Review of the Polynesian

A lot of people rave about the Polynesian and there are valid reasons for this.  The Polynesian has a lot going for it.  You can walk to the TTC, the Magic Kingdom is a short monorail ride away and then there is the decor.


Outdoors the Poly is second to none.  The place is swarming with flowers, plants, trees, and shrubs.  On top of that you also run into the stream, springs and volcano pool.  Oh and did I forget to mention the Electric Water Pageant and view of the Magic Kingdom fireworks?

Inside Poly is a mixed bag. The main building is nice and the fountain in the lobby great.  Sadly those are the best features that can be found inside the Poly.

The check in area is cramped.  I get the feeling that when it gets busy it's not a fun place to be.  The non flora decor is bland and almost ugly.  I guess if you really like that kind of style it wouldn't be bad.

The restaurants are okay.  Ohana is average in almost every way.  The Kona Cafe is actually is best dining location on property (see my review of both of those restaurants for more info).  Captain Cooks is good for a quick service meal. There are two aspects about it that stand out. First they have the cool ordering kiosks there. Second you can get a Dole Whip.  Yes you can get a pine apple Dole Whip at the Poly.

The pools are decent.  The adults pool is nothing to write home about.  It's small but it tends to be empty which is nice.  The main pool is larger but still a little small by deluxe standards.  However, the main pool has a volcano with a water slide in it.  The water slide is mostly in the dark an it's fast.  If you lay down on it you will hit the water so hard water will shoot right up your nose. I wish I didn't know that.

The rooms at the Poly are nice but are not as good as other rooms on property.   They are big but rather ugly. The colors are dark and that's not really a good thing.  No matter what the room seems dirty even though house keeping keeps them perfectly clean.  The balcony is bigger than the ones found at the Contemporary but it may have just seemed that way.  The beds and general decor did not match up to Contemporary.  Even the bathroom isn't as good as the ones found in the tower at the Contemporary.  Don't let all of this give you the wrong impression.  Even though you can find better rooms on property these rooms are still nice, large, and clean.

Overall the Poly is a nice hotel but in the end I can't help but feel that it's a little overrated.  Considering the HUGE price you pay I can't recommend staying at the Poly.  If you are going to pay that much the use a discount code and stay in the Contemporary Tower or at the Boardwalk.  Both have great locations and great rooms.

If you want to see a video overview of a room at the Poly click here.