Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort

Stayed there from Feb 2 – 7 for my FASTSIGNS Convention. Most if the Owners booked at the Contemporary but I booked late and got the Polynesian and I am glad I did. I arrived a day early ahead of our Minnesota storm and was pleased to get a Waterfront room. The weather was absolutely gorgeous the entire time except the Saturday before I left but this place was wonderful. Incredibly friendly staff, very accommodating, and overall the feel of this place was magnificent. More for a family but still many places to relax and unwind. The rooms were very big and spacious and very clean. There is a beach and when watching the Fireworks nightly at Magic Kingdom, they are positioned right in front of the beach for a perfect view. I would highly recommend this resort to anyone and we may stay there when I return with my family.

This is the best hotel on Disney property. The grounds are amazing, has the best restaurants, convenient monorail access, big rooms. Only negative is they possibly have the worst pillows I’ve ever slept on. The $ 5 pillows from Target are a lot more comfortable.

This is a great resort to visit, have dinner, book a room, etc. It’s conveniently located on the monorail system and decorated with authentic art. The food is very good and there are many places to choose from on the first and second level.

My son, daughter in law and grandchildren ages 21, 12 and two spent a week here in January.
Accommodations were fresh, clean and comfortable. Our room was freshened each day.
The eating areas and bar were pleasant, good food and great service.
Check in and check out were easy and «painless».
Any and all questions were answered by staff in a friendly manner.
We will happily recommend it and want to stay there again.
Monorail, bus and water taxi got us to all of the parks efficiently and comfortably.

Uh I hate the new updates … Waterfall in main lobby is now a statue of a weird wooden figure. What is this thing? It makes no sense. Anyways, we did not stay over (just there for dinner… another fail). We have stayed here in the past (many years ago — long before there were tracking devices… I mean «arm bands»). At around $ 500 a night for a tiny room, it’s definitely not worth it. Back to the «updating» of course they forgot to include the 1^st and 2^nd floor bathrooms which were old and in need of a cleaning (yuck). The elevators in the lobby were also old and musty smelling … I looked up and to my surprise saw BLACK MOLD all over the ceiling lights!!! In both elevators! I can’t imagine what other types of mold is lurking in this place, I did notify Disney and was told they would tell a manager at the resort… Sheesh all they needed to do was look up to see this horrifying mold! You would think with the resort adding the 2k per night huts and other expensive additions, that that they would scour the lobby and existing rooms first to make sure it’s a healthy environment for their guest. Hope Disney gets there priorities straight soon.

I love Disney properties. Been a mouse-​head for years. I’m terrified to nega-​Yelp about Disney because they know too much about me. But I found a dirty sock under the bed. Tipping point! Staff is grumpy. But the bellman was eager. Bellmen tried to give us someone else’s luggage. Still playing Christmas music to sell Christmas merchandise. Not even basic cable. Only Disney/​ABC stations. Chicken so tough at Captain Cooks I woke up with TMJ! No healthy food options. Room smells, but it could be the dirty sock. How about some bananas and black coffee for the runners as we stagger toward a bus at 3:30 am? Disney no longer exceeds my expectations like in the past. It could be me expecting more value for the dollar. If so, I apologize to my fellow mouse-​heads.

This is my favorite resort hotel so far. I haven’t stayed at them all, but this is great. Personally, I like it better than Aulani (see my review of that if you wish).
What I’ve come to realize about the Disney World Resort hotels is that the cost goes for more than just your room. Compared to Old Key West (which is the last place i stayed) Polynesian is better in the way of food, view, amenities, and proximity/​transportation. I don’t know how to quantify that into dollars, but it’s worth something for sure. You can’t beat access to the monorail. The pool (although one was under construction) was awesome. Where else can you sit on a «beach» and stare Cindarella’s castle? No where. Probably the most interesting thing I noticed was the upgrade in the quality of the quick food. Their Captain Cook’s serves really good food. Much better than some of the other resort hotels. All of that factors into the additional cost/​value.
Lastly, and this goes for all Disney facilities, they have the best lifeguards I’ve ever seen. They are attentive, abundant, and actively ensuring safety rather than passively waiting to hear a distress call.

I love this resort!!! I didn’t get to stay here but I visited it twice during my visit to WDW. We ate at Ohana and Kona Café. I’ve never been to hawaii but this place made me feel like we were in hawaii. They have a lighting ceremony where this guy comes out and does a fire dance/​show. And I love their beach! it was so nice, and tangled was playing outside that night. You can also see the fireworks and castle from magic kingdom there. We got to watch the fireworks with the music on in Ohana so it was nice. I love this place, and hope I can stay here in the future.

My first time staying at a Disney Resort and dang I love it! It’s obviously pricey, however it is worth it! Came here with my fiancé and his family. We were able to check in early and our room was already ready before 4pm. It was 2pm when we arrived. Walked around and explore a bit. They were doing some construction of adding a new pool area, I think.
They got restaurants, pool area, hot tub, kids pool area, and so much more. I only stayed there for a day while the family stayed a few days (it’s because I had to work the next day).
The room was great! We had 2 bathrooms, only 1 without a toilet. 1 bed, 1 pullout couch and 1 side bed thingy that you pull down under the tv (I thought it was pretty cool) it was enough to hold all of us. Fridge, microwave, sink, closet, and other things related to a hotel. Very clean and great decorations.
I thought it was pretty cool that the key is your resort wristband and every member has it instead of the normal 2 card keys you receive at hotels. Very convenient and no need to worry about where you left your resort key because it’s on your wrist. Very cool.
Will be coming back again and also try other resorts too!

This review pertains to my overall experience at the Polynesian resort. If I had to give a review focused only at the bungalow we spent the night, which was breathtaking, I would have given 5 STARS. Most of the staff I encountered not very friendly. For instance, our bags were lost for over 2 hours, it was impossible to get a proper response regarding the whereabouts of our bags. Last time I checked with the bell desk, someone just hung up the phone, the same happened to my brother in law. Then I went to talk with a manager at the front desk, and the response was not much different. The manager gave me a very condescending attitude, and literally asked me «what do you want me to do?» Instead of trying to make the situation better, he decided to argue with me. Then I was offered a hotel credit to just make me go away. Overall, that was a very unnecessary incident that could have been avoided by just providing a much better an appropriate customer service. I definitely did not feel the Disney magic at that time.
Anyway, back to the bungalow, it was outstanding. It is very spacious, it can fit 2 small families. The details are as beautiful as the views, you can even enjoy Magic Kingdom fireworks from the small tub at the back patio. Besides the amazingly bungalows, the overall customer service shown by most of the staff I interacted was very disappointing considering the Disney brand.

I’ve been going to Disney World for almost 40 years now. We love it so much we bought into DVC years ago. The Polynesian is somewhere I have always wanted to stay, but could never afford. When I heard that DVC was adding on to this resort I was beyond thrilled. Finally I was able to use points rather than shelling out big $$$$. We stayed 5 nights in a lake view studio in the Moorea building. As soon as we arrived we were greeted with «welcome home» which I love. Disney truly is our second home. Once inside the first thing I noticed was all the renovation changes. Guests there were either loving the new décor or hating it. I think the lobby changes give this resort a more updated feel and the first thing we noticed was the ability to see Cinderellas castle from the front of the lobby. We got checked in and headed to our room. The one downside to staying in the villas is how far away you are from the lobby, restaurants and feature pool. It felt like we were constantly having to walk a distance for anything. The room itself was fantastic. This is the largest studio villa we’ve ever stayed in. The new studios have 2 bathrooms. 1 with a standard tub shower/​sink/​toilet and the other with a rain shower head and sink. It was nice to have a 2^nd area to get ready in the morning. We had a lake view room facing Cinderellas castle and could watch the fireworks from our balcony.
Another thing within our view was the 2-​bedroom bungalow villas. DVC allowed me to come through and photograph the bungalows which I will attach to this review. While they are beautiful, it doesn’t make financial sense for us to ever stay there. If your not a DVC member and you want to book those rooms it will cost you an average of $ 2k PER NIGHT. Being a DVC member these rooms are also out of reach (for us) because one night would be 160 points, which is usually a one year allotment for a majority of members.
The meals we had at Ohana’s character breakfast and Kona Café were excellent. I will leave separate reviews on each when I have more time. Our attempts eating at Captain Cooks quick service was a bit of a nightmare. We walked in to grab a quick bite for dinner. There were so many people standing around we could not access the refrigerators to grab and drink and sandwich so we walked out. Another time we went in for a hot dog only, the place was empty and we had to wait over 20 minutes. Needless to say we were not too happy with this location and it seems they have a lot of work to do in getting that place running a bit more efficiently.
Overall we really enjoyed our stay. From the room itself, the view of the fireworks, majority of the restaurants, the newly expanded lava pool area and the convenience of the monorail, we really had a nice time
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!Por favor manténgase alejado de las puertas. :)

May be old and a little worn, but still has all the charm of visiting somewhere tropical, if you’ve got kids with you under 13, this is a great soot to go for afternoon lunch and chill on the lagoon beach, or better yet. Take in the Luau show after the sun goes down. Very family friendly but not so much that you can’t enjoy a casual date here

You really can’t go wrong with any of the Disney resorts. The Polynesian is definitely my favorite that I’ve stayed at. Everything about this hotel feels like a tropical paradise. You are given a lei greeting when you arrive at the hotel. There’s also a beautiful outdoor waterfall at the entrance. The lobby is filled with exotic trees and flowers. It’s absolutely breathtaking. The hotel is one of the most expensive Disney hotels, but I think it’s worth the cost.
There’s a gorgeous beach on the ground of the hotel. There’s also an electric boat parade that goes by at night that you can watch right on the beach. You can also see the Wishes Spectacular fireworks show from the Polynesian.
Another huge advantage of this hotel is that it is conveniently located along the main monorail course. A lot of the hotels are beautiful, but are a lengthier process to get to the parks (bus stops, transfers). The monorail stops right and the Polynesian and takes you to Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, EPCOT, the Grand Floridian and the Contemporary.
The Polynesian also has several great restaurants in the hotel to choose from. There is a Hawaiian hula dinner show that is incredible. If you’d like to attend this– book as early as possible. It sells out so fast! They also have a tropical themed character breakfast with Lilo and Stitch. There’s also a sushi restaurant and a great dessert place. If you’re looking for a quicker meal, they have an extensive cafeteria.

Disney’s Polynesian Resort is a high end, tropical oasis that opened in 1971. It’s currently undergoing a renovation, so I suppose it will be even better! This is a deluxe hotel and when I had a quick look, a weekday stay in April was going for $ 450/​night! Ouch.
The grounds are lush with beautiful colorful plants and many water features. We only came to visit the hotel, so my review is not based on staying here.
They offer free (fake) leis to the guests, and while they’re cute, they’re pretty cheaply made unfortunately. It was falling apart all over my clothes and I was wearing it for less than an hour.
The pool is small with a zero-​entry entrance, but there’s a huge volcano in the center which has a waterfall and a 167 foot water slide! The water slide was pretty great! There’s an infinity hot tub set in the rocks too.
There’s a beach and marina area that shows free nightly Disney movies. Also, from here you can see the Magic Kingdom fireworks show over the castle. They even pipe in the music from the park, so you can truly experience the fireworks show as if you were in the park.
Also, there’s a lighted boat parade show shown here nightly as well. It’s best seen from this location over the Floridian or the Contemporary as it comes much closer to shore. This is the first stop for the parade. The boat parade was created for the opening day of the Polynesian Resort and was only supposed to be a one-​time event, but it was so well loved that they kept it as a nightly feature.
There’s a monorail to get you around the lake to other hotels and the Magic Kingdom. There’s also a dock to catch the boat around the lake too.
There’s a few restaurants here too including a Hawaiin dinner show with a buffet, a sit down, and two fast casual restaurants. There’s also Trader Sam’s, a tiki grotto bar and a new terrace seating area for that bar. We ate at Captain Cook’s which was alright and we also got a Dole Whip from the new Pineapple Lanai.
I didn’t see as any Disney & Mickey elements like at other resorts, but since they’re renovating, maybe they’re just not done decorating yet. I’m not sure I would ever splurge on staying here, but it’s really cool to walk around and a great place to watch the lighted boat parade and the fireworks while eating a dole whip!

This is a very old building that looks like it’s from the 70’s or 80’s (especially the buildings with the guest rooms.
It’s on the monorail so you can get to the Magic Kingdom or Epcott more quickly.
To get to any other Disney park you can take the busses which take about 45 minutes.
An Über ride takes 10 minutes and costs around $ 7 to get to Hollywood Disney for instance. Taxi is $ 14.40 without tip for the same trip.
Save your money and don’t rent a car and just Über it around.
There is a free airport shuttle which is also about 45 min. If your flight arrive before 10 PM they pick up your bags and take them to the resort. Otherwise you have to take them with you and pick them up at baggage claim.
The hotel rooms are okay. Basic with a safe and empty beverage fridge.
Use magic bands to get into rooms and buildings and purchase food and items. You can link the bands to credit cards and allow your children 11 years and under to charge with the magic bands as well. Remember that if you check in late you need them to give you a card to get into the buildings. The magic bands are not active until you open your room door so you’ll be locked out of the building if you arrive late at night. The front desk neglects to tell you this.
The food options are not great. There’s a 24-​hour café called Capt. Cook’s which has decent food and is not crowded. Before 6:30 AM and after 11 PM you can only get food from the refrigerator. At other times you can get hot food made to order.
The sitdown restaurants include Kona Café and the buffet. These restaurants are okay but are filled with people with meal plan reservations so make sure you make a reservation early or you’ll be eating at Capt. cooks every night. Healthy eating options are noticeably missing in all of the eating establishments at the restaurant.
Currently, the hotel is under renovation in the main pool is closed partially in the waterslides are not working. There’s also lots of construction around the hotel rooms with loud construction equipment which is constantly beeping and driving around. Hopefully this will change soon.
Is this hotel worth the money? It’s worth it if you want to be on the monorail system and have easy access to the parks.
Otherwise, it’s not worth the money because the Décor is very tired and old.
The whole Polynesian theme is kind of a joke and just token decorations on the walls and trash cans. There might be one or two Hawaiian people actually working here.
The hotel rooms will be divided into different Polynesian countries like Tonga or Fiji but it’s only a name on a sign and nothing else from those countries.
The front desk staff is moderately helpful. Getting help on the phone with your meal plan or anything else with the Disney magic bands can be quite difficult through lots of phone menus and pressing buttons. No one seems to know what’s going on.
The all you can drink cups have a microchip it’s tied to the length of your stay at the resort. It’s all soda with a Power raid and lemonade option and you can always get plain water in the cup. The cup cost $ 16.49.
This hotel has a view of the Magic Kingdom fireworks show every night at 9 PM so you don’t have to go to the kingdom.
Also, there is no fitness center in this hotel. You must travel to the grand Floridian Hotel if you want to work out.

If your looking for a great resort at Disney; Polynesian is your best bet. Our families first trip to Disney in 2012 was nothing short of a nightmare due to the lack of resort amenities (POR) that our travel agent at the time recommended to us (needless to say we didn’t use her again). Although the resort was clean, beautifully landscaped and had friendly staff; the transportation to and from parks took way to much of our vacation time up and left us frustrated not ever wanting to return to Disney again.
In 2013 we decided we need a Disney Do-​Over. this time I used another travel agency and based on our experience in 2012, they recommended the Polynesian Resort. Trust me this resort is more expensive than the other Disney Resorts as its considered a Deluxe; but if transportation to and from parks must be short and sweet; than the extra $$ you will spend is PRICELESS.
Polynesian has the monorail that runs between 3 Deluxe Hotels (Contemporary; Grand Floridian and Polynesian) and stops at Magic Kingdom. Best part? It only takes 5 minutes! Thats right 5 minutes!!! Instead of waiting in hot bus line of endless screaming children; you can make the most of your vacation because your not spending 40% of your time traveling to and from parks.
At night leaving Magic Kingdom; the monorail can get crowded (hey its Disney, you have to expect this) but you can also opt to take short boat trip back to the Polynesian.
This hotel also offers great amenities, they have 3 great dining options (Ohana’s, Kona and a quick service area — can you say dole whip??)
We love the atmosphere of this hotel, the Hawaiian theme isn’t over the top and the staff is friendly and courteous.
The rooms have been recently upgraded and are a good size for our family (3 people). The moderate resort room we had in 2012 was tiny and really just a place to lay your head down after the exhausting bus rides. Polynesian Rooms are big, some have balconies and the bathroom is nice and clean.
My only tip would be if you like to be close to the Grand Ceremonial House (where the monorail stops) I would request a building that is closest to it. You may get a view of the parking lot, but it will make traveling each day that much easier.
If you can spend the extra $$ on a hotel upgrade for a deluxe I would totally recommend Polynesian. We are going to Disney again in May 2015 and we are booked here again. Cant wait!!! Love Polynesian!

By and far my favorite Disney hotel. I’ve stayed here twice over the years — it’s definitely the best Magic Kingdom resort in my book.
The atmosphere is really nice. If you prefer southern charm and fancy décor, go Grand Floridian. If you prefer Disney trying to look like a modern hotel, go Contemporary. If you like something a little more homey with the still high-​end feel, go Wilderness Lodge. My favorite — the laid back, beautiful, tropical Polynesian.
They are currently redoing the interior lobby — not sure on timing myself, but I would beware of that if you are booking within the next six months (basically until December 2014) as I’m sure that might make you like this a bit less because it’s really underwhelming in the lobby with all the décor being walled off.
The restaurants inside are good — Kona Café is a favorite of mine. It’s not too expensive and it’s very, very good food. Great for families and groups.
I really enjoy the concierge suites here — the food was always good and the concierge was really helpful with getting us reservations and some things sent to our room. I’ve also stayed in a normal suite with 5 people and they were super accommodating.
Be sure to take advantage of the walkway to the Ticket and Transportation center and just take the monorail directly to Epcot instead of transferring — it’s almost always faster.

This is one of Disney’s Deluxe Resorts and it’s on the Monorail Loop. What does that mean? It means you’ll pay through nose to stay here. Is it worth it? Yes. Personally, I’d choose the Grand Floridian or the Contemporary over the Polynesian, but it’s nice to mix it up every once in a while if you have the money to do so.
In case you aren’t familiar, when I say it’s located on the Monorail Loop, that means that there is a monorail stop on the second floor of the lobby. The monorail will take you to The Magic Kingdom or it will take you to the Transportation & Ticket Center where you can switch to a different monorail if you wish to go to Epcot instead. If you are looking to go to any of the other Parks or Downtown Disney, they have a bus stop and one of the buses will take you.
The Polynesian is Hawaiian themed and when you check-​in, they even give leis to everyone in your party. I have to stop Disney for a minute and dis them on the leis. Most things at Disney are pretty darn wonderful and magical, but these leis are pitiful. They don’t like literally fall apart or anything, but pieces of the leis immediately start coming off and you’ll find this stuff all over your clothes, all in your hair, all over your hotel room. C’mon, Disney, for the price of a room per night here, you could give your guests a proper lei. Hmmm… that sounded bad! LOL
They have a couple of pools here. The larger has the really cool volcano slide. As others have mentioned, the pools are always super crowded, but that’s no different than any of the other Disney Resorts.
I love the theme of the resort (yes, I’m back to that). The landscaping is gorgeous and there are tikis everywhere. Try to take some time to just walk around the Resort and take it all in. It’s pretty fab.
I must warn you, it’s easy to get turned around on this particular property. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve been here and I still find myself getting turned around from time to time thinking, «Where the heck am I?!» So, pay attention to the signs and try to keep your bearings about you. If this is your Disney Resort of choice, I’m sure you will have a fabulous time and will really enjoy your stay! Oh… and I leave you with one last thing.
The rooms are nicely appointed and the beds are super comfy. Housekeeping is great, and of course, you can expect excellent service from the entire staff… but that’s always a given at Disney.
They recently did a completely redo of the entire lobby area and it is so beautiful! I just love the fact that the bottom of the lamps now have regular plug-​ins on them as well as USB ports. So you can now relax in the lobby and charge your cell phone, iPad, etc.
A fun fact. John Lennon signed the paperwork that officially broke up the Beatles at the Polynesian Resort on December 29, 1974

While we typically stay at a value resort (Pop Century is a fav), this trip I was able to snag a nice winter rate at the Polynesian for sub $ 300 a night. I realize this is ~3X the going rate at Pop but for this property it is a real deal.
Part of the deal is because they are wrapping up construction/​renovations there for the new Vacation Club rooms. While the main pool is closed down, they give you free admission into Typhoon Lagoon. We never heard any of the construction activity from our room and save for a couple of walking paths being blocked off never bothered by it. Fortunately, the lobby renovations are complete with plenty of seating available to relax. We prefer the lobby over at the GF but not bad now at the Poly.
The big deal for us with staying at the Poly is the oversized rooms and the monorail station. Our room was huge compared to other Disney rooms with 2 full size beds and a sofa that could fold out for even more sleeping space. We had a nice chaise in the corner and plenty of desk space as well. The bathroom was quite large with two sinks and additional counters that would allow my wife and two daughters to complete their beautification rituals simultaneously without interference. Their is plenty of storage space with two good sized lighted closets and several drawer stacks. You could easily sleep 6 in there if they let you.
Hard to put a price on the monorail but it is super convenient from the Poly. We reached Magic Kingdom in like 10 minutes from our room on two different mornings. It could take twice that just waiting on a bus to arrive at other resorts. Plus it makes it easy to pop back for a nap and return ready for more fun. EPCOT is reached easily with a transfer to a second monorail. One can walk from Poly to the TTC and get there a little faster than going all the way around the lake on the monorail.
Only criticism on this visit, is they appear to be removing most if not all of the gas torches that used to light all the walkways. For us, they were a big part of the charm of the property. There are still a couple left over by the Luau but their days may be numbered.

Nestled right on Bay Lake, the Poly opened the same day Disney World itself opened. Through the years, the resort has become an icon in its own right, and during my stay I got to experience what I’ve heard people talk so highly of.
As the name suggests, the resort is themed after islands in Polynesia. The main building (dubbed the Great Ceremonial House) houses the shops and restaurants while the guest rooms are located in longhouses named after islands in the Pacific. Disney does a good job at capturing the feel, with lots of plants and waterfalls. The interior and exterior of the buildings are wood-​toned with mainly browns and oranges; many are decorated with tiki faces.
I stayed in the Hawaii building, which was ideal because it was close enough to the Great Ceremonial House but far enough away that it wasn’t too noisy from the pool and such. I stayed club level, and with that came a few extra perks; various snacks were offered throughout the day, we got a special welcome letter and chocolate imprinted with a picture of the resort, and there was a separate common area just for club level guests. I enjoyed the club level experience but for me it’s not worth it to do more than once. Also, while my room had a balcony, I noticed other rooms didn’t. If you’re on the first floor it’s one thing, but being a deluxe resort all rooms on the upper levels should have balconies.
The resort has a lot of amenities that make it stand out. First, it’s on the monorail track, so you have access to the Magic Kingdom and Epcot without having to take the bus. There’s also boat transportation to the Grand Floridian and the Magic Kingdom, plus walkways to the Grand Floridian and the Transportation and Ticket Center. I was very impressed by the number of options for travel!
Shopping is decent, though I’ve seen more options at the Contemporary and Grand Floridian; hopefully once renovations are done we will see more variety. What I do like about the shopping is the Poly tends to carry more resort-​specific merchandise than other resorts. There are a lot of trinkets with the Poly name on it, plus items relating to the Pacific Islands and tiki culture.
The resort has fairly good dining options; I’ve eaten at both restaurants (‘Ohana and Kona Café) and they both serve pretty good food. Kona Café is a traditional sit-​down while ‘Ohana does family style, with breakfast being a character meal. Another perk of staying at the Poly is you have the Pineapple Lanai, a snack stand located outside the main building that serves the famous Dole Whip soft-​serve. The only other place I’ve found this treat is in the Magic Kingdom. One thing I find missing from the Poly is a more upscale «signature» restaurant. All the other deluxe-​level resorts in Disney World have one I’m not sure why the Poly does not.
Overall, I like the Poly very much — the resort has a lot to offer and I had a wonderful stay. Again, I don’t think staying club level is worth it, and I would like to see more upscale features added to the resort. I’m looking forward to visiting again once the current renovations are complete and the DVC timeshare rooms are open.