Aloha! One Mom’s Review of The Polynesian Resort

My favorite place to stay when vacationing in Disney World is the Polynesian Resort. The Resort is located right on the beaches of the Seven Seas Lagoon across from Magic Kingdom. With it’s tropical South Pacific theme and tiki torch lit pathways, it is a great place to relax after a day at the Disney the theme parks. The lobby where you check in is called the Great Ceremonial House. It’s an amazing lobby with waterfall gardens, shopping, and restaurants. The cast members give you flower Lei’s to wear like they do when you arrive in a resort in Hawaii. Everywhere you go at this resort you will be greeted with Aloha. The guest rooms are in longhouses which are spread out among the resort. The guest rooms are newly remodeled and they look beautiful.  You can even book a room that has a view of Cinderella Castle. The garden view and lagoon view rooms are very nice as well. Most rooms have a balcony or a patio.  Club Level guests stay in the Hawaii Building which is right on beach.

Polynesian has three onsite restaurants. ‘Ohana is a must-do for our family every trip and a favorite of many.  The resort is also home to the Spirit of Aloha dinner show. Which is like an authentic Hawaiian Luau complete with dancers, fire twirlers, and great food!  The resort has two pools, the main pool features a volcano complete with water slide inside. My kids love it!  Everyday they have pool parties with games for kids of all ages. You can even rent a pool side cabana for the day. Probably a good idea to plan a day or afternoon to lounge at the pool with a beverage from Barefoot Pool Bar. The other pool is called the Quiet Pool and it is much calmer than the Volcano pool. There are always plenty of lounge chairs and tables available here and it is a good place to read a book or just relax.  The resort also has a water sports Marina to rent boats and surrey bikes. Every night, weather permitting, they have a fire pit to roast marshmallows and show a movie on the beach. A few times a week the resort has hula lessons in the Great Ceremonial house.

We love the ease of transportation from the Polynesian to the Disney parks. Just a Monorail ride to Magic Kingdom and Epcot. When our kids were little it was very easy to hop on the monorail to go back to the resort for afternoon naps. You don’t even have to fold your stroller on the monorails which parents with small children will appreciate. The resort also has a boat that goes to Magic Kingdom and Grand Floridian resort.  Bus service takes you to Animal Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, both Water Parks and Downtown Disney.

Some  of our favorite things to do while staying at the Polynesian is to watch Wishes fireworks across the lagoon from the beach while lounging in a hammock after a long day at the parks. Also do not miss the Torch lighting ceremony out front of the lobby on select evenings.  While we have enjoyed every Disney resort we have stayed at from value to deluxe. Our stays at Polynesian have always been magical in every way. I feel very fortunate that our family has made many wonderful memories at this amazing resort.