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(For the first page of this review of Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort, click here.)

REVIEW: THE POOLS AND BEACHES AT DISNEY’S POLYNESIAN VILLAGE RESORT

There are two pools and many beaches at the Polynesian.

• The larger Lava Pool, loaded with amenities
• The smaller Oasis pool with some nice amenities of its own, and
• Multiple beaches

I’ll cover each of these in this post.

 THE MAIN LAVA POOL AT THE POLYNESIAN

The main pool, known as the Lava Pool, is in the center of the resort, between Captain Cook’s and the beaches.  The Samoa longhouse is on one side, and the marina is on the other.

Some shots from around the Lava pool:

Under the waterfall is a slide.

The main slide.

The hot tub is on the Samoa side, and is elevated, a nice effect.

The zero entry area on the beach side.

The Lava pool at night.

Also here is a remarkable kids water play area.

It includes two slides, one on the left above…

…and another one on the right. As alert reader Josh notes, this is a tunnel slide, accessed from the top, so there is more to it than it seems.

In the back of the play area is this splash and play spot.

Also in the pool area you’ll find this bar. No real food, but the pool is right outside the Captain Cook’s quick service, so that doesn’t much matter.

THE OASIS POOL AT THE POLYNESIAN

The smaller Oasis Pool is nestled among Samoa, Hawaii, and Tokelau. Niue and Rarotonga are also close.

It has a zero-entry edge…

…a hot tub…

…a bar…

…and a grill with limited hours but an interesting menu.

A more up-to-date menu is on Disney’s website here.

Around the corner from the bar is a refillable mug station, also with limited hours. (Sorry about the humidity on my lens!)

THE BEACHES AT THE POLYNESIAN

Back in the day you could walk right from the pool deck to the beaches at the Polynesian.  Not anymore, as the pool is now fenced in behind the umbrellas on the left.

Another beach stretches along the DVC Bungalows.

The beach in front of the Hawaii longhouse has some play tools.

And there’s another stretch of beaches near Luau Cove, between most of the Poly and the Grand Floridian.

THE DISNEY VACATION CLUB 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

Follow yourfirstvisit.net on Facebook or Twitter or Pinterest!!

(For the first page of this review of Disney’s Polynesian Resort, click here.)

PHOTO TOUR OF A STUDIO AT DISNEY’S POLYNESIAN VILLAS AND BUNGALOWS

The Studios and Bungalows opened at the Polynesian in April 2015, and I had the chance to stay in a Studio late that month, and stayed in one again in January 2019.

At 465 square feet, the Studios at the Polynesian are the largest DVC studios, are among a currently small group of DVC studios that sleep 5 (all Polynesian standard rooms sleep 5), and are alone in having one and a half baths. They are also the only DVC studios that can connect to another studio.

However, the extra square footage largely comes from not-useful extra width, and the half bath comes at the expense of living space and convenient storage. So for families paying cash (as opposed to using DVC points) the pros and cons of a studio and a standard room are a bit difficult to tease out.

The entry to my Pago Pago longhouse had fun stuff tied to its theme.

My Moorea longhouse room also had a fun and vibrant entry.

The corridor walls and carpet are fun and colorful, and hint at the orange color scheme you’ll find in the rooms–frankly, more fun than the green of the Polynesian’s standard rooms.

You enter the Studio into long hallway–half of its total length.

One side has the connecting door, closet and kitchenette. This is the outside of the closet…

…and this is the inside.

I did not measure the safe, but my book is six inches by nine inches. Note the small shelves under the safe.  Storage is probably adequate in total, but is widely distributed in these Studios (there is no dresser), so I’ll be calling out all the storage options as we tour it.

Next to the closet is the kitchenette.

All Disney deluxe rooms have a mini-fridge and coffeemaker. Studio kitchenettes add another sink, a toaster and microwave…

…and some basic utensils and supplies. Note that you can probably gain a shelf for storage by consolidating some of this stuff…

…especially if you use the cabinet above the microwave.

The other side of the entry has the two bath areas. The first is a full bath with no interior walls–with a sink…

…with these toiletries…

…and some storage drawers and shelves…

…and a tub/shower combo and toilet next to it.

On the side wall there’s this charming art.

The second bath has just a large shower and a sink.

Note the blue accent wall. There’s one in each bath, and they really add a lot to the overall playfulness of the space.

Toiletries in this bath…

…which also has storage.

I also really like the lighting in the shower.

The showerheads.

The living/sleeping area takes up about half the square footage of the Studio–I think this is means less living/sleeping space than you’ll find in a standard Polynesian Village room, but Tikiman disagrees. I’ll sort that out on my next stay in a regular Polynesian room, but regardless, the bed space in a Studio is just a tad more than 16 feet long. This has to be less than standard rooms, as they fit two queens and an easy chair along their bed side–hard to do in 16 feet…

On one side is the queen bed and couch…

This side from the back of the room. The colors are vibrant and fun, but I find this whole wall to be cramped.

A closer view of the bed. Note that–at least as of January 2019–these rooms have not lost their bed skirts!

A bedside table on either side adds a storage shelf with powerpoints, and a storage drawer.

The drawer is large enough for your important books.

On either side of the bed, built in below it, are long, large drawers. The one on the bath side is awkward to access…

…as is the one on the couch side, when the couch is folded out into a bed.

The bed is raised, platform style, enabling storage of rolly bags and similarly proportioned luggage underneath, even slob luggage like mine.

Between the bed and the bath wall is this fun art.

Next to the bed is this couch and chest that serves as a coffee table or place to prop up your feet (when mom isn’t looking). The couch is pretty tight to the queen bed–this side of the room would have worked better with another 12 or 18 inches. The total length of this living and sleeping area is 16 feet 2.5 inches–that’s two feet shorter than the longer wall in the bedroom space of a value resort room…

Above the couch there’s more fun art.

The top of the chest is hinged, yielding access to a large storage area within. Two large drawers in this object would have been more practical than a top-opening chest.

The couch unfolds into a bed that I measured as 76 inches by 59 inches–just a bit less than a queen–with a six inch cushion.  I slept fine on it.

On the other side is a fold-down Murphy bed under a large 54 inch TV, and a table and chairs.

The TV side from the back. There’s no dresser.

The Murphy bed pulls down from the enormous object underneath the TV. I measured it as 72″ by 30″, but it sleeps a little shorter than that because of the way it is framed.  The cushion is 6 inches. I napped on it fine, but it’s really not suited to anyone over 5′ 9″ tall for a full night.

Note the charming picture of a sleeping Lilo and Stitch revealed when the bed is pulled down.

In the back corner of the room is this table and chairs. Note the different chair colors–a fun feature. Above the table is a power point with one normal outlet and two USB power jacks.  There’s another regular outlet below the table, and more in the kitchenette.  This room is short on dressers but not on power!

The balcony extends the full width of the room.

All Studios have balconies or patios–in the longhouses with standard Polynesian Village rooms, second floor standard rooms have no balconies.

Views vary, not just by longhouse and longhouse side, but also by the season. Compare the view from my Pago Pago room in April (above) with the foliage you can see from my Moorea room in January, below.

More specifically, among the three Polynesian longhouses with Studios:

• Tokelau has the best overall location, and all of its rooms have fine views.  Half face the Oasis pool, so may suffer from noise.
• All Moorea rooms have fine views. Half face the Seven Seas Lagoon, but likely all these will get scarfed up by DVC members.
• Half of Pago Pago rooms have fine views, and the other half face a parking lot that while handy to all three of these longhouses is not worth looking at.

Compared to a standard room, Studios get you a toaster and microwave, a half bath, and guarantee a balcony or a patio.

They trade the desk for a table and chairs, and a queen bed for a pull-out sofa, at the expense of a smaller living space, a bit of cramped space along the bed/couch wall, and no dresser. You also lose an easy chair.

If you use it all and creatively, you’ll likely find enough drawers, shelves, chests and such for all your stuff, but it’ll be spread around more than if you had a dresser.

Most Polynesian Studio rooms have a better location than most Polynesian standard rooms, and, at least to my eye, have lovelier baths and a much more charming color scheme in the living area.

PHOTO TOUR OF A BUNGALOW 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

Follow yourfirstvisit.net on Facebook or Twitter or Pinterest!!

ROOM RATE DEAL FOR LATE SUMMER 2015

Disney World has announced a deal for room rate discounts for nights August 15 through October 3, 2015.

This deal can be booked through August 7, 2015, but rooms are limited, so the sooner the better!

Contact Kelly to book it at 980-429-4499 or kellyb@destinationsinflorida.com.

Deluxe Resorts

• 30% off: Animal Kingdom Lodge (Standard/Pool View), BoardWalk Inn, Grand Floridian, Polynesian Village, Wilderness Lodge, Yacht Club
• 20% off: Animal Kingdom Lodge (Savanna View/Club Level), Beach Club, Contemporary

Disney Vacation Club Resorts

• 30% off: Boardwalk Villas, Old Key West, Saratoga Springs
• 20% off: Animal Kingdom Villas (Jambo and Kidani), Beach Club Villas, Villas at the Wilderness Lodge
• Excluded: Polynesian Villas and Bungalows, Bay Lake Tower, Villas at the Grand Floridian

Moderate Resorts

• 25% off: Caribbean Beach, Coronado Springs, Cabins at Ft. Wilderness
• 25% off 8/15 to 8/27; 20% off 8/28 to 10/3: Port Orleans Riverside
• Excluded 8/15 to 8/27; 20% off 8/28 to 10/3: Port Orleans French Quarter

Value Resorts:

• 20% off: All-Star Music, All-Star Sports, Pop Century, Art of Animation Family Suites
• Excluded 8/15 to 8/27; 25% off 8/28 to 10/3: All-Star Movies
• Excluded: Little Mermaid Rooms at Art of Animation

Contact Kelly to book it at 980-429-4499 or kellyb@destinationsinflorida.com.

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2015 DISNEY WORLD FREE DINING DEAL RELEASED

Disney World released today a special offer for free dining covering the following 2015 arrival dates

• August 28 – October 2
• October 25 – October 31
• November 8 – November 19
• December 15 – December 21

Contact Kelly to book it at 980-429-4499 or kellyb@destinationsinflorida.com.

Guests who get the deal (not all resorts are eligible, and some have a very small number of rooms available) will get the Quick Service dining plan for free if their stay is at a value resort, or the Regular dinning plan for free if their stay is elsewhere.

Excluded resorts include Little Mermaid rooms at Art of Animation, All-Star Movies, Port Orleans French Quarter, Bay Lake Tower, The Villas at the Grand Floridian, and the Polynesian Villas and Bungalows.

Moreover, Port Orleans Riverside is in the deal only for arrival dates August 28 – October 2.

The deal requires minimums of a three night stay and two days of park hopper tickets. It can be booked through July 10, but these deals often sell out fast…

Contact Kelly to book it at 980-429-4499 or kellyb@destinationsinflorida.com.

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Welcome back to Fridays with Jim Korkis! Jim, the dean of Disney historians and author of Jim’s Gems in The easy Guide, writes about Walt Disney World history every Friday on yourfirstvisit.net.

THE ROY O. DISNEY “SHARING THE MAGIC” STATUE

By Jim Korkis

Most Disney fans are familiar with the popular “Partners” statue that is in the Hub areas of both Disneyland and the Magic Kingdom, where Walt Disney is holding Mickey Mouse’s hand.

According the sculptor, Disney Legend Blaine Gibson, Walt is saying to Mickey, “Look at what we accomplished together. Look at all the happy people coming to visit us.”

But it’s not Gibson’s only statue of a Disney…

Gibson began his Disney career in 1939 as an apprentice animation artist. Walt Disney noticed Blaine’s interest and skill in sculpture and transferred him over to WED (Imagineering) to work on things for Disneyland.

Blaine ended up sculpting everything from Indian chiefs along the banks of the Rivers of America to bathing elephants on the Jungle Cruise. He sculpted President Lincoln (as well as all the presidents in the Hall of Presidents except for President Obama, who was done by a Gibson protégé), Haunted Mansion ghosts and blood-thirsty pirates in Pirates of the Caribbean.

Blaine became a Disney Legend in 1993, the same year the “Partners” statue debuted at Disneyland.

While Mickey truly was Walt’s partner, Walt also had a “silent partner” who once said, “My younger brother dreams of castles, but I am the one that has to get them built.”

A statue of Walt’s older brother, Roy O. Disney, seated on a park bench beside Minnie Mouse at the Magic Kingdom theme park in Florida, is located approximately where Roy stood when he dedicated the park in October 1971.

This statue was installed in October 1999 and was also the work of Blaine Gibson.

The statue of Roy is called “Sharing the Magic” and sits by the flagpole in Town Square across from the shadow of Roy’s name on the upper window of the confectionery shop.

“Roy is sitting back in the bench which indicates he was there first and Minnie came to him, not that he came up to her to ask why she was sitting down and not working,” laughed Blaine who based the pose on photographs taken of Roy in the park in October 1971 sitting on a bench with Disney costumed characters. “Also he is holding her hand underneath so he is supporting it, just like he always supported Walt’s dreams. Roy was very underrated.”

Originally, the statue was put behind a low fence but so many guests climbed over the fence for photographs that it was moved out of the fenced area.

A duplicate is located outside the Team Disney building at Disney’s corporate headquarters in Burbank, California. There is a third statue at the Tokyo Disneyland theme park.

Both the Partners and the Sharing the Magic statues are favorite photo locations at the Magic Kingdom today, as they continue to honor the two brothers who made a dream come true in a Florida swampland.

Gibson’s young assistant on both the “Partners” and “Sharing the Magic” statues was the very talented Rick Terry. Terry is the sculptor of the recent “Storytellers” statue of Walt and Mickey at Disney California Adventure.

Both Gibson and Imagineer Ray Spencer looked over his shoulder while Terry worked on this newest icon in the Disney theme parks.

*  *  *  *  *

Thanks, Jim! Come back next Friday for more from Jim Korkis.

In the meantime, check out his books, including The Vault of Walt, Who’s Afraid of the Song of the South?, and The Book of Mouse, and his contributions to The easy Guide to Your First Walt Disney World Visit, all published by Theme Park Press.

MORE DISNEY WORLD HISTORY POSTS FROM JIM KORKIS

• “Summer Magic” on Main Street
• Muppets and Mama Melrose
• Peter Dominick and the Wilderness Lodge
• Dixie Landing and Port Orleans Riverside
• The History of Splash Mountain
• The First Disney World Hotel
• The “Sharing the Magic” Statue
• The First Disney World Monorails
• The Water Park River Country
• The Epcot Fountain
• The Fireplace at the Wilderness Lodge
• Sid Cahuenga at Disney’s Hollywood Studios
• Spaceship Earth
• Downtown Disney
• The Missing Resort Hotels
• Echo Park and Echo Lake
• Typhoon Lagoon

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DISNEY WORLD NEXT WEEK: APRIL 25 TO MAY 3, 2015

The material below details operating hours, Extra Magic Hours, parades, and fireworks.

The same stuff is in the image, but organized by park, not by topic. For more on April 2015 at Walt Disney World, click here.

Note that typos happen, and schedules change! If something seems odd, or if you want to double check, use the calendar links near the bottom to get the latest official Disney World scoop.

OPERATING HOURS AT WALT DISNEY WORLD 4/25/-5/3/2015

The Magic Kingdom will be open  8a-12MN 4/25, 9a-12MN 4/26 and 4/27, 9a-11p 4/28 through 4/30, 9a-12MN 5/1, 8a-12MN 5/2, and 9a-12MN 5/3

Epcot will be open from 9a-9p every day

Disney’s Hollywood Studios will be open 9a-9.30p 4/25 and 4/26, 9a-8p 4/27, 9a-9.30p 4/28, 9a-8p 4/29 through 5/1, 9a-9.30p 5/2, and 9a-10p 5/3

Disney’s Animal Kingdom will be open 9a-7p 4/25 and 4/26, 9a-6p 4/27, 9a-5p 4/28 through 4/30, 9a-7p 5/1 and 5/2 and 9a-8p 5/3

EXTRA MAGIC HOURS AT WALT DISNEY WORLD 4/25/-5/3/2015

Saturday 4/25 Morning:  Hollywood Studios Evening: Magic Kingdom

Sunday 4/26 Morning:  Animal Kingdom Evening: none

Monday 4/27 Morning: Epcot  Evening: none

Tuesday 4/28 Morning: none Evening:  Hollywood Studios

Wednesday 4/29 Morning:  Animal Kingdom  Evening:  none

Thursday 4/30 Morning: Magic Kingdom  Evening: none

Friday 5/1 Morning: none Evening: Epcot

Saturday 5/2 Morning:  Hollywood Studios Evening: Magic Kingdom

Sunday 5/3  Morning: Animal Kingdom  Evening: none

PARADES AT WALT DISNEY WORLD 4/25/-5/3/2015

The Magic Kingdom:

• Afternoon Festival of Fantasy Parade: 3p every day
• Evening Main Street Electrical Parade: 9 and 11p every day

FIREWORKS AT WALT DISNEY WORLD 4/25-5/3/2015

Wishes at the Magic Kingdom: 10p every night

Illuminations at Epcot: 9p every night

Fantasmic at Disney’s Hollywood Studios: 8.30 and 10p 4/25 and 4/26; 8.30p 4/27; 8.30 and 10p 4/28; 8.30p 4/29 through 5/1; 8.30 and 10p 5/2; 9 and 10.30p 5/3

SHOW SCHEDULES FOR WALT DISNEY WORLD 4/25/-5/3/2015

See Steve Soares’ site here. Click the park names at its top for show schedules.

LONG RANGE WEATHER FORECAST FOR WALT DISNEY WORLD 4/25/-5/3/2015

See this for forecasts.

DISCLAIMER

Everything is subject to change and typos! Check the Disney Calendars for updates and official schedules. These calendars can be found by clicking the following links:

• Magic Kingdom Calendar
• Hollywood Studios Calendar
• Animal Kingdom Calendar
• Epcot Calendar

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