Disney's POLYNESIAN VILLAGE RESORT Information & Questions

[sandym718]

What is the easiest/best way to get to MK with a double stroller? We usually stay at CR and walk to MK. I was thinking the ferry from TTC would be easiest before realizing that bag check moved since our last trip. Is it fairly easy to get on the monorail in the morning? The monorail seems reasonable when we head to the ttc from CR, but that is right after dropping off at MK. Any suggestions or insight about whether walking to the TTC in the morning to get to the parks (MK & Epcot) is still a time saver vs. the resort monorail?

If there's at least 2 adults going have you considered taking 2 strollers? We did that our first trip and it worked out great. We specifically booked the Poly for the transportation convenience (and fell in love, 6th stay currently booked). We used the resort monorail to the MK and walked to TTC for Epcot Monorail. I don't recall ever having to fold up either stroller. Single stroller folded up, plus toddler basically takes up the same amount of room. We didn't go at a very busy time though so that could vary. We had a car so we drove to all the other parks.

Just a thought if that would work for you. It was easier to maneuver through the parks as well and we could split up as needed. DD wanted to see princesses, DS did not. Two strollers made it easy.

I would imagine that unless its basically empty, you'd probably be folding up the double stroller a lot even on the monorail.

 

[ErinsMommy]

Here is my very belated belated review of our Polynesian stay from September 15-25.

We stayed a total of 9 nights at the Polynesian, first night room only in a Garden View Club Level due to late flight) then started our package next morning in a Theme Park View Club Level. Got our room ready text around 3:00 p.m., followed up by a phone call about an hour later that they saw our fax request (via TouringPlans) and to disregard the room number, that they were able to grant our request and we would get a new text shortly (which we did). Was a great start!

Flights were good, made great time going/coming home with no delays or problems. Nice change of pace considering every flight we’ve taken prior to this point was right before a major snowstorm or hurricane.

Room: My concerns about being in a “temperature controlled” room with no ceiling fan were not a problem and I was thrilled as I know September the heat is pretty oppressive and to come to a room that I couldn’t cool down in didn’t sound like fun, but no issue at all (although one night we got back to the room and for some reason they had the heat on), we had turn down service with a chocolate Giardelli on each pillow every night, room was always cleaned and re-stocked, and the view was incredible! Prior to this, we’ve only stayed in the Contemporary Theme Park View so I expected some unhappiness from DH - but for the most part he was pretty good about it (although I would catch him looking out the window at the Contemporary often...lol) plus he commented a few times that being close height wise to the walking path was something to get used to, but it didn’t affect our trip. I personally loved looking out and seeing the tiki torches lit and listening to the Hawaiian music, very tropical feel to the resort and very much different than the Contemporary.

Staff: Club Level staff were great and always helpful and accommodating. A couple of days into our stay I unfortunately had an issue with foot swelling and blisters and by the middle of our stay it had gotten pretty bad, so EMS came to the room as well as the front desk manager with recommendations on how to possibly bring the swelling down and treat the blister, and also gave me options on off-site medical facilities. I was practically begging EMS to pop the blister but they said they couldn’t and didn’t recommend that I do so myself (infection risk, etc.) so I just left well enough alone and tried to get through the rest of our stay best I could. Well the front desk manager took it upon himself to go to the gift shop and brought back every foot cream, antibiotic cream and bandages they had (and also brought back a large stuffed Stitch for my daughter) and his kindness was very sweet and very very much appreciated. He even followed up with a phone call a couple of days later to see how things were going.

Facilities: We rented the ‘cabana’ for 3 of our pool days and it was PERFECT for our wants/needs. Daughter and DH swam, I got to rest my foot on a comfortable couch while drinking pina colodas and other snacks from the lounge area all while staying in the shade. Transportation was never a problem, nor did we have terribly long waits for buses or monorails. The boat was a nice change of pace from the monorail and was a closer walk, so we took that a couple of times to/from Magic Kingdom.

Food: We did a lot of firsts this trip. Beaches & Cream: I had the grilled cheese which was fabulous and we finished it off with a kitchen sink. Very fun experience and we would definitely go back again! Hoop-De-Do-Revue: it was a cute and funny show; cornbread was great, fried chicken was a bit on the greasy side; and it was “once and done” for us; Dinner @ ‘Ohana: I love seafood and the shrimp being cooked and served with the shell still on was a turn-off for me, the dessert was just ok, DH and DD weren’t all that thrilled with the steak or chicken, so overall that too was a “once and done”. Captain Cooks : enjoyed the food there every time, great selections! Boathouse: loved the seafood and our waitress was fabulous! Can’t wait to go back! Trader Sams: DH went off multiple evenings to drink and came back with my tiki mugs and his nautilus. (They didn’t have a great tiki mug selection, but next time there will hopefully be a better selection so he can get me some more...lol)

Parks: Due to my foot issues we didn’t spend as much time in the park as we would’ve liked, so we would go, bang out some fastpasses, dine and leave. We had a FP+ for FOP and after DD loved it so much we decided to wait on standby for a 2nd go and yes its as awesome as everyone says it is, and is a must do for any trip! Lines weren’t bad for most of the week. We did our first Halloween party on 9/19 (was a Tuesday) and pretty much all the rides were very low to walk-on wait times, we saw the Boo-to-You Parade as well as the Fireworks (missed Hocus Pocus) and Trick/Treating in Magic Kingdom was definitely a unique experience and was lots of fun. The party on 9/24 (was a CM discount party) and was PACKED and sold out. DH and DD did trick/treating while I stood in line for J&S and I don’t think they had as much of a good time that last night as DH kept saying the trick/treat lines were very long, the ride lines were even longer, and then daughter got sick right after the first firework show, so we took that as a sign that enough was enough and since it was our last night at 10;30 p.m. we put a wrap on the trip, got back to the resort and just enjoyed the pool and scenery for our final night. While we had a great time at the Halloween party, going back for Halloween won’t be on top of our list of things to repeat and we’ll likely stick to the Christmas party.

We’re heading back to Disney in 46 days to try and get some things done that we missed out on this trip (we really want to see the Star Wars stage and firework show, so hopefully that’ll still be going on when we get there).

Overall the Poly was my favorite resort out of all that we stayed at and I totally see us staying there again although likely not CL.

 

[stitchfan18]

The boat from Poly to MK is very easy, though you will have the fold the stroller up. The monorail is also very easy. Bag check goes quickly and it was never uncomfortably crowded getting on at Poly while we were there. You may still have to fold up your stroller, of course. I would NEVER walk to the TTC to get to MK from Poly. Definitely take the resort loop to MK from Poly or the boat from Poly. For going to Epcot, it could go either way. Bag check lines at TTC are looooong around park open, so depending on timing of when the monorail arrives, it could actually be faster to get on at Poly and do the loop to TTC then transfer. But, it probably averages out about the same, though, depending on where your room is at Poly.

If there's at least 2 adults going have you considered taking 2 strollers? We did that our first trip and it worked out great. We specifically booked the Poly for the transportation convenience (and fell in love, 6th stay currently booked). We used the resort monorail to the MK and walked to TTC for Epcot Monorail. I don't recall ever having to fold up either stroller. Single stroller folded up, plus toddler basically takes up the same amount of room. We didn't go at a very busy time though so that could vary. We had a car so we drove to all the other parks.

Just a thought if that would work for you. It was easier to maneuver through the parks as well and we could split up as needed. DD wanted to see princesses, DS did not. Two strollers made it easy.

I would imagine that unless its basically empty, you'd probably be folding up the double stroller a lot even on the monorail.

Thanks for the replies! I’m starting to worry we booked the wrong resort if folding double strollers on the monorail is common from the Poly. This will be our first trip with 3 kids (4 and under) so folding strollers and having to manage 3 kiddos was what we were trying to avoid. Oldest DD really wants to stay at the ‘Moana’ hotel as she affectionately calls it, but we may have to look at availability at the contemporary so we at least have the walkway to MK.

 

[TulipMom]

Thanks for the replies! I’m starting to worry we booked the wrong resort if folding double strollers on the monorail is common from the Poly. This will be our first trip with 3 kids (4 and under) so folding strollers and having to manage 3 kiddos was what we were trying to avoid. Oldest DD really wants to stay at the ‘Moana’ hotel as she affectionately calls it, but we may have to look at availability at the contemporary so we at least have the walkway to MK.

We had a single stroller and had times when we didn't have to fold it and times that we did. If that's a big issue for you, then might be worth switching to Contemporary.

 

[TulipMom]

There's a bag check at TTC now? We've never had to do that before when walking from Poly to TTC. Is it for all monorails?

Yes. You can not get onto any monorail without first going through bag check. You can do it at Poly before getting on the resort loop. Or if you walk to the TTC from Poly, you will go through bag check in the same lines as everyone else arriving to the TTC that morning. I arrived to the TTC around 9:15am on a Wednesday in late October. Lots of people, long lines, though the wait was 10-15 minutes to get through. Once through there was plenty of room on the monorail to Epcot. Then another 10-15 minutes of waiting for bag check at Epcot. Understand why it's needed, but the double bag check definitely kills the morning magical vibe a bit.

 

[laraashley4]

We are only 26 days out from our first ever Disney trip and I came on here to get some insight on putting in a room request. After getting lost in this thread for a couple hours, I am disappointed and confused hearing about these new room categories. We booked a standard view room 13 months ago with high hopes of getting a decent view. Can anyone provide any recent insight on if they have already transitioned to the new categories? If there is not a high chance of getting a room in Somoa or Fiji now, what is my best request so we hopefully aren't looking at a parking lot?

 

[NYCgrrl]

We are only 26 days out from our first ever Disney trip and I came on here to get some insight on putting in a room request. After getting lost in this thread for a couple hours, I am disappointed and confused hearing about these new room categories. We booked a standard view room 13 months ago with high hopes of getting a decent view. Can anyone provide any recent insight on if they have already transitioned to the new categories? If there is not a high chance of getting a room in Somoa or Fiji now, what is my best request so we hopefully aren't looking at a parking lot?

The new categories (pool and/ or marina view) don't start until sometime in 2018 so you should be fine putting your request in with your arrival date. Be sure to take a walk around the property when you get there you may be pleasantly surprised with some of the other room choices vis a vis view. Poly does an excellent job of landscaping.

 

[trishadono]

We are only 26 days out from our first ever Disney trip and I came on here to get some insight on putting in a room request. After getting lost in this thread for a couple hours, I am disappointed and confused hearing about these new room categories. We booked a standard view room 13 months ago with high hopes of getting a decent view. Can anyone provide any recent insight on if they have already transitioned to the new categories? If there is not a high chance of getting a room in Somoa or Fiji now, what is my best request so we hopefully aren't looking at a parking lot?

We had a Rarotonga room facing parking. My kids and many others that have posted over the years loved it. Watching the monorail go by and so close is a treat.

 

[trishadono]

Here is my very belated belated review of our Polynesian stay from September 15-25.

We stayed a total of 9 nights at the Polynesian, first night room only in a Garden View Club Level due to late flight) then started our package next morning in a Theme Park View Club Level. Got our room ready text around 3:00 p.m., followed up by a phone call about an hour later that they saw our fax request (via TouringPlans) and to disregard the room number, that they were able to grant our request and we would get a new text shortly (which we did). Was a great start!

Flights were good, made great time going/coming home with no delays or problems. Nice change of pace considering every flight we’ve taken prior to this point was right before a major snowstorm or hurricane.

Room: My concerns about being in a “temperature controlled” room with no ceiling fan were not a problem and I was thrilled as I know September the heat is pretty oppressive and to come to a room that I couldn’t cool down in didn’t sound like fun, but no issue at all (although one night we got back to the room and for some reason they had the heat on), we had turn down service with a chocolate Giardelli on each pillow every night, room was always cleaned and re-stocked, and the view was incredible! Prior to this, we’ve only stayed in the Contemporary Theme Park View so I expected some unhappiness from DH - but for the most part he was pretty good about it (although I would catch him looking out the window at the Contemporary often...lol) plus he commented a few times that being close height wise to the walking path was something to get used to, but it didn’t affect our trip. I personally loved looking out and seeing the tiki torches lit and listening to the Hawaiian music, very tropical feel to the resort and very much different than the Contemporary.

Staff: Club Level staff were great and always helpful and accommodating. A couple of days into our stay I unfortunately had an issue with foot swelling and blisters and by the middle of our stay it had gotten pretty bad, so EMS came to the room as well as the front desk manager with recommendations on how to possibly bring the swelling down and treat the blister, and also gave me options on off-site medical facilities. I was practically begging EMS to pop the blister but they said they couldn’t and didn’t recommend that I do so myself (infection risk, etc.) so I just left well enough alone and tried to get through the rest of our stay best I could. Well the front desk manager took it upon himself to go to the gift shop and brought back every foot cream, antibiotic cream and bandages they had (and also brought back a large stuffed Stitch for my daughter) and his kindness was very sweet and very very much appreciated. He even followed up with a phone call a couple of days later to see how things were going.

Facilities: We rented the ‘cabana’ for 3 of our pool days and it was PERFECT for our wants/needs. Daughter and DH swam, I got to rest my foot on a comfortable couch while drinking pina colodas and other snacks from the lounge area all while staying in the shade. Transportation was never a problem, nor did we have terribly long waits for buses or monorails. The boat was a nice change of pace from the monorail and was a closer walk, so we took that a couple of times to/from Magic Kingdom.

Food: We did a lot of firsts this trip. Beaches & Cream: I had the grilled cheese which was fabulous and we finished it off with a kitchen sink. Very fun experience and we would definitely go back again! Hoop-De-Do-Revue: it was a cute and funny show; cornbread was great, fried chicken was a bit on the greasy side; and it was “once and done” for us; Dinner @ ‘Ohana: I love seafood and the shrimp being cooked and served with the shell still on was a turn-off for me, the dessert was just ok, DH and DD weren’t all that thrilled with the steak or chicken, so overall that too was a “once and done”. Captain Cooks : enjoyed the food there every time, great selections! Boathouse: loved the seafood and our waitress was fabulous! Can’t wait to go back! Trader Sams: DH went off multiple evenings to drink and came back with my tiki mugs and his nautilus. (They didn’t have a great tiki mug selection, but next time there will hopefully be a better selection so he can get me some more...lol)

Parks: Due to my foot issues we didn’t spend as much time in the park as we would’ve liked, so we would go, bang out some fastpasses, dine and leave. We had a FP+ for FOP and after DD loved it so much we decided to wait on standby for a 2nd go and yes its as awesome as everyone says it is, and is a must do for any trip! Lines weren’t bad for most of the week. We did our first Halloween party on 9/19 (was a Tuesday) and pretty much all the rides were very low to walk-on wait times, we saw the Boo-to-You Parade as well as the Fireworks (missed Hocus Pocus) and Trick/Treating in Magic Kingdom was definitely a unique experience and was lots of fun. The party on 9/24 (was a CM discount party) and was PACKED and sold out. DH and DD did trick/treating while I stood in line for J&S and I don’t think they had as much of a good time that last night as DH kept saying the trick/treat lines were very long, the ride lines were even longer, and then daughter got sick right after the first firework show, so we took that as a sign that enough was enough and since it was our last night at 10;30 p.m. we put a wrap on the trip, got back to the resort and just enjoyed the pool and scenery for our final night. While we had a great time at the Halloween party, going back for Halloween won’t be on top of our list of things to repeat and we’ll likely stick to the Christmas party.

We’re heading back to Disney in 46 days to try and get some things done that we missed out on this trip (we really want to see the Star Wars stage and firework show, so hopefully that’ll still be going on when we get there).

Overall the Poly was my favorite resort out of all that we stayed at and I totally see us staying there again although likely not CL.

Sorry about your foot.

I love cc's! The kids pineappple chicken skewers are good too.

We tried the cabana. My dd22 and bf22 lounged and I swam! I liked we could leave our bags with change of clothes and swim stuff while we left for,lunch and shopping. Made our going home day easier.

I love the CR view too! You can hear the MK sounds better from there. However the view from poly is such a nice low view and so different I love that too. Yep tiki lights and music


We enjoyed the party but it was crowded. I need to remember NOT to go arrival day. You are just too tired to stay up and have energy after waking at 3am for airport.

Thanks for the review.

 

[mickeynut1]

My DS is a big Disney geek too, and though we weren't doing a trip last year when he turned 16, we gave him a certificate to a Keys to the Kingdom Tour for his 16th B-day. He thinks he's going to be able to cash it in during a big summer trip in 2018, but we're actually surprising he and his brother right after Thanksgiving .... dragging them to the airport for what they think is a 2 day trip to Chicago to visit family, but in reality is an 8 day trip down the WDW for our first ever trip at Christmas time. Our first full day starts with an 8am Keys to the Kingdom Tour for he and I, and then MVMCP that evening. Our first 5 nights re at a BWV 1 BR (DVC points rental), but our last 2 are at Polynesian (Club Level). He's going to freak out, since we've always rented offsite and told them there's no way we'd ever pay for a room at the Polynesian. Ha - nothing better than setting the bar low and then blowing it away.

What a great surprise! Christmas at Disney is amazing! Hope you have a great trip .

Here is my very belated belated review of our Polynesian stay from September 15-25.

We stayed a total of 9 nights at the Polynesian, first night room only in a Garden View Club Level due to late flight) then started our package next morning in a Theme Park View Club Level. Got our room ready text around 3:00 p.m., followed up by a phone call about an hour later that they saw our fax request (via TouringPlans) and to disregard the room number, that they were able to grant our request and we would get a new text shortly (which we did). Was a great start!

We’re heading back to Disney in 46 days to try and get some things done that we missed out on this trip (we really want to see the Star Wars stage and firework show, so hopefully that’ll still be going on when we get there).

Overall the Poly was my favorite resort out of all that we stayed at and I totally see us staying there again although likely not CL.

Thanks for your thorough review. Glad you had a great time and enjoyed the Poly. Sorry about the issues with swelling/blisters, but sounds like you were well taken care of by EMS and resort staff! Hope you have another great trip in 46 days .

We are only 26 days out from our first ever Disney trip and I came on here to get some insight on putting in a room request. After getting lost in this thread for a couple hours, I am disappointed and confused hearing about these new room categories. We booked a standard view room 13 months ago with high hopes of getting a decent view. Can anyone provide any recent insight on if they have already transitioned to the new categories? If there is not a high chance of getting a room in Somoa or Fiji now, what is my best request so we hopefully aren't looking at a parking lot?

As NYCgrrl posted, you should be fine with your request of Samoa or Figi as the new categories don't go into effect until next year. Have a great trip .

Poly does an excellent job of landscaping.

I agree

 

[GADisneyDad14]

Thanks for the replies! I’m starting to worry we booked the wrong resort if folding double strollers on the monorail is common from the Poly. This will be our first trip with 3 kids (4 and under) so folding strollers and having to manage 3 kiddos was what we were trying to avoid. Oldest DD really wants to stay at the ‘Moana’ hotel as she affectionately calls it, but we may have to look at availability at the contemporary so we at least have the walkway to MK.

Just my view, but I rarely see people fold single or double strollers on the monorail. Maybe occasionally on an absolutely jam packed car, but that’s more the exception than the norm. Sometimes you may feel compelled to fold it to create more space, but I don’t often find that necessary. Lots of people will be in your same camp - just trying to get kids from point A to B while keeping everyone happy and the amount of space you add by unloading the people/folding the stroller isn’t all that much.

We bring a single Bob stroller and have never folded it up on the monorail. Frankly the Bob, and most strollers, are far more stable/safe open and wheels locked vs folded up, where they can become unwieldy on a moving monorail.

And heck, half the time kids are zonked out in strollers and it’s best just to leave them asleep anyway!

In my opinion, Poly is a much better resort overall than CR for 3 kids 4 and under despite the reliance on monorail and boats to get to/from MK. Both Poly pools are zero entry and the kids splash area is fantastic. CR does not have zero entry pools and really no kids splash area except for a small “squirt” area. Unless your kids are mostly babies who won’t use the pools much, I lean towards Poly.

Is the third child in a single stroller or walking? While the walk from CR to MK is pretty easy, it’s still enough to wear on a 4 year old a bit if they are walking. I ended up carrying my 4 year old DS back and forth a couple of times, which is NOT fun at all. Haha....

Anyway, don’t mean to start a fold the stroller on the monorail debate, but that’s my view. And I vote keeping Poly.

 

[Cluelyss]

Thanks for the replies! I’m starting to worry we booked the wrong resort if folding double strollers on the monorail is common from the Poly. This will be our first trip with 3 kids (4 and under) so folding strollers and having to manage 3 kiddos was what we were trying to avoid. Oldest DD really wants to stay at the ‘Moana’ hotel as she affectionately calls it, but we may have to look at availability at the contemporary so we at least have the walkway to MK.

We have taken a double stroller on a dozen or more trips, half of which were spent at monorail resorts. I cannot think of a single time we’ve folded our stroller on the monorail. Granted, there have been busy times when we didn’t fit in any of the cars and just opted to wait for the next monorail. But you should not need to fold if you don’t want to.

 

[ErinsMommy]

I need to remember NOT to go arrival day. You are just too tired to stay up and have energy after waking at 3am for airport.

This is what I'm dreading this trip - we have to be up at 4:30 a.m. to get to airport, then have the xmas party that night. I mean first world problems, but I'm already exhausted just thinking of it. LOL.

 

[4forWDW]

We are going to MVMCP Friday and want to eat a late lunch at Capt Cook's and then go over to the MK. Where is the security checkpoint if we take a friendship boat? Is it on the Poly side or MK side?
TIA!
Amy

 

[GADisneyDad14]

We are going to MVMCP Friday and want to eat a late lunch at Capt Cook's and then go over to the MK. Where is the security checkpoint if we take a friendship boat? Is it on the Poly side or MK side?
TIA!
Amy

For the resort launch, it’s right when you get off the boat at the MK. It’s basically right there on the dock. It can be beneficial to sit near the boat exit as you’ll be among the first through security. If you’re the last one off the boat = last one through security (although it really isn’t that bad for the smaller sized launches that are normally being used).

 

[4forWDW]

For the resort launch, it’s right when you get off the boat at the MK. It’s basically right there on the dock. It can be beneficial to sit near the boat exit as you’ll be among the first through security. If you’re the last one off the boat = last one through security (although it really isn’t that bad for the smaller sized launches that are normally being used).

Thank you very much!

 

[JoJoGirl]

29 days until check in at the Polynesian!!!

 

[jandkmom]

Thank you to all who responded to the new bag check questions I had. It's a bummer that there's double bag checks with the monorails now. Especially for Epcot because that always seems to be the biggest wait for us. I've enjoyed the walk from Poly to TTC and easily hopping on the monorail. Oh well - I guess this is the new reality.

 

[TulipMom]

Thank you to all who responded to the new bag check questions I had. It's a bummer that there's double bag checks with the monorails now. Especially for Epcot because that always seems to be the biggest wait for us. I've enjoyed the walk from Poly to TTC and easily hopping on the monorail. Oh well - I guess this is the new reality.

There is NOT a double bag check going to MK (or other resorts). Just to Epcot.

 

[Nazran]

I currently have a Poly Standard View Booked but am considering seeing about paying for an upgrade (If they have availability). The price differential on the next to categories are similar so if you could choose between Club Level Standard or a Lagoon View which would you select?