We've all been there--get the itch to visit the Disney parks (or a non-park resort) but all of the Disney Vacation Club points are gone. The reasons are endless: Annual Pass is about to expire...your favorite childhood music group is playing at Epcot....maybe you have one of those great employers that sends you to central Florida on business. But without any remaining points, a short trip to your favorite DVC resort suddenly becomes a whole lot more expensive.
Aside from the theming Jambo House and Kidani Village at Disney's Animal Kingdom Villas are very different resorts. There are variances in the design of guest rooms and resort common spaces, quality and quantity of resort amenities, dining options and so on. There are even differences in room classes available at each building (Concierge, Value) and the quality of balcony views available at each facility.
The Deluxe Studios at Disney's Polynesian Villas & Bungalows are the largest Disney Vacation Club has ever offered. At 447 square feet, they are 15% larger than the first property, Disney's Old Key West Resort.
But much of that added space went toward creation of a split bathroom. Placement of a vanity + bathtub in one room, as well as vanity + shower in a separate room allows multiple guests to get dressed at once. However, the added space in Polynesian rooms could have been put to some other use such as an expanded kitchenette or laundry room.
Most members don't seem opposed to the design, location or amenities of the Polynesian Bungalows...it's the nightly cost which draws criticism. The units sleep only 8 guests with two private bedrooms and additional sleeping accommodations in the living room.
But their costs--which begin at 115 points per night--are dramatically higher than other resorts with similar capacity like the Two Bedroom villas at Bay Lake Tower (50 points per night for theme park view) and Grand Floridian (55 points per night for lake view.) The bungalows do possess a number of unique features not found in the typical Two Bedroom like the private plunge pools, spacious private deck with loungers, the full-size dining room table and unique stand-alone villa design. But those features are apprently not sufficient to justify the high cost to most members.
Reaction to the bungalows at Disney's Polynesian Village Resort has been decidedly mixed. While they are among the most unique and charming of all Disney Vacation Club villas, some feel that the bungalows are vastly overpriced. With nightly rates that exceed most Grand Villas, some fear that the prices of the bungalows will eventually be lowered at the expense of Polynesian Deluxe Studio rooms.
However, DVC members have a long history of paying extra for premium accommodations like Grand Villas and Beach Cabins. The bungalows represent less than 1% of all rooms in the DVC program and have demonstrated a high occupancy level over their first year of existence.
