Disney's Polynesian Village Resort

Decided to stay at the Polynesian to stay at a "fun themed" Disney hotel and thought being on the monorail would be helpful. Rooms: We stayed on the club level so we could have access to the "club". Which was nice but the club was very busy at some points and the staff were nice but seemed overwhelmed/annoyed at times. The snacks and drinks were adequate but nothing to gush over. The apps/snacks were tiny - served in tiny cups. Minimal snack options for the kids. We were up pretty early each day to get to one of the parks so it was easy to grab some cereal, sweets, coffee and fruit and head out. Our room - 2 queen beds was fine - maintained well but nothing fancy. We had a balcony and view of the smaller pool - which was nice. The rooms facing the water can see the Magic Kingdom fireworks at night or you can go to the club or outside to watch them. For the price per night - I would definitely look at other Disney property hotels next time we went to compare amenities. Since the Magic Kingdom was so crowded for the fireworks - we left and watched them at the Poly. That avoided fighting the crowds to get out of the park and back to the Poly. Pool: Kids had a great time at both pools and especially the one with the water slide. Cute water park area and kiddie slide for little kids. It would have been a bonus if the pool didn't close at 8p - I think it was because it was March. Open later in warmer months. Crowds: Because of the character meals and Luau - the main lobby can be super crowded - especially when people are checking in to the luau and leaving the luau. Which obviously over flows to the monorail at those times. We tried to avoid it in the late afternoon/early evening if possible. Monorail: Good to have but unless you are going to Magic Kingdom and Epcot a lot- not really a must have. Have to take buses or taxi to the other parks. Assume access to the monorail adds to the cost of staying at the Poly. Food: This is an area that needs improvement. We had lunch at the Kona cafe - there were no salads on the menu (weird), I had a turkey sandwich which barely had any turkey or anything else for that matter - like a bread sandwich, the others had sushi rolls which were super expensive and like a small normal sushi roll - very expensive for not much. We did a character breakfast at Ohana. Kids had a GREAT time with the characters! But the food was terrible. They bring out a platter of food which is super low quality, Mickey waffles that were barely edible, over cooked sausages and the eggs tasted like they were made from a mix. We ate some ham and that was all. Huge waste of money and food. I can't imagine how much food they must throw away each day. $150+ breakfast for basically no food and paid for the character interaction- which again was great. Kids loved it. Ate next door at the Floridian one night - at Narcoossee's The food was good but it was super expensive - $300 for 3 - 1 drink each. You can watch the fireworks from their dock and take a free boat back to the Poly from there. One night went to Disney Springs - lots of restaurants there. Ate at Morimoto Asia - which was awesome. The best meal of our trip. Luau at Poly: we had a great time - thought the show was fun and the kids watched every minute. Food was better than expected -considering the venue. The included adult beverages were pretty bad. Wine and Sangria were warm and undrinkable. Final: We had a fun time at the Poly for sure! Will go back to Disney in a few years and will try another hotel. Poly was nice but nothing over the top that would drive us back. Read less

On 3/20/19 attended Luau Dinner Show at the Polynesian Resort in Disney World, 10 of my family attended, cost $630.00, show was OK, However the food served was TERRIBLE, Chicken if you could call it that was not good, Ribs not even fair, to say the least I felt like it was a rip-off. If you are paying $60.00 per person, children included least they could do is serve a half way decent meal, all I can say is this was one of the worst meals I have ever been served. Read less

My teen daughters and I stayed at the Polynesian for a bit of a girls' trip over Spring Break. We had a blast. I love the Grand Floridian, and probably consider it my "favorite" but the Poly is right up there. I guess they're both my favorite! It just depends on if you want the stately white victorian Grand or the lush tropical fun Poly. One of my teens prefers the Wilderness Lodge, and we all love the Beach Club. It's been a while since we've stayed at the Poly and we were reminded how much we enjoy the very fun, super immersive island vibe. Perfect for a trip with a lot of hotel time. A note - if you enjoy greenery, landscaping, etc., you will love this hotel. The landscaping is outstanding. I had heart surgery a couple of years ago and don't enjoy adding extra walking to my Disney trips. However, the Poly grounds are so beautiful that I spent one morning roaming all over the resort, stopping to rest at many of the plentiful benches on the grounds and near the beach. I ended up walking 2 miles, just "roaming" and sitting enjoying my coffee and the beautiful views, which are everywhere. Totally enjoyable. FOOD: We spent our days enjoying the hotel, with breakfast at Ohana's Best Friends Breakfast with Lilo & Stitch (and Mickey and Pluto), or walking along the beach to the Grand Floridian (short beautiful walk) for breakfast at 1900 Park Fare (with Mary Poppins, Alice in Wonderland, Pooh, etc.) or hopping the monorail to the Magic Kingdom and eating at Be Our Guest. For dinner, we ate on-site at Ohana, sat at Tambu Lounge and ate potstickers and spring rolls, or walked the very short path to the TTC (Ticket and Transportation Center) and hopped the monorail to Epcot, where great dining choices abound. For snacks... well, Captain Cooks quick-service is great, the Oasis quiet pool bar is great, and of course, Pineapple Lanai has the always wonderful Dole Whip (pineapple soft-serve ice cream - yum). Lime was available this time around as well (delicious). Room service here is quick and delicious, and as a guest here you can order the Ohana Twilight Feast delivered to your room for dinner, if you're not up for the whole restaurant experience (or can't get a reservation). Bottom Line - the Food game at the Poly is awesome. DRINKS: Should this be with food? Maybe. I'm not a drinker, but there are plenty of places to grab a drink (with or without alcohol) and a bite. Trader Sam's is in the lobby, downstairs. Tambu Lounge is in the lobby, upstairs, next to Ohana. The Barefoot Bar is by the pool. All have great kiddie-cocktail options. Tambu has awesome potstickers, spring rolls, meat skewers, etc... great for a light dinner. We went there on a Friday night before fireworks and had no trouble getting 3 seats at the bar, and they let my teens sit at the bar and eat and drink kiddie cocktails. Nice. Afterward, we walked to the beach and watched fireworks. LOCATION: Cannot be beat. The best location of ANY hotel at Disney World. I have stayed at all of the Deluxe resorts and have explored the Port Orleans French Quarter and Riverside (best Moderate, in my opinion). The reason that the Poly cannot be beat for location is this: for the Magic Kingdom, you can hop on the monorail in the lobby and you're 2 stops away. Or you can take a wonderful, quick, fun boat ride to the MK. To reach Epcot, you can WALK to the Ticket & Transportation Center, located right next door to the Poly. I do not find walking fun, whatsoever, and the walk to the TTC was NOTHING. So quick. The path is just past the Oasis quiet pool, and right next to the Pago Pago building ("longhouse" in Poly speak). Super easy walk. At the TTC, you can get right on the monorail to Epcot. If you prefer, you can hop the resort monorail from the lobby of the Polynesian, and ride it around to the TTC, where you hop off and 'change trains' to get on the Epcot monorail. Fun if you've got kids who enjoy riding the monorail. In addition to to the awesome monorail location, the hotel offers excellent bus service to Animal Kingdom, Disney Springs and Hollywood Studios. If you are park hopping between Epcot and Hollywood Studios, you can walk to the TTC, take the express monorail to Epcot, exit Epcot from the International Gateway at World Showcase and boat or walk to Hollywood Studios (I boat, the walk is a little long for me). Bottom line: The Poly has the best location at Disney, hands-down. ROOMS: LOVE. HUGE. SUPER CUTE. We opted for a Villa room. I've stayed in the regular rooms and the Villas. What I love about the Villas: Queen bed, double sofa-bed, and a very cute murphy bed that my 14 year old daughter immediately called as "hers". She loved the built-in light, nearby outlet, etc. Table & chairs were comfy/roomy, little kitchenette spot with a fridge, sink, toaster, microwave, coffee pot was handy. Closet is huge. Room for suitcases under the bed. DOUBLE BATH. One bath has a toilet with tub/shower. Second bath has a sink and a walk-in shower (no toilet). It's so great to have two sink/shower areas, particularly with multiple teen girls. These rooms are bright, fun, tropical, modern. We love the decor in the Villa rooms. WHICH LONGHOUSE (BUILDING)? - Honestly, I don't think you can go wrong, and I never sweat it about which building I'll be at at the Polynesian. They're all great. This time we were in Pago Pago, garden view, first floor with a patio and we LOVED it. While Pago is the building furthest from the Great Ceremonial House (lobby), it's only a 5 min walk, if that. (Remember I hate walking, but the walk was no big deal - at all). I loved being at Pago because the path to the Ticket & Transportation Center monorail is directly (5 steps) across from the entrance of Pago Pago. We were bopping down to Epcot, so walking right over to the TTC was phenomenal. We have been to Disney many times, so I didn't feel that we needed the lagoon view or the Theme Park view. Honestly, the Poly grounds are so luscious and lovely that I really enjoy the Garden view of the grounds and at night, the torch lit paths are just beautiful and very peaceful. ACTIVITIES: So many options for kids, teens, adults. My teen daughters made necklaces on the lawn with kids of all ages. We rented sea raycers at the marina. Pools are awesome. Played volleyball on the beach. Etc. Etc. Etc. Really too much to list here. SERVICE: Service was phenomenal from every member of staff that we encountered, from start to finish. Not just "okay", but phenomenal. So - considering a family trip with lots of hotel time and unparalleled access to the parks? Totally immersive fun tropical vibe? Beautiful grounds? Huge rooms? This is the place for you. Read less

Traveling with 3 kids (10,12 & 14), we really enjoyed the amenities with the Club level. A quick breakfast before the parks and some appetizers and a glass of wine in the evening (before heading back to the parks!) was worth the extra cost. The kids could grab unlimited soda and we enjoyed small desserts a few evenings. A great experience and the Polynesian is one of The best resorts to watch the fireworks outside the MK and easy to get to all parks!! The public spaces could use a bit of a refresh, but overall great experience!! Read less

I could not have been more underwhelmed by our stay at the Polynesian. Considering that it is a ‘luxury’ hotel and is one of the priciest locations at Disney, I had very high expectations and was sure that everything would be flawless. I was very wrong. Everything about this resort needs work. It feels as if no money has been invested for 10-15 years, and it’s not like this hotel contains outdated luxury - it contains outdated mediocrity. The rooms are decorated in a very bland fashion, the carpets (both in the room and the hallways) are worn and dirty, there’s a $10 coffee maker in the room with cheap, dry creamer powder and awful ground coffee, the bars and restaurants in the main building are dated and worn out, etc, etc. We paid over $600 / night for our room but it honestly felt like we should have paid $150/night. Obviously we’re also paying for the convenience of the location, access to the park, and the monorail, but it’s no where CLOSE to $600/night. I think Walt Disney would shudder when he walked into our room and saw how sad and decrepit it was, and he would wonder why the imagineers had forgotten about this place. Maybe I’m spoiled because I visited Hawaii once and I know how an authentic South Pacific resort feels, but I mean come on the is DISNEY! Everything is supposed to be perfect, if not beyond perfect. Although the most baffling thing to me is how so many other people gave this resort five stars... maybe we were placed into the one room that hasn’t been updated since 1997? Who knows... can’t expect that we’ll ever come back to find out. Read less