Disney's Polynesian Village Resort
Disney's Polynesian Village Resort is a resort located on the Seven Seas Lagoon near the Magic Kingdom.
History
Preopening (1966-1971)
The genesis of what would eventually become Disney's Polynesian Resort began in 1966, as Disney was working on their master plan for the Florida Project. As part of the plans for their expansion into Florida, Disney envisioned a series of "themed resorts" that guests would stay at while vising Disney property. In these early concepts, Disney planned on creating a "South Seas" themed resort, which was to be located east of the Magic Kingdom, unconnected to Bay Lake. This early version of the "Seven Seas" hotel would have featured three main lagoons, each of which served as a hub for a series of canals. The resorts restaurants would have been located on the shore's of these lagoons, with the main restaurant sitting atop a large pier.
The next glimpse of the South Seas hotel came on October 27, 1966 when Walt Disney filmed his EPCOT film. Although the resort itself had not changed, it was now shown as being located on the shores of an extended Bay Lake. Although now a waterside resort, this incarnation of the South Seas retained the lagoons seen in the 1966 plan.
The first major written discription of the South Seas resort came in the 1967 Florida Project book. Here the hotel is described as "designed for enthusts of aquatic sports". True to this description the hotel's lagoons were earmarked for a specific purpose. One lagoon was to be used for swimming, one for boating, and one for "shark diving".
The history of the Polynesian Village Resort, and Walt Disney World in general, changed in 1967 when Disney learned that the planned location for their theme park and resorts was largely unbuildable. To recitify this, Disney moved the facilities, and created the Seven Seas Lagoon on the unbuildable land. At this time, the area planned resorts, including the South Seas resort, were moved to the shores of the newly created lagoon.
Welton Beckett and Associates was hired by Disney to create the hotels for the Florida Project. When the next Florida Project Master Plan in was released in 1969, the resort was referred to as a "Polynesian style resort" which featured a 12 story main building, with elongated wings and smaller buildings to the east and west. In this incarnation of the Polyneisan, the resort would form a semi-circle around a lagoon that would have been located approxemitly where the Ticket and Transportation Center is found today. This version of the Polynesian resort may have been influnenced the modern hotels being constructed in the actually Polynesia, specifically in Hawii.
On April 20, 1969, Disney held a press conference to annouce the creation of what would eventually be titled Walt Disney World. Although this design was similiar to the previosly 1968 version, however the lagoon's location was now flipped. At this time, Disney also announced that US Steel would be partnering with Disney and Beckett and Associates to create Disney Wrucorld's hotels using modular cosntruction. The idea behind this new syle of construction was that the Polynesian's rooms would be pre-built and then stacked atop one another. This partnership would have meant that US Steel would lease the land from Disney, own the hotels, but then lisence the operation of the hotels back to Disney. This would have allowed Disney to run the hotels, with US Steel financing the construction of the resorts.
According to US Steel, the Polynesian would have 1090 rooms, 250 of which would have their own "private garden patio". The rest of the hotel's rooms would be identicle, with every room garunteed to have a water view. This version also would have had a South Seas dining room located at the top of the hotel, diving pool, fitness center and private bungaloos located on the Seven Seas Lagoon.
(pamphlet) In the 1969 pamphlet The Polynesian the place to stay for "sports enthusits. 700 rooms (all with a water view) with 230 placed in the resorts main tower. In the 1969 Disney annual report stated that the resort would be a "low rise vacation village design" with 503 rooms. This version of the resort shows the beginning of what would eventually be the Great Ceremonial House and nearby longhouses.
By 1970, the Disney World pictorial souvieneer shows the Great Ceremonial house at the resort's center, with the marina on the east, and longhouses flanking the east and west of the resort's lobby. In this booklet the resort is decribed as:
"
"
As the development of both the Polynesian Resort and Disney's Contemporary Resort continued, the companies relationshio with US Steel began to sour. As deadlines continued to be missed, Disney decided to take over construction of the hotels themselves, and ended their partnership with US Steel.
In 1971, the former Seve 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.
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 (not done by modual construction).
IN addition to the Great Ceremonial House, the resort also featured a swimming pool, putting green, and mariana.
This concept art can be found in the first floor elevator lobby.
swap with early american (norht south)
