Ok, I'm tryyyyying to be objective here... which is hard, because I'm a fanboy, and there's no changing that.
Not that I'd want to.
The Polynesian was built in 1971. That alone dates the style somewhat, because it's kind of hard to change the style of the longhouses and the resort was built on the idea of a 1970's fantasy tropical getaway.
The Contemporary isn't exactly contemporary anymore either, but it's still a very nice place, and is nostalgic and heartwarming, as is the Poly.
I think if they had stuck with the original look and colors of the resort that it would come off dated now, and back in the 70's and early 80's I can definitely see where the "Brady Bunch" thing comes from.
I mean, look at these benches around the waterfall in the GCH (1978) (oh, how I wish I had my own photo of the yellow and green tile on the floors to use, there's a well known Poly fan site out there that does if you care to look):
...and those awfully yellow "water mice" (photo 1987):
But, it has been updated very much since then.
Here's the same area in the GCH last year (sorry about the lighting, it was taken at like 5:30 AM while the lights in the GCH were still dim, I can't believe I don't have daytime photos of this area.):
And the newer "water mice":
Every aspect of the interiors of the resort has been updated with a newer theme and color scheme. Brown remains a consistent color throughout the resort because it lends to the wooden and tropical feel of the resort and some people do find it to be "dark".
But even in that aspect, where the longhouses used to be extremely brown:
...they are now accented with bright oranges, yellows and whites:
The rooms were refurbished in 2006, and I think also have a very welcoming feeling to them. Last year I didn't find them to be in the least bit of disrepair or feel run-down at all (although I'm sure if you nitpick you're bound to find some wear and tear, which is natural in any resort with that rate of occupancy:
All in all, I think you have to "get" the theme that they're going for. It's very earth-toned and natural feeling, with splashes of color. The hallways in the longhouses are a little dimmer and the lighting more subdued. To me this makes it feel more cozy and gives the whole resort a more subtle feel.
As for the smell... ::sigh:: that smell to me is just a smell of peace and tranquility and a Disney tropical vacation. I wish I could bottle it up and bring it home with me. But, then again, if I smelled it every day, it wouldn't be so special.
Ok, It's getting late, and I'm overtired and starting to babble a little. I hope that I've helped some.
with the polynesian and that room!!! I can't say enough about it. We're in love. the TTC is sooo close to tahiti. we actually ALWAYS walked there for the monorail- instead of ever walking to the GCH. Captain cooks was yummy. It was our first time there (we did have a bit of a wait for the food- but otherwise- we loved it). We've been to kona and ohana- we knew we loved them. The weather was perfect. The pool was perfect. THE ROOM WAS RIDICULOUSLY LARGE. I was beside myself. The view of the water pageant and wishes from our room was-- perfect. Contemporary used to be my hand-down favorite resort- but I just can't stop raving about how much we loved our room this past weekend. We had a very magical weekend. We know we will be back.
You completely eased any feeling I would have of it being "cheesy" 
