Disney World Resorts have opened a new resort and the standard view studio is so small that it features a Murphy bed rather than a standard bed and it runs $1,000 per night.
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Disney Vacation Club’s Polynesian Island Tower
Disney has just completed and opened a new hotel as an expansion to its Polynesian village, within eyesight of Magic Kingdom the new Island Tower. Polynesian Village has evolved over the years to include overwater bungalows, hotel rooms, integration with the monorail system, and remains one of the Deluxe resorts with premium rooms on Disney World property with close access to the parks.
The new Disney Polynesian Island Tower adds modern rooms and amenities to complement the popular resort with an all-new variety of options for rooms and suites:
“Island Tower at Disney’s Polynesian Villas & Bungalows offers an array of room options that celebrate the islands by exploring the natural elements of earth, water and sky:
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Duo Studios – Perfect for 2 Guests, these Studios offer an outdoor patio and kitchenette, plus vibrant artwork inspired by both Moana and the sky element.
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Deluxe Studios – These earth-themed rooms that sleep up to 4 majestically showcase the flora and fauna of the islands, and offer an outdoor patio and kitchenette with a dishwasher.
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1-Bedroom Villas – Discover beautiful water-inspired artwork in Villas that sleep up to 5 and feature an outdoor patio, full kitchen, spacious living area, 2 bathrooms and a washer and dryer.
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2-Bedroom Villas – In addition to everything the 1-Bedroom Villas offer, these Villas—themed to both water and earth—have a third luxurious bathroom and sleep up to 9.
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NEW! 2-Bedroom Penthouse Villas – These Villas—which also celebrate water and earth—sleep up to 8 and feature all the amenities of the other Villas, plus extraordinary views of Seven Seas Lagoon and Magic Kingdom park, as well as Disney’s Oak Trail and Magnolia Golf Courses.” – Disney World Resort
While a (2) Bedroom Villa pricing near $1,000/night is probably reasonable during peak periods, and certainly a (2) Bedroom Penthouse Villa, this is where the pricing starts for a Duo Studios. But the Duo appears to stand for dual purpose room with a couch occupying main room which can be replaced by a Murphy bed for sleeping.
On Instagram, the same channel had a more concise review of this room and outlined additional struggles besides the Murphy bed. For example, this rate was not for a resort view, but rather one of an under construction parking lot. The vanity is outside the bathroom and the bathroom shares a wall with the kitchenette. It’s an unpleasant, awkward proposition. The room is also only fit for two people meaning that at minimum, many will have to pay even more for a room that sufficiently supports the entire family.
As Another Super Premium Hotel Failed, Will This One Succeed?
The Grand Floridian and The Polynesian have long been “deluxe” or premium properties for Disney World Resort in Orlando. The Grandma Floridian has long needed an update and I have found the Four Seasons Orlando to be more affordable while offering many of the same resort benefits – and, of course, being a Four Seasons.
Disney last tried to pull the wool over visitors’ eyes at a truly unique property, the StarCruiser, themed for Star Wars. That property tried to charge near these prices but offered an immersive experience directly connected to Hollywood Studios, and more importantly, to Galaxy’s Edge. It closed last year due to limited demand. The months prior, I pointed out that Disney, instead of lowering prices for the absurdly high, but likely amazing experience, reduced capacity by 50% (half the number of “cruises” offered.) That plan didn’t work, it turned out it might have been the price point after all.
While the StarCruiser was a completely new concept, families were clearly struggling to justify the price point. Perhaps that’s not the only reason it failed, but I doubt it helped. The Duo Studio is so low value for such a high price, I can’t imagine they will be able to hold the rates – even if they are masked behind the Disney Vacation Club point system of timeshares.
Alternatives
Guests that are looking for properties adjacent to Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando will find many options for which they can enjoy many of the same perks but get a far better stay experience. Some of those hotels offering a better experience accept points as they are members of chains like Marriott, Hilton, and others. Here’s a list of Disney Good Neighbor properties from WDW Magazine that won’t charge you $1,000/night for half a room.
| Hotel | Distance from WDW | Room Type |
| Best Western Plus – Kissimmee – Lake Buena Vista Inn South Inn & Suites | 2.5 miles | Suites |
| Blue Tree Resort at Lake Buena Vista | 1.5 miles | Suites |
| Buena Vista Suites | 2.3 miles | Suites |
| Candlewood Suites Orlando Lake Buena Vista | 4 miles | Suites |
| Caribe Royale Orlando | 2.4 miles | Suites |
| Comfort Suites Maingate East | 2 miles | Suites, Standard |
| Courtyard by Marriott Lake Buena Vista at Vista Centre | 1 mile | Standard |
| Courtyard by Marriott / Marriott Village Hotels | 0.8 miles | Premium |
| Crowne Plaza Orlando | 6.9 miles | Standard |
| Delta Marriott Orlando Celebration | 1 mile | Standard |
| Delta Orlando Lake Buena Vista | 0.2 miles | Premium, Standard |
| Embassy Suites Orlando – Lake Buena Vista Resort | 1 mile | Suites |
| Embassy Suites by Hilton Orlando – Lake Buena Vista South | 3.5 miles | Suites |
| Embassy Suites by Hilton Orlando International Drive Convention Center | 5.9 miles | Suites |
| Fairfield by Marriott Celebration | 3 miles | Suites |
| Fairfield Inn and Suites Lake Buena Vista | 2 miles | Suites |
| Fairfield Inn & Suites Orlando in the Marriott Village | 1 mile | Suites |
| Floridays Resort Orlando | 3 miles | Suites, Premium |
| The Grove Resort & Water Park Orlando | 4.5 miles | Suites, Premium |
| Hampton Inn Orlando/Lake Buena Vista | 2 miles | Suites |
| Hampton Inn & Suites – South Lake Buena Vista | 3 miles | Suites |
| Hawthorn Suites Lake Buena Vista | 1 mile | Suites |
| Hilton Garden Inn Orlando/Lake Buena Vista | 1.5 miles | Standard |
| Holiday Inn Orlando Southwest – Celebration Area | 2.4 miles | Standard |
| The Holiday Inn Express & Suites – South Lake Buena Vista | 5 miles | Standard |
| Holiday Inn Resort Orlando Suites – Waterpark | 2.2 miles | Suites |
| Holiday Inn Resort Orlando | 1 mile | Standard |
| Home2 Suites by Hilton Orlando International Drive South | 2.3 miles | Suites |
| Homewood Suites by Hilton Lake Buena Vista – Orlando | 1 mile | Suites |
| Hyatt Place Orlando/Lake Buena Vista | 0.5 miles | Standard |
| Lake Buena Vista Resort Village & Spa | 3 miles | Suites |
| Margaritaville Resort Orlando | 2.8 miles | Premium, Standard |
| Meliá Orlando Celebration | 2.2 miles | Suites |
| Omni Orlando Resort at ChampionsGate | 6 miles | Premium |
| Residence Inn Orlando Convention Center | 8 miles | Suites |
| Residence Inn Lake Buena Vista | 1.5 miles | Suites |
| Rosen Inn Lake Buena Vista | 3 miles | Standard |
| Sheraton Lake Buena Vista Resort | 0.5 miles | Premium |
| Sonesta ES Suites Orlando – Lake Buena Vista | 1 mile | Suites |
| SpringHill Suites Orlando Theme Park/Lake Buena Vista | 1.2 miles | Suites |
| SpringHill Suites Orlando Lake Buena Vista in the Marriott Village | 1 mile | Suites |
| SpringHill Suites by Marriott Orlando Kissimmee | 3.7 miles | Suites |
| SpringHill Suites Orlando Convention Center/International Drive Area | 8 miles | Suites |
| TownePlace Suites Orlando Theme Park/Lake Buena Vista | 1.2 miles | Suites |
| WorldQuest Orlando Resort | 2.5 miles | Suites |
Conclusion
Disney’s latest hotel is a “deluxe” option and while the property is new, well-located, and modern it’s wildly overpriced. For the first year, guests will probably pay it (though the secondary market already shows some softening.) But Disney guests deserve better for their money and I hope management finds it as challenging to sell as families will find it challenging to afford.
What do you think?
The current “travel industry” consists of multiple Greeds : air fares with “food fees” , “seat fees” , “baggage fees” ; hotel rates with “resort fees” , “facility fees” ; all including risks of infectious diseases .
And all those fees come with less and less service for the consumer. Essentially paying for nothing.
Disney has gotten crazy over the last decade or so. Way too expensive. I’m surprised families will spend $4,000+ for a vacation there. I was last there around 2018/2019 and we sat next to a family of 4. They said it was going to cost them over $4K back then. Thankfully I have no kids and no plans to return to Disney (or Vegas, another place that has gone bonkers).
As an alternative to a fake Polynesian resort, why don’t you suggest people instead travel to the real Polynesia–Tahiti, the Cook Islands, Samoa, or even Hawaii. You can find many rooms for well under $1000 per night, and with a bit of shopping, can even find over water fales situated in a real South Pacific island lagoon for under that price. Even on the more expensive islands like Bora Bora over water rooms can be had for less than $1000 per night.
@jcil … +1 . Yes .
Staying on-property was never a great value deal, and you definitely paid for location with the Poly, GF, and Contemporary. But at least when you were getting multiple extra magic hours, free transport to and from MCO etc… it was expensive but you weren’t being nickel and dimed. Now it feels expensive and you are getting nickel and dimed.
Doesn’t Disney have another relatively new resort with the same issue? IIRC, it has super small rooms that also have a sofa/murphy bed combo.
As @jcil mentioned, you could buy a vacation to the real thing, including airfare, for the same price or less. Heck, you might even be able to manage domestic F to Hawaii, stay at a luxury hotel or in a suite at an upscale hotel for a week, and *still* save money (especially since you’d save on park tickets). Why anyone would pay these insane rates for these rooms is beyond me.
The reason for the price increase is obvious: As the USA population has increased, and new parks were not built, the increased demand stimulated prices. Imagine if Disneyworld hadn’t been built what a dystopian experience Disneyland would be!
Walt Disney’s Orlando could be repeated elsewhere: Buy up cheap land in Arizona, New Mexico, or Texas, build a park close to a local airport, and everything will be built around it.
People are creatures of habit and programming: Agreed. It’s smarter to go to a Taylor Swift concert in Germany, airfare included, than in the states and the same goes for Disney, Paris or heck, even Japan.
Or better yet, consider Dollyworld or (secret tip here folks) Dinoworld in Poland. Wonderful family experiences for a fraction of the price.
I really wish you would stop posting about timeshares/vacation clubs because you really don’t understand the business model. I’ve already called you out in 2 previous posts (where you cluelessly complained about things like breakfast and late checkout not being offered) and will continue to call you out.
The vast vast majority of timeshare inventory (whether Disney, Marriott, or Hilton) goes to existing owners who use their points. Only a small amount of inventory is made available for non-owners as timeshares are almost always full from bookings by owners, and they are of course the priority. For Marriott, the little inventory available to the public at Marriott.com comes from owners who exchange their Marriott Vacation Club points for Bonvoy points. The best way for a non-owner to stay at a timeshare property is to rent from an existing owner through a website like Redweek.
Daniel, I rent timeshares as well but not via redweek. Question: I’ve considered buying a timeshare on the secondary market or even haggling down a price on a presentation. Let’s say, for one week in Florida that usually costs me about $1600 to rent outright, I’d be willing to pay about $10,000 for it during a presentation if all the other perks are kept in place and a $900 annual maintenance fee. I figure it would take about 14 years to amortize. Or am I just better of renting or doing the “attend a presentation for a ‘free’ week each year” game we’ve been playing? Should I offer them $8000 instead? I’m thinking that even if they reject this offer, it would at least get me out the door faster.
Disney has done an excellent job at selling to their die hard fan base. We did a trip to the Poly 10 years ago and were really horrified at what passes as a Disney luxury resort. (I bought into the hype that staying on property was the only way to do Disney right.)