Walk Between Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort and Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort and Spa

Directions to walk between Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort and Spa and Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort, with Pictures!

It is possible to walk between Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort and Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort and Spa. You might want to take this walk to check out the Grand Floridian and its restaurants and lounges without riding the monorail or to keep pressing on with your walk to the Magic Kingdom.

Walt Disney World has finally opened the new DVC Polynesian Village Tower and in doing so has re-opened the walkway from the Polynesian to the Grand Floridian.

For a couple of years, there was an unsightly detour around the construction (shown in blue below), which eventually closed entirely.

Like all of my other Walking at WDW Posts, below I’ll give directions from one lobby to the other and show you the route on a map and then show you the route as you’ll see it each step of the way in pictures, first from the Polynesian to the Grand Floridian and then back. With the new tower in place, this walking route has a wrinkle in that there are 2 ways around the tower. Disney has a sign pointing to one route (the worst one) which takes you to the front of the tower in the parking lot where there are no further signs. I’ll show you both ways and tell you the best route to take!

This post is part of my Walking at Walt Disney World Series.

The Map

Below is a map overview of the walking route from the Polynesian Village Resort to the Grand Floridian. The entire walk is about a half-mile via the shortest route and roughly 0.60 miles the longer way and takes 10-15 minutes to walk depending on your speed.

Here is the map of the route, I’ve done it on both the satellite view and a Disney map, with the route in red.

Directions

As usual in these walking posts, I’ll give directions from and to the Resort lobbies. If you are walking from a different building at the resort, just adjust.

From the Polynesian’s lobby, head to the left rear of the lobby and follow the hall past Captain Cooks and Trader Sam’s Grog Grotto, then out the door.

Continue straight ahead, the marina will be on your right and the Tonga guest building to the left.

Past Tonga you will be able to see the route leading to the New Tower.

Vear right and head towards the tower.

Then turn left towards the Tower, the pool will be on your right as you proceed (not on the left).

At the end of this sidewalk, you can go to the left or right.

Here you will see a sign, directing you to go to the left to get to the Grand Floridian. I do not recommend this route!

Instead, turn to the right and walk towards the lagoon, with the Tower building on your left.

At the end of this straightaway, the sidewalk makes a little jog around the Bar.

Just go around the bar keeping the building on your left and then turn right. You’ll walk across the back of the building with the lagoon on your right.

 

At the end of the building, take a left. It is just a little way to the next intersection.

Note: if you went the other way around the building this intersection is where the routes come back together.

You will take a right here and head to the Wedding Chappel and then the Grand Floridian, keeping the water on your right.

As you reach the Wedding Chapel that will be on your right, you’ll need to take a jog to the left and then back to the right to keep going to the Grand Floridian lobby.

Here one of the Grand Floridian DVC buildings will be on your left and the lagoon on your right.

As the sidewalk curves around to the left, you will take a right at the next intersection. The pool area will then be on your left and the lagoon on the right.

Keep going by the pool area, you are almost there!

As you reach the stairs, you can turn to the left just prior to the stairs and head to the lobby side entrance.

Or you can go up the stairs and to the building’s rear entrance about halfway down the building.

And that’s it!!!

The Other Route

Now, just in case you want to follow Disney’s longer, uglier route around the front of the tower instead of the beautiful walk by the lagoon around the rear of the tower, I’ll include that portion here.

At the sign, turn left.

You will be walking between the Polynesian’s Aotearda building on your left and the Tower’s walled-in receiving area on your right.

Proceed under the monorail track.

And continue to follow the sidewalk along the monorail track and then back under it again.

Here you will enter the front parking lot with the gate to the receiving area to the left.

And here is the thing that bothers me, Disney provides no directions for you at this point. You need to know on your own that you will proceed to the very far end of the building from here.

You can do that either by heading to the right of the greenery straight ahead and under the building’s port cochere or going around the greenery on the left side.

On the far side of the greenery, you will see a sidewalk parallel to the front of the building.

After you pass the greenery in the front of the tower you’ll see the sidewalk.

Most of the way down this path, you will finally encounter a sign with directions.

Just past the end of the building you will reach the intersection I showed you before.

More Pics of the Route in Reverse

Starting from the Grand Floridian’s side entrance, turn left after coming down the stairs from the exit and head towards the pool area.

Turn left keeping the pool area on your right and the lagoon will be on your left.

Head towards the large white DVC building ahead of you.

The sidewalk splits to the right and left at the building. Turn left, walking between the building and the lagoon.

At the end of this stretch of sidewalk, you will take a sharp turn to the left, toward the Wedding Chaple.

Take the right before getting to the chapel.

Head to the Polynesian Tower ahead.

At the tower, the sidewalk splits to go either in front or to the reap of the building.

At this split, I recommend that you go to the left as it is a shorter and more visually appealing walk.

Next, I’ll show the route to the left and at the end, I’ll show the route around the front of the building. After turning left you will see the view below.

Follow the sidewalk as it turns right around the building. Then proceed along the back of the building.

Then follow the sidewalk to the right and along the side of the building.

As you reach the end of the sidewalk in this pic you will turn left towards the main Polynesian lobby. This point is where the route along the front of the building joins.

Just keep heading straight (with a couple of slight jogs) towards the main building, the Great Ceremonial House.

Here is the entrance to the Polynesian’s Great Ceremonial House.

Now, just in case you wanted to take the longer route around the front of the tower read on.

From the split point, you’ll turn right and walk along the front of the building.

From here you can either walk under the port cochere on the left or around the greenery to the right.

Once around the greenery, you will see a sidewalk departing the parking lot and heading under the monorail track then turning left.

The sidewalk parallels the monorail track on the left and the road on the right for a bit, then turns left back under the track.

Keep to the left ahead and walk between the building which will be on your left and the wall on the right.

After passing the building you will come to an intersection. This is where the back and front paths come together.

Turn right and head to the Great Ceremonial House as described above.

And that’s it for this edition of Walking at Walt Disney World. I hope you find this useful!

That’s It

Have you taken this walk yet? What are your thoughts? Let me know in the comments section below!

See All My Posts About Walking at Disney World:

• Walking at Walt Disney World Overview
• Walk Between Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort and Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort and Spa
• Walk between Disney's Contemporary Resort / Bay Lake Tower and the Magic Kingdom
• Walk between Disney's Grand Floridian Resort and Spa and the Magic Kingdom
• Walk Between Disney's Polynesian Village Resort and the Transportation and Ticket Center
• Walk Between Disney's Hollywood Studios and the EPCOT Resort Area
• Walk to Disney World’s Fantasia Gardens Mini Golf

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