The Walt Disney World Asian Resort PDF Print E-mail
Written by Lou Mongello   
"Welcome aboard the Walt Disney World Monorail. .. your highway in the sky to the Magic Kingdom... Our next stop, the Asian Hotel" What??!


When Walt Disney World was in its planning stages, it was decided early on that the resorts found throughout the property would all be themed. Early "Master Plans" for the resort included detailed descriptions of what was to

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The proposed Asian Resort
become Walt Disney World's first five themed resorts: The Contemporary (which would be the "flagship resort"), the Polynesian, and the unrealized Asian, Persian, and Venetian resorts. While the Contemporary and Polynesian opened as planned in conjunction with the Magic Kingdom in 1971, the other three resorts were to be built over the following five years.

The first of these three resorts to open was to have been the Asian Resort, and its location along the shores of the Seven Seas Lagoon had been set aside for it during the park's construction. It was to be located where the Grand Floridian Resort and Spa stands today, midway between the Magic Kingdom and the Polynesian on the monorail line. A large, square piece of land that extended out into the lagoon was prepared, and left unbuilt for almost 15 years, and could be seen from the monorail. Concept drawings of the resort could be seen in books sold in the Walt Disney World Preview Center. And although the Asian resort was mentioned in the Disney 1972 annual report as having construction beginning in 1974, this obviously never took place.

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The proposed locatations of the original resorts, from a souvenir book available before WDW opened in the Preview Center (names added)
Early Walt Disney World documents describe the resort in detail, in that it would have been strongly Thai in its architecture and motif, including the furnishings and dining options. In the center of the aforementioned large "square" was to stand a 160-foot tall tower, with a penthouse-level restaurant and entertainment lounge, similar to the Contemporary's "Top of the World." The 600 guest rooms would have spanned the perimeter of the "square," surrounding an inner courtyard. A large, possibly underground convention center was also planned, as well as a recreation center and 50 elegant guest suites.

Like all of the other resorts along the Seven Seas Lagoon, the placement of the Asian Resort was important. Just as the Contemporary serves as an appropriate, "futuristic" backdrop to Tomorrowland, the Polynesian sits close to Adventureland. The Asian was also to be located behind Adventureland, as a journey to the exotic Pacific fits in with the land's theme. In fact, up until 1986, there was a major roadway in Disney property that ran from the Magic Kingdom to the Car Care Center known as "Asian Way." (It has since been renamed "Floridian Way").

When Disney finally decided to build a new resort on the land set aside for the Asian, for some reason the Asian theme was dropped in favor of a more traditional, Victorian-themed "Grand Floridian Beach Resort," which was completed in 1988.

Thanks to Brian Martsolf of Walt Disney World: A History in Postcards, for providing the images herein.
 
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