Disney's POLYNESIAN VILLAGE RESORT Information & Questions

[bcuinohio]

TY! Agree (I used to be in customer service for years ). My biggest concern is a room with no issues for my little guy with health issues, but I'm otherwise low maintenance.

Thank you, this is our exact situation. DVC studio, booked through Disney (requested Tokelau).

I should also mention that my boys are very slim so that probably helps make the couch bed and pull down more comfortable. My 23 year old slept in pull down. He is about 5’10” and weighs 130-140 pounds.

I am in process of buying DVC resale at BLT. The only reason I did not consider the Poly is there are no 1BR or 2BR villas there. If we are looking for a studio in the future, I would not hesitate to stay in a Poly DVC studio again if they are available.

 

[kylenne]

Folks, please keep in mind that people are far more likely to report a negative experience than a positive one, especially online. TripAdvisor is especially useless in that regard when it comes to WDW.

 

[Mouse_in_the_Longhouse]

Folks, please keep in mind that people are far more likely to report a negative experience than a positive one, especially online. TripAdvisor is especially useless in that regard when it comes to WDW.

Yes, I take those with a grain of salt. I saw a thread heavy with complaints in a FB group, but also a pretty bad review by an employee from WDW magazine. She pretty much ripped into her stay on IG. Just surprised with all the recent reviews all saying the same things about bad CM experiences there, especially in the lobby with regards to service.

 

[PineappleDaisy]

We stayed at the Poly for the first time last summer, and loved it so much we are returning again in July! I thought our room was very clean and in great condition. Our time spent at the Poly was exactly what we expected.

We didn’t interact with any lobby staff except to check the events/games schedule one day while we were there. We checked in via MDE and had no need or interest in speaking to or interacting with lobby staff while we were there.

 

[Mouse_in_the_Longhouse]

I should also mention that my boys are very slim so that probably helps make the couch bed and pull down more comfortable. My 23 year old slept in pull down. He is about 5’10” and weighs 130-140 pounds.

I am in process of buying DVC resale at BLT. The only reason I did not consider the Poly is there are no 1BR or 2BR villas there. If we are looking for a studio in the future, I would not hesitate to stay in a Poly DVC studio again if they are available.

Thank you! We are all beanpoles here so that helps! You know, we don't own DVC, but that is a good thing to think about! My oldest is 6'3", so we would also eventually outgrow Poly DVC!

 

[kylenne]

Yes, I take those with a grain of salt. I saw a thread heavy with complaints in a FB group, but also a pretty bad review by an employee from WDW magazine. She pretty much ripped into her stay on IG. Just surprised with all the recent reviews all saying the same things about bad CM experiences there, especially in the lobby with regards to service.

Here’s what you have to remember though: for everyone who complains online, 5 or 6 more people had a neutral or positive experience and didn’t say anything online.

And at the end of the day, people complain about the dumbest things at WDW tbh. We can sit here giving anecdotes to the contrary but ultimately you have to judge for yourself.

 

[Mouse_in_the_Longhouse]

Here’s what you have to remember though: for everyone who complains online, 5 or 6 more people had a neutral or positive experience and didn’t say anything online.

And at the end of the day, people complain about the dumbest things at WDW tbh. We can sit here giving anecdotes to the contrary but ultimately you have to judge for yourself.

Thanks for talking me down. Last year we had two amazing stays at Poly (CL & Std room), just hoping this stay is as magical. We booked 10 days, and have a few big celebrations while we are there. I appreciate the input!

 

[bcuinohio]

Thank you! We are all beanpoles here so that helps! You know, we don't own DVC, but that is a good thing to think about! My oldest is 6'3", so we would also eventually outgrow Poly DVC!

I wanted a resort on the monorail line. BLT points are cheaper and require less points for comparable size rooms than GF DVC rooms. BLT villas also have an additional bathroom. That extra bathroom speeds up getting ready in the morning.

 

[5kidsmommy]

Folks, please keep in mind that people are far more likely to report a negative experience than a positive one, especially online. TripAdvisor is especially useless in that regard when it comes to WDW.

I went and read some of the reviews. Some of the complaints were odd to say the least. I'm glad I read them because I realize many of the complaints weren't really about the rooms but about people not really understanding Disney or knowing anything about where they were booking. I'll stick with the comments from people here on the board.

 

[thanxfornoticin]

We stayed at Poly (on DVC points) last year. We were very excited by the chance to use points for Poly - it's an amazing resort. I would say the stay was a 'mixed review' stay, but also a lesson learned for us. We had a studio, lake view, which was exciting for us when we booked it. The down side was we had a first floor room right next to the Ferry Boat station. So our view was of the bungalows (could barely see the lake), and every 5-10 minutes - all day long and most of the night - we heard the horn from the ferry boats arriving at and leaving the dock. That went until after midnight every night, and started fairly early the next morning. It made sleeping a challenge for light sleepers.

That being said, the rooms were very nice, and we had absolutely no issues with cast member service. It's just the next time we stay at Poly, we'll ask for a room with a more standard view, as far away from the Ticket&Trans Center as possible! Like I said, lesson learned. There is just no other resort that has the look and feel of Poly, especially at night. It's a beautiful place to stay. I just hope they're paying attention to any negative feedback - if that trend picks up, they need to do something about it, I hope they will. I'm going to estimate about 20 years ago or so they made a very deliberate effort to restore the Poly to its original level of look and service - as one of the premier resorts in the world. I hope they haven't forgotten that. For those of you staying there, hope you have an amazing trip!

 

[bcuinohio]

Another perk for staying at the Poly is Captain Cook’s. Best QS location on the monorail IMO.

 

[5kidsmommy]

Another perk for staying at the Poly is Captain Cook’s. Best QS location on the monorail IMO.

We usually only eat at the resorts very rarely when we have visits but looking at the menu for Capt Cooks there are so many foods we want to try. I am so looking forward to everything about the resort.

 

[gometros]

The Oasis pool has a trio of patios you can rent, they’re not cabanas but you do get an attendant that will bring you food and drinks from the Oasis Bar. You can rent a patio for either a full or half day. We did a full day on our first stay a couple years ago, the day we went to MNSSHP, because it wasn’t that much more than a half.

Can these be rented in advance or done the day of?

 

[MM0422]

Hi there. I'm hoping you can all give me some suggestions because the Polynesian isn't my home resort and I haven't stayed in the DVC villas there. I'm planning a trip to celebrate a 40th birthday and thinking about staying in the bungalows (although I keep reading they're awful in terms of point values!). Does anyone happen to know whether the views of MK fireworks are better from certain bungalows compared to others? Thank you in advance - greatly appreciate it!

 

[bcuinohio]

We usually only eat at the resorts very rarely when we have visits but looking at the menu for Capt Cooks there are so many foods we want to try. I am so looking forward to everything about the resort.

I only have two words for you “Tonga Toast”.

 

[5kidsmommy]

I only have two words for you “Tonga Toast”.

Ok what's really funny is we rarely eat breakfast out but I've already planned at least one breakfast for the Tonga Toast, it'll probably be more than one breakfast and there will go my food budget. lol

 

[bcuinohio]

Ok what's really funny is we rarely eat breakfast out but I've already planned at least one breakfast for the Tonga Toast, it'll probably be more than one breakfast and there will go my food budget. lol

It was around $9 at Captain Cook’s last July. Also got a flatbread one night. Not the best flatbread I ever but not bad either.

 

[dkrauss]

We stayed at the Poly for a combined 12 Days last year (8 & 4), but I know the management changed, and lately the reviews have been brutal about the lobby staff. I REALLY want to keep our reservation but scared that the Disney magic may be disappearing

My wife and I are still keeping a positive outlook...…...this is our first stay at the Poly gonna be hard to bring us down

Doug

 

[thanxfornoticin]

Hi there. I'm hoping you can all give me some suggestions because the Polynesian isn't my home resort and I haven't stayed in the DVC villas there. I'm planning a trip to celebrate a 40th birthday and thinking about staying in the bungalows (although I keep reading they're awful in terms of point values!). Does anyone happen to know whether the views of MK fireworks are better from certain bungalows compared to others? Thank you in advance - greatly appreciate it!

Yes - the points for those bungalows are quite high - among the highest per night for any DVC rooms at WDW. That being said, if you can afford the points (or the rental), they look pretty nice. As for the fireworks, I expect most will have a view of the MK fireworks - you'd probably have the best views the closer to the Ticket & Transportation Center you are, because the lake view is pretty open down there. But the closer you are to the T&TC, the closer you are to the Ferry Boat dock - and it can get loud there. Enjoy your birthday!

 

[NikkiDP]

We stayed at the Poly for a combined 12 Days last year (8 & 4), but I know the management changed, and lately the reviews have been brutal about the lobby staff. I REALLY want to keep our reservation but scared that the Disney magic may be disappearing

DH and I had our first DVC stay at the end of January and everyone we encountered in the lobby was wonderful. The only "complaint" I had was that I was that the woman checking us in told us that the DVC 2nd floor rooms didn't have balconies (which they do and we knew but doubted once talking to her). While the information she gave us was incorrect, our experience with her was incredibly pleasant and she was very helpful and welcoming. We had a similar experience with bell services. Very accommodating, very helpful, and genuinely pleased to be of assistance.

Like others have said, bad reviews are more likely to make their way to the internet. The Poly is incredible and we enjoyed every second of our stay. All the CMs we encountered, from check-in to Mousekeeping, greeted us with smiles and Alohas. It was so pleasant to be somewhere where everyone had a smile on their face. Even people who weren't overly Disney were still polite and helpful. Don't stress too much about it and enjoy!