For those that have stayed in a studio at the Poly? Thoughts? Pros/cons?

[edk35]

We are eventually going to try and stay there but I want to know what people are liking/disliking abou them? Just from looking at the videos I see things I would like and not like.

Can a teen sleep in that murphy bed??? Would 4 or even 3 people feel cramped in the studio? Where do you put suitcases since you pretty much have to live out of them since there are no drawers?? I do like the extra sink/shower. That is awsome.

We have done soooooooooooooo may split stays and our next trip we swore we would not do another split for a while but I don't see booking a complete stay at the POLY either. SO I guess we would have to SPLIT again.

Would love to hear reviews on your studio stay. THANKS

 

[DVC Doctor]

I say definitely stay there once as it is new. You can read my trip report from last month.

http://disboards.com/threads/dvc-polynesian-villas-first-impressions-june-2015.3417634/

In short (answering your questions)

The murphy bed is for someone less than 5ft 8 inches and perfect for anyone under 13

3 or 4 or even 5 people can easily fit, but it depends on the ages of the guests. There is only one QB, pull out sofa QB, small murphy bed, but the studios are pretty large

suitcases can go under bed or inside the closet or just leave them on the carrpet

 

[disneynutz]

IMO DVC get some of the less desirable building locations within the resort. Parking lot views, boat horns, obstructed views, distance to main building, just take the time to know your options.

Bill

 

[southerngirl528]

The studios are quite large by any standards. IMHO they are far and away the most comfortable studios in the DVC collection for a family to stay in. And btw, an adult male over 6 ft tall can sleep an entire night on that murphy bed. We tried it out to see! And believe me I would have heard about it if my "little" darling would not have been comfy for an entire night's sleep!

Despite what some would have you believe, it's a nice resort and its proximity to the TTC for just walking right over is terrific! Some good restaurant options and the views of the fireworks and electrical water pageant from the beach are wonderful. The split baths are very good sized and would most assuredly add to the comfort and convenience of a family staying in a Studio. Happy planning!

 

[Deb & Bill]

These three buildings were later additions to the Polynesian. The rooms are a bit bigger (we stayed in Moorea in 1997 on our first trip) than the rest of the Polynesian rooms. However, with the renovations, they gave a bunch of the space to the bathroom and took it from the living space (bedroom). It used to be about 1/7 bathroom, 6/7 living. Now about 1/3 bathroom, 2/3 living space. It was fairly comfortable living space for two adults and three kids (4, 9 and 11), is now not as comfortable. Especially for larger, grown people.

We won't be staying there. We bought our DVC on that trip so we wouldn't have to stay in one room. We do one bedrooms.

 

[edk35]

Thanks for the info.

 

[MichelleB]

We are here now and I was quite surprised at all the space in the studio. This trip is just my DD17 and I but we are a family of 5 and all 5 of us could've fit fine. There are 2 negatives I see which may not matter to others. There are 2 drawers under the queen bed at the head of them, however, the hanging nightstands are sort of in the way and I hit my head one morning getting into the drawer. That's not the negative but wanted to mention it….the negative to me is that those are the only 2 drawers since the murphy takes the place of a dresser. My family of 5 would never be able to unpack into those 2 drawers for a week stay. However, this trip, my DD and I have just worked out of our suitcases and left them laying open in various places in the room. My DD chose to sleep on the murphy bed rather than opening the sleeper sofa. She's 5'7" and loves the murphy. She said it's rather comfortable even though not as roomy.

The other negative for me, is that there's only 1 laundry facility for the DVC buildings. It has 4 washers and 8 dryers. We typically don't pack a ton of clothes and do laundry part way. Tonight is laundry night for us and the washers have had lines all night. They have a website so you can see if anything is open and that works great to know if your load is done but to check and see if a machine is empty only works if you get there before someone else does. Those 4 washers are nowhere near enough for all the studios there are here. That will be the one feedback item I will be sure to share if I get a survey after this stay.

Otherwise, we're in the Pago Pago building and overlooking the "dreaded parking lot". I don't mind the parking lot and find it rather convenient to get to our car. The benefit is that we can see the monorail from our room/balcony and enjoy seeing it go by. The walk to the TTC is close since the walking trail is right outside our building. We go to the TTC to take the monorail rather than the main building because it's just as convenient if not more so.

They need more seating for Captain Cook's and the Dole Whip counter in my opinion. We ate at Captain Cook's the other morning for breakfast and literally all the seating was full and that was both inside and outside. We will time it differently if we choose to eat there another morning or get it to go and bring it back to the room.

Overall, we are thoroughly enjoying our stay here. The location is very nice and the rooms are very large. The double bathroom is nice. Definitely a DVC we would stay at again.

 

[disneynutz]

The murphy bed seems narrow and you are sleeping against a wall/cabinet, did your DD find that to be an issue?

Bill

 

[julluvsdisney]

We loved it! I really have no complaints ! As far as the Murphy bed I'm 5'4" and I slept in it with my 6 year old on night because he wasn't feeling very well so I cuddled with him and was so comfy I stayed the entire night with him. I'm not suggesting you plan on fitting two people in the bed but clearly there is enough room for he and I to sleep so it is not small by any means. My only observation is they ate up too much room in the bathrooms. They are amazing but the full bathroom could have been about 6 feet shorter which would have given some more living space. Or they could have added a second toilet to the other bathroom. Other than that it was perfect! We had a lake view first floor and we had a perfect view of the castle and fireworks! Can't wait to go back in November !

 

[thisismyusername]

We left our suitcases in the alcove that connects to the neighboring room. We fit three carry-ons in there comfortably, and they were out of the way. Believe it or not, the drawer space that they provide was big enough for our family of 5 for a 3-night stay. My husband I could put all of our clothes into the one drawer, and my three kids (two teens and one 8 year old) could put all of their clothes in the other drawer. They're a lot larger than they appear. If you were planning to stay longer, I'd either just keep refilling the drawers every few days with clean clothes, or put what you can in the drawers, and then bring extra hangers to hang the rest (or just live out of your suitcase, which we've done, too).

My 14 year old (5'6") slept on the Murphy bed quite comfortably.

In comparison to a regular deluxe hotel room that sleeps 5, the bathroom is both a blessing and a curse: The one bathroom is so large that it really does eat up a ton of living space in the bedroom area. It's a shame they couldn't have figured out a way to make that bathroom a little smaller so as to make the living area a little bigger. But, especially with older kids, it is so nice to have the extra shower and extra sink and vanity. Considering we do so little in our room other than sleep and get ready, I'm happy to have the extra bathroom as the trade off for a smaller sleeping space.

 

[BWV Dreamin]

Great question Denise! We will be there the end of September. Email me and I'll tell you all about it!

 

[edk35]

We are here now and I was quite surprised at all the space in the studio. This trip is just my DD17 and I but we are a family of 5 and all 5 of us could've fit fine. There are 2 negatives I see which may not matter to others. There are 2 drawers under the queen bed at the head of them, however, the hanging nightstands are sort of in the way and I hit my head one morning getting into the drawer. That's not the negative but wanted to mention it….the negative to me is that those are the only 2 drawers since the murphy takes the place of a dresser. My family of 5 would never be able to unpack into those 2 drawers for a week stay. However, this trip, my DD and I have just worked out of our suitcases and left them laying open in various places in the room. My DD chose to sleep on the murphy bed rather than opening the sleeper sofa. She's 5'7" and loves the murphy. She said it's rather comfortable even though not as roomy.

The other negative for me, is that there's only 1 laundry facility for the DVC buildings. It has 4 washers and 8 dryers. We typically don't pack a ton of clothes and do laundry part way. Tonight is laundry night for us and the washers have had lines all night. They have a website so you can see if anything is open and that works great to know if your load is done but to check and see if a machine is empty only works if you get there before someone else does. Those 4 washers are nowhere near enough for all the studios there are here. That will be the one feedback item I will be sure to share if I get a survey after this stay.

Otherwise, we're in the Pago Pago building and overlooking the "dreaded parking lot". I don't mind the parking lot and find it rather convenient to get to our car. The benefit is that we can see the monorail from our room/balcony and enjoy seeing it go by. The walk to the TTC is close since the walking trail is right outside our building. We go to the TTC to take the monorail rather than the main building because it's just as convenient if not more so.

They need more seating for Captain Cook's and the Dole Whip counter in my opinion. We ate at Captain Cook's the other morning for breakfast and literally all the seating was full and that was both inside and outside. We will time it differently if we choose to eat there another morning or get it to go and bring it back to the room.

Overall, we are thoroughly enjoying our stay here. The location is very nice and the rooms are very large. The double bathroom is nice. Definitely a DVC we would stay at again.

Thanks sooooo much for the GREAT REPORT. Sounds like they do need more laundry facilities!! I didn't even know they had drawers under the bed. That was news to me. Thanks again.

 

[edk35]

Great question Denise! We will be there the end of September. Email me and I'll tell you all about it!

Hope, how did you like Shades of Green in Jan.??

 

[MichelleB]

My DD17 didn't have a problem with the bed being against the cabinet or the width. She's not a large girl but not a small one either….5'7" and about 165.

I also agree with the space in the bathroom being wasted. I think it could've been designed differently to allow more space in the living/bedroom area. The 2 showers are nice as well as the 2 sinks but the space could've been smaller.

 

[BWV Dreamin]

Hope, how did you like Shades of Green in Jan.??

Totally awesome Denise!! What a steal on the room rates and tickets! Did I mention we had a heat wave that first week of January? ( mid to upper 80's).

 

[bethp1968]

We (myself, DH, DD21 and DS12) were in Pago Pago room 2125 (2nd floor standard view, facing Moorea). This room is at the end of the hallway, across from the elevator, but closest to the walkway to TTC (very convenient). We did NOT hear any noise from the construction or the ferry boat while in the room. I did hear the elevator one night, but not too late. ( We never used it, as it is just a fast/convenient to walk up the outside stairs to the 2nd floor).

I agree with PP about the size of the bathrooms - the one with the toilet and tub is huge and a lot of wasted space. We would have preferred a second toilet to a second shower, though.

Storage space is definitely limited - my DD used the ottoman/table and DS lived out of the suitcase and my DH and I used the drawers ( I did almost hit my head a few times on the night table, too). We also hung a lot of clothes in the closet.

As for the murphy bed, both my DD and DS did not like the bed, so ended up sharing the sofa bed.

Laundry facilities - I used the laundry facility in the Moorea building with no issues. (i did do laundry in the morning, then went to the pool (set my phone timer), walked back over to move to dryer, etc...). There is a sofa, tables and big screen TV in the laundry room if you want to wait. Also, laundry detergent & fabric softener is available for a charge - $1.00 per box, but the vending machine only takes credit cards - no cash.

I really enjoyed watching Wishes and The Electric Water Parade from the pool, while my DS was swimming one evening.

 

[edk35]

Totally awesome Denise!! What a steal on the room rates and tickets! Did I mention we had a heat wave that first week of January? ( mid to upper 80's).

Oh that is great. I know right!!! We have always LOVED OUR STAYS AT SOG. Matter of fact I think the next spring break trip we take...we will stay there instead of using points. Those spring break points are high. It is less points to go over Thanksgiving. They have great deals at SOG during off times. ONE day hubby and I will be able to go off times. Our youngest will be a jr. in high school in the the fall.

 

[locodemickey]

The other negative for me, is that there's only 1 laundry facility for the DVC buildings. It has 4 washers and 8 dryers. We typically don't pack a ton of clothes and do laundry part way. Tonight is laundry night for us and the washers have had lines all night. They have a website so you can see if anything is open and that works great to know if your load is done but to check and see if a machine is empty only works if you get there before someone else does. Those 4 washers are nowhere near enough for all the studios there are here. That will be the one feedback item I will be sure to share if I get a survey after this stay

Do you have to use your magic band to active the machines? I would hate to have competition from nonmemebers who don't get the free laundry benefit.

 

[bastraker]

IMO DVC get some of the less desirable building locations within the resort. Parking lot views, boat horns, obstructed views, distance to main building, just take the time to know your options.

Bill
[/QUOTE

We are here now. For these reasons above - I don't think we will stay here again. We are in Pago Pago and it is too far away from everything. To us - the resort is too spread out. We prefer Beach Club or BLT.

 

[DenLo]

Did anyone staying at PVB use the space in the ottoman to store clothes?