Disney's POLYNESIAN VILLAGE RESORT Information & Questions

[conandrob240]

We are just back from our first Poly stay and it was a miss for us in most ways. We stayed CL.

Room: While large and great to be on the ground floor with kids ( the whole lawn for their "yard" was awesome)- I found the decor dark and cheap looking. Lots of little nicks and breaks in pieces of furniture, molding, fixtures made it look quite worn. Beds were hard. Hawaii building location was fantastic.

Housekeeping/cleanliness: Housekeeping was poor. Rooms didn't get cleaned until very late and never well (one day bathtub wasn't cleaned at all). Every day turndown service tried to come around 5pm after repeated requests for later than 7pm. They always seemed annoyed at the request to come back later. The carpets around the resort always looked and felt dirty. Hallways always had food/beverage spilled with a long time before clean up. The CL lounge also seemed dirty.

Food: Capt cooks was good but way too small for the resort. Ohana was fantastic. We all enjoyed it very much.

Pools: main pool was way too small & crowded. Almost impossible to get a chair. Oasis pool was very nice. Not usually crowded.

Crowds: security did a very good job with crowd control on the 3rd & 4th.

Club level: biggest miss. Gorgeous view. Food area was crowded. Food was limited and not very good. They were constantly running out of things. CMs ranged from "meh" to downright nasty.
Sadly, we will not return.

 

[disny_luvr]

We are just back from our first Poly stay and it was a miss for us in most ways. We stayed CL.

Room: While large and great to be on the ground floor with kids ( the whole lawn for their "yard" was awesome)- I found the decor dark and cheap looking. Lots of little nicks and breaks in pieces of furniture, molding, fixtures made it look quite worn. Beds were hard. Hawaii building location was fantastic.

Housekeeping/cleanliness: Housekeeping was poor. Rooms didn't get cleaned until very late and never well (one day bathtub wasn't cleaned at all). Every day turndown service tried to come around 5pm after repeated requests for later than 7pm. They always seemed annoyed at the request to come back later. The carpets around the resort always looked and felt dirty. Hallways always had food/beverage spilled with a long time before clean up. The CL lounge also seemed dirty.

Food: Capt cooks was good but way too small for the resort. Ohana was fantastic. We all enjoyed it very much.

Pools: main pool was way too small & crowded. Almost impossible to get a chair. Oasis pool was very nice. Not usually crowded.

Crowds: security did a very good job with crowd control on the 3rd & 4th.

Club level: biggest miss. Gorgeous view. Food area was crowded. Food was limited and not very good. They were constantly running out of things. CMs ranged from "meh" to downright nasty.
Sadly, we will not return.

Thanks for your honest review. I'm sorry Poly was disappointing for you. I'm glad you tried it and now you know.

We have stayed at the Poly for the last three summers and I'd agree with some of your thoughts. I do think the rooms look tired, are dark, and could use some sprucing up. Our room last month was by far the cleanest out of all three rooms we stayed in (all in Samoa). I agree that Capt. Cook's is too small and chaotic. On our check-in day we ordered food from CC and waited over a half an hour for it. Crazy!

All that being said, we still love and adore the Poly. We decided on this last trip (BC/Poly split) that the Poly is our favorite. We love the location, the ambience, the pools and being able to see the castle from the main pool, watching the water pageant from the beach, the transportation options, the food options, and more. We can't wait to return!

 

[mickeynut1]

The tray was gone by lunch when we got back from Epcot and Tokelau is the perfect location! We are in love!

Glad the tray was picked up . Also, happy to hear you're having a great time and enjoying the Poly .

 

[JJZMgailey]

Hey, everyone!

I'm just stopping by to make sure that all of you Polynesian Village lovers know that you can order (via room service) the feast from 'Ohana!

Here's a short video review on this from @Olly on the DIS Unplugged . . . Enjoy!

 

[DisneyCowgirl]

We are just back from our first Poly stay and it was a miss for us in most ways. We stayed CL.

Room: While large and great to be on the ground floor with kids ( the whole lawn for their "yard" was awesome)- I found the decor dark and cheap looking. Lots of little nicks and breaks in pieces of furniture, molding, fixtures made it look quite worn. Beds were hard. Hawaii building location was fantastic.

Housekeeping/cleanliness: Housekeeping was poor. Rooms didn't get cleaned until very late and never well (one day bathtub wasn't cleaned at all). Every day turndown service tried to come around 5pm after repeated requests for later than 7pm. They always seemed annoyed at the request to come back later. The carpets around the resort always looked and felt dirty. Hallways always had food/beverage spilled with a long time before clean up. The CL lounge also seemed dirty.

Food: Capt cooks was good but way too small for the resort. Ohana was fantastic. We all enjoyed it very much.

Pools: main pool was way too small & crowded. Almost impossible to get a chair. Oasis pool was very nice. Not usually crowded.

Crowds: security did a very good job with crowd control on the 3rd & 4th.

Club level: biggest miss. Gorgeous view. Food area was crowded. Food was limited and not very good. They were constantly running out of things. CMs ranged from "meh" to downright nasty.
Sadly, we will not return.

We are just back yesterday as well and agree on a lot of this. I am not ruling out Poly CL for the future, because I love the location of the building and having access to the lounge. But I had a nice discount with my AP this time and I don't think it will be worth worth it without that discount.

• We had same experience with turndown--when we asked the first night if she could come back later, she just handed us some chocolates through the door.
• Trays of food and other garbage sat in the halls for way too long. Someone needs to be doing a check of the halls frequently. (this is true all over the resort I'm sure, not just CL).
• Twice (during our 5-night stay) the room did not get cleaned at all, even though we were gone for most of the day.
• Afternoon snacks in the lounge were down to crumbs every time I walked through the lounge. And I really wanted some chips!
• One evening we were eating in the lounge, and a CM was cleaning up in there complaining about how guests don't bus their own tables and it is left to him to bus the tables. WHAT? I do bus my table there, but I did not know it was required that I do so, and in fact, at that price, I kind of expect that I am not expected to do so. At GF in March, the CMs seemed upset if they saw me carrying my own dirty dishes. And to complain about it while other guests are sitting there seems out of line. I will say that most of the rest of the time we were there, an older gentleman seemed to be constantly picking up my plates (and being very nice about it).
• PLEASE put some more umbrellas at the Oasis pool.
• The Lava pool was crazy-crowded. Not sure it's big enough for this resort.

We had a great time though, and I would stay again, but not because of the great service.

 

[Farro]

Slightly concerning. Are the rooms really looking that rundown? I know people had said the same about the Beach Club (pre-refurb) back in 2014, but we found the rooms to be fine. Also had a day there where our room wasn't cleaned. We called housekeeping and they came while we went back to Epcot for the evening.

I realize it's darker, due to décor, foliage, etc. but I'm more nervous about rundown, how bad? Normal wear and tear or worse? Hasn't the resort been recently refurbished in the last 5 years? We are not staying club level.

 

[DisneyCowgirl]

Slightly concerning. Are the rooms really looking that rundown? I know people had said the same about the Beach Club (pre-refurb) back in 2014, but we found the rooms to be fine. Also had a day there where our room wasn't cleaned. We called housekeeping and they came while we went back to Epcot for the evening.

I realize it's darker, due to décor, foliage, etc. but I'm more nervous about rundown, how bad? Normal wear and tear or worse? Hasn't the resort been recently refurbished in the last 5 years? We are not staying club level.

I did not think the rooms seemed rundown at all, especially by Disney resort standards. Some normal wear and tear that you might expect to have been taken care of if you were at a Ritz Carlton, but nothing I would complain about. Our room seemed quite clean when we arrived, and I don't think they feel that dark either.

My post focused on problems, but there is plenty to like about this resort--the location can't be beat and the grounds are so wonderful. The rooms are big. Fireworks from the beach or even the pool are a real treat. I'm sure I could go on and on. It's still my favorite resort.

 

[Farro]

I did not think the rooms seemed rundown at all, especially by Disney resort standards. Some normal wear and tear that you might expect to have been taken care of if you were at a Ritz Carlton, but nothing I would complain about. Our room seemed quite clean when we arrived, and I don't think they feel that dark either.

My post focused on problems, but there is plenty to like about this resort--the location can't be beat and the grounds are so wonderful. The rooms are big. Fireworks from the beach or even the pool are a real treat. I'm sure I could go on and on. It's still my favorite resort.

Good to hear, thanks!

 

[conandrob240]

We moved to BC right after and by comparison, Poly rooms seemed "tired".

 

[jerseygal]

Hey, everyone!

I'm just stopping by to make sure that all of you Polynesian Village lovers know that you can order (via room service) the feast from 'Ohana!

Here's a short video review on this from @Olly on the DIS Unplugged . . . Enjoy!

Thanks for posting! Yes, have read good posts about Ohana in room dining and one thing that has been definitely mentioned is large portion size. Some folks suggest if there is a party of three, to order for two.

 

[Cluelyss]

We have stayed at the Poly twice in the last year, and did not feel the rooms were run down at all. However, we were in Fiji both times, which was one of the last longhouses for the refurb (our stay in April 2013 was pre-refurb).

 

[disny_luvr]

Slightly concerning. Are the rooms really looking that rundown? I know people had said the same about the Beach Club (pre-refurb) back in 2014, but we found the rooms to be fine. Also had a day there where our room wasn't cleaned. We called housekeeping and they came while we went back to Epcot for the evening.

I realize it's darker, due to décor, foliage, etc. but I'm more nervous about rundown, how bad? Normal wear and tear or worse? Hasn't the resort been recently refurbished in the last 5 years? We are not staying club level.

I'd say normal wear and tear.

 

[kcpinwdw]

we stayed at beach club last year right after the re-do, then moved to poly... and preferred the poly. The decor is dark but fits the theme and our room was in great shape. Im sure there are always some rooms that are worse off than others, but all in all we loved our stay and can't wait to be back (54 days!)

 

[karen243]

*to everyone-if your kids need car seats at home, please also use them on vacation! Laws of physics don't change on vacation.

I completely agree with this statement. But what I don't understand is why taking an Uber with no car seat is worse than taking a Disney bus with no car seat.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

I completely agree with this statement. But what I don't understand is why taking an Uber with no car seat is worse than taking a Disney bus with no car seat.

In general, state rules about buses and cars are different. The physics of bus accidents are different than those for single-family vehicles.

 

[Gin Smith]

We will be there the 14th-18th (kid free!!!) celebrating our 4th anniversary. The only thing we are doing in the parks is MVMCP one night other than that is all resort time, monorail hopping and Disney Springs. Dinner reservation at Ohana is all lined up and we have a lake view and I can't wait to watch the fireworks and EWP from our balcony! We really wanted to do F&W but decided to really dedicate this trip to enjoying and appreciating the Poly. Cant wait!!!

P.S: We stayed at POFQ this last easter and LOVED it but I think you made the right choice upgrading to the Poly

We're staying November 14th too! We cannot wait.

 

[Skywise]

I stayed over the 3rd and 4th at Hawaii too -

• Saw some wear and tear in our room on the 3rd floor too - I've grown to expect that at Disney Resorts (with the kids and all I'm sure there's more knicks and scratches on the furniture. Although I don't tend to see that as much at the Contemporary... Definitely the worst has been GF RPC just before the refurb)
• CL food - meh. The one night I decided to use it for the evening appetizers was on the 4th when they had a full blown buffet (that wasn't listed or announced anywhere I saw) and the line went UP THE STAIRS to the 3rd floor! We had dinner at Ohana about 30 minutes later so there was no sense in trying to wade through that. Afternoon snacks are cookies and crackers if you're lucky to get them. One of the evening desserts was chopped up Mickey Mouse rice krispy treat ears... really guys? Honestly though, I've found the CL food at all the resorts to be lacking and this trip just further cemented that position!)
• CL building itself - So why do I stay CL? Location, location, location! The TPV is AWESOME. My parents stayed in a garden view room in Hawaii and that had a nice view too (wouldn't stay CL for that though) The room was nice if a bit battered. Housekeeping missed one entire day on us (though we did get turn down service that night) and the elevator call button wouldn't stay lit after pressing it. I ended up holding it in until the elevator showed up but we later figured out it didn't matter.
• They seem to have upgraded the magicband readers on the doors. They were "wider" this time and I (and more importantly my parents) had much less troubles trying to find the "sweet spot" where the band would get detected.
  
• Lava pool. Not enough chairs. Not enough chairs with umbrellas. All lounge chairs "taken" even though the pool was mostly empty... huh... My dad pointed out that they should just put up an awning over each side that covers the chairs so you'd have 80% covered seating compared to the 20% you have now. Couldn't even get a seat at the Oasis pool on the 4th and there was PLENTY of empty space where more lounge chairs could've been placed. Security was good at checking people on the 4th at the lava pool to make sure only guests staying there were in the pool. Didn't see that at the Oasis pool though. (I might've just missed it)
• Restaurants - Ohanas was decent as always (Y'know, for a Disney restaurant. ) and my family really enjoys Captain Cooks although breakfast was a zoo so we ended up at the Kona Cafe twice which was good also. Trader Sams is still a pain in the butt to get into unless it's after 10pm but still enjoyable.
• 4th of july fireworks - These were great except the music was off-sync by about 3 seconds from either the speakers or the barges (one by the beach, one by sunset pointe) which was annoying. (It wasn't an echo effect as they both had the same volume levels). Not a huge issue but I was videoing the show and this was probably the only time I'd be there for the 4th!
• Oh a side note here about "events" - I've been here on NYE and the 4th here and both times they give out stuff at the CL like party hats for NYE and red, white and blue leis for the 4th. But these aren't announced or given out - Both times I've had to ask around where these things are at and find they're in a pile somewhere in a public area (this time the leis were in a nondescript box just by the CL entrance which I would've completely missed if I weren't looking out for it. If you're going to give these things out - how about putting them in the rooms? Having people actually hand them out at the club level?!
  
• Bus service from Hollywood Studios stank. The Polynesian/Grand Floridian bus stop (4) is now shared with the Fort Wilderness stop (4a) but only ONE bus can load at a time. I was there at closing over 2 nights (once for Fantasmic, once for the Star Wars fireworks) and both times 2 buses would show up for Fort Wilderness and each take 10 minutes to load and THEN a Polynesian bus would show up. But the Poly lines were so long that it went past the Fort Wilderness line! By the time we were able to get onto our FULLY PACKED bus - Every other bus stop was empty! Including the value resorts which had 2-3 times the number of buses we were seeing! Hulllo.... I'm paying deluxe resort rates here!!! On the second night my family jumped out of line and got on the THIRD Contemporary bus that had showed up that night to pick up a whopping 3 people while the Polynesian line was still completely full and while waiting for the SECOND Polynesian bus. We got to actually sit (!) in a nearly empty bus and then took the monorail to the Poly. It was bad enough that a mother with 2 kids in the stroller started arguing with a CM directing the buses to call up another bus and he merely held up his hands and said it was all computer controlled.
• On the flip side, the monorail and boat service was good to MK was good and there didn't appear to be any downtimes this time.

Don't get me wrong - for all the negatives I'm spewing here I really had a good time and I'll still go back to the Poly and pay the stupidly exorbitant fees to stay CL even though the food sux because of the killer views and because there's nothing better than using the CL lounge while waiting for the tragic express to show up and take you back to reality!

 

[Skywise]

I completely agree with this statement. But what I don't understand is why taking an Uber with no car seat is worse than taking a Disney bus with no car seat.

Well DUH... you're facing sideways so the impact is uh... less...

Or you let your kid sit on the steps...

Heck that bus we took from Hollywood studios was SO packed that some of us could barely hold onto a handrail, let alone a handgrip - It's a disaster waiting to happen. Same with the bus service from Hollywood studios to Epcot...

 

[Dec38]

I just changed our reservation from a regular standard room to a deluxe studio, because the studio was eligible for a back to school deal, saving us around 15%. I'm slightly nervous about the switch, but I think either room type would work for us (2 adults, 2 small kids) and so the savings made sense. I just want to avoid the parking lot views in Pago Pago! I'm planning to do the room request fax for a Tokelau west side facing room. Do you know how these rooms are assigned, given that most are DVC? I booked directly through Disney and paid by credit card (i.e. I am not using points). Do DVC members get specific rooms, or do they put in room requests just like I would? In other words, I'm wondering if I request, say, Tokelau 3914 or other rooms like that, do I have as good of a chance as anyone else or could that specific room be DVC owner's home unit? (Sorry if this has an obvious answer -- I know nothing about DVC). Thank you!

 

[_auroraborealis_]

Do DVC members get specific rooms, or do they put in room requests just like I would?

All the Standard View rooms are assigned through everyone. There aren't rooms "reserved" for DVC point bookings, and DVC members do not "own" home units like they might a condo.

However, West Tokelau is what everyone making a room request asks for, so be prepared for them to be unable to fulfill the request.