Polynesian Village Resort is a Walt Disney World Resort located by the Magic Kingdom. It is themed as a South Seas resort complete with a Tahitian royal assembly lodge. Features an expansive tropical waterfall in the atrium with over 75 psecies of plant life. It is also located on the Monorail Loop.
Price: $593 to $837 and higher
Room size: 409 sq feet
Sleeps: 5 adults + an infant under 3 ($25 fee per each adult; first 2 are free!)
Room count: 847
Room features: 2 queen size beds or a king size bed, a day bed, small table with 2 chairs, coffee maker, safe, small refrigerator and hair dryer.
Room views include Lagoon view, Theme Park view or Garden view.
There are also rooms available at the Club level and 5 different suites.
The Polynesian Village Resort went through a huge renovation and added Disney Vacation Club properties. You can now choose from the following:
Deluxe Studios – Sleep up to 5. Includes 1 queen size bed, 1 queen-size sleeper sofa, 1 pull-down bunk bed, a kitchenette with a wet bar, small refrigerator, microwave, toaster and coffee maker, one “split” bathroom with a shower and sink in one area an and a tub with shower, sink and toilet in the other.
The most exciting addition are the Bungalows that are located along Bay Lake.
The bungalows sleep up to 8 people. It has a master bedroom with a king size bed, a second bedroom with a queen size bed and a pull down bunk bed, a pull down bunk bed in the living room, a full kitchen, a whirpool tub in the master bathroom, “split” bathroom with a shower and sink in one area an and a tub with shower, sink and toilet in the other, a view of the Magic Kingdom fireworks and a private plunge pool.
Food options: There is 1 Quick Service restaurant, 2 Table Service restaurants, a pool bar and a snack stand. There is also room service available. There is a $3 delivery charge and 18% service charge on all orders. It is available from 6:30 am to midnight.
Captain Cook’s Snack Company – located on the first floor of the Great Ceremonial house, this Quick Service restaurant is open 24 hours and serves a variety of delicious Hawaiian inspired dishes.
‘Ohanas – located on the second floor of the Great Ceremonial house, this Table Service restaurant offers a character meal for breakfast and a delicious family style dinner. You can even watch Wishes from the restaurant if you are dining there.
Kona Cafe – also located on the second floor of the Great Ceremonial house, this Table Service restaurant serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. It’s specialties are Kona Coffee and Tonga Toast. They also have amazing steak dinners.
Pineapple Lanai – Serves Dole Whips and is located outside near the path from the lobby to the pool.
Trader Sam’s Lounge – Located on the first floor of the Great Ceremonial House. Open from 4 pm – 12 am and serves cocktails and appetizers.
Tambu Lounge – Located next to ‘Ohanas, it is open from 1 pm – 12 am and serves mixed beverages.
Barefoot Pool Bar located next to Nanea Volcano Pool. It is open 1 pm – 8 pm.
Spirt of Aloha Dinner Show – Presented every Tuesday through Saturday at Luau Cove at 5:15 and 8 pm. The show features authentic Polynesian dancing and food.
Pools: There are 2 pools. The Nanea Volcano Pool that features a waterfall and water slide. There is also a water play area for kids.
The quiet pool is the East Pool and it is currently closed until 2016.
Activities: Movie on the beach (check the schedule for nights); Daily Pool Party at 2 pm; Poolside activities from 1-4 pm; Hulu Dance Lessons; Fishing Excursion ($); Electrical Water Pageant; parasailing, water skiing, wakeboarding, family tubing and personal watercraft rentals
You can also view Wishes from the beach at the Polynesian. They even play the music over the speakers.
The Electrical Water Pageant comes by every night at 9 pm. Sit on the beach in one of their swings and watch the fireworks and the pageant for a perfect, magical evening.
Amenities:
24-hour front desk
atm
check-in and guest service
childcare service
complimentary wifi
covered bus stops
daily mousekeeping
designated smoking area
dry cleaning
fitness center
fridge
gift shop
hair dryers
handicap accessible rooms
ice machine
interior doors
ironing boards
irons
kiddie waiting area in lobby
laundry facilities
luggage service
Magical Express
mail services
merchandise delivery and pickup
online check-in
outdoor smoking areas
resort airline check-in
safe
wake- up call service
Shopping:
BouTiki is located on the first floor of the Polynesian lobby. Here you will find Polynesian inspired merchandise, Hawaiian shirts, surf wear and a number of Disney souvenirs.
Moana Mercantile is located on the second floor of the Great Ceremonial House. Here you will find popular Disney souvenirs, pins, sundries, health and beauty items, snacks and much more.
Samoa Snacks is located near the entrance to the Monorail. Here you can grab a quick snack or souvenir.
Overnight parking is $24.
Transportation: You can either take the monorail to the Magic Kingdom or Epcot, take a boat to the Grand Floridian or the Magic Kingdom or take a bus to the other parks.
Screening and bag check has been update when taking the monorail to Disney’s Magic Kingdom, guests will now be screened prior to boarding the monorail. This is in an effort to distribute screening at Magic Kingdom for quicker entrance.
Distance from parks by bus:
- Animal Kingdom – 9 miles
- Hollywood Studios – 5 miles
- Epcot – 6 miles
- Magic Kingdom – 2 miles
Address: 1600 Seven Seas Drive, Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830
Phone Number: 407-824-2000
Featured Reviews:
From my reader Michelle…
1) Why did you choose this resort? We chose this resort because it is close to the Transportation & Ticket Center (TTC) so we would have access to the Magic Kingdom and Epcot via the monorail. It’s very family-friendly! It has a zero depth pool which was great for my family. Also, it had a 3rd bed (daybed) and it was big enough for a playpen. My family consists of myself, husband, daughter (5 yrs), son (3 yrs), and daughter (1 yr).
2) What were the resort rooms like? Were they big enough for your family? Did you find them to be acceptable? We loved the rooms! They were very spacious! They are some of the biggest on Disney property, next to the Grand Floridian. We stayed in Tahiti building and were on the 2nd floor, so we had a balcony. The Tahiti building also has double sinks in the bathroom (which came in handy with our large family). We also had a double stroller and we could park it inside the room without collapsing it.
3) What were the amenities of the resort like? What was your favorite one? The beaches on the 7 seas lagoon were our favorite amenity. We watched WISHES from the beaches a couple of different times. The zero-depth pool was great, with an awesome water slide. The Spirit of Aloha Dinner & Show (Luau) is also held at the Polynesian Resort and is wonderful entertainment. O’hana has fabulous character breakfast with Lilo & Stitch, Mickey, & Pluto and great food. O’hana Dinner is fun and very delicious as well, eventhough there are no characters. My husband had a fun time at the “meat-fest” (O’hana dinner). Kona is also found here and has the one of the best steaks on property.
4) What was the food court like? Any favorite foods? The only counter service is Captain Cooks, which has lots of good options. Including self serve DOLE WHIP!
5) How were the resort buses? What was your walk to the bus stop like? How were the resorts bus stops at the parks? How far was the walk to the gates? How crowded were the buses at any given time? We didn’t take the buses on this trip, as we rented a mini-van. (We found a great parking lot close to Tahiti that seemed almost private!) We rode the monorail all the time to the Magic Kingdom and Epcot. We actually walked (only approx. 1 block) to the TTC and hopped on the monorail (or Ferry) to get to the Magic Kingdom which was much faster than taking the resort monorail which has to stop other places before arriving at the Magic Kingdom.
6) Would you stay at this resort again? If not, please provide a reason. YES! YES! YES! Location is key for our family of 5! The theming is great for kids as they thought they were in Hawaii the whole time.
Alternative Resort:
Disney’s Contemporary Resort
Learn more about the Walt Disney World Resorts and contact Destinations in Florida to help you book your perfect resort.
The Poly is our Disney home!! Not much in the World beats the view from a theme park view room in the Hawaii building!! Truly magical!
Why did you choose this resort? My grandparents actually chose this resort. We were going on an “all out” family trip and they wanted the best! The Polynesian offered a convenience factor that was particularly appealing to our family. It was emtremely close to 2 parks, the monorail runs right through it, and you could also catch a boat to surrounding parks and resorts. Plus the rooms were huge!!! It was actually a pleasure to be in our room after we were worn out from a long day of walking.
What were the resort rooms like? Were they big enough for your family? Did you find them to be acceptable? Like I said the rooms were huge! 2 queen beds and a pull out couch along with a large spacey bathroom. We crammed 2 families per room and still had room to spare.
What were the amenities of the resort like? What was your favorite one? The amenities were great, if you are looking for a resort that offers the most convenience and most attractive atmosphere the Poly is the way to go. My grandmother is handicapped and had no problems making her way around. She especially enjoyed the transportation offered instead of a park and walk.
What was the food court like? Any favorite foods? The Poly offers several places to eat although most are not cheap. But the food is exceptional. The Dinner Show food is fair but the all you care to enjoy part makes up for it. Also the character breakfast is a lot of fun, but the Kona Cafe has the best breakfast. My favorite dining spot there however is the sushi bar located right outside the Kona. Best, freshest sushi I’ve ever had!!!
How were the resort buses? What was your walk to the bus stop like? How were the resorts bus stops at the parks? How far was the walk to the gates? How crowded were the buses at any given time? We took advantage of the monorails and boats more than anything but the monorail takes you to the TTC and the waits for the buses weren’t terrible.
Would you stay at this resort again? If not, please provide a reason.
Oh Yeah!!!! But it’s pricey so it’ll have to wait :)
1) Why did you choose this resort? My mom and I chose this room for the land/sea package during our Disney cruise trip. The rooms were very spacious and I thought the best transportation possible. We walked right out our room, into the lobby, upstairs, and caught the monorail. It has been the most beautiful hotel I’ve stayed at on Disney property (which so far has been 7x’s). I would definately stay again, only problem is, it is a little pricey and I’m no longer single and able to splurge like I did then. I have a family and must first think of expenses. It is absolutely beautiful though. I said when we arrived that if someone would have blindfolded us and dropped us onto the property you would definately think you were on a Hawaiian island. It’s THAT beautiful. (and all the cast members say “Aloha”)
2) What were the resort rooms like? The rooms were gorgeous!! They, again, looked like something out of a Hawaiian island vacation book. They, also, had slight hints of Disney, but weren’t overpowering. The only thing I would take note of now that I have a young child who would be napping was, the monorail ran outside our window and if you were a light sleeper or had a child you napped, you might want to request to be away from the slight noise. It was nothing too terribly loud. LOTS of bathroom space too!!
3) What were the amenities of the resort like? Ok, by far, the BEST amenity was the view from the beach. You can see Cinderella’s Castle in plain view and it’s spectacular! The pool is very cool too, but my mom and I went without kids so we stayed away from the main pool w/ the slide and hung out at the smaller, quieter one. Very nice, clean, and quiet. Another great amenity was the monorail stopping right at the hotel. You couldn’t get better transportation.
4) What was the food court like? Any favorite foods? One regret is that we never once ate at the hotel! They have the luau which I so wish now we would have done, but maybe next time!!
5) Being that the monorail ran right into the hotel, we didn’t use the buses much. I think one evening we went to Downtown Disney, but other than that, we used the monorail and transferred. Not a lot of walking between our room and the monorail stop either. Great tip to ask for a room close!!
6) Would you stay at this resort again? HE&& yes! It was so beautiful and the rooms, and cast members were so lovely. I would love to go back now with my family so they too could experience this place. I know my husband would just love it and my daughter would have a blast at the pool and seeing Cinderella’s Castle so close!!
We choose the Poly for our honeymoon stay! We only stayed 2 days and I have a friend who works there so we got a good discount.
The rooms were fine, bigger than the other Disney hotels but nothing special. They were clean and nice, our room faced the MK so we could see Space Mtn and the castle from our balcony which was cool.
The Poly has lots of amazing amenities but we didn’t take advantage of too many of them. The biggest perk to us was being on the monorail. We loved being able to come and go very quickly from the parks.
Like others said, the Poly has amazing food! I wish we had eaten there but my hubby did our ADRs all in the parks.
The buses were great, we never waited more than 10-15 mins. Granted we were there during the off season, September. We loved the monorail for Magic Kingdom and Epcot. But the buses to Epcot and Animal Kingdom were great as well.
The only reason we would stay there again is if my husband started growing money in our back yard! (: We loved the monorail perk and the room was nice, but we just couldn’t justify spending that amount of money again on a room.
■Why did you choose this resort?
A few years ago, Disney offered 40% off of all of their rooms for Active Duty military. My husband’s family was going there on vacation and staying in a condo, but we would be staying one more night than they were, so we decided to splurge on a Deluxe Resort, simply because we could. We chose the Polynesian because they had rooms available and, with the discount, was pretty affordable.
What were the resort rooms like? Were they big enough for your family? Did you find them to be acceptable?
The room was beautiful. We reserved a garden room, but I have a friend who works at Disney and is friends with one of the managers at the Polynesian, and she was able to hook us up with a free upgrade, so we ended up with a Lagoon view, on the second floor. There were two large beds and a small sitting area with a lounger, table, and chairs. Plenty of space for our daughter’s pack and play, and a nice balcony to just sit and look out at the water and enjoy the evening so that she could sleep in peace. The bathroom was huge! I loved this room. It was raining the day we left, and we called the front desk, and they sent a guy in a golf cart to take us and our luggage to the main building so we wouldn’t get all wet at check out.
What were the amenities of the resort like? What was your favorite one?
We loved the big pool with the volcano. Our daughter was 8 months old, and the zero depth was perfect for her. We tried the smaller pool because it was closer to our room, but there were a lot of leaves in it from the surrounding trees, and she had a thing about deep water at the time. The zero depth portion of the pool is also right near the beach, and we were able to watch the light parade on the lagoon from the pool. It was pretty awesome.
I’d also like to say that the battery died in our car, and we have a keyless entry, so my husband leaves the key inside. Needless to say, we were not able to put our luggage in our car so we could enjoy our last day in Disney. The bellhops were nice enough to mark all of our luggage and put it in storage near the entrance, and give us the number for a local company that could come get us into our car. So, we went over to AK, enjoyed the day, came back and met the guy after a quick dinner, and off we went home.
What was the food court like? Any favorite foods?
The food court was great. They had this noodle dish that I especially liked and ate more than once. My husband really enjoyed their pizza choices. We weren’t able to eat anywhere else since we weren’t there very long, but all of the food we did have was delicious.
How were the resort buses? What was your walk to the bus stop like? How were the resorts bus stops at the parks? How far was the walk to the gates? How crowded were the buses at any given time?
The only resort bus we took was to AK, and it was great. We were delayed with the car issue, so the bus wasn’t crowded at all. I’ve gone and visited the resort other times while resort hopping, and never had any trouble with the buses. The monorail also saves a lot of time for MK and Epcot. The walk at the resort and the walk at the park were reasonable.
Would you stay at this resort again? If not, please provide a reason.
Given enough money, probably. I liked everything about the atmosphere and the rooms were awesome. My daughter even still has the leis we were given, and she’s almost 3. If nothing else, it is certainly worth a visit on a resort hopping tour.
We first chose this resort because we had taken a Wishes cruise out of here. It was night time when walking through and I fell in love with the ambiance of the flickering “tiki torches” and just the general theming. I think it was also obtaining that goal of staying in a higher-end resort.
The resort rooms were definitely larger than moderates. Our rooms (both times we stayed) had two queens and a couch that converted to a bed. I believe our visit in January 2010 had a flat screen tv. Both rooms had a mini fridge tucked under the coffee machine counter and plenty of cabinet/closet space. The bathroom was quite large, with the toilet tucked behind a modesty wall in the rear. While this would upset some of those looking for privacy while allowing others to use the sinks, this didn’t bother our un-modest family at all. The room was plenty large enough for family of two adults, one 3 ½ year old and a 1 ½ year old. I found them acceptable.
Amenities included a large pool with various play features. However, it was rather crowded when we ventured to the pool so we opted for the quiet pool that was much closer to our room. The monorail can’t be beat here. But I think the best feature is the short walk (maybe 10 minutes?) to the TTC to take the monorail to Epcot from there. So much easier! We also enjoyed being able to see Wishes from the beach area and the decent walk to the Grand Floridian.
The food – we have done the breakfast at Ohana one time (when it was just the oldest) and I have requested to do that again in the future. We mostly ate at the parks or Captain Cook’s, the quick service place. I found their menu a bit limited but enjoyed using the touch screen for ordering even if it was a bit confusing. However, many menus all over the World are limited as well. I dream of Polynesian level comfort and theming with All Star Food Court and prices. ;)
I don’t think we took any buses from this resort, because we only ever did two-day stays, so we would focus on MK and EP while here. The bus stops seemed to be within decent walking distance at the resort itself, but we had great rooms each time. I honestly have no idea where the bus stops were at the parks.
I would definitely stay here again. I always dream of trying concierge and I think this is where I would want to do it. Of course, this all depends on our financial situation as well as how much we want to try the other resorts in the future. We’ve gotten very lucky with our deals at the Polynesian.
Why did you choose this resort?—– This was the first time taking our second son, who was 2 at the time, to WDW. We felt like we needed a resort on the monorail loop so that if there was a meltdown while in the parks we could be back in our room in 10 minutes if needed. Plus, we liked that there was lots to enjoy at the resort when we needed downtime from the parks.
What were the resort rooms like? Were they big enough for your family? Did you find them to be acceptable? —– I did lots of research to figure out which building to stay in as each one has it’s pros and cons. I choose The Tahiti building. I liked that it was a short walk from the TTC so we could get to both Magic Kingdom and Epcot within a matter of minutes. It is a very quiet building with not much foot traffic and it has a little quiet beach right in front of it. This building has Garden Views, Lagoon Views and Castle Views. The Garden View rooms are very lovely and have beautiful scenery. If you have never stayed in a Lagoon/Castle View, you would find them very nice to stay in. However, on this trip, we were able to stay in a Castle View and all we could say was “WOW!” It was just a whole new level of exciting to be able to watch the castle change colors all night plus be able to watch Wishes and Hallowishes fireworks from your balcony with your kids, in your pj’s!!! The only downside to this building is that it is a little hike from the Main Building which has the restaurants, shops, front desk, pool, monorail and buses. This came to haunt me a few times as I would get lost quite often trying to go between the main building and our room if it was after dark because of all of the little paths. The room was SO big! One year earlier we had stayed at AllStars Movies so this giant room felt so big to us! Our family consisted of my husband and I, plus our 2 sons, ages 8 and 2. The room had 2 nice beds plus a fold out bed plus we requested a packnplay and we still had plenty of room to move around and the boys had lots of room to play. The bathroom is nice and big and features double sinks. All rooms have a minifridge and we were able to request a microwave for no additional charge. So with brought our own food and ate lots of meals in the room to save money to pay for that Castle view room!! (Which, by the way, we got a great deal on because we went in October during Value Season and used a 40% the price of the room deal from Disney). Our only complaint was that the phone didn’t work. I asked 3 different people to please bring us a new one and it never got fixed.
What were the amenities of the resort like? What was your favorite one? —– There are 2 pools, a quiet pool, which is great for adults to relax in and a Volcano Pool. This Volcano Pool was my children’s favorite part. It is a zero entry pool, which is great for my 2 year old and features a Volcano Waterslide which my 8 year old couldn’t stop going down! There is a beach running the length of the lagoon which is great to watch the fireworks from. They feature lots of children’s activities by the pool in the afternoon and movies on the beach in the evening. They also have a marina where you can rent pontoon boats and jet skis. There is also a water launch from this marina that will take you to the Contemporary Resort, Magic Kingdom, and the Grand Floridian Resort.
What was the food court like? Any favorite foods? —– The quick service food court is a little different than others the way you pick out your food, pay for it and then get a buzzer to wait for it. But they offer some very nice options. There are also some Full service restaurants. O’hana was our favorite. It is a “family style” meal and was my husbands favorite of the trip.
How were the resort buses? What was your walk to the bus stop like? How were the resorts bus stops at the parks? How far was the walk to the gates? How crowded were the buses at any given time? —– Our walk to the buses (to go to Animal Kingdom and to Hollywood Studios) was about 10 minutes as we were the in the furthest building from them. However, if you were in a closer building the walk would be shorter. There were never lines for the buses nor were there long waits for the buses. When exiting the parks, the buses stops for the Poly were usually pretty close to the front. The monorail in the main building goes to the Magic Kingdom. Also, if you are staying in a room on the TTC side of the Poly, walk to the TTC to go to the Magic Kingdom or Epcot.
Would you stay at this resort again? If not, please provide a reason.—– YES – YES – YES!!! We like to stay at a different resort each year that we go. As I mentioned, the year before we had stayed at All Stars Movies. I asked my 8 year old if he liked ASM or the Poly better expecting him to say ASM because we stayed in the Toy Story section. He said Poly! He said he loved the Poly so much. So, we might be Poly spoiled now. My husband really loved it too, and said he would want to stay there again, if we could stay in a Castle Room!
The Polynesian is great! Our room was quite spacious and had a view of the lagoon and cinderella’s castle. We loved watching the fireworks from the beach. All the food was great…the quick service location is 24 hours and small enough to not be so overwhelming. Very much a good fit for our family.
■Why did you choose this resort?
We were going on a family vacation with extended family and in a decision not to go to Hawaii (all 5 of the kids were too young to tackle Hawaii yet) we opted for the Polynesian Resort at Disney World!
■What were the resort rooms like? Were they big enough for your family? Did you find them to be acceptable?
The resort rooms were spacious enough for our family of 5. Our daughter loved having her own “daybed”. We were very pleased with them!
■What were the amenities of the resort like? What was your favorite one?
The amenities we took most advantage of were the immediate access to the monorail, the trail to walk over to the Grand Floridian, and the pools. Our favorite by far was the monorail :)
■What was the food court like? Any favorite foods?
The food court was very good. We loved the pork sandwich and the sushi!
■How were the resort buses? What was your walk to the bus stop like? How were the resorts bus stops at the parks? How far was the walk to the gates? How crowded were the buses at any given time?
The resort buses were timely and clean. The walk to them was very short from the part of the resort we were stationed in and interesting in all the flora and fauna. The buses at the parks weren’t too far from the gates and easily marked for returns. The most crowded buses were in the morning for the extended park hours for resort guests.
■Would you stay at this resort again? If not, please provide a reason.
I would stay at this resort again and recommend it to anyone with small children!
Why did you choose this resort?
Just got home today for a 6 night, 7 day vacation at the Polynesian. We like to stay at a different resort every time we go, this was our sixth visit in as many years. We have done the character breakfast at ‘Ohana and the luau in the past and fell in love with the resort. I always knew that I would have to stay here one day. I love the tropical feel, the torches at night, the gardens, wildlife and just the pure beauty of the place. It truly seems like another world inside WDW.
What were the resort rooms like? Were they big enough for your family? Did you find them to be acceptable?
Our room was wonderful. I had read some reviews where people complained about them being dirty, dark, and dated, but I did not find this to be accurate. True, it is one of the oldest resorts, but it is maintained very well and the theming is timeless. Our room was spotless and Mousekeeping was excellent. We only had three in the room, myself, my husband and my 13 year old daughter. She chose the daybed and we all got to sleep in our own beds. It was dark when we pulled the curtains and turned out the lights, perfect for afternoon napping. I didn’t like how the sink and mirror was not separate from the tub and toilet area. It made getting ready a little tricky and there’s nothing worse than trying to put on makeup when someone is taking a steamy shower. But that was a minor issue for us, I can see that it might be a problem if you have more people trying to get ready at the same time. We stayed in the Tokelau building. It was very convenient. We were right next to the quiet pool and a short walk to the TTC. The Great Ceremonial House and Volcano pool weren’t that far either. I definitely would choose this building again instead of one near the luau. I think the foot traffic and noise from the show would be annoying twice a day, day after day.
What were the amenities of the resort like? What was your favorite one?
The pools were nice. The kids seemed to enjoy the Volcano pool, but it was very crowded. We did watch the fireworks from that pool one evening which was definitely a highlight of my vacation. We also watched from the beach one night. The view of the castle and fireworks from the Polynesian across the water is simply awesome. The quiet pool was less crowded and a nice place to hang out in the middle of the day. One thing the Polynesian is missing is hot tubs! They would be wonderful additions, especially for people with old bones like mine.
What was the food court like? Any favorite foods?
I wasn’t too impressed with Captain Cooks. The flatbread pizza I had one night was very good, but the pork sandwich had some strange stuff on it. If you don’t like pineapple and slaw stuff on your BBQ you might want to ask for a plain one. I think they could use more choices, especially for lunch and dinner. Had the Tonga Toast for breakfast one morning (the only breakfast we had from CC) and it was AMAZING! The Dole Whip was a wonderful plus and I loved eating a Mickey Mouse ice cream bar that wasn’t already melting like the ones in the parks.
How were the resort buses? What was your walk to the bus stop like? How were the resorts bus stops at the parks? How far was the walk to the gates? How crowded were the buses at any given time?
We rented a car and used only the monorail to MK and Epcot so I cannot comment on the buses. I have used them in the past and I must say having a car for Animal Kingdom, the water park, Disney Studio and dinner at AKL was nice. We did take a boat home from MK one evening and it was a lovely ride and a nice view arriving by water, however the wait was excessive, but still worth it.
Would you stay at this resort again? If not, please provide a reason.
Yes! Yes! Yes! We took advantage of the the 40% discount for booking a future vacation before we checked out. I can’t wait to go again!
Why did you choose this resort?- We chose this resort for a number of reasons. The theme was incredible and very fun for our honeymoon. Having the monorail stop directly at the resort as well as being right next to the TTC was a major convenience. I loved being able to hang out on the ‘beach’ of the lagoon and gaze upon Cinderella’s Castle.
What were the resort rooms like? Were they big enough for your family? Did you find them to be acceptable? – We went 10 years ago (before kids) but it was more than spacious for two people. I recall two queen beds as well as a day bed so there was plenty of room. We were in the lodge closest to the TTC so it was a quick walk to the monorail. Our room was on the ground floor and faced the lagoon, a real treat for the fireworks at night! The only quirky thing I remember was about the bathrooms; the shower heads were placed low so I felt like a giant trying to take a shower.
What were the amenities of the resort like? What was your favorite one? I loved the overall decor!!! All the tiki statues, the ‘native’ plants and bamboo, the Peter Pan club (I’m a HUGE Peter Pan fan). We went to the large pool with the volcano and it was so much fun. I totally didn’t even realize there was another pool. Since our room was right off the lagoon it was so wonderful to walk right out and hang out on a hammock. We could listen to the music associated with the fireworks and the view was incredible from the beach.
What was the food court like? Any favorite foods? I don’t remember a food court, per say, but I do remember the Capt Cook food spot as well at the O’Hana restaurant. We loved the restaurant and ate there numerous times. I know there was a traditional luau but it seemed pricey for us.
How were the resort buses? What was your walk to the bus stop like? How were the resorts bus stops at the parks? How far was the walk to the gates? How crowded were the buses at any given time? We purposely chose this resort because we didn’t have a to take the bus!!! We relied on the monorail or our car (for Blizzard beach). I’m really uncomfortable with the idea of having to wait for a bus and being packed in with strangers :/ Now that our family has a service dog we will only stay at resorts that are on the monorail line.
Would you stay at this resort again? If not, please provide a reason. ABSOLUTELY!! We are taking our kids to Disney for the first time this year and we have opted to stay off property so we’re not overdosing on Disney. But I’m already mentally planning for next year and Poly is on my list!! While it is pricey we will be able to swing it with the off-season prices / military discount. I highly recommend it :)
■Why did you choose this resort? location, location, location! Besides the beautiful setting, landscaping and rooms, it is just SOOOOO convienient to traveling to the parks
■What were the resort rooms like? Were they big enough for your family? Did you find them to be acceptable? We’ve stayed at Poly the last two trips. The rooms were plenty big for us four. The rooms were kept impecibly clean.
■What were the amenities of the resort like? What was your favorite one? We love the convenience of the monorail to MK and the short walk to the TTTC. Never a wait for transportation. The flower lei on arrival is such a nice touch. Sweeps you away to the islands!
■What was the food court like? Any favorite foods? Capt.Cooks is a fave of my kids. They love the touch screen ordering for their favorite Disney food…Mickey Waffles! Us grown ups like Capt Cooks too, but the food at Kona Cafe is wonderful!
■How were the resort buses? What was your walk to the bus stop like? How were the resorts bus stops at the parks? How far was the walk to the gates? How crowded were the buses at any given time? Never a wait for transportation to any distination. We had the monorail to get to MK. We could walk to TTTC for all the other parks. There was also the boat to MK from Poly which was a nice choice when the monorails got busy at MK closing time.
■Would you stay at this resort again? If not, please provide a reason. ABSOLUTELY! This is my entire family’s fave choice. It has everything…location, food, setting, theme, transportation. I have only praise for the Polynesian!
Why did you choose this resort?
It was on the Monorail and Seven Seas Lagoon. We were looking for a unique Disney experience. It did not disappoint
What were the resort rooms like? Were they big enough for your family? The rooms at the Polynesian were the largest rooms we have had so far while staying in Disney. When I commented to the hotel staff on how spacious the rooms were they told me that the rooms were 476 sq ft for the new longhouses. My husband who is an appraiser and measures square feet of houses on a daily basis was quite impressed by this little square feet factoid
What were the amenities of the resort like? What was your favorite one? The The Great Ceremonial House at the Polynesian featured a large tropical rainforest in its atrium – complete with waterfalls :-). The white sand beach at Disney’s Polynesian Resort is beyond description. Seeing the fireworks at night on the beach is awesome. Now that I know about Couponing to Disney’s favorite beach spot next time we will try that location. Our favorite amenitiy was being on the monorail. The monorail transportation to the Magic Kingdom was one of the best amenities.
What was the food court like? Any favorite foods? Captain Cook’s Snack Company in the food court was open 24 hours! It was nice to know that while on vacation you could take a late night stroll on the beach and grab and beverage and snack at the food court. Tonga Toast and Dole Whips were my favorites
How were the resort buses? What was your walk to the bus stop like? How were the resorts bus stops at the parks? How far was the walk to the gates? How crowded were the buses at any given time?
The Polynesian was one resort I never waited in line long for Disney transportation. Polynesian has monorail, water transportation and bus transportation to the parks. With so many choices I have never waited in line long. It was a definite perk to not have to wait in line for Disney transportation especially after a long -but magical – day in the park
Would you stay at this resort again? If not, please provide a reason. YES – YES – YES! Having worked for the airlines and traveling all over the world, Disney’s Polynesian Resort is the closest resort one can find on the East Coast that is comparable to staying a French Polynesian island hotel – but with a Disney flair and pomp. Our stay at the Polynesian was incredible so will yours if you decide to stay here :-)
I can’t remember why we chose to stay there, but I’m sure it had to do with the hawaiin theme, we love hawaii. We fell in love with the place. The rooms were comfortable for a family of 5. The amenities were amazing, we loved the shows, restaurants, jet ski rentals, and family bike tracks thay had. We took advantage of all of it. The fact that there was so much to do right at the resort apart from the disney park was awesome. I especially loved the jet ski rentals (not sure if they are called jet skis cause they actually fit two people side by side). We had a blast on them. The food court had LOTS of choices, we especially loved the KONA CAFE. The walk to the bus stop was a little far but it was a pleasant walk because the resort atmosphere was so beautiful with amazing tropical plants, flowers, and ducks walking everywhere. The buses where not too full at any time that I can remember although we only took them twice in a week’s stay because the little boat took us to and from the magic kingdom everytime, it was great. I have to say my best memory was sitting on the dock right outside our room at night and watching the fireworks show from the magic kingdom. They even had a water light show right in front of our very eyes. I have an amazing picture of my kids enjoying the night display. We really talk about it all the time and cannot wait to visit again. Nothing but great memories.
I Absolutely Love the Polynesian. It is my Favorite Disney Resort. I have stayed there atleast 15-20 times since I was a teenager. It is very beautiful. I love watching the fireworks over the lagoon. I love the fact that the monorail is right there for eassy access to Magic Kingdom. I also love the fact that you can walk to the Ticket and Transportation Center. You can take a boat over to Magic Kingdom from the Polynesian if you didn’t want to go up to the monorail. The food is wonderful. I love the room layouts and the balconies. I love the Food court and the fact that you can get stuff in there 24/7. I will always being staying at the Polynesian. The Buses are usually very quick and reasonably full. During Peak season the buses can be really full.
We stayed here this past April and couldn’t imagine staying anywhere else. The rooms are huge. The staff was wonderful. The boys loved the volcano slide. The easy access to the monorail was great and taking the boat to the MK was the easiest thing ever! Will definitely stay there again.
Love, Love, Love the Polynesian! My personal favorite so far! We enjoyed the decor and the layout of the resort. We stayed in a fabulous room adjoining with other family. Our balconies looked out over the lagoon and was absolutely beautiful! The beds were oh so comfy! And the room amenities were plentiful. We enjoyed the pools and the fireworks over the lagoon. Plenty of room for our growing family! Luxury! We attended a Character Breakfast there that I would rate as #1!!! The Characters were not rushed like in other venues. They spent a lot of time at our table and interacting with the kids. The food was simply amazing. And the Boutiques were incredible too! I would like to say we would stay there again…but still trying out the many others! You cannot go wrong at Disney Resorts! You always get your monies worth.
1) Why did you choose this resort? We chose this resort because it is close to the Transportation & Ticket Center (TTC) so we would have access to the Magic Kingdom and Epcot via the monorail. It’s very family-friendly! It has a zero depth pool which was great for my family. Also, it had a 3rd bed (daybed) and it was big enough for a playpen. My family consists of myself, husband, daughter (5 yrs), son (3 yrs), and daughter (1 yr).
2) What were the resort rooms like? Were they big enough for your family? Did you find them to be acceptable? We loved the rooms! They were very spacious! They are some of the biggest on Disney property, next to the Grand Floridian. We stayed in Tahiti building and were on the 2nd floor, so we had a balcony. The Tahiti building also has double sinks in the bathroom (which came in handy with our large family). We also had a double stroller and we could park it inside the room without collapsing it.
3) What were the amenities of the resort like? What was your favorite one? The beaches on the 7 seas lagoon were our favorite amenity. We watched WISHES from the beaches a couple of different times. The zero-depth pool was great, with an awesome water slide. The Spirit of Aloha Dinner & Show (Luau) is also held at the Polynesian Resort and is wonderful entertainment. O’hana has fabulous character breakfast with Lilo & Stitch, Mickey, & Pluto and great food. O’hana Dinner is fun and very delicious as well, eventhough there are no characters. My husband had a fun time at the “meat-fest” (O’hana dinner). Kona is also found here and has the one of the best steaks on property.
4) What was the food court like? Any favorite foods? The only counter service is Captain Cooks, which has lots of good options. Including self serve DOLE WHIP!
5) How were the resort buses? What was your walk to the bus stop like? How were the resorts bus stops at the parks? How far was the walk to the gates? How crowded were the buses at any given time? We didn’t take the buses on this trip, as we rented a mini-van. (We found a great parking lot close to Tahiti that seemed almost private!) We rode the monorail all the time to the Magic Kingdom and Epcot. We actually walked (only approx. 1 block) to the TTC and hopped on the monorail (or Ferry) to get to the Magic Kingdom which was much faster than taking the resort monorail which has to stop other places before arriving at the Magic Kingdom.
6) Would you stay at this resort again? If not, please provide a reason. YES! YES! YES! Location is key for our family of 5! The theming is great for kids as they thought they were in Hawaii the whole time.
Why did you choose this resort? It was our honeymoon and we wanted that wow resort. We are just not the Grand Floridian people. It was a no-brainer. I wanted that polynesian feel. I remember going on the monorail as a child to the polynesian with our family and we could never afford to stay here. We wanted this resort so much.
What were the resort rooms like? Were they big enough for your family? Did you find them to be acceptable?
Resort rooms were newly renovated. They had that Hawaiian laid back feel yet was still very modern and comfortable. Very big for just the two of us. The resort was perfect.
What were the amenities of the resort like? What was your favorite one? The volcano pool was just the bomb. The sand beach zero entry, the great slide. Being able to sit on the beach and watch the water parade, the fireworks, you can’t beat that. Being on the monorail just made transportation so easy. I loved being able to just step out and get on the monorail.
What was the food court like? Any favorite foods? Captain Cook’s has tonga toast and dole whip, enough said. It was perfect.
How were the resort buses? What was your walk to the bus stop like? How were the resorts bus stops at the parks? How far was the walk to the gates? How crowded were the buses at any given time? We never used the bus. We took the monorail to magic kingdom and epcot. Otherwise, we drove to HS and AK and DD. So we never used the bus.
Would you stay at this resort again? If not, please provide a reason. ABSOLUTELY. We have since stayed at WL and AKL, we loved them both. If we are in a deluxe resort again, it will be Polynesian or AKL (outside chance for Bay Tower Lodge). But we love Polynesian.
We chose the resort for the theme and also for the monorail service. The room was very spacious and it was large enough for our family of four. We had a balcony over looking the pool area and it was nice. We loved the shampoo it smelled very good and didn’t take much to wash your hair with. That was a family fave. Captain Cooks was the name of the food court and it was very nice. The food was great the french fries were great but my fave was the Pineapple Dole Whip. We also ate at Ohana’s and Kona Cafe. We loved all the food we at. My husbands fav. was steak and eggs from the Kona Cafe every morning and my sons was the Mickey pancakes. The buses were not as crowed as I thought they would be since we did go the first week of June. The wait at the bus stop was maybe two minutes at the most. The passengers on the bus were very nice also. We were dropped right off at the gates with just maybe a few steps to go to get inside. We also rode the monorail to the Magic Kingdom and Epcot. Yes we would stay here again and again. We love Disney so much that our plans are to try and stay at every Deluxe resort first and then the others later.
We loved our lagoon view room for the boat parade and watching the fireworks and the character breakfast at Ohana was amazing. Access to the buses and monrail we great and was a big enough room for 2 adults and 3 children. We will be staying here in 2012 when we go back to Disney and the pool and dinner show are a must do!!!! It is expensive but totally worth it for our family of 5 who stay for 7 days and do have to come back to the room for the little ones. Alot of space and great service!!!! I would recommend this resort!!!!
I LOVE the Polynesian!!! I fell in love with it when I was 12 in 1982 and just revisited it in August 2009. It was as exotic and lushl as I remembered it! The rooms were beautiful and I loved having the fridge in the room. We stayed in the building closest to the luau. I don’t recommend this building if you have young children, we heard the drums from the luau every night at about 9pm. Luckily the kids were so pooped they never woke up.
We took both the monorail and the boat back and forth to the Magic Kingdom. Quick ride!
The pool is the BEST! The volcano is really cool and the slide is fast and fun! My daughter (2 1/2) enjoyed the 0 entry pool and the splash fountain next to it.
We had breakfast at Captain Cooks every morning and LOVED the Tonga Toast! Breakfast at Ohana’s was fantastic! I can’t say enough about the Polynesian!!!! LOVE IT!!!
We recently stayed at the Polynesian for the very first time. It will not be our last! We were at WDW, staying at the Poly March 30 – Apr 6, 2011. Everything about the Polynesian was great. We enjoyed the larger room. It was perfect for the 5 in our family. We had 2 queen beds and a fold out sofa bed. Our building was right by the Great Ceremonial House. In the GCH was O’Hana – a fabulous family dining experience, Kona Cafe – another great dining experience and Captain Cook’s – the quick-serve restaurant WITH a Pinapple Dole Whip machine!! We ate at Capt. Cook’s every morning – Tonga Toast!! The volcano pool is a great play place for the whole family. Our kids loved the slide. One of the best things at the Poly is being on the Monorail. Super convenient travel. We loved the Polynesian. We will stay there next time and every time!
We stayed here for a few nights on our honeymoon and we positively loved it! I really loved the decor throughout the resort and felt relaxed from the moment we stepped in the doors. The rooms were larger than at other resorts we’ve stayed at since, the decor certainly gave you the feeling of being in the islands without being overly obnoxious, and we absolutely loved the balcony! It was November so we didn’t get a chance to try out the pool but the landscaping around the property was beautiful. As this was our first time staying on Disney property we really enjoyed the food court and the refillable mugs they offer! The thing we loved the most about staying at the Polynesian was that we could walk out of our building, walk down to the beach, and watch the water parade and then the fireworks show over the Magic Kingdom. It was so peaceful and relaxing to sit in the beach chairs at watch the shows without the crowds. The bus service was fine and easy to get to but we really enjoyed having the monorail come right into the lobby of the hotel.
This is one of our two favorite Disney resorts and I absolutely can not wait until we get a chance to stay here again!
We stayed at Poly back in August of 2009. There were 5 of us, 2 adults, and 3 kids (12, 10, and 4 at the time). The size of the standard room was perfect for us, which is the main reason we chose it. Plus we had never stayed at Poly before, and we love to try the different resorts. I must say, my husband was not looking forward to the stay, because he thought it would be “Cheesy”. It definitely wasn’t. It was very comfortable and not over the top. We were lucky enough to be put in the building closest to the Ticket and Transportation Center. It saved us so much time! A quick walk and we were on the Monorail to EPCOT. Of course, we could also catch the Monorail at the Poly too.
Captain Cook’s (quick service restaurant) was okay. It is not the best choice for non-adventurous eaters.
One favorite memory of our time at Poly was on one of the first nights. Hubby took our two oldest to Extra Magic Hours at Magic Kingdom. My son, 4, in his jammies, and I curled up in a lounge chair on the quiet end of the Poly beach closest to the TTC and watched the fireworks. It was a wonderful!
We look forward to staying at Poly again, after we try some of the other resorts!
My MIL planned a trip for our family in May 2010. She did all the planning for our trip, it was my 1st trip as well as my then 4 year olds. She loves the Polynesian because it is on the monorail, the beach for fire works, and the views!
We stayed on a club level!!!! OMG It was a BIG treat that we would have never been able to afford, but she wanted to SPOIL my son for his first trip! We had 2 combined rooms for the 4 of us (two queen beds). There was more than enough room, but my MIL wanted her privacy. The rooms were clean, staff was friendly and food was awesome. I loved being able to walk downstairs in the club level for breakfast since we did not get meal plan. Swimming in the pool was the highlight of my son’s trip and getting drinks at the snack stands.
Transportation was never an issue. Busing was not a problem. At night the monorail was a little full, but no complaints.
I would definately stay at the Polynesian again.. however our budget does not afford such. I would love to try another property next time to explore something different!
The Polynesian Resort is fantastic. The beauty makes it a romantic resort but also great for kids. The food there is great, wether at the Luau or at Ohana. My kids love Ohana, they interact with the kids for dinner and characters at breakfast. The resort is convient to Magic Kingdom, just hop on the monarail. When Magic Kingdom has their fireworks, you get a good view without all the crowds. And the kids especially love getting leis when we arrive to check in.
Why did you choose this resort? My husband wanted to go to Disney “all out” before an extended military deployment. This was my family’s favorite resort from when we went when I was a child.
What were the resort rooms like? Were they big enough for your family? Did you find them to be acceptable? The room was plenty large. We especially appreciated the fold out couch (to a twin bed) for my daughter whom we all love but find it difficult to sleep with. The allowed my son the other queen bed to himself.
What were the amenities of the resort like? What was your favorite one? The kids loved the pool.
What was the food court like? Any favorite foods? The food options were fine. We did have to wait 45 minutes for breakfast and yes, we had reservations. We found the quick serve to be a little confusing for the dining plan as to what counted for the meal and what was a snack item.
How were the resort buses? What was your walk to the bus stop like? How were the resorts bus stops at the parks? How far was the walk to the gates? How crowded were the buses at any given time? We liked being able to walk to the TTC to catch the Epcot monorail without having to transfer. The boat rides were fun too.
Would you stay at this resort again? If not, please provide a reason. Absolutely!
And the quick service area at the Poly has DOLE WHIP! nom nom nom :o)
I used to stay at the Polynesian with my parents (about 16 years ago, gosh, it’s been a while) and I loved being able to watch the cute little parade in the water outside at night. It was really cute and I’d love to be able to stay again at some point to let my kids experience it! We did get to see it from the monorail recently, but sitting on your balcony at night, with the castle in the background is pretty magical!
What is the TTC that you caught to Epcot?
Heather – The TTC (Ticket and Transportation Center) is next door to the Poly and has a Monorail that does a Resort loop, a Magic Kingdom Express Monorail, and an Epcot Monorail.