DonaldDoleWhip
Well-Known Member
Thanks for sharing those images. GF is certainly going to lose some of its charm over the next few months. :hurl:
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PHOTOS - Walls up at at the proposed DVC Villas location at the Grand Floridian
- Thread starter wdwmagic
- Start date
wedenterprises
Well-Known Member
I'm happy about this as a DVC member. The GF will lose that nice beach front but of all the times I've been to GF I've never once used that beach. I've only used the small beach between the two pools.
I love the GF and love that it's a DVC option finally! :sohappy:
I love the GF and love that it's a DVC option finally! :sohappy:
DonaldDoleWhip
Well-Known Member
I've had that view too! Main building Royal Palm Club love forever :king:.
It's just not going to be the same with another building slapped on the beach between the pool and wedding pavilion...
flavious27
Well-Known Member
The only other location that would have made sense would be the current parking lot, but they would need to have some kind of water feature to make it appealing.
Kamikaze
Well-Known Member
They could have gone north of the resort, over the canal there. Don't know if the land there is 'suitable' though, but it would have given them reason to finish the walkway to the MK.
jmuboy
Well-Known Member
Not happy about this. More junk thrown up around the lake? I guess they could have built it somewhere else, just not this spot. Its too busy between the 2 resorts, the DVC add on, the Wedding Pavilion. Whatever I guess - can't change it now.
And what are the new windows in the wedding pavilion for?
And what are the new windows in the wedding pavilion for?
I believe they're to help block the view of the construction.....
Captain Neo
Well-Known Member
is it confirmed that its DVC?
googilycub
Active Member
I really, really doubt that.
DonaldDoleWhip
Well-Known Member
Well you're wrong. I was excited when I first heard about DVC at GF (we said we wouldn't buy in unless DVC was added to GF). But when I saw the proposed location on the map, I was heartbroken. The wedding pavilion loses its private, tucked away location. The beautiful beach is going away. The view from GF's main building will be completely changed, with less of the beach/lagoon/Poly visible. And vice versa (the view of GF's main building and beach from Poly will be distorted). All that, and this new building won't even have clear castle views (based on the leaked map).
Had this building been built to the north or west of the existing GF (or in one of the existing buildings, such as Big Pine Key or Sago Cay), I would've been quite happy, but I am specifically upset with its actual location.
I don't see what the big problem is, with the exception to anyone who had a wedding planned, I think it's going to be a great addition. I'm sure when the whole project is done it will look great, the pavilion will be fine, and we will all wonder what took them so long to do it in the first place.. And before anyone asks yes I've stayed at the Grand Floridian, my favorite place to stay when I stay on property. Just have some faith, yes they are motivated by money but in the end they still want the area to have the same " magic and charm" as it did in the past, the people in the higher ups aren't as ignorant as some people make them out to be.
flavious27
Well-Known Member
I think that they have plans for another resort on that plot of land, it is a good chunk of land and it could be larger with Floridan Way being moved.
DonaldDoleWhip
Well-Known Member
The entrance to Epcot also has the same magic and charm it did in the past. Same as Hollywood Boulevard now that it has a garish plastic oversized hat plopped at the end of it. And Contemporary looks better than ever with a giant generic condo building right next to it, as opposed to the tiny garden wing that not only created symmetry with the wing on the other side but also served to emphasize the original tower's striking size and architecture. Oh, and the original Animal Kingdom Lodge building looks as remote and "in the heart of the bush" as ever, now that it has a very large building right next to it that actually has minimal exterior theming when you drive past it (Kidani Village really looks quite stark in areas). I don't completely trust Disney's judgment anymore, and personally I have always loved those beautiful vistas of a pristine white sand beach between GF and Poly. That will be going. While the new building will probably match GF's architectural style, it's basically another building and parking lot in an area that used to be a guest-accessible beach and important element in the Wedding Pavilion's special, almost remote location.
My complaints have nothing to do with DVC in general. I think the Villas at Wilderness Lodge is a great extension of the lodge and still leaves most of the vast forest intact. Same with BCV. And while I think SSR is simply way too big and sprawling, I'm glad that it brings back some life to the other side of Village Lake (and allowed the Treehouses to return for guests to experience). The Boardwalk has great restaurants, entertainment, and is simply a beautiful place, and it's half-DVC. I recognize that DVC has actually had many positive impacts on the resort. But I still think BLT, Kidani, and the villas at GF have some unintended negative consequences that detract from their original resorts.
And for the record, I don't think the end product will be unbearable, hideous, and completely ruin GF as it is. People will get used to it over time, and it will eventually look like it was always meant to be there (I'm practically at that stage with BLT). But still, I don't think this was the best decision if they wanted to add DVC at GF (other reasons aside, I would've picked a location that will actually have castle views), so I'm a bit sad about that.
flavious27
Well-Known Member
There is only so much they could do with the land provided to them. I think that this addition will blend in.
DonaldDoleWhip
Well-Known Member
I'm sure it will blend in. At this point, like I said, I actually think BLT blends in. But until that point in time (when my eyes are adjusted to seeing another building where there was once a beach), I can't help myself from being upset about what's being lost in the process. I would've been happy to see GF DVC replace an existing building or be built north or west of GF. I can see why the current location was picked - it seems closer to existing infrastructure, more accessible to parking, just a short walk from the main building, GF doesn't have to lose any rooms, etc. I just wish they'd picked another location. IMO, BLT and Kidani are also design mistakes in terms of how they impact their original resorts. Yet most people would think they look fine enough as they are, which seems to be the goal. I'm sure Disney will once again create a building that's "fine enough."
MarkTwain
Well-Known Member
jmuboy
Well-Known Member
I don't mind Kidani Village as much as the GF DVC and BLT. But I agree wholeheartedly that the exterior of Kidani was strikingly bland when I first saw it. The interior was very nice, but much of the exterior is flat and boring painted walls with no real character.
COProgressFan
Well-Known Member
No, I truly believe this. I think the fact that it is DVC makes it worse for many, but the major issue here is in regard to the placement, setting, and size of the building (similar arguments were made for the BLT). For those who may not have been visited back in the late 80's or early 90's, the GF was originally called Disney's Grand Floridian BEACH Resort. Now, much of that beach will be gone. And the peaceful, isolated setting of the wedding pavilion (close to everything, but removed from it all) will no longer exist.