In May, my family had the absolute pleasure of staying as guests of Disney’s Polynesian Villas & Bungalows in a Lake View Deluxe Studio for four nights after our Royal Caribbean cruise on Harmony of the Seas. I had been a guest at this property in the past, but just for one night, so staying for a longer period of time was a definite treat!

Disney’s Polynesian Villas & Bungalows is located at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort, and shares most of the amenities available for hotel guests, including pools, restaurants, activities and entertainment. I highly recommend this deluxe property for my clients who are looking for an extra special Disney vacation experience with a tropical Hawaiian vibe.

What did we like best about staying at Disney’s Polynesian Villas & Bungalows?

The View

Our room faced the water, with a clear view of Cinderella Castle, Space Mountain and the rest of Magic Kingdom. At night, we could sit right on our own private balcony to watch Disney Enchantment.

In this video, you’ll take a tour of our room, which ends with the view of the nighttime spectacular from our own balcony. Our room was located on the third floor of the Moorea longhouse.

The Food

Some of my favourite Walt Disney World Resort restaurants are located at Disney’s Polynesian Villas & Bungalows, including Ohana, Kona Café and Trader Sam’s Tiki Terrace.

We especially enjoyed dinner one evening at Kona Café, located on the upper level of the Great Ceremonial House, and the service, food and cocktails were delicious, as usual.

The Location

You really can’t beat a resort stay in the Magic Kingdom neighbourhood, and on the monorail line. Being able to hop from one resort to another for shopping, dining and entertainment adds a lot of value to any guest’s stay. This location makes it feel like you’re really staying in the heart of the Disney magic.

Extended Theme Park Hours

Guests of deluxe resort or deluxe villa resorts at Walt Disney World are eligible to enjoy extended theme park hours at select parks on select nights. We really enjoyed our late night visit to Magic Kingdom, where we rode many attractions together with few guests in the park. Perhaps this perk wouldn’t be ideal for all families, but we really enjoy low-crowd theme park time, and now that our son is getting older, we can take advantage of this benefit more easily.

Anything Less Than Magical?

Although check-in time at the villas is officially four o’clock, it was nearly five o’clock before our room was ready for check-in. This would have been more fun if we had kept our swim suits out of the luggage, which we had left with Bell Services. We settled in to relax at the Oasis Pool and enjoyed a drink and a snack while I got caught up with a little bit of work.

Although our room was lovely and the view was spectacular, the building we stayed in was located almost next to the Transportation & Ticket Center, so we could hear the boat horns and loudspeaker from time to time. The noise was not loud enough to disturb our sleep or enjoyment of the balcony, however, and we actually enjoyed using the walkway over to the TTC to ride the monorail a couple of times.

There was some refurbishment of walkways taking place in front of the Samoa longhouse, near the Lava Pool, so guests would have to walk around to get to the beach. Again, this did not affect us much, and we understand that repairs and upgrades are necessary, even at deluxe resorts. Pixie dust pardoned.

Our family wouldn’t hesitate to stay as guests at Disney’s Polynesian Villas & Bungalows or at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort again in the future. I’ll continue to confidently recommend this property to my clients who are planning their next vacation to Walt Disney World Resort.

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