Construction Update at the Polynesian: May 21, 2014

Not too many substantive changes this week, but here we go.

Cabanas

The cabanas are coming along quickly, and every time I go back I have to make the shot wider to get all of the action.

Walls Around the Water Feature

More walls are sprouting up around the central water feature. It seems Disney is trying to acclimate people to the idea that the feature will soon be entirely obscured gradually.

The view from the upper level is now entirely walled off.

And there is now one wall on the lower level, obstructing the view from the rear entrance.

At the moment, this is the only wall blocking the water feature on the lobby level. You can still see it from the other three sides.

And, as you probably noticed, lighting fixtures have been installed on the walls.

Wall at former Captain Cook’s site decorated

The wall that obstructs the former Moana Mickey Arcade and Captain Cook’s has been decorated with a red pattern, a Lilo and Stitch cutout, and images of Trader Sam’s Grog Grotto, announced earlier this month. Presumably, this will be the site of the new lounge.

Club Disney sign revealed, walkway opened.

The walkway in front of the former Neverland Club, now Club Disney, has been reopened and the new signage has been uncovered. The Neverland Club, now Club Disney, is expected to reopen in mid-June. A walkway adjacent has been closed and is being repaved.

Misc.

Images not otherwise categorized, most of which do not represent significant change.

Little waterfall outside Great Ceremonial House still OK

TTC walkway still tarped on both sides; Rapa Nui and Tahiti under conversion

Construction access gates between Rapa Nui and Tahiti sites. This is near the start of the TTC walkway and the workers are preparing to move a vehicle across the path.

Map

Just a slight change this week as far as the map is concerned: the opening of the Club Disney walkway and closure of its adjacent walkway.

Construction Update at the Polynesian: May 7-13, 2014

I’ve decided to make the Poly construction updates a weekly series. Since we established a baseline with our first construction update, we’ll only have to cover the deltas in these weekly installments, which should make it slightly less onerous. This article reflects status as of May 13 unless otherwise noted, although some photos were taken on May 7 or earlier.

This is also the first update since Disney’s new concept renderings for the Poly were released. These renderings confirmed the widespread rumors that the lobby’s central water feature would be removed.

Progress on Cabanas

The Cabanas are taking shape quickly. Included are two panoramas of the cabanas, one from May 7, and one from May 13. The previous article also includes a panoramic image of the cabanas.

Additional cabanas on the far right have been framed out.

Here’s a panorama taken from a different angle. It has a less direct view inside the cabanas, but shows more of the construction site.

You see that the crane is hard at work on something behind that tarp. Here’s the best image I could get behind the tarp.

Behind the Tarp: Poly Beach Construction

Changes in the Great Ceremonial House

The Great Ceremonial House has seen a few changes, though they’re mostly tucked away. There is one highly-visible bombshell that we’ll address after the mundane stuff.

Kona Cafe unharmed for the time being, despite an image showing the counter under a translucent tarp on May 5.

Extended walls consume most of the walkway parallel to Captain Cook's

Captain Cook's exterior wall extension 2

These things are not that surprising, as the services in the rear of the GCH have already been closed, and the partial closure of the entry way doesn’t have a major impact on service.

But then, on May 8, two walls were placed on the upper floor of the lobby.

This is what you see as soon as you step off the monorail. A big, beige wall blocks what used to be an elegant view of the water feature.

The wall extends to the edge of the bannister.

Monorail boarding doors from Kona Cafe, with new wall

The view from the upper floor is not completely blocked; only two sides have been walled thus far. This is the wall opposite Kona Cafe, in the Tambu Lounge.

The wall in the Tambu Lounge. Ohana reception desk shown in foreground.

The other wall, as seen from the lower level

This is a pretty big deal, and Disney undoubtedly left some view of the water feature open so that people could have time to adjust to the concept of not seeing it anymore. Any way you slice it, the water feature’s days are numbered, and it will soon be removed — hence the two walls that are already up.

Tokelau Closed and Tarped

A third longhouse has been vacated and tarped for transformation into a DVC property.

Tokelau in process of tarping, April 27, 2014

The walkway from the TTC is tarped along Tokelau's perimeter

Tokelau Walkway Tarped

Neverland Club Walkway Closed; Sign Covered

The Neverland Club Walkway is now closed off and the sign has been covered with a blanket.

Map

Here’s an updated map.

Disney Junior Live on Stage: Ads v. Reality

We’ve been to Disney Junior Live on Stage with our little ones twice now. We’ve received requests to demonstrate the differentiation between the ads and reality, and will do so by image.

First, the expectations set in the advertisement. These are screenshots from the 2013 Walt Disney World Vacation Planning DVD.

Upon seeing this, you may think Disney Junior Live on Stage is a great opportunity for your kids to get some wiggles out before they’re dragged along to the next way-over-their-heads Hollywood Studios attraction. You may think it’d be fun for your kids to have some relief and get to jump around and play like kids want to do.

But you should know, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. And in this case, it actually is. This is the terrible reality.

No room to move, no room to see. Lots of uncomfortable and ornery adults. The discomfort is aggravated by the fact that one must attempt to keep their child situated such that he/she doesn’t block the view of anyone behind them or stomp on anyone’s body parts.

We’ve been twice and had this same experience. Both visits were on low-crowd level days. One was the first show of the day, and another was the 3rd or 4th. We had FastPass+ for the second one, and while this makes it more likely that you’ll be on a perimeter, giving adults room to stretch their legs and kids a little room to move around, it can be hard to see the puppets on stage from that distance.

Many children still enjoy Disney Junior Live on Stage, but I’ve gotten requests to clarify this little advertising oversight that implies there is actually room to play or dance.

Walt Disney World News Roundup — Week of Apr 27-May 3, 2014

This week has been huge for Walt Disney World news, with both the 7DMT dedication ceremony and the summer press event occurring on May 2.

Seven Dwarfs Mine Train Dedication and Open Date

First, the 7DMT dedication ceremony. The event itself was a brief, generic oration for which Snow White and all of her Seven Dwarfs were on hand. The noteworthy piece of news shared immediately after this event was the official opening date for Seven Dwarfs Mine Train: May 28, 2014. A “soft open”, or early unofficial opening, may occur at any time between now and that time, but no reports of this have been heard thus far.

FastPasses are available on Disney’s site now for dates from May 28 forward.

Animal Kingdom Night-time Hard Ticket Event, Harambe Nights

A night-time hard-ticket event at Disney’s Animal Kingdom has been announced. Entitled Harambe Nights, the event will occur most Saturday evenings throughout the summer and will be hosted by a celebrity narrator. The show begins at 7:30pm. The first night, June 7, has already sold out.

Harambe Nights Ticket Prices
Standard Seating	Premium Seating
$119 (adult) $79 (ages 3-9)	$134 (adult) $94 (ages 3-9)

After the show concludes, Harambe Nights Street Party will begin, featuring a free buffet, character greets, exclusive merchandise, and a “special finale”.

Harambe Nights Brings Summer Fun to Disney's Animal Kingdom

Free Dining Dates for Disney Visa

Let’s take a breather here with some tamer news from earlier in the week. Disney announced free dining dates for Disney Visa cardholders. Dates for The Rest of Us^tm will be announced soon and will probably overlap significantly with these dates. Reservations for free dining for Disney Visa cardholders began being accepted on May 2.

August 31 – October 3
October 26 – November 1
November 9 – November 20
December 12 – December 23

This discount is not available for rooms booked at Port Orleans Riverside, Port Orleans French Quarter, All-Star Movies, Fort Wilderness Campsites, Art of Animation Little Mermaid Rooms, Grand Floridian Villas, or any 3-bedroom villa.

Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort

We’ve discussed elsewhere on this blog the extensive renovations ongoing at Disney’s Polynesian Resort, and now more detail has been revealed about what we can expect when refurbishment completes in 2015.

As rumored, Disney will change the Polynesian’s formal name to Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort,Â reverting to the name used when the resort originally opened in 1971.

Rumors that the much-adored lobby would be converted to a more open environment have also been validated, with the release of this rendering:

The massive water feature that currently occupies the lobby and stretches into the second story of the Great Ceremonial House will be removed entirely and replaced with a modest circular fountain. Bagged bulbs and orbs will now hang from the ceiling, filling the gap left in the second floor by the water feature’s removal. This is one of the most controversial revisions in a long while. It also looks like the wooden floors will be replaced with marble and the seating areas completely retooled.

The Poly will also receive a new lounge, Trader Sam’s Grog Grotto, inspired by Trader Sam of the Jungle Cruise and the canonical Trader Sam’s Enchanted Tiki Bar at Disneyland Hotel.

“Rivers of Light” Night-time Spectacular at Disney’s Animal Kingdom

Although light on details, a new night-time show,Â Rivers of Light, was announced for Disney’s Animal Kingdom, utilizing water screens and lasers similar to those seen in Fantasmic! to project colorful images of animals into the corridor between Discovery Island and Expedition Everest. Between this and Harambe Nights, Disney is working to turn Animal Kingdom into an attractive all-day experience apart from and ahead of The World of Pandora (colloquially known as “Avatarland”). At present, the park almost always closes around sunset and has a reputation as a “half-day park”.

New Details on "Rivers of Light" Nighttime Spectacular Coming to Disney's Animal Kingdom

Â Festival of The Lion King reopening in June

Festival of the Lion King, a stage show production at Animal Kingdom and one of the park’s main headliners, will reopen in June at a new theater in the Africa section of the park. The show’s previous theater was located in Camp Minnie-Mickey, which was closed to be remade into The World of Pandora.

Festival of the Lion King Set to Open in June 2014

Disney Springs

Downtown Disney is undergoing renovation now to become Disney Springs by 2016. The entire area is being completely rethemed into its polar opposite, abandoning the urban theme of a vibrant downtown in favor of a sleepy, cozy feel that “draws inspiration from Florida’s waterfront towns and natural beauty” and splits the area into four distinct “neighborhoods”. Although much of the Disney Springs concept was revealed in March 2013, several new renders of Disney Springs were released this week.

The images clearly communicate the overgrown feel that Disney is pursuing. One could not ask for a more stark transformation.

That’s a wrap

That about covers the major new developments from this busy week. Keep checking in for more news roundups and construction updates as things develop around Walt Disney World.