Disney's POLYNESIAN VILLAGE RESORT Information & Questions

[Scott MC]

I'm seeing a lot of people say they're requesting through touring plans. As in the website that does the books and crowd calendars? Is this new?

 

[KSR0330]

I'm with you, CBoys! It cost far to much to have to deal with work outside of your room! It's my understanding that if really only affects the ground floor folks. Here is a link with a picture to show what the construction looks like. Even though it involves only the ground floor, I still don't want to look down from my balcony to see this!

http://www.disboards.com/threads/polynesian-construction.3471434/

I would keep your current request and when you get there, if you are in Fiji, see how it looks. If your are not happy then ask for another longhouse, or maybe the other side of Fiji. There are so many great areas, I'm sure you can get a room that you love!

 

[dreamseeker9]

What size is the day bed? Could a 6 foot tall adult sleep on in fairly comfortably? Sorry, I'm sure that info is already listed here somewhere, but I'm not finding it.

I just stayed at the Poly over the weekend and slept on the daybed for 2 nights. I'm 5'-7". I untucked the sheets to allow for more stretch room, but my toes were grazing the wooden end. I think anyone more than 5'-10" or so would be uncomfortable. I also did not find the bed itself very comfortable - it was wide enough, but the springs in the mattress were more like a sofa bed than other daybeds I've slept on.

Overall, though, my parents and I loved the Poly and had a fantastic stay there! Both of my requests were met, balcony and Raratonga - we were in Room 3829, facing the monorail. The room was directly across from the elevator and ice machine, which worried me at first, but we could barely hear anything once we were in the room. We didn't hear the monorail at all, and we never heard our neighbors. After staying at the YC last fall and hearing everything our neighbors said and did, this was a very welcome change! I also love that the bathroom door closes quietly. The room itself and the bathroom were definitely larger than the YC.

The DME dropped off at the Poly first and picked up at the Poly last on the way back to the airport.

We had some issues with the MagicBands - first at the front desk of the Poly when my parents put their credit card onto their MagicBands, the CM switched their card to the primary card for the room. I had to go to the front desk to switch that back. Then every time we went into a park, my mom's MagicBand didn't work. The CMs said it was her fingerprint.

We were surprised that the parks and the resort didn't feel very crowded, especially compared to last September (the first weekend of Food and Wine Festival). We had no issues with monorail or boat transportation. I did have to wait 25 minutes for a bus to the AK on Sunday afternoon, and then I had the bus all to myself, even though it stopped at GF to let people off.

We had a really fun experience coming back Friday evening on the boat from the MK. We ended up following the Electrical Water Pageant and pulled just to the side of it when some floats lit up, and we saw some floats up close before they lit up - it was the best view!

I watched Wishes both nights from the hill behind the bungalows, less crowded than the beach, but it was harder to hear the music. A CM told me there was supposed to be a speaker on up there, he said he would check it out the next day.

I was ready and out the door by 7:00 AM both mornings, while my parents were still sleeping. It was so nice to walk around the resort grounds when it was quiet. The second morning, I walked to the GF and went into their main building to explore.

Food and drink quick review, first at the Poly:

• My first vacation drink was the Lapu Lapu in the Tambu Lounge - so delicious.
• Kona Island - great CM working there both mornings, Clarissa I think - she was working hard! She said the banana bread is made fresh and is dropped off at 6:00 AM daily. It was quite good. My parents had cinnamon rolls and found them to be dry. The coffee was very good, of course.
• Kona Cafe - My parents ate lunch there before I arrived, they had good service and enjoyed the fish tacos. We ate Sunday breakfast there. Service was somewhat slow. My Tonga Toast was great, and I really liked the Lilikoi juice!
• 'Ohana - really good dinner there. Our CM was very busy with a lot of tables, so we only had 1 drink each, but wow is that a lot of food!
• Captain Cook's - I had a bacon, egg and cheese croissant sandwich Saturday morning. It wasn't busy yet, but the sandwich tasted like it was pre-made and wasn't very hot. I would not order it again. The outdoor seating is really nice in the morning.
• Pineapple Lanai - Dole Whip swirls whenever I want them (well, before midnight) - what could be better! I actually only had 1 because I was so full from our other meals, though!
• Oasis pool bar - We had 1 drink there in between swims, they were good but not great. My dad said his margarita at 'Ohana was better.
• Trader Sam's - Saturday evening at 5:45 PM, it was an hour and 45 minute wait to get in. We had our 'Ohana ADR in 40 minutes, so I passed. After dinner, the wait was down to an hour and 20 minutes. My parents and I walked around the resort, then they decided to call it a night, so when I returned the pager, I asked how long the wait was for just me - she let me in! I found an empty seat at the bar and had a Hippopoto-Mai Tai and of course bought the souvenir glass. The bar seemed like a lot of fun, though not all the specialty drinks were ordered while I was there, so I will have to go back with some fun people!

Other food and drink reviews:

• MK - Liberty Tree Tavern - food was not good, tasted mass-produced, and was not that warm when brought out to us. Plus, we had to wait 15 minutes beyond our ADR despite checking in 15 minutes early. I won't go back.
• EPCOT - Via Napoli - great pizza, plus great mozzarella caprese, and salami and provolone to start
• EPCOT - Les Artisan des Glaces ice cream in France - first time eating here, it was really excellent!
• WL - Whispering Canyon Cafe - good solid lunch, all 3 of our dishes were good.

We all decided that we prefer the Poly to the YC for the ease in getting to the MK and being able to walk to the TTC to get to EPCOT. The Stormalong Bay pool at the YC/BC is beyond awesome, and that slide is so fun. We didn't go in the Lava pool, just the Oasis pool, so we didn't try the Poly slide. The Oasis pool and those cabanas especially are great. The Poly theming put us right in vacation mode. I love the smell in the lobby! Raratonga was an ideal location for my parents, we literally walked out of our room, onto the elevator, then outside and walked maybe 25 feet to get to the GCH.

I'm staying at AKL in September for 3 nights, then my parents are joining me - the 3 of us are staying at the Contemporary for 2 nights. I'm interested to experience the difference in all the resorts, but it will be hard to beat the Poly!

Thanks to everyone for all the planning help! Please feel free to ask here or message me with any questions!

 

[mickeynut1]

Arriving next week for our first stay at poly. Really super excited to stay here. We have stayed at WL in the past and only moved due to the major construction going on there. Have a standard room reservation. Looked at all the buildings and use TP to see the view of the rooms. We all decided that Fiji - marina side - top floor - would be great. I have already put in a request on the phone and have one set up with Touring Plans.

Hope you have a great time and enjoy the Poly .

I would keep your current request and when you get there, if you are in Fiji, see how it looks. If your are not happy then ask for another longhouse, or maybe the other side of Fiji. There are so many great areas, I'm sure you can get a room that you love!

I agree. If Fiji is your first choice, I'd keep that request and see how it is when you arrive. You can always ask for a different room/longhouse once you arrive. It's not guaranteed they can move you, but they will do everything they can to accommodate you .

I just stayed at the Poly over the weekend and slept on the daybed for 2 nights. I'm 5'-7". I untucked the sheets to allow for more stretch room, but my toes were grazing the wooden end. I think anyone more than 5'-10" or so would be uncomfortable. I also did not find the bed itself very comfortable - it was wide enough, but the springs in the mattress were more like a sofa bed than other daybeds I've slept on.

Overall, though, my parents and I loved the Poly and had a fantastic stay there! Both of my requests were met, balcony and Raratonga - we were in Room 3829, facing the monorail. The room was directly across from the elevator and ice machine, which worried me at first, but we could barely hear anything once we were in the room. We didn't hear the monorail at all, and we never heard our neighbors. After staying at the YC last fall and hearing everything our neighbors said and did, this was a very welcome change! I also love that the bathroom door closes quietly. The room itself and the bathroom were definitely larger than the YC.

We all decided that we prefer the Poly to the YC for the ease in getting to the MK and being able to walk to the TTC to get to EPCOT. The Stormalong Bay pool at the YC/BC is beyond awesome, and that slide is so fun. We didn't go in the Lava pool, just the Oasis pool, so we didn't try the Poly slide. The Oasis pool and those cabanas especially are great. The Poly theming put us right in vacation mode. I love the smell in the lobby! Raratonga was an ideal location for my parents, we literally walked out of our room, onto the elevator, then outside and walked maybe 25 feet to get to the GCH.

I'm staying at AKL in September for 3 nights, then my parents are joining me - the 3 of us are staying at the Contemporary for 2 nights. I'm interested to experience the difference in all the resorts, but it will be hard to beat the Poly!

Thanks to everyone for all the planning help! Please feel free to ask here or message me with any questions!

Thanks for your review. Glad you had a great stay and enjoyed the Poly. Hope you have a great trip at AKL & CR in September .

 

[CBoysMomLovesDisney]

I'm with you, CBoys! It cost far to much to have to deal with work outside of your room! It's my understanding that if really only affects the ground floor folks. Here is a link with a picture to show what the construction looks like. Even though it involves only the ground floor, I still don't want to look down from my balcony to see this!

http://www.disboards.com/threads/polynesian-construction.3471434/

I would keep your current request and when you get there, if you are in Fiji, see how it looks. If your are not happy then ask for another longhouse, or maybe the other side of Fiji. There are so many great areas, I'm sure you can get a room that you love!

Thanks for including the link. We could probably deal with the maintenance crews as long as its contained to first floor and we get a 3rd floor room. I'll take your advise and keep it as is and see what happens when we get there. The other side of the building also looks nice.

Can't wait to arrive......

 

[PolyAddict]

When is a good time for Trader Sam's without wait?

Thanks!

 

[bphilb]

Hi all. I love all of the great information shared on the Poly. We are taking our first stay here on September 2nd for 9 nights. We just noticed that the Deluxe Studio is around the same price as our standard view room. Could anyone tell me the pro's and con's between the two? The Studio's do look nice, but the standard rooms look nice as well and I can't decide if not having daily housekeeping would be worth the switch?

 

[GADisneyDad14]

Hi all. I love all of the great information shared on the Poly. We are taking our first stay here on September 2nd for 9 nights. We just noticed that the Deluxe Studio is around the same price as our standard view room. Could anyone tell me the pro's and con's between the two? The Studio's do look nice, but the standard rooms look nice as well and I can't decide if not having daily housekeeping would be worth the switch?

If you're paying cash for the Poly Studio (vs using DVC points) which I'm assuming you are from your comment, you will get daily housekeeping. It's the DVC folks that don't get daily housekeeping (unless they pay extra for it).

Enjoy your trip, early September is one of my favorite times at WDW (had a phenomenal Poly trip two Septembers ago during that same time).

 

[Biscottina]

Hi all. I love all of the great information shared on the Poly. We are taking our first stay here on September 2nd for 9 nights. We just noticed that the Deluxe Studio is around the same price as our standard view room. Could anyone tell me the pro's and con's between the two? The Studio's do look nice, but the standard rooms look nice as well and I can't decide if not having daily housekeeping would be worth the switch?

We (2 adults, 2 children) will be staying in standard room in September. We chose the standard room over the studio because of the room layout: the studio has one bed and a pull out sofa bed; the standard room has two beds plus a sofa. We thought it would be nice to have the sofa to sit on without making up the sodabed. For us, this outweighed the extra sink in the bathrooms.

 

[whiteside61]

Hi all. I love all of the great information shared on the Poly. We are taking our first stay here on September 2nd for 9 nights. We just noticed that the Deluxe Studio is around the same price as our standard view room. Could anyone tell me the pro's and con's between the two? The Studio's do look nice, but the standard rooms look nice as well and I can't decide if not having daily housekeeping would be worth the switch?

Our family of six just returned and we had two connecting deluxe studio rooms. I chose the studio over the standard because I was able to get the spring discount on the studios only. The extra shower came in handy for our group (we actually had 4 total showers between the two rooms) and the bed set up was okay, but I think we would have been more comfortable with the two queens instead of the Queen/fold-out combo in the studios. Also, I prefer the decor of the standard rooms. They are more elegant. The studios are fun and whimsical but in my opinion, they lack the overall elegance of the regular rooms and I was a little disappointed they didn't feel more "Deluxe". We received daily housekeeping but we didn't get any towel animals during our stay.

 

[Tikiman]

Our family of six just returned and we had two connecting deluxe studio rooms. I chose the studio over the standard because I was able to get the spring discount on the studios only. The extra shower came in handy for our group (we actually had 4 total showers between the two rooms) and the bed set up was okay, but I think we would have been more comfortable with the two queens instead of the Queen/fold-out combo in the studios. Also, I prefer the decor of the standard rooms. They are more elegant. The studios are fun and whimsical but in my opinion, they lack the overall elegance of the regular rooms and I was a little disappointed they didn't feel more "Deluxe". We received daily housekeeping but we didn't get any towel animals during our stay.

What specifically is more elegant in the regular room than in the Deluxe Studio?

Towel animals have never been part of Housekeeping duties and were on their own to do if they wanted to. I believe lately they are even asked not to take the time because they are already getting behind in getting rooms completed.

 

[whiteside61]

What specifically is more elegant in the regular room than in the Deluxe Studio?

Towel animals have never been part of Housekeeping duties and were on their own to do if they wanted to. I believe lately they are even asked not to take the time because they are already getting behind in getting rooms completed.

Hi Tikiman! This was our very first stay at the poly and so my frame of reference on a standard room is only from photographs. It's just personal preference but I love the decor in the standard room with the soft green tones and large woven headboards. Just looks more luxe to me.

That being said, the walk in shower with the rain forest head in the studios is pretty darn nice too!

 

[Tikiman]

Hi Tikiman! This was our very first stay at the poly and so my frame of reference on a standard room is only from photographs. It's just personal preference but I love the decor in the standard room with the soft green tones and large woven headboards. Just looks more luxe to me.

That being said, the walk in shower with the rain forest head in the studios is pretty darn nice too!

Don’t get me wrong, they did a nice job with the renovations of the regular rooms but the items used and the details in the Deluxe Studios are far more deluxe to me having seen them both. There is much more detail in the studios with the different flooring, recessed ceiling, lighting and materials. The furniture felt better constructed also but then the stuff in the regular rooms was refurbished and repainted stuff from the old room design. I actually think both are well done but I personally have to rate the studios just a little better.

 

[Snax32]

My wife and DD2 just returned from a weeklong stay at Polynesian Villas. While I didn't post before my stay, I did find all of your comments very helpful while I planned my trip and thought I would post a few items about the Deluxe Studio and resort that may help others as they go through the planning process.

Before I get to the room itself, I must say the resort is incredible. Both pools served their purposes well. When we wanted to run around and burn some energy, the splash area was perfect. When we just wanted to do a little cooling off, the Oasis pool fit the bill. Other resort items, the ambiance of the lobby and the playing of the Hawaiian music really set the scene and get you in that vacation spirit. With having to take breaks to keep our nap schedule, the monorail and boat service back from the MK were priceless. The Polynesian is truly an extension of your experience from the theme parks.

Our room was located on the third floor of Tuvalu. I think the Deluxe Studio was somewhere around good, but not great. I think having two showers is an incredible convenience that definitely increased the efficiency of our stay. The room size was great, as we were able to fit a third party full size rental crib with no problems. Some of the downsides of the room itself are an extreme lack of storage. With just the three of us, and toddler clothes being quite small, we did not have nearly enough storage for our stuff. Two full sized drawers under the bed and a couple of drawers in the bathroom are not nearly enough for a weeklong stay. I cannot imagine how 5 people could possibly manage coexisting in that space with the lack of storage. Another item I found and this might be specific to my room, is I felt that the mattress was quite substandard and unsupportive. For a room with a rack rate in the $450+/night, a higher quality mattress is a must. I wish I knew someone staying in a normal room to compare if they received a better version.

Some of the "complaints" are probably a bit nitpicky and up to personal preference, so don't be deterred. Overall, I think the Poly is an amazing resort and the Pros outweigh some of the cons I mentioned. I hope everyone who can swing it, gives the Poly a shot. It truly is an experience and I'll treasure those memories of our first Disney trip as a trio forever.

 

[mickeynut1]

Hi all. I love all of the great information shared on the Poly. We are taking our first stay here on September 2nd for 9 nights. We just noticed that the Deluxe Studio is around the same price as our standard view room. Could anyone tell me the pro's and con's between the two? The Studio's do look nice, but the standard rooms look nice as well and I can't decide if not having daily housekeeping would be worth the switch?

I can't comment on a studio as we've never stayed in one, but our preference would be a regular room over a studio for 2 queens/daybed vs 1 queen/pullout sofa. As a pp said, if you pay cash for the studio rather than renting points, you will get daily housekeeping. It's only those staying on points that get it every 4th day or pay an additional fee to get it every day .

My wife and DD2 just returned from a weeklong stay at Polynesian Villas. While I didn't post before my stay, I did find all of your comments very helpful while I planned my trip and thought I would post a few items about the Deluxe Studio and resort that may help others as they go through the planning process.

Before I get to the room itself, I must say the resort is incredible. Both pools served their purposes well. When we wanted to run around and burn some energy, the splash area was perfect. When we just wanted to do a little cooling off, the Oasis pool fit the bill. Other resort items, the ambiance of the lobby and the playing of the Hawaiian music really set the scene and get you in that vacation spirit. With having to take breaks to keep our nap schedule, the monorail and boat service back from the MK were priceless. The Polynesian is truly an extension of your experience from the theme parks.

Our room was located on the third floor of Tuvalu. I think the Deluxe Studio was somewhere around good, but not great. I think having two showers is an incredible convenience that definitely increased the efficiency of our stay. The room size was great, as we were able to fit a third party full size rental crib with no problems. Some of the downsides of the room itself are an extreme lack of storage. With just the three of us, and toddler clothes being quite small, we did not have nearly enough storage for our stuff. Two full sized drawers under the bed and a couple of drawers in the bathroom are not nearly enough for a weeklong stay. I cannot imagine how 5 people could possibly manage coexisting in that space with the lack of storage. Another item I found and this might be specific to my room, is I felt that the mattress was quite substandard and unsupportive. For a room with a rack rate in the $450+/night, a higher quality mattress is a must. I wish I knew someone staying in a normal room to compare if they received a better version.

Some of the "complaints" are probably a bit nitpicky and up to personal preference, so don't be deterred. Overall, I think the Poly is an amazing resort and the Pros outweigh some of the cons I mentioned. I hope everyone who can swing it, gives the Poly a shot. It truly is an experience and I'll treasure those memories of our first Disney trip as a trio forever.

Thanks for your review! Glad you had a great trip and enjoyed the Poly. We have tried several resorts and while we have had great stays at all of them, the Poly remains our favorite. It really is an amazing resort .

 

[bphilb]

Thanks everyone for the great feedback. We went ahead and switched to the studio's as the pullout bed under the TV and the sofa will work well for my kids who can have their own sleeping area. I think there is no wrong answer to this question. I'm looking forward to getting the Poly and look forward to more reviews as the day (slowly) approaches.

 

[MouseMum]

Neither. The 2 hour delivery is for Prime Now.

Is the free 2-hr delivery for members only?

(Sorry, just popped in and saw this comment after NOT receiving any alerts for at least a week...why IS that anyway? I watch this thread, don't comment for a week and then I don't get any alerts? What gives? Ummm, sorry, long week. Oh, it's only Wednesday. Ugh.)

 

[MouseMum]

Hey guys! We are headed back to poly in September and were wondering what days and times the offered the marshmallow roast? I couldn't remember if it was every night or not! We took advantage of that one night last trip and LOVED it. This time we said we would plan 2 nights doing this again- just a relaxing night at the resort for swimming, marshmallows and a movie!

I'm looking forward to this, as I have 4 no-park days built into our 2 weeks at the Poly in August.

 

[dansdad]

Is the free 2-hr delivery for members only?

Yup.

 

[mickeynut1]

Thanks everyone for the great feedback. We went ahead and switched to the studio's as the pullout bed under the TV and the sofa will work well for my kids who can have their own sleeping area. I think there is no wrong answer to this question. I'm looking forward to getting the Poly and look forward to more reviews as the day (slowly) approaches.

I agree, no wrong answer.....you'll have a great time either way .

Happy planning .

I'm looking forward to this, as I have 4 no-park days built into our 2 weeks at the Poly in August.

Two weeks at the Poly will be amazing and so relaxing!