Disney’s Polynesian Village vs. Caribbean Beach: Which Hotel is Best for You?

If you want your Disney World vacation to feel like a tropical getaway, then you may want to consider booking a stay at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort or Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort!

Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort Lobby

Both resorts offer some serious tropical vibes, but they’re quite different from one another! Which one is right for you?

Atmosphere and Location

Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort is located along the Magic Kingdom monorail loop, meaning it’s closer to the park entrance than most other Disney World resort hotels. If convenient access to Magic Kingdom is important, then there’s a clear winner.

View of Magic Kingdom from the Polynesian

Caribbean Beach, on the other hand, is located along the Skyliner route, closer to EPCOT and Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Trekking to Magic Kingdom will take longer from Caribbean Beach, but you can’t beat the easy access to those other two parks!

Disney’s Riviera Resort Skyliner Station

As far as atmosphere goes, both hotels are similar in their tropical vibes. The Polynesian is inspired by the South Pacific, whereas Caribbean Beach draws from Barbados, Jamaica, Martinique, Trinidad and Aruba.

Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort

Disney’s Caribbean Resort is MASSIVE with a sprawling layout, while the Polynesian is much more contained. The benefit to being a smaller resort overall is you won’t have to deal with a long internal bus loop with multiple stops.

Pricing and Perks

Perhaps the biggest difference between the Polynesian and Caribbean Beach will come down to price. Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort is a Deluxe Resort, meaning you’re going to be paying top dollar for a stay here. Caribbean Beach on the other hand is a Moderate Resort, meaning you’ll pay less per night than you would at a Deluxe Resort like the Polynesian. Rooms at Caribbean Beach can typically fall within the $250 range, while the Polynesian can top out at $600 a night or more.

Caribbean Beach

Both hotels come with similar perks: multiple complimentary transportation options to the parks, pools, Table Service as well as Counter Service dining, and more.

‘Ohana Bread Pudding at Kona Cafe

Both resorts have fantastic pools. The Polynesian’s main pool, Lava Pool, comes with a 142-foot long waterslide, zero-depth entry, waterfalls, and a towering volcano.

Ahhhhhh…

The Fuentes del Morro Pool at Caribbean Beach is perfect for kids, complete with waterslides and cannons that shoot water. Both resorts also feature “quiet” pools in addition to their two main pools.

Fuentes del Morro Pool

But what about the guest rooms themselves? This is where you’ll start to see more noticeable differences between the two resorts, depending on what kind of room you’re looking for.

Rooms

Both resorts offer themed rooms! Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort recently completed a massive reimagining of their guest rooms, which are now a fun Moana theme.

New Moana-Themed Rooms at Disney’s Polynesian Resort

Caribbean Beach has themed rooms as well, based on the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. Note that not all rooms come with this pirate theme, and these special rooms will cost slightly more per night.

Pirate Room at Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort

Because the Polynesian is a Deluxe Resort, you’ll find a variety of room options available at various price points, including Disney Vacation Club Villas and Bungalows.

Polynesian Village Resort Bungalows

The rooms at Caribbean Beach will be more of a standard hotel room, with some variations based on view or whether or not you want a King-sized bed.

Transportation

Both resorts offer alternative complimentary transportation options to the theme parks in addition to the buses, depending on which park you wish to visit.

Polynesian Village Monorail Station
Monorail Blue entering the Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort station at Walt Disney World, Orlando, Florida. Nikon D750/24-120VR, 1/250s, f/4, ISO 560, EV 0, 24mm Focal Length.

Over at the Polynesian, guests can hop on the Monorail (note that at this time, the Monorail station at the Polynesian is temporarily unavailable) and head to Magic Kingdom, or they can travel to the Transportation & Ticket Center and transfer to the EPCOT Monorail loop. Guests may now also walk to Magic Kingdom via the Grand Floridian’s pedestrian walkway.

Caribbean Beach

Like we mentioned before, Caribbean Beach is located along the Skyliner route, providing easy and quick access to both EPCOT and Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

Dining

Both resorts offer multiple dining options, both sit-down and on-the-go. At Caribbean Beach, you’ll be able to eat at Sebastian’s Bistro, or dine poolside at Banana Cabana.

Sebastian’s Bistro

Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort has some of the most iconic resort dining options in all of Disney World! There’s ‘Ohana, Kona Cafe, and Trader Sam’s Grog Grotto, just to name a few! The Polynesian wins out in terms of sheer number of options, not to mention it’s some of the most highly sought-out dining in Disney World.

‘Ohana

So, which of these two “tropical” resorts is right for you? That decision could simply come down to cost, with Caribbean Beach rooms priced at a fraction of what the rooms at the Polynesian can add up to. There are other important factors to consider, too, like proximity to Magic Kingdom, overall theming, and top-tier dining options.

‘Ohana

Whichever resort you end up choosing, you’re set to be transported to a lush oasis no matter where you stay!

Click here to read about the most underrated resort hotels at Disney World!

Which of these two resorts would you rather stay at, given all of the factors above? Let us know in the comments!

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