36 Hours at Disney’s Island Tower (Polynesian Resort Villas & Bungalows)

See how our family spent an entire weekend at Disneys Polynesian Resort in the new DVC Island Tower at Disney’s Polynesian Villas & Bungalows. This is a complete recap of everything we ate, did, and saw during our resort-only stay without stepping foot in any of the Disney parks.

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There are plenty of full resort tours and room tours for Disney’s Polynesian Resort. There are even plenty of walk-through tours of the new Island Tower at Disney’s Polynesian Villas & Bungalows.

So here at Dream Wish Wander, we’re doing things a little different (and probably more fun). We’re showing you how our family spend 36 hours at the Polynesian.

We challenged ourselves to go to Disney World without going to any of the four Disney parks.

At first, this was a major challenge for Kelsey because she had her heart set on going to Magic Kingdom (don’t we all?). But one foot onto Disney resort property and we were drawn in like fish on a hook (sorry Flounder).

This is exactly how we spent our time during our resort-only Disney stay, with a few timestamps thrown in there for good measure.

Be sure to watch the full video for a more detailed look at our weekend!

Travel Day

We had an evening flight and didn’t start our adventure until after school got out. We love going to a lounge before our flight because it’s a little quieter, you have a little more personal space, and it’s just a much more relaxing way to start a trip.

This was our first time at The Escape Lounge at Bradley International Airport and I was surprised by the food selections. There were lots of snacks and some real dishes, both hot and cold, that were suitable for dinner.

Due to storms over the state of Florida, our flight was rerouted after over an hour of circling off the coast of Georgia. We booked transportation from MCO to our resort with Cast & Crew Transportation and they were waiting for us when we finally landed in Orlando (after midnight!).

We did mobile check in, thankfully, so we were able to go right to our room when we arrived after 1 am.

We were exhausted but we made it to the Disney bubble!

Day 1 – Our Only Full Day

We slept in, got into our bathing suits, and had breakfast at Capt. Cook’s before heading to the Lava Pool for the day. I had the Tonga Toast and it was so good. I truly wish I could eat this for breakfast every day!

Adam loves to get the Bounty Platter with gluten free Mickey Waffles. Disney is so great with food allergies and sensitivities, which is why it’s one of our favorite places to vacation.

We did not purchase the Disney Dining Plan for this trip. We have found that it’s not worth it for us as we don’t eat enough to justify the expense. We spend less dining à la carte.

We soaked up every last minute of the sun that we could at the Lava Pool. The girls had a blast on the waterslide, jumping through the waterfall, and swimming.

I loved the fact that it was warm and sunny vs. the cold and rainy weather we’d been having in Connecticut! We spend the morning and afternoon at the pool until the storms rolled in and all the pools were closed.

We got to explore the hotel before our dinner reservation. We also checked out the 3 different terraces at the Island Tower and explored the lobby, hallways, and artwork.

I was able to snag dinner reservations at Ohana, which is the Polynesian’s most popular restaurant. Dinner is all-you-care-to-eat family style and WOW it was so much food. They also had great gluten free options for Adam, including rolls and bread pudding.

We ended the night shopping at the Boutiki, which is the main gift shop at the Polynesian resort located on the first floor.

Then we got to watch Happily Ever After from our balcony because we had a theme park view! It was the perfect way to end the day!

Day 2 – Check Out Day

I seriously wish we had more time at the gorgeous Island Tower but a weekend was all our schedules allowed. We had one last breakfast (Tonga Toast!) before checking our bags with bell services and heading to the pool for the day before it was time to go home.

We hit up the Barefoot Pool Bar and Kona Cafe to-go for some lunch. Kelsey and I got the Wonton Chips, crispy chicken sandwich, and Oasis Salad to share while Adam got a burger on a gluten free bun. Mackenzie got Mac & Cheese and we got a few sweet treats for the road – the Stitch Dome Cake and a Moana Cupcake.

Cast & Crew Transportation brought us back to the airport for our evening flight back to Connecticut.

It was an amazing, relaxing weekend full of good food, pool time, and sunshine. We absolutely loved our stay at Disney’s Island Tower at the Polynesian Villas and Bungalows. You get to use the amenities at the tower, which are exclusive to tower guests, and the main Polynesian Resort.

We would stay here again in an instant because we didn’t get to do everything the resort has to offer or try all of the dining options at Disney’s Polynesian Resort. It will be very hard to top this weekend getaway!

Watch the Video