Disney's Great Escapes on now (EST)

[Pooh67_68]

Travel Channel

 

[DeterminedOne]

I just HAPPEN to have the day off from work and we just HAPPENED to recently get a new cable system with the Travel channel. I want to call DH at work and tell him to turn on the tv. They started with GF and now they are previewing AKL. I feel great watching it!!!

 

[Suzanne74]

I'm watching it and Tivo'ing it - thanks

Do they talk about all the resorts or just the deluxes???

 

[Pooh67_68]

According to the email reminder from the travel channel, it is just the deluxes.

Guess this is wrong they just had Pop Century.

 

[agnes!]

I just started watching this, Thanks for the heads-up Pooh67_78! But I didn't get the start of the show...
hey it's not just the deluxes, POP's on now!
Anyway...would someone please send me a tape? PM me & maybe we can work something out.
Something I noticed, they re-use footage form Samantha' Brown's show, she's just edited out.

thanks to anyone who can send me a tape.
agnes!

 

[Luckymommyx2]

I just missed it but knowing the travel channel...it'll be on again, and again and again. I'll keep an eye on the listings to see when it's on next.

 

[SeaSpray]

If you've seen the "Great Hotels" versions, then there was very little that was new on this show. What a major disappointment. I thought they might FINALLY show the Polynesian resort.

 

[agnes!]

...I don't know how to tape from our satellite/video set-up (pathetic, I *know*). So, if anybody here ever tapes this show, PM me & maybe we can work something out.

tia,
agnes!
PS - The Polynesian wasn't on this show?!? Sheesh. Maybe the Travel Channel should have a Disney Week - Great Escapes, WDW Deluxes(with the Poly, please!), Moderates & the Values plus all the parks/lodging elsewhere(Tokyo DisneyLand, Disneyland Paris, Hong Kong...)

 

[TammiMcMan]

Well, that was strangely put together. I wonder how they decided which mix of hotels to put. I was disappointed in not seeing the CR or the Poly and I don't think a moderate was represented at all. I too recognized the back of Samantha Brown in a number of shots, so it must of been edited with the Great Hotels series. A few of those "tips" had me shaking my head. Unless you needed to get in your daily 5 miles of walking, I would never suggest that someone walk from the YC/BC all the way to the entrance of Epcot just to ride the monorail to the MK. Not too mention, that unless you have a park hopper, you can't do it anyway. Can we see a show of hands for all those DIS'ers who "mentioned" they were having a birthday and never got any of the treats that were mentioned in another tip. Do you think we could find a network that would do an unofficial DIS sponsored travel show?

 

[disneyfans4ever]

If you've seen the "Great Hotels" versions, then there was very little that was new on this show. What a major disappointment. I thought they might FINALLY show the Polynesian resort.

I agree...I was disappointed with this show also. Especially since they used most of Samantha Brown's words or shots from "Great Hotels." And where was the Poly or CR?!?! Oh well...

 

[goofy4tink]

Yep, just another version of Great Hotels. I did see Samantha in a lot of shots...on BTMRR, in SAB on the slide, walking into the Rose and Crown. I wondered how many of us were going to catch those little mistakes. Special treats all day?? Don't think so. And the walk thru Epcot to catch the monorail to MK? Now there will be a ton of people out there saying it's the best way to get there. And a bus from the GF to MK? I didn't think there was one.
I too, wish they would include CR and Polynesian once and awhile. But obviously they don't since they haven't done a Great Hotels episode on them. That's why I was so surprised to see Pop and SSR included.

 

[slk537]

I am really disappointed too - I have the DVR on the Dish set to tape anything with "Disney World" in it (I'm a freak, what can I say?) and I was really hoping they would have the Polynesian on there.

Dangit!

 

[crazyj4488]

Just watched it and it just seemed like a big commercial for the resorts. Not my cup of tea.

 

[ksoehrlein]

...I don't know how to tape from our satellite/video set-up (pathetic, I *know*). So, if anybody here ever tapes this show, PM me & maybe we can work something out.

Not pathetic at all. I'm working right now, trusting that TiVo will obey my every command and record this episode. Over the weekend, we finally bought a DVD-R and are just hoping it will be able to record our TiVo'd shows. (Our TiVo instrux only say that you can record to a VCR, but I'm gonna cross my fingers anyway.)

Long story short, if I can figure it out, I'll be happy to send you a DVD of the show. But it's a big "IF"!

 

[rcraw45425]

Whew, I thoguht it was just me being paranoid about Samantha Brown. I kept telling my girls there she is, this is just a re edited version of the old shows, older one was arguing till we saw the ketchup scene from WCC! It was good to see POP and Saratoga Springs, not that we'll stay there, but I agree about Poly and CR. Maybe they're waiting till the CR is updated?? No excuse for the Poly, also no Boardwalk inn either.

 

[DeterminedOne]

The show was put together nicely IMO. But I've never seen the Samantha Brown episode so I have nothing to compare it to. And while Poly and CO are nice hotels they don't fit into the theme of a Great Escape like the featured hotels do. GF is a great escape to the Victorian era, AKL-a great escape to Africa, WL a great escape to the northwest, etc.

Perhaps I'm biased by magical stays we've had at GF and AKL and those were featured at the start of the show. We've pegged YC for our next trip and that was featured early on as well. I loved it and wish I would have recorded it for DH. But I'm sure it will be on again soon.

 

[TheRobbs]

And while Poly and CO are nice hotels they don't fit into the theme of a Great Escape like the featured hotels do. GF is a great escape to the Victorian era, AKL-a great escape to Africa, WL a great escape to the northwest, etc.

I know that this is your opinion and I respect that. But I have to disagree with what you said about the The Polynesian not fitting into the Theme of great escapes. Just like all your ideas listed above, The Polynesian is like escaping to um lets say, "Polynesia" or Hawaii... But, this is just MY Opinion.

TheRobbs

 

[Tikiman]

while Poly and CO are nice hotels they don't fit into the theme of a Great Escape like the featured hotels do. GF is a great escape to the Victorian era, AKL-a great escape to Africa, WL a great escape to the northwest, etc.

Well I love many of the WDW hotels but when I think of the word "escape" I can't think of a better place to fit that discription.

The GF is nice but is just a Disney copy of the Del Coronado in San Diego. The Polynesian makes you feel you are somewhere else entirely and is unique to anyplace I have stayed anywhere in the world or even in the islands. I would put the AKL into the same category as the Polynesian when it comes to a theme and while the YC was a nice place to stay and was well decorated, I think the major draw to that resort is the pool and location.

Well when they finish the new rooms at the Contemporary and the Polynesian it would be difficult to find a better, larger more well appointed room on property that is not a suite.

 

[BigOnDis]

Well I love many of the WDW hotels but when I think of the word "escape" I can't think of a better place to fit that discription.

The GF is nice but is just a Disney copy of the Del Coronado in San Diego. The Polynesian makes you feel you are somewhere else entirely and is unique to anyplace I have stayed anywhere in the world or even in the islands. I would put the AKL into the same category as the Polynesian when it comes to a theme and while the YC was a nice place to stay and was well decorated, I think the major draw to that resort is the pool and location.

Well when they finish the new rooms at the Contemporary and the Polynesian it would be difficult to find a better, larger more well appointed room on property that is not a suite.

I completely agree. We are staying at the Poly and AKL this year for exactly that reason. They are an escape from the ordinary and someplace I most likely will never be able to visit for real.

 

[SeaSpray]

I have personally read on the Travel Channel's web site, on their "Great Hotels" message board, a reply from Samantha Brown herself, when asked why she hadn't done an episode about the Polynesian resort, and her answer was basically this: "I don't have any interest in doing an episode on the Polynesian resort because we're doing several episodes on the "real" Hawaiian resorts, so I know that Disney's Polynesian resort would only try to be a copy of that". Those weren't her exact words, but that is the sentiment she expressed. I read it on that web site well over a year ago, by the way, not sure if it's still on there or not.

I can't think of a MORE themed resort than the Polynesian. The Animal Kingdom Lodge and the Wilderness Lodge are probably just as themed, but not MORE themed than the Polynesian.

I think it's ridiculous that Great Hotels did episodes on the Yacht and Beach Clubs, which is my opinion are really nice with "light" theming, but won't do episodes on the Polynesian or the Contemporary. If anything, those 2 resorts represent Disney theming at it's best!

The special on tv today was a laugh; as someone else already mentioned, the narrator was mostly reading the exact script that Samantha Brown had used in the original episodes. Not to mention some of the misinformation in their "Great Tips".

P.S. TheRobbs, see you at the Polynesian in about 3 weeks!