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There’s two room types in Disney’s Polynesian Resort

• “Smaller”–but still quite large–rooms, with a floor plan and photo tour that begins here, and
• Larger rooms, in the Polynesian’s Tahiti, Rapa Nui, and Tokelau longhouses, which are covered on this page.

Tokelau is the only one of these currently fully refurbished as part of the Polynesian’s 2012-2013 updates, and the images are from a refurbed Tokelau room.

(Tahiti, and perhaps Rapa Nui, may not get refurbs–they seem to be headed towards being converted to DVC rooms instead.)

FLOOR PLAN OF THE LARGER ROOMS AT DISNEY’S POLYNESIAN RESORT

The main difference between the large and smaller rooms is that the bedroom component of the large rooms is about three and a half feet longer.

This adds ~50 square feet to the room size–making it on the order of 465 square feet compared to the smaller room’s ~415 square feet.

At least in the room I stayed in, there’s no extra furniture that comes with this extra space–just a little more breathing space in the room, especially on the TV side, where the furnishings don’t seem so crowded together as they are in the smaller room.

There’s also slight differences in the layout of the bath–not making any material difference–and two panels to the balcony window rather than three.

(It’s also possible that this room is an inch or two narrower than the smaller rooms.  Steve and I need to measure one of these together to agree on final dimensions!)

Because the differences are minor, the photo tour of this room is very similar to the photo tour of the smaller rooms.

But I did get a new camera between my two 2013 visits to the Polynesian…so the new photos of similar furnishings are much clearer!

PHOTO TOUR OF A RENOVATED LARGER ROOM AT DISNEY’S POLYNESIAN RESORT

The hall and bath area is almost identical to that of the smaller rooms, other than minor layout differences in the bath.

As you enter, there’s two closets separated by a mini-fridge and coffee maker on one side, and the bath on the other.

Here’s the closet nearest the door…

…the mini-fridge/coffee maker and closet further from the door…

…detail of the further closet…

…and detail of the mini-fridge–I don’t know why I forgot to take this shot with my usual scaling objects.

On the other side of the hall is the bath, with double sinks and a toilet on one side.

Here’s detail of the sinks.

On the other side is the tub/shower combo.

Deeper in the room, on one side you’ll find a couple of queen beds, a bed table between them, and an easy chair and ottoman.

Here’s a closer view of one of the queens…

…and a closer view of the chair and ottoman.

You can see to the right of the chair the window wall that separates the room from a large balcony–above is the view from mine.

The other side of the room has a desk with a moveable table underneath, a TV on top of a dresser, and a couch which flips down to create a daybed.

These fit much better in the larger rooms than the identically-furnished smaller rooms.

Here’s a closer view of the couch (I forgot to tuck the bottom in after I tried sleeping on it–it isn’t as messy as this photo makes it look)…

…and the dresser, TV and desk.

(You can find more detailed shots and measurements–e.g. of the couch bed–in the photo tour of the smaller rooms.)

The three buildings with larger rooms at the Polynesian–Tahiti, Rapa Nui, and Tokelau–are also the only buildings there where every standard room has either a balcony or a patio, and are the rooms from which one can most easily access either the Epcot or the Magic Kingdom monorails.

Because of all these points, they’ve always been the buildings this site recommends.

Now, however, since Tokelau is the only one renovated, it is the recommended longhouse.  Stay there, and you’ll have a room quite like the one shown in the photos above!

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

Update April 2016: All major major construction at the Polynesian as part of its multi-year refurb is now complete.

While construction will continue on the east side of the Polynesian Resort into 2016, the major construction that affected everyone is now complete.

Specifically, here’s what’s done:

• Refurbs of the standard rooms
• The redo of the entrance to the main services building, the Great Ceremonial House
• The redo of the lobby and fountain
• The addition of Trader Sam’s
• The refurb of the main Lava Pool
• Construction of bungalows in Seven Seas Lagoon and re-opening of the beaches near here and the pool
• DVC refurbs of the old Rapa Nui and Tahiti, now Pago Pago and Moorea

What remains to be completed is

• Completing the DVC refurb of Tokelau–which looked almost done during my late April 2015 visit (e.g. the pictures were hung on the walls)
• Completing various pathway redos
• Most significantly, re-doing the smaller pool, the East Pool.

So pretty much everything I know about the big picture of what’s going on at the Polynesian comes from my bud Steve’s Tikiman Pages website dedicated to the Polynesian and his Facebook page, or our email exchanges. For the latest, check his sites.

It remains to be seen how much of a mess the East Pool refurb will make of the east side of the resort. Sometimes Disney will close rooms facing the refurb.  If it does so, then all are fine.

But until we know

• For standard rooms, avoid the east side longhouses Raratonga, Niue, Samoa, and south facing rooms in Hawaii (see the map, click it to enlarge it)
• If you are getting a DVC studio, avoid Tokelau (the un-named building on the east side of the East Pool on the map)

None of the construction that’s left is a big enough deal to suggest that the Polynesian is a bad choice for first time families who can afford it. Just avoid the east side!!

TOPICS IN THIS REVIEW OF DISNEY’S POLYNESIAN VILLAGE RESORT:

• Overview of 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
• Accommodations 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
• Renovation and Construction at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort

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As you may have seen from What You Need to Know Now About FastPass+ and Frequently Asked Questions about FastPass+, one way to find out if you’ve been invited to Disney World’s tests of FastPass+ is simply to sign in to MyDisneyExperience.com, link up your reservations and tickets, and see what you are offered.

This is what I did, and how I found out about my own FastPass+ eligibility.

But you may also get an email, a UPS letter, or both.

EMAIL NOTIFICATION OF YOUR ELIGIBILITY FOR DISNEY WORLD’S MYMAGIC+ TEST

The email I got is below. Click it to enlarge it, and note that it’s personalized to our visit.

UPS NOTIFICATION OF YOUR ELIGIBILITY FOR DISNEY WORLD’S MYMAGIC+ TEST

I also got a letter from UPS–so if you are counting at home, I found out myself first and signed up then, then got a letter, and then got an email.

The UPS envelope has–on both front and back, though I’m just showing the back–something that’s different than most UPS mailings…note the left side, center.

The front page of the UPS letter (below) is similar to the first part of the email (as always, click the images to enlarge.)

The second page, below, is like the second half of the email–tightly personalized.

Note that both the letter and email have the steps you have to go through–which is what everybody needs!

So you might find out you are eligible for the FastPass+ test by logging in to MyDisneyExperience, you might find out via email, you might find out via UPS–and you might find out all three ways!

And, if you are eligible–once you go through and do everything…you’ll have your FastPass+ and your MagicBand!

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DISNEY WORLD NEXT WEEK: AUGUST 31, 2013 TO SEPTEMBER 8, 2013

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

The same stuff is in the table, but organized by park, not by topic.

(And for more on September 2103 at Walt Disney World, see this.)

[Read more →]

…but I haven’t yet read the Twitter etiquette manuals being trucked in…so expect little. @yourfirstvisit

Here’s my first incoming and outgoing tweets:

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For the first page of this review of Disney’s Art of Animation Resort, see this.

THE CARS FAMILY SUITES AT DISNEY’S ART OF ANIMATION RESORT

(Note: this photo-tour of a Cars Family Suite at Disney’s Art of Animation Resort is a supplement to the full photo tour of a Finding Nemo Family Suites that’s here. At that link you’ll find a floor plan, and also much more detail on such items as bed dimensions, actual storage space, etc.)

The three types of Family Suites at Disney’s Art of Animation Resort–Cars, viewed here, Finding Nemo, and Lion King–have almost identical floor plans, varying only here and there in minor furnishings.

A refurb currently in process is shifting the floors to wood laminate, and the queen bed in the separate bedroom to a platform bed–which adds storage underneath. I’ll have updated images later in 2020.

You enter the Cars Family Suites from the dining room, with the dining room table and access to the master bedroom on one side…

…and access to the second bath, mini-kitchen and living room on the other.

The dining table improbably folds down into a bed. Note the darling sleepy Mater on the headboard–a larger image is at the top of the page.

Beyond the dining area, through a door, you’ll find the master bedroom with a queen bed on one side. The master bedroom in Cars is the most lightly themed of those in the Art of Animation Family Suites.

Here’s the other side of the master bedroom.

Accessible from the master bedroom is the master bath, with fun car-wash theming around the sink (well, I think it’s fun)…

…and a simple large shower.

The second bath is accessible from the open part of the Family Suite, and is divided into a sink area–also car-wash themed…

…and separate space with a toilet and tub. Note the silly shower curtain.

One side of the living room has the couch and mini-kitchen.

Here’s another view of the couch–note the auto-themed upholstery…

…and here’s the couch folded out into a bed.

The biggest difference between the Cars Family Suites and the other two types at Art of Animation is the coffee table. This actually matters…

In the Finding Nemo and Lion King Family Suites (Lion King is shown above), you won’t find a single coffee table, but rather two small round ones that also can serve as stools, so that the room can seat six.  The stools can also be dragged over to the dining room table so that it can hold around it 6 as well.

In Cars, instead you’ll find this amoeba-shaped single table with a map of Radiator Springs.

You can still seat six in the living room, if you grab two chairs from the dining room and pull them in. Moreover, this table appeared sturdy enough to serve as a bench at the dining room table…but not quite so flexibly as the little stools in the other suites.  But if you break it you buy it!

Also on this side of the main living space you’ll find the mini-kitchen.  Note the garage/shop theming…

…which is also picked up on the opposite TV-side wall, where you’ll find the second hanging rod in the suite, TV and dresser storage, and a chair.

I really like the wall art in these rooms…

Personally, my favorite decor among the Family Suite options at Disney’s Art of Animation Resort is that of this Cars room. But that doesn’t really matter. If your kids love all of these movies, they will love all of these rooms!

AMENITIES AT DISNEY’S ART OF ANIMATION RESORT

This review continues here!

MATERIAL IN THIS REVIEW OF DISNEY’S ART OF ANIMATION RESORT

• Overview of Disney’s Art of Animation Resort
• The Little Mermaid Area and Rooms
• Photo Tour of a Little Mermaid Room
• Overview of the Family Suites Areas
• Accommodations in the Family Suites
• Photo Tour of a Finding Nemo Family Suite (plus bed dimensions, storage, etc)
• Photo Tour of a Lion King Family Suite
• Photo Tour of a Cars Family Suite
• Amenities at Disney’s Art of Animation Resort
• The Pools at Disney’s Art of Animation 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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