In this post, we review the King Kamehameha Club, the Club Level offering at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort. If this is the first post of ours you’re reading, there might be two others you’re interested in. First, we have separately reviewed Polynesian. If you’re looking for information about the hotel generally, including pictures of our Theme Park View room, you’ll need to read that post.
Second—and maybe more importantly—we have an entirely separate post covering the ins and outs of Club Level at Walt Disney World. If you’re wondering about the details of whats included, whether it’s worth it, and just how we evaluate it broadly, you’ll want to check out that post. This post focuses specifically on the King Kamehameha Club Lounge at Polynesian.
Booking Club Level at Polynesian
Club Level is a special room designation at all the the deluxe resorts (and one moderate resort) at Walt Disney World that includes a variety of perks. If you’re interested in reading about Club Level at the other deluxe resorts, we have reviews here (links open in new tabs):
Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge - Kilimanjaro Club Level Review
Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort - Royal Palm Club (Main Building) Level Review
Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort - King Kamehameha Club Level Review (you are here)
Disney’s Coronado Springs (Moderate Resort) - Chronos Club Level Review
We booked our most recent visit to Polynesian through our go-to travel agent, Lauren Quirk of Travel With Character LLC. We used a 35% off Annual Passholder offer rate, our most common way of booking Club Level.
In 2024, room rates at Polynesian Club Level start at $944, making King Kamehameha Club about a $253 premium over standard rooms, standard for most Walt Disney World clubs but lower than Contemporary and Grand Floridian.
The room location for the club rooms is good and fairly close to the main building and the pool, but if you want a special view or special room category, you’ll have to pay more for that, it isn’t included with the club room.
Polynesian Club Level Check-In
Polynesian has a dedicated desk for Club Level guests next to the rest of the check-in desks. This was especially nice because we arrived at around 2PM, which meant there was decent line for regular check-in.
If you check in at the hotel’s front desk you’ll want to make sure they either give you directions to the lounge or have someone from the lounge come get you (this sometimes happens, sometimes doesn’t). If you use Disney World’s online check in, you can just head to the lounge before or after stopping at your room.
In either case, it’s important to pay a visit to “check in” with the lounge staff once you’re at the hotel. This was they know who you are and have an opportunity to show you around the lounge and give you any welcome information/gifts.
After a short exchange of information at that desk, we were escorted to the Hawaii building, where our room and the King Kamehameha Club Lounge are located.
At the King Kamehameha Club, we were seated with one of the concierge Cast Members who gave us the schedule for the lounge and a resort map.
Polynesian Club Level Perks
Again, our post on Club Level at Walt Disney World more generally is a better place to get a sense of the value of Club Level. Briefly though, by staying Club Level at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort, you’ll get:
access to a lounge (The King Kamehameha Club Lounge) with five small food and beverage servings throughout the day
access to a dedicated concierge staff, including by phone and text
The first of these is really the most important, and it’s what we focus most on in this review.
As a guest of a deluxe resort at Disney World, you’ll also get all the perks of a Disney stay, like Early Theme Park Entry and transportation to the parks, plus the deluxe-exclusive Extended Evening Hours.
The King Kamehameha Club Lounge
The King Kamehameha Club Lounge is located in the Hawaii building with most of the Club Level rooms.
Access to the entire building is secured by Magic Band.
The lounge is one big room with two floors of seating, overlooking Seven Seas Lagoon and Magic Kingdom.
On the first floor of the building is the club’s concierge desk, which is staffed by two concierge Cast Members from 7AM to 10PM.
The building’s second floor is where most of the lounge seating is as well as the serving area. There’s also a television that mostly played children’s shows while we were there. There’s seating for 42 adults and four children.
The serving area is a little cramped.
The third floor has additional seating and a second television. This floor overlooks the second. There’s seating for about seventeen people.
In keeping with the rest of Polynesian, the design throughout is beautiful.
The View from the King Kamehameha Club Lounge
The King Kamehameha Club Lounge looks across the Seven Seas Lagoon at Magic Kingdom.
I actually quite enjoy this view, and I think in some ways—though not overall—it’s better even than the Atrium Club’s view into Magic Kingdom.
For example, the King Kamehameha view is beautifully panoramic, with Polynesian’s bungalows in the foreground, Grand Floridian off to the west, Contemporary to the east, and Magic Kingdom in the middle. There’s a beautiful balance to this view.
This also means your firework view is closer to the proper angle than you’ll get at the Atrium Club, which looks into Magic Kingdom from the side. Our Theme Park View room had a similar view, and we loved it. We have a post Comparing Theme Park Views of Magic Kingdom at the Monorail Resorts if you’re set on a special view.
Service at Polynesian’s King Kamehameha Club
We were very happy with the service at King Kamehameha Club. Staff were constantly walking around keeping the lounge clean.
Even outside the evening servings, it was common for staff to check on guests, take away dirty dishes, and ask if they needed anything.
Unlike some of the other clubs, this wasn’t confined to just certain hours or certain Cast Members, service was stellar throughout our stay.
We received two welcome cards in our room, though one looked like it was just a general welcome back card for returning Polynesian guests. We also received a personalized itinerary, which is common at Disney’s Club Levels.
Polynesian Club Level Servings, Food, and Beverage
The King Kamehameha Club has four servings according to the following schedule:
7:00AM to 10:30AM - Kakahiaka (Continental Breakfast)
12:00PM to 4:00PM - Auinala (Refreshments)
5:00PM to 7:00PM - Ahiahi (Appetizers)
8:00PM to 10:00PM - Aumoe (Cordials & Desserts)
The lounge itself is open 24 hours (due to its open position in the building) though it’s only serviced from 7:00AM to 10:00PM. During those hours, you can request simple alcoholic beverages (beer, wine, and champagne). Included alcohol is what makes club level one of the better hotel options for adults visiting Disney World.
Throughout the day, coffee, tea, cold beverages, and refrigerated beverages are also available.
Kakahiaka (Continental Breakfast) at the King Kamehameha Club (7AM to 10:30AM)
Auinala (Refreshments) at the King Kamehameha Club (12:00PM to 4:00PM)
Ahiahi (Appetizers) at the King Kamehameha Club (5PM to 7PM)
Aumoe (Cordials & Desserts) at the King Kamehameha Club (8PM to 10PM)
Breaking Down King Kamehameha Club’s Price
The lowest priced room at Polynesian (ignoring discounts) is $691. The lowest priced Club Level room is $944. Unlike some clubs, you don’t automatically get a better view with a King Kamehameha club room, so you’re actually paying $253 just for lounge access.
For a family of four, $253 per night isn’t so bad for lounge access. It’s $63 per person per night. If you can get the equivalent of 1.5 to 2 quick service meals out of the lounge, your net costs aren’t huge.
For a couple of adults visiting Disney World, you’ll have a tougher time justifying the specific club cost, but the overall experience would make for a great romantic trip.
Realistically, most families can replace breakfast with a visit to the lounge daily, but will expect to be out and about for the other meals.
And then there’s the question of view. The lounge itself has a great view, and in fact the lowest priced Club Level rooms are cheaper than the lowest priced Theme Park View rooms without Club Level, which start at $979. To get the Theme Park View and Club Level, you’ll be starting at $1276, which honestly we’d never consider worth it.
The “problem” with the view is that you can actually get a similar view from the public space at Polynesian:
It’s not the same as having complimentary continental breakfast in an air-conditioned room, sure, but if you just want to sit back and soak in the views of the Seven Seas Lagoon, you don’t need to pay a premium to do so.
Disney’s Polynesian - King Kamehameha Club - Conclusions
We’re really happy to have had a positive experience at King Kamehameha. Overall, we hold Polynesian to a pretty high standard, and the King Kamehameha Club did not disappoint. The service, food, and lounge itself were all excellent.
The problem, as with all things Polynesian (and most Disney clubs) is price. The entire Polynesian Village Resort is a stunning experience, and it’s hard to say exactly what Club Level adds to that for $250+ per night.
King Kamehameha definitely has a spot among the best Club Levels at Disney World. It is a solid product at a reasonable price.
However, unlike the Atrium Club Level, which offers one of the most exclusive views on property, or Kilimanjaro Club which has an exceptional food lineup, King Kamehameha has no “it” factor to make it a must-do experience.
The flipside is that while the view from the club isn’t entirely exclusive (because it can be mimicked by anyone just outside), it is still a great view from which to sip champagne and enjoy the fireworks.
Polynesian is itself one of the more escapist hotels at Walt Disney World. You’re paying for the entire experience—the smells, the view of Seven Seas Lagoon, and the excellent restaurants and bars. King Kamehameha Club Level definitely adds to an already amazing experience…but how much does it add?
If you’ve read this review and thought the King Kamehameha Club Level might be a deserved cherry on top of that sundae, then we think you’re in for a treat!
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