Originally Posted By mickey_ring Oh, yeah. Disney Institute got one of those Extreme Makeovers like on ABC.
Originally Posted By RoadTrip <<So I can see why people wouldn't connect SS with being a former moderate resort.>> Price wise, I thought the Disney Institute/Disney Village had some of the most expensive rates at WDW. If I remember correctly, the Tree Houses were some of the most expensive accommodations on WDW property when they were in their prime. I would have to rate the old Disney Institute/Disney Village as a Deluxe.
Originally Posted By ChiMike ^^ You would be correct about the original prices. Again, why I understand why people wouldn't figure SS to be a former moderate. To whether it was a "Deluxe" or not, I would rather say it was in a category by itself. But, yes, they were pricey
Originally Posted By vbdad55 <Yeah, but in a general sense the Institute was just an overlay on the Disney Village which was basically the original DVC-type accomodation found on property. So I can see why people wouldn't connect SS with being a former moderate resort.< was the golf course villas for a while and one of the first forays into multi room accomodations....
Originally Posted By vbdad55 In fact we were going to stay there in 1992 when the person booking our trip on the phone suggested staying at the brand new ( Disney Vacation Club @ Conch Flats )- for the same $ as the golf course villas. We stayed in a 2 bedroom unit about 45 days after it first opened - leading the following year to buying into DVC
Originally Posted By ChiMike I stayed in a fairway villa once and I enjoyed it. That old area REALLY was an escape from the rest of the world, let alone the MK. It was really nice back there. A real "Resort" type feeling. Especially in combination with the old Marketplace, a working River Country, and more activities around 7seas & Bay Lake. I do understand why the area needed to be updated, but it is night and day now. What used to be a secluded retreat for the right amount of people is a Costco/Walmart size expanse. I'm glad that Disney is utilizing the area, but it has gone from being unique and pretty to open and sterile. It's too bad they didn't try to stay true to OKW and build more to that tone on the other side of the golf course (SS).
Originally Posted By Fe Maiden We stayed several times in the villas and treehouses. A lot of great memories. As a kid, one of the things I looked forward to the most was having our own golf cart to drive around the Village.
Originally Posted By pbjshakelover No you can't cross the bridge all the way. My sister & I have stayed at Pop for the past 3 yrs & every year we tried to be nosey & see if there is a way over there. The bridge ends & it was built in a half circle at the end with a lot of bushes and trees. If you walk around the parking lot, there are gates that are locked. We have also asked the CMs & a manager at the resort who tell us it is still on "hold". We have seen the Disney buses over in the Legendary Years parking lot (probably on their breaks or waiting to be called). It's true that on 9/11/01 they halted construction. I have heard that when the construction begins again, there are plans to make them all into the new suites. It's kind of spooky, but mostly sad to see nothing happening over there. We are staying there this November & hope to find out something.
Originally Posted By kennect OH VB, You mean back in the days when the Marketplace was simply it? If so, wasn't that a really nice and peaceful time at WDW? Everything then seemed really special....
Originally Posted By ChiMike YES! Did I say, YES! A much classier operation if you ask me. Very representative of what a real Floridian Resort would be.
Originally Posted By Spirit of 74 <<OH VB, You mean back in the days when the Marketplace was simply it? If so, wasn't that a really nice and peaceful time at WDW? Everything then seemed really special....>> Didn't just seem that way ... was that way.
Originally Posted By vbdad55 <OH VB, You mean back in the days when the Marketplace was simply it? If so, wasn't that a really nice and peaceful time at WDW? Everything then seemed really special< yep, where my wallet was raided many times by unique and quality collectibles - and call me wierd, but I used to like to shop the Marketplace when it was raining- there was something peaceful about it
Originally Posted By Spirit of 74 Here's the story ... the truth ... likely not as exciting as fiction, but here goes. Pop Century was slated to open in two phases when it was developed by Eisner and Weiss in the greed-filled 'let's buildout Walt's 30,000 acres with hotel rooms and timeshares' late 90s. First phase, Classic Years was supposed to open in 2001 with second phase (can't recall the name right now, think it was Legandary Years) but covering 1900-1940s opening a year later. But a funny thing happened on the way to this plan, the Millennium Celebration didn't have the staying power people expected and by Fall 2000 WDW was experiencing a significant downturn in rooms occupied (all the while construction continued on POP). Then came the recession of 2001 and 9/11 ... at that time Phase 1 was completed and the check in area/food court/retail of Phase 2 was about 90% as well. A few buildings were also built, just not furnished or completed. At that point Disney was closing resorts for months at a time (like CBR twice and FQ twice) because they had way too much inventory. POP Phase I was completed in 2001, but didn't open in late '01 as scheduled. Instead, it was mothballed and sat .. and sat ... and sat. In April of 2003, with the 9/11 travel lull starting to wane, Weiss announced POP I would debut in December 2003, which it did. No decision was ever made as to Phase II and none has as of yet. They just try and hide the buildings as best they can. There isn't the demand, even now, to double the size of the resort so that won't happen for the forseeable future. But Phase II 'could' open sooner as Family Suites, something major that's been missing from the WDW Resort Hotel lineup for people that don't want/can't afford to either buy into DVC or rent two-bedroom villas for $800 a night and would rather not get two standard rooms. Right now, a chunk of the All-Star Music has been transformed from standard rooms into two-room suites. If these are successful, POP Phase II 'could' be built as such. But, right now, that is NOT the plan. The plan is to add suites at Sports and then Movies first. So a decade from now, POP Phase II might well look like it does now or they might just bulldoze or repurpose the buildings that were constructed in 2000. That's the REAL story.
Originally Posted By juicer Are these buildings just rotting or are they finished enough that they won't?
Originally Posted By CMDad Have look <a href="http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2005-1/930395/popleg.jpg" target="_blank">http://img.villagephotos.com/p /2005-1/930395/popleg.jpg</a>
Originally Posted By DVC_dad <<<What is now Saratoga Springs DVC was formerly the Disney Institute, a moderate resort.>>> Most of the Disney Institute buildings were domolished and the current Saratoga built from ground up. I stayed at the Institue several times n the mid to late 90's In fact one of the only buildings that remain is the front desk area and that little vacintiy of the food court thing. I wouldn't call that a mod resort conversion.
Originally Posted By DVC_dad <<<Are these buildings just rotting or are they finished enough that they won't?>>> ANYTHING in Florida that isn't maintained will rot and rot fast.
