Island Tower at Polynesian Villas & Bungalows

[bdrex28]

So, I've not paid complete attention to the new Poly tower. But I do have a question and I apologize if it was addressed in the other 100+ pages.

Does anyone know if the new Poly tower will be listed separately for booking on the DVC website? Like Kidani and Jambo or Copper Creek and Boulder Lodge? OR..will it just be Polynesian and no differentiator? It's opening in December, but yet it's not showing anything on the DVC site. I thought I read it's cash right now, but at some point they're going to have to put it up for reservation, no?

I wonder when that will be and how they'll do it.

 

[TinkB278]

I feel the same. I was all in to buy day 1 when Poly tower was announced, but now I worry about the amenities and transportation at both Poly's to be overwhelmed more than they already are. Not a fan of battling the millions of existing points to book the tower at 11 months either.

So we ended up buying RIV direct during this round of incentives, and I'm happy to wait a couple of years to see what Poly2 is like after things settle down, then decide if I want to buy in (probably resale)

I’m in the exact same boat as you. When the tower was announced I was ecstatic and started saving to buy points. Then when it was announced as being eligible to be booked with resale points it sort of felt like there was no point to save up and buy direct, and if I’m not buying direct, then what’s the rush? Then, they put out the videos of the rooms and everything was beige, and now thinking about all the crowding issues….

If they would’ve made it a separate association, stick with the dark woods and bright colors, and announced pricing details a month ago, I would’ve been all in. I’ve never been so excited about something before that I’ve totally fizzled out on. Not like my lack of interest will hurt them with sales, I just can’t believe how they made the wrong decisions at every turn in getting me to add on here!

 

[BamaGuy44]

So, I've not paid complete attention to the new Poly tower. But I do have a question and I apologize if it was addressed in the other 100+ pages.

Does anyone know if the new Poly tower will be listed separately for booking on the DVC website? Like Kidani and Jambo or Copper Creek and Boulder Lodge? OR..will it just be Polynesian and no differentiator? It's opening in December, but yet it's not showing anything on the DVC site. I thought I read it's cash right now, but at some point they're going to have to put it up for reservation, no?

I wonder when that will be and how they'll do it.

Anything except a studio will by definition be in the tower, since the longhouses only have studios. They haven't announced officially, but almost certainly it will be a separate category like Jambo/Kidani. Based on the cash bookings we know the tower will have different villa categories like Theme Park View/Penthouse 2BR, etc so it would pretty much have to be its own booking.

 

[ehh]

Anything except a studio will by definition be in the tower, since the longhouses only have studios. They haven't announced officially, but almost certainly it will be a separate category like Jambo/Kidani. Based on the cash bookings we know the tower will have different villa categories like Theme Park View/Penthouse 2BR, etc so it would pretty much have to be its own booking.

I'm not convinced we're going to see the Kidani/Jambo behavior, based on what we see on the cash side.

On the cash side, Kidani and Jambo are separate resorts if you go to the all resorts view: https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/resorts/. Yes, Kidani and Jambo (and non-DVC) rooms all show up together once you click on any AKV/AKL option, but that is a recent-ish change that was announced to reduce guest confusion.

But Island Tower is not separately shown as a distinct resort on the cash side, it's under Poly Villas & Bungalows. Moreover, they also label the Deluxe Studios differently despite the different "Island Tower" subheading:

• The room category for longhouse studios is "Deluxe Studio - [P/S] View"
• The room category for tower studios is "Tower - Deluxe Studio - [TP/P/S] View"

I think what we see on the cash side is what we're going to see on the DVC site for booking--a unified resort and the "Tower -" prefix for all Island Tower rooms.

 

[BamaGuy44]

I'm not convinced we're going to see the Kidani/Jambo behavior, based on what we see on the cash side.

On the cash side, Kidani and Jambo are separate resorts if you go to the all resorts view: https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/resorts/. Yes, Kidani and Jambo (and non-DVC) rooms all show up together once you click on any AKV/AKL option, but that is a recent-ish change that was announced to reduce guest confusion.

But Island Tower is not separately shown as a distinct resort on the cash side, it's under Poly Villas & Bungalows. Moreover, they also label the Deluxe Studios differently despite the different "Island Tower" subheading:

• The room category for longhouse studios is "Deluxe Studio - [P/S] View"
• The room category for tower studios is "Tower - Deluxe Studio - [TP/P/S] View"

I think what we see on the cash side is what we're going to see on the DVC site for booking--a unified resort and the "Tower -" prefix for all Island Tower rooms.

Could be, either way you'll be specifically booking tower studios vs longhouse studios.

 

[mkatsy]

I’m in the exact same boat as you. When the tower was announced I was ecstatic and started saving to buy points. Then when it was announced as being eligible to be booked with resale points it sort of felt like there was no point to save up and buy direct, and if I’m not buying direct, then what’s the rush? Then, they put out the videos of the rooms and everything was beige, and now thinking about all the crowding issues….

If they would’ve made it a separate association, stick with the dark woods and bright colors, and announced pricing details a month ago, I would’ve been all in. I’ve never been so excited about something before that I’ve totally fizzled out on. Not like my lack of interest will hurt them with sales, I just can’t believe how they made the wrong decisions at every turn in getting me to add on here!

I’m in the exact same boat. So much so, that I let my kids (they are adults) convince me to buy our family Universal Premier passes and give the competitor a chance to woo me over before dropping more money on DVC. Funny thing is … I would have written DVC the check months ago and now the kids are working me hard to hold out.

 

[MarkNC2Disney]

I’m in the exact same boat. So much so, that I let my kids (they are adults) convince me to buy our family Universal Premier passes and give the competitor a chance to woo me over before dropping more money on DVC. Funny thing is … I would have written DVC the check months ago and now the kids are working me hard to hold out.

It’s funny - my jaw dropped looking at UO APs yesterday, particularly the cheaper options. A lot cheaper than WDW counterparts for us. We have 3 kids under 7 and contracts at PVB and RR, yet I’m considering UO for 2025-2026….

 

[RuntheMouse]

I feel the same. I was all in to buy day 1 when Poly tower was announced, but now I worry about the amenities and transportation at both Poly's to be overwhelmed more than they already are. Not a fan of battling the millions of existing points to book the tower at 11 months either.

So we ended up buying RIV direct during this round of incentives, and I'm happy to wait a couple of years to see what Poly2 is like after things settle down, then decide if I want to buy in (probably resale)

Same! We were so excited about the tower and now we’re a hard pass. We don’t want to compete with so many others for rooms/amenities. We too ended up with direct RIV instead!

 

[Mikey15]

It’s funny - my jaw dropped looking at UO APs yesterday, particularly the cheaper options. A lot cheaper than WDW counterparts for us. We have 3 kids under 7 and contracts at PVB and RR, yet I’m considering UO for 2025-2026….

I mean, Riviera is only ~20 mins from Epic Universe ~without~ touching I-4. That’s a pretty decent home base for wherever you go in the area

 

[MarkNC2Disney]

I mean, Riviera is only ~20 mins from Epic Universe ~without~ touching I-4. That’s a pretty decent home base for wherever you go in the area

Mmhmm! Or we save points and get a little closer with OKW. Express Pass after 4. The hotel rates for APs aren’t bad either…

Anyways, back to portals!

 

[BamaGuy44]

Same! We were so excited about the tower and now we’re a hard pass. We don’t want to compete with so many others for rooms/amenities. We too ended up with direct RIV instead!

Reading this thread makes me wonder if Poly2 is just a big PsyOp to sell more RIV direct

Has anyone verified he tower is an actual building and not just a movie set style facade?

 

[Jason&Michael]

everything was beige

Same! We were so excited about the new tower because of our love for the original Poly aesthetic. Then they released the video...
Also very concerned about the radio silence regarding transportation updates, and how this might affect our beloved Grand Floridian

 

[MarkNC2Disney]

Same! We were so excited about the new tower because of our love for the original Poly aesthetic. Then they released the video...
Also very concerned about the radio silence regarding transportation updates, and how this might affect our beloved Grand Floridian

Came very close to swapping out our PVB resale for CCV resale last week… transportation, dining, and pool will (likely) be issues.

 

[tom1944]

I feel the same. I was all in to buy day 1 when Poly tower was announced, but now I worry about the amenities and transportation at both Poly's to be overwhelmed more than they already are. Not a fan of battling the millions of existing points to book the tower at 11 months either.

So we ended up buying RIV direct during this round of incentives, and I'm happy to wait a couple of years to see what Poly2 is like after things settle down, then decide if I want to buy in (probably resale)

I was also initially excited about buying direct points here, but we may have a potential change in or plans. The fact that I could use my resale points allows me to wait. Right now, my thought is if I can book a 1 bedroom once over the next 30 years that will do.

 

[Cabius]

I was also initially excited about buying direct points here, but we may have a potential change in or plans. The fact that I could use my resale points allows me to wait. Right now, my thought is if I can book a 1 bedroom once over the next 30 years that will do.

On the flip side, I think a lot of us existing PVB owners are seriously considering adding on points. We'll see how it all shakes out!

 

[Mai Ku Tiki]

On the flip side, I think a lot of us existing PVB owners are seriously considering adding on points. We'll see how it all shakes out!

Yep! Best "Worst Case" scenario: Disappointing direct sales lead to more incentives for direct buyers & adder-owners & maybe a return to lower resale prices too. Win/Win/Win for Poly lovers.

 

[HyperspaceMountainPilot]

Yep! Best "Worst Case" scenario: Disappointing direct sales lead to more incentives for direct buyers & adder-owners & maybe a return to lower resale prices too. Win/Win/Win for Poly lovers.

Win/win/win for Poly buyers…but potentially an even less “deluxe” stay experience for the owners who are using Poly infrastructure. I hope I’m wrong and then I can get in on the win/win/win a year from now.

 

[Mai Ku Tiki]

Win/win/win for Poly buyers…but potentially an even less “deluxe” stay experience for the owners who are using Poly infrastructure. I hope I’m wrong and then I can get in on the win/win/win a year from now.

I understand the concerns of those who visit less & need to keep a schedule, but we have ZERO concerns about any of that.
After decades of visits, parks aren't a priority. (The few 'must-do's in each park, we do.) Walking is grand. Lyft is fine. Off-season & off-times is ok. Resort-hopping to enjoy the spaces & other eateries is fun. Pool crowds won't impact us (we don't expect to "swim" every day...lounging under the palms & 'dipping in' are perfect.)
As senior Mouseketeers, we're at the 'stop & smell the roses & hibiscus' stage of life and long ago stopped expecting WDW to meet every expectation.
We still haven't recovered from the destruction of Toontown!
I mean, who tears down Mickey's House?

 

[achinforsomebacon]

I think you're putting way too much faith in precise wording. The website also shows a straight on view of the castle from deep inside the penthouse, which simply isn't possible with the sight lines of the tower. Take the official photos and descriptions with a big grain of salt. Two 4-bay single-story penthouses on each side of the tower makes way more sense than a single 6-8 bay penthouse on each side. If they were going to make 6-8 bay penthouses, why would they only be 2 bedrooms?

I get that the pictures may not be accurate because they're drawings and not the real view. Doesn't it usually say something to the effect of views may be different or something? As far as the other wording goes, on the website for booking cash rooms, it states the following regarding the balconies/decks:

Duo Studio - porch or balcony
1 bedroom - private deck
2 bedroom - large private deck
Penthouse - extra large private deck

Maybe I am reading too much into it but I really doubt they would put that specific wording on the booking page if you only get the upper balcony/deck for the penthouse.

 

[mistysue]

Checking out how Poly resale amounts are skyrocketing (people are trying to resell at $225!) - who else looks at this and wonders how many resale buyers are trying to sell off, then buy back in with incentives to get DVC-Y status? With incentives it seems like Riv direct is around $170, and Poly will probably have incentives down to around $200 I would guess... imagine buying resale for more than direct comes out at in a month or two.