(For the first page of this review of Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort, click here.)
PHOTO TOUR OF A STANDARD ROOM AT DISNEY’S POLYNESIAN VILLAGE RESORT
Note: rooms in the Polynesian re-opened in July 2021 with a new Moana theme. The basics of the rooms are similar. I will update this review with images from them after I stay in one of these rooms! In the meantime, there’s more on these new Polynesian rooms on the Disney Parks Blog here.
Standard rooms at Disney’s Polynesian Resort are among the largest on property.
As you enter the room, on one side you’ll find the bath and the other two closets separated by a cabinet with a mini-fridge below and coffee service above.
Each is good-sized, and overall there’s plenty of space with multiple hanging levels. This image is of the one closer to the door…
…and this one the one closer to the room. Note the ironing board, safe, and small drawers, and the space at the left for hanging longer dresses. (Most rooms do not have the robes.)
The mini-fridge is below the coffee maker, and has plenty of room.
The bath is on the other side of the entry hall. It retains the old-fashioned design of not being divided–the toilet, tub and sinks all share one space. See the floor plan at the top of the page.
As you enter the Polynesian bath, you’ll find two sinks on one side…
…a tub/shower combo on the other…
…and a toilet at the back.
Further back in the room, one side has two queen beds and a chair.
A closer view of a bed.
Between the beds is this small bedside table.
The beds from the window end of the room–you can also see the easy chair.
At the end of the room are three large windows–rooms with balconies or patios will access these from this space as well.
Here’s the view from our balcony in the Hawaii longhouse, theme park view!
The theme park view is best at night during the evening fireworks.
The other side of the room…
…and from the back.
This side of the room includes a desk…
…with a table on wheels underneath that can serve either as a better typing position for a laptop, or be rolled elsewhere in the room to as a place to dine or play with the kids.
Next to the desk is a dresser with a TV on top.
There’s six smallish drawers here.
The last item on this side of the room is a couch…
…which flips down into a bed.
The bed is ~33 inches wide by ~72 inches long, but sleeps longer than that as the frames have 75 inches clear between them. I’m about 6 feet tall, and was quite comfortable in this bed–both in length, and in its cushioning.
The bed side of these rooms has fine proportions, but in rooms with a connecting door, the desk/dresser/sofa side has everything jammed a little too closely together. Overall these are among Disney World’s most livable rooms.
AMENITIES AT DISNEY’S POLYNESIAN VILLAGE RESORT
This review continues here.
TOPICS IN THIS REVIEW OF DISNEY’S POLYNESIAN VILLAGE RESORT
- Summary and overview of Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort
- Theming and Accommodations at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort
- Photo Tour of a Standard Room at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort
- Amenities at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort
- Dining at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort
- The Pools at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort
- The Disney Vacation Club at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort
- Photo Tour of a Studio at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort
- Photo Tour of a Bungalow at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort
OTHER KEY PAGES FOR WHERE TO STAY AT DISNEY WORLD
- Where to stay–the Basics
- Where first-timers should stay
- Reviews of all the Disney World resorts, based on my 150+ stays in them
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Hi Dave, I’m looking to go to WDW in 2021 and to stay at The Polynesian that was recommended by my daughter. What do you recommend for two senior females adults for the room (I was thinking of a Standard room as we’ll spend much of the days in the Theme parks. Is there a shower with the bath (you didn’t say). You give us great info. Thanks
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Hi Suzanne, and thanks! Yes the tubs are tub/shower combos. I’ll make that clearer. A standard view room is so much less expensive than the alternatives that it is a good choice. The best standard view buildings are Raratonga, Niue and Samoa. Note that some floors don’t have balconies or patios–be sure to request one if you want one!!
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Hi Dave! We are planning our second WDW trip, but this time with an infant. As a family of 5, I was wondering if you think the convenience of location and transportation of the Poly will be better than us staying in a larger family suite at AofA? We will probably be at our resort a lot more than we were last trip.
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Jessica, it’s pretty hard to argue against the extra space and extra bath you’ll find in the flamilty suite. You are giving up a lot, though–not just the location, but also ambiance, pool quality, dining, shopping…Either choice can work out just fine!
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WDW Trip
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Hi Dave! We’re planning our very first trip to Disney in late February/early March of 2018. It’ll be myself, my husband, our 2 daughters (ages 3 and 5 at the time of travel) and my mother. We are torn between a standard room at the Polynesian or a standard Polynesian Villa. My husband and I will take the queen bed, with my mom in the other queen in a standard or the queen pullout in the villa. My 5 year old will be in either the daybed (in the standard) or the pullout bunk (in the villa). 3 year old in a rollaway crib.
All this being said, which would you recommend? I like the better location of the villas + the patio, microwave, and half bath, but I feel a litttle bad putting my mom on a queen sofa bed. And I worry about having less livable space in the villa for 5 people. Thoughts?
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Chelsea, as you note it’s a tough call. One simplifying approach would be to put your mom on the queen, and have the two of you take the fold out bed. Otherwise, the weighting of the extra bath and microwave/toaster vs the more livable room is highly personal…
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The quiet pool looked beautiful, sparkling clean and not crowded at all. It was open late at night too. I saw that they provide towels at the pool as well. I heard the staff playing games with the guests during the day (they gave us an activities schedule when we arrived). Unfortunately, we did not have time to use the pool because we were in the parks from morning til night. We only came back to the hotel in the afternoon for a very short break. If we stay longer next time, I will definitely use the quiet pool. I don’t think we would have liked the Volcano pool anyway….we much rather prefer a more relaxing atmosphere. Thanks again!!!
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Thanks, LeeAnne!
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Hi Dave! We just got back from our vacation at The Polynesian! I just want to THANK YOU for your advice to go ahead with our reservation, despite the construction. The hotel was beautiful! As first timers, we also took your advice to stay in the Raratonga building with balcony (our room overlooked the Quiet Pool). The room was clean, spacious and modern. The staff at the Polynesian was wonderful as well…it was my daughter’s birthday and they did lots of little extras to make it special for her. We were not affected by the construction at all. In fact, with the exception of a few covered walls in the lobby, we really didn’t notice it at all. We watched movies and saw the Magic Kingdom fireworks and electric boat parade from the beach. The restaurants were great too..we ate at Capt Cooks and did the Ohana Character Breakfast (meeting Mickey, Pluto, Lilo and Stitch was so much fun, even for the adults). We enjoyed Dole Whips at The Pineapple Lunai too. Having direct access to the monorail was worth its weight in gold! We traveled back and forth to the Contemporary and Grand Floridian, Epcot and the Magic Kingdom with ease. I can go on and on about this wonderful trip and this wonderful hotel. I can’t thank you enough…after reading so many comments on the internet about the construction, I was so nervous to stay there…but luckily we took your advice and now will have lasting memories of our stay at The Polynesian.
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LeeAnne, I am so glad this worked out for you! Sounds like you had a wonderful trip!! I’m curious if pool time was a big deal for your family, and if so, how the quiet pool worked out for you…
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Dave, you are awesome! Thanks a million!
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Hi Dave! Wow, I am so glad I found your site. We are planning on taking our daughter to Disney for the first time in September. I have always wanted to stay at the Polynesian, but honestly it was a little too pricey. I have gotten a good deal though, perhaps due to the construction going on. I know that the volcano pool will be closed when we go (not a deal breaker for us), but do you think the work being done in the lobby at that time will take away from the ambiance? I’ve heard others say that Disney tries to cover it up well and you still get the Polynesian feel. Thanks so much!
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Hi Lee, and thanks!! If as a first-timer you go in focused on looking at what’s fun to see, and ignoring the evidence of construction, you will be fine!
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Hey Dave thanks for a great article! I am always a YC’er but thought of split stay at Poly this year. We have visited 18 times before but always other resorts!!! I am just making sure of something your article states last refurb of Poly 2007. Do you mean this was the one done PRIOR to the one that just happened or did one NOT just happen? Were ALL rooms updated recently? I never wanted to stay here b/c I felt the rooms honestly were dumpy looking so I need to make sure of a FULL rehab before I roll the dice here. Thanks much! melissa
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Hiya Melissa and thanks! I get you on the ambiguity, and have revised the page to mak eit go away.
Here’s the scoop: 1. all rooms except those in Rapa Nui and Tahiti were rehabbed in 2012-2013, but 2. there’s other construction going in at the resort, which has put some off (but not me!!) For more on the construction, see this: https://yourfirstvisit.net/2013/09/04/renovation-and-construction-at-disneys-polynesian-resort/
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