previous

next

In our last post, we reviewed the luxury one bedroom villa accommodations of the Grand Floridian Resort and Spa. In today’s post, we discuss the reasons why we had mixed feelings about staying in a lakeview studio villa at Disney’s Polynesian Villas & Bungalows (DVC PVB). The answers may surprise you!

Why stay in a Studio Villa at Disney’s Polynesian Villas & Bungalows (DVC PVB)?

Disney Polynesian Villas and Bungalows (DVC PVB)
The bungalows at the Polynesian Village Resort

One of the primary reasons to stay at the DVC PVB is due to the location on the monorail. The “monorail resorts” — including the Contemporary and the Grand Floridian — have very easy access to the Magic Kingdom.

From the Disney Vacation Club website:

Escape to an enchanting oasis that evokes the spirit of the South Pacific—located just steps from the monorail, taking you to the ultimate in fun at Magic Kingdom park! Disney’s Polynesian Villas & Bungalows boasts the first-ever Disney accommodations to sit atop the water as well as the largest Deluxe Studios at any Walt Disney World Resort.
Disney's Polynesian Ceremonial House lights
The Great Ceremonial House

From the YourFirstVisit website:

…for those who can afford it, Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort, a monorail resort, is the best place for first time family visitors to stay.

Anyone can book a DVC villa — you don’t have to be a DVC member to book. One way to save, is to rent points — either directly, from a DVC member — or via an established broker, such as David’s Rentals.


RELATED: Are vacations one of the best ways to stay healthy?


DVC PVB check-in experience

polynesian ceremonial house lobby
Great Ceremonial House at the Polynesian Village Resort

As mentioned in the previous post, we tend to rent a car whenever we travel to Walt Disney World, preferring the ease of transportation to the parks, and the ability of grocery shopping at the local Target or Publix. As we were staying for one night, prior to a cruise, we skipped the grocery run for this trip

While parking is fairly easy at the Polynesian Villas (PVB), the walk is quite a bit longer — and therefore, a bit less convenient — than at the Grand Floridian Villas (GFV). Still the walkways and elevators made moving the luggage from the rental car to the villa, fairly easy.

DVC PVB studio villas hallway
We loved the pops of orange in the Polynesian studio villas hallways

Instead of one central building with check-in/concierge desks, guests (that do not avail themselves to online check-in) need to go to the Great Ceremonial House, in order to fine-tune any check-in requests.

As mentioned in the previous post, all resort guests can avail themselves to the online check-in process, thereby skipping any potential lines at the check-in desk, upon arrival.

DVC PVB studio door plaque
PVB Studio Door Plaque

Guests receive a text with the room number when the room is ready. A new (and much appreciated) feature includes directions to the room! There are no room keys, as the magic bands that were shipped prior to the trip provide access to villas. We appreciate the convenience of skipping the check-in desk, and going directly to our villa, upon arrival to the resort.

Location of DVC PVB Studio Villas

The Polynesian Studio Villas are located in three separate longhouses (Pago Pago, Moorea, and Tokelau).

Each of these longhouses are positioned nicely between the Magic Kingdom monorail and the walkway to the Epcot monorail.

Studio villas at the Polynesian can be booked as connecting rooms, which is a unique feature to this DVC resort. In the other DVC resorts, studios only connect to one-bedroom villas (forming what is termed a two-bedroom “lock-off” villa).

Map of Disney's Polynesian Resort with DVC longhouses circled
Map of Disney’s Polynesian Resort, with DVC longhouses circled

Studio (and bungalow) DVC PVB floor plans

At ~465 square feet, the Polynesian Studio Villas are the largest of all DVC studios, and sleep up to five people. However, a good portion of the square footage has been proportioned to the split bathroom design. More on that feature, later.

Here are the floor plans for the Polynesian studio villas and bungalows (taken from the DVC website):

DVC Polynesian Studio Floor Plan (~465 square feet)
DVC Polynesian Bungalow Floor Plan (~1300 square feet)

Although the bungalows look very appealing, we would not consider these accommodations, due to the very high use of DVC points. Forget about the cash rates. Then again, that’s just us…

The Studio Villa at DVC’s Polynesian

The studio villa offers the following amenities:

  • Private porch or balcony
  • Portable crib
  • In-room safe
  • Wireless Internet access
  • Flat screen television
  • Blu-ray™ player
  • Access to laundry facilities
DVC PVB studio queen bed and sofa
Studio with queen bed, queen sleeper sofa and storage coffee table
Polynesian studio wall art
Studio Wall decor

All studios in these converted DVC longhouses have either patios or balconies — unlike the standard Polynesian resort rooms, where the second floor rooms do not have balconies.

Polynesian Studio villa balcony
Polynesian Studio balcony

SEE ALSO: The surprising way that my teenager taught me how to be a better parent


DVC PVB Studio kitchenette

The studio kitchenette has the following amenities:

  • Counter-height refrigerator
  • Small sink (and dish soap)
  • Microwave
  • Toaster
  • Coffee maker
  • Paper plates, plastic cups, plastic utensils
  • Limited utensils
pvb studio kitchenette
Studio kitchenette

Many people prefer not to cook while on vacation. However, I enjoy the ease and convenience of having a full-sized kitchen for having a relaxed breakfast in the morning; preparing lunches to take to the parks; and re-heating the many left-overs that we collect, from restaurant meals.

Even with the ability have two kitchenettes (by booking two connecting studios) does not replace a full kitchen, with full-sized appliances (including a dishwasher). But (again), that’s just me…


RELATED: Is breakfast really the most important meal of the day?


While laundry rooms (that are free of charge for DVC members, or guests staying on DVC points), we prefer the washer and dryer in the one-bedroom villas.

Combined living & sleeping areas

The studio villa has a queen-size bed, a queen-sized sleeper sofa, and a a single pull-down bed (29″ x 67″), sleeping a total of five (four adults and one child).

There is a small table and chairs, and a large flat-screen television over the pull-down bed (not shown — why did I ] not take that photo?). But the studio does not have a separate dresser. Instead, there are pull-out drawers under the queen bed, and storage in the coffee table.

PVB queen bed, sofa and storage table
DVC Polynesian Studio Villa
Polynesian studio wall decor
Studio Villa Wall Art
Polynesian studio studio lamp detail
Whimsical touches throughout!

We loved the playful, post-modern decor and satruated color scheme of the Studios. Simply entering the rooms brought smiles to our faces, and that’s saying something, right?


RELATED: What is sleep hygiene, and why is it so important?


The split bathroom

Similiar to the Villas at the Grand Floridian, the studio villas at the Polynesian utilize a split bathroom design. There is a sink with vanity, tub, and toilet in one bathroom, and a (gorgeous!) walk-in shower with a separate sink with vanity in a separate bathroom.

PVB studio bathroom with tub and sink
Polynesian studio villa bathroom with tub, sink with vanity, and toilet (off camera)
PVB studio bathroom with shower and sink
Polynesian studio villa bathroom with walk-in shower and sink with vanity
PVB studio bathroom shower
Polynesian studio villa bathroom walk-in shower
Polynesian studio bathroom colorful wall
We loved the rich colors in the bathroom, and throughout the studio
Polynesian studio villa bathroom detail of walk-in shower
I want to have this shower in my own home…

Oh my heavenly showering goodness — the waterfall rain shower was truly divine.

Standard versus lake view at the Polynesian villas

Just like DVC-GFV, the studio villas at the Polynesian have two view classifications: Standard and Lake View.

Standard views may be facing the Oasis pool (and may suffer from noise), or the gardens, or the parking lot.

Lake views face the Seven Seas Lagoon.

We booked a Lakeview Studio, intrigued by the romance of overlooking the Seven Seas Lagoon.

Here is the view from our second floor studio in the Moorea longhouse:

Polynesian Lakeview studio Moorea
Polynesian Lakeview studio Moorea (Grand Floridian in the distance)
Disney Polynesian Villas and Bungalows Lakeview studio
Lake View Studio: The bungalows at the Polynesian Village Resort
Polynesian Lakeview Studio night
Polynesian Lakeview Studio at night. Looks serene, right? Just wait….

While the lake view offered a serene view from our balcony, we did not appreciate the incessant boat horn…. All. night. long.

No no no no no no NO!

We tried to disguise the sound, by cranking our sound machine (yes, we always travel, prepared). And, we tried to muffle the noise, by wearing earplugs (again – prepared!)

Despite our best efforts, nothing abated the piercing sound of that horn blasting, throughout the night, seemingly all night long.

We decided that we would stick with a Standard View, for any future stays at the Polynesian.

Of course, your mileage may vary…

Dining at Polynesian’s Kona Cafe

Kona Cafe is a table service restaurant located in the Great Ceremonial House in Walt Disney World’s Polynesian Village Resort. While most guests seem to favor the ever-popular ‘Ohana restaurant, we selected Kona Cafe for a quick and light meal on the evening of our arrival. After all, we were scheduled to embark upon a Disney cruise the following morning. Enough said.

Rather than table service, we elected the seats at the “sushi bar.”

It’s always a treat, to watch sushi chefs prepare our sushi rolls.

Polynesian Kona Cafe Sushi chefs
Disney’s Polynesian Kona Cafe Sushi Chefs

My son ordered a simple roll, and just wanted water:

kona cafe sushi
Disney’s Polynesian Kona Cafe Sushi

I ordered a vegan sushi roll, and “adult” beverage. Because… you know… vacation.

kona cafe sushi with beverage
Disney’s Polynesian Kona Cafe Sushi (and alcoholic beverage, because, you know… vacation).

The rolls were freshly prepared, and thus fresh and light. Just perfect. We loved the “open air” ambience of Kona Cafe. Our seats at the sushi bar shielded us from some of the activity in the main Great Ceremonial House. We tend to skip dessert, but I’ve read that Kona Cafe offers some interesting dessert options.


SEE ALSO: Lessons learned from severe sunburn


DVC PVB: Final thoughts

Polynesian great ceremonial house lights
The lights at the Great Ceremonial House at the Polynesian Village Resort help to create a calming and yet festive atmosphere.

We loved so much about the studio villas at the Polynesian — the lush grounds, South Pacific “vibe,” charming and whimsical decor, large studio accommodation, and delicious food choices.

Nevertheless, we remain partial to the one-bedroom villa accommodations offered by all of the other DVC resorts, and consider the lack of one-bedroom villas at the Polynesian as an epic fail, on the part of DVC.

Yes, there is an option to book two connecting studio villas, providing extra sleeping spaces and an extra full bathroom. However, the lack of a king bed in a master bathroom, no dresser storage, and lack of full-size kitchen, represents major downsides, in our opinion.

While the Lake View offers serene daytime vistas, the repeated blasts from the boat horns, all night long, will prevent us from selecting that room option, for any future visits.

While fine for pre-cruise or short weekend visits, we would only consider staying in a studio villa for a short weekend of 2 (or 3) nights.


disney deluxe why we had mixed feelings about our lake view studio villa at Disney's Polynesian resort

That’s all, dear blog readers. I hope that you enjoyed this blog post!

Have you stayed at Disney’s Polynesian Resort — either in the main resort, or the DVC studio villas or bungalows?

Please feel free to send me an email with your experience!

In the meantime, I leave you, with this handy info-graphic for my favorite Disney planning websites:

Top five awesome Disney planning websites

Denise Dixon, PhD

Health psychologist

Dr Dixon is a licensed psychologist practicing in New York State. Her contagious enthusiasm for sharing the science of health & behavior has earned her the nickname of “Dr. Smiles.” Dr Dixon also finds joy in motherhood; travel; outdoor sports; singing; piano; and cooking delicious (vegan) meals.


Do you have a suggestion for a blog post? I’d love to hear from you! Simply click here to tell me all about your idea. Thank you!


Did you enjoy reading this blog post? Please share it, by clicking one of these handy share buttons:

Pin It on Pinterest

Share This