It only took 56 years since the first park, but Disney is finally building a Polynesian resort that’s (wait for it) actually in Polynesia.
And, thankfully, no talking parrots.
Aulani, an 840-room resort and spa scheduled to open on Oahu at the end of August, is the biggest news for Disneyphiles in the West, but is not the only development. After years of significant expansion almost everywhere but in the company’s original backyard – including opening a park in Hong Kong and working on another in Shanghai – Disney is moving forward with projects and developments that will change the way West Coasters worship at the altar of the Mouse.
“We’re gratified that there has been so much activity,” said Disney spokesman John McClintock. “It’s been a very exciting period for us, starting with the 50th anniversary in 2005. These are all really exciting projects.”
Among them:
– Because of its first new ship in more than a decade, Disney Cruise Line has shuffled the fleet and is finally basing a ship on the West Coast full time.
– By this time next year, California Adventure will be 12 acres bigger and that inescapable voice in your head will be from Larry the Cable Guy.
– And with Aulani, Disney’s tropical-isle obsession – starting with the Enchanted Tiki Room in 1963 – will finally reach a tropical isle.
Add to that the opening in 2009 of the Walt Disney Family Museum in San Francisco’s Presidio, and the small world of the West is a big place for fans – after all.
See Page N4 for a breakdown of the major developments in the West.
Aulani Resort on Oahu
It is confirmed: no talking parrots at Aulani.
Animatronic tropical creatures have been a staple of Disney’s Polynesian-themed properties in the past, but, said spokesman John McClintock, Aulani is a chance for the company to trade in kitsch for culture.
“The (designers) take this very seriously. They frankly wanted to avoid that kind of image and stick with the kind of input they were getting from locals,” McClintock said. Instead of just basing it on Disney’s Polynesian Resort near Orlando, designers approached the project with “a clean slate,” he said.
Aulani (not “the Aulani”) is in the community of Ko Olina on the southwest coast of Oahu, about 17 miles from Honolulu International Airport, flanked by two Marriott resorts.
On paper, it’s a standard Disney resort: When finished, it will include 359 hotel rooms and 481 “two-bedroom equivalent Disney Vacation Club villas,” as well as a spa, pools, a private snorkeling lagoon, white-sand beach and a half dozen restaurants and cafes.
The differences, according to McClintock and company announcements, will be how well authentic Hawaiian culture is built into every aspect of the resort, as well as how excursions to other spots and activities on the island will entertain and educate.
As the first guests begin arriving on Aug. 29, at issue will be how well the resort accomplishes the goal of being part of the culture, not just a parody of it, something the company hasn’t really had to do before.
Said McClintock: “The stories we’re trying to tell at Aulani are the authentic ones.”
Expect to pay a premium over similarly outfitted resorts in the Islands, mostly for the Disney name and everything that goes with it. Prices at Aulani start around $399 per night per couple (with or without a child), not including airfare.
Disney Wonder wanders west
In 2005, when Disney Cruise Line pried one of its two ships out of the Caribbean for the first time for a short season in Mexican Riviera from Los Angeles, the cabins sold out faster than Mickey can take off his white gloves.
With the launch in January of Disney Dream, its first new ship in 12 years, the cruise line finally elevated the occasional visits to a more permanent status, moving the 1,750-passenger Disney Wonder to home port in Los Angeles for Mexico cruises.
More important, however, the full-time gig on the West Coast also allowed Disney to sail for the first time to Alaska – a market traditionally dominated by older passengers.
Article source: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/07/24/TRHF1JL1L3.DTL
Incoming search terms:
- planet inurl:/bbs cgi
- Published News Upcoming News Submit a New Story Groups amusement parks
- sergeant inurl:/board
- Published News Upcoming News Submit a New Story Groups how to change
- Published News Upcoming News Submit a New Story Groups card
- Published News Upcoming News Submit a New Story Groups customer service companies
- Published News Upcoming News Submit a New Story Groups food service of america
- Published News Upcoming News Submit a New Story Groups public radio
- acedy inurl:/rbook cgi?page=
- price inurl:/aska cgi
Crazy to hear that Disney just keeps on expanding. They are truly one of the great Ameican countries in the world.