I will start out by saying that I think there are some valid arguments from people who have stayed there recently who say they have had bad service. There are still a lot of people who have had great experiences but that does not help those who did not. Also there are some that do not like the look and feel of the Polynesian and they are not alone so there would be no reason to tell them they are crazy for not liking the Polynesian.
Now if we go to the facts and leave feeling out of it than we can discount the fact that the design is 70s or dated. Now if any of the rooms are worn it could be from the storm or it has just happened over the last 4-5 years.
First off with the 70s description, none of the design was based off 70 decore or design except for the turquoise and yellow tile that use to be in the lobby and the furniture that use to be around the resort. Well all of that has been gone since the mid 90s when they brought in some people from the Kaanapali Beach resort to help redecorate the Polynesian. This is when the rock replaced the tile in the lobby and all the rooms were gutted and redesigned with not a trace of anything that was in the room before. Here is what the rooms use to look like in the 70s.
I think the thing that gets me the most is how some call the Polynesian resort dark, 70s or (my favorite to hate) Brady Bunch. Ok so the Brady Bunch went to Hawaii once. Does that mean that all things Hawaiian are Brady Bunch? As far as 70s, well the Polynesian was built in the 70s and the 40s- the early 70s had a big Tiki pop culture but if you look at the original photos of the Polynesian in the 70s on my web page you will see that when they updated in the mid 80s they got rid of the 70s stuff and replaced it with the same materials and colors that you would find in old Polynesia. They even order fabric and building materials from Hawaii for the Polynesian. Now the dark thing gets me almost as much as the Brady Bunch thing. I can not imagine the Polynesian being bright with pastel colors like the Grand Floridian. The Disney designers spent time in places like Samoa,Tahiti,and Hawaii to come up with the designs. The design for the Great Ceremonial House (GCH) was inspired by the royal assembly lodges in Tahiti. The longhouses were designed after authentic Hawaiian longhouses and is the reason the original houses did not have balconies outside their rooms.
The two newest longhouses are only 3 years older than the GF so if the GF old and dated? Even the fountain and plants were redone in the lobby just a few years ago. The whole center area of the resort was gutted and new paths were put in everywhere with the new pool added.
With in the next few years the rooms are going to be completely changed again but there is nothing old in the rooms now. In fact it would be hard to find anything at the resort that is original that you can see. Even all the wood on the outer surface of the buildings was pulled off and replaced when they were working on the buildings. The lobby is set to be completely redone with relocating stores and making new areas with a larger area for Captain cooks and a new arcade in the lobby area.
I realize people might remember the Polynesian as the same as in the 70s but the facts are that it is not. When I think back I sometimes feel it is the same but looking at all the old photos and comparing to now there is not much that looks the same other than buildings are in the same place. There are many people who complain that the Polynesian has changed too much.
Again it is the right of everyone to not like the same things but some descriptions of the Polynesian that people state as fact just are not so if you want to come after me for sticking to the facts than be my guest.
