Disney's Polynesian Villas & Bungalows is set to open some time in 2015. Information continues to trickle out courtesy of Steve "Tikiman" Seifert and DVCNews.com's own sources.
On his Tikimanpages.com website, Steve Seifert has uncovered a number of interesting tidbits about this latest addition to the Disney Vacation Club.
The Moorea (formerly Tahiti) Longhouse is one of three longhouses at the Polynesian Village Resort that is being converted from hotel rooms to DVC studios. Steve has obtained a floor plan, which shows the studios will have a connecting door to the adjacent studio. The door will be near the studio's entrance door.
The two-part bathroom is configured similar to the bathrooms in Disney Cruise Line cabins and at the Villas at Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa. One part of the bathroom will have a tub/shower, sink, and toilet and the second part will have a sink and walk-in shower.
This photo obtained by Steve shows the walk-in shower will continue the Polynesian theme using darker colors and designs.
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The Polynesian Village hotel rooms are some of the largest hotel rooms on Disney property. Steve estimates that the converted Polynesian studios will be about 465 square feet. Deluxe Studio villas at Disney's Old Key West Resort, currently the largest studios at any DVC resort, are only 390 square feet.
Disney Vacation Club has not announced when the Polynesian Villas & Bungalows will open. However, Steve has viewed the the construction schedule and has estimated the following timeline for the remaining construction:
- DVC Bungalows site work complete mid-January 2015
- DVC Bungalow inspections early Feb 2015
- DVC Bungalow test stays mid-March 2015
- DVC Moorea studios completion mid December 2014
- DVC Moorea studios Inspections early January 2015
- DVC Moorea test stays in early January 2015
- DVC Pago Pago studio completion early January 2015
- DVC Pago Pago studio test stays in early March 2015
Estimates for completion of the work at the Tokelau Longhouse, the last of three longhouses being converted to DVC villas, are not available. However, mid-June 2015 is the target date for all projects to be completed at the resort.
DVC has not confirmed how many villas the Polynesian will have. However, prior filings with several Florida governmental agencies indicate there will be 20 over-the-water bungalows that will be comparable to two-bedroom DVC vacation homes. The Moorea Longhouse will have 142 villas, all of which will be studios. A filing with the Orange County Property Appraiser under "Future Development" indicates there will be 363 rooms at the "Polynesian Timeshare & Bungalow Property." If so, then the Pago Pago and Tokelau Longhouses will be adding another 201 villas to the resort's inventory.
Thanks to Steve Seifert for sharing his information with us!
