Disney's Polynesian Resort is a relaxing tropical paradise, featuring lush vegetation, thatched roofs, koi ponds and white-sand lakebeaches and offering a warm, welcoming world that celebrates the spirit of the South Pacific and ensures "Ho'Onanea"—the passing of time in languid tranquility. With 11 2-story and 3-story village longhouses that flank the Great Ceremonial House—built to resemble a royal Tahitian assembly lodge—the Resort has 847 luxurious rooms, decorated with rich tropical colors and furnished in traditional bamboo and rattan.
Inside the Great Ceremonial House, water cascades over craggy volcanic rocks, while coconut palms tower over more than 75 different indigenous species. Also inside is shopping, dining and an awe-inspiring torch-lighting ceremony—a Polynesian welcoming of the night that includes a traditional fire-knife dance, accompanied by authentic drumming and chants.
Disney's Polynesian Resort is situated on the southern shore of the man-made Seven Seas Lagoon, south of the Magic Kingdom and adjacent to other Walt Disney World complexes, with the Transportation and Ticket Center to the east and Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa to the west. The resort is on the Magic Kingdom monorail loop, providing transportation to the Magic Kingdom and Epcot (via transfer), and is part of the route for Disney's Magic Kingdom Resorts Water Launch service. Other Walt Disney World Resort theme parks and attractions are served by Disney Transport buses.
The resort is organized around a central building named the Great Ceremonial House, itself designed after a Tahitian royal assembly lodge. The Great Ceremonial House houses guest services and most of the resort's dining and merchandise locations. The Great Ceremonial House also features a large tropical rain forest in its atrium, with over 75 species of plant life and several waterfalls. No rooms are contained in this building, instead several lodges, longhouses, house all guest rooms and are spread out amongst resort property.
Disney's Polynesian Resort offers a variety of recreation, including the Nanea Volcano Pool, featuring a 40-foot high volcano with a waterfall and tubular waterslide, fishing, boating, waterskiing and parasailing on Bay Lake and Seven Seas Lagoon. Also on the Seven Seas Lagoon, a dazzling, musical Electrical Water Pageant is held nightly. Guests of the Resort also have access to nearby Disney's Grand Floridian Spa and Health Club.
Guest Rooms
All standard guest rooms contain two queen beds, a daybed, a lounge chair and table, a combination dresser and entertainment center with a flat screen television, a desk with an integrated rolling table and matching chair, two closets, and convenience area between the closets for a small refrigerator and a coffee maker. Bathrooms typically include a single or dual-sink vanity, western toilet, and a bathtub. As of 2012 most guest rooms offer free wireless Internet access.
The resort's guest rooms make use of earth tones such as brown, green, and red; and are influenced by a modern interpretation of the resort's original South Seas theme. The resort has some of the largest standard rooms on Walt Disney World Resort property (415 square feet (38.6 m2) for rooms in original longhouses, 476 square feet (44.2 m2) for rooms in newer longhouses), matched only by Disney's Contemporary Resort and Shades of Green. All first floor rooms have patios, and all third floor rooms have balconies. Most second floor rooms have no balconies with the exception of Tahiti, Rapa Nui, Tokelau, and Tonga which do.
Dining
- Disney's Spirit of Aloha Dinner Show - Presented in an open-air dining theater in Luau Cove, Disney's Spirit of Aloha dinner show is a Polynesian luau feast. This exciting celebration combines traditional music with more contemporary ditties from the animated Disney film Lilo and Stitch, and features dancing that is considered some of the most authentic this side of Hawaii.
- 'Ohana - 'Ohana restaurant in Disney's Polynesian Resort offers a Character Dining breakfast and a Polynesian-inspired dinner menu. Both meals are served family-style—quite fitting since 'ohana means family in the Hawaiian language. Join Lilo and Stitch for 'Ohana's Best Friends Breakfast! Feel like you're a part of their intergalactic 'ohana when you join them for an American breakfast influenced by the exotic tastes of the Polynesian islands. When the doors open for dinner, the bellow of conch shells welcome you to 'Ohana. Adding to the island ambiance are tikis, storytellers and coconut races, in which children sweep coconuts with brooms across the hardwood floor down the center of the restaurant. The family fun continues as everyone is encouraged to play with hula hoops and dance to island music.
- Kona Cafe - The Kona Cafe infuses a bit of Asian zest into traditional American breakfast, lunch and dinner fare in Disney's Polynesian Resort. Indulge in the scrumptious cinnamon and banana-stuffed Tonga Toast or choose from a variety of more savory breakfast options like a variety of egg dishes and pineapple macadamia nut pancakes. As you enjoy the relaxed atmosphere of this Polynesian restaurant, feast your eyes across the onstage open pastry kitchen that prepares divine desserts. Kona Cafe offers authentic Kona coffee as a perfect pairing to these pastries, or as a rich addition to any meal.
- Captain Cook's Snack Company - Discover specialties such as pastries, burgers, salads, pizzas, fresh fruit, and ice cream treats. Open 24 hours a day, the location features food with an island-style flair. Captain Cook's menu was recently expanded to additionally offer Tonga Toast and Dole Whips, two exclusive items from other Walt Disney World Resort food and beverage locations.
- Tambu Lounge - Appetizers and wine, beer, espresso and cappuccino specialties are available at this cocktail lounge. Tambu Lounge is a bar with an attached lounge area, adjacent to 'Ohana on the second floor of the Great Ceremonial House, operating in the evening hours. In addition to a full menu of beverage offerings and appetizers, several resort specialties are available from Tambu Lounge, including the Lapu Lapu, an alcoholic mixed beverage served in a hollowed-out pineapple.
- Barefoot Pool Bar - Barefoot Pool Bar is a poolside bar offering a full selection of beverages from the early-afternoon to mid/late-evening hours. A limited amount of pre-packaged food items are available at this location.
Recreation
- Nanea Volcano Pool and the East Pool - The resort's Nanea Volcano Theme Pool was constructed in 2001 replacing the resort's original pool. The theme pool features a large, volcano-type structure with waterfalls and a water slide that feeds into the main pool. The theme pool offers a zero-entry sloping entrance, as opposed to traditional stairs or step ladder. The resort's East Pool is a "quiet" pool for the resort, offering deeper depths and a freeform design somewhat more appropriate for swimming laps. Indulge and enjoy a private space where recreation meets relaxation! Just steps away from the water's edge, cabanas feature personalized service from an attentive Cast Member.
- The Neverland Club - The Neverland Club is a supervised children's activity center offering activities for children, including themed entertainment, crafts and meals. It is open from 4:00 p.m. until midnight, and accepts toilet-trained children ages 4–12. It draws inspiration from the Disney movie Peter Pan, including a fiberglass recreation of the nursery in the foyer.
- Mikala Canoe Club Marina - The resort's lakeside Mikala Canoe Club Marina, or just marina, offers a variety of watercraft available for rent and offers private cruises and excursions on the Seven Seas Lagoon. The marina also offers surrey bike rentals for use around the resort. Mikala Canoe Club Marina is located at the marina and offers watercraft rentals, including canoes, Sun Tracker pontoon boats, 14-foot Dual Hull sailboats, a 17-foot Boston Whaler Montauk Boat and Sea Raycers by Sea Ray. In addition, there are various Specialty Cruises that can be reserved. (At Sammy Duvall's Watersports Centre in the nearby Disney's Contemporary Resort, water-skiing, wakeboarding and parasailing are offered.) For reservations, book online or call (407) 939-0754.
- Grand Floridian Resort Spa & Health Club - Disney's Grand Floridian Spa & Health Club, located just one monorail stop away, is available to Guests of Disney's Polynesian Resort. Work out on state-of-the-art exercise equipment or book a rejuvenating spa experience. The full-service spa offers body and water therapies, skincare, manicures, pedicures and soothing massage.
- Moana Mickey's Fun Hut Arcade - Moana Mickey's Arcade is a high-tech game room located next to the Never Land Club that features both classic arcade games and the latest in video game entertainment. Open 24 hours, it's the perfect place to get your game on.
- White Sand Beaches of the Seven Seas Lagoon - Relax on white-sand beaches, perfect for sunbathing and sandcastle-building. Lounge chairs, cabanas and hammocks also make this a great place for viewing the Electrical Water Pageant or the fireworks at Disney's Magic Kingdom theme park area. Check your Times Guide to see what time the fireworks will begin. There is a large expanse of beach fronting the Seven Seas Lagoon, with lounge chairs, hammocks, and cabanas placed throughout the area. For a short period following the resort's opening, swimming was permitted in the Seven Seas Lagoon, with wave machines and other features built to increase the authenticity of the location. Due to land erosion concerns, the wave machines were not used beyond their initial testing period. With other operational considerations in mind, swimming/wading is not currently permitted in the Seven Seas Lagoon.
Touring Tips
- Disney's Polynesian Resort features two swimming pools, a marina, an arcade, a supervised children's activity center, and a shared spa and health club.
- The resort offers several shopping areas focused on Disney parks merchandise, resort-specific specialty merchandise, convenience items, and an art gallery focused on marine-life.
- Room service at Disney's Polynesian Resort is available from 6:30 a.m. to midnight, 7 days a week and includes American fare from the kitchen of the Kona Café.
- Guests of Disney's Polynesian Resort can work out on state-of-the-art exercise equipment or book a rejuvenating spa experience. At Disney's Grand Floridian Spa & Health Club, located just one monorail stop away. This full-service spa offers body and water therapies, skincare, manicures, pedicures and soothing massage.
- Located near the bus stop, across from the Great Ceremonial House, the Never Land Club is a supervised activity center for children ages 3 to 12 that is open daily from 4:00 p.m. to midnight for an additional fee. Dinner is provided between 6:00 and 8:00 p.m., and a snack is served at 10:00 p.m. Children must be independent in their toileting needs.
- Concierge assistance at Disney's Polynesian Resort is available to Resort hotel Guests 7 days a week, from 7:00 a.m. through 10:00 p.m. Located in the main lobby, the concierge can help you purchase Theme Park tickets and make Walt Disney World dining and show reservations.
- This Resort includes an accessible path of travel from arrival to the lobby area, as well as to accessible Guest rooms; restaurants; merchandise locations; pools; and exercise and laundry facilities.
History
The resort used United States Steel's then newly-developed construction process for its original longhouses; steel frames were erected on-site, and pre-constructed modular rooms were lifted into these frames via crane, similar to Disney's Contemporary Resort. This method of building caused problems in both Disney's Polynesian and Contemporary Resorts, with guest complaints of a moldy smell in their rooms. It was found that mold and debris had collected in the spaces between each room. The spaces were filled in, stopping the problem, and Longhouses built as part of the resort's later expansions were built using conventional building techniques.
With newly found construction photos of the Polynesian Resort we have found that the rooms were done differently than the Contemporary. Both the Polynesian and the Contemporary had the rooms built off site but still on Disney property. The difference was instead of sliding the rooms into a metal frame like the Contemporary, they stacked the rooms and built the frames around them.
The resort design and layout consists of 11 two and three story longhouses, spread throughout the property. The resort originally opened with 8 longhouses, Bali Hai, Bora Bora, Fiji, Hawaii, Maui, Samoa, Tahiti and Tonga. In 1978, the Oahu longhouse was added. The Moorea and Pago Pago longhouses were added in 1985. On October 28, 1999, most of the resort's longhouses were renamed to better reflect the vast scope of the Polynesian islands. Today the longhouses are named for islands on the Polynesian isle map, with chosen longhouse names matching the relative geographic position of their namesake island(s). Ten of the eleven longhouses, excluding Fiji, were renamed: Bali Hai became Tonga; Bora Bora became Niue; Hawaii became Samoa; Maui became Rarotonga; Moorea became Tahiti; Oahu became Tokelau; Pago Pago became Rapa Nui; Samoa became Tuvalu; Tahiti became Aotearoa and Tonga became Hawaii.
Since its opening in 1971, the resort has seen two major expansions; the first in 1978, with the addition of a longhouse, the Tangaroa Terrace restaurant/support facility, and a secondary pool. A second expansion took place in 1985, with the construction of two additional longhouses. In that same year, the resort adopted its current name over former Polynesian Village titles. The resort now has a collective 847 rooms and suites, most recently renovated in 2006.