Disney's POLYNESIAN VILLAGE RESORT Information & Questions

[GADisneyDad14]

Hi everyone! I'm so excited to be able to join this thread! I just secured a reservation today for the Poly next October through renting points! This is my first time renting points and at the Poly. My girls and I (ages 9 and 12) will be coming down for the MNSSHP and to do 3 more days in the parks.
This is our first time without DH and I'm just hoping for something close to the lobby for transportation reasons. Is the Poly a huge resort when it comes to getting from some of the outer buildings to the lobby?
We have previously stayed at POP (hated it), POR, POFQ and SSR. So we aren't strangers to big resorts and are happy to
Forego a view for a more convenient location. Any suggestions for us?

Hi there. Congrats on booking!

Since you are renting points, you will be in one of the three DVC ("Villa") longhouses - Moorea, Tokelau, or Pago Pago. See map below.

If you booked a Lake View you'll be in Moorea facing the lagoon. If you booked a Standard View, you'll be in Tokelau or Pago Pago (Edited to add, also could be in Moorea facing the non-lagoon side).

In my opinion, Poly is not a "huge resort" but it's also not compact either. Nothing is really "that far" but certainly some longhouses are further from the action than others. To me, compared to something like AOA, the Poly feels TINY relatively speaking.

The three DVC longhouses are arguably the "furthest away" from the Grand Ceremonial House, Lava Pool, Marina, etc. But, on the other hand, you are just steps away from the TTC (can use it to catch the Epcot monorail line and also hop on the Resort line to get to MK instead of walking to the Poly stop). The bus stop is also on this 'side' of the resort so it's not very far. It's also very quiet and peaceful on this side of the resort, in my opinion.

One bonus with the DVC longhouses is that every room has an outdoor space (patio on first floor, balconies on second and third floors). This is not the case on the resort side where second floor rooms do no have balconies.

Hope that helps!

 

[cleopenn]

OMG...who leaves a dirty diaper IN THE HALLWAY??? Yes, housekeeping should have addressed it quicker, but the rude, gross person who left it there absolutely should not have done so. I currently have a child in diapers, and would never even consider leaving one anywhere other than a trash receptacle. You’d think people staying at a deluxe Disney resort would have more manners than that. Holy cow.

The behavior in the lounge was piggish as well. Adults grabbing every single bagel when the staff refreshed the basket and running off to their room, a mom filling several bowls full of cereal, leaving none for people waiting behind her, stuff like that. It seemed isolated to the morning, everyone behaved at night, maybe it was the beer calming them down.

In the non-Disney world, I see people using the club lounges as a quick cup of coffee and a pastry, a little nibble and a drink before dinner. At Disney, families were fueling up for the day, maybe trying to pack a lunch from the breakfast offerings and was chaos.

Edited now that I'm at a computer:

We decided to change our trip from March to January (Yay!). For our new dates, we can get a Club Level Garden View room for slightly less than a regular Theme Park view room, but they are basically the same price.

It will be me, my husband, and our 6-year-old. Do you think we will enjoy the Club access more than the fireworks view from our balcony? Are the Club Level rooms less likely to have the housekeeping issues that some have complained about or is it all the same? Anything else I should consider?

We stayed club level. Our room was clean, the common areas were not.

However, we absolutely enjoyed the lounge access overall and it enhanced our stay.

Have you considered the Four Seasons? It is less themed, but has a great location and I think it gets all the WDW perks of onsite hotels(?).

Yes. If it gets all the same perks, that would be a great option for visitors like my family who don't go back and forth from the resort to the parks more than once a day.

This was our biggest issue as well! We just returned from a stay from 10/21 - 10/29. We were also in Fiji. We found our biggest frustration during the whole trip was with dining/lounge crowds. After being in a crowded park all day we just didn't expect to have to deal with the same at our resort. The hallway near Trader Sams was packed form 330p on with people filling up the hall to wait in line to get in and for the first couple of days there were lines wrapped around the building even earlier due to the Hitchhiking ghost mugs. Even the patio and the to go window were packed in the evenings with to people waiting to watch the fireworks. Finding a relaxing place to get an adult beverage after a long day in the parks was quite the adventure. We stayed with a group of 12 people and 4 of them were teenagers ages (15 - 18) and we felt uncomfortable letting them walk from the patio to our rooms in Fiji at night due to the amount of off site people milling around during the late hours. I understand that they are public places and it is to be expected. I suppose we may have noticed it more because we were staying in Fiji and had to constantly walk through it to get to and from our room. We didn't seem to notice the crowds as much when we stayed in Tokelau. With all that said, for the most part, we did enjoy our stay but are now considering The Wilderness Lodge for our upcoming April Trip.

Agree on the crowds! We couldn't secure an evening dining reservation during our trip but walked thru the lobby nightly on our way to dinner. Every night was the same, a sea of people and strollers.

 

[trishadono]

I am so excited, we are taking younger dd on a 16th birthday trip (Keys to the Kingdom tour) that is only 4 nights. Normally we stay at Pop just for cost savings. Younger dd said she didn’t mind if her older sister came, but she her only request was that she didn’t have to share a bed with her sister. Dh and I talked, and decided to try and rent DVC, and the only one with the trundle bed that had availability was Poly!

I can’t tell you how excited I am that we are going to be able to stay here. Anything to keep in mind for our stay?

Hi everyone! I'm so excited to be able to join this thread! I just secured a reservation today for the Poly next October through renting points! This is my first time renting points and at the Poly. My girls and I (ages 9 and 12) will be coming down for the MNSSHP and to do 3 more days in the parks.
This is our first time without DH and I'm just hoping for something close to the lobby for transportation reasons. Is the Poly a huge resort when it comes to getting from some of the outer buildings to the lobby?
We have previously stayed at POP (hated it), POR, POFQ and SSR. So we aren't strangers to big resorts and are happy to
Forego a view for a more convenient location. Any suggestions for us?

@GADisneyDad14 notes above are helpful.

I am adding a little more since I have stayed at all resorts except SSR and noticed you both referenced POP. ( my fav of the values)

I have stayed in Tokelau and Moorea but prior to conversion to DVC. Also I recently stayed in Tuvalu. So after staying both opposite ends of the resort what are my feelings?

Just walking around the resort is so lovely that the steps are not as annoying lol. Seeing the castle, the tiki nights at night no the lovely Hawaiian music playing just is so mood setting.

There are 5 points of exiting the resort for parks, or exploring.

The path to/from GF is past Fiji. You can eat over there or explore the lobby. Also I have walked back from GF vs mono because it's quicker. So I may mono over, walk back.

The path to TTC is past Moorea/Pago . I walk to there for Epcot mono every time except rsevere rain. Light rain I will still "poncho" over. It is also possible to walk there and take the Ferry boat over. That double decker can be fun to try. Better midday when not busy or early evening. Sunset is a beuutiful time .

The mono is 2nd floor of main building and the ME and taxis 1st floor. Mono route poly/gf/MK/CR/TTC and back.

The little water cruisers go poly/MK/gf over and over. My fav mode ! I use it most times except RD. Watching EWP or HEA is a must do for me each trip

The bus stop is left of main building. You can walk through lobby and out and go left if need something inside(weather) or just take path .

So as you can see each building has an advantage for each of those but Tokelau is best for its central location. Not to worry however this resort is not as big as POP if you get one of the others.

Compared to pop the room will be nicer. The dvc bath set up will be great for you! Lots of food options and shopping. For pool hoppers (my kids liked to try 'em all), the 2 pools are somewhat close to each other. Also both now have hot tubs, food and beverages.

Overall everything is just better at poly. Enjoy

 

[_auroraborealis_]

I tend to think many people who book Disney deluxe/club do not typically stay at those levels elsewhere. Thus, the behavior you see in the lounge, for instance. There is a desperate "grab" to "GET OUR MONEY'S WORTH!!!" because they paid so much.

 

[mickeynut1]

Edited now that I'm at a computer:

We decided to change our trip from March to January (Yay!). For our new dates, we can get a Club Level Garden View room for slightly less than a regular Theme Park view room, but they are basically the same price.

It will be me, my husband, and our 6-year-old. Do you think we will enjoy the Club access more than the fireworks view from our balcony? Are the Club Level rooms less likely to have the housekeeping issues that some have complained about or is it all the same? Anything else I should consider?

If it were me, I'd go with CL over TPV. The lounge will be nice for snacks/drinks throughout the day, not to mention the great view of the castle/fireworks. Hope you have a great trip .

We've been at Polynesian since 10/25, leaving tomorrow. Our room was great, housekeeping great. Hotel is gorgeous.

Glad you had a nice time .

Thanks so much, trishadono and Roxyfire. I booked both rooms and will cancel one soon. I am leaning toward Club Level, especially since we had to give up our PPO breakfast ADRs when I changed the trip from March to January. Eating breakfast at the lounge would definitely be easy.

So if we have a CL-GV, we will definitely be in Hawaii?

I think CL is a good choice! If you go with GV CL, you will be in the Hawaii building .

This was our biggest issue as well! We just returned from a stay from 10/21 - 10/29. We were also in Fiji. We found our biggest frustration during the whole trip was with dining/lounge crowds. After being in a crowded park all day we just didn't expect to have to deal with the same at our resort. The hallway near Trader Sams was packed form 330p on with people filling up the hall to wait in line to get in and for the first couple of days there were lines wrapped around the building even earlier due to the Hitchhiking ghost mugs. Even the patio and the to go window were packed in the evenings with to people waiting to watch the fireworks. Finding a relaxing place to get an adult beverage after a long day in the parks was quite the adventure. We stayed with a group of 12 people and 4 of them were teenagers ages (15 - 18) and we felt uncomfortable letting them walk from the patio to our rooms in Fiji at night due to the amount of off site people milling around during the late hours. I understand that they are public places and it is to be expected. I suppose we may have noticed it more because we were staying in Fiji and had to constantly walk through it to get to and from our room. We didn't seem to notice the crowds as much when we stayed in Tokelau. With all that said, for the most part, we did enjoy our stay but are now considering The Wilderness Lodge for our upcoming April Trip.

Sorry about the crowds, but glad you enjoyed your stay overall. Have fun planning your next trip. The WL is one of our favs as it's a beautiful resort .

I am so excited, we are taking younger dd on a 16th birthday trip (Keys to the Kingdom tour) that is only 4 nights. Normally we stay at Pop just for cost savings. Younger dd said she didn’t mind if her older sister came, but she her only request was that she didn’t have to share a bed with her sister. Dh and I talked, and decided to try and rent DVC, and the only one with the trundle bed that had availability was Poly!

I can’t tell you how excited I am that we are going to be able to stay here. Anything to keep in mind for our stay?

The Poly is amazing, you will love it! Have a great time .

Hi everyone! I'm so excited to be able to join this thread! I just secured a reservation today for the Poly next October through renting points! This is my first time renting points and at the Poly. My girls and I (ages 9 and 12) will be coming down for the MNSSHP and to do 3 more days in the parks.
This is our first time without DH and I'm just hoping for something close to the lobby for transportation reasons. Is the Poly a huge resort when it comes to getting from some of the outer buildings to the lobby?
We have previously stayed at POP (hated it), POR, POFQ and SSR. So we aren't strangers to big resorts and are happy to
Forego a view for a more convenient location. Any suggestions for us?

GADisneyDad & trishadono answered your questions, but I wanted to say congrats on booking your first Poly stay. Hope you have a great trip! Enjoy the planning .

 

[cleopenn]

I tend to think many people who book Disney deluxe/club do not typically stay at those levels elsewhere. Thus, the behavior you see in the lounge, for instance. There is a desperate "grab" to "GET OUR MONEY'S WORTH!!!" because they paid so much.

I agree. Business travelers use the lounge differently than vacation travelers.

 

[bbak30]

Hi there. Congrats on booking!

Since you are renting points, you will be in one of the three DVC ("Villa") longhouses - Moorea, Tokelau, or Pago Pago. See map below.

If you booked a Lake View you'll be in Moorea facing the lagoon. If you booked a Standard View, you'll be in Tokelau or Pago Pago (Edited to add, also could be in Moorea facing the non-lagoon side).

In my opinion, Poly is not a "huge resort" but it's also not compact either. Nothing is really "that far" but certainly some longhouses are further from the action than others. To me, compared to something like AOA, the Poly feels TINY relatively speaking.

The three DVC longhouses are arguably the "furthest away" from the Grand Ceremonial House, Lava Pool, Marina, etc. But, on the other hand, you are just steps away from the TTC (can use it to catch the Epcot monorail line and also hop on the Resort line to get to MK instead of walking to the Poly stop). The bus stop is also on this 'side' of the resort so it's not very far. It's also very quiet and peaceful on this side of the resort, in my opinion.

One bonus with the DVC longhouses is that every room has an outdoor space (patio on first floor, balconies on second and third floors). This is not the case on the resort side where second floor rooms do no have balconies.

Hope that helps!

View attachment 281664

Yes! Thank you so much! I'm even more exited now

@GADisneyDad14 notes above are helpful.

I am adding a little more since I have stayed at all resorts except SSR and noticed you both referenced POP. ( my fav of the values)

I have stayed in Tokelau and Moorea but prior to conversion to DVC. Also I recently stayed in Tuvalu. So after staying both opposite ends of the resort what are my feelings?

Just walking around the resort is so lovely that the steps are not as annoying lol. Seeing the castle, the tiki nights at night no the lovely Hawaiian music playing just is so mood setting.

There are 5 points of exiting the resort for parks, or exploring.

The path to/from GF is past Fiji. You can eat over there or explore the lobby. Also I have walked back from GF vs mono because it's quicker. So I may mono over, walk back.

The path to TTC is past Moorea/Pago . I walk to there for Epcot mono every time except rsevere rain. Light rain I will still "poncho" over. It is also possible to walk there and take the Ferry boat over. That double decker can be fun to try. Better midday when not busy or early evening. Sunset is a beuutiful time .

The mono is 2nd floor of main building and the ME and taxis 1st floor. Mono route poly/gf/MK/CR/TTC and back.

The little water cruisers go poly/MK/gf over and over. My fav mode ! I use it most times except RD. Watching EWP or HEA is a must do for me each trip

The bus stop is left of main building. You can walk through lobby and out and go left if need something inside(weather) or just take path .

So as you can see each building has an advantage for each of those but Tokelau is best for its central location. Not to worry however this resort is not as big as POP if you get one of the others.

Compared to pop the room will be nicer. The dvc bath set up will be great for you! Lots of food options and shopping. For pool hoppers (my kids liked to try 'em all), the 2 pools are somewhat close to each other. Also both now have hot tubs, food and beverages.

Overall everything is just better at poly. Enjoy

If it were me, I'd go with CL over TPV. The lounge will be nice for snacks/drinks throughout the day, not to mention the great view of the castle/fireworks. Hope you have a great trip .



Glad you had a nice time .



I think CL is a good choice! If you go with GV CL, you will be in the Hawaii building .



Sorry about the crowds, but glad you enjoyed your stay overall. Have fun planning your next trip. The WL is one of our favs as it's a beautiful resort .



The Poly is amazing, you will love it! Have a great time .



GADisneyDad & trishadono answered your questions, but I wanted to say congrats on booking your first Poly stay. Hope you have a great trip! Enjoy the planning .

Thank you!!!

 

[PolyRob]

4pm for bread pudding (cause that's all I order). Maybe 4pm for all food? I could be wrong.

There was a very limited menu around noon when we stopped at the Tambu (sorry I don't remember the exact time). We had sticky wings and dumplings. They said the full menu wasn't until later when the Ohana kitchen opened.

Thank you! I am piecing together a very last minute trip in December and looking for a place for a quick bite before MVMCP in the event I can't find 'Ohana. Tambu may work perfectly. Wings, dumplings, and a drink sound great!

 

[vikster1]

Thank you! I am piecing together a very last minute trip in December and looking for a place for a quick bite before MVMCP in the event I can't find 'Ohana. Tambu may work perfectly. Wings, dumplings, and a drink sound great!

The pulled pork nachos are amazing! It's always a must have for us.

 

[PolyRob]

The pulled pork nachos are amazing! It's always a must have for us.

I have wanted to try them so many times, but it just never worked out. I know Captain Cook's has them, but deep down, I imagine Tambu is better (like Tonga Toast from Kona). Hopefully it works out and I can get them!

 

[stitchfan18]

What is the easiest/best way to get to MK with a double stroller? We usually stay at CR and walk to MK. I was thinking the ferry from TTC would be easiest before realizing that bag check moved since our last trip. Is it fairly easy to get on the monorail in the morning? The monorail seems reasonable when we head to the ttc from CR, but that is right after dropping off at MK. Any suggestions or insight about whether walking to the TTC in the morning to get to the parks (MK & Epcot) is still a time saver vs. the resort monorail?

 

[DisneyMomma1216]

Does anyone know if there is specific parking for RVs, or if you even can park at the Poly? (I'm assuming yes, since I've seen them at other resorts, but I never paid attention while at the Poly). TIA.

 

[BreezysMom]

No hum Post Poly Blues are really setting in!

We returned a week ago tomorrow after a wonderful 3 night unexpected stay! We could not find a room at the Poly for months leading up to our vacation 10/25-29 but were able to secure a room at the GF. We were so excited to finally be back at Disney but I have to say we really missed the Poly after the first day. On day two I called guest services just to check and see if something opened up and they still had no availability at the Poly.

So DD, DH and I were hanging at the pool that Saturday afternoon and my cell rang and it was a 407 area code which I thought was odd so I answere and it was Margaret from the desk that I had spoken to earlier. She asked if we were still interested in moving because someone was at the Poly and wanted out! Heck yes I said. She warned me that the reason the guest wanted to leave was that the Luau noise was too loud. No problem there! We were going to the Luau that night anyway and honestly the noise of the Luau at the Poly is part of its charm for us.

Needless to say we were beyond thrilled. Packed our bags and they drove us directly to our new room at the Poly. Did I happen to mention that it had a spectatular TPV so we traded CL at the GF and got a fabulous view! And they also gave us a refund for the price difference which was not expected at the least.

A side note, This trip was our celebrating life trip. We recently lost my MIL to Breast Cancer and had a brutal summer because of it and we booked this trip for family time, rest and of course the magic of Disney. Not two weeks before our trip we lost one of our beloved fur babies to old age so we were emotionally down in the dumps.

DH was just not feeling the GF and I could just see he wasn’t enjoying himself during our downtime at the resort. See we are more resort commandos that do the parks on whims. Not rigid trip planners at all! We play bus roulette. Whatever bus comes, we head to that park so resort time is sacred. I personally enjoyed the GF as did DD but the Poly is my home and I can now say I stayed at the GF.

The next day I searched out Margaret and personally thanked her because DH was a new person that evening we moved. We had a blast at the Luau and we wandered and explored the resort that evening late into the night. We enjoyed Trader Sams throughly but I will admit, Captain Cooks was a monsterous nightmare of craziness from morning to late night. Other than CC being a pain I have no complaints! Mousekeeping was stellar at both resorts and the CMs were all wonderfu!

I can’t believe I once was a owner of this thread because the resort has changed so much but I look forward to getting to know the new Poly with a bit of a longer stay as we got a fabulous BB scheduled for 8 nights in August in Hawaii

Of note, we had a blast at MNSSHP and we throughly enjoyed F&W which is why we love October trips so much!

Happy planning Poly peeps! Looking forward to being back on the DIS

 

[hllb]

We play bus roulette.

OMG that made me laugh! I’m more of a planner but I could see that being kind of fun. Might have to try that next time I go far a race (which means no family in tow)

 

[BreezysMom]

OMG that made me laugh! I’m more of a planner but I could see that being kind of fun. Might have to try that next time I go far a race (which means no family in tow)

Ha! I can imagine it would be difficult with a few kiddos. But I have to admit with the new FP+ We couldn’t wing it like we used to especially for a shorter trip but we made it work.

 

[TulipMom]

What is the easiest/best way to get to MK with a double stroller? We usually stay at CR and walk to MK. I was thinking the ferry from TTC would be easiest before realizing that bag check moved since our last trip. Is it fairly easy to get on the monorail in the morning? The monorail seems reasonable when we head to the ttc from CR, but that is right after dropping off at MK. Any suggestions or insight about whether walking to the TTC in the morning to get to the parks (MK & Epcot) is still a time saver vs. the resort monorail?

The boat from Poly to MK is very easy, though you will have the fold the stroller up. The monorail is also very easy. Bag check goes quickly and it was never uncomfortably crowded getting on at Poly while we were there. You may still have to fold up your stroller, of course. I would NEVER walk to the TTC to get to MK from Poly. Definitely take the resort loop to MK from Poly or the boat from Poly. For going to Epcot, it could go either way. Bag check lines at TTC are looooong around park open, so depending on timing of when the monorail arrives, it could actually be faster to get on at Poly and do the loop to TTC then transfer. But, it probably averages out about the same, though, depending on where your room is at Poly.

 

[mickeynut1]

Thank you!!!

Thank you! I am piecing together a very last minute trip in December and looking for a place for a quick bite before MVMCP in the event I can't find 'Ohana. Tambu may work perfectly. Wings, dumplings, and a drink sound great!

Hope you have a great trip .

No hum Post Poly Blues are really setting in!

We returned a week ago tomorrow after a wonderful 3 night unexpected stay! We could not find a room at the Poly for months leading up to our vacation 10/25-29 but were able to secure a room at the GF. We were so excited to finally be back at Disney but I have to say we really missed the Poly after the first day. On day two I called guest services just to check and see if something opened up and they still had no availability at the Poly.

So DD, DH and I were hanging at the pool that Saturday afternoon and my cell rang and it was a 407 area code which I thought was odd so I answere and it was Margaret from the desk that I had spoken to earlier. She asked if we were still interested in moving because someone was at the Poly and wanted out! Heck yes I said. She warned me that the reason the guest wanted to leave was that the Luau noise was too loud. No problem there! We were going to the Luau that night anyway and honestly the noise of the Luau at the Poly is part of its charm for us.

Needless to say we were beyond thrilled. Packed our bags and they drove us directly to our new room at the Poly. Did I happen to mention that it had a spectatular TPV so we traded CL at the GF and got a fabulous view! And they also gave us a refund for the price difference which was not expected at the least.

A side note, This trip was our celebrating life trip. We recently lost my MIL to Breast Cancer and had a brutal summer because of it and we booked this trip for family time, rest and of course the magic of Disney. Not two weeks before our trip we lost one of our beloved fur babies to old age so we were emotionally down in the dumps.

DH was just not feeling the GF and I could just see he wasn’t enjoying himself during our downtime at the resort. See we are more resort commandos that do the parks on whims. Not rigid trip planners at all! We play bus roulette. Whatever bus comes, we head to that park so resort time is sacred. I personally enjoyed the GF as did DD but the Poly is my home and I can now say I stayed at the GF.

The next day I searched out Margaret and personally thanked her because DH was a new person that evening we moved. We had a blast at the Luau and we wandered and explored the resort that evening late into the night. We enjoyed Trader Sams throughly but I will admit, Captain Cooks was a monsterous nightmare of craziness from morning to late night. Other than CC being a pain I have no complaints! Mousekeeping was stellar at both resorts and the CMs were all wonderfu!

I can’t believe I once was a owner of this thread because the resort has changed so much but I look forward to getting to know the new Poly with a bit of a longer stay as we got a fabulous BB scheduled for 8 nights in August in Hawaii

Of note, we had a blast at MNSSHP and we throughly enjoyed F&W which is why we love October trips so much!

Happy planning Poly peeps! Looking forward to being back on the DIS

Thanks for your review. Sounds like you had an awesome trip! Glad you were able to move to the Poly. I know just what you mean about missing it. The first time we stayed at the GF, I missed the Poly and wished we were staying there. The GF is a beautiful resort and I do like it, but the Poly is/always will be my favorite! Congrats on the BB .

 

[jcvalenti]

I am so excited, we are taking younger dd on a 16th birthday trip (Keys to the Kingdom tour) that is only 4 nights. Normally we stay at Pop just for cost savings. Younger dd said she didn’t mind if her older sister came, but she her only request was that she didn’t have to share a bed with her sister. Dh and I talked, and decided to try and rent DVC, and the only one with the trundle bed that had availability was Poly!

I can’t tell you how excited I am that we are going to be able to stay here. Anything to keep in mind for our stay?

Have fun !

My DS is a big Disney geek too, and though we weren't doing a trip last year when he turned 16, we gave him a certificate to a Keys to the Kingdom Tour for his 16th B-day. He thinks he's going to be able to cash it in during a big summer trip in 2018, but we're actually surprising he and his brother right after Thanksgiving .... dragging them to the airport for what they think is a 2 day trip to Chicago to visit family, but in reality is an 8 day trip down the WDW for our first ever trip at Christmas time. Our first full day starts with an 8am Keys to the Kingdom Tour for he and I, and then MVMCP that evening. Our first 5 nights re at a BWV 1 BR (DVC points rental), but our last 2 are at Polynesian (Club Level). He's going to freak out, since we've always rented offsite and told them there's no way we'd ever pay for a room at the Polynesian. Ha - nothing better than setting the bar low and then blowing it away.

Hope you enjoy the tour and have a good trip.

 

[jandkmom]

For Magic Kingdom: We left walked out of our rooms around 7:20am for an 8am MK opening day. We took the monorail and were standing outside of the touchpoints by 7:40. I think allowing for 30 minutes total travel time gives you more than ample time. For other trips to/from MK, we used both the monorail and the boat. The boat is a dream. We waited very little for boats (both directions) and it's a quick ride. It's also kind of nice to be out in the open air when you've been surrounding by crowds. The boat is direct to MK on the trip out, but stops at GF first on the return to Poly. It's still a quick ride.

For Epcot: The ride to Epcot is short, but the bag check lines are long. You can take the resort loop monorail straight from Poly to the TTC and then switch to the Epcot monorail line. OR, you can walk to the TTC from Poly (a very short, easy walk) and then get straight on the Epcot monorail. One thing to know is that the bag check at TTC is LONG around park open, so it may actually be faster to take the monorail resort loop and transfer at TTC. Then you have bag check AGAIN at Epcot, which is also long at opening. I'd allow 45 minutes for Epcot due to bag checks.

For DHS and Animal Kingdom: We quickly figured out that we much preferred taking a Taxi or Uber to these locations during the morning rush. Though people here will tell you that buses start running around 6:30am, the first bus to DHS on our park day didn't arrive to Poly until 7:40am. We had an 8am ADR, which forced us to go with a Taxi and it ended up being a great move. The DHS taxi stop is a bit of a walk to the park entrance, though. If you opt for a Taxi, it will be $20 (after tip) and you need only 15 minutes from the time you walk out of your room until you're there. AK is about the same price/time for a Taxi, though the taxi stop is right in front of the park entrance, which is nice. We did see more AK park buses early in the morning than DHS while we were there.

There's a bag check at TTC now? We've never had to do that before when walking from Poly to TTC. Is it for all monorails?

 

[GADisneyDad14]

There's a bag check at TTC now? We've never had to do that before when walking from Poly to TTC. Is it for all monorails?

Yeah, that’s new as of the April 2017 changes to MK/monorail security. Everyone entering the TTC - either if you came by car or are walking from the Poly - is screened before getting to the ticket windows.

If you walk from the Poly, the path will direct you to the same security stations used by those getting off the parking lot trams. In my experiance this hasn’t been a big deal, but it can be kind of annoying if a tram is just letting off and you get stuck behind a wad of people.

Note if you go to Epcot, you end up having to be screened again at Epcot. The monorail exit is outside the security bubble there, so unfortunately it means a double screening if you’re coming from a MK resort. An unfortunate byproduct of the way that physical space is laid out at the front entrance.

Hope that helps.