Polynesian and Contemporary in the 1970's-1980's

[sotoalf]

Anyone want to share their favorite memories of what staying in Disney's first two resort hotesl was like 20 years ago?

For me, it's watching the hula dancer at the Papeete Bay Verandah (now Ohana's)...and marvelling at men in suits going to dinner at the Gulf Coast Room in the Contemporary. Not to mention the Fiesta Fun Center...

 

[wdwrich]

One of my favorite memories was staying in a lagoon view room at the Polynesian resort for $105 per night (1982)!

 

[BCV23]

Memories....ahh! The great breakfast buffet at Papeete Bay before it became a character breakfast. Ditto for the Top of the World.

Tonga Toast (wasn't called that then though) and pink leilanis at Tangaroa Terrace.

Monorails that didn't seem as crowded and ran with shorter stops. Of course, there also wasn't a stop for the GF.

A bunch of different flagged boats. A direct boat to FW for HdD.

My favorite memories are of my family on vacation at the Polynesian as they grew up.

 

[sotoalf]

Where would the different flagged boats go? I had no idea a boat ran from the Polynesian to Ft Wilderness.

PS: The Tangaroa Terrace was great. I remember eating breakfast there a couple of times...it always seemed less crowded Papeete Bay and Coral Isle Cafe (Kona Cafe). Maybe having three full-service restaurants opened for breakfast was a drain on the hotel's resources, and that's why it closed.

 

[wdwrich]

I agree with my esteemed fellow posters on the breakfast at the Tangaroa Terrace. IIRC, we ate breakfast there every day except once when we went to the character breakfast. Also, the Papeete Bay Verandah had an awesome lunch buffet back then (so did Top of the World at the CR).

 

[hAm53]

i loved the little character cards they gave us kids at chef mickey's (or whatever it was called then). they were little baseball cards that you could get autographed. Its sad, but I still have mine to this day.

~ Chris

 

[All Aboard]

Summer, 1977, 12 years old. Standing on the Grand Canyon Concourse looking up and thinking that I was looking at the coolest sight I had ever seen. Also thinking how the Food and Fun Center put to shame the video arcade at my local mall at the time.

Summer, 1983, 18 years old. Having one of my first "legal" beers in the lounge area (now called Outer Rim, may have been then) watching the monorail whiz by on my first ever "travel to WDW by myself trip."

 

[Lanshark]

I spent my honeymoon in the Contemporary tower in 1979. It cost a whopping $79 dollars but we decided to splurge

 

[Cinderella37]

The Polynesian was the first resort I stayed at on my first trip to WDW when I was three (1980). I'll never forget: the birds in the Great Ceremonial House, Papeete Bay Veranda, Tangaroa Terrace, watching the water pageant from the beach outside our room (always lagoon view), the creaking of the 'archway" over the main path (made of sticks?), swimming in the lagoon outside our room (I hope I don't have some terrible disease...) and the torches lit up at night. And the private check-in through the glass doors in the lobby for the King Kameamea Club (concierge).

I visited every year after that with my parents until my boyfriend (now fiance) starting taking me in 1996. We moved over to the GF (my parents were so in love with the Poly they'd never stay anywhere else. They stayed there in 1972 when they were dating and honeymooned there in 1973.) and have since switched to the BWI, but I always stop by the Poly to relive some memories. Just the smell brings me back.

 

[johnsonet]

Great question!
I remember staying at the Contemporary in 1985 and we pulled up and while checking in, my dad realized we'd been assigned two rooms in the Wings. He asked if there was anything available in the Tower because, well HE probably wanted it but I have 3 brothers and that monorail was really calling their names!
We got 2 connecting rooms in the Tower (don't know if it was a paid or comp. upgrade) and it was AMAZING! I'll never forget walking out to the balcony and looking down on the parking lot and its topiaries (which we ALL thought were fabulous!) and just beyond and to the right the MAGIC KINGDOM! I took many photos of these views, as well as pics of the bathroom in the room i shared w/ my parents!! I was just thrilled. We LOVED IT!! My dad remembers us having b'fast in "the restaurant on the top floor". Does anyone know what it was before it was CG?
Of course the monorail was just the coolest thing any of us had ever seen!
Gosh -those are great memories!

 

[crazy4wdw]

The restaurant on the 15th floor of the Contemporary was called Top of the World. I remember eating breaskfast there also; I believe it was a buffet.

 

[sotoalf]

This is a fun post. What was the King Kameiameia (sic) concierge service like? Was it comparable to today's concierge?

One time in 1987 while staying at the Poly we ate at the Contemporary. It was a restaurant called The Pueblo Room, which served Italian cuisine, located somewhere between Chef Mickey's and the Concourse Steakhouse. I was too young to remember, but my parents thought the food was awful! Anyone remember eating there?

Chef Mickey's used to be called Concourse Buffeteria, and Terrace Cafe or Buffeteria before that (Chef Mickey's was originally located at Downtown Disney where Rainforest Cafe is now; it was called the Village Restaurant, but that's another thread ).

 

[IloveDMB]

My dad and I were just talking about this the other day.

Our first family trip was in 1987, and we stayed at the Polynesian. To this day, we still remember the smell. The smell there is so distinctive.

I remember looking out from our hotel room, which was then Somoa.

I remember breakfast at Top of the World and the view there.

I remember things here and there.

We've never stayed at the Polynesian again, but it still remains out favorite resort.

 

[sotoalf]

So launches went from the Polynesian to Ft Wilderness? That's wonderful. Where else? I'm assuming Discovery Island.

 

[Micca]

Breakfast buffet at Papeete Bay Verandah, and Sunday brunch at The Top of The World

 

[sotoalf]

The Contemporary then had a Tex-Mex air that was bizarre and inappropriate: a godawful orange carpet, all the concrete, a strolling mariachi band. The Mary Blair tile mosaic is the only trace left, thank goodness.

Remember Minnie's Menehune Breakfast at Papeete Bay Verandah? I can't remember if dinner was buffet or a la carte at Tangaroa Terrace.

 

[Micca]

Sotoalf I have my "I Had Breakfast With Minnie" badge right here Copyright 1990

 

[BCV23]

Originally posted by sotoalf
Where would the different flagged boats go? I had no idea a boat ran from the Polynesian to Ft Wilderness.

I think the boat that ran at night for HdD had a brown flag but boy it was along time ago! I found my oldest Birnbaum book, 1985 and it talks about blue flag boats(CR-DI-FW), green flag (MK-FW-DI), gold flag (Polynesian-FW-PI). but I don't think this is complete. I think from the Polynesian, you could take a blue flag launch to the CR and perhaps a red flag one to MK? Hopefully someone else will remember!

Fun thread!

 

[sotoalf]

Micca - Pin trading's a pretty rigorous enterprise. You could probably trade that vintage Minnie badge for a bucketful of pins today...

 

[sotoalf]

BCV23 - That's a lot of boat traffic on Seven Seas Lagoon, what with ferryboats, launches, pontoons, and Water Sprites competing for space!

I'd love to see that 1985 Birnbaum. What restaurants were around at those two hotels at the time?