Disney's Polynesian Resort, Orlando, FL (hotel) - Locating Tiki

HH Hurricane Hayward Grand Member (1 year) 16 miles from The Mai-Kai Joined: Jun 07, 2008 Posts: 1867	HH Hurricane Hayward Posted posted on Fri, Dec 26, 2014 1:14 AM EnchantedTikiGoth, you have some good points, especially about the Grand Floridian. I too consider it somewhat sterile, at least the lobby. The grounds are well-done and the restaurants stellar. During the holidays, the lobby becomes quite a bit warmer with the addition of the massive tree and gingerbread house. Here's a shot from my trip earlier this month: Wilderness Lodge is great, but my favorite is hands-down Animal Kingdom Lodge ... It's also the newest of the deluxe resorts, so you have to take that into account. No matter how much they refurbish the Poly and Contemporary lobbies, they're stuck with structures that are more than 40 years old. But you can see that the intent of the new Great Ceremonial House design is to open up the space much like the two lodges. And I've heard that you can now clearly see the castle in the Magic Kingdom from inside the GCH, which I'm sure is no accident. A large part of the premium price you pay for those deluxe resorts, besides the larger rooms and amenities, is the close proximity to the parks. I'm a fan of Port Orleans, and the price is certainly much better, but it's quite a haul from the parks.

EnchantedTikiGoth, you have some good points, especially about the Grand Floridian. I too consider it somewhat sterile, at least the lobby. The grounds are well-done and the restaurants stellar. During the holidays, the lobby becomes quite a bit warmer with the addition of the massive tree and gingerbread house. Here's a shot from my trip earlier this month:

Wilderness Lodge is great, but my favorite is hands-down Animal Kingdom Lodge ...

It's also the newest of the deluxe resorts, so you have to take that into account. No matter how much they refurbish the Poly and Contemporary lobbies, they're stuck with structures that are more than 40 years old. But you can see that the intent of the new Great Ceremonial House design is to open up the space much like the two lodges.

And I've heard that you can now clearly see the castle in the Magic Kingdom from inside the GCH, which I'm sure is no accident. A large part of the premium price you pay for those deluxe resorts, besides the larger rooms and amenities, is the close proximity to the parks. I'm a fan of Port Orleans, and the price is certainly much better, but it's quite a haul from the parks.

Post #733761 by Hurricane Hayward on Fri, Dec 26, 2014 1:14 AM