Here is a view from the roof of the Contemporary Resort tower of the Polynesian at the opposite side of the Seven Seas Lagoon. The large portion of land that juts out into the Lagoon at the center of the picture has been the site of a proposed resort since before Walt Disney World's opening. The resort never was built, although it still gets mentioned every now and then.

Seen from one of the Magic Kingdom boat docks is the newest of the Magic Kingdom resorts, the Grand Floridian, which opened in 1988. Originally named the Grand Floridian Beach Resort, the name was later changed to the Grand Floridian Resort and Spa.

A view of the beach of the former Grand Floridian Beach Resort. The video for the Beach Boys song "Kokomo" from the movie "Cocktail" was filmed here on this beach around the time of the hotel's opening.

Here is one of the paths between the buildings of the Grand Floridian. As mentioned before, each resort has its own atmosphere, and this one has the theme of a resort in Florida in the early 20th century. One thing I like about this path is how it lines up. See the next photo.

In this enlargement of the center of the previous photo, you can see that this path lines up with Cinderella Castle off in the distance. I always enjoy being able to see Cinderella Castle from other parts of Walt Disney World, and I just imagine that this view was purposefully included in the design.

This view from the Monorail shows one of the Grand Floridian's guest room buildings, and many of the rooms have balconies overlooking the Lagoon. From the ripples on the water, it was particularly windy this day.

One last view of the Grand Floridian. Not much else to say about this top-notch, award winning resort, considered the finest of all of Disney's Florida resorts, but I included this picture just because I like it. Having a Lagoon between the parking lot and the park increases guests' anticipation as they approach the park and also helps to isolate the park from the everyday world of cars and parking lots. The Lagoon also provides picturesque views of the hotels, such as this one. Plus it adds a way of transportation - boats, and provides for water recreation at the different resorts.

There are a few ways to travel around the Seven Seas Lagoon. Probably the most popular is the Monorail, seen here approaching the Grand Floridian. Monorail travel to the Magic Kingdom and Epcot is one of the main selling points of the Magic Kingdom resorts. Different types of boats are also available to take guests to the Magic Kingdom. Guests can also rent boats from the hotel marinas to explore Seven Seas Lagoon and Bay Lake.

- Story and Photos by Steve Burns
Posted

Steve is a three-time Disney Store National Trivia finalist and webmaster of BurnsLand, home of Steve's Disney Railroad Adventures.

E-mail Steve at steve@startedbyamouse.com, discuss this article in the StartedByAMouse.com Disney Discussion Forums or use the Talkback feature below.

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