Walt Disney International is development a brand new DVC Island Tower at Polynesian Village Hotel. This submit stocks the hole date, reserving timelines, room footage, and a brand new take a look at summer time building. Plus, our opinion of the Disney Holiday Membership growth and why that is most likely going down. (Up to date June 14, 2024.)
Situated at the shores of Seven Seas Lagoon and at the monorail line to Magic Kingdom, the Island Tower replaces Disney’s Spirit of Aloha Dinner Display, a luau that includes conventional Polynesian dances, reside track, and an all-you-care-to-enjoy tropical banquet. Spirit of Aloha is now completely closed.
The brand new Island Tower will necessarily be between the prevailing Polynesian Village Hotel and Disney’s Wedding ceremony Pavilion, which itself is adjoining to the Grand Floridian. This high-profile Magic Kingdom hotel space has already grow to be overcrowded in recent times with the addition of the Villas on the Grand Floridian. A brand new tower will handiest exacerbate that, and may finally end up hanging undue pressure on infrastructure such because the monorail.
“It’s no secret that our Individuals and visitors love the monorail motels at Walt Disney International,” stated Invoice Diercksen, senior vice chairman and common supervisor of Disney Holiday Membership. “Increasing our Disney Holiday Membership choices on the Polynesian would give our Individuals and Visitors but any other improbable possibility for staying with reference to the magic whilst making holiday recollections that closing an entire life.”
Plans for the Island Tower on the Polynesian come with a lot of visitor room varieties, new sport choices, and eating choices. DVC will proceed to unencumber extra main points and glimpses within the Island Tower as the hole date attracts closer. We’re in particular considering listening to extra in regards to the eating place scene, because the Island Tower will indubitably want standalone eating choices–confidently counter and desk carrier eating places.
The Island Tower at Disney’s Polynesian Villas & Bungalows will open on December 17, 2024. The brand new Poly tower will be offering villas brimming with unique paintings encouraged via the Polynesian Islands, wayfinding and the herbal parts: earth, water, wind and sky. Each and every visitor room can even function customized artwork encouraged via Moana.
One of the crucial giant updates for Summer time 2024 is that Walt Disney International has shared a First Have a look at Visitor Rooms for the Island Tower at Polynesian Hotel. In our view, those rooms glance lovely just right with a large number of intensity and texture, albeit just a little an excessive amount of beige and impartial colours. However we by no means anticipated the rooms to be a subject matter, as that’s one thing DVC does exceptionally smartly.
All visitors can now guide the Island Tower at Disney’s Polynesian Villas & Bungalows on-line or via contacting (407) 934-7639. Lately, handiest money charge reservations are to be had. Disney Holiday Membership contributors will have the ability to make points-based reservations at a later date that has but to be introduced.
Throughout the query & resolution portion of closing yr’s Condominium Affiliation assembly, DVC board member Yvonne Chang indicated that the brand new tower is slated to grow to be a part of the prevailing Polynesian Villas & Bungalows rental affiliation. Disney Holiday Membership has since formally showed that the Island Tower might be a part of the prevailing rental affiliation. That is precisely what Disney Holiday Membership did with the Giant Pine Key addition at Grand Floridian, so it’s no longer a complete surprise.
In equity, it wouldn’t were with out precedent to do two various rental associations. That’s precisely what came about a couple of years again at Desert Hotel, which now has separate associations for the Boulder Ridge Villas and Copper Creek Villas & Cabins. The brand new Poly tower is bigger and extra distinct than the Grand Floridian or Desert Hotel additions, so separate associations used to be a completely believable result right here.
This implies a couple of main issues. First, all present direct and resale house owners of Disney’s Polynesian Villas & Bungalows could have get right of entry to to the brand new Island Tower as a part of the 11 month reserving window, and people who purchase on the Island Tower could have get right of entry to to the legacy stock of the bungalows and studios within the longhouses.
It additionally manner there might be a blended 2066 possession finish date for all house owners. Annual dues may also be the similar for the Island Tower as they’re for the prevailing Poly Villas. Lately, dues are $8.23 in keeping with level, however we’d be aware that those are in response to precise prices, so the addition of the Island Tower may, in concept, build up or lower dues.
We’d be expecting a slight lower–economies of scale and all that–particularly since diluting prices on the ones over-the-water bungalows has gotta be a just right factor. With that stated, hard work prices have led to all motels to extend in the previous few years, so don’t be expecting quantities to in reality drop. It will have to be extra of an offset, no less than in concept, while different motels will most likely build up all over the similar time-frame. (Or we might be completely improper right here!)
In our view, including the Island Tower to the prevailing affiliation is the appropriate transfer. A number of years in the past, we addressed a not unusual query: Why is Disney Holiday Membership Availability So Restricted? That’s price studying, however should you don’t need to trouble, a part of the explanation used to be the bungalows. Including the brand new Poly tower to the present rental affiliation will have to assist dilute the ones features, making improvements to general availability.
Moreover, this offers extra selection for DVC contributors who already personal at Disney’s Polynesian Villas & Bungalows. This may occasionally upload duo studios, 1-bedroom villas, 2-bedroom villas, plus the brand-new two-bedroom penthouse villas, in addition to a special form of deluxe studio than within the present longhouses. This may occasionally make the Poly Villas way more flexible.
In the end, it received’t be topic to the feared resale restriction, since that doesn’t exist as a part of the present rental affiliation. I’m beginning to wonder if this protectionist “experiment” at Disney’s Riviera Hotel used to be deemed a failure, and possibly we received’t see it on the Cabins at Fortress Desert or Reflections – A Disney Lakeside Hotel. (On the other hand, it did seem once more for the Villas at Disneyland Lodge, so possibly no longer.)
All of this makes purchasing on the Polynesian Villas & Bungalows extra sexy to us. Granted, that’s as a result of we’d most likely handiest believe purchasing by means of the resale marketplace–and I’m nonetheless very hesitant till each seeing this in individual and experiencing the level to which it burdens the hotel’s infrastructure. Something is certain, even though–this seals the deal that we wouldn’t purchase at Disney’s Riviera Hotel!
Disney’s Polynesian Villas & Bungalows lately has 380 Disney Holiday Membership villas, together with the biggest Deluxe Studios at any Disney Holiday Membership hotel at Walt Disney International. There also are the original over-the-water two-bedroom Bora Bora Bungalows, which aren’t just about as fashionable and feature been problematic for his or her affect at the features pool.
This follows different paintings round Disney’s Polynesian Village Hotel in the previous few years. That incorporated improvements to the Nice Ceremonial Area, a brand new porte-cochère, and rebuilt monorail station. All of that appears just right, a pleasing step ahead for the hotel that maintained its thematic integrity whilst bringing wanted enhancements to the getting old belongings.
Room refurbishments had been additionally a part of the Poly’s overhaul. See our Evaluate, Footage & Video: New Moana Rooms at Polynesian Village Hotel for a excursion and ideas at the adjustments from our most up-to-date lodge keep. In the event you’re taking a look on the current DVC rooms, see our Evaluate, Footage & Video: New Rooms at Polynesian Villas.
Now let’s flip to a building replace as paintings progresses at the Polynesian tower as of mid-June 2024. Now not a lot has modified since our closing replace a pair months in the past–extra portray at the external and a few scaffolding down–which is possibly as a result of paintings has moved within the Island Tower…
Polynesian Tower Summer time 2024 Development Replace
Development continues to hurry forward at the DVC tower at Disney’s Polynesian Village Hotel. We just lately stayed on the Recent and noticed growth all over many monorail rides and journeys across the Seven Seas Lagoon; listed here are footage appearing the paintings finished up to now, in addition to the dimensions of this construction as in comparison to the prevailing Poly longhouses, Wedding ceremony Pavilion, and Grand Floridian outer constructions. As you’ll be able to see from the footage above and underneath, the Poly tower rather actually towers above them!
Simply within the span of a couple of days, we noticed substantial growth. The Poly tower has been absolutely enclosed for a couple of months now, with paintings transferring to interiors and on external portray and accents. Greater than any in-park undertaking, the Poly tower is in reality being built with outstanding velocity. (If TRON Lightcycle Run or the EPCOT overhaul had been constructed with this feeling of urgency, each would’ve been performed years in the past!)
It’s fascinating to look at the paintings–to the level that it’s nonetheless visual. The Island Tower seems to be higher with those coats of paint than it did as undeniable concrete, however that’s no longer announcing a lot. It’s nonetheless completely hideous.
The boxy tower continues to be very incongruous with the entirety else across the monorail loop, and stands proud like a sore thumb. That’ll be the case when it’s absolutely completed, because it’s clearly no longer going to get any shorter or have a visible profile in line with the prevailing Polynesian Village Hotel. I nonetheless can’t imagine Disney concept this used to be applicable to construct at the shores of Seven Seas Lagoon. It used to be something with Disney’s Riviera Hotel or Gran Destino Tower, which can be relatively remoted, however this is a part of the ‘skyline’ of Magic Kingdom’s monorail loop.
This Island Tower on the Polynesian is progressing even sooner than did Disney’s Riviera Hotel or Gran Destino, and the ones went up lovely temporarily! It’s additionally fun how a lot sooner Walt Disney International builds motels as opposed to sights. Possibly “fun” isn’t the appropriate phrase. It’s just a little discouraging. Defenders of Disney will level to the comparative complexity, which is no less than partially truthful. However CommuniCore Corridor and Plaza and the encircling bushes in EPCOT aren’t precisely the head of Imagineering. The unlucky fact is that Disney purposefully prolongs building timelines in a lot of the ones initiatives to unfold capital expenditures over more than one fiscal years. However I digress.
The hot button is that the DVC tower at Disney’s Polynesian Village Hotel will have to simply make its Past due 2024 scheduled opening time-frame. If anything else, that turns out find it irresistible’s at the conservative facet if the undertaking assists in keeping up its present tempo. On the other hand, with Disney Holiday Membership gross sales slowing and each Riviera and Aulani nonetheless having quite a lot of unsold stock–to not point out the more recent Villas at Disneyland Lodge and the Cabins at Fortress Desert–possibly the tempo will sluggish so DVC can permit its current homes to promote first.
This could additionally give an explanation for why Disney hasn’t introduced a lot else in regards to the Polynesian tower. As unsightly as this development seems to be from the out of doors, it’ll promote like hotcakes. (As famous above, I believe it’s hideous…and would nonetheless believe purchasing right here as an issue of practicality.) As such, announcing as low as imaginable in regards to the Polynesian tower so it doesn’t scouse borrow the highlight from different new motels which are being actively bought is most likely the savvy transfer.
Polynesian DVC Island Tower Remark
I understand trade is inevitable, however I’ll leave out this trail and the seashores it passes. I’ve spent many a morning photographing the daybreak over right here, the use of the dual and triplet palm bushes on those seashores to border the Polynesian’s longhouses.
More recent Walt Disney International fanatics won’t comprehend it, however this stretch of land used to be as soon as slightly tranquil. I don’t recall what it used to be like ahead of the Wedding ceremony Pavilion used to be constructed within the mid-Nineties, however up till the Villas at Grand Floridian, it used to be a relaxed space with massive swaths of seaside and inexperienced area between the Polynesian and Grand Floridian. Now, there’s a large number of parking and building, with extra at the horizon. In reality has a “paved paradise to position up a carpark” more or less feeling to it.
My trustworthy hope is that the Island Tower is constructed as though it had been a standalone hotel like Riviera Hotel or the deliberate Reflections, slightly than within the taste of Bay Lake Tower or the Villas at Grand Floridian. That means, that it accommodates counter and desk carrier eating places and different facilities.
The closing time we stayed on the Polynesian, the seaside used to be filled with visitors all over the Disney Attraction fireworks–to the purpose that there used to be actually no to be had area–and the foyer used to be extremely crowded with other folks ready to be seated at ‘Ohana and somewhere else. The prevailing Polynesian infrastructure is incessantly already stretched to its verge of collapse, and this tower wishes to supply reduction to that. Including visitor rooms with out facilities will additional exacerbate the ones issues, so we in reality hope that isn’t the plan.
Common readers will recall that I used to be harsh in regards to the proposed Reflections – A Disney Lakeside Hotel (above), which used to be supposedly a “nature-inspired” hotel. It used to be slated for the previous River Nation water park location alongside the shore of Bay Lake between Desert Hotel and Fortress Desert.
Reflections – A Disney Lakeside Hotel used to be one of the most initiatives placed on indefinite cling on account of the closure. In keeping with Walt Disney International’s actions on that building website and scrubbing all references to Reflections from the web, the undertaking used to be safely assumed to be cancelled. I used to be ecstatic. Completely over the moon in line with its cancellation. Reflections used to be a half-baked plan from the beginning, and Disney no longer continuing with it used to be a just right factor.
This Poly tower information makes me want that Reflections – A Disney Lakeside Hotel had been by no means cancelled. Now not as a result of I’ve abruptly had an about-face on Reflections (a ways from it), however as a result of it could imply that this very-similar taking a look undertaking on the Polynesian would no longer be going down.
Possibly it could be merely an issue of stopping the inevitable, with the website between the Grand Floridian and Polynesian Village Motels slated for long run growth down the street. I’d nonetheless roll the cube on that. No less than delaying building would possibly imply getting one thing that appears suitable for the world, and has some semblance of theme.
As for remark in regards to the design, I needed to take a look at my calendar after I first noticed the Poly tower idea artwork, considering perhaps it used to be April Fools’ Day. A lot to my sadness, this isn’t a lame funny story. (It’s lame, simply no longer a funny story.)
I received’t rehash it all right here, however my criticisms of this new DVC tower on the Polynesian are just about just like the ones of Reflections. That’s in no small section as a result of this undertaking bears a hanging resemblance to the cancelled Reflections tower. (My unhealthy–Imagineers had been encouraged via the unique Poly plans. Positive factor.)
Disney’s contemporary method to growing resorts adjoining to current motels doesn’t encourage a lot self assurance, and this seems like a generically fashionable design that will be at house in Vacation Inn’s portfolio.
Any individual who has been to just about any main metro space in the previous few years has no doubt observed one thing no less than vaguely very similar to this Polynesian addition. It seems to be so much like mixed-use tendencies in Anaheim–to not point out the Disneyland Lodge DVC tower (underneath), and even the cancelled Reflections plan.
That those 3 designs are just about indistinguishable regardless of being positioned a 3 very thematically-different motels will have to say all that must be stated. In spite of Disney’s best possible efforts to invoke previous plans and historical past to preemptively stymie grievance of this unambitious addition, the true “inspiration” is just fashionable, generic lodge/rental/condominium towers.
Possibly a few of you’re going to brush aside this as useless negativity, particularly those that had been taking a look ahead to Reflections or are giant fanatics of latest Walt Disney International hotel additions. That’s clearly your prerogative, and to each and every their very own.
The article is, we’ve got no longer been unfavorable about each lodge trade at Walt Disney International. On the contrary, we’ve been extra certain than the common reader about contemporary hotel reimaginings, adjustments, and expansions. The DVC conversion at Grand Floridian makes entire sense, and the ones rooms glance great. The brand new foyer on the Recent is improbable.
Past that, lots of the new room designs in the previous few years are typically just right, with Riviera Hotel (above) offering the template for a way the ones will have to be performed. Each and every DVC room redo since then–from Saratoga Springs to Boulder Ridge or even the brand new Disneyland Lodge–has been a marked development. Disney is getting serve as proper–it’s shape that’s the issue.
Extra in particular, it’s the brand new builds and cost-cutting design that I to find problematic. In the previous few years, Imagineering has in reality discovered its groove with the interiors, together with room redesigns. Against this, it kind of feels like the present sentiment is that the outside and integration of theme merely does no longer subject. It’s less expensive to construct boxy towers, in order that’s what they do.
While you evaluate Walt Disney International motels constructed ahead of the mid-Nineties to ones constructed or redesigned in the previous few years, there’s typically a transparent department. Present initiatives are incessantly interchangeable with actual global Vacation Resorts or different mid-tier chained model resorts.
Have a look at the variation between BoardWalk Inn or Seashore Membership and the brand new on line casino tower at Coronado or the Fairfield Inn Des Moines Airport Riviera Hotel. There merely isn’t the similar intensity of element within the designs with new builds at Walt Disney International–they don’t seem to be themed.
One rationalization is that Disney merely doesn’t need to spend on themed structure, which devour into benefit margins on DVC contract gross sales. This is sensible, and in addition explains why Disney is including those towers along current motels slightly than making them standalone homes. Through development adjoining to present resorts, they are able to proportion infrastructure or don’t wish to be offering each amenity on-site.
Some other rationalization is that the corporate needs to make issues as crowd-pleasing as imaginable as a way to no longer alienate any possible shoppers. The article about this way is that while you attempt to attraction to everybody, you find yourself interesting to nobody. Both means, I don’t get it.
I’m no longer completely unreasonable about building at Walt Disney International, I simply suppose it must be performed in a sustainable means, and person who’s respectful of what already exists. Like Gran Destino Tower or Disney’s Riviera Hotel, I don’t have any doubt that this Poly tower could have nice visitor rooms, be offering profitable options, and purposeful improvements to the Poly.
I’d believe it’ll additionally upload 1-bedroom and bigger rooms to Disney’s Polynesian Villas & Bungalows, one thing that has been asked via DVC house owners for years. From that point of view on my own, I think many contributors will believe this addition a “win.”
As a lot disdain as I’ve for the outside look of Gran Destino and the Riviera, they’re each very good motels if all you care about is their substantive choices and consider them handiest from the interior, or in isolation. To be truthful, that can be the case for lots of of you.
The out of doors look of 4 Seasons Orlando isn’t precisely anything else particular, however it’s a really perfect lodge at the inside of. The important difference is that 4 Seasons is understood for superlative carrier, no longer Disney design–and the 4 Seasons didn’t affect the prevailing ‘skyline’ of Walt Disney International when constructed.
In my opinion, I believe it’s very reasonable to mention that Walt Disney International will have to goal upper as themed design and immersive environments are its calling card. External design being “just right sufficient” for downtown Anaheim will have to no longer be the bar through which Imagineering is measured. One thing being enough to “supplement” Angel Stadium isn’t rather the similar because it becoming with the flagship Grand Floridian or iconic Polynesian. The ones are exemplars of themed design, and if additions aren’t able to matching their glance, they just shouldn’t be constructed.
At this level, I believe like I’m losing my breath with all of this, even though. In the event you don’t take a look at the idea that artwork for the Polynesian tower on the most sensible of this submit and in an instant suppose that it’s misplaced, there’s most likely not anything I will say that’ll trade your thoughts. We merely have various tastes and expectancies in regards to the caliber of product Walt Disney International will have to be turning in given the prices and its wealthy legacy. To me, that is all very glaring, however I assume cheap minds might range.
Making plans a Walt Disney International shuttle? Know about resorts on our Walt Disney International Lodges Opinions web page. For the place to devour, learn our Walt Disney International Eating place Opinions. To economize on tickets or decide which sort to shop for, learn our Pointers for Saving Cash on Walt Disney International Tickets submit. Our What to Pack for Disney Journeys submit takes a novel take a look at artful pieces to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney International Experience Guides will assist. For complete recommendation, the most productive position to start out is our Walt Disney International Travel Making plans Information for the entirety you wish to have to grasp!
YOUR THOUGHTS
What do you recall to mind this Walt Disney International information? Are you positive or pessimistic a couple of new tower being added to Disney’s Polynesian Village Hotel? Glad that DVC is increasing the Poly Villas, or want they’d construct a brand new stand-alone hotel? In the event you’re a Polynesian (lodge) fan, are you disappointed via this or detached to it? Do you settle or disagree with our review? Any questions we will be able to will let you resolution? Listening to your comments–even while you disagree with us–is each fascinating to us and useful to different readers, so please proportion your ideas underneath within the feedback!
