What were they thinking in the 70s?

[Frugal Fairy Tales]

Why did Disney build Polynesian longhouses without 2nd floor balconies??? Does anyone know the back story?

 

[CarolynFH]

Why did Disney build Polynesian longhouses without 2nd floor balconies??? Does anyone know the back story?

I doubt that actual longhouses in Polynesia have balconies. They probably don’t have 2nd floors either. The longhouses I’ve seen in Hawaii don’t have either one.

 

[Frugal Fairy Tales]

But if you are Disney why would you not include 2nd floor balconies when building a resort in Florida?

 

[CarolynFH]

But if you are Disney why would you not include 2nd floor balconies when building a resort in Florida?

Obviously, I wasn’t there, but I can speculate that they were trying to design buildings for the Polynesian Village that would resemble actual buildings on the islands of Polynesia, which don’t have balconies.

 

[Mousemom234]

Darned if I know, but we ran afoul of that on our 2nd visit in '89 - back when we could afford to stay at the Poly. DH & I were looking forward to our lovely private balcony with a garden view.
Well, we did have a lovely view - garden, lake, and a corner of the MK -- from our 2nd floor fenced-in sliding patio door....

 

[OKW Lover]

Perhaps they were saving money?

 

[Aurora79]

It’s a cultural Polynesian thing about having no balconies on the second floor so bad spirits can’t get in.