Abandoned resorts

[WillCAD]

Originally Posted by Amy&Dan

It amazes me each time I see that mess when I stay at Pop. This is the kind of thing Walt Disney would have never allowed! The fact you can see that section from parts of Pop Century and the road is just amazing. I mean they have vast underground networks at the parks for the cm's to get around so that you don't see employees coming in and out of work, yet they have this whole abandoned section of a resort that looks like it got hit by a nuclear bomb. I just dont' get it.

That's an exaggeration.

Magic Kingdom is the only park with a network of Utilidors, and although they are impressive, I woudn't call them "vast".

Walt certainly didn't like the idea of things that spoiled the suspension of disbelief in the parks, but he wasn't totally rabid about it. He developed that feeling after DLR was built, by spending time in the park and observing how seeing CMs in costumes from other lands looked out of place walking through the park to and from their work areas, and he developed his aesthetic sense after seeing unsightly billboards and hotels spring up just off-site, within view of some parts of the park.

I think if Walt were still alive and running the company, he'd probably just have the maintenance people take care of the landscaping at Legendary Years and maybe cover the facades with painted plywood to give the unfinished buildings a more cheerful appearance.

Personally, I don't think the Legendary Years looks all that bad. The landscaping is in need of care, and the buildings are unfinished, but I don't think it looks like it was "hit by a nuclear bomb" or that it detracts significantly from the experience of staying at Pop Century.

[VAN]

Just some comments. After 9/11 they discontinued work on the POP Century resort - it was about half-way done. That property sat that way for a couple of years before tourism picked back up and they finished/opened it.

I suspect the same thing with the new section. When they reach a point where it is profitable to finish it, they will.

River Country was, I think, one of the first water parks in the U.S. Yes, it was fun, but most of those sorts of attractions can be found at the other water parks. RC just had that rustic feel. I also think, besides the water quality, there may have been some advances in safety ... if they were to try to reopen it, it would think they would have to redesign some of the slides in order to not get sued because of safety issues. It was a small "water park" ... nothing like what BB or TL offers.

Adventure Island did close at the same time at AK. I believe it is now a nature preserve. At the time we visited, the ticketing (at least what we had) allowed you to visit for free. The boats that were used are the ones (or similar) to the ones used today on the WL-FW-Contemporary & Poly-GF-MK routes. They had a couple of animal shows on the island - one with reptiles and then a bird show (similar to the one at AK).

The treehouses sat empty for years - at one point we were told that they were used for interns. To reopen, we were also told they would have to do some handicap-accessible remodeling. I believe it is correct to say that only a certain % of the rooms need to be handicap-accessible. Anyway, they just (or are about to) reopen as part of the Old Key West resort.

If any of you visit Las Vegas, you will see with the current economic downtown a LOT of projects have been temporarily abandoned until the economy improves. I mean, except for City Center, I think pretty much everything has been put on hold.

Sign of the times and all that.

[hearts8701]

pop looks worst in person especially at night looking at it from across the lake doors are open railings broken it looks like a ghost town
i don't believe this is how disney would like things although he was not alive when the resorts where build it was not the style of disney in the early years i remember if you seen a sandbox (there was one at DTD) it had buckets and shovels for kids to play i think disney inc.has ventured more into their movies corp. and less on theme parks making theme parks #2 sad really i have been going every year since it has opened and see alot of bad changes the parks also have alot of unused land especially MK

[sbell111]

Originally Posted by WillCAD

... I think if Walt were still alive and running the company, he'd probably just have the maintenance people take care of the landscaping at Legendary Years and maybe cover the facades with painted plywood to give the unfinished buildings a more cheerful appearance.

Personally, I don't think the Legendary Years looks all that bad. The landscaping is in need of care, and the buildings are unfinished, but I don't think it looks like it was "hit by a nuclear bomb" or that it detracts significantly from the experience of staying at Pop Century.

I completely agree.

We stayed at POP last week. It was interesting to see the unfinished part, but it wasn't creepy or sad. It basically just looks like a construction site without heavy equipment. In fact, if I didn't know better, I would believe you if you told me that it was active construction viewed on a non-work day.

I certainly don't believe that the mere fact that legendary years hasn't been finished detracted from our stay, at all. In fact, it enhanced it because I wandered across the bridge and took some good pics of the buildings. I also thought that it was interesting that the buildings are painted in such a way to make them less noticible.

Finally, I think that it would be ridiculous and wasteful for them to be torn down simply because the project is on hold. There is absolutely no downside to letting them sit tight.

I was surprised by the pic of the door being opened. This has been reported previously so I was careful to scout all of the doors that I could see with my 300mm lens and could find no open ones. Perhaps parts of the buildings are being used for storage (or are actually being worked on).

[rt2dz]

Originally Posted by VAN

Just some comments. After 9/11 they discontinued work on the POP Century resort - it was about half-way done. That property sat that way for a couple of years before tourism picked back up and they finished/opened it.

I suspect the same thing with the new section. When they reach a point where it is profitable to finish it, they will.

River Country was, I think, one of the first water parks in the U.S. Yes, it was fun, but most of those sorts of attractions can be found at the other water parks. RC just had that rustic feel. I also think, besides the water quality, there may have been some advances in safety ... if they were to try to reopen it, it would think they would have to redesign some of the slides in order to not get sued because of safety issues. It was a small "water park" ... nothing like what BB or TL offers.

Adventure Island did close at the same time at AK. I believe it is now a nature preserve. At the time we visited, the ticketing (at least what we had) allowed you to visit for free. The boats that were used are the ones (or similar) to the ones used today on the WL-FW-Contemporary & Poly-GF-MK routes. They had a couple of animal shows on the island - one with reptiles and then a bird show (similar to the one at AK).

The treehouses sat empty for years - at one point we were told that they were used for interns. They couldn't be open to the public because of handicap reasons. To reopen, we were also told they would have to do some handicap-accessible remodeling. I believe it is correct to say that only a certain % of the rooms need to be handicap-accessible. Anyway, they just (or are about to) reopen as part of the Old Key West resort.

If any of you visit Las Vegas, you will see with the current economic downtown a LOT of projects have been temporarily abandoned until the economy improves. I mean, except for City Center, I think pretty much everything has been put on hold.

Sign of the times and all that.

Close. Very close.

Disney has filed for permits for a mock-up for Animation Inn & suites. The rumor is that the Pop will be rebranded for the “Inn” part and the unfinished part of the Pop will become the “Suites”, especially considering the popularity of the family Suites at ASMu. It seems to me, that this will most likely happen during the economy downturn and not when the economy pops up. If bookings are already down, it would make sense to close the resort when it is not needed and then be up and ready when the economy starts to rebound. You wouldn’t want to close it down when rooms will be more in demand. Especially when it costs money to keep 1/2 empty resorts up and running.

The tree houses were used for interns/college program for a while. I think after one of the hurricanes, they suffered too much damage. Due to Disney’s building laws, they didn’t knock them down or they could never rebuild there—or at least that’s what I read. They have remodeled them and they are about to re-open as part of SSR (NOT Old Key West).

Discovery Island closed when AK opened because they competed. It is a nature preserve now for wildlife. It isn’t sitting abandon; it’s just not open to the public. At one time it was, but not anymore.

As far as River Country goes, it was cool back in the day. It was not the first water park. When we were kids we used to go to a nearby water park, but when River Country opened, we started going there instead. FL water laws require a massive overhaul that at this time isn’t economically feasible, even in a good economy. People are not allowed to swim in the river water, which River Country used. Health reasons. That’s why you can’t swim in the lakes at Disney also. Disney will probably at some time do something with it at some time. But I wouldn’t expect it to happen any time soon. There were some safety issues too.

[Amy&Dan]

Originally Posted by WillCAD

That's an exaggeration.

Magic Kingdom is the only park with a network of Utilidors, and although they are impressive, I woudn't call them "vast".

Walt certainly didn't like the idea of things that spoiled the suspension of disbelief in the parks, but he wasn't totally rabid about it. He developed that feeling after DLR was built, by spending time in the park and observing how seeing CMs in costumes from other lands looked out of place walking through the park to and from their work areas, and he developed his aesthetic sense after seeing unsightly billboards and hotels spring up just off-site, within view of some parts of the park.

I think if Walt were still alive and running the company, he'd probably just have the maintenance people take care of the landscaping at Legendary Years and maybe cover the facades with painted plywood to give the unfinished buildings a more cheerful appearance.

Personally, I don't think the Legendary Years looks all that bad. The landscaping is in need of care, and the buildings are unfinished, but I don't think it looks like it was "hit by a nuclear bomb" or that it detracts significantly from the experience of staying at Pop Century.

Well we'll just have to agree to disagree. I think they look awful. But thanks for setting me in my place.

The reason I say they should be torn down is that there have been reports that they can't be occupied now anyway. I saw that in another thread and I was also told that by the a manager at Pop in October I was talking with one evening at the bus stop. They don't detract from my vacation per se, but I don't think they keep up with typical Disney standards. But in the end, neither you or I really knows how he'd feel about those abandoned Pop buildings I guess. But I don't think he'd like them very much.

[Brenle]

And lastly .. THIS picture.. is really interesting to me. It's of the buildings closest to the 50's parking lot. If you look closely and notice.. the part of the building that connects the three wings with stairs & elevators hasn't been built yet. The only way to the upper levels of the building would be via ladder I guess?



Just realized I didn't post the last photo by CanadianGuy.

[NMW]

Originally Posted by WillCAD

That's an exaggeration.

Magic Kingdom is the only park with a network of Utilidors, and although they are impressive, I woudn't call them "vast".

Walt certainly didn't like the idea of things that spoiled the suspension of disbelief in the parks, but he wasn't totally rabid about it. He developed that feeling after DLR was built, by spending time in the park and observing how seeing CMs in costumes from other lands looked out of place walking through the park to and from their work areas, and he developed his aesthetic sense after seeing unsightly billboards and hotels spring up just off-site, within view of some parts of the park.

I think if Walt were still alive and running the company, he'd probably just have the maintenance people take care of the landscaping at Legendary Years and maybe cover the facades with painted plywood to give the unfinished buildings a more cheerful appearance.

Personally, I don't think the Legendary Years looks all that bad. The landscaping is in need of care, and the buildings are unfinished, but I don't think it looks like it was "hit by a nuclear bomb" or that it detracts significantly from the experience of staying at Pop Century.

I think a lot of people would disagree that the Legendary Years don't look "all that bad." I think the abandoned buildings look horrible. I wish they would just tear them down. It's been what, seven years? Imagine how bad they are going to look in another seven years!

[Qtips4Mick]

I can't believe Pop was built post 9/11! Are you sure?

I also read the other day they were going to open suites in the new section of POP and I thought that meant in the legendary building. Anyone have the real scoop? I would love suites at Pop.

[millerjmls]

Here's some interesting info I dug up from wikipedia about Legendary Years.


The second phase of construction for the resort is the Legendary Years - 1900-1940. This part of the resort resides across the Hourglass Lake, and is connected by the Generation Gap Bridge. Its construction was halted after 9/11 due to the reduction in tourism. As of Summer 2006, the "Legendary Hall" building and a few of the units have been constructed but are not finished. The buildings can be seen on the right hand side of the entrance to Pop Century.

Initially the completed resort was to have an additional 2,880 rooms on the "Legendary" side, configured identically to the "Classic" side. However, as of April 10, 2006, the MousePlanet website has confirmed that these rooms will instead be configured as family suites, identical to those now available at Disney's All-Star Music Resort, with a separate master bedroom, two bathrooms and a kitchenette. In Summer 2007, some "hammering" noises could be heard and various Disney security vehicles could be spotted on the Legendary Years Lot, although there is no physical evidence that continuing construction is going on.

A few of the pop icons to represent these decades have already been revealed by the shape of the swimming pools in the design plans. The pool in the 1940s section is to be shaped like a highway sign, suggesting a "Route 66" motif. The pool in the 1930s will resemble a soda bottle, and the 1910s pool forms the outline of a Monopoly game board.

According to several reports in August 2008, Disney officials have returned to the Legendary Years site and are currently working at this location. It is unclear if construction will begin soon, but according to someone within 'the know' at Disney, they have been taking bids for the project. Also, according to a hotel worker at Pop Century, Imagineers have been measuring for the large icons to be added when construction is continued.

The parking lot for the Legendary Years section was completed during the earlier phase of construction, and occasionally is used as overflow parking for Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex.

[chigirl]

We stayed at POP in 2005 and I thought the Legendary Years side looked creepy then...but then we were on the bus to MK, we passed an an area on the side of the road that was filled with semi truck trailers and overgrown weeds. My husband asked, "If we are staying at a Value, what's that? An Extreme Value?"

[SueM in MN]

Originally Posted by VAN

The treehouses sat empty for years - at one point we were told that they were used for interns. To reopen, we were also told they would have to do some handicap-accessible remodeling. I believe it is correct to say that only a certain % of the rooms need to be handicap-accessible. Anyway, they just (or are about to) reopen as part of the Old Key West resort.

Handicapped accessibility is often mentioned as a reason they could not be re-opened or why they closed.

That is not correct though. There is a formula for how many handicapped accessible rooms need to be provided at a resort. It is based on the number of total units and I believe for the Treehouses it was 4 or 5 that would need to be accessible.
There have also been some posts indicating that some of the Treehouses were accessible. I don't think they were when they were originally built, but there was a remodel (not like the current one) in about 1998 (not sure of the date, but it was between hurricanes). It was after 1991, so they would have had to make some accessible Treehouses at that point, if there were none at that time that were.

Originally Posted by rt2dz

The tree houses were used for interns/college program for a while. I think after one of the hurricanes, they suffered too much damage. Due to Disney’s building laws, they didn’t knock them down or they could never rebuild there—or at least that’s what I read. They have remodeled them and they are about to re-open as part of SSR (NOT Old Key West).

It was rules related to wetlands preservation. Whatever they built had to take up the same or less space than the original Treehouses and they had to take down and build in a way that preserved the trees on the property.

You beat me in posting that the new Treehouses are part of SSR, bit part of OKW.

[Alexander]

Pop was not built post 9/11, it was in the process of being built when the 9/11 tragedy occurred. Tourism came to an almost grinding halt. There was a huge decrease in attendance to WDW. Therefore, continuing to finish all of the buildings wasn't feasible.

The Treehouse Villas were run-down and unusable. For a while they were used for interns. Yes, they are on wetlands and there are strict federal regulations regarding building on wetlands. They are now being rebuilt in pre-fabricated sections. It is a really cool process the way they are bringing in the pieces of the buildings and placing the together with cranes. They will be part of SSR.

Discovery Island was once available for tours. However, it is now a bird sanctuary, which it kind of was when open....Birds are very dirty and carry many contagious diseases. The island is not suitable for humans anymore.

River Country was the best. We went there as kids. It was the first Disney water park. Wet 'n Wild was also around, but not owned or operated by Disney. River County too was closed. Rumors are that the water was no longer deemed safe for humans to be in. Typhoon Lagoon was already open when RC closed, so I don't know how the attendance figures were at RC or if that had anything to do with it closing.

Regarding not building Pop and continuing to build DVC resorts. Do you have any idea how much money people are paying to join DVC? They are essentially paying for the building of those resorts. Renting rooms at a value resort will take much, much longer to pay for the construction than the sale of ownership in the DVC resorts. Minimum investment for a new DVC contract purchased through Disney is over $16,000. Add to that annual maintenance fees, and these resorts are much more feasible for Disney to build than value resorts.

[CanadianGuy]

Pop Century - in all likelihood - construction will get going again this spring to take advantage of lower construction costs while the economy is 'down' and they will be ready to open just as the economy is likely to get going again.

Treehouses - they're getting ready to re-open in the next 12 months or so.

River Country - is closed for good I'd say.

[PrincessDuck]

The treehouses will start opening in June!!!