This story begins with a 27,000 acre site in central Florida that would someday become Walt Disney World including a spot specifically selected for its location and views that would be the location for a resort called the Polynesian Resort. Originally called the "Vacation Kingdom" it would become something like none of us had ever seen. The name would not be the only thing to change as time went by.

The Polynesian Village was born in 1971. Construction started in February 1971 and was completed August 1971. It was supposed to be a 12- story high-rise hotel in the center of a lagoon where guests rooms were clustered around small streams, a pool fed by waterfalls, a helt club, high-ceiling "South Sea" dining room located atop the hotel and a skindiving lagoon. Many of these ideas changed and others made it to the opening in 1971 but were removed shortly after.

Disney's Polynesian Village opened to enthusiastic visitors in late 1971. Visitors to the park that wanted to stay close to the action had two choices, the modern elegance of the Contemporary or the Tropical getaway of the Polynesian. The Polynesian staff and creators worked hard to make you feel you were no longer on the main land but off on some secluded island. As you will see on the following pages, the Polynesian has changed its look, size and logo over the years. 

The Polynesian has gone through some changes since it first opened so lets take a look at how it has changed since 1971.

The Polynesian opened on October 1, 1971 and it had 492 guest rooms (6 being suites) divided between eight guest longhouses across 39 acres. The original buildings were Bali Hai, Bora Bora, Fiji, Hawaii, Maui (later changed to Maori), Samoa, Tahiti, and Tonga. The resort was designed by Welton Becket and Associates of Santa Monica, California and WED Enterprises and constructed by US Steel Realty Develpoment. The rooms were constructed fully off-site and each room weighed 8.5 tons.

The Polynesian in the 1980s would see it final growth but still hold on to that 70's look with an 80's twist. Most of the resort would still look the same but the rooms would change. The Longhouse exteriors would have their wood siding painted over giving the resort a different look from the outside for the first time.

The 80's would also be when the isolated resort would get a new neighbor in 1988. That is when the Grand Floridian would be built where the Asian was going to be built.

The 1990's was a decade of change to the resort and its philosophy. A leader in this change was the General Manager Clyde Min (GM from 1995-1999) along with some other key cast members Stephen Hoel, Mary Cooper, and Shelley Randazzo. As the resort got some help from our Hawaiian friends to make it more authentic, this talanted group implement the Disney Management by Values-the Magic of Polynesia. With Dr. George Kanahele as a mentor, they would change the behavior of those who worked at the Polynesian. These changes to the resort and staff would bring the final ingredient to the Polynesian that would make it the jewel of Disney World and would bring the aloha spirit to the resort.

The Resort in the New Millennium has been revitalized. The Polynesian has stuck to the original ideas laid out by Walt Disney and designers and artist Rolly Crump (who designed the Tiki Room and Marc Davis. Even with keeping with the original ideas the Polynesian works hard to update and renovate. Many visitors to the Polynesian have seen renovations going on over the years to keep up one of the original resorts. 2002 brought the most extensive rehab the Polynesian has seen so far and should insure the Polynesian will be around for even longer than it has been already.