MARCH 2019 SEE AN UPDATED POST HERE:
We are just back from a marathon vacation where we spent the last leg of our trip at Disney’s Polynesian Resort celebrating Sister’s 40th birthday! The original four O’s have such wonderful memories of staying here many times, many years ago before husbands and kids came along. It was such a sweet choice for her celebration. (Some of these photos are from our most recent visit, and others are from our week long stay about two years ago.)
At the resort entrance you are immediately transported to Polynesia with the lush plantings, tiki torches and waterfalls.
If you remember the old Polynesian resort, I’m sure you’ll recall the huge waterfall that used to be in the center of the Grand Ceremonial House. That is gone now, but I have to say, I do love what they did with the space. It’s open and airy and, quite honestly, felt very familiar to Aulani. I love that this lobby is always a hub of activity and you will find families and friends gathered in the many seating areas no matter the time of day.
The property itself is lush and gorgeous. Every detail is immaculate and you can’t help but treasure even the time spent walking on the many winding paths lit with tiki torches when you’re dog tired at night. The views of Magic Kingdom and the 7 Seas Lagoon are pretty spectacular as well.
The marina offers boat and small craft rentals, like I’ve previously shared at other resorts. One thing we love about the resorts on the Seven Seas Lagoon is that getting into Magic Kingdom is SO easy. When staying here, it is definitely worth considering a park hopper if just for this reason alone.
Every time we have stayed here (even as kids!), we have enjoyed watching the Magic Kingdom fireworks from the beach and pool areas.
And, if you are traveling during July 4th, Halloween or Christmas, the 180 degree fireworks finales from those special presentations can’t be appreciated from inside the park like it can from this viewpoint.
Another favorite childhood memory is the Electric Water Pageant. It still runs today and there is a wonderful view from the Polynesian!
Polynesian has both regular hotel rooms and villa studios, as well as the most charming over-water two bedroom bungalows! We personally prefer the studios and particularly enjoy the Tokelau Longhouse. It was steps away from the Oasis Pool (quiet pool) and close to both the monorail, bus stop, and Ticketing and Transportation Center. I have not yet enjoyed it, but Mother and Sister reported back that the Club Level experience at Polynesian is also wonderful. They found the cast attentive, the food delicious, and the views of Magic Kingdom fireworks and Electric Water Pageant to be great.
The studio rooms are very spacious compared to any normal hotel room. They have a queen bed, a sleeper sofa, and a twin sized pull down. We love this configuration because our boys don’t have to share a bed (which leads to many problems) and there is so much more floor space in the room when the sleeper sofa is tucked away.
The unit has a split bathroom which was fabulous. “My” bathroom had a luxurious shower and sink, while the “boys” bathroom had a shower/tub combo, sink and potty.
I usually request a ground floor when we are traveling for more than a long weekend because my kids need space to get out and run (while Honey and I need time to just chill and zone out.) You usually do sacrifice a good view (ie. Magic Kingdom in this case) but it’s worth it for us.
As far as dining, Captain Cooks is easily in my top 3 quick serve restaurants across the entire Walt Disney World resort. My favorites are the veggie noodle bowl and Thai coconut meatballs. I also love the Tonga Toast at breakfast.
There are SO many other dining choices at Polynesian! First things first, you can get the delish Dole Whip and Dole Whip Float at Pineapple Lanai. (Shirt | Coffee Cozy | Ears)
Tambu Lounge is upstairs in the Grand Ceremonial House and has yummy tropical drinks. My fave is the Lapu Lapu served in a pineapple. I can’t recall what this one was, but it was very good.
Trader Sam’s is the infamous Tiki bar that made it’s way to the East coast a few years back. It’s a FUN experience that is not to be missed, especially if you sit at the large table in the middle and order a specialty drink. They open at 4PM each day and start a wait list for tables around 3:30 pm. Kids are allowed in (and there will be a few) from 4-8PM. We went right at 4 one afternoon and had a great time. There is also a terrace off of the back of Trader Sam’s with live music and a wonderful waterfall in the evenings.
O’hana is the family style table service restaurant in the Grand Ceremonial House. We love the food here and have always had a great time at this meal. Our table was right next to the window and was PERFECT!! We just lucked out with it, but I wouldn’t hesitate to ask at check-in for one. We had a spectacular view of the Electric Water Pageant AND during Hallo-Wishes they dimmed the lights and piped in the music.
We have also done Stitch’s Best Friends Breakfast at O’hana. I’ll be honest in saying that the food was meh for what you pay. Eggs, Mickey + Stitch waffles, biscuits, fruit (mostly melons), bacon and sausage. However, this is the only place to meet Lilo if you are after her.
For a much better (and cheaper) breakfast, do Kona Cafe!! I still remembered the Tonga Toast from when I was little and it is still SO yummy!! We shared a french press pot of Kona Coffee and had a delightful breakfast here.
The Spirit of Aloha Show is another family style dinner and luau type show at Polynesian. We all really like the show but don’t love the food. If you DO go, make your reservations 180 days out and pay for the tier 1 seating. They assign tables based on the time you make your reservation NOT on the time you check-in at the podium before your meal. I would have been very disappointed if we couldn’t see the show on top of average food.
So, to recap the dining, dinner at O’hana and breakfast at Kona Cafe are my favorites. Grab a Lapu Lapu at Tambu lounge before O’hana. Make time to hit Trader Sam’s with 4PM being the easiest time to get in, and don’t miss the Dole Whips at Pineapple Lanai. Eat as many thai coconut meatballs as you can. HA!
One HUGE benefit of Poly is the incredible access to transportation. The monorail from the Grand Ceremonial House takes you to Magic Kingdom, as does a boat from the marina. You can walk right over to ticketing and transportation and catch the direct Epcot monorail and a bus to pretty much anywhere on property. If you are planning to spend most or all of your days in Magic Kingdom the monorail is a huge asset.
I still remember the Volcano Pool from when I was a kid and my kids thought it was just as fabulous as I did! Most of our park plans were in the evening, so most of our mornings were spent at the pool. It was nice because it seemed like we were on the opposite schedule from the other guests.
This pool has a new splash area, zero entry at one end, waterfall, infinity hot tub overlooking Magic Kingdom, and waterslide. It’s really close to Captain Cooks for food and has it’s own pool bar in the back. I will always call this drink the Pina Co-lava although it had a new name. It’s my fave Disney drink of all time.
The new Oasis Pool is considered the “quiet pool” and was just outside of our room in Tokelau. It also had a zero entry and sizeable hot tob. We love the food at the quick serve restaurant… especially the malasadas that reminded us of Aulani!
The pool was nice during the day but quite enchanting in the evening.
Like other Disney resorts, we also love to leave time in our schedule for the Movies Under the Stars. This trip we caught Peter Pan on it’s 65th birthday! They pass out bags of popcorn and it is a lovely, low-key evening. Times and movie schedules will be on the resort activity schedule at check-in.
All in all, we absolutely LOVE Polynesian. The location really cannot be beat and the cast members go out of their way on three separate occasions to make our trip magical.
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The Polynesian sounds like an amazing place to stay – thanks for sharing all the details! xo
To comment about your pool mornings and park nights…During our week long trips, I always plan a late night out mid trip (either a party or Disney Springs). We do early mornings during the first half of our week, then have a rest/sleep in morning, then we spend the end of the week sleeping later and staying in the parks til close. This allows us to rope drop and close down the parks, but still helps me feel like I am on vacation.
I love staying at the Polynesian. My family and I just got back from a week-long vacation there. You really do feel like you are in the tropics, and everyone you meet there greets you with “Aloha” and that is just so sweet. We’re DVC members and have stayed at almost all the hotels, and I really think there is not a bad one in the bunch! Vacationing in Disney is such a highlight for our family, we never get tired of going there. I love your blog and enjoy so much your reviews of Disney.
Your tips and suggestions are always appreciated. :-)