Disney Deluxe Resorts: The Polynesian Walt Disney World, Orlando, FL
AN HONEST GUEST REVIEW 🛁🛁
In this month’s blog, The Honest Guest is going to tackle the idea of a ‘luxury resort’ on Walt Disney World property. Do the Disney Deluxe resorts live up to the promise they make on their website? Are they really akin to a 4-star luxury resort?
Whenever we visit Disney, we always choose the one-bedroom, vacation-club villa room category, even though we are not vacation-club members. We like to have our own bedroom away from our children (they sleep out in the living space on artfully hidden pull out beds) and the villas check that box. This trip, we are trying the one-bedroom villa in the Island Tower at the Polynesian Village Resort. My husband is attending a conference at The Grand Floridian so I tagged along for some adults-only fun in Disney World. We chose the Polynesian because it was the only one of the big three (Grand Floridian, Contemporary, Polynesian) that we hadn’t stayed in yet. Upon first glance, I am pleasantly surprised by what I see, though this tower is only about a year and a half old and still has that new car smell.
Ok, so what’s in the rooms? The villas have a full kitchen with a full-sized fridge, stove/oven, microwave and dishwasher. They fill the cabinets with a few pots and pans, mixing bowls, plates, bowls and cups. They supply utensils and other basic kitchen tools. It is a decent set, so if you feel like having groceries delivered and cooking, you’re good. They also supply a toaster and a Keurig with a full pot coffee maker. The room is equipped with a washer and dryer, so you can pack less and/or wash your sweaty park clothes before coming home. A big plus at the Polynesian (and Contemporary) is that the one-bedroom villas have two bathrooms! This is huge when you are traveling with three women, just ask my spouse!
How about the room itself? Well, nobody does a theme like Disney. The Polynesian’s is South Pacific, so think island vibe--palm trees, tiki huts, lots of browns and teals, woven fabrics and rattan. The whole place is adorable. Ok, yay, so everything looks good, but then you plop down on the couch and…ouch! Up close the furniture actually looks and feels like it came out of your pediatrician’s office! Vinyl and resin, or whatever new, indestructible material Disney painted to look like wood, topped with sturdy, hard cushions. Look, I get it, Disney is for kids—kids spill, kids jump on couches. Kids inadvertently destroy. Vinyl is easy to clean and, in this case, durability of the furniture comes before comfort. Now pardon me for a moment while I peel my thighs off this vinyl bench in the kitchen.
The beds are firm though comfy, even the pull-down beds hidden in the walls have good mattresses. The king bed has only twin sized pillows which I consider lazy. The bedding is nothing special. Typical rough hotel sheets on the king, but no actual blanket or duvet, they just kind of stack two sheets to make a blanket. They do offer an extra blanket and pillow in the closet, if need be, but resist the urge. When you go to bed, you will be cold, but I promise you, in the middle of the night the AC shuts down (yes, in Florida, yes in 100-degree weather) and it gets HOT. There are no luxury hotel extras like robes, slippers, turn down service, etc.
Now, I mentioned the two bathrooms: NO shower curtains! Glass doors on both showers and the master bath offers a separate soaking tub. Off to a good start! Now, let’s check on Disney’s toiletry game. Um, wow, ok, this is awkward. There’s like nothing here… They do supply small bars of soap next to each sink. There are also jars of hand soap and lotion on the vanity. In the showers, there is body wash, shampoo and conditioner loaded into dispensers. The end. There are no cotton swabs, no cotton balls or pads, no makeup removers or towelettes, no bath bubbles or salts. Nothing. It feels like you are in an Atlantic City casino-no comforts, get out of the room and gamble. Same thing in Disney, no comforts, get out of the room and spend money!
Since there’s only soap and shampoo to review, let’s talk about the scent and quality. Everything is a version of this ‘sea salt’ scent. It is clean, airy and a little metallic smelling, totally unisex. The good news is, it is very light, so once you use it (whether it is soap, lotion, shampoo, etc.), you don’t smell it-it doesn’t linger. The lotion was good quality; it glided on smoothly and absorbed almost instantly. The shampoo was a different story. I had to go through three washes per shower and I could still feel the day’s product left in my hair. It also left my hair very knotty. I used lots of conditioner, thinking this may combat the knot problem, but alas, the conditioner was basically water and did nothing to moisturize my hair or help with the tangles. So, if you are planning on actually styling your hair in the Florida humidity, bring your own shampoo and conditioner. They do supply you with a blow dryer that comes with a diffuser attachment, it is heavy, but strong, so you don’t need to bring your own.
Stepping outside of the hotel, you immediately appreciate that the grounds are immaculate: perfectly manicured lawns and flower beds, freshly raked sand, and power-cleaned pathways. There are several pools, a beach, activities like beach volleyball or giant chess boards, there are stores, lots of restaurants or quick service places—it is a great resort microcosm. You could literally stay at the Polynesian the entire time and have a memorable family vacation. The Grand Floridian has a similar set up in terms of space, pools and restaurants. Their theme is what I like to call old-money fancy, but they call it Victorian. Think floral prints in blues and mauves, with gold sconces and lots of white walls. I don’t know what to say about the Contemporary. Their theme is supposed to be modernity? To me it still looks like it was decorated at the height of 1980s. Their grounds aren’t quite as Disney-fied either, it is a smaller campus overall with fewer options in terms of pools and food.
When I hear the word luxury, I think high end materials, like sumptuous furniture and high thread-count sheets; I think high end amenities, like brand-name toiletries and fluffy robes; and I think high end customer service, like a welcome gift, some bottled water, or a hand written note. Disney strikes out on all three. While you can certainly see glimpses of 4-star luxury at Disney Deluxe resorts like the Polynesian in the meticulous grounds, pools and common areas, the rooms themselves are just average hotel rooms—a Marriott decorated by Moana.
So why the ‘luxury’ price tag?
Ladies and Gentlemen, Moms and Dads, when you go deluxe, you are paying for location. That’s it! The higher the hotel category, the closer you are to certain parks. The big three all have views of the Magic Kingdom (and fireworks) and access to the monorail system. If this is super important to you, then go deluxe. Over my 44 years of life, I have stayed at every iteration of Disney hotel available-from Value to Moderate, Moderate to Deluxe, and Deluxe to Deluxe Villas, and the quality of the inside of the room only increases incrementally between tiers. What you are paying for, is the luxury of location, and for us, that’s worth it. Here’s how we think about it: Disney transportation is kind of a PIA. You are always waiting around-for a bus, for the monorail, for a boat—and time is money in Disney. When our girls were little and meeting princesses was priority one, we stayed at the Contemporary so we could walk to the Magic Kingdom. Now that they’re older and thrill seekers, we stay at the Boardwalk and walk to both EPCOT and Hollywood Studios. Figure out which parks matter most to your family, pick the hotel closest to them, and the rest is just budget.
Bottom line: Disney Deluxe resorts get a 2 curtain rating because they just aren’t up to snuff when compared to big league luxury resorts. If I was rating mid-tier hotels, the Disney resorts would rank much higher, but alas, I am in the business of reviewing luxury and the Disney Deluxe resorts are not on the level of, say, a Ritz-Carlton or Four Seasons. They are above average, standard hotel rooms with base amenities. Don’t get me wrong, they are cute, clean, and on theme, but luxury they are not.
AN HONEST GUEST REVIEW 🛁🛁 2 CURTAINS—great for what they are, but ‘deluxe’ and ‘luxury’ don’t mean the same thing.
