Review: Disney’s Polynesian Resort
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OVERVIEW: DISNEY’S POLYNESIAN RESORT
Our most recent stay confirms what this site has recommended since the day it was launched: for those who can afford it, Disney’s Polynesian Resort is the best place for first time family visitors to stay.
You can have a wonderful visit at any Walt Disney World resort hotel.
However, this site recommends that first time visitors to Walt Disney World who can afford it should stay at Disney’s Polynesian Resort, a deluxe resort, and that those who can’t should stay at Disney’s Pop Century Resort, a value resort.
(It also suggests that first time visitors should avoid the moderate resorts, while noting that these resorts are wonderful for visits after the first. See this for why.)
Compared to other Walt Disney World owned and operated resorts, the deluxe resorts are distinguished by having (on average) the most amenities, nicest views, best dining options, best transport options, largest rooms, best service, and highest prices.
(See this for much more on resort distinctions by price class–value, moderate, deluxe, etc.)
Standard rooms at Disney’s Polynesian Resort are particularly nice.
They come in two sizes–the floorplan for the smaller of the two, which is the more common, is to the right.
(See below for the larger room; both floorplans courtesy of TikimanPages.)
The rooms sleep five–two each in two queens, and a fifth on the couch, which converts into a daybed. You can add to this capacity of five a child younger than three who sleeps in a crib.
DISNEY’S POLYNESIAN RESORT
Resorts are ranked on this site for first time visitors based first on their kid appeal, and then on their convenience.
On this basis, Disney’s Polynesian Resort, a monorail resort, is far and away the best resort for first time family visitors to Walt Disney World.
Kid Appeal.
- Three of the deluxe resorts–the Wilderness Lodge, Animal Kingdom Lodge, and Polynesian Resort, in that order–have spectacular kid appeal.
- None of the moderates do.
- All of the value resorts–Disney’s All-Star Sports, All-Star Music, and All-Star Movies, and its Pop Century Resort–have strong kid appeal.
The kid appeal of the Polynesian Resort comes from its sense of exotic adventure.
The architecture of the resort recalls the villages of the South Pacific, and is reinforced by touches such as flaming torches, spectacular gardens, leis-festooned staff (and guests!), hula lessons, a volcano-themed pool, etc.
Convenience. Disney’s Polynesian Resort is the most convenient of the Disney Resorts–at least for trips centered on the Magic Kingdom, as they are on first time visits.
It is one of three resorts on the Magic Kingdom resort monorail line.
It is more convenient than the other two because it is also the only resort within easy walking distance of the Epcot and express monorails.
This means that the Magic Kingdom is two stops away when going there, via the resort monorail, and one stop back, via the express monorail.
This better than either of the Contemporary (4 stops to, 1 from) or Grand Floridian Resorts (1 and 4), the other two resorts on the resort monorail.
Moreover, at the Contemporary and Grand Floridian, going to Epcot means taking the resort monorail to the Transportation and Ticket Center (TTC), and then the Epcot monorail.
From the Polynesian, you simply walk to the TTC and the Epcot monorail.
Best places to stay. This site suggests that first time visitors stay in standard rooms, not preferred rooms.
This is because they won’t be spending much time in their rooms.
The single exception is visitors to the Animal Kingdom Lodge, who should always pay for savanna views.
Rooms in Disney’s Polynesian Resort are found in eleven 2 or 3 story “Longhouses,” each with an elevator (or access to an elevator in a nearby building). (See map.)
Of these, the three newest longhouses, Rapa Nui, Tokelau, and Tahiti, are the best choices.
They are the only longhouses that have the largest standard rooms at the Polynesian (see below for the floorplan), the only longhouses where every room has a patio or balcony, and are also most centrally located between the resort monorail stop, bus stop, and Epcot and express monorail stops at the TTC.
Tahiti and Rapa Nui are closer to the TTC, and also quieter; Tahiti has the best views, followed by Tokelau; Tokelau is closer to the pools and the central Great Ceremonial House.
My order–which emphasizes convenience–puts Tahiti first, then Rapa Nui, then Tokelau. A focus more on views would reverse the last two.
Request a third floor room for both better views and more quiet.
BEST FOR:
Any first time family visitors who can afford it.
WORST FOR:
Families too large to fit into even its 5 person rooms. See this for more on large families at Walt Disney World.
This review continues here.
17 comments
Helpful blog, bookmarked the website with hopes to read more!
are any discounts available / aarp or aaa ? thanks
Mary, see this page: http://yourfirstvisit.net/2009/12/27/the-tightwads-guide-to-where-to-stay-at-walt-disney-world-1-resort-deals-and-discounts/, check out MouseSavers.com, and contact AARP and your state AAA directly…
Your site is by far the best I have ever run across regarding Disney!! We have stayed at the Wilderness Lodge before and really liked it. We are going again this fall 10/4 – 10/9. I thought we should experience something different and was thinking we should go to Polynesian. I am holding off on booking because I keep hoping that there will be a deal (dining or room discount). Do you think I should give up on this and go ahead and book it – will the rooms sell out? I wish it was as reasonably priced as the WL.
Hi Kim, and thanks for the kind words!
Here’s my take–the Poly is so popular that even if a deal comes out, few if any rooms there will be made available as part of it. (Only hotels whose bookings are running lowish have large numbers of rooms included in a deal.)
So I’d go ahead and book the Poly–but with a twist. Book through a travel agent, and explain that you want to be able to try to take advantage of a later deal if one comes out. The travel agent can then set you up with a package (e.g. room only) that’s easier and less expensive to get out of it a better deal comes along, will help track deals, and can actually execute getting you into the deal if one comes out and out of the old reservation.
You can do all this yourself–it’s just easier to use a travel agent as they do this kinda thing all the time.
I work with a travel agent team who provide a quote form on the lower right side of the site–if you use this form and eventually book with them (they are free) they share a bit of their commission from Disney with me, which I use to defray the costs of my time on this site.
Hope this helps–Dave
I will do that – thank you!
You are welcome! PS you are also now famous–see the “More Puffery” section on the lower left!
I just came across your site and LOVE it. We are planning a first time visit in July 2012. (I know super busy and hot) but really it’s the only time we can go. Maybe late September but not sure about that yet. We have the option of using points from a DVC member. We were considering the Wilderness Lodge villas. Our kids will be 11, 6, and 5 years at the time of vacation. But after reading your reviews on the polynesian I’m wondering if we should NOT use the DVC member points and just pay a little more and stay there. My biggest concern is transportation to MK and other areas. I would rather not rent a car while vacationing. What is your thoughts on what we should do?
Hi Jen, and thanks for the love!
Key issues: you can’t fit a family of five into a studio or a one bedroom villa at the Villas at Wilderness Lodge, and they may already be sold out–it’s a small property and quite popular…Were you thinking a two-bedroom villa? If so, that’s way more expensive than the Poly–which may also be sold out…
Otherwise, I rank the Wilderness Lodge overall second best of the deluxes after the Poly (see http://yourfirstvisit.net/planning-your-first-family-trip/where-to-stay/next-best-resort-choices/ ) and the villas as the best of the DVC properties for most room types See this for a review of the Villas at the Wilderness Lodge: http://yourfirstvisit.net/2011/02/07/review-the-villas-at-disneys-wilderness-lodge/
In terms of convenience, the Poly is better–it is better for the MK, but a boat goes to MK from the WL which is almost as fun as the monorail. Poly wins on Epcot–WL is served by a bus–and Poly and WL are tied for the other two parks–each is served by buses for these parks. You don’t need to rent a car. You’ll be fine.
WL is better than the Poly for kid appeal (both are great, WL is greater).
So the convenience difference is real, but WL has better kid appeal. The real issues are the ability to fit only 4 people older than three into its one bedroom and studio rooms, and whether you can book a room at all…
There are one-bedroom DVC villas that fit five (and the Poly fits five in one room) at Bay Lake Tower, Old Key West, and Kidani Village…but no DVC studios that fit five…
Thanks for the quick response. We were actually doing a 2 bedroom villa at WL. So, price wise would it be the same for both resorts or is it better with the DVC points? Also, we were planning the stay for 9 days. If that makes a difference at all. Thanks again for all your help.
Poly may be a lot less–depends on when you go, what views you choose, and what you are paying for points. Poly standard view rooms after July 16 are around $400 plus tax per night (Magic Kingdom views, before July 17, are around $600 plus tax a night.) If you pay $12 a point, your VWL 2 bedroom will be about $600 a night in all of July.
Hi We are going to poly 8/2 for 7 nights. I have a standard room. So its me, a adult sister, a 13 year old girl, and 2, 7 year olds. I have a few torn tendons so I walk so. I was wondering if I listed what is important to us you could make a suggestion as to where I should ask to be placed.
We have a convention discount standard room.
We have 4 day passes no hopping, going to 1 park each day.
Planning on watching fireworks a few nights from the beach of poly.
The kids will be using the main volcano pool alot!
Refilling the mugs will be a big thing.
I need 1st floor would love to have a patio, but close to main pool is the most important!
Thank you for your help and suggestion
Hi Julie, besides being close to the pool, you’ll also want to be close to the Main Ceremonial House–which is where you get monorail and bus transport to the parks. (And also hwere you refill your mugs.)
Given your tendons, you’ll want to take the resort monorail to the Epcot monorail rather than walk to the Epcot monorail.
Longhouses that are close to transport but also the main pool are Nue and Raratonga.
Thanks for the response! What is your opinion on the extra square footage of the newer longhouses? Are they worth the space considering we need to rooms and will have 5 in each room, with 1 room having 5 and a 3 year old. My daughter thought instead of putting the crib up we can use the single person airmattress. Would there be enough room to move the table to do that in the 415, or even in the bigger ones?
Also someone told me sister that if you got a room at the soman you can sit on the patio and watch the kids in the volcano pool, is that true?
thanks for all your help.
Hi Julie, the base rooms are big enough that I don’t think the newer rooms would make a difference, and they are more of a walk to both the pool and the monorial/buses/refills. Take a look at the map–there’s several longhouses that surround the main pool, and from any of them if you have a pool-side first floor room you cna watch your kids…The air mattress may be a tight fit, but the 5th bed on the couch is there…
On your Itineraries, you don’t mention the Disney water parks? Just not enough time or is it because of other reasons? — Great site by the way!!!
Thanks Kip! Yup, it’s purely time–fitting everything in to the Saturday-Sunday limits I imposed on the itineraries…
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