The trip has finally come (and gone :((((( ) where we finally stayed at the Polynesian Village Resort! We hadn’t stayed at Poly yet for several reasons – cost usually, I noticed if you don’t book early, you aren’t getting any deals at this resort. Also, Grand Floridian has always been my very favorite hotel, it was hard for me to break away. So when we decided to stay monorail, we always picked GF.

Well let me just say. Polynesian DEFINITELY gives Grand Floridian a run for the money. Polynesian Village resort is absolutely gorgeous. It has the perfect amount of theming, and the atmosphere is so incredibly cool. You really feel like you’re in the South Pacific, except with Cinderella’s Castle in the background!

Let’s break down some areas around the resort…here’s a super high level overview of the Polynesian Village Resort!

Great Ceremonial House (Lobby + Restaurants)

First of all, the aroma in the lobby is AMAZING. There is always the most pleasant fragrance that smells like a tropical island beach lined with flowers in the dunes. I could sit in the lobby and sniff away for hours.

The Grand Ceremonial House has a few important places in it – the check in area, concierge, check in for Spirit of Aloha, two shops, Kona Cafe, O’hana, Cap’t Cook’s, and Trader Sam’s.

Also immediately outside the back entrance of the Grand Ceremonial House is DOLE WHIP. That’s right. DOLE WHIP. Pineapple Lanai is there for the sole purpose of being the only place outside of the Disney Parks that you can get Dole Whip. It’s miraculous. We definitely had more Dole Whip this trip than any other!

The Rooms – Aotearoa Longhouse

I requested the Aotearoa Longhouse because of it’s proximity to the Great Ceremonial House and main pool. I loved the location. We had a monorail facing room but never heard it and Maely actually loved it. We probably saw the monorail pass fifty times and she was equally as excited each and every time.

Here’s some pics of our room…

Resort Areas

The pool was great! The only sad part to me is that the slides are 100% for a good portion of the slides, and Maely lost a little of her love for water slides. She was no fan of the darkness, but she still loved the pools.

Restaurants

There are a several dining options at the Polynesian – O’hana, Kona Cafe, Cap’t Cook’s, Barefoot Poolside Bar, Room Service, Trader Sam’s (really a bar, but you can order small plates there), and the Spirit of Aloha Dinner Show.

 

I’ll do some separate posts about these – but in a nutshell, all are great except I can’t recommend Kona, I really disliked the food options there and the service was the worst we’ve ever had in Disney.

That’s about a wrap on the Polynesian Overview! It’s an amazing resort – you should definitely add it to your Disney must do’s! Here’s some pics of our fam we had done by the incredible Portrayable Photography. Polynesian was the PERFECT setting for some timeless family pictures ❤