Polynesian Villas & Bungalows Review
Disney’s Polynesian Villas & Bungalows is a Disney Vacation Club resort at Walt Disney World with a laid back South Pacific theme near Magic Kingdom. This review features photos and thoughts on the Deluxe Studio rooms in the Polynesian Villas; we’ve previously reviewed the Bora Bora Bungalows.
Thoughts and photos of the common areas and amenities of Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort can be found in the regular review of that resort. Since the Polynesian Villas are literally part of the normal resort that has been converted, there’s not much to say beyond what can be said about the regular hotel in terms of atmosphere and amenities.
Here’s the good news: the guest rooms in the Poly’s Tokelau, Moorea, and Pago Pago Longhouses have been gutted and remodeled into these Deluxe Studio Villas, and in the process, have been nicely upgraded. In fact, the Deluxe Studio room at the Polynesian Villas are my new #1 Disney Vacation Club room at Walt Disney World.
We’ve now stayed at the Polynesian Villas a couple of times, and this is one of our preferred Disney Vacation Club resorts at Walt Disney World. If you’re doing a Magic Kingdom heavy trip, it’s one of your absolute best hotel options.
While the regular Polynesian Village Resort is expensive when booked directly from Walt Disney World, you can book it for less than half the normal cost by renting DVC points. Read our Tips for Renting Disney Vacation Club Points post if you’re thinking of doing a stay here.
What pushed this room to #1 on my Disney Vacation Club list? Let’s take a look…
Of course we start with the most exciting aspect of any vacation: laundry!!! Disney Vacation Club members have access to these free machines via their MagicBands. There are no washing machines in the Deluxe Studios.
Moving on, these units are located in Pago Pago, Moorea, and Tokelau, which are some of better buildings at Polynesian Village Resort, many of which offer Magic Kingdom views. The previous hotel rooms were repurposed, but the buildings were not gutted.
Here’s a look at the hallway as an example. It has been remodeled, but this is virtually the same view, with the same number of doors, you would have seen pre-Disney Vacation Club.
You’ll also notice the colorful carpet here, which is a precursor of what’s to come in the rooms. Our party was pretty split on the overall design, with half finding the color scheme light and fun, and the other half finding it clashing and lacking restraint. You can judge for yourself in the room…
Here’s a view of the queen-sized bed and queen-sized sofa sleeper. Personally, I love the look of this. From the details in the high-quality feeling carpet to the light fixtures to the coffee table to the art on the wall, I really like it all. One thing worth noting that someone in our party pointed out was that there’s ample room under the bed for luggage storage–I think this is a first in Disney Vacation Club rooms.
In retrospect, I think the basis for others in our party thinking the room was clashing was the pillows on the sofa. I think it’s fun, but if you don’t like that look…I guess throw the pillows behind the curtain and be done with it?
Here’s the other side of the room, with a table and chairs and the pull-down Murphy bed below the television. This means that the Polynesian Villas can sleep 5 people. You’ll also notice that there’s no dresser here, and might be worried that they simply didn’t have room for one.
They didn’t, but it’s not because Disney tried to squeeze as many rooms into each building as possible, making them cramped. These are the exact same size as the Polynesian hotel rooms, which were the largest Deluxe Resorts. At 447-465 sq. ft., these are the largest Disney Vacation Club rooms at Walt Disney World. The next closest is Old Key West at 390 sq. ft. in the Deluxe Studios. That’s a huge difference.
So where did that extra space go if not to a dresser? THE BATHROOMS! Magnificent facilities! If you follow this site, you know I’m not feigning enthusiasm here. Walt Disney World bathrooms are largely awful and stuck in the past. Not the case here. Upon surveying my bathroom kingdom here, I felt like George Costanza when he starts working at Play Now and gets the handicapped bathroom.
Pictured above is the shower room, which contains a beautiful walk-in (YES!) shower, recessed basin sink, and in-mirror lighting. This is room 1 of 2 in terms of bathrooms…
…and room 2 of 2, the full bath, with bathtub and shower. Wow! Zanadu.
This is another nice looking bathroom with high quality finishing. Note the awesome mermaid wall art, too.
A closer look at the bathtub and sink. This all seemed really nice and well done, while still retaining the light, tropical feel.
(You must think I spend my entire vacation in the bathroom with how excited I’m getting over these.)
Although there is no dresser, there’s a closet for clothing, plus a mini-kitchen with sink, fridge, toaster, microwave, and coffee maker.
Back in the main room area, here’s a look at the bed folded up. Overly colorful, or cool and on-theme? Definitely cool and on-theme, if you ask me.
I have been gushing over these rooms, but I really love them. To me, they have a classy, almost Mid-Century Modern style in the furniture, high-quality finishings, and just the right amount of color and detail to fit the South Pacific theme. These rooms seem like they were done the right way, rather than the cheap way.
Our room was located on the 2nd floor, and this was our view of the Magic Kingdom. Slightly obscured by the Bora Bora Bungalows, but not as bad as I expected. Go for the 3rd floor for an even better view.
Ah, those bungalows. The cost to rent one of those bungalows tonight would be 135 points. By contrast, I could get 2 Deluxe Studio rooms for a total of 42 points–50 if I wanted the Magic Kingdom view. My 2 Deluxe Studios would sleep 10 people, versus only 8 in the Bora Bora Bungalow. Unless I were having some family reunion or grand gathering, my choice here is a no-brainer.
Overall, I think there’s a lot to love about the Deluxe Studios at Disney’s Polynesian Villas & Bungalows. They are easily my new favorite Disney Vacation Club (studio) rooms at Walt Disney World. The rooms are not only the largest of the studios, but the space is utilized really well. I applaud the decision to have a walk-in shower, and I think larger families will appreciate that.
For me, the style here hits the nail on the head, balancing Disney theming with high-end style. I can imagine an affluent family taking a vacation to Hawaii in the 1960s and coming back and decorating their cottage like this to evoke the feel of what they experienced (save for the LCD television).
Planning a Walt Disney World trip? If you’re interested in learning more about hotels, our Walt Disney World Hotels Reviews page is a good place to start. For where to eat, try out our Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews page. If you want to save money on tickets or determine which type you should get, read our Tips for Saving Money on Walt Disney World Tickets post. OurWhat to Pack for Disney Trips post takes a unique look at unconventional things you should take on your trip. Once you arrive at the parks, our Walt Disney World “Ride Guides” are great for determining what to do and when to do it. For overviews of all of these topics and so much more, the best place to start is our comprehensive Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide to make the most of your experience!
YOUR THOUGHTS
What do you think of the Deluxe Studios in Disney’s Polynesian Villas & Bungalows? Do you like the style, or think they are over the top? Do you agree or disagree with our advice? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
how much weight can the pull down bunk hold?
I am staying there in October 24 to the 31 the of this year. So very exciting. We were supposed to go there 38 years ago for our honeymoon, but didn’t. Our daughter has a dvc member. If there anything you could tell us it would be great. Thank you so much. [email protected]
We absolutely love these rooms! Family of 4 with two older kids it works perfectly having two showers ! It’s also so much closer to the ttc than it is to the main poly monorail station which was fun
The pull out sofas in all the studios across DVC are full, not queen sized. The larger units (one and two bedrooms) typically have space for the queen (with exception to AKV value rooms)
We booked in a Deluxe Studio – Standard View. Any opinion as to Upper Floor vs Lower Floor?
I always request a top floor. The view is better and you don’t have to worry about kids jumping on your ceiling when you’re trying to sleep. 🙂
I found this blog as the first link when I Googled reviews on the poly villas. We chose this resort for convenience of the monorail system. It’s much easier at the end of the night when your little ones are asleep in the stroller. We’re staying in March and I was curious if there’s convenient access to the second and third floor by elevators? We stayed in the royal guest room at Riverside in October and seemed like we had to walk around the entire building to get to the elevator. When you’ve walked 15 miles already I don’t suppose another lap around the building is a deal breaker but much easier with sleeping kiddos.
This is my home resort and we stayed here during the 4th of July. The studios are as amazing as Tom describes them. We had 4 adults in our room and had plenty of space. The bathrooms are very nice and I love the walk in shower. In fact I like the decor and the mermaid art too. We stayed in Pago Pago and had what would have been described as a room with a bad view. We could see the parking lot but we also could see the monorail and the Hollywood Studios fireworks. I thought the view was fine and will never pay for a view as I spent about 20 minutes on the balcony for the whole week. The location is great as it took me about 3-5 minutes to walk to the TTC making this the most convenient resort for travel to the Magic Kingdom and Epcot. You can’t beat the theming of the Poly. The only complaint I have is that the newly refurbished pools were surfaced with that horrible pebble tech surfacing. It’s pretty but it feels rough on the feet. I hate it and bought swim shoes for my next stay there. BTW, my adult kids wanted to see the 4th of July fireworks and festivities. I was apprehensive to go on a busy holiday and am glad we did it but that is now also on my list if things I will not do again, just like Tom’s. It was amazing but the crowds and heat were tough on us all.
We stayed here recently and loved the resort. We were 3 adults 1 teenager and 1 child and we felt it was plenty of room. The bathrooms were great and I also thought two toilets would have been convenient but I agree how would they have done it short of moving a wall. The drawer thing didn’t bother us, I guess we are people that just live out of our suitcases when we travel. The theming of the room was very appropriate for the resort but I personally like the Grand Floridian Villas better and the GF resort in general better for its peacefulness and it’s quiet elegance. I’d love to read a review about the GFV even though I know you are not a fan.
Thanks SO much for all of the great info! Are the free laundry facilities available to guests renting a studio from Disney? Would they be available to guests purchasing points from a DVC member?
Anybody staying on points has access to the free laundry. Doesn’t matter if you are the owner or a guest of the owner.
Great review and pics. Love reading your site.
Nit-picky point ‘Xanadu’ is spelled with an X not a Z
Thanks for such a great blog. We learned so much (including photography tips for DH) for our last trip, and are using it to help plan for our next.
Do you know what building Becca stayed in? I absolutely would not want to be in a building where I could hear horns blowing all night! With that in mind, could you please let us know what building would be best?
Another very helpful review. I’m looking forward to your thoughts on the overall update of the the resort.
Don’t have a comment, but a question: we booked deluxe studio STANDARD view room and cannot figure out what the worst view might be. Its very confusing using the Disney lingo when I havent stayed at this resort before. Its simply out of curiosity. Maybe a deluxe studio does not have a horrible view. My luck with Disney is I will get a parking lot view like motel 6! lol Stayed at Cabins in July. So just looking for the WORST case view pictures for the studio – if there is a such a thing
There aren’t too many bad views, even standard view. You’re likely going to be looking at foliage or another longhouse in the distance. I won’t say that there aren’t *any* parking lot views, but there aren’t many.
If someone booking a stay the DVC Polynesian Villas happens upon my comment over 3 years after you wrote yours, good for them – it will be insightful! With that, Standard View rooms unfortunately do include those that look out onto the parking lot directly (!) in front of one complete side of Pago Pago – and those views are absolutely dreadful. The view is so bad that I feel those rooms should have their own points category – they are most definitely not “standard”. We were lucky during our stay to have rooms on the other (good) side of Pago Pago. Those studios have some of the best standard view locations on property, and are located in a quiet area since that building is situated on the extreme edge of the property (too close to the Ticket and Transportation Center for me, but very convenient for getting around). My suggestion for any DVC member booking the Polynesian is to look at a map beforehand to understand the layout of the property (the 3 DVC buildings are on the far right (east) side of the resort). If you are assigned to Pago Pago and are given an ood-numbered room, refuse it and ask for another location. Some people will get stuck with these rooms regardless (mainly due to capacity), which is a shame given how great the resort is when you have a view that makes you feel like you are actually staying at the Polynesian, and not the Ticket and Transportation Center.
We (family of 5) stayed there in June and had drawers, but not in the traditional sense. There are two large/deep drawers under the bed as well as a storage trunk (used as a coffee table). Both bathrooms have two drawers, too. We also shuffled a few things around in the kitchenette to give us a few bonus drawers. Combined with the closet, we had plenty of space for all 5 of us and not a single item stored in a suitcase during our trip.
I didn’t notice the drawers under the bed, so thanks for pointing that out!
I’m so glad I read this. Our rooms will be here in Sep. ’17, and I KNOW I wouldn’t have seen those drawers! Our home resort is AKV-Kidani is where we usually stay.
We stayed at the Poly DVC rooms back in May. I loved the rooms. I did not love the boat horns from the T&T center till 3am and again starting at 7am. Bring earplugs. Other than that we did love the rooms with the exception of the lack of storage space. I do not like to live out of a suitcase so even 2 drawers above the murphy bed would have been fine for us with the closet space…But Disney really needs to figure out a way to give us some drawer space and not on the floor like Grand Floridian Villas. Disney is creative there has to be a way to do this. I would love to see DVC add some of the 2 queen bed options (especially Poly). Right now if we want 2 beds in a studio OKW is our only option. Just make the 2 beds as a booking category. Then if its just a couple they can book with the couch option and not have the extra bed eating up their space and those preferring 2 beds will be guaranteed them. Best of Both.
The only problem with making another booking category (from my experience) is waitlisting. We waitlisted a room at Beach Club this summer and were told when we made the request that we had to pick one of the two booking categories of two-bedroom villas, we couldn’t just do a “first available” or put in a separate waitlist request for each category. It’s possible we were misinformed when we placed the request, but I could see that as being an issue here if there were two categories.
Hi,
Which building were you in. I seem to remember a mention one was close to the side where T&T boats go by..wondering if this is a problem in all buildings or..?
Definitely not all rooms. Just stayed in Tokelau with a pool view and didn’t hear anything. That would probably be the furthest Villa longhouse from the TTC and facing away from the boat launch.
We rarely use the dresser when we stay at a hotel, so the lack of dresser to make room for an awesome shower, to me, is well worth the trade.
I had the same reaction as Tom. The walk in shower is fantastic, and the other bathroom is very roomy and still nicely appointed. We thought the only weird detail was the sconces on each side of the bed, but that’s being very, very critical of a great room design.
This is near the top of our list in terms of DVC rooms we’ve stayed in, too.
As a family of 4 with another on the way, I do not see the appeal of these rooms with only a pull-out sofa for the other bed. Who really wants to sleep on a pull-out sofa for a week?? We love the Poly, and I do like the idea of the extra shower; however, the sleeping arrangements in the regular rooms make more sense. It seems that all DVC rooms have this model, which is why we are not interested in purchasing.
Yeah, all Disney Vacation Club studios are like this. Personally, I think it’s a good compromise. A lot of DVC members are empty-nesters or childless couples (us included), who don’t need or want 2 beds.
With that said, I do wonder why they don’t have some studios with 2 beds, especially at the Polynesian where there isn’t the option to upgrade to a 1-bedroom unit.
As a family of 4 that’s staying there in two weeks I think this will be perfect. Our 13 year old son is sleeping on the pull out couch all week and he doesn’t care because he doesn’t have to share a bed with his 9 yr old sister. Who will LOVE the Murphy bed. The two bathrooms was what sealed it. Adults in one and the kids in another.
I would love to see a picture of the interior of the closet to see how big it is. Especially if there is not a dresser. And how many hangers does the closest have?
Sorry, I didn’t check any of this. The closet is almost exactly the same size as the mini-kitchen, if that helps.
I’ve been waiting for this review since you teased it with your Bora Bora Bungalow review. It doesn’t disappoint. As great as this looks, and it does, I still think my family of five will need a one-bedroom villa somewhere. It’s obviously bigger than say a Port Orleans Riverside room, which also sleeps five but I think it would be a little cramped still. Looking forward to your Polynesian Village Re-do Review!
Yeah, that’s a tough call, and depends upon whether comfort is paramount, or saving money/points is paramount. I won’t pretend to know what it’s like to cram 2 adults and 3 teens in a room like this, but I suspect it could be done if you are looking to be frugal with points. Obviously, that same group is going to be much more comfortable in a 1-BR unit.
We are a family of five, but sofa sleeper and murphy bed does not translate into “sleeps 5.” That is disappointing – but the room is beautiful.
I think it depends upon your personal space needs. A room at a Value Resort “sleeps 4”, but there are plenty of people who wouldn’t want that many people in that small of a room.
Should point out that we booked our room with a 40% discount, and are not DVC members. If someone had to pay rack rate, it might be a reason to avoid the studio and go elsewhere. I think it’s all about perspective though. What kind of people you are, what your budget is. Someone with “high” expectations (again it’s a perspective of what’s high) might find it crammed. I like to think we felt “cozy”. And we were there to see the parks and enjoy what the Poly had to offer, not stay in our room. The sleeping arrangements for 5 worked fine for us. We thoroughly enjoyed our stay at the Poly in the studio.
Should point out that we booked our room with a 40% discount, and are not DVC members. If someone had to pay rack rate, it might be a reason to avoid the studio and go elsewhere. I think it’s all about perspective though. What kind of people you are, what your budget is, how frugal are you willing to be. Someone with “high” expectations (again it’s a perspective of what’s high) might find it crammed. I like to think we felt “cozy”. And we were there to see the parks and enjoy what the Poly had to offer, not stay in our room. The sleeping arrangements for 5 worked fine for us. We thoroughly enjoyed our stay at the Poly in the studio.
I also think it depends how long you’ll be there and what the purpose of your stay is. No way would I book one of these rooms for my family of five for our biannual two week vacation in the summer. But we’ve got one lined up for two days pre-cruise next April and it will suit us just fine for that.
We are a fanikybif 5 planning our first Disney vacation. Our kids are 7, 4, infant. Would you recommend DVC club points for the deluxe villa or opting for one of the moderate resorts such as Riverside for our first visit? The price difference for us is <$900. So torn between the two
Nicely appointed room, and colorful. But no dressers? I don’t care how big the closet is, my undies, socks and PJs deserve a drawer. What were they thinking?
Tom, I like it that you don’t think it necessary to waste money on an expensive room in order to give a comprehensive review. If you’re like me (and many others), you can find better places to spend your hard earned bucks.
I’m curious as to how people are going to react to the no dresser thing. I’ve stayed at plenty of modern real world hotels that don’t have them, but it seems like a lot of those cater to business travelers who probably hang their dress attire and pull the rest from their suitcase (that’s what I do when traveling). Disney caters to a different audience that–I suspect–feels differently about dressers. It’s sort of the same idea as the bathtub: these are becoming increasingly uncommon in nice real world hotels, but I assume many families like having the tubs, so they are unlikely to totally disappear from Disney hotels anytime soon.
Not to go off on a tangent, but I actually waste a lot of money doing things I otherwise wouldn’t for the sake of this blog. Hotels are a big component of that, but so is dining, hard ticket events, etc. I’m not saying I don’t have fun, but I am *far* more frugal “in real life” and although I don’t mind spending money on nice things, I try to be careful about how I do it, not spending on things I expect won’t live up to expectations. Often, I know I’m wasting money before I do something “for the blog”, but I do it anyway because I want to confirm my suspicions and have my own first hand experience.
Far too many travel website that “review” things don’t actually do the things they write about due to cost (instead researching the experience online), which I think is wrong. While my suspicions about certain experiences are often confirmed with the first hand experience, there have been numerous times when I’m pleasantly surprised or proven totally wrong. In the case of these villas, we actually will spend our DVC points to stay here in the future, as I really loved this room.
One of the things that drew me to your site was your in-depth and honest reviews. You update regularly too, something other sites do not. Disney Is too costly for anyone to not be informed, and that means research. Lots of it. That’s why sites like yours are crucial. No one wants to waste money. At least, I don’t.
As for dressers, I travel to Disney with a friend who rarely unpacks. She leaves her suitcase on the luggage rack. I unpack it all, and as soon as possible. I also UPS a box of essentials, usually items that don’t come home with me (snacks, paper products). So, drawers are important. Down the road though, I see dressers coming to the Poly VC rooms, or at the very least, built in drawers in the closets (e.g. Closet Maid). Depends on the amount of complaints.
Our studio villa at the Polynesian had two big drawers under the bed that more than held everything we had in our suitcases. This is definitely the best DVC room we had. I absolutely fell in love with the overhead rain shower head in the ceiling of the walk in shower. It was the icing on the cake for a wonderful stay. And I loved the decor too. When I saw that picture of the bedroom you posted I wanted to jump on a plane and fly right back. With the monorail and boats for transportation, the beach movies, marshmallow roasting, and view of the evening fireworks across the bay, was the best vacation ever.
Yes, those rain shower heads are great. I can’t wait to stay in one of these rooms; I wouldn’t go as far as to call them a good value, but as far as the Poly/GF/Contempo go, they are definitely the best value!
We found that the limited space for clothing to be a problem, but one that I was prepared for. I knew going in that we needed our clothes unpacked, since we are a family of 5 and were staying for 11 nights. So II brought an over-the-door organizer that I hung on the shower door in the toilet-less bathroom. This housed all our toiletries, sunscreen, etc so that I could use the 2 drawers and 4 small shelves in the bathroom for my daughter’s and my clothing. Everything fit perfectly. My husband used the drawer under the bed, and our our 2 teen sons used the storage area in the coffee table. We had no dressy clothes so didn’t need to hang anything but our ponchos and items I had handwashed. I also brought an umbrella-type clothespin thingamajiggy to pin those items on, over the safe, thus freeing up even more closet space. In the closet I also brought an organizer that hung from rod to floor and helped with the lack of storage space for snacks and other kitchen needs. Not your usual space for storing items but it worked for us! If I hadn’t been prepared starage would have been a BIG problem! The largest bathroom could easily have a storage area (think linen closet with doors). That way, Disney could be saying, “we’re not telling you to out your clothes in the bathroom, but here’s a space to use as you see fit”. Bottom line, if you’re a large family and are staying for any substantial amount of time, you won’t want to live out of a suitcase (you wouldn’t be able to anyway because you’d have nowhere to leave it out!) come prepared as I did with your own storage spaces and you’ll be fine. Don’t come prepared, and you’ll have problems!
I can get over the loss of the dresser. I think it a mistake however. Knowing in advance I can bring more hangers. I don’t believe you mentioned which longhouse that view was from. Are there any view rooms not looking at bungelows? Wondering if we should pay for a view…
Why, oh why oh why.. could they not put 2 toilets in 2 bathrooms????
You can schedule showers… not the other!
(Love the rooms otherwise!)
My thoughts exactly. Especially since the bathroom with the toilet seems to have so much empty floor space… I just don’t see why they couldn’t configure the space for both bathrooms to include a toilet. My other gripe with the bathrooms is that based on the pictures I’ve seen, the bathroom doors don’t have locks.
Yes, there is empty space in one of the bathrooms, but I’m not sure what could have been done differently to allow for two toilets. Move the wall to eliminate that empty space, and you eliminate the sink in the full bath. I suppose they could have reconfigured that sink and tub, but I’m guessing that might have been cost prohibitive.
Personally, I’d rather have two showers than two toilets. It means not having to take turns while getting ready in the morning, which means getting to the parks faster. It seems two toilets would be simultaneously in use far less, but perhaps the ‘restroom needs’ of others differ from mine. 😉
Yes, they have locks.