Every new resort at Walt Disney World in the last decade has faced fan backlash when first announced: Gran Destino Tower, Riviera Resort, Swan Reserve, Star Wars Galactic Starcruiser, DVC Cabins at Fort Wilderness, Lakeshore Lodge. Maybe all of them from the last 20 years, with the exceptions of Animal Kingdom Lodge and Art of Animation.
All of the new standalone hotels and DVC expansions have followed a fairly predictable pattern: criticism of the concept art; complaints about the location, size and scale, and lack of ambition in the themed design; concerns during construction about ruining the skyline or sightlines (plus all of the above). Finally, a redemption arc upon opening.
I’m as guilty of this as anyone. And just to be completely clear, I’m not hand-waving away any of the aforementioned critiques. Walt Disney World has gotten lazier with themed design, plopping bland and boring towers down where they don’t belong.
The “problem” is that every single resort on the above list has over-delivered on the guest experience. From a quality of stay perspective, all of the currently operational resorts built in the last decade have been pretty great!
While there’s undeniably cost-cutting and saving on infrastructure, part of what’s being critiqued is Walt Disney World ‘meeting guests where they are,’ responding to guest feedback, and giving guests what they want in accommodations. That’s a big part of the reason for prioritizing function over form.
Criticism for the exterior and themed design is not at odds with praise for the guest experience and quality of stay. Disney’s Riviera Resort looks underwhelming from the outside, undeserving of association with the richly-detailed French Riviera. Gran Destino looks like a casino hotel from afar, and towers over Coronado Springs in a jarring way. And yet, both are now among my favorite places to stay.
All of the critiques I had for those two towers were nothing as compared to my reaction to the Island Tower at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort. The big difference was that, by the time the Island Tower opened, I was very cognizant of my own personal preferences. Almost every time I commented on the eyesore irrevocably altering the monorail loop skyline, I added that past precedent has taught us it’ll probably be a lovely place to stay.
I’ve also broken the sacred blogger oath: instead of racing to publish a review, I’ve waited a full year after opening to review the Island Tower. During that time, we’ve visited and stayed at the new resort multiple times, giving it a fair chance to change my mind over time. And it has, at least in part.
My most recent stay at the Island Tower was immediately after the reimagined rooms at Bay Lake Tower. That definitely gave me a greater appreciation for the Island Tower, as I was shocked at just how much more I liked the rooms than BLT.
Anyway, let’s dig into the review of Island Tower at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort…
Located on the shores of Seven Seas Lagoon, the Island Tower replaced Spirit of Aloha Dinner Show. The new Island Tower is essentially wedged between the existing Great Ceremonial House at the Poly and the Grand Floridian, and right next door to Disney’s Wedding Pavilion.
It’s a towering addition to a monorail loop ‘skyline’ that already looks dramatically different than it did 15 years ago. For its part, the Island Tower at Disney’s Polynesian Villas & Bungalows adds 260 guest rooms in a variety of types that sleep from two to nine guests. This includes duo studios, spacious one and two-bedroom villas, and brand-new two-bedroom penthouse villas in addition to standard studios.
Like other towers that came before it at Walt Disney World in the last decade, the Island Tower is ugly. Boxy and spartan.
It’s jarring and visually incongruous with the existing Polynesian. There is no thematic cohesion or shared design language between the legacy Polynesian Village Resort and the Island Tower. It’s obvious just from looking at them that they’re two different visions from two different eras.
I cannot imagine anyone approaching the Island Tower for the first time would assume it’s part of the Poly. It looks like its own thing. There’s no unity or harmony between the existing resort and the expansion. From a design perspective, they’re basically two standalone resorts next to one another that share some visual motifs and common inspiration.
Honestly, if the Island Tower weren’t being wedged in between the Grand Floridian and Polynesian, forever altering the ‘skyline’ of the monorail loop, I wouldn’t have nearly as much issue with it. If this exact same design were out on Western Way near Coronado or the All Stars, it would be fine.
After several stays and visits, what I find most bothersome about the Island Tower is the lack of attention to detail, and not just its boxy shape and size. Walking around the existing Polynesian, you’ll see and feel the warm glow of tiki torches illuminated at night, bamboo concealing plain facades, and lush vegetation throughout.
Island Tower is really lacking in this regard. The absence of tiki torches is probably purposeful; Disney would offer a line about environmentality or some such nonsense. (It’s environmentality when a “bad” thing can be cut and save them money; not so much when the bad thing is core to profitability.)
There are also several eye-level walls and back-of-house facilities that Disney has made no effort to conceal. This is especially noticeable when walking from the fitness center to the Great Ceremonial House. It’s bad show, and worse yet, it’s easily remediable. Someone has just decided it’s not a priority for this pricey Deluxe Resort.
But enough on my rants about the way the Island Tower looks from the exterior and how it irrevocably alters the skyline of the monorail loop. At this point, you either agree or disagree with me; there’s probably not much room for persuasion.
Let’s switch gears to the positives of the Island Tower at Disney’s Polynesian Villas, stepping inside the new Disney Vacation Club wing…
If you’re judging it against other Deluxe Resorts, the lobby of the Island Tower is on the smaller side. Relative to other DVC wings or towers, it’s actually larger.
It’s definitely more impressive than that of Disney’s Riviera Resort, albeit less so than Gran Destino Tower. The obvious comparison is Aulani, which is thematically similar and also features a textural richness to its design.
The lobby at Island Tower isn’t overwhelming or wow-inducing at first blush, but there’s a lot to love once you peel back the layers. Every inch of the space feels thoughtfully-designed, from the seating to the support columns, lights, ceiling panels, and more.
Not only is this lobby very detail-dense, but it’s also incredibly inviting and calming. I love the Great Ceremonial House late at night or super early in the morning, but the practical reality is that it’s often loud and crowded.
Island Tower is just the right size that it doesn’t attract an audience, but is nevertheless a nice space to linger. I especially enjoy first thing in the morning or around sunset when the natural light floods the space and adds even more depth to all of the textures, carvings, etc.
Walt Disney World fans joke about this being the Polyday Inn (get it?), which is funny because there’s truth to the exterior rivaling a regional Holiday Inn. But we’ve stayed at some of the nicest hotel chains in the world, and the Island Tower’s lobby beats many Conrads, Four Seasons, Park Hyatts, Ritzes, etc. It’s really that well done.
The lobby level is where you’ll also find the entrance to Wailulu Bar & Grill, the only restaurant in the Island Tower. We love this lounge. When it comes to restaurants that we’ll revisit again and again, Wailulu Bar & Grill is our new #1 personal favorite lounge in all of Walt Disney World.
The seating area boasts breathtaking views of the Seven Seas Lagoon and Magic Kingdom off in the distance, including Cinderella Castle and Space Mountain. If you dine here at the right time, the lounge offers prime views of the Happily Ever After fireworks and Electrical Water Pageant. Wailulu also benefits from a cool breeze coming off the water, and the height of the hideous Island Tower blocks out the late afternoon sun.
We have zero criticism of Wailulu Bar & Grill. Everything from the understated interior design to the delicious dishes is great. With that said, it does strike us as a missed opportunity to have this be the only restaurant in the Island Tower. Relieving some of the burden from the restaurants in the Great Ceremonial House, which are often slammed, would’ve been savvy.
Wailulu Bar & Grill does a good job satisfying the needs of the Island Tower, but in the bigger picture of the Poly, another counter service spot or even a rooftop restaurant would’ve been valuable.
Now let’s head up to the guest rooms before we head outside and look at the common areas of the resort…
Pictured here is the regular Deluxe Studio room, which is the only room type we’ve done at the Island Tower.
These earth-themed rooms that sleep up to 4 and showcase the flora and fauna of the islands, with offer an outdoor patio and kitchenette with a dishwasher.
These rooms offer 1 queen bed and 1 queen-sized sofa sleeper. This is the latest generation of these rooms, where the couch is a pull-down Inova bed; they are significantly more comfortable and better-looking than traditional sofa sleepers.
The kitchenette features dual-use Keurig machines, which can either brew a single cup via pods or entire cups of coffee. This seems to be the new normal for studios, and we love it. These are a big upgrade over the old Cuisinart coffee makers.
The kitchenette also has a mini-fridge (not just a beverage cooler), sink, microwave, and plenty of storage space. Coffee, paper towels, cleaning supplies, and dishware are also provided.
There’s also a first-of-its-kind feature for Disney Vacation Club deluxe studios: a dishwasher.
The studios have a new layout, which offers a cozy seating area across from the couch and adjacent to the kitchenette.
I was initially skeptical of this arrangement, as I like to make my coffee while Sarah and Megatron are sleeping and prefer a bit of isolation with the kitchenette in the entry hallway. (The BLT studio style actually works well for us; it’s just too small.)
However, I’ve come around on this. Putting the kitchenette in the main room frees up space for storage in the hallway and, in turn, that cozy seating area in the main room. The end result is more seating than we’ve seen in studios, and arranged in a logical manner so 4 guests could conceivably enjoy a meal or converse in a natural manner. It’s a seemingly little thing, but it’s a big win.
It’s also impressive how none of these changes came at the expense of storage space–there’s still plenty, including a dedicated luggage stand and draws–or a desk. As we’ve seen with recent room designs, there are usually compromises made to features. Not here.
In particular, I’m pleased that there’s still a desk in the studios at Island Tower. Most tourists probably won’t care about this, but this is huge for me, personally. Or at least, it would be if there were a proper chair instead of a backless stool.
That’s the one “miss” of this design, and it’d be fairly easy to remedy down the road. As it stands, I actually prefer working at the seating area so I’m not isolating myself from the rest of the room. (Actually, my preferred work space was the terrace gardens–more on that in a bit.)
Otherwise, these rooms are DVC’s latest designs, similar to what was first pioneered at Disney’s Riviera Resort back in 2019.
That style of room has since been introduced to many other Disney Vacation Club resorts that have been renovated, and for good reason, member satisfaction surveys give these rooms very high marks.
The Island Tower is the first resort at Walt Disney World since Riviera with truly new studios, as opposed to reimagined rooms or retrofits. (Prior to this, there was the new Fort Wilderness Cabins, but that’s not really apples to apples since those aren’t studios.)
We’ve loved the reimagined rooms that Disney Vacation Club has done in the ~5 years since. In particular, Boulder Ridge and Bay Lake Tower stand out as colossal improvements over their predecessors.
With that said, I did back-to-back nights in studios at BLT and Island Tower, and the difference was night and day. I probably wouldn’t have noticed the full extent of the differences (especially since I was blown away by the new rooms at BLT) had the stays been more spaced out.
But these rooms are significantly better, and that’s largely thanks to their purpose-built nature. I’m almost positive that if Disney could do it all again, this is the layout they would’ve chosen for BLT. Unfortunately, knocking down walls and rearranging the floorplan is beyond the scope of even a hard goods refurbishment.
The Island Tower bathrooms are also nice, with one sink and plenty of counter space as well as storage underneath the sink. A hanging barn-style door separates the bathroom from the rest of the room.
The bathroom offers a separate room for the toilet, as well as a spacious shower featuring an overhead rain showerhead in addition to a handheld one. A little thing, but I like the texture of the tile on my feel on the shower floor.
Everything about the Island Tower studio is nice and high end.
There’s a nice heft to the bench, end tables, lamps, and other furniture. These little upgrades are not apparent from photos, but imbue the room with a greater sense of luxury than most other resort rooms at Walt Disney World.
It’s honestly a bit wild what a contrast the interior of the Island Tower is to the exterior. The outside looks incredibly value-engineered, as if no corner was too small to be cut. The inside is the exact opposite. There’s so much attention to detail, and everything feels very thoughtful and purposeful. I can’t think of another resort where this contrast is so pronounced.
Prior to staying here, my concern with the rooms was that they were overly beige, ‘earthy,’ and one-note. Given its mid-century and Polynesian roots, I was hoping for a lot more color.
But in actually using and experiencing the finished product, what they lack in color they make up for in texture and detail. These rooms are not bland, but rather, subtle. They’re less of an in your face style, but there’s actually a lot to like.
A lot of guests will appreciate the calming design and the way they act as counterprogramming to the existing Poly Villas. There’s nothing garish or grating about them; the space feels harmonious, for lack of a better term.
On balance, these are my new favorite studios at Walt Disney World. And I say that as someone who normally skews towards preferring more over the top themed design. They’re definitely not quite my top pick from a stylistic perspective (I’d still give the nod to Boulder Ridge with BLT now being right up there), but the intersection of form and function is unrivaled.
Circling back to amenities, the Island Tower will also adds a new fitness center and pool area.
The fitness center is nice; large given the size of the tower and with modern equipment. It also offers a good view, as opposed to being crammed into a windowless space. And if you workout too much, there’s a refillable mug station right outside the door for a sugary offset.
The new Cove Pool is a quiet pool, but larger than I expected. It has a courtyard with a sandy beach area, whirlpool spa, and views of Seven Seas Lagoon.
Right by this is Moana’s Voyage, a splash area with sculptures of Moana and her canoe.
There’s seating right behind Cove Pool that offers serene views of Seven Seas Lagoon, too.
There are actually several outdoor seating areas outside the Island Tower that afford beautiful views. It’s impressive just how much Disney managed to cram into the relatively limited footprint of this resort–and without it feeling cramped!
My favorite seating area of all is back inside the building, where guests staying at the Island Tower can enjoy exclusive access to four tropical terrace gardens.
These offer picturesque views of the golf courses or Seven Seas Lagoon and Magic Kingdom. It’s nice to have this exclusive access, as the Poly beaches can be packed with people for Happily Ever After viewing.
I absolutely love these garden terraces. This review is already long, so for more, I’ll refer you to: My New Favorite “Free” Fireworks Resort View at Walt Disney World.
The Island Tower is about a 5-7 minute walk to the monorail or boat dock at the Polynesian, which isn’t that bad. Depending upon your room assignment, you might encounter something very similar when staying at the main campus of Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort.
The bigger upside, from my perspective, is that Island Tower has the easiest walk from the Poly to Magic Kingdom. You’re just a bit farther away than the Grand Floridian’s DVC tower, and the walk is entirely manageable. During our stays, we’ve always done this walk when the weather has been nice.
The bigger downside is that Island Tower has the worst walk from the Poly to the TTC. This means that, if you’re wanting to catch the monorail to EPCOT, you have a longer walk than from any of the longhouses. Personally, this nets out to a slight win in the grand scheme of things; we visit Magic Kingdom more when staying along the monorail loop, but your mileage may vary.
Another downside of the Island Tower is that it’s not cheap.
For now, there’s a high amount of cash inventory–making it the best time to book the Island Tower if you plan on booking directly and are hoping to find discount room inventory. At full price, room rates border on obscene. The Duo Studio starts in the $550 range for winter dates and the Deluxe Studio starts around $200 higher, with $1,000+ per night dates being abundant.
Suffice to say, renting Disney Vacation Club points will save you tremendously at Island Tower. Point charts are almost identical to the existing Polynesian Villas, at least on the Deluxe Studio side. As longtime DVC owners, our “cost” of staying at the Island Tower has been about $168 to $228 per night thus far, accounting for our initial outlay plus annual maintenance fees.
Ultimately, there’s a lot to criticize about the Island Tower and how it looks from the outside. But what’s done is done. Not only that, but you know the one place at Walt Disney World where you can’t see the exterior of the Island Tower? The Island Tower itself! If you think it’s an eyesore to the Magic Kingdom skyline, stay at the Island Tower to avoid its visual blight!
There’s also a lot to love about the Poly’s Island Tower. Wailulu Bar & Grill, the Moana pool area, and (especially) Terrace Gardens are fantastic assets. The rooms here are absolutely fantastic, taking everything we appreciate about those at Disney’s Riviera Resort and somehow further improving upon them.
In case you can’t tell, I really have a love-hate relationship with the Island Tower at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort. I feel almost guilty for how much I’ve enjoyed staying here, as it’s a resort I think should not have been built in the first place. I loved to hate on the Polyday Inn during construction…and now I hate how much I love it.
The thing is that the views, rooms, and common areas are among the best in all of Walt Disney World. And again, what’s done is done. I’m already fairly confident I’ll feel similarly about Lakeshore Lodge, even though I grimace every time I see it rising higher above Pioneer Hall.
Island Tower is now at the very top of of our favorite places to stay at Walt Disney World. Even if you hate the exterior appearance and the whole idea of the Island Tower, you might want to consider giving it a chance. No amount of “protesting” at this point is going to change its existence, so we all might as well enjoy the good if we have to put up with the bad!
If you’re considering joining DVC and want more guidance, be sure to read our Ultimate Guide to Disney Vacation Club. That guide covers the pros & cons, resale v. direct, how much money you’ll save, and other important things to know before taking the plunge. If you still can’t decide whether membership is right for you, “try before you buy” with the recommendations in How to Save BIG on Deluxe Disney Accommodations Renting DVC Points.
YOUR THOUGHTS
What do you think of the Island Tower? Is this a net positive or negative for Walt Disney World as a whole? What about for the Polynesian or DVC members? Have you already booked a stay at the Island Tower? Do you agree or disagree with our resort review? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
