Disney's Polynesian Villas & Bungalows

I stayed here for 2 nights for my birthday weekend. While I love the hotel itself, the rooms are a little dated --- especially for the price you are paying. That said, I do love the hotel grounds, the overall vibe of the hotel, and the location. Also the lounges are awesome (although you don't have to stay at hotel to go to those). I would stay here again, but only if the price is reasonable (which is rare).

We stayed at the villa tower. The hotel is pretty and the lobby is clean and there is a great view for fireworks. The room is spacious and there are two bathrooms in the villa which is great. This hotel is a difficult place to stay if you don’t have your own car. There is no coffee anywhere in the lobby and there is really no where to get food. If you are bringing your own car and own food you will do well. If you try to call a car for pickup and drop off they will have a hard time getting through the gate and it had the same address as the regular polynesian so that adds a level of difficulty. There was an incident in the pool by the tower that needed attention (poopy diaper) and again there was no lifeguard or attendant . Kind of felt like a condo situation but it is a hotel… Walking to the monorail is about 15 minutes. It is just a lot of walking to get to the basic amenities of the hotel. Overall will never stay here again but I hope my review helps people who are looking at this option.

Stayed in DVC studio in April, family of 5. Tokelau room, 3rd floor, west facing. Rooms were nice, beds were comfortable, patio was good. Tokelau is a good location on property - close to main building and closer to TTC for transit to Epcot. This was 4th visit to Disney. Would definitely stay at Poly again, though would consider if it is a prime 'busy' week whether the extra $ for Poly is worth is vs another option. Things we liked: -Staying at Poly is very convenient to MK and Epcot - quick and easy to get to both. -Views of MK fireworks and music from beach is great (no real need to get a 'fireworks view' room in my opinion) -Theming is good throughout the property -Quick service captain cooks is good food and very convenient (though be prepared for wait -- mobile order is way to go) -Movies on lawn is a nice touch -DVC pool has a very nice laid-back vibe especially compared to main pool - felt like you were in the Pacific islands -The bar at the new tower is gorgeous - great place to grab a drink and watch sunset or the fireworks -Room was spacious for a studio and had a great 5th trundle bed which was comfortable for a trundle for a kid. Helpful to have 2 showers. Bathroom with toilet could easily have fit a full pack and play. Mini fridge (which had a fridge and freezer compartment, though small freezer) fit plenty of leftovers and milk, and room also came with a toaster, microwave, coffee maker Things we did not like/things to know: -Granted it was a spring break week, but the hotel was very busy and felt like it. The main lobby was jam packed nearly always. There were definitely not enough pool chairs - these were filled by early AM (this is a major drawback and cannot be emphasized enough). Lines for dole whip were maybe 25 minutes at prime time. Wait list for Trader Sams bar filled up by 5pm (though you could try later in night for opening). Capt Cooks wait time for simple mac & cheese or pool lunch at 2pm was ~30-40 mins. This created a jarring experience of peaceful polynesian music in the background not matching a shoulder to shoulder experience in common areas. -Some disruptive repair/painting work randomly occurred outside of our windows in mid afternoon nap time. Hotel claimed that the website stated the resort is under renovation (which obviously applies to the new DVC tower area, but did not obviously reference existing longhouse rooms clear across the property) and the hotel tried to make it up to us. However, the work was not advertised or predicted, and guest services could not even give us an estimate of how many more days it would last (work did continue for additional days). So be aware that extended disruptions may occur not just around the DVC tower and the land behind it, but at original rooms, too. -The main pool (your only access if staying in the hotel and not DVC) was very busy with upbeat music and very crowded. Our kids/us did not like, though clearly many did. -Kona cafe food was overall good, but

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.