Wyland Galleries closing at Disney's Polynesian Resort

[englanddg]

Traditional TDO - Only moving part on Disney property should be a cash register drawer, Why not replace the filters with MODERN ones which are easy to maintain, Filtration tech has improved greatly since the late 70's - why you could even install a UV sanitizer. But no lets remove an iconic feature which makes the lobby a joy to visit and replace it with some tile so it looks like a Hampton Inn.

Royal Pacific will still have it's water feature.

 

[Prince-1]

Traditional TDO - Only moving part on Disney property should be a cash register drawer, Why not replace the filters with MODERN ones which are easy to maintain, Filtration tech has improved greatly since the late 70's - why you could even install a UV sanitizer. But no lets remove an iconic feature which makes the lobby a joy to visit and replace it with some tile so it looks like a Hampton Inn.

You are preaching to the choir. I love the lobby as is and I agree that it shouldn't be that hard or costly (in the scheme of things) to replace the filter with a more modern one. But I am willing to see what they have planned and not jump to conclusions...at least not that fast.

 

[ford91exploder]

You are preaching to the choir. I love the lobby as is and I agree that it shouldn't be that hard or costly (in the scheme of things) to replace the filter with a more modern one. But I am willing to see what they have planned and not jump to conclusions...at least not that fast.

As another poster notes if @tikiman says it's gone it's HISTORY., I HOPE for once that @tikiman is wrong and I'm sure he does as well.

 

[Prince-1]

As another poster notes if @tikiman says it's gone it's HISTORY., I HOPE for once that @tikiman is wrong and I'm sure he does as well.

Oh I do believe that is gone but I do think that they will not just replace it with some plants and a rug. Maybe it's me being naïve but I have hopes that it will still look like if fits in the Poly. Whatever they do.

 

[dolce20]

I love optimism and believe that Disney can always do something wonderful..but I also love my memories and I honestly can't imagine what they could do better to replace the water feature. Unless they put in a dole whip tree and a small fireworks show, what could be better than what they got? Oh yeah - a new water filtration system.

PS missing Wyland already. Love the Boardwalk store but the Poly had the best staff.

 

[hpyhnt 1000]

BLT, OKW, SSR - You know the downscale Disney resorts,

BLT - Rust and Mold in the showers
OKW - Mold on Showers and Carpet
SSR - Crumbs in the bedding in a supposedly cleaned room

And this has only happened THIS YEAR, Yeah standards are going downhill, I've also been in Hampton Inn's for work which were trashed but called front desk and got moved to better room - unlike the static which one gets from Disney these days.

Already??? That place is only a few years old, for goodness sake. Hampton's for the most part are decent places. Getting breakfast as part of your $100/night stay is a nice gesture; can't say the same for the All Stars, let alone the $400+/night Deluxe resorts.

Back on subject(ish), if tikiman says the fountain is leaving, its better to accept that rather than hold out hope and be disappointed. He is one of the best sources of info about the Polynesian Resort.And yes, it does stink that we're losing it.

 

[ford91exploder]

Already??? That place is only a few years old, for goodness sake. Hampton's for the most part are decent places. Getting breakfast as part of your $100/night stay is a nice gesture; can't say the same for the All Stars, let alone the $400+/night Deluxe resorts.

Back on subject(ish), if tikiman says the fountain is leaving, its better to accept that rather than hold out hope and be disappointed. He is one of the best sources of info about the Polynesian Resort.And yes, it does stink that we're losing it.

I'm Hilton Diamond and I like Hampton's they are generally well run and business friendly, Hilton Garden's are nicer but much less prevalent better breakfast too. One of my favorite Hamptons is the one on Barber Court in Milpitas CA.

Disney really cheaped out on the BLT fixturing, the rust is coming from the fasteners which appear to be plain steel instead of stainless as a look shows they are corroding rapidly. Using zinc plated steel saved maybe .02 at the high outside cost per-fastener I know it adds up because there are several million in use. But for crying out loud BLT points sold for 860 Million bucks total. (5.6 million points).

Now WE the members will need to pay for refitting hotel out of our dues, And people wonder why I'm down on current TWDC mis-Management team.

 

[ford91exploder]

I love optimism and believe that Disney can always do something wonderful..but I also love my memories and I honestly can't imagine what they could do better to replace the water feature. Unless they put in a dole whip tree and a small fireworks show, what could be better than what they got? Oh yeah - a new water filtration system.

PS missing Wyland already. Love the Boardwalk store but the Poly had the best staff.

I'd say a Dole Whip Tree and 24x7 indoor fireworks would be a fair trade

 

[wdisney9000]

Check out @tikiman for more info on this - TDO will be removing the water features in the lobby, basically turning the unique GCH into a overpriced Hampton Inn with a really large gift shop. UGH

Am I crazy or did they used to keep big parrots in the lobby by the waterfall? I remember visiting as a child and seeing birds in there. I wanna say it was Macaws they had in there

 

[CDavid]

Now while I am sure if they wanted to fix this and keep it as a feature at the Poly they could, if tikiman is right then at least there is a good reason to have it taken out.

But that's exactly the point - there's not a good reason. They don't have to take it out, it can be refurbished and/or replaced - we don't have to lose this hallmark of the Polynesian Resort. Eliminating the water feature is just Disney being lazy and cheap. People will still pay through the nose to stay at the resort, so from their perspective, there's simply no reason to replace something which is expensive to maintain.

 

[John]

I have some frogs from there so at least SOME of us bought things there, Key issue I think was Merchandise did not appeal to 'Honey Boo Boo' demographic it did not have DISNEY printed on it and items started about $100 and went north rapidly.

This^ IMO Disney has been trying to reach the lower economically mobile guest for sometime. The DDP is a example of this. Shops like these don't appeal to that group. Before you bash me, I am probably in that group. If it wasn't for a CM discount I wouldn't be able to visit WDW like I do. But when I was young, visiting WDW was for the "well to do".

I wouldn't be surprised that Wyland has a contract commitment at BW and when that expires so will they. It has happened all over property. Ever see the jewelry offerings at the WOD store at DTD? Art store? Sids?

I also don't buy the notion that they could not retro fit the indoor water feature with modern up to date filters and pumps. They simply want to cut maintence cost. Poly will lose much of its uniqueness. The transformation of WDW and P&R has just begun. Weather it is 1 billion, 2 billion it does not matter. They spent a ton on MM+. It no longer matters weather we like it or not. Its here to stay and so are these major cutbacks.

For those of us who remember the "glory days" of WDW, in five years some people will be saying today is the "glory days" Will P&R just wither and die? of course not. But it will be sometime before they can dig out from under this financial burden called MM+.

I have a question to someone who might know better then me. Because Disney is a publically held company don't they have to disclose what MM+ cost?

 

[JimboJones123]

Guess you haven't been for a while a standard 'Theme Park View' room is $964 this month, A 'Standard' (parking lot) view room is $675.

TDO would never put something in thats unique and special, They want a plan-o-gram store.

Deluxe rates are ungodly anymore.

 

[ford91exploder]

This^ IMO Disney has been trying to reach the lower economically mobile guest for sometime. The DDP is a example of this. Shops like these don't appeal to that group. Before you bash me, I am probably in that group. If it wasn't for a CM discount I wouldn't be able to visit WDW like I do. But when I was young, visiting WDW was for the "well to do".

I wouldn't be surprised that Wyland has a contract commitment at BW and when that expires so will they. It has happened all over property. Ever see the jewelry offerings at the WOD store at DTD? Art store? Sids?

I also don't buy the notion that they could not retro fit the indoor water feature with modern up to date filters and pumps. They simply want to cut maintence cost. Poly will lose much of its uniqueness. The transformation of WDW and P&R has just begun. Weather it is 1 billion, 2 billion it does not matter. They spent a ton on MM+. It no longer matters weather we like it or not. Its here to stay and so are these major cutbacks.

For those of us who remember the "glory days" of WDW, in five years some people will be saying today is the "glory days" Will P&R just wither and die? of course not. But it will be sometime before they can dig out from under this financial burden called MM+.

I have a question to someone who might know better then me. Because Disney is a publically held company don't they have to disclose what MM+ cost?

One of the great things about Walt's vision was something for EVERYONE young, old wealthy and not so wealthy what bothers me is the constant race to the bottom. I'm a Scot and I like a good secondhand shop but I also like nice stores that sell nice things. I don't like the WalMarting of WDW and Disney generally, There indeed SHOULD be Disney items for the WalMart shopper but there should also be something for someone who wants something SPECIAL as well.

Remember when the Disney stores sold Plushes AND Original Art and CELS???

 

[Little Green Men]

On November 1st Tikiman said it will have another water feature:

I can’t share the details but there will be a new water feature in the lobby. The poor design of the pump system is built into the rock structure and to replace it would mean dismantling the rock itself so it is coming out. They also wanted a clear view from the entry out the back of the lobby toward the beach. As far as not changing the look of the lobby in a drastic way, this is not the first time the lobby has had a drastic change to its look.

I love the Polynesian as much as the next person but I’m not going to get upset over something I can’t control. Also for all the people saying they are going to change the feel of the resort by adding bungalows because it is such a huge change must not have been around in 1978 or 1985. In 78 they added on a second pool, a huge longhouse and the building for Tangaroa Terrace, Snack Isle, the Arcade, the laundry room and the Mouseketeer Club (later became the Neverland Club). I don’t see anyone saying how they ruined the feel of the resort when they did that or when they added two more longhouses in 1985. All they are physically adding to the resort are 20 bungalows. Im sad to see Sunset Pointe get changed but I don’t see it stopping me from enjoying the resort.

 

[MinnieM123]

One of the great things about Walt's vision was something for EVERYONE young, old wealthy and not so wealthy what bothers me is the constant race to the bottom. I'm a Scot and I like a good secondhand shop but I also like nice stores that sell nice things. I don't like the WalMarting of WDW and Disney generally, There indeed SHOULD be Disney items for the WalMart shopper but there should also be something for someone who wants something SPECIAL as well.

Remember when the Disney stores sold Plushes AND Original Art and CELS???

Precisely. Even if I, personally, don't have enough money to purchase an item in a very upscale shop, I still enjoy browsing through a unique, fine arts store, or a lovely boutique, in a deluxe resort. A truly deluxe resort provides this level of ambiance.

One can only hope that they keep this overall theme in mind for any future shopping options at the Polynesian.

 

[dgp602]

If @tikiman says it's gone, it's gone

Yes, I agree. Tikiman's info is always spot on. But if I remember correctly, in the long thread about this back in the summer ( when Tikiman announced he was "retiring" the Tikiman web site) even he backed off a little from his original article which said that the GCH was getting completely gutted and the fountain being removed. If I have time today, I will reread that thread and try to quote his post.....

 

[livan126]

I don't understand why everyone feaks out and jumps the gun about this sort of stuff before knowing the facts. All you know is that a store is closing. What if something is being Doled out in its place? Something Whipped up?

 

[pmaljr]

Because a few people have agendas and, even if the parks did everything that they recommended, would still come on an anonymous MB and post stuff degrading the experience because they had to sacrifice something at one point or another during their vacation. While maybe fun to look at, I have zero problems with the galleries going away. Maybe something will be put there that is better. It'd almost have to be.

 

[aladdin2007]

Am I crazy or did they used to keep big parrots in the lobby by the waterfall? I remember visiting as a child and seeing birds in there. I wanna say it was Macaws they had in there

Nope not crazy, the parrots were still there not all that long ago, its only been a few years now I think. Remember when Epcot had flamingo's?

 

[Duckberg]

If the Poly visitor income demographic is changing downward, you need to up sales on lower cost merchandise.