Disney's Polynesian Village Resort

My 2 grown daughters and I took a delightful "girls trip" to Epcot and stayed at the Polynesian. The Disney magic did not disappoint! The only negative for me was the bed. It was hard as a rock! I was so surprised, given how fabulous everything else is, and how--let's just be candid here--*expensive* the rooms are, that the comfort of the bed left so much to be desired. Everything else was perfect, and that's not a word I use lightly. Beautifully decorated hotel, friendly, helpful staff (they all seem too nice to be real, lol), impeccably clean room with a spacious patio, large outdoor pool with cabanas you can rent (and a cabana boy to bring you tropical drinks!), delicious food both at the resort and at Epcot; it was a wonderful vacation all around, even with the uncomfortable bed. Read less

I stayed from the 4th to the 7th and had a wonderful stay. The hotel is beautiful and had so many food options. I spent a lot of my time at the parks but I wish I would have spent more time at the resort. The hotel is beautiful. The rooms are spacious and clean. The staff was wonderful. When I checked in Lina was very helpful and at check out Becky was great. I hope to return some day. Read less

We loved, loved, loved Disney’s Polynesian resort. After wanting to stay here for many, many years, it felt as though we’d come home. We’d booked 9 nights here with Attraction Tickets Direct (highly recommended and a great price) and our package included park tickets and the Disney Dining Plan. We had booked a Lagoon Room view and ended up in Aotearoa. We had a lovely view over the lagoon towards the Grand Floridian, and were amazed at the stunning views we had of the Magic Kingdom fireworks every evening... we weren’t expecting that! Our room was huge and the double beds comfortable. We didn’t have any issues with housekeeping (which we’d had at the Beach Club during our last stay) but the WiFi was sketchy in the room. We ended up reporting it and it got sorted eventually! The hotel is always busy with people coming to Ohanas and the luau, but it always felt homely to us. The boys loved the main pool and I loved the quiet pool, so we took it in turns to go to them! We were there for Halloween, and we enjoyed the trick or treating the hotel had laid on. It was fantastic to see Elvis Stitch too! We have stayed at Animal Kingdom Lodge and Beach Club previously, and this hotel is definitely our favourite so far. We will be returning! Read less

Some of the buildings are a bit far from the front desk and a little hard to navigate, but we were close to the lake (and facing Magic Kingdom) so got to see the water show and fireworks most nights. There were 2 large bathrooms, but think we could have used one full bath and one half bath and been just fine. There were no dressers for our clothes (2 adults, 2 kids 10 & 12). There was one drawer under the queen bed which I used and I used the drawers in the bathroom for socks, smaller items. The pullout was a queen, main bed was queen and there was a pulldown twin bed which worked for our tall 10 year old son. Monorail was convenient, ticket and transportation center was walkable. We might try another hotel on property if we were to go back, but it worked out great as we were with 2 other families. The Grand Floridian would have been our 2nd choice. It was beautiful. Read less

I am Disney fan. I have been one since I was 3 years old and my parents brought my brother and myself to Disney World for the first time. Since then I have been to a Disney park somewhere in the world at least once a month. Most recently it's been the Disneyland resort in Anaheim. Over the last few years, something strange has happened. My love for Disney has been put in question. Changes have come that have given me pause and made me question my devotion. Pricing has never been a major concern as I've always felt that the experience at a Disney resort was always a value with everything that came with the cost. What I've been questioning is the experience one now receives at a Disney resort. It is truly not the same. There has been a shift in how Disney has changed and it has now become the theme park that is trying to catch up to the competition. It is no longer a leader. It no longer makes you feel the "magic" and it no longer is a place where one can step away and get lost in the "magical" environment they used to be so good at creating. My most recent stay at the Polynesian Village Resort was a prime example of that. It's taken me two months to get my thoughts together to write this review. I've thought over and over again of why my time at this property didn't live up to Disney standards. In the end, i finally came to the conclusion, I never felt like I was at Disney when I stayed at this resort. Sure you are close to the Magic Kingdom and you have Disney images being pushed at you 24/7 but honestly I felt like I was staying at a sub par motel on international drive that tried too hard to make you feel like you were staying at a Disney resort. First and foremost, the resort is showing it's age. It isn't kept up to what I believe is the Disney standard of cleanliness and upkeep. Paint is peeling on walls and hand rails. Fabrics in the room is looking worn and torn. The color scheme is brown on brown on brown. Instead of looking fresh with a cool Polynesian looking vibe, it's looking like your grandparents house that is desperately needing a refresh. My room was blah. Typically at a Disney resort there is usually a wow factor when you enter your room for the first time. I didn't get this at all at the Poly. My first reaction walking down the hallway to my room was, dang, I feel like i'm in a cheap motel. I definitely didn't get that wow factor. I got a bigger wow factor checking into a Courtyard by Marriott hotel the previous week. I reached out to the front desk to speak about my unhappiness with the resort. A day later I received a call from the front desk manager. I called them back and was put on hold for over 20 minutes. The manager called me back a few hours later and left a message. I called again, put on hold, after 15 minutes I hung up. I was never contacted again by the manager. Then there is the resort itself The marina area seemed dead and an afterthought. The pool area, while very themed, didn't seem like a place I wanted to spend an afternoon. The restaurants were always full and you couldn't just stop by for a bite. You needed to make reservations 180 days in advance in order to secure a seat. Activities at the resort were few and far between. I'm guessing they expect you to spend your entire day at the parks, but, what if you are trying to have a down day or need some time to relax. I didn't feel like I could do that at this property. This stay felt like staying at a motel, not a resort. I know some will say, well Disney isn't known for being a hotel company, it's about the convenience. It's about the perks of staying at the resort. Early morning entry. Monorail to the parks, etc and so forth. In all honestly. I could have stayed at good neighbor hotel and gotten those same benefits. Disney early entry isn't even that big of a perk anymore as so many people have access to the perk. Now they want you to pay for the Early morning magic pass for $100 or the after hours pass for $150 for benefits that should be part of staying at the resort. Also, in regards to Disney magic. This stay was for a belated Honeymoon that we were not able to take at the beginning of the year. Our cast member who helped us book the reservation kept telling us, thanks for telling us about your honeymoon we will make sure to sprinkle some pixie dust on your two when you arrive and do some extra special things for you." It wasn't until we checked out that I realized. Not one single person acknowledged that it was our Honeymoon. There was no pixie dust. There was no thank you. There was no feeling valued for staying at the resort. It felt like a waste. I can honestly say, it the feeling I get now when I go to a Disney park. The great guest service has become a thing of the past. The magic has gone. The only good thing I can say is I was able to experience it before all these changes. Maybe, hopefully, one day it will return. I have to say for those who save up all year for a Disney vacation. Save your money and stay at a Marriott, Hilton, Hyatt, etc. Avoid Disney. They are not in the hospitality business any longer and it shows. I've recently heard that Universal hotels are pretty amazing in what perks you get for staying on property. A pass that lets you jump the line at all attractions, no fastpass needed. Priority Reservations for Dinner that you can use the day of, no need to make reservations 180 days in advance. All this, park tickets for about 1/4 what Disney charges. I have to say, I've never been to Universal but it's sounding tempting. Read less