Tree Houses

[yaksack]

When stayed at thge POFQ in June and rented the very slow speed boats. We noticed some tree houses and was wondering if they are for rent?

Does anyone know anything about them?

 

[safetymom]

No they used to be used but aren't anymore for the public. WDW uses them for several things.

 

[plutolovr]

When we were there in August we were told that Disney wanted to tear them down, but because they have been there so long, the vegetation around is such that it would disturb the eco-system, so they can't tear them down, supposedly, they will refurbish them and possibly make them DVC at some point.

Plutolovr

 

[LibertyBelle]

I just asked about those the other day (I am currently working at Old Key West) and I was told that they have wood rot and they are not ADA approved. Disney has been working around that, but with the Hurricanes recently and the damage that some of them sustained they have decided to go ahead and refurbish them. They are to reopen as a part of Saratoga Springs (that is the word on the street anyway). They had been using them for some of the College Program Intern CM's (for housing) but they were moved out when they realized how bad the wood rot was.

 

[tlev]

Does anybody have any pictures of these? I have never seen them.

 

[maryliz]

That's too bad about the wood rot. We stayed in them in 2000 and it was by far the most awesome experience. We faced the golf course and could sit out on the huge porch every morning and watch the tournament that was going on. The only downside we found was the lack of a playground in the immediate vicinity.

 

[momtolittlered]

I would love to see pictures of these Treehouses too!

 

[Got Quattro?]

if you play golf...you can get all close and personal with the tree houses on holes 12-17.

I have hit many a golf balls into the yards of those things. Coulndt help but take a peek in the windows.

looks like they fil "that 70's show" from there.

 

[clkelley]

From what I've heard as other posters said they do need some work.

They can't totally tear them down and start over because that area is considered wetlands now. So if they tore them down, they couldn't build anything new.

I have taken the boat between DD and the Port Orleans resorts many times over the past couple of years and have never seen any indication of anyone staying there even corporate types.

The electricity and HVAC is probably maintained in those units to help keep them up, so that's why you see lights in some of the units.

If the electricity and HVAC was discontinued they would deteriorate more quickly.

Back when they were open, they seemed like they would be inconvenient transportation wise.

I made a couple of bus trips around the old Disney Institute to Downtown Disney several years ago and the bus that serviced the Treehouses went to all stops at the Disney Institute, then swung through the Treehouses, then to Typhoon Lagoon, then on to Downtown Disney.

Don't know what their park transportation was like, but the DD transportation was a Pita.

 

[Padme]

There are a couple of pictures here.

http://www.disneypix.com/index.htm


Go to Resorts
Disney Institute
March 1999

The first 2 pictures on the left are of the treehouses.


HTH!!

 

[GOOFYFREEK]

We use to stay at these SEVERAL(10+) years ago. When this was called the Disney Villages. I loved staying there cause it was like a tree house in the middle of the woods and the interiors where nice and they had balconys.

I hope they do ad these to Saratoga and rebuild them. I would love to stay there again.

Doug

 

[SueM in MN]

Originally posted by LibertyBelle
..... I was told that they have wood rot and they are not ADA approved. Disney has been working around that, but with the Hurricanes recently and the damage that some of them sustained they have decided to go ahead and refurbish them.

Some of them (the ones along the water) we totally rehabbed about 4 years ago.
Over a 2 year period, we could see them being worked on as we took a boat from OKW down to PO and DD. They completely stripped them down to the bare framing and re-did them. I don't know how many of them were rehabbed, but we saw the work in progress on most of the ones that are readily visible from the water.
As for ADA, things can be retro-fitted and I think it would not be that difficult to do. They could put ramps or elevators. The inside changes would be making doorways at least 36 inches wide (which they probably already are), raised seat toilets and some roll in showers (which can be put in using the space of a bathtub). Also, they would not have to make all the units accessible. There is a formula based on the number of rooms, but it amounts to about 2% of the rooms needing to be accessible.

 

[The4OfUs]

I stayed there the first time I took the kids - and the metal circular stairs to the downstairs room was tough - I suppose they could put an entrance downstairs instead, but I don't remember them being big enough to put an elevator in. =) I loved them - I'd love to stay there again!!

I can't believe I didn't take any photos inside - I have video, but no pictures of the place.

 

[SueM in MN]

Originally posted by The4OfUs
I stayed there the first time I took the kids - and the metal circular stairs to the downstairs room was tough - I suppose they could put an entrance downstairs instead, but I don't remember them being big enough to put an elevator in. =) I loved them - I'd love to stay there again!!

I can't believe I didn't take any photos inside - I have video, but no pictures of the place.

They could add an elevator shaft as sort of an extra room outside the footprint of the building. I know several people who have done that to their house and they did that to several 2 story schools in our area. All you need is an outside wall on both floors. A bit of work, but not impossible.
And, since they would only have to do it to 1 or 2, not a big problem.

 

[liliagm]

As far as I can remember they did had a door downstairs, we had requested something from housekeeping once and they brought it trough that door instead of the one upstairs... I'm also waiting to see if they reopen them, I would love to go back there

 

[traycie2201]

I was just visiting saratoga springs in october and was told by a cm tour guide that they would be tearing down the villas next year to build more blocks for saratoga ! seemed a shame to me.

 

[clkelley]

The old Disney Institute had four types of accomodations:

Townhouses - Those were torn down for the current phase of Saratoga Springs

Fairway Villas - These are/will be torn down for Phase II and/or Phase III

Treehouse Villas - Can't be rebuilt if torn down due to wetlands issue, may just sit, or be refurbished.

Grand Homes (3 units) - Don't know the status of those.

Carol

 

[BevS97]

we were told that they can't use them due to teh ADA regulatoins, and they can't modify them due to the wetland preservation issues, so they are just stuck with them at the moment. This was by a very keen CM on the boat ride from POR to DTD. He also said they had been used as college program housing until the hurricane damaged them, and that they had very cool rope beds in them.

 

[The4OfUs]

The "rope bed" was downstairs, it was a queen (?) that looked like it was suspended by ropes (but it wasn't). It went with the whole Swiss Family Robinson type set up, with furniture made with what looked like tree branches, etc.

 

[Hopefully]

We too stayed in the Treehouses years ago and loved them. We had rented a golf cart for the week and would zip over to the Club House for breakfast, or over to DTD in the evening along a stretch of well maintained paths. They were spacious and counting the downstairs room they actually had 3 bedrooms/2baths, a full kitchen, wonderful deck, a washer and dryer (the only resort to have these in those days), and a feeling of being in the woods. I would go back in an instant