Disney's Polynesian Villas & Bungalows

We stayed in the NEW Polynesian Tower section of the Villas. Well, mostly positive for us. I found the studio lovely with a couple of caveats. There is a light switch when you enter which is nice, but it lights up the whole room and I will say that is great when you want the whole room lite up. BUT there is NO separate light over the kitchenette without turning on the main switch that lights up the whole room so either make coffee in the dark or wake everyone up with the one switch that lights up the whole room. I agree with others - no soundproofing - heard the people upstairs, next door and especially in the hallway and we were close to the elevator. You can hear every toilet flush all around. We had a standard view and overlooked the parking lot AND the monorail so that was nice. The main floor restaurant was ok. We got chicken wings - only 5 small wings but they were good. However, there is NO quick service breakfast except a pastry. That makes the main quick service at the Poly the only place for quick breakfast and of course, it was packed before - now it is terrible. Plus, it is a good 5 plus minute walk outside to get to that building. That was my biggest disappointment. I saw someone say you couldn't check in here but that is not true. There are several people in the entry until 10 at night checking people in. They were very friendly. We parked in the new parking lot - it is a little hard to get to as there is still construction in that area but it is new so that is to be expected. I slept in the pull-down bed, and I found it very comfortable. The bathroom has a completely separate toilet area - kind of weird but it works. OH, make sure your magic band works for the elevator - or you will get stuck in the elevator as you can only get to your floor with your magic bands. Ours did not work at first - they are having trouble with them getting keyed with the automatic check in. That was strange but eventually we arrived at the first floor. All in all, a nice stay but needs some tweaking yet.

The Island Tower is a beautiful addition to the Polynesian Village Resort. The lobby's artsy lighting, murals, carved columns, marble, wood and stone accents, tall ceilings and lots of natural light all contribute to a serene and tropical ambiance. Located in the Island Tower, Wailulu Bar & Grill's open patio and outdoor bar look out onto the lagoon for what we were told are picture perfect views of the fireworks. As we were not hotel guests, we could not check out the themed open terraces on different floors of Island Tower. Tropical flowers like orchids, jasmine, hibiscus, plumeria and flower leis surround you when you visit Hawaii. We did not see any fresh flowers here. It was disappointing that the Island Tower has big urns in its lobby filled with ugly plastic ferns. Even some of the outdoor potted plants were plastic. After so much effort to create a beautiful space, it would be nice if Disney greeted guests with fresh flower arrangements in the lobby.

Never write reviews, despite traveling consistently for work, because I feel like everyone is entitled to bad days, and having spent plenty of years in service industry jobs as I was in college and grad school I know it’s impossible to please everyone. That said. If you are expecting anything resembling a luxury hotel experience or even like a pretty OK three star hotel, stay elsewhere. A few snippets from this trip: - arrived at 4 (check in time.) Was told room was not ready and that 4pm was an “approximate” check-in time. Room was not ready until 5:52. - at 5:52, asked if the bell services could bring our luggage to the room and was told no - we had to be in the room for delivery. - returned to the hotel (with young kids) at 8pm. Was told bell services was “very busy” and they could “bring our luggage in approximately 60 minutes but it could be longer.” I said I would do it myself. I lugged all luggage on a cart to the bungalow - approximately a five minute walk. I called bell services to come pick up the cart and was asked “to be placed on a brief hold.” Nobody ever came for the cart. I walked it back myself after kids were asleep. Amazingly, everyone I talked to was wildly unapologetic and disinterested in helping. In the past, I have found “cast members” at Disney to be so kind, helpful, and unfailingly polite. This hotel was so understaffed that I think everyone was just hanging on by a thread. I don’t blame them. It was chaos. - silverware and dishes in the room patently unclean. Fingerprints on knives. Hair in a coffee mug. Hair in bathroom sink. Every 2-5 minutes, there is a thunderous sound of the water evacuation pump pumping water/sewage. Woke me and my kids up multiple times in the night. It’s the plumbing system for these bungalows. If you’re a sound sleeper, great. But it’s louder than the fireworks. - upon checkout, called one hour before pickup for bell services to come take our stuff since it was pouring rain and I thought I had learned my lesson. Was told all luggage carts were in use and they would “try” to get to us but all times approximate. Walked in the pouring rain to get a luggage cart and then went back to bungalow and took all luggage myself to the front lobby. In short, if it has been a dream of yours to stay at a bungalow, then do it. If you want a great view of fireworks, it’s exceptional. But this is basically a Best Western and there is no justification for the astronomical cost.

We absolutely LOVED the studio here. The room was so spacious and had two showers! It was perfect. The resort grounds were beautiful, and the pool is so fun. The theming truly makes you feel like you are on a tropical island, yet you are so close to Magic Kingdom and Epcot!

What an inviting oasis of Polynesian hospitality and warmth! A totally relaxing resort, with several entertainment options for family members of all ages! The updated interior is a long-awaited, yet lovely welcome, sharing a small taste of Aloha.

Great stay at the ‘Poly’ as ever. I had stayed on my own for few days between a family trip in South Carolina and meeting friends at Disney but felt so safe. Ohana, Kona and quick services were delicious, like usual. Transport quick and easy to parks, Disney Village. The rooms are not set to a low of 20 Celsius but as we found it still quite warm, engineers were able to get it down to 18.5 - thank you! Just couple slight negatives - the walkway to Grand Floridian was closed due to new DVC rooms (DVC owner so I’ll accept the minor inconvenience) and the resort has got a little busy with people who don’t stay at it. Would be nice to keep a bit of the beach at fireworks time for those staying onsite.