The Official POLYNESIAN VILLAS & BUNGALOWS Owners and Fans info thread

[cruisehopeful]

I have to go see where VGC is getting the good reviews from, the videos of the studios look like they are on par with AK at best. VGC studios are smaller and have the older designed bathrooms so its hard for me to Poly as a downgrade.

For me, the downgrade was more about the little things in the room. VGC has note paper, pens, toiletry kits with Qtips/cotton rounds, robes in the closet - my Poly room had none of those things. Room service at VGC.

 

[PolyRob]

For me, the downgrade was more about the little things in the room. VGC has note paper, pens, toiletry kits with Qtips/cotton rounds, robes in the closet - my Poly room had none of those things. Room service at VGC.

This is honestly more of a WDW thing vs Poly. No DVC deluxe studio at WDW includes note paper, pens, and toiletry kits with Qtips/cotton rounds. Cash club level rooms would include the toiletry kit, but still no pen and paper.

Only VGF DVC deluxe & resort studios includes robes. GF is also the only resort that resumed room service post COVID at WDW.

 

[Mouseforward]

Only VGF DVC deluxe & resort studios includes robes. GF is also the only resort that resumed room service post COVID at WDW.

This is a nice touch to VGF, not that I use any of it. That and the attention to things like the crown molding and the general build quality of VGF do set it apart.

 

[coreynyc]

The circumstances were extraordinarily bad and, in my opinion, a complete breakdown of operations. We were definitely aware of the fact that the Poly can get busy, we've gone there many times while visiting Disney World prior to owning there. We knew what we were signing up for and what happened over July 3-4 was way worse.

Since its obvious I have to reveal everything before someone calls me a Kevin/Karen, below is a copy of the email I sent to my guide several weeks ago. They told me they would forward to their supervisor and would make its way to the right people.

I wanted to share our poor experience directly related to the operations of specifically the Island Tower and the Polynesian Village Resort in general during our first/“Welcome Home” stay as Disney Vacation Club (DVC) members from July 1-5. This stay had my wife and me disappointed, wondering if selecting the Polynesian Village as our home resort, and questioning if purchasing DVC at all was a huge mistake.

It’s been a rough few weeks for us. Amongst other things, my son contracted a virus during our stay, and our car had been rear-ended. We’ve been busy dealing with the repercussions of both. After a busy week or so of catching up with responsibilities and life in general at home, I finally had time to reflect on our experience, and it was clear to me that it was necessary to speak up about this.

On July 3rd, my family and I drove over from the Island Tower to Wilderness Lodge for an early dinner with the plan of returning to Polynesian Village and finding a location to watch the special holiday fireworks that night. We got back to the Island Tower to find the security gate up because it was broken, and a security guard was stationed in his SUV. I told him we were guests, and we were let right in. There was no scanning of room keys or Magicbands and no verification of our name off of a list of guests. He simply took me on my word.

Since it was pouring rain, I dropped my wife and kids off under the porte cochère, and I went to park. I circled the entire parking lot and found no spots. I patiently waited for someone to come out to their car; the lot is designed in such a way that positioned myself where I could see anyone walking to their car. But for over a half hour, no one came out.

I pulled around to the front and asked someone from bell services what to do, and he had no advice. I waited another half hour, now an hour total, and still no one moved their car. During this period, there were as many as 4 other cars lined up behind me also waiting for a spot. Some gave up and left during the hour.

I finally pulled my car up to the security guard and asked what I should do. He told me that my only option was to go park at the Ticket & Transportation Center (TTC) as the main parking lot at Polynesian Village was also full.

So, to be clear, the only solution was:

1. Park in the Magic Kingdom lot.
2. Walk or wait for a tram to the TTC.
3. Walk from the TTC or get on a monorail.
4. Walk back to the Island Tower.

This is a 20+ minute excursion that also required repeating the same steps in reverse to retrieve the car.

The Island Tower parking lot is clearly too small. Unfortunately, this did not occur to us prior to purchasing our DVC contract. We understand that the gate unexpectedly broke down that night. But at the same time, there was clearly no scrutiny of who was parking in there. That is inexcusable on any night and especially so when a popular, twice-a-year holiday fireworks show was taking place.

My assumption is that people were also being allowed to park at the main parking area of the Polynesian Village who also were not resort and maybe not even dining guests. Why else would it be full? People with dining reservations at the two restaurants at Polynesian Village that offer them have the same seating capacity on any given evening. So how did the property run out of spots?

The top priority should obviously be to ensure there are always spots for overnight resort guests spending thousands of dollars to stay at the property. A limited area of the lot should be reserved for dining guests and the bulk for overnight guests. Overnight guests should never be told they have to park at the TTC.

The next day, July 4, was not much better. We decided to remain on the property, fearing a repeat of the night before, and had an early dinner at Wailulu. Also, since wristbands were distributed to resort guests, we assumed it would be a calmer atmosphere at the resort. Unfortunately, we were wrong.

While the beach near the Lava Pool on the original side of the resort was fenced off and reserved for hotel guests, the smaller beach by the Island Tower was not, and it was filled with people. It was easy to see that many, if not most, people there did not have a wristband. So why go through the motions of distributing bracelets just to let anyone watch from there and disappoint us as resort guests?

We understand and appreciate that the Island Tower is only open for 7 months or so, and that there is going to be a learning curve inherent with operating a new property. But at the same time, the Island Tower has already gone through a similar high-attendance holiday fireworks event on New Year’s Eve. Further, the Polynesian Village has been operating and dealing with fireworks crowds for over 50 years.

To be clear, we completely understand that holidays are going to be busy at Walt Disney World. Further, we do not have any unrealistic expectations of special treatment as DVC members. But we want to be confident we made the right decision purchasing DVC and selecting Polynesian Village as our home resort. After this stay, it doesn’t feel that way.

If I had to boil it all down to one sentence, the feeling of “Welcome home” that we heard so much about during the sales process was really lacking for us.

I appreciate your time and attention to this matter and would appreciate a response in the next few days. Most of all, we want to be reassured that we made the right decision both in joining Disney Vacation Club and making Polynesian Village Resort our home.

UPDATE:
I finally got a call from a member services cast member today who was a low level worker. They listened to me repeat my story and were minimally apologetic. My frustration and anger have increased.

I have already escalated to Poly & DVC leadership contacts that people in this thread and in another subforum of DIS were kind enough to share with me.

 

[davidhr]

To each their own, but, while I agree if you don’t feel the service was as expected you should complain and let management know about it, being angry days/weeks after the incident won’t solve anything and will only affect you at the end.

 

[Tumnus]

To each their own, but, while I agree if you don’t feel the service was as expected you should complain and let management know about it, being angry days/weeks after the incident won’t solve anything and will only affect you at the end.

Agreed. One of the busiest days of the year was busy and you drove instead of using Disney transportation. Is it unfortunate? 100% and there could have been a better handling. But it was the 4th of July...and you left the resort. This was a preventable issue, take the bus next time, parking is a known issue and it's one of the busiest days of the year. There is no upside to complaining further.

 

[mauionabreakaway]

To each their own, but, while I agree if you don’t feel the service was as expected you should complain and let management know about it, being angry days/weeks after the incident won’t solve anything and will only affect you at the end.

This is very true, they already got your money, and even if you get fed up and sell out, they still got your money, and will continue getting the same dues from the new owner. It's probably time to let this one go.

 

[bbeagle]

UPDATE:
I finally got a call from a member services cast member today who was a low level worker. They listened to me repeat my story and were minimally apologetic. My frustration and anger have increased.

I have already escalated to Poly & DVC leadership contacts that people in this thread and in another subforum of DIS were kind enough to share with me.

We were there at the Poly Tower on New Year's Eve, and there were very few people outside of the poly tower that night. They had people checking wrist bands inside the pool area, and the pool area was very quiet. (The lava pool had the music and tons of people with wristbands). At that time, the tower had only been open 15 days or so, most people either didn’t know it was there, or I guess, thought it was only for DVC. 5 people in the hot tub, and maybe 10 people in the pools 8pm to 10pm. We watched the fireworks on our balcony and maybe saw 20 people outside. Maybe Disney thought (unwisely) that July 4th would be the same? Why?

It was about 65 degrees at night on December 31. It was about 85 on July 4th 2025. Maybe this was a difference?

However, Disney needs to restrict the tower area. It a no brainer - why can’t they figure it out?

Yes, the tower parking lot is very small, but it was only about half full on New Year’s Eve. They were checking reservations back then though.

 

[coreynyc]

We were there at the Poly Tower on New Year's Eve, and there were very few people outside of the poly tower that night. They had people checking wrist bands inside the pool area, and the pool area was very quiet. (The lava pool had the music and tons of people with wristbands). At that time, the tower had only been open 15 days or so, most people either didn’t know it was there, or I guess, thought it was only for DVC. 5 people in the hot tub, and maybe 10 people in the pools 8pm to 10pm. We watched the fireworks on our balcony and maybe saw 20 people outside. Maybe Disney thought (unwisely) that July 4th would be the same? Why?

It was about 65 degrees at night on December 31. It was about 85 on July 4th 2025. Maybe this was a difference?

However, Disney needs to restrict the tower area. It a no brainer - why can’t they figure it out?

Yes, the tower parking lot is very small, but it was only about half full on New Year’s Eve. They were checking reservations back then though.

Thanks for the insight.

 

[MarkNC2Disney]

Had a fantastic lunch yesterday at Wailulu (and 10% off to boot). Lots of empty tables, very slow.

 

[leelee9878]

I have a 3 night stay booked at the Poly tower next month in a one bedroom resort review. I think they have only declared a handful of these rooms so I’m sure a room request won’t come to fruition but does anyone have suggestions as to what I should request?

 

[Sandisw]

I have a 3 night stay booked at the Poly tower next month in a one bedroom resort review. I think they have only declared a handful of these rooms so I’m sure a room request won’t come to fruition but does anyone have suggestions as to what I should request?

I don’t have any request ideas but you can be put in any of the rooms, regardless of which ones are officially declared.

 

[GADisneyDad14]

I have a 3 night stay booked at the Poly tower next month in a one bedroom resort review. I think they have only declared a handful of these rooms so I’m sure a room request won’t come to fruition but does anyone have suggestions as to what I should request?

No specific feedback with that room type/view category, but my general tower recommendation for all room view categories is simply "high floor."

Enjoy your stay!

 

[BWV Dreamin]

My waitlist for a deluxe studio resort view at the Tower just came in! What floor should I request? Anything else to request besides the floor? TIA!

 

[mauionabreakaway]

Got our points! Planning out first stay (yay!) for September 2026 (boo!) for our son's birthday (yay!)

Planning ten nights in a 2 bedroom (theme park view) at PIT, what are the exact differences between a lock-off and non-lock-off? I know the lock-off is a one bedroom villa connected to a deluxe studio, so from that I've surmised the difference is at least:

• Two separate entrances (one bedroom side and studio side)
• An extra kitchenette on the studio side?

Are the total number of beds the same? Bathrooms? Do lock-offs (or non-lock-offs) tend to have better placement for TPV? (I know the TPV rooms have been a bit contentious)

So excited!

 

[PolyRob]

Got our points! Planning out first stay (yay!) for September 2026 (boo!) for our son's birthday (yay!)

Planning ten nights in a 2 bedroom (theme park view) at PIT, what are the exact differences between a lock-off and non-lock-off? I know the lock-off is a one bedroom villa connected to a deluxe studio, so from that I've surmised the difference is at least:

• Two separate entrances (one bedroom side and studio side)
• An extra kitchenette on the studio side?

Are the total number of beds the same? Bathrooms? Do lock-offs (or non-lock-offs) tend to have better placement for TPV? (I know the TPV rooms have been a bit contentious)

So excited!

Congratulations and welcome home!

You got most of the differences with the entrances and kitchenette. They have the same number of bathrooms (three) and the same bathroom layouts. The rooms sleep the same number of people (nine), but the lock-off will have the couch/murphy bed that pulls down from the wall white the dedicated room will have two queen beds like a cash resort room.

Lock-off second bedroom:


Dedicated second bedroom:


As for view, I think some of the dedicated two-bedrooms have superior views on the higher floors. They are situated in a prime spot in the tower right under the penthouse two-bedrooms. There does seem to be at least one dedicated two-bedroom on each floor in the corner starting on the first floor though. Contentious is a great way to describe it!

 

[mauionabreakaway]

Congratulations and welcome home!

You got most of the differences with the entrances and kitchenette. They have the same number of bathrooms (three) and the same bathroom layouts. The rooms sleep the same number of people (nine), but the lock-off will have the couch/murphy bed that pulls down from the wall white the dedicated room will have two queen beds like a cash resort room.

Lock-off second bedroom:


Dedicated second bedroom:


As for view, I think some of the dedicated two-bedrooms have superior views on the higher floors. They are situated in a prime spot in the tower right under the penthouse two-bedrooms. There does seem to be at least one dedicated two-bedroom on each floor in the corner starting on the first floor though. Contentious is a great way to describe it!

Thanks for the detailed response! I think the lock-off is actually perfect for us. We are taking two different sets of extended family, the first seven nights will be my mom and sister, and the remaining three nights will be my wife's parents. So being able to have a separate entrance for our families to come and go, with the kitchenette for them, is actually great. Plus the bed configuration is a bonus, my mom and sister will want two beds, but my in-laws will benefit from putting one bed away and getting more space.