Little Green Men
Well-Known Member
Not even remotely
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News Refurbishment coming soon to Disney's Polynesian Village Resort - Moana details to be included
- Thread starter wdwmagic
- Start date
Little Green Men
Well-Known Member
Nope looks wooden and far superior to the old version
networkpro
Well-Known Member
- In the Parks
- Yes
I'd agree. I've been visiting the Poly during its construction over the last year and it's essentially the same. The new monorail platform was needed as the old one had structural issues and being made with so much wood exposed to the weather for 50 years was long overdue.
Little Green Men
Well-Known Member
It's certainly bigger and flashier, but the underside of the roof + the concrete columns + the bright concrete on the monorail platform all contribute to a somewhat industrial appearance.
Little Green Men
Well-Known Member
I mean it’s painted white, better than 70s Brown everywhere imo
There's nothing Hawaiian about anything being painted white. The "70s Brown" was because it was wood. Look at Aulani, no white concrete or light beige corrugated metal there.
networkpro
Well-Known Member
- In the Parks
- Yes
Surface treatments don't address structural issues. Slapping a new coat of paint on something just makes it look shiny.
Sir_Cliff
Well-Known Member
I gotta say that comparison is far less flattering to the new entrance than it should be. Personally, while the new one is grander in scale, I honestly prefer the original one as it looks kind of charming and fits the retro Polynesian vibe of the hotel. That's not to say it shouldn't have been replaced and a grander entrance couldn't have been better and wholly appropriate. This one is just such a poor quality job by the standards of Disney resorts.
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Epcot82Guy
Well-Known Member
I was talking about price point. That, from a $$ perspective, the Universal Deluxe hotels map to the Disney Moderate hotels (price wise). From an offerings standpoint, I do think Disney still does placesetting and environment better at most of their Deluxes. But that's starting to wane. And the price point is not even close between the two, let alone with the Express Perk.
LittleBuford
Well-Known Member
I interpret the somewhat modernised feel as deliberate—they're going for a more streamlined look rather than something that tries to pass itself off as an actual wooden structure. Based on the pictures, I like what I'm seeing overall, though I can certainly understand where some of the negative assessments are coming from. The only thing that I find really objectionable is the netting in which the spheres are suspended.
Archie123
Well-Known Member
New version is such an improvement over the old one.
MrHappy
Well-Known Member
Not even debatable.
TrippedUp
Active Member
The unstained concrete is just odd and kinda jarring. You only really see that in the parks when its temporary work.
I think we need to remember though that this structure was built to 2021 building code, not 1971. I'd be surprised to find out the old station wasn't a huge fire trap with all that wood. I'd imagine when push came to shove, they value-engineered away the cladding in favor of structural integrity. The ceiling is more meh. I honestly don't think a ton of people look up. Its going to be low maintenance and fireproof.
...and remember, when they build that DVC tower on the luau site, they're gonna need the monorail station to hold a lot more people.
I think we need to remember though that this structure was built to 2021 building code, not 1971. I'd be surprised to find out the old station wasn't a huge fire trap with all that wood. I'd imagine when push came to shove, they value-engineered away the cladding in favor of structural integrity. The ceiling is more meh. I honestly don't think a ton of people look up. Its going to be low maintenance and fireproof.
...and remember, when they build that DVC tower on the luau site, they're gonna need the monorail station to hold a lot more people.
lazyboy97o
Well-Known Member
There is nothing in the EPCOT Building Code, Florida Building Code or Florida Fire Prevention Code that prohibits the use of wood or any of the many ways to create the impression of wood. It also doesn’t prohibit scenic paint or even just brown paint.The unstained concrete is just odd and kinda jarring. You only really see that in the parks when its temporary work.
I think we need to remember though that this structure was built to 2021 building code, not 1971. I'd be surprised to find out the old station wasn't a huge fire trap with all that wood. I'd imagine when push came to shove, they value-engineered away the cladding in favor of structural integrity. The ceiling is more meh. I honestly don't think a ton of people look up. Its going to be low maintenance and fireproof.
...and remember, when they build that DVC tower on the luau site, they're gonna need the monorail station to hold a lot more people.
TrippedUp
Active Member
Not sure why you're referencing EPCOT? Suppose I wasn't clear in what I was saying. If you look at the pictures, they certainly *did* paint the steel and concrete supports brown. Not cladding was probably cost cutting. I'm saying that as far as I can tell, the structural members for the old station were wood. By converting to steel and concrete they got a stronger, safer structure. We just don't build things like we did 50 years ago, mostly for good reason.
lazyboy97o
Well-Known Member
The EPCOT Building Code is the building code adopted by and enforced by the local authority having jurisdiction. Not using wood had nothing to do with codes. A new wood structure would have met the same structural and combustibility requirements. Big advances have been made in wood engineering and treatment in the past 50 years.
Little Green Men
Well-Known Member
If they were to spend any more money to make it look better, begin with the asphalt.
UNCgolf
Well-Known Member
I was thinking the same thing. The old one actually looks better because it fits the overall theme/feel of the resort.
I definitely agree that it needed an update and I don't begrudge the desire to make something grander. They absolutely could have (and should have) built a new entrance that was a big improvement. This one could have been if they hadn't completely failed on the execution. It looks about as low effort/cheap as possible, which is not the impression you want to give at a flagship resort with exorbitant room prices.
The new entrance reminds me of something you'd see at a budget Vegas casino resort. A nod towards theming but no serious effort to make it look realistic.
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