Since we had limited time on our trip, we wanted to maximize our park time by staying on Disney property, preferably on the monorail line. Blair has always wanted to stay at The Contemporary, but honestly the theming of that hotel has never interested me. It feels more like an airport hotel than a Disney hotel. I stayed at the Grand Floridian as a kid and would absolutely love to stay there again. All of the resorts on the monorail line are deluxe resorts and tend to be at the higher end of the deluxe price range because of their location. Unfortunately, neither the Contemporary nor the Grand Floridian resorts had any deals for our dates but I was really excited when I was able to find a decent rate at the Polynesian, which seemed like a good compromise for us anyway.
The Polynesian was a great choice for us. The location was perfect and the theming was fun. We had driven all the way to Orlando the day before and spent the night at a hotel off-site. We figured we would drop our bags off at the Polynesian in the morning and then head to Magic Kingdom. We were pleasantly surprised when we were able to check in and go to our room already when we arrived a little after 9am – one of the perks of going at the end of January, a relatively slow period for Disney.
The Polynesian is probably one of the most strongly themed resorts and Disney, as usual, pulls it off so well. The boys loved the Hawaiian decor from the moment we arrived on the grounds. The lush gardens outside made you feel like you were actually in Hawaii. The tikis in the lobby and scattered through the grounds were a whimsical touch. The boys wandered around the beautiful lobby in the Great Ceremonial House while I checked us in. It was a really fun touch when they gave everyone in the family a lei to welcome us to their beautiful resort.
The resort has rooms in 11 separate buildings, known as longhouses, spread across the sprawling property. We did not request a specific longhouse and were put in a standard view room on the second floor of Aotearoa, which I never quite figured out how to pronounce. The location was good though – it was convenient to the Great Ceremonial house, the restaurants, and the pools. I had read reviews stating that some of the longhouses (including ours) were a long walk to the Transportation and Ticket Center but we didn’t find it problematic, even at the end of a long park day. The grounds were so pretty and walkable that it was not an issue for us.
In 2015 the resort underwent a major renovation and my understanding is that a fair number of changes were made. Not having been there before, I cannot comment on what changed and what did not, but we found the common areas to be well designed and the rooms to be bright and airy. Even after the renovation, the hotel maintained its 1970s retro vibe, which we found kind of kitschy and fun.
There is no fine dining option on-site but the three restaurants suited our needs perfectly. We enjoyed a few quick meals at Capt. Cook’s but were sad we didn’t have a chance to try out the well-reviewed Kona Cafe. We also had a fantastic breakfast at ‘Ohana. And don’t forget about Pineapple Lanai – it’s a favorite stop for anyone who loves Dole Whips. There are also a few other options for drinks and snacks. There is no fear of going hungry here!
The ‘Ohana Best Friends Breakfast with Lilo and Stitch was by far our favorite character meal. The atmosphere was fun and the food was delicious. Like Garden Grill, they served their meals family style and the boys’ eyes grew wide when the giant skillet of breakfast foods was put in front of us. Just think of it – bottomless Mickey waffles! We did get seconds on the waffles, but the pineapple breakfast bread was definitely the most popular at our table.
Soon after we sat down a parade broke out around the restaurant. With the music playing, Mickey and Pluto led the kids around the restaurant. JB grabbed some maracas and fell in behind Pluto. It was a fun way to start off the meal. After that the characters made their way around the tables – we saw Pluto, Mickey, Stitch and Lilo in that order.
JB’s prize purchases from the trip were a Pluto hat and Stitch hands, which he wore everywhere. He was in exactly the right place to enjoy them both to their fullest. Pluto was really excited to see the hat and they played around with their ears together.
Stitch was equally excited about his hands and he had fun checking them out and comparing them to his own. Stitch came around with an official PhotoPass photographer so it was nice to have a good picture of us together.
This was definitely the best character meal we went to – the restaurant was lively and fun, the food was good, and the characters were engaging. The atmosphere just felt more laid back than the others we went to. To be able to roll out of bed and walk over to it was a huge bonus.
The Polynesian has two pools – the Lava Pool is the main pool and the Oasis Pool is the smaller and quieter pool. The boys loved the Lava pool, where they were able to climb the volcano to ride down a 142 foot long water slide. We only had one night warm enough for the pool but they took full advantage of it.
Since the boys opted to stay in the pool over returning to Magic Kingdom for Wishes, I went down to the beach to watch the fireworks. It was neat to get to see them and a unique perspective for sure, but it definitely felt far away. And I heard that they usually pipe in the music so that you can get the full effect of the show, but unfortunately that was not the case this night. It was better than not seeing the fireworks at all, but just barely.
But the surprise of the evening was the Electrical Water Pageant. What a trip! This floating parade has been around since 1971 and it immediately transports you to that time. A series of barges floats by carrying different colorful animated light displays. The parade starts with King Triton being led by a variety of sea creatures who jump and swim to the synthesized music. The show ends with a patriotic sequence as Stars and Stripes plays while actual stars and stripes float by. It was strange yet oddly entertaining and I found myself smiling from ear to ear. In a place where you are surrounded by state of the art technology and effects, the simplicity of this parade was a welcome step back in time. It made me feel like a kid again.
All in all we had a great stay at the Polynesian. With a short and busy trip, I felt like we didn’t get to fully experience the resort. I would absolutely love to go back and explore the other restaurants, go to the luau, and spend more time relaxing at the pool and strolling the grounds. Just look at those happy boys enjoying their stay in paradise!
