Enjoy the Polynesian Resort at Disney for Free


Many people book the Disney Resorts and then spend all their time at the parks.  They rush out first thing in the morning and then come back to their room so tired they fall into bed to rejuvenate for the next day at the next park...spending upwards of $400 a night. 


However Disney invites everyone to come and visit the resort even if you are not staying and many of the people wandering around are visitors.

The resort hotels are designed to transport you to another place, so even though you are in Florida you are for all intents and purposes actually have traveled to the western Pacific!  

First of all parking is free.  You can park up to four hours for free in the hotel parking lot.
Inside the resort there is shopping at the gift shops, restaurants open to all and beautiful floral arrangements everywhere.   

The decor and art glass are divine!


There are two floors of lobby seating areas where you can enjoy the music and people watch!
Every day at 3:45 hula lessons are given to any who wish to participate in the lobby area.  During the week it is geared for children but on Saturday's the lessons are designed for all ages.  Visitors and hotel guests all participate.

 From the second floor lobby we caught the monorail and went for a ride past the Magic Kingdom and through the Contemporary Hotel and back to the Polynesian Resort. A birds eye view!  You want to enjoy the monorail early in the evening though, its very crowded later when the parks are closing.




We then meandered through the pathways and enjoyed the landscaping and gardens.




   We discovered when we arrived at the beach that a bonfire was going and cast members were on hand with sticks and unlimited marshmallows for everyone.  They are there every night at 7:30 to 8:30 at all the resorts.


We watched the sun set while roasting them and enjoyed the beach lounge chairs at the invitation of the cast members.   My daughter and grandson posed for me against the night sky as we waited for the next event!


You can see it from the beach but  I walked out the the dock to see the Disney Electrical Parade.  It glided across the lagoon at 9:00 for the 
enjoyment of all.  Each section lit up as it passed by.  There were quite a few sea creatures featured
and gasps of surprise and oohing and aahing were heard from all.  A special tribute to America ended the parade.  It was glorious.


Following the parade at 10:00 
we saw Tinkerbell slide down the castle tower and the fireworks "Wishes" show began.
Even from across the lagoon they were fantastic!  




The show is about fifteen minutes of spectacular fireworks in unusual shapes as well as the traditional fiery color bursts.  

Following the show we bought pineapple ice cream at the Pineapple Lanai.  I recommend it highly but next time I will share, the portion is very generous!  I also would choose the mixture of pineapple and vanilla ice cream.  They also serve it in tall glasses floating in pineapple juice! 

Later we took the little shuttle boat over to the Magic Kingdom and back to the resort. 
 It was beautiful to enjoy the lagoon by moonlight, and 
a perfect end to the evening.  

As we left for our condo near Disney World late that night, we saw the tired hotel guests coming back from the parks on the monorail and trudging  back to their rooms, having missed the relaxed evening at the Polynesian Resort we enjoyed.   All for free except our ice cream dessert!





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Comments

SmilingSally said…
Hi Jeannie Maria,

Yep, Disney knows how to host a party! I've ridden that monorail through the hotel. Thanks for playing today.

Happy Blue Monday!
Looks like a magical (and maybe even restful) place!
Gerald (SK14) said…
like the decor - not watched a good fireworks display for too long.
Annesphamily said…
such a fun post Jeannie Marie! I would love to visit there. Florida is on my bucket list as my son-in-law is from your grand state! He grew up in the Keys so I am hearing lots of stories. Thanks for this wonderful information and beautiful share. Have a wonderful week. Hugs, Anne
joyh82 said…
Wow I didn't know all that about the resorts. We are going in May and we can hardly wait. We are staying at Port Orleans.
Great photos!
LV said…
One place I have never been.From those that have, it is a fabulous place.
Rajesh said…
This resort looks really nice with so much to see.
Gattina said…
What a wonderful day you had ! and the firework is gorgeous !
Anonymous said…
Hello Anne Marie, used to live for about 30 years an hour from Disneyland in L.A. and we could watch the fire works as we were driving by on the freeways:)

About your comment on Blue Monday, I have added the painting you liked to see from Bejing, China. When you come at my blog, it's the post of this whole week (so don't click on those 3 horizontal lines that are the menu)
Enjoy and have a happy week!

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