Post #719086 by Hurricane Hayward on Tue, Jun 3, 2014 12:39 AM

@AceExplorer: I have a reliable source who tell me that the same Imagineer who was in charge of designing Trader Sam's at Disneyland is in charge of the Grog Grotto. So I would imagine that the quality of design will be the same, if not better, than Anaheim. I would also imagine that with the size and scope of the entire Poly refurb, simply doing a "Sams v2" would not be acceptable. Based on all that, I have my hopes pretty high, at least for the design and decor. The food and drinks will be a separate issue. But again, I think WDW is setting the bar high considering the importance of the DVC project.

@EPCOTExplorer: As it's been described to me, the new water feature will greet guests outside the front entrance, so I'd expect it to be incorporated into the new marquee. An outdoor water feature will undoubtedly be much easier to manage than one that runs through the lobby. Another issue with the current lobby is the old skylights will need to be replaced with modern panels that limit UV coming into the building. Apparently, the plants that are there now would die without some special lighting system to support their growth. Not that this couldn't be accomplished, but this is probably one more reason, along with maintenance issues with the waterfall, that led to the decision to just remove the whole thing.

Tikiman just posted a new news update that adds more details to what we've heard about the plans, including lots of tentative dates:
http://www.tikimanpages.com/poly/news/item/209-june-report

Regarding the pool, I would expect it to be "whiz-bang" and brought up to the standards of the other luxury resorts, but that will also mean that it will be off limits to non-guests. Tikiman also says that this restricted area will include the adjacent beach area as well. This entire area will be gated off to anyone who doesn't have a magic band that shows them as a Polynesian guest.

However, there will be public areas as well. Exiting the GCH, there will be a new common area that will be used for the torch lighting, hula lessons, movies and a camp fire. According to Tikiman, the pool bar will have access to people outside the gate on one side, but the rest of the bar will be inside the gate that you will need a room key to access. I would expect all of Trader Sam's to be in a public area, including the patio that overlooks the pool.

There's also a plan to add a pool bar to the smaller pool over by the DVC units. I'm unsure if this will be gated like the main pool. The grounds are so extensive and meandering, I'm not quite sure they'll be able to put gates everywhere. I would expect the traditional pathway to the TTC to remain public for folks walking to the restaurants, and Trader Sam's.

Of course, this is all subject to change, so we'll have to wait and see how it all works out.

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[ Edited by: Hurricane Hayward 2014-06-03 00:39 ]