolete TTC. The TTC could be reconfigured radically to open up this area to expand the Poly resort. Very cool potentially!

It isn't obsolete, they need all of that area at the TTC quite frequently. I've seen every single one of those ticket windows open with massive lines many times (and no, not just holidays). Ever seen that space between the ticket windows and the monorail/ferry from 8:30-10am, especially when one of the transport options isn't available?

It isn't obsolete, it still serves a few important purposes, and the space it uses is needed fairly regularly. What it does need is some serious thematic/exterior work and reimagining.

 

[Gregoryp73]

Agreed. I would think they would choose to keep what has made the Poly so unique and special and not clone the DVC in Hawaii. It can be done. The BLT has not ruined the atmosphere of the Contemporary except possibly when viewed from a distance and I expect they could also apply those lessons to any Poly expansion. I understand some feel the towers at the GF and CR are intrusive but they are likely necessary to keep the resort viable into the future and to meet guest demand.

I'm actually thinking that this may be a multi-tier situation with Poly...

Phase 1: Build DVC
Phase 2: Rebuild Poly Rooms building by building.
Phase 3: Scrim and spot update the Great House.

This way they can do a total gut down to bare stud in each building, while taking care of any health issues...also due to the make-up of the Poly, they can afford to shut down one building at a time when they have a DVC up, because a lot clientele at the Poly could afford to upgrade into a DVC room without being a member of DVC (which is another reason why a lot of the deluxe resorts are getting DVC additions).

I would also imagine they could build a new luau house on the little jut out into bay lake that currently just has a walking path to it (NE-ish part of the Poly resort) this would allow them to maybe include the lake view in the luau house.

 

[aladdin2007]

It would be a shame to lose the Great Ceremonial House. I'm rather fond of that building. It's absolutely lush with theme, and the music and central garden create such a comforting vibe. 'Ohana and Kona Cafe are two of my favorite places to eat on property. If it had to come down, I suppose an exact rebuild would be too much to ask for. But, hey, a guy can dream, right?

Im with you I love it as is...but if the structural issues are true I guess they dont have much choice. I really hope this doesnt end up being the case.

 

[majortom1981]

Why are people so against DVC? anybody can stay in a dvc room with a cash reservation.

Are people so against dvc that they would rather have no poly at all then a poly with dvc in it?

Keep in mind that if the rumors are true (the poly needing a total rebuild) that having dvc in the new redone resort might be the only way they can redo the poly.

The dvc portions can help finance the redo of the whole resort.

 

[MarkTwain]

Why are people so against DVC? anybody can stay in a dvc room with a cash reservation.

Are people so against dvc that they would rather have no poly at all then a poly with dvc in it?

Keep in mind that if the rumors are true (the poly needing a total rebuild) that having dvc in the new redone resort might be the only way they can redo the poly.

The dvc portions can help finance the redo of the whole resort.

I have no problem with DVC. It's because of DVC that I get to stay at WDW as often as I do. I don't even have a problem with DVC at the Poly - in fact, my ideal scenario would be for Disney to convert half of the existing rooms and buildings over to DVC units if they ever decide to rebuild the Poly for "structural"/asbestos problems. As you said, DVC rooms can be enjoyed whether on points or on cash.

What I don't want to see is another Bay Lake Tower-type scenario of another mega-high rise tower (with some straw thatch or faux-structural wood columns to make it look "traditional"), next to buildings that look like they were supposed to have been in historic Polynesia. Or a Grand Floridian DVC-style situation of building on what was once a long-standing and enjoyable part of the resort experience, the Polynesian Luau.

In my opinion, Disney has handled the development of the land around Seven Seas Lagoon very poorly with their onslaught of DVC construction. The sightlines around the lagoon, and for that matter everything else at WDW, are supposed to be about the balance between themed architecture and the plethora of undeveloped nature (an asset unique to WDW among the Disney resorts worldwide). Instead we are seeing every square inch of undeveloped land converted to timeshare units, so that in a few years there will be no natural gap in the construction skyline around the lagoon.

 

[monothingie]

I really hope they consider buiding a tower. I know the purists would not want this but I think it works. There is plenty of room so that it would not interfere with the nature of the resort. It could be placed in the 'background' and still allow the resort to maintain its aesthetics.

A tower would also allow for straight-on views of the MK or views overlooking the Palm and Magnolia courses. It could market itself as a Polynisian/MK monorail resort AND a golf resort. They could even add a storm-a-long bay style water park to the mix. Plenty of space.

All this talk of towers is seems to depend on your definition of a tower.

For perspective the BLT is 18 stories (top observation lounge) as is the CR
The GF Main building is 7 stories and each of the other buildings are 4. The proposed DVC at the GF looks to be about 6.


Also the Poly has been undergoing a phased gutting of all buildings for some time now. When I was there in August a large portion of the GCH was under construction scrims for gutting and renovation. Now unless anyone here is a structural engineer for Disney Resorts or works for the Reedy Creek Building Department that can say different, it is pure speculation that there are serious structural issues with the GCH or the other buildings; because if there were, no guest would be allowed within in 500 feet of that building.

 

[RandySavage]

What I don't want to see is another Bay Lake Tower-type scenario of another mega-high rise tower (with some straw thatch or faux-structural wood columns to make it look "traditional"), next to buildings that look like they were supposed to have been in historic Polynesia. Or a Grand Floridian DVC-style situation of building on what was once a long-standing and enjoyable part of the resort experience, the Polynesian Luau.

In my opinion, Disney has handled the development of the land around Seven Seas Lagoon very poorly with their onslaught of DVC construction. The sightlines around the lagoon, and for that matter everything else at WDW, are supposed to be about the balance between themed architecture and the plethora of undeveloped nature (an asset unique to WDW among the Disney resorts worldwide). Instead we are seeing every square inch of undeveloped land converted to timeshare units, so that in a few years there will be no natural gap in the construction skyline around the lagoon.

Amen.

 

[marni1971]

Oh Old Key West.... What did you become...

 

[Tom]

What I don't want to see is another Bay Lake Tower-type scenario of another mega-high rise tower (with some straw thatch or faux-structural wood columns to make it look "traditional"), next to buildings that look like they were supposed to have been in historic Polynesia. Or a Grand Floridian DVC-style situation of building on what was once a long-standing and enjoyable part of the resort experience, the Polynesian Luau.

BINGO. Disney was doing so well with DVC integration, until BLT. Wilderness is incredible, and impedes in no way on the existing resort, nor does it clash with anything.

Kidani looks great, and again, has no impact or adverse architectural features.

SSR is standalone, and looks fine where it is. Epcot area resorts were merely interior conversions, so thus had no impact on the environment, landscape or aesthetics.

BLT, however, is a sore thumb. Why build a cylinder next to an a-frame, and make it APPEAR taller? Those shapes do not complement each other, and it just looks out of place on the skyline.

We have no idea what the GF will be like yet. We know the footprint, and we know it will be a few stories tall, but nobody knows how many for sure. And I imagine it will resemble the existing GF buildings almost identically. I think it will be an Ok addition to the 7-seas skyline.

With Poly, I'd much rather they convert a longhouse or two to DVC than buld new, but based on the balloons, it's quite obvious that they're contemplating a new building. Based on the photos, there's no reason to assume they're going to build a "tower". The longhouse roofs peak very high with those a-frame trusses. They could do a 2-3 story DVC building, extend the beach, incorporate a new (and more weather resistant) Luau, make it look like the rest of the buildings - and I'd be extremely happy.

All this talk of towers is seems to depend on your definition of a tower.

For perspective the BLT is 18 stories (top observation lounge) as is the CR
The GF Main building is 7 stories and each of the other buildings are 4. The proposed DVC at the GF looks to be about 6.

Also the Poly has been undergoing a phased gutting of all buildings for some time now. When I was there in August a large portion of the GCH was under construction scrims for gutting and renovation. Now unless anyone here is a structural engineer for Disney Resorts or works for the Reedy Creek Building Department that can say different, it is pure speculation that there are serious structural issues with the GCH or the other buildings; because if there were, no guest would be allowed within in 500 feet of that building.

Yup! If the place was so bad that it needs to be torn down and re-built, it would have already been condemned. No building is red flagged for "future replacement due to possible structural failure" and left open to the public.

The place just needs some exterior "skin" overhauls. It's a concrete superstructure with lots of wood over it. Wood rots. Caulk deteriorates. And water finds it's way into anything. So do termites.

Asbestos is a scary word, and everyone overreacts to it. With proper containment, it can be removed in a snap. Or, as long as you don't disturb it, you can go right over it with new finishes. We do it all the time. It's only a hazard when it becomes airborne in the form of particles.

So, new roofs. New exterior walls. New windows. New finishes over old. And voila - 21st century Poly with little impact.

 

[menamechris]

In my opinion, Disney has handled the development of the land around Seven Seas Lagoon very poorly with their onslaught of DVC construction. The sightlines around the lagoon, and for that matter everything else at WDW, are supposed to be about the balance between themed architecture and the plethora of undeveloped nature (an asset unique to WDW among the Disney resorts worldwide). Instead we are seeing every square inch of undeveloped land converted to timeshare units, so that in a few years there will be no natural gap in the construction skyline around the lagoon.

This post is genius. Just sayin...

 

[Tim Lohr]

none of the "sight line" balloons is taller than the existing buildings, so that probably means "no tower"

 

[DznyRktekt]

This entire page is filled with great posts. Thanks all. Makes me feel much better.