Disney's POLYNESIAN VILLAGE RESORT Information & Questions

[Slender Man]

Thanks for all the information - the bungalows look spectacular!

 

[LvsTnk]

50 days away today so excited not worried about construction or anything else for this trip mostly thanks to the great reports just posted! Thanks!

 

[Dariansue]

ROOM REPORT FOR UNIT 7006 OVERWATER BUNGALOW AT POLYNESIAN RESORT


Bungalow Area – The 20 bungalows are located around the area called Sunset Point on the north shore of the Polynesian Resort. There are 2 groups of bungalows, 13 at the Point and 7 to the east of the point. All bungalows are accessed from the land by wooden docks. The docks have 5 gates with card readers (see picture below). A reservation in a bungalow is required to open the gates by way of Magic Bands or KTTW. The docks are solidly constructed and are well lit at night. The bungalows are approximately 15 feet apart and are served with their own individual dock leading up to the front door. The bungalows are built approximately 50 feet from the shoreline and the area between the shore and the Bungalows is a nice natural type habitat that is now growing in nicely.

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Construction Stuff – The floor system of the Bungalows is reinforced concrete. There is no bounce or noise when walking inside or outside. Also, the pilings that support the Bungalows are concrete, not wood like the walkway docks. The pilings are cross braced to minimize any lateral movement. The exterior wall structure is galvanized structural steel with insulated galvanized 6” steel studs. All the windows of the Bungalows are double pane insulated glass which helps with sound transmission and energy consumption. All this means that the Bungalows are designed and constructed extremely well, not to mention the level of interior finishes (later in the report).

Room Locations – per the diagram below, the Bungalows are numbered in sequential order going from west to east. We walked the entire dock area and the preferred location of the Bungalows will vary based on individual preferences. The eastern most units (14-20) are close to the TTC. The western most units (1-5) are closer to the main pool and the GCH. The middle units (6-13) are in the center of the group. There are 2 basic views from the rear of the Bungalows, 1-6 have a great view of the GF and MK. 8-20 have great views of the MK, CR and east side of the Seven Seas Lagoon. All Bungalows are situated to see the MK fireworks. The EWP is best viewed from units 1-10 due to the path of travel that it takes as it tours toward the CR and Bay Lake

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Design and Layout; Each Bungalow is a 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom unit. There is a master bathroom (with a master bathroom), a second bedroom (without a dedicated bathroom), a common bathroom and a living/dining/kitchen area. The washer-dryer is an over/under unit and situated behind a bi-fold door near the common bathroom. Across from the washer-dryer is a nice sized closet complete with the usual DVC amenities such as high chair, laundry basket, extra bedding, vacuum cleaner, etc. The kitchen, dining area and living room are in one open adjoining area that takes up the full width of the rear of the unit. There are large windows/sliding doors on the entire back of the building for panoramic views of the SSL from all 3 rooms. Outside of these rooms are 2 deck areas separated by a child proof fence/gate, one area with chase lounges/table/chairs and one where the plunge pool is. The plunge pool has an outdoor unheated shower. The plunge pool is not heated but is filtered. It was nice to cool off in the pool during the hot days. The master bedroom has its own small patio that can be accessed from a side door in the bedroom. This small patio contains 2 hanging basket chairs and is away from the rest of the space. There is a full width front porch at each Bungalow and a padded bench. Storage in each bedroom was OK, the closet in the master could be bigger. Not a lot of space for hanging clothes. There is a cabinet in the master closet for extra storage space (which reduces the room for hanging clothes). The second bedroom had no direct access to the bathroom so you have to leave the bedroom and walk in the hall to get to the bathroom. I won’t debate if the Bungalows should be 3 bedroom, my feeling is that the construction cost (and subsequent point value) was so high that they needed to keep things within reason. Based on my quick research, the Bungalows are the highest point-per-night room of all the DVC rooms (including the GF 3 bedroom) and the cost in dollars per night is equal to the most expensive suites of all the on-property resorts (except the new Ritz). Having said that, they are absolutely unique. According to a quick Google search, these are the only over water bungalow resort in the US.

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Sleeping Arrangements – The Bungalow sleeps 8. A king in the master, queen in the 2nd bedroom, a pull out queen in the living room (from the couch), a pull down bunk in the 2nd bedroom and a pull down bunk in the living room. The bedding was good quality and all beds were comfortable. We had 6 adults so we didn’t use the pull downs but did use the pull out.

Material Finish Slections and Quality of Construction – Finishes are always subjective because of individual taste but I thought everything was done very well. The doors, door frames, window frames and wood trim is mahogany, the floor and wall tile is beautiful and the floor in the master shower is smooth river rock set in a dark grout. The cabinetry is wood (including the face of the dishwasher) with soft close doors and drawers. There is full height tile backsplashes in kitchen and bathrooms. Kitchen storage cabinet space is limited and for a long stay you will need to get creative with the space. We moved things around to create more space. There is a cool vertical cabinet next to the fridge that is perfect for storage of wine bottles, champagne bottles and…… other things. Countertops are black quartz or Silestone and under mount SS sinks. The dining room table (mahogany) is nice but they will have to do something with the dining room chairs as the backs are not secured well and are loose. The interior flooring material is wood composite planks with inset broadloom carpet in the bedrooms and living room. Light fixtures, art work and accent pieces are very nice and in some cases, lit up. The decking in the front and back patio (as well as the furniture) is composite material so there won’t be any splinters or warping of the patios planks. The overall quality of construction is very good, I would give it 8.5 out of 10. There are a few items that would be on my punch list but not many.

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Appliances, AV systems and Controls – I am writing a separate section on these features because of the awesome level of appliances and AV systems installed in the Bungalows. First, the Audio Video equipment….The TV’s are crazy. All Samsung Smart TVs. A 65” Samsung Smart TV in the living room and Samsung Smart TVs (just a little smaller) in both bedrooms. For those who don’t know what a “Smart TV” is, they allow wireless connection to smart phones, tablets and laptops (among many other features). We viewed pictures and videos taken earlier in the day on the 65” TV. At night, we could watch Netflix in the bedrooms. How’s that for technology? The wireless connection set up is a little tricky and you need to fairly close to the TV but the result is awesome! The living room also has an integrated Denon AV receiver with speakers for the full audio effect of whatever you’re watching. The living room also has a programmable Harmony Ultimate 15 Device universal remote control. I’m not done yet….Many of you have seen pictures of the TV in the mirror in the master bathroom. No? For those who haven’t seen them, Disney installed a Serenity TV/Mirror system in the master bathroom. When the TV is off, it looks like a normal mirror above the double vanity. When turned on, you watch TV (with sound) through the middle of the mirror. Again, crazy cool. Showering and watching ESPN at the same time, what more can a guy ask for? Next, the Appliances…. In the kitchen, all GE Monogram series appliances. The fridge was built like a tank. It sealed so tightly that it was difficult to open. We finally figured out that if we pulled the handle from the top, it opened easier. All other Monogram appliances were great. The bathroom fixtures in the master are outstanding. The tub is a Kohler Reve 67” Bubble Massage and the shower is set up with a Kohler Rain head from above with a Kohler Ellipse Hand Shower kit on the wall. I’m still not done….. The lighting controls are by Lutron and feature their QS Dynamic Keypad touch screen programmable system. The interface is customizable with several different wallpapers available. These units are in the living room, hallway, bedrooms and bathrooms. The master bedroom has a separate switch on each side the bed to control the night lighting (with is great). Almost done now….. The telephones are wireless and fully functional. There’s even a telephone on the patio in a weather proof case. I think that’s it for the AV and appliances

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Negatives? The only real negative I found was with the plumbing system. Because the Bungalows are near the water level and NOT near any land based sewer systems, the sanitary waste needs to pumped out of the Bungalows to a sewer line (or lift station) on land. There is a 250 gallon holding tank under each unit with a vacuum system that does “the dirty work”. Unfortunately, this system generates some noise. When the holding tank fills, the vacuum system automatically comes on and empties the holding tank. All liquid producing systems in the Bungalow are tied into the holding tank (sinks, toilets, showers, AC condensate, exterior shower, etc. Nothing is discharged into the lake (which is the right thing to do). The tank fills up in accordance with use of the water system. If 2 people are taking showers at the same time, the tank fills up quicker. During the night, when no one is using any water, it doesn’t operate. The vacuum system can be heard when it turns on. It stays on for about 5 seconds. The vacuum equipment is located in a closet next to the washer dryer and is locked off to guests. I could not listen to the system in any other Bungalow so I couldn’t tell you if the noise was louder or softer in units other than 7006. After a while, we got used to it although it would be better if it wasn’t there at all.

Overview - As I said earlier, I believe these Bungalows are unique and one of a kind, not only to WDW but to anywhere in the Country. A while ago, I read comments that because the water isn’t as clear as the South Pacific, the Bungalows would't be nice. Nothing could be further from the truth. The combination of solitude, water and beauty is awesome. And to have it at the Polynesian Resort is the crowning achievement. We will be enjoying the Bungalows every year from now on.

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Aloha!

This is the best report! I figured they were going to be beautiful, now I have no doubt. Thank you for taking the time of doing this awesome report! Well done!

 

[vladimir]

Ok here's my observations from my first stay at the Poly last week. It was our family of 6 (myself, wife, and kids aged 8-5-4-1). We requested both through Orbitz and through TouringPlans a room on the first floor of Samoa facing the main pool, and that's exactly what we got (Room 1605). We got the text around noon saying that the room was ready, so as soon as we finished the Frozen Sing-a-Long show we headed to the Poly.

First, better signage is needed when you go through the Magic Kingdom parking gates as to where you need to be in order to go to the resorts. I totally screwed it up the first time, not knowing that I needed to be in the extreme right hand lanes--noob mistake. But getting through the gates was no problem...they scanned my band the first time through, and from then on I had the paper parking pass on the dash and they just waved me through.

They were equally lax at the Poly parking gate, but this presented a problem. This was early afternoon on Sunday 5/24, and once I pulled up to the front door and dropped our stuff with bell services and let the family out, I went to park the car. Only problem is that I couldn't find a parking spot. I circled around for literally 25 minutes looking for a spot--like I was back in college or something. In retrospect I wish I would have just paid the $20 for valet, but I'm not a valet kind of guy. I was very frustrated when I finally got parked, and I felt compelled to let the Poly staff know. A friendly person at the concierge desk offered to help me...and once I told him that I didn't think it was right that almost 30 minutes of my vacation had just been lost because they don't have adequate parking, he tried to help by offering FP's for Fantasmic that night. There was no way we were staying out that late with a 1 year old, but he was trying so hard to be helpful that I thanked him and moved on. The good news is that the parking situation wasn't that bad the rest of the week--I must have just hit a busy time. A couple of times I had to look for about 5 minutes for a spot, but nothing like that first day.

The room itself was wonderful...we had a great view of the main pool and the GF. We also had a good look at the water parade and the wishes fireworks just by stepping onto the walkway adjacent to our patio. There's a pool gate right where you exit the north end of Samoa, so we had easy access. We were also pretty centrally located to the GCH, beach, marina, and the walkway to the TTC...so it was the perfect location for us.

Construction didn't bother us at all...most of it was further east. Of course they hadn't started work on the quiet pool yet...so when that starts who knows how it will impact Samoa.

The kids absolutely loved the pool/splash pad/slide. If we had let them decide, they would probably have preferred to have played there the entire 7 days as opposed to going to the parks. We tried to squeeze in as much pool time as possible. The entire time there I only saw one obvious family of pool hoppers...I'm sure there were more, but the point is that the pool area didn't seem overcrowded and seating was always available.

Bottom line...we had a great time at the Poly and felt like we made the right choice. Might not be an option for us financially when the baby starts counting as part of the head count, but glad we got to do it for this trip. If you have your own car, be prepared for parking to be a struggle at times.

Thanks for the info. We are staying at the Polynesian for the first time in 12 days! Can't wait! It was my daughter's request for her 13th birthday. We are not worried about construction. We are just happy to be staying there.

 

[1971DBday]

Thanks for the info. We are staying at the Polynesian for the first time in 12 days! Can't wait! It was my daughter's request for her 13th birthday. We are not worried about construction. We are just happy to be staying there.

10 days for us! This will be our 10th year in a row and 7th stay at the Poly! We will see you by the pool!

 

[Dariansue]

Thanks for the info. We are staying at the Polynesian for the first time in 12 days! Can't wait! It was my daughter's request for her 13th birthday. We are not worried about construction. We are just happy to be staying there.

That's awesome! That's what my son asked us for his 13th birthday . We get there in 17 days! I'm not worried about construction either. I'm happy we have such smart children! I love disney trips!

 

[erk711]

We just recently added points at the Poly and have booked ourselves in for a few nights before our cruise in February. Can't wait!!

 

[1971DBday]

Oops

 

[1971DBday]

That's awesome! That's what my son asked us for his 13th birthday . We get there in 17 days! I'm not worried about construction either. I'm happy we have such smart children! I love disney trips!

Thanks for the info. We are staying at the Polynesian for the first time in 12 days! Can't wait! It was my daughter's request for her 13th birthday. We are not worried about construction. We are just happy to be staying there.

Party at the Poly!!! We will hold down the fort until the DISers take over!

 

[disny_luvr]

29 days for us!! I wonder if we will run in to you near the pool! We are staying CL from June 30th until July 7th and then moving over to BC CL. Super excited! Our MB's shipped for the Poly portion today.

Maybe we'll see you around the resort. We are doing the opposite of you and staying at the BC first before heading to the Poly.

 

[ThistleMae]

I would like to ask again....has anyone had issues booking a reservation at Ohana? And...do folks eat there more than once?

 

[pamkat1820]

I would like to ask again....has anyone had issues booking a reservation at Ohana? And...do folks eat there more than once?

Hi... We booked an Reservation at the 180 day mark with no trouble for August at Ohana. I even changed it to a different day when we had to tweak our plans due to flights with out any trouble. I would say keep trying. There is a cancelation thread on the restaurant board check it out. I posted there not too long ago b4 I canceled a BOG reservation. Good luck!

 

[lala5176]

I would like to ask again....has anyone had issues booking a reservation at Ohana? And...do folks eat there more than once?

We have not had trouble booking at O'Hana and at the very last minute. Last time I called a few days before and got a reservation. It was a late one however, 9pm. Keep trying, something may come up.

 

[bar423]

I would like to ask again....has anyone had issues booking a reservation at Ohana? And...do folks eat there more than once?

I was able to get 2 early morning breakfasts at the beginning and end of our trip in September. My kids love character breakfasts and since we're staying at the Poly it's convenient. We booked our trip after the 180 mark and I just kept checking everyday

 

[trishadono]

For us dole whip lovers, dd sent me a pic of herself eating a dolewhip swirl cone she got at Vero Beach. I didn't know they were available outside of The World.

She transfers to OKW tomorrow but will be visiting the mono resorts for sure.

 

[jennab]

I would like to ask again....has anyone had issues booking a reservation at Ohana? And...do folks eat there more than once?

We are eating there three time (2 dinners and 1 breakfast). The dinners I booked at 180 days out and now if I check there are only 9pm available slots (cannot do that with a 3yr old). The breakfast I've been able to tweak the date and times without any issues. Are you trying to get a dinner?

 

[PTownGirls]

The Poly looks so beautiful. Would love to eventually be able to stay there. Great pictures.

 

[ThistleMae]

We are eating there three time (2 dinners and 1 breakfast). The dinners I booked at 180 days out and now if I check there are only 9pm available slots (cannot do that with a 3yr old). The breakfast I've been able to tweak the date and times without any issues. Are you trying to get a dinner?

Yes, I'm trying for a dinner on Nov. 19th. That will be our first day there and would like to eat there. Thanks for asking.

 

[Cluelyss]

Yes, I'm trying for a dinner on Nov. 19th. That will be our first day there and would like to eat there. Thanks for asking.

I've read on other boards that November reservations have been hard to come by everywhere, and Ohana dinner is definitely one of the more popular choices. But definitely keep checking. And you can always sign up with one of the notification systems if you don't have the time/patience to keep checking yourself.

 

[ThistleMae]

I've read on other boards that November reservations have been hard to come by everywhere, and Ohana dinner is definitely one of the more popular choices. But definitely keep checking. And you can always sign up with one of the notification systems if you don't have the time/patience to keep checking yourself.

What is this notification system you speak of? I'm intrigued!