Disney's Polynesian Village Resort - Is It Worth It? - Disney World

[@mattmoore6218]

We stayed at the AKL on our previous Florida visit and although it was a great resort and we had such an amazing time, I wish we booked to stay here instead. I love the tropical theming and we visited MK more than any other park on our previous trip. I’ve always wanted to go to Aulani’i so this is probably the closest I’ll ever get to there. This will for sure be my next resort I’ll be staying at, although it’ll have to wait until 2026.

[@TheMouseScout]

We stayed at AKL around 2016 or 2014 and we did not like it. We were at Kidani Village with a pool view. Maybe we would have enjoyed it if we had a safari view, but it was so far away from everything. I definitely prefer the Poly. Hope you get to go soon! Thanks for the comment.

[@mollyoreilly9670]

I absolutely love how you review these hotels! Keep it up👏!! Next… grand Floridian please!!

[@TheMouseScout]

Ha ha! I’m working on the Grand Floridian and should have it up tomorrow!! Thanks so much for the comment Molly. :)

[@von853]

I agree with Molly, very well done video. Your presentation style is an absolute pleasure to watch.

[@TheMouseScout]

Thank you so much Vern! People like you make it all worth while!! :)

[@ANGIEmixvlog-z6z]

Super interesting

[@TheMouseScout]

Glad you think so! Thanks so much!

[@bryansipes3601]

The Poly is the only Disney World hotel that we have ever stayed at. Having kids that preferred the Magic Kingdom, it was very convenient to that park. When we stayed, the prices were not as outlandish as they are now. Plus we belonged to a Disney Club through my employer at that time, which gave us a 35 pct discount. I liked the look and feel of this resort. At night, with the tiki torches burning along the paths of the hotel, and Polynesian music playing on concealed speakers, it was a nice romantic walk in the evenings for my wife and I. We frequented the Kona Cafe and Capt Hook's for breakfast. Loved the Tonga Toast. We did a character breakfast at Ohanas for the kids. Being easy access to Magic Kingdom, we employed a strategy of coming back to the resort room for an afternoon break/nap, and then returned to the park between 4 to 5, refreshed and ready to push on to closing time. You mentioned the guest laundry. We did take advantage of that service. Since we stayed there, Disney built those DVC bungalows out on the water. Frankly, I do not like it. It took away views of the nighttime fireworks at Magic Kingdom, and spoiled some of the views for the regular guests. Will I stay there again? Probably not. Why? The price has gotten prohibitive. Plus, it is time that we try something different. The kids are now grown adults, so unless we are traveling with the grandkids (and want that easy access to MK), we'll try a different resort.

[@TheMouseScout]

Thanks so much Bryan! I enjoyed reading your post! I agree, the bungalows certainly block the view for the rest of the resort, which is unfortunate. I did, however love staying there. The restaurants and monorail access make this a great choice. But as you said, it is cost prohibitive, which is sad. If I were to choose between the 3 monorail resorts, I would always choose Grand Floridian first, and the Poly would be last, but I still love it. Thanks so much for your insight on this resort!

[@ThomasKstner]

Superb review and tour of Poly Resort. We have stayed in many other WDW-Florida Resorts and will only go back to this one. Got to expensive to go every year, so we go only every 2-3 years.

[@TheMouseScout]

Hi Thomas. Thanks so much. It was such a pleasant surprise to me how much I enjoyed staying there. It's beautiful and convenient. I see now why it has such a loyal following. :)

[@beautifulflorida]

Great resort! Thank you for the tour!

[@TheMouseScout]

Thanks Beautiful Florida!

[@tomcaron9113]

Like most good Disney pools you have to get there really early for a table with an umbrella. No hotel is worth $1,000 a night at Disney but access to parks, dining and other hotels is.

[@TheMouseScout]

You know, I never really sit by the pools. Which is a shame because it's a great way to relax. However, because you do have to get there early to get a good spot (like you said), I guess I never want to use my time at WDW like that. But then again, I live in Southern California and never go to the beach that is 30 minutes away! LOL. Thanks for the insight Tom!

[@tomcaron9113]

@@TheMouseScout Last trip I had to get to the Poly DVC pool at 7 am to get the table we wanted. We don’t drop towels and show up later, I sat there until my wife got up. Lots of coffee. I will say it was very serene.

[@christinao8877]

Check if room service is back to normal. Stayed last year and didn’t have maid service. Had to call for coffee and towels. Trash wasn’t take out. Nothing was done.

[@TheMouseScout]

The only place where we could get room service during our Jan and May trips was at the Grand Floridian. I love room service and hope it returns soon to all of the resorts. Thanks ChristinaO!

[@CruisingWithElena]

Your vids r outstanding I use them for my dvc research ❤❤❤❤

[@TheMouseScout]

Thanks so much! I try to do them as I would like to see them. I love the minutiae!

[@robwest5457]

Honestly there isn’t a single Disney room worth anything over $400 a night. I get it, some people are suckers for nostalgia and that’s fine. But while every resort is absolutely beautiful, the rooms themselves are nothing to write home about. Every Disney room is as basic as it gets and they reserve rooms with better views for guests who are high rollers. The average vacationer will pay more and get stuck with a parking lot view and Disney won’t care if you complain. The values (aka magic) that once made Disney special is long gone and employees don’t care because they’re shamefully underpaid. And the rooms are less exciting than a room at a Comfort Inn. I once was on a business trip and got placed at a Coronado Springs room in the very last building on the end of the property and it would take me 15+ minutes to walk from my room to the front lobby to get the bus to the Marriott World for my business conferences. Imagine being covered in florida sweat at 7:30am before your day even starts and being tired at the end of the day and knowing you still have a 20 minute walk back to your room. Who even designed that hell hole? If you’re staying at Disney for a family vacation, you’re much better off staying at a moderate hotel (Riverside, Caribbean, or French Quarter) for considerably less money than getting your bank broken at Polynesian, Floridian, Wilderness, Beach Club, or even Animal Kingdom Lodge that at least offers views of wildlife from your very tiny balcony. The rooms are the same thing and at least with a place like Riverside (in my opinion, the best resort in Orlando), you have a fantastic food court to eat at that isn’t going to be as overpriced and disappointing as the delux resort restaurants. But always keep in mind, at a Disney resort, all the money you sink into your hotel stay is for ambiance and actual resort identity…maybe also so you can get a better view of night time firework shows if that matters to you, because every room is the exact same set up as the next place… from Polynesian to Pop Century. To this day the only difference between any Disney resort room, other than access to a monorail and perhaps proximity to a specific park you plan to frequent, cutting down on bus ride time, is simply that some have irons and some have terrible steamers to unwrinkle your clothes.

[@robwest5457]

Always keep in mind every room is the same dimensions, with the sometimes addition or subtraction of a balcony, so you’re often paying an extra $500 for wall art and curtains themed to the specific resort. And other than that, you’re simply being duped by branding because they all sleep the same amount of people and every room toilet flushes the exact same way. There is nothing special or extra offered in any Disney hotel room that you’re potentially missing out on by paying hundreds more. And Disney is purposely trying to sell you on the concept that an additional 60 square feet and anchor/boating themed rooms are much classier and a higher status than a room with 1960s sports or television theming. They’re attempting to play to your ego because the bus depot that leads to a hotel charging $900 a night is 140 steps closer than a bus depot for a hotel charging $200. They are selling you the concept that a hotel built in the 1970s is much better than one built in 2003. They honestly have you believing you’re at a higher class of dining sitting at a self-appointed, house-rule, jacket required restaurant vs a cafeteria style food court even thought the fat covered chicken leg they are serving you in a “high end dining experience” came off the exact same truck that just delivered the other half of the bird to a quick service lunch eatery in Epcot. And they’re essentially saying the water in the pool at the Floridian is much better quality H2O than you’ll find in the main community pool at Ol’ Man Isle. Truth is, there is zero added value from one hotel room to the next so Disney is essentially taking more of your hard earned cash by charging $975 a night in the summer at Polynesian because in 1991, when your parents flew you to Florida on a family vacation, that same hotel cost only $220 a night and was affordable being that there weren’t 30 different resorts back then with a self-rated class system to choose from. It’s all an illusion to pretend what is old is better as they prey on your nostalgia and make you feel guilty that you can’t afford what mom and dad paid for 30+ years ago, now, because they have deliberately priced you out of the market and they will repeat the cycle with your own kids 30 more years from today, when in 2053, they’ll charge you $2900 a night to stay at All Star Movies because that’s where you and your kids stayed in 2019 and their newest hotel, Disney’s Grandkids of Bluey Resort, which charges $1400 a night isn’t as classy. …let’s all check back here in 2050 to see if I’m right or if by then, DeSantis has destroyed Disney and the entire 27,520 acres (and growing) is now a giant state prison/catholic place of worship, because that empty headed radical zealot maniac won this attack campaign against a goddamn kids park because he hates the idea of bisexual teenagers that don’t promote traditional family values.

[@TheMouseScout]

Thanks for your input Rob. I do wish my Disney addition didn’t cost so much!

[@landonbellamy1287]

My ranking for this resort (Out of 21 WDW Resorts): Location: #17 Theming: #4 Layout: #1 Room: #7 Staff: #7 Recreation: #14 Dining: #3 Transport: #6 Overall: #3

[@TheMouseScout]

Ooh! Why did location end up 17? Thanks so much Landon!

[@landonbellamy1287]

@@TheMouseScout I did it by the average distance to the parks. It was close to Magic Kingdom, but far way from everything else.

[@joey2894]

I loved it for the most part, but it was too crowded, not enough amenities for everyone. Stayed at the honeymoon suite and it had a connecting door where we heard kids crying every day, we almost switched hotels

[@TheMouseScout]

That's miserable. At the hotel we stayed at for D23, there was a child running back and forth on the floor above me until after midnight. Couldn't sleep from all the thumping. Hotels are not always an escape! Thanks for commenting Joey!

[@stevenhall1097]

Looks like a nice place

[@TheMouseScout]

It's heavenly! Thanks Steven. :)

[@badchristian]

Thank you for another wonderful video. 🙂

[@TheMouseScout]

Thanks so much Christian! I appreciate it. :)

[@MikeMiller-br6vs]

Aloha Mouse Scout

[@TheMouseScout]

Aloha Mike! Thanks for saying hi. :)

[@ShannonDuncanrocks]

We have stayed there many times. To be honest more than a few times I would say it isnt worth it. Most of the amenities are being congested with other ppl not staying here the resturants /Trader Sam's and lets face it even just relaxing at Tambu Lounge. The pools tend to be very packed and loud. Dont get me wrong I know people are just having fun but when I was growing up this resort was calmer. I still love it but it needs to maybe take more into account the ppl paying to stay there.

[@TheMouseScout]

Ahh! You're absolutely right about how crowded it is. Between Ohana's and Trader Sam's, it's definitely a destination for it's food alone! Thanks for letting us know your opinion. Since I've only just stayed there for the first time, so I didn't know any different. Thanks Shannie! :)

[@tjlemaster]

this is my main concern with booking the Poly! paying $700/night and then having to wait in long lines for everything behind people not staying at the resort just doesn’t seem right to me. Resort guests should get priority on the trader sams list and at the restaurants. Makes it difficult for me to make the plunge into booking here, sadly.

[@chengt2236]

Do you know if Disney resort restaurant welcome non hotel guests dine there?

[@TheMouseScout]

Yes, anyone can dine at a Disney Resort Restaurant. I recommend making reservations if you can. If they're booked up and not taking walk-ups, you might waste a trip there. So, check first! :)

[@RennsportRacer]

Overpriced room rates-721 for the cheapest room? Outrageous!

[@TheMouseScout]

We used our DVC points for that stay, so that helped. But yes, it is an amazingly expensive resort. But people seem to pay it. It gets booked up!

[@reemyoutube3282]

♥️♥️

[@TheMouseScout]

Thank you!!

[@shanew7361]

Overpriced and not enough umbrellas at the pool.

[@TheMouseScout]

Ahh. I didn't spend any time at the pool. It was wayyyy too hot when we were there! And that would be definitely a problem! Thanks for the comment. :)

[@ckalnicki]

Not worth the price. Alligators?

[@TheMouseScout]

You never know.... All the same, stay out of the lake!