Route Info: The Island Tower to the Polynesian Village Resort Bus Stop (Distance and Timing)

If you’re staying at the Island Tower at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort, you’ll have to walk next door for access to the resort’s bus stop. This isn’t necessarily a big deal, but it might feel like one if you weren’t aware of these extra steps before your trip. The same goes for monorail access and the boat dock. You’ll need to walk next door to access each of these options.

For this edition of Resorts Gal Routes, we’ll walk through the quickest way to get from the Island Tower to the Polynesian’s bus stop. Before we get started, there are two things that I feel are important to address.

1. The Polynesian shares bus service with the Grand Floridian. (We cover this extensively in our guide to the bus schedule at Disney’s Polynesian. See that guide for average travel times to the various destinations serviced.)
2. You do not want to walk out the front entrance of the Island Tower to walk to the Great Ceremonial House. A few directionals indicate that you should take this path, but a cast member told us they always send people through the back exit.

I know that might sound bizarre, but a walking path, for whatever reason, wasn’t poured on the right side (facing) of the resort. There is a connecting path available, but it’s a weird setup. I took this photo below to show you how the public path comes out in front of a service area, and you can see how far the porte cochere is up ahead.

It’s not just a small gap that’s missing a crosswalk, either. You can see in the photo below that there isn’t even a walkway leading to the tower’s entrance. It’s all road and landscaping.

We’ll discuss this more in a separate guide that details walking from the Great Ceremonial House to the Grand Floridian. For the bus stop, you’ll want to remember to exit at the back of the Island Tower’s lobby.

It’s a scenic walk as you continue along the path between Wailulu Bar and Grill and Seven Seas Lagoon.

You’ll take an immediate right near the pool.

Before long, you’ll see a place to turn left with signage.

We’ll turn left and head to the Great Ceremonial House. (If you were to stay straight, you would come out at the dead-end in front of the tower that we discussed above.)

This is where you transition into the main grounds of the Polynesian Village Resort.

You’ll stay straight, and the path leads directly into the Great Ceremonial House. For reference, the Great Ceremonial House is the resort’s lobby. The bus stop is on the opposite side of the lobby.

Technically, you can go around the back exterior of the lobby, but I think the air-conditioning is a welcome relief for most, even if it’s short-lived. A ramp is available to the right of the stairs that lead inside. (Note: If you were going to the boat dock, you would just take a left here, and the path leads directly to the boat dock. For the monorail, you would take the stairs or elevator inside the lobby to the second floor.)

You’ll walk through a hall that leads to the main lobby. You’ll continue straight and head out the opposite side door. If you like, you can also walk out the front door. We always go for the side door because it’s less traveled. The front entrance is, while scenic, often bustling with guests, valets, and bell services.

The side door comes out directly in front of Raratonga. You’ll take an immediate right.

The path continues toward the monorail track.

You can’t miss it. The bus stop sits ahead to the left, immediately underneath the monorail track.

You will also see signs indicating the bus stop is ahead.

You can’t miss it.

Here is a view from the bus stop looking back to the resort’s main entrance. I’m sure some of these directions might sound a little complicated, but it’s fairly simple to find. You may remember our guide with arrival day tips discusses locating the bus stop and other transportation options once you arrive. If you do a quick walk-through, you’ll set yourself up nicely for the rest of your vacation.

How Long is the Walk from the Island Tower to the Polynesian’s Bus Stop?

Overall, our walk from the Island Tower to the bus stop was 0.30 miles and took approximately 8 minutes. I did take photos along the way, so your walk will likely be a tad shorter than mine, depending on your pace.

For more on Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort, you might like some of our other coverage:

• Route Info: The Walk from the TTC to the Polynesian
• Refillable Mug Stations at Disney’s Polynesian and the Island Tower
• Where to Find Coffee at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort
• Photos: The Moana Themed Rooms at Disney’s Polynesian Resort
• The King Kamehameha Club at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort

More Planning

At Resorts Gal, we specialize in helping you plan the perfect Disney World vacation. Start with our Disney World Resorts Guide for an overview of every resort hotel, or explore our Disney World Dining Guide and Disney World Transportation Guide to plan where to eat and how to get around. If you plan to meet characters in the parks, we have an updated list of Disney World Characters. It includes every available character meet-and-greet in the parks and where to find rare characters throughout the year. Our Disney Parks Guide provides a complete overview of all four theme parks and water parks.

For big-picture planning, visit our Disney World Planning Guide and Disney World Budgeting Guide. You can also browse the latest news on our blog. Once you’ve explored these guides, consider taking our free planning course to tie it all together.