"The atmosphere of Pacific Islands will be created in the graceful high-rise structure and two-store "outbuildings" of the 700-room Polynesian style hotel. Entertainment, food, and décor will carry out the islander theme and -with all of its rooms facing the water- guests will almost literally feel like the have traveled into the far Pacific.
<br>
Like the other hotels, the Polynesian will provide a variety of recreation activities,. Boating will be almost at the doorstep of many rooms, and the Vacation Kingdom golf courses will be located close-by. A special highlight for many visitors will be the scuba-diving pool, where guests will be able to participate or watch through specials underwater viewing ports for spectators.}}
As plans for the resort continued to develop throughout the rest of 1970, Disney released more details about what the Polynesian Resort would encompass. In addition to the previously released recreational activities Disney revealed that the resort would feature unique nighttime activities including: {{Quotation |An exotic restaurant and cocktail lounge will offer dining, dancing and entertainment from the South Seas. Under the stars, guests will enjoy a luau with other "islanders" or board a sidewheel steamer for a moonlight excursion cruise on the lake and lagoon." Also of note is the fact that later 1970 descriptions of the Polynesian dropped all references to scuba-diving pool and made no mention of every room having "water view". As the development of both the Polynesian Resort and Disney's Contemporary Resort continued, Disney's relationship with US Steel began to sour. As deadlines continued to be missed and the construction costs skyrockedskyrocketed, Disney decided to take over construction of the hotels themselves, and ended their partnership with US Steel. In order to train their employees how to run a hotel and experiment with new guest service methods, Disney leased out the Hilton Inn South in Orlando. In 1971, the former Seven Seas Resort was officially christened Disney's Polynesian Village Resort. In February of that year, construction on the resort officially began. Four months later, in August 1971, the resort was completed.
===History Since Opening===
When Disney's Polynesian Village Resort officially opened it housed 478 guest rooms and six suites. The resort's hotel rooms were housed in eight longhouses which were named:
Tahiti, Figi, Maui, Samoa, Tonga, Hawii, Bora Bora, and Balley High (which was not constructed using modular construction). In addition to the Great Ceremonial House, the resort also featured a swimming pool, putting green, and Mariana.