Disney’s Polynesian Resort Transportation Options

Are you planning an upcoming stay at Disney’s Polynesian? If so, you’ll want to familiarize yourself with the transportation options available at the Polynesian before your arrival.

One of the most critical aspects of planning a Disney vacation is learning transportation options. If you plan your trip and forget to study how to get to and from your resort, you’ll find yourself at a loss while on vacation. Or worse, lost.

Not only that, each resort offers different modes of transportation. So things can get confusing.

For this review, we’ll look at the transportation options available at Disney’s Polynesian Resort. We’ll also discuss how to get to and from the Polynesian and other popular destinations.

Since Disney’s Polynesian is a deluxe resort, the resort offers multiple types of transportation. Those options include the resort monorail, resort watercraft, walking, and Disney’s bus service.

This article was updated on March 2, 2023. Note that the construction of the new DVC Tower at the Polynesian has caused a few changes.

Polynesian Transportation Options

When staying at the Polynesian, you’ll want to know the best transportation modes to and from the resort. Here are a few of the routes we’ll look at below:

• How to get to the Magic Kingdom from the Polynesian
• Travel to Epcot from the Polynesian
• How to get to Hollywood Studios from the Polynesian
• Traveling to the Animal Kingdom from the Polynesian
• How to Get to Disney Springs from the Polynesian

Polynesian Transportation to Magic Kingdom

Naturally, the monorail is the most popular mode of getting to the Magic Kingdom from the Polynesian. Disney’s Polynesian monorail platform is located on the second floor of the Great Ceremonial House.

For reference, the Great Ceremonial House is the resort’s lobby. Once you reach the lobby, you can use the staircase or elevator to reach the second floor.

Before you reach the monorail platform, you must go through security. However, when you arrive at Magic Kingdom, you’ll still be within the secure area and can walk straight up to the ticket gate.

Disney’s resort monorail stops at the Magic Kingdom and surrounding resorts. After you leave the Polynesian, you will have one stop at Disney’s Grand Floridian before arriving at Magic Kingdom.

Related: Disney Hotels on the Monorail

Guests staying on the side of the resort closest to the Transportation and Ticket Center might elect to take the monorail from that station.

The walkway between the Polynesian and Transportation and Ticket Center is rather short. Pago Pago, Tokelau, and Moorea are the closest longhouses to the Transportation and Ticket Center.

Once you reach the Transportation and Ticket Center, you can take the Express monorail directly to Magic Kingdom. Or you can take the resort monorail. However, the resort monorail will stop at the Polynesian and Grand Floridian on your way to the park.

Along with the monorail service, there are a few other options for visiting the Magic Kingdom from the Polynesian. One of those options is the resort’s boat service.

Polynesian’s watercraft launch travels directly from the Polynesian to Magic Kingdom. After that, it returns to Grand Floridian before arriving back at the Polynesian.

Boat service from the Polynesian to Magic Kingdom begins one-half hour before the park opens. Boats continue to run until 45 minutes after the park closes.

Lastly, walking is the newest way of getting from the Polynesian to the Magic Kingdom.

First, you’ll want to take the walkway from the Polynesian to the Grand Floridian. Then join the walkway from the Grand Floridian to Magic Kingdom.

Update: There is a new construction walkway between the Polynesian and Grand Floridian. Unfortunately, the shoreline pathway is closed at this time.

Usually, starting at the Great Ceremonial House takes approximately 25 minutes to reach Magic Kingdom. That’s walking at an average pace.

So, although walking isn’t necessarily the quickest option, I have found it beats standing in a long line for the monorail or boats after the evening fireworks at Magic Kingdom.

Transportation to Epcot from the Polynesian Resort

Guests traveling to Epcot from the Polynesian Resort will need to take the monorail. Epcot’s monorail line sits next to the resort monorail and express monorail lines at the Transportation and Ticket Center.

You’ll have one of two ways to get to the Epcot monorail from the Polynesian. First, you can take the walkway from the Polynesian to the Transportation and Ticket Center.

When you arrive at the Transportation and Ticket Center, you’ll go through security first. Then you’ll want to walk up the ramp for the Epcot monorail.

Or you can take the monorail from the Polynesian nearly full circle to the Transportation and Ticket Center. Once you arrive at the TTC, a separate ramp from the resort monorail joins the Epcot monorail.

When you exit the resort monorail, look overhead to locate the signs for the correct walkway. Most people miss it.

The monorail ride from the Transportation and Ticket Center to Epcot is approximately 11 minutes long. You’ll ride through a portion of the park before exiting again and arriving at the front entrance.

Once you exit, you’ll remain in a secured area. This allows you to walk directly to the ticket turnstiles instead of going through another security checkpoint.

In the event of inclement weather or the monorail goes down, bus service will be provided to and from the resort.

Related: Disney World Monorail Guide

Polynesian Transportation to Hollywood Studios

You’ll need to use Disney’s bus transportation when traveling to and from Disney’s Hollywood Studios. The Polynesian bus stop is in front of the former Lilo’s Playhouse.

A walkway from the Great Ceremonial House leads right out to the bus stop.

Taking the bus from Disney’s Polynesian to Hollywood Studios takes approximately 15 minutes. You’ll get dropped off at the newer bus stop at Hollywood Studios.

Polynesian Transportation to Animal Kingdom

Those looking to get from the Polynesian to Disney’s Animal Kingdom will also want to take the resort bus service. The bus ride from the Polynesian to Animal Kingdom is also approximately 15 minutes.

Polynesian to Disney Springs

Disney’s Polynesian also provides bus service to Disney Springs. The bus ride from the Polynesian to Disney Springs averages 17 minutes.

However, it’s not uncommon to encounter traffic around Disney Springs. So I’d allow a good 45 minutes to an hour to get to the venue, depending on how long you have to wait for the bus.

When you leave Disney Springs, you’ll want to locate the bus stop for the Polynesian. As a reference point, there’s a walkway to the bus stops near the Coca-Cola Store.

Additionally, if you’re visiting Typhoon Lagoon, you’ll take a bus to Disney Springs from the Polynesian. From there, you’ll reboard a bus to Typhoon Lagoon.

At the end of your visit, you’ll take a bus from Typhoon Lagoon back to Disney Springs. Then you’ll locate the Polynesian bus stop. (All the stops are a bit of a nuisance. We always drive to Typhoon Lagoon to avoid them.)

If you want to learn more about getting around Disney Springs, we have an entire guide with different Disney Springs transportation tips.

Other Polynesian Tips for Transportation

Here are a few other transportation tips for the Polynesian Resort.

• To get from the Polynesian to the Contemporary Resort, you’ll want to take the monorail.

• If you are heading to Disney’s Boardwalk from the Polynesian, take a bus to Hollywood Studios. Then you can walk or boat to the Boardwalk. (Check to make certain that buses are operating if you have an early breakfast or late dinner.)

• Additionally, you can take a Friendship Boat to the Boardwalk from Hollywood Studios. That will take a little longer, but no extra walking is involved.

• On the way back, if you are out later than planned, take a bus from the Boardwalk to Magic Kingdom. After arriving at Magic Kingdom, you can walk, take a boat, or monorail back to the Polynesian.

• If the parks are already closed, take a bus to Disney Springs. From there, take a bus back to the Polynesian.

*Remember that these tips are subject to Disney’s transportation hours of operation.

Ultimately, a Disney vacation requires a good deal of planning. Here at Resorts Gal, we like to focus on the time you’ll spend at the resorts. That includes getting to and from them.

For more information about transportation at Disney World, you might like to browse our resort guides:

• Tips For Tackling Transportation at Disney’s Hotels

The most popular transportation review as of late is the Disney Skyliner Resorts and Travel Times. Most guests visiting want to ride the Skyliner. While it’s not complicated, you need to know your options.

For more information on the Polynesian, all of our articles are available in our guide for the resort.

• Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort

Or you may enjoy browsing one of the following:

• Disney’s Polynesian Resort Review
• Bora Bora Bungalows at the Polynesian
• Deluxe Studio at Disney’s Polynesian
• Restaurants at Disney’s Polynesian

Or you can check out all of the Disney World Resort Reviews.

Hopefully, these tips were able to help you learn how to utilize transportation at the Polynesian. They come from many years of experience traveling around Walt Disney World.

In the Comments

Do you have any other questions about using transportation at Disney’s Polynesian? Which method of transportation will you use the most during your stay?