Polynesian Studios and Horns? TOOT TOOT ugh.

I think it really is so subjective. We live in the middle of midtown Toronto and are used to noise, but we were absolutely shocked by how loud Moorea lake view was. The boat horns would wake all of us up every half hour until 1:00am. We finally bought earplugs at the gift shop and were told they had to keep ordering them for the guests complaining about the horns, lol. I don't understand how anybody could barely hear them, as it was like an air raid siren going off and blasting beside your head each time. Yet, I fully believe that many or even most people aren't bothered by them, so my only real piece of advice would be to try it and see if you're one of the lucky ones it doesn't bother! But bring earplugs...just in case ;).
 
At Poly, you will hear boat horns, train whistles, the electric water pageant, the fireworks and (if you are over on the luau cove side, which you won't be!), the luau!! Can it be annoying? I suppose. It depends on what your noise tolerance is. The boat horns and train whistles never bothered me. When staying on the lagoon side of Hawaii, I got pretty sick of the electric water pageant and the fireworks noise and when in Fiji on the luau side, we just stayed out until at least 10:10 pm when we knew it would be over. I certainly haven't stayed at all the longhouse in Poly, but Rarotonga was the quietest for us.

The hair stands on end and my heart races at the THOUGHT of the electric water parade. My 6 year old and I both LOVE it. I might cry when I hear that come by!
 
I have never heard a boat horn..... I think it is very subjective to where you live in NY there is constant noise outside so you will find it very quite. On the other hand if I vacation in the country it is hard to sleep because you hear nothing.... Car horns sirens people talking are the white noise for NY'rs that let us sleep and the boat horns will likely be way to quite for our white noise... if anything you will need to adjust to the lack of noise.

Living in NYC, constant noise is great- but occasional annoying fire truck or ambulance can jolt me out of sleep.
On the other hand, I have a second home in the mountain and it is SO QUIET that I swear you can hear a raccoon breath in a tree 15 feet away! So I always have fans blowing to break up the silence. haha

I do have a sound machine app so clearly this seems the way to go. And to embrace the 'noises' because well, it's a sound only at Disney. :)
 
The hair stands on end and my heart races at the THOUGHT of the electric water parade. My 6 year old and I both LOVE it. I might cry when I hear that come by!

I posted this on the Poly forum too but one observation about this that irked me this past weekend when I was there. Wishes was a 9PM each night, which is also the same time the water parade goes by Poly.

Not sure if this has always been the way they run it, but they don't delay the water parade when the times overlap. It goes on with the full show, just no audio. It's really odd... the water pageant going by on the water, Wishes in the background. Makes no sense to me.

I'm guessing Wishes (or replacement show, if any) is likely at 10pm in May when you're there so probably a non-issue for you, just wanted to point that out.
 

I have never heard a boat horn..... I think it is very subjective to where you live in NY there is constant noise outside so you will find it very quite. On the other hand if I vacation in the country it is hard to sleep because you hear nothing.... Car horns sirens people talking are the white noise for NY'rs that let us sleep and the boat horns will likely be way to quite for our white noise... if anything you will need to adjust to the lack of noise.

I lived 1 block from the elevated subway for 30 years, and that apartment was also 3 blocks from a hospital and 3 blocks from a busy fire station, and I could sleep through anything. I moved to an apartment 1/2 block from the railroad, 1/2 block from a bus stop, and directly in the flight path of LGA (I can read the numbers on the planes, so they're low!), and wouldn't you know it when I can't sleep it's the darn air brakes on the buses or my neighbor's squeaky weather vane on his shed that drive me batty. It's all about the noise you're used to. ;)
 
We've only stayed in Pago Pago (if you're facing MK, PP is on the far right) but we've either never been able to hear them, or have just been so oblivious (or tired!) that we just didn't notice.
 
We recently stayed in the Tokelau longhouse at the Polynesian and we didn't hear any boat horns. Not to say that you wouldn't hear them in other longhouses or while walking around the resort grounds, but noise wasn't an issue for us during our stay (and we traveled with a 3 and 5 year old where quiet nap times are crucial to a successful vacation lol). You are going to LOVE this resort and the studio accommodations- the room decor and the walk-in shower were simply gorgeous, I want to recreate it at my house! lol
 
/
I stayed in a lake view in Moorea last May, we were on the farther end from the TTC. Really didn't notice it if the balcony door was closed.
 














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