Should You Stay at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort?

Disney owns and operates more than 20 hotels at Walt Disney World.

All of them are overflowing with spectacular amenities, so you may suffer analysis paralysis as you weigh your options.

Today, I’m going to make things easier for you by discussing my favorite Disney hotel.

Should you stay at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort?

I’m pretty sure you already know the answer, but let’s talk it through.

The Theming

The theming of the Polynesian is right there in the name.

As soon as you enter the hotel, you’ll feel swept away to the islands, living out a vacation in the South Seas.

About a decade ago, Disney even perfected the theme by constructing some in-water bungalows, just like you’d find at hotels in Bora Bora and Bali.

Long before the Polynesian opened, park officials planned a unique kind of Disney vacation.

The company headed to Hawaii and convinced some of the residents there to move permanently to the Polynesian.

One of them, Auntie Kau’i, moved to Disney as a young woman and handed out leis near the front desk for her entire life.

She was so beloved in the Disney community that Josh D’Amaro attended her funeral.

That’s something unique about the Polynesian. Its theming isn’t merely lip service.

A multi-generational crew has added authenticity to the Polynesian since its opening in 1971.

The island vibe criss-crosses the hotel campus and even includes sandy beaches overlooking Magic Kingdom.

Finally, I’d be remiss if I failed to mention the fragrant aroma at the Polynesian.

Disney pipes in a fruity, beachy smell that will relax your senses and imbue you with island vibes.

The Location

In terms of location, the Polynesian claims two inimitable strengths. The first is that it’s a Monorail Resort, Disney’s term for hotels with their own monorail stations.

You can exit the second floor of the Polynesian’s lobby and ride the monorail to Magic Kingdom and will arrive in just a few minutes.

This brings us to the second advantage of the Polynesian’s location.

It sits adjacent to the Transportation and Ticket Center, Disney’s original transportation hub for controlling the flow of traffic in and around Magic Kingdom.

When you stay at two specific longhouses at the Polynesian, you can exit your hotel room and be standing within 500 feet of the TTC entrance.

Since the TTC has monorails to both Magic Kingdom and EPCOT, you have great logistics at the Polynesian.

It gives you the ability to hop on the monorail for BOTH parks.

The Great Ceremonial House

I’ve mentioned the hotel lobby a couple of times already. It goes by a different name, though.

The Great Ceremonial House provides hotel guests with a centralized location for all their vacation needs.

You’ll find stores and restaurants on each floor of the Great Ceremonial House; however, you don’t need to spend any money to enjoy this place.

You can just grab one of the many comfy seats here, sit down, and bask in the ambience of the Polynesian.

The sights and smells here will relax you, and it’s one of the best people-watching spots at Disney World.

Several of our favorite amenities at the Polynesian are located at the Great Ceremonial House.

For instance, on the first floor, you can shop at my favorite Disney hotel store, BouTiki.

Once you’re done, you can enjoy some affordable quick service dining at Capt. Cook’s.

Then, you can get blasted on glow drinks at Trader Sam’s Grog Grotto.

This is one of Disney World’s best hangout spots, as it’s a dark tavern with several unexpected magic tricks that occur when people order the right beverages.

Where else can you summon an angry deity and then sip a drink named after them?

Folks, that’s just the first floor! Some people will tell you I haven’t gotten to the main event yet.

However, before I move on, I’ll mention that if you walk out the back door at the Polynesian, you’ll be standing at Pineapple Lanai.

Here’s all you need to know. They sell Dole Whips.

Once you’re done on the first floor, take the stairs up to shop at Moana Mercantile, which my wife loves because it sells TONS of Stitch merchandise.

Once you’re done here, you’ll want to visit…

The Restaurants

Foodies love the Polynesian for all its fine dining options.

I previously mentioned Capt. Cook’s, which is my go-to hotel quick service option.

I kid you not that it is the third best dining option at the Great Ceremonial House.

The second best is a place where I’ve spent several birthday dinners, Kona Cafe.

Disney has changed the menu here a few too many times for my liking, but the coffee flavors will blow your mind.

That probably has something to do with the fact that it shares space with Kona Island, a coffee bar you will adore when you stay here.

Kona Cafe also shares a similarity with Capt. Cook’s.

They both sell Tonga Toast, the most decadent breakfast item you will ever order.

It’s basically a quarter-loaf of deep-fried bread with caramelized bananas on it. I can’t even decide if I’m exaggerating here.

Kona Cafe is NOT the top restaurant on the second floor.

That honor belongs to ‘Ohana, which is sold out on whichever day you’re reading this.

I don’t care what day it is.

Disney fans know about this place and they implement obsessive strategies to guarantee reservations to eat here.

I know this because my wife does it; however, she takes a different approach than many.

We typically dine here for breakfast, which is when Disney serves a family style meal.

This seems like a good time to mention its name is “Best Friends Breakfast Featuring Lilo & Stitch.”

In the evening, ‘Ohana serves a family style dinner that includes such dishes as Noodles and Chicken with Guava-Pineapple Glaze.

Disney removed the noodles from the menu once, and some people are still screaming about it.

Importantly, this meal ends with Bread Pudding, which justifies the entire vacation for some.

This is THE place at the Polynesian.

Why You Should Look Elsewhere

To my constant amazement, some people stay at hotels other than the Polynesian.

I don’t understand these people, even though I married one.

To me, the Polynesian was the pinnacle of a Disney vacation when I was a child and it remains that way today.

Some people perceive the Polynesian’s cost to be too high to justify the amount of time they’ll spend at the hotel.

That’s a perfectly reasonable way to evaluate your vacation budget.

You also may prefer other Monorail Resorts.

Some members of my family prefer Disney’s Contemporary Resort since they can walk to Magic Kingdom.

More recently, Disney introduced a walking path at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, so the other two Monorail Resorts provide walking paths straight to the world’s most popular theme park.

Technically, the Polynesian does as well, but you must walk from the hotel to the Grand Floridian to do it, doubling the length of the trip.

So, you wouldn’t stay here if you want a cheaper hotel or like to walk to the parks.

Otherwise, you should pick the Polynesian every time. I’m devout in this belief.

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Feature Photo: Disney