Polynesian Resort Reopening Delay & Refurbishment Inspired by Moana
Walt Disney World has delayed the reopening of Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort from October 4, 2020 until Summer 2021. This is to accommodate refurbishment work at the hotel, including a Moana-inspired makeover to guest rooms and enhancements to the Great Ceremonial House. In this post, we’ll cover all of the details and what you need to know.
For starters, the Villas and Bungalows at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort will remain open during this refurbishment. This is the Disney Vacation Club ‘side’ of the hotel, which encompasses the Pago Pago, Tokelau, and Moorea Longhouses plus the over-the-water Bora Bora Bungalows.
Hotel guests who will be impacted by this delayed reopening should be receiving emails from Walt Disney World shortly indicating that Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort is “no longer planned to be open” during their vacation. Additionally, the correspondence will contain info about re-accommodating guests at a different hotel at no additional charge.
The big news here comes via a Walt Disney World spokeswoman who told the Orlando Sentinel that changes to the guest rooms at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort “will include a move to a Pacific Ocean-inspired color palette as well as details, patterns and textures from Disney’s Moana, an animated film that takes place on the Polynesian island of Motunui.”
This relatively vague and simple statement is going to freak out a lot of Walt Disney World purists who are averse to the gratuitous injection of IP everywhere, especially at old school Vacation Kingdom-era vestiges of Walt Disney World. We are in that camp, and that was my initial reaction and worry.
However, it’s worth pointing out a couple of things. For one thing, Moana has already been “injected” into the Great Ceremonial House…and you probably didn’t even know it. Earlier this year, carpeting with “Hidden Moanas” was added to ‘Ohana in the same style as the previous carpet.
It was so subtle that we didn’t even notice it–twice–on visits to the Poly this spring, instead learning about it via social media. Even as a Vacation Kingdom purist, I think this carpet is a nice touch. It maintains the resort’s thematic integrity while adding some whimsy and a connection with a under-utilized animated film. It doesn’t stick out like a sore thumb, and is a fun detail for those who notice it. This is synergy done well.
In addition to this, the Polynesian’s guest rooms were redone not that long ago and already have a modernized appearance (see before/after photos in our Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort Review). While a soft goods refurbishment would make sense, it’s unlikely these rooms are going to undergo a radical–and expensive–overhaul.
Our expectation is that we’re see a new color palette on the walls and in the throw pillows and more of the Moana carpet in the hallways. In addition to that, maybe Moana-inspired curtains, a piece of concept art or two, and the removal of carpet in the guest rooms. We’d be shocked if much more happens than that. Calling this a “Moana Makeover” is thus probably a bit strong.
In short, adjust your expectations–whether it be hype or outrage–accordingly. This probably isn’t going to be some colossal reimagining of the guest rooms at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort.
The next piece of big news with regard to the delayed reopening of Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort comes via a note on DisneyWorld.com indicating transportation changes. Beginning in early October 2020, bus transportation will be available to Magic Kingdom.
Due to upcoming refurbishment work at the Great Ceremonial House, monorail service to Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort will be temporarily suspended beginning in early October 2020. The walkway to the Transportation and Ticket Center will remain open, where guests may access the monorail and ferry boats to Magic Kingdom. Presumably, the Grand Floridian walkway will also open soon, meaning Poly guests can walk all the way to Magic Kingdom if they’d like.
What’s not clear is whether the monorail service is being discontinued because the Great Ceremonial House will be closed entirely. Given that the monorail is currently being operated only for Disney Vacation Club guests and nothing is changing in terms of those bookings, it stands to reason that this is happening because some or all of the Great Ceremonial House will be closed off to guests.
Prior to the resort’s overhaul, rumors swirled about a decade ago that the Great Ceremonial House had various issues (asbestos being the most common one tossed about), that would necessitate it being demolished and rebuilt. While the lobby’s water feature was removed during the resort reimagining, the rest of the rumor never came to fruition.
It remains doubtful that the Great Ceremonial House is going to be substantially rebuilt–we’re not trying to revive discredited rumors. However, we can’t help but wonder if there was a kernel of truth to some of that. It’s possible there are lingering or persisting issues that weren’t fully addressed a decade ago, and now require more urgent attention.
Timing-wise, now seems perfect. Demand is low and Walt Disney World can take down entire resorts, closing them to all but DVC guests rather than working around existing bookings. However, that’s not something supported by Disney’s recent public statements and goal of reducing capital expenditures by $900 million. Given that, it seems unlikely that Walt Disney World would willing undertake additional construction and refurbishment projects unless absolutely necessary.
The big issue is those Disney Vacation Club guests with reservations at the Villas and Bungalows at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort. This is not an insignificant number of bookings, and these guests will need alternative dining options if the Great Ceremonial House needs to close and, along with it, Kona Cafe and Tambu Lounge. (The giveaway will be if/when Disney starts cancelling ADRs for Kona Cafe, or closes it to new reservations.)
Depending upon the scope of the work, it’s possible that Captain Cook’s could remain open during an overhaul to the Great Ceremonial House. It’s also possible that Lilo’s Playhouse could be used as a temporary dining option–it’d be pretty awesome if Walt Disney World revived Tangaroa Terrace, even if on a temporary basis.
Ultimately, it seems like something is up with Disney’s Polynesian Resort and we still don’t have the full story. When we first heard this news (and reported on it in our Walt Disney World News Roundup), we assumed this was simply a matter of low demand and lack of bookings. While that’s probably part of the story here, it’s unlikely the full picture. For now, we’ll consider this ‘developing’ news. Our expectation is that Walt Disney World will release concept art and full details in the very near future–we’ll keep you posted!
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YOUR THOUGHTS
What do you think of this Walt Disney World news? Hyped or outraged by the Moana-inspired makeover to the guest rooms at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort? Think something big is happening with Great Ceremonial House, or that just a convenient excuse for closing the hotel while demand is low? Do you agree or disagree with our assessments? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
Well shoot. We had planned our trip October 4-7 and wanted to stay at the Poly. It’s our very favorite but with a chance of the restaurants that are now open there closing first of October, I see little reason to stay there. We love the Great Ceremonial House and everything was just redone a few years back. i see no need for such a huge overhaul that the whole resort needs to close. Strange indeed. Now, I’m just not sure where we want to stay if our trip in october still happens. i too was optimistic about the parks being ghost towns almost but now that the resorts are constantly changing reopening, it doesn’t seem like a fun trip and the resorts aren’t actually discounted as much as you would think. Plus we fly in to Orlando, so I was hoping to see significant price reductions but not happening as of this morning.
We booked a DVC room for my sister-in-law in November. What are your thoughts on keeping them there or trying to move them? They have to keep some dining options open, correct? And have you heard any rumors about refurbishment to the Lava Pool as well? Thanks so much!
While I still miss the waterfall garden, I fully expect “details, patterns and textures from Disney’s Moana” will be as easily added and subtracted as those from Lilo & Stitch. (I wouldn’t mind seeing a photographic essay of those changes to see how reality matches my memory.) Besides Lilo’s Playhouse, how many of those are still in place?
As for the monorail, the Tokelau longhouse is halfway in between the TTC and Poly monorail stations; if you’re staying at Moorea or Pago Pago you’re better off going to the TTC regardless.
Wow, lucky us 🙁 We booked at AK Jambo house for Sept. 28 – October 1st and then booked at Poly from the October 1 through Oct. 5th. Jambo is still a shell with no services/restaurants and we kept telling ourselves that at least we would have a full resort experience at Poly when we transfer over there. Welp….guess not!! We haven’t wanted to go on this trip since Covid started but we would lose all of our 2019 points banked last year for this trip. In multiple DVC member service calls, we were told if Disney cancels on us, we get our points back. If we cancel on Disney, we lose all our points. Just our luck to have reservations at the two DVC resorts with little to no services and even better, get to pay full dollar value for the limited experience.
This all remains quite vague as to the level of what they’re calling a “refurbishment” of guest rooms and “enhancements” to the Great Ceremonial House.
“Enhancements” seems too mild a term for closing off the monorail station at the Poly. They can close it for an entire year if they bring back an updated version of the original waterfall feature. But I doubt that’s what’s going to happen.
The Moana IP enhancements/refurbishments is likewise something of concern, but there’s no point in getting bent about it until we see what this actually entails.
I tend to agree about the asbestos: They’d have almost certainly addressed this in the pretty significant re-do they did 5 years ago.
Still, thanks again for the article!! Not only did it provide more insight into what’s going on, slim though that insight is, It made me explore and learn something new. I had not known that the original longhouse rooms were stacked together, or that the settling of the rooms had led to spaces between them happening, which led to moisture, mold and mildew in those spaces build up in the original longhouses, causing a moldy smell. Which was addressed by filling in those spaces (and which, based on some of the continual posting about it, indicates that it still happens). Thanks again!
What does IP mean in regards to changing over the themed decor please?
We were looking at a late fall stay and don’t see anything for Contemporary tower rooms– aren’t they open? Only Garden shows up, but I swear there were tower last time we checked. I can’t imagine they’re full for every date we’re trying!
I just hope Ohana’s is open by my trip next summer, really missed it on this summer’s trip.
Scheduled Sept 8 2021
Do you think it will be complete?
Well, that is interesting news. We just bought into DVC (Animal Kingdom Jambi House) in July, but booked our first DVC points trip for November at, you guessed it, the Polynesian. Also, while at Disney last week we attended several DVC open houses to see some of the deluxe rooms. We attempted to see a bungalow at the Polynesian but finding no-one in the main lobby to help us we trudged all the way out to the bungalow thinking that surely the DVC guides would be there. Keep in mind that it was about 95 degrees out (feels like 110) and we had just walked from the monorail at the transportation center thinking that would be closer to the DVC side. So the gate was locked and there was no-one to be found and we ended up making the long trek back. That coupled with the news today is making us rethink not only our November trip but also our thoughts about buying into the Polynesian DVC at some future point.
How will this impact check in at the front desk? I wonder if there is some left over cash from the DVC supported lobby renovations from a few years back.
That whole resort has serious issues. I was so excited to stay at the Poly when we did a split stay between Wilderness Lodge and Poly. The first night we arrived at Poly after leaving WL, I started with horrible allergies. I ended up with a massive sinus infection, which I’ve never had in my life. Mold was the cause. After that, I read a lot of other complaints about mold there. I wish they would fix that as well but that was a DVC room and it doesn’t sound like those are being touched.
When I was there it had a unique smell to it. I also wondered if it was mold or moisture problems. The doors are almost always open to the outside plus the water feature outside we didn’t have any health problems so dismissed it.
From your report: “Presumably, the Grand Floridian walkway will also open soon, meaning Poly guests can walk all the way to Magic Kingdom if they’d like”. Did they build a bridge from the Polynesian walkway to the Grand Floridian walkway? I do not understand how to walk from the Poly to Magic Kingdom.
They built a bridge and finished the pathway between the Grand Floridian and Magic Kingdom.
There has always been a pathway between the Poly/TTC and Grand Floridian.
Awesome! So, is the pathway open for guests to walk from the Grand Floridian to Magic Kingdom now?
Not quite–but the signage is up and bag check tents have gone up. It could open literally any day now, and should absolutely be ready to go by October.
Hmm…I’ve been staying fairly positive regarding our visit to Walt Disney World in December but this is is making me feel less optimistic. We’re scheduled to stay at Poly in December. If it was a resort we stayed at before I wouldn’t mind but we were so excited to book Poly in February and little by little I’m wishing we had a reservation elsewhere. We booked a lake view room so we could watch the fireworks at night…which, as of today, is no longer a perk. Now there’s the possibility of closures 🙁 I’m hoping your thoughts are off base but they do make sense so I guess only time will tell.
Same here – trying to be positive about our November trip (rented DVC at Poly, lake view for fireworks), and every time I feel like it’s going to be okay, news like this comes out. I had accepted that there wouldn’t be Ohana, and that everything was going to be limited. Upset that there’s no Epcot monorail, and now no Magic Kingdom monorail? No Ceremonial House? I imagine the dining and bars in there will be closing. “I could really use a bright side, Olaf”.
Emily, there is a MK monorail, but you will need to catch it at the Transportation and Ticket Center. With the DVC villas very close, the walk to the TTC will be about the same as the walk to the Polynesian stop. That way you can get either the resort monorail or the express monorail if both are running.
Somewhere along the way I missed that monorail transportation to EPCOT was not available via the TTC. We spend the most time at EPCOT so that’s another bummer. We’re really in need of a getaway and I was okay with certain things being limited but I’m not loving these changes to our resort. I have to do some digging and see what my options are.
I’m wondering if part of the reason for the re-theme has to do with the debate over the problematic history of tiki culture?
I doubt it. If that’s the threshold, pretty much all of Adventureland would need to be redone.
I do think we’ll see a range of changes over the next several years (including in Adventureland), but I’d be shocked if the Poly is among them. This ‘controversy’ is nothing new, and yet Disney opened Trader Sam’s on both coasts within the last decade.
Interesting point. Some of the images in the Poly do seem a bit . . . dated. It wouldn’t shock me to see Boutiki get an overhaul, for example, and those tiki statues get retired.
I posted in the earlier thread, but since there’s now a Poly-specific post, I thought I’d ask again here – how should I feel about my DVC rental stay at the Poly villas in April. Better? Worse? Too soon to tell? Honestly, I planned on walking to the TTC for the monorail anyway, so as long as it’s still running, that part doesn’t bother me. It might be nice to stay in a largely empty resort.
I would say “worse” but that was also predicated upon the monorail.
Honestly, maybe it’s a push? You won’t have hotel guests overcrowding the resort, but you’re also likely losing some amenities and dining. We should have a better idea in the next month or so.
Thanks Tom. I’m going to assume Ohana is out at this point, but we’re cursed to never eat there, so I take that in stride. As long as any construction isn’t invasive, I’m feeling generally okay about my reservation right now (and we stayed at Coronado during the Gran Destino build, so I’m used to construction!)
Tom – Are both Laval Pool & Oasis Pool open during this time?
Right now both are open. Not sure about “during this time” (if you mean starting October 2020). I assume both will remain open, but I also wouldn’t be surprised if more announcements follow about the scope of work.
Got the answer I had hope.
Yes – right now. We are going Sept 19 – Oct 3.
Worried that both weren’t open because the full hotel wasn’t open.
Thanks Tom – really interesting. I’m guardedly optimistic about the Moana theme. I suspect you’re right about the scope of refurbishment, and I think it could be a fun addition. It also gives me some hope for the Moana Journey of Water (or whatever they’re calling it) attraction at Epcot. If they’re investing in a Moana theme here, makes sense to reinforce it with an attraction. I haven’t seen anything (positive or negative) about the fate of that particular attraction post-COVID. I was really looking forward to it, and hope it survives.
I’m also cautiously optimistic about this. Moana is a good fit, and could be a nice and tasteful enhancement if done well. Certainly not a thematic stretch.
I don’t share you optimism about Moana – Journey of Water, though. I think that’s probably dead. Time will tell!
It does sound like there is a hidden back story to this work. I’m not at all bothered by the Moana overlay here. There aren’t many films that fit into an existing resort them as well as Moana fits into the Poly. I find it sad that this resort isn’t open during this quiet time at WDW. My last stay there was the worst stay I’ve ever had in a Disney resort. One part of that was how overcrowded the resort became late in the day and all night, with visitors using the restaurants and beach. Walking through the grounds felt like we were in an overly crowded them park, rather than an island getaway. We found ourselves waiting in 20-minute lines to pay for something at Captain Cook’s or Boutiki. The crowds are tolerable for visitors, but not so much fun for the people paying $600 a night for a bedroom. I imagine it would be lovely and peaceful, if it were open to guests, right now.
If it makes you feel any better, right now isn’t really a “quiet time” at the resorts. It was for the first few weeks, but things have definitely picked up. That will likely get worse with the reduced park hours–and would’ve been doubly so had the hotel side of the Poly reopened.
Now that you mention that, Tom, I realize that I did read your comments to that effect in recent posts. I guess I’m finding it rewarding to daydream about an idyllic version of Disney World to get me through these strange days!!
Interesting. I’m staying at the Poly Villas mid-September. Will this impact my stay? Wondering if I should make a move. Thanks!
Nope–nothing changes until October. You should be in the clear!
Is there any news about when the Spirit of Aloha will reopen?