Island Tower at Polynesian Villas & Bungalows

[MagicDVC]

Bummer. I’d find it hard to believe that tower studios won’t sleep 5 even if they’re a bit smaller than the deluxe studios but I’m not sure now.

It's not the number of bathrooms, but number of beds that dictate occupancy. If there is enough sq ft to have a murphy bed under the TV, that will give the studios 5 beds.

 

[MerlinandtheMouse]

It's not the number of bathrooms, but number of beds that dictate occupancy. If there is enough sq ft to have a murphy bed under the TV, that will give the studios 5 beds.

True I was just trying to see if there was another way tell the likelihood of there being 5 person occupancy by the images and information we already have. I figured if there were 2 bathrooms, surely it would sleep 5. Guess we’ll just have to keep waiting for the actual details for this one

 

[MagicDVC]

DVC writing up the press release…

 

[hockeydad21]

Bummer. I’d find it hard to believe that tower studios won’t sleep 5 even if they’re a bit smaller than the deluxe studios but I’m not sure now.

If the green marked box is a duo studio like @ehh believes, then we probably know where some of the duo studios will live, here in these little crevices I circled. I think there’s another a section like this on the opposite corner of the building, too. Hmm I wonder if they’ll sprinkle some more duos in other areas, 10 is a very small amount I was hoping for more.

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(@ehh)

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(DVCNews)

Bummer. I’d find it hard to believe that tower studios won’t sleep 5 even if they’re a bit smaller than the deluxe studios but I’m not sure now.

If the green marked box is a duo studio like @ehh believes, then we probably know where some of the duo studios will live, here in these little crevices I circled. I think there’s another a section like this on the opposite corner of the building, too. Hmm I wonder if they’ll sprinkle some more duos in other areas, 10 is a very small amount I was hoping for more.

View attachment 864320
(@ehh)

View attachment 864322
(DVCNews)

so i think the area you circled in blue is actually going to be fireworks viewing areas for tower guests, and the area circled in red is where you'll find the "duo" studios. It's really hard to tell because of the scaffolding, but these rooms are recessed a little due to the corner "joint" of the building, which is part of what makes them smaller than the deluxe studios. At least that is how I read the "blueprints"

 

[MagicDVC]

so i think the area you circled in blue is actually going to be fireworks viewing areas for tower guests, and the area circled in red is where you'll find the "duo" studios. It's really hard to tell because of the scaffolding, but these rooms are recessed a little due to the corner "joint" of the building, which is part of what makes them smaller than the deluxe studios. At least that is how I read the "blueprints"

View attachment 864396

I just relooked at the artist rendering and the walls around what you circled in blue will have a polynesian design on it. I did not notice it before. Very much feeling like an Aulani tower.

 

[MyDogTink]

I wonder if room size and occupancy will be similar to DLT. Studios there sleep 4 and one bedrooms have two full bathrooms. The studios sleeping only 4 could make sense since the longhouse studios sleep 5.

 

[MerlinandtheMouse]

so i think the area you circled in blue is actually going to be fireworks viewing areas for tower guests, and the area circled in red is where you'll find the "duo" studios. It's really hard to tell because of the scaffolding, but these rooms are recessed a little due to the corner "joint" of the building, which is part of what makes them smaller than the deluxe studios. At least that is how I read the "blueprints"

View attachment 864396

Ahhh I think you’re right that makes more sense. The balconies are all uniform and smaller on that side, too.

 

[MerlinandtheMouse]

I wonder if room size and occupancy will be similar to DLT. Studios there sleep 4 and one bedrooms have two full bathrooms. The studios sleeping only 4 could make sense since the longhouse studios sleep 5.

This feels likely. Will definitely put a bit more pressure on the longhouses, if so.

 

[GoingSince1990]

I wonder if room size and occupancy will be similar to DLT. Studios there sleep 4 and one bedrooms have two full bathrooms. The studios sleeping only 4 could make sense since the longhouse studios sleep 5.

Makes sense and ties into one of the many arguments for the tower to be in the same association, namely increasing the mix of available room types. Why add larger studios that sleep 5 when there is already a ton of that room type in the same resort?

 

[Cabius]

Makes sense and ties into one of the many arguments for the tower to be in the same association, namely increasing the mix of available room types. Why add larger studios that sleep 5 when there is already a ton of that room type in the same resort?

For all the concerns about PVB owners crowding out the tower, I do wonder if that will be true once the nearness wears off, at least for studios.

If the tower studios are smaller -- only sleep four, only have one bathroom, etc. -- I could see the Longhouse studios being in higher demand once the 'new building smell' wears off. Every time there's a major refurb, there will be a spurt of interest for a year or so, but that will leapfrog between the two.

For my part, while I'm interest in 2BR options at the tower, I would rather stick with a longhouse studio unless the tower studios come with a meaningfully lower point chart (ha!).

 

[GoingSince1990]

For all the concerns about PVB owners crowding out the tower, I do wonder if that will be true once the nearness wears off, at least for studios.

If the tower studios are smaller -- only sleep four, only have one bathroom, etc. -- I could see the Longhouse studios being in higher demand once the 'new building smell' wears off. Every time there's a major refurb, there will be a spurt of interest for a year or so, but that will leapfrog between the two.

For my part, while I'm interest in 2BR options at the tower, I would rather stick with a longhouse studio unless the tower studios come with a meaningfully lower point chart (ha!).

And another big advantage of the longhouse studios is that almost all of them connect, resulting in almost every connection request being granted. One of the most economical ways for larger parties to be able to all stay comfortably together.

 

[MarkNC2Disney]

Every time there's a major refurb, there will be a spurt of interest for a year or so, but that will leapfrog between the two.

That’s a consideration I hadn’t thought of… they’ll be on opposite refurb schedules, which is quite nice…

 

[marmentrout85]

For all the concerns about PVB owners crowding out the tower, I do wonder if that will be true once the nearness wears off, at least for studios.

If the tower studios are smaller -- only sleep four, only have one bathroom, etc. -- I could see the Longhouse studios being in higher demand once the 'new building smell' wears off. Every time there's a major refurb, there will be a spurt of interest for a year or so, but that will leapfrog between the two.

For my part, while I'm interest in 2BR options at the tower, I would rather stick with a longhouse studio unless the tower studios come with a meaningfully lower point chart (ha!).

Totally agree. As a non-PVB owner (not yet, anyway) my major concern is the longhouse availability at 7 months. I'd imagine it could get considerably worse with all the new points being added.

 

[AstroBlasters]

For all the concerns about PVB owners crowding out the tower, I do wonder if that will be true once the nearness wears off, at least for studios.

If the tower studios are smaller -- only sleep four, only have one bathroom, etc. -- I could see the Longhouse studios being in higher demand once the 'new building smell' wears off. Every time there's a major refurb, there will be a spurt of interest for a year or so, but that will leapfrog between the two.

For my part, while I'm interest in 2BR options at the tower, I would rather stick with a longhouse studio unless the tower studios come with a meaningfully lower point chart (ha!).

There are Studio People, there are Villas People, and then there are Studio People who will become Villas People.

3 very different groups.

 

[maui22]

With all the different room types and view categories, might be a lot of 1-2 night availability gaps.

1. Longhouse studio lake view (72 rooms and roughly 20 of the 24 are first floor bungalow view)
2. Longhouse studio standard view (288)
3. Tower duo studio lake view
4. Tower duo studio standard view
5. Tower studio lake view
6. Tower studio standard view
7. Tower 1BR lake view
8. Tower 1BR standard view
9. Tower 2BR dedicated lake view
10. Tower 2BR dedicated standard view
11. Tower 2BR lock off lake view
12. Tower 2BR lock off standard view
13. Tower 2BR penthouse lake view
14. Tower 2BR penthouse standard view
15. Bungalows (20)

If they also have theme park view category for tower rooms, things get even worse.

Which rooms/categories will be the hardest to book 4-7 consecutive nights?

 

[Hubalorian]

With all the different room types and view categories, might be a lot of 1-2 night availability gaps.

1. Longhouse studio lake view (72 rooms and roughly 20 of the 24 are first floor bungalow view)
2. Longhouse studio standard view (288)
3. Tower duo studio lake view
4. Tower duo studio standard view
5. Tower studio lake view
6. Tower studio standard view
7. Tower 1BR lake view
8. Tower 1BR standard view
9. Tower 2BR dedicated lake view
10. Tower 2BR dedicated standard view
11. Tower 2BR lock off lake view
12. Tower 2BR lock off standard view
13. Tower 2BR penthouse lake view
14. Tower 2BR penthouse standard view
15. Bungalows (20)

If they also have theme park view category for tower rooms, things get even worse.

Which rooms/categories will be the hardest to book 4-7 consecutive nights?

To be fair, when we are talking categories on a point chart, they don’t specify between 2br lockoff and dedicated. There may be no standard view penthouses or lake view. Very well could just be theme park view. The hotel side of original poly has theme park view as a category so I’d be shocked if the tower does not. We also don’t know if every room type will have all viewing categories.

 

[mkatsy]

With all the different room types and view categories, might be a lot of 1-2 night availability gaps.

1. Longhouse studio lake view (72 rooms and roughly 20 of the 24 are first floor bungalow view)
2. Longhouse studio standard view (288)
3. Tower duo studio lake view
4. Tower duo studio standard view
5. Tower studio lake view
6. Tower studio standard view
7. Tower 1BR lake view
8. Tower 1BR standard view
9. Tower 2BR dedicated lake view
10. Tower 2BR dedicated standard view
11. Tower 2BR lock off lake view
12. Tower 2BR lock off standard view
13. Tower 2BR penthouse lake view
14. Tower 2BR penthouse standard view
15. Bungalows (20)

If they also have theme park view category for tower rooms, things get even worse.

Which rooms/categories will be the hardest to book 4-7 consecutive nights?

If by some small sliver of hope, they put a bar in that decrepit old Tangaroa Terrace, just mark me down for a longhouse.

 

[hockeydad21]

If by some small sliver of hope, they put a bar in that decrepit old Tangaroa Terrace, just mark me down for a longhouse.

I think you’re gonna get more than just a bar. Fingers crossed it goes through!

 

[Cfabar1]

The 4 vs. 5 occupancy thing only matters when you are a group of 5. So, it may not have as huge an impact on owners specifically - though I imagine at the 7 month window it might have more an impact, depending on a few other factors.

I think there will be a huge number of room categories, and my gut tells me there will not be a magnanimous number of standard views (VGF has I believe 30 standard and 17 lake views in the original building). I suspect proportionally SV will not be too many, but maybe I'll be pleasantly surprised.

 

[JOLT]

With all the different room types and view categories, might be a lot of 1-2 night availability gaps.

1. Longhouse studio lake view (72 rooms and roughly 20 of the 24 are first floor bungalow view)
2. Longhouse studio standard view (288)
3. Tower duo studio lake view
4. Tower duo studio standard view
5. Tower studio lake view
6. Tower studio standard view
7. Tower 1BR lake view
8. Tower 1BR standard view
9. Tower 2BR dedicated lake view
10. Tower 2BR dedicated standard view
11. Tower 2BR lock off lake view
12. Tower 2BR lock off standard view
13. Tower 2BR penthouse lake view
14. Tower 2BR penthouse standard view
15. Bungalows (20)

If they also have theme park view category for tower rooms, things get even worse.

Which rooms/categories will be the hardest to book 4-7 consecutive nights?

I've seen people talk about 2 Bedroom penthouse. Was this just speculation based on the Disney Blog or has DVC said what the room types are?