Wyland Galleries closing at Disney's Polynesian Resort

[ford91exploder]

I agree.

The problem with that is that they will eventually hit the point where people stop showing up and it is so much harder to get them back than it is to keep them coming.

As soon as you realize people aren't showing up like they used to, it's way past the point where you can get them back by tweaking this or that.

It's a dangerous game Disney is playing. I pray that they change direction soon.

Look at the stories over the holiday - half empty parking lots at the deluxes, day-of rental cars were CHEAP over the holidays which is NOT the usual case for Orlando at christmas. I think it's already starting.

 

[ford91exploder]

Hey I agree with you but a high-end gallery shop?? I can think of much better uses for this space while still catering to the higher-end clientele. Again, having a shop where really no one shops there is a waste. Fill it with a clothes store that sells more expensive labels or perhaps a home store with more luxurious items (??). I'm not looking for anything dumbed down but just a more functional use of it.

Apparently it will be used for a quick service stand if tikiman's information is accurate, bletch just put a Mickey D's there and be done with it or on second thought a Starbucks....

 

[Prince-1]

Apparently it will be used for a quick service stand if tikiman's information is accurate, bletch just put a Mickey D's there and be done with it or on second thought a Starbucks....

Now I can finally get my Macadamia nut latte. Yum!!

 

[dgp602]

Yes it is true. So far everyone I know involved with the project is saying the water feature will be removed for many reasons. As much as we all love it I have not had one person tell me it will be saved. Even the concept renderings show it removed so you can see from the front of the lobby out the back toward the new pool area. There will be some sort of water feature but not like the existing one and not in the same location.

I’m not sure what will close when inside the GCH to be redone in stages but I was told Wyland Gallery was closed to look at it being the temporary location for check in while the check in area is redone. Then it seem it is going to become an ice cream parlor or something to do with Dole Whips. When I first heard a rumor about it being a Dole Whip location I thought it was a joke but someone who would know mentioned it being something like that. Maybe it is just one of the ideas they have for the location but it looks like they will be starting soon. I know they pushed out the pool deck redesign to May because they want to focus more on the work for DVC and getting the lobby ready may be part of that.

As for the Macaws, there were 4 named Paco, O'Hare, Quick Draw Macaw and Lady Chatfield and because of abuse from guests throwing stuff from above at them they relocated them to the Animal Kingdom just beyond the entrance.

Part of me tries to live by the theory that WDW was never meant to be a museum. I get that. Growth, change and upgrades are inevitable. However, what keeps me going back to Disney year after year is the familiar sights and sounds that as a child I shared with my parents, and now as a dad, I share with my kids. That connection cannot be duplicated at Universal or Seaworld or any other major theme park. For instance, when I walk into Poly on that first day of my trip, I am hit with the sight, sound and smell of that beautiful fountain!! It immediately transports me to 1977 and my first trip as a 10 yr old. THAT is what the Disney planners are missing when they destroy/replace cherished rides ( see Snow White ) or places. Certain rides, certain places within the World, should be protected and treated as "special". Now the question becomes, "Well, who decides what is special and what isn't?". The answer? I think some places and some rides are obvious. I mean really, in the Magic Kingdom we are probably only talking about a handful of rides ( a couple of which are now gone ). The same goes for the World. Example? The Hoop Dee Do Review. I think, but I could be wrong, that this show is universally liked and should forever have a place at Disney. The fountain at Poly is, I believe, another one of the universally cherished places.

 

[ford91exploder]

Part of me tries to live by the theory that WDW was never meant to be a museum. I get that. Growth, change and upgrades are inevitable. However, what keeps me going back to Disney year after year is the familiar sights and sounds that as a child I shared with my parents, and now as a dad, I share with my kids. That connection cannot be duplicated at Universal or Seaworld or any other major theme park. For instance, when I walk into Poly on that first day of my trip, I am hit with the sight, sound and smell of that beautiful fountain!! It immediately transports me to 1977 and my first trip as a 10 yr old. THAT is what the Disney planners are missing when they destroy/replace cherished rides ( see Snow White ) or places. Certain rides, certain places within the World, should be protected and treated as "special". Now the question becomes, "Well, who decides what is special and what isn't?". The answer? I think some places and some rides are obvious. I mean really, in the Magic Kingdom we are probably only talking about a handful of rides ( a couple of which are now gone ). The same goes for the World. Example? The Hoop Dee Do Review. I think, but I could be wrong, that this show is universally liked and should forever have a place at Disney. The fountain at Poly is, I believe, another one of the universally cherished places.

Exactly - what's worse is TDO always wants the new stuff to be cheap and nasty