When it comes to overwater bungalows anywhere near the Caribbean, the pattern lately has been to announce them long before they are ready to break ground. That wouldn't be so bad if not for the fact that years seem to go by and ground is never broken. Getting funding AND government approval for construction at the same time has been a major challenge, but not for the project we recently learned about.

Evidently there had been rumors in 2013 that Disney would be adding up to 20 overwater bungalows to its Disney's Polynesian Resort complex in Lake Buena Vista (near Orlando) as part of a major 2-year renovation. Now we have actual videos from May, 2014 of these things mostly built in the Seven Seas Lagoon that the resort sits on.

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A 2015 opening date, but not many more details

According to a site that evidently tracks construction projects and rumors at all Disney properties, there was an announcement in September 2013 of “15 Beach Cabana Villas being built right over the water with direct beach access.” Other sources indicate it could be 20 villas rather than 15, but now we know for sure that it’s a real project because the video shows the entire foundation of all of them as having been complete.

 

More details about the full resort renovation can be found on the wikipedia page for Disney’s Polynesian Resort, including the fact that when it is complete it will revert to its original 1971 opening-day name of “Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort.” Another source mentions a rumor of a plunge pool on the deck of each of the overwater bungalows, and that would certainly fit the trend in the Maldives lately.


Construction video of the overwater bungalows


Will they only be available as time-shares?

I try to keep up with all of this stuff, but I’ll admit that I’m the opposite of a Disney expert so I’m still a bit confused. Most of the sites discussing these overwater bungalows are related to the Disney Vacation Club, which I’ve learned is their time-share division. Since there are no official details on the overwater bungalows yet, I don’t know if they will be bookable by the general public or only by DVC members.

 

There also seem to be various companies that re-rent DVC time-share stays to the general public on the open market, so I’d think that those with enough money could potentially book them one way or another. If you have more information on this, please leave us a comment because there will be hundreds of thousands of people who will be interested in these details when they emerge.


How much will they cost when they open?

Obviously we don’t know anything about pricing yet, but right now their best rooms, which are the “1 Bedroom Suite – Club Level,” are priced at US$961 per night in low season up to US$1,434 in peak season, not including tax. There seems little doubt that these overwater bungalows will cost at least that much, and probably more.

 

Add in the fact that the entire resort is getting an upgrade and refurbishment, and the room rates could go even higher. In other words, these overwater bungalows should be well over US$1,000 per night even in low season. If you don’t need rollercoasters and costumed characters in order to have a good time, you can do a lot better with the existing Caribbean overwater bungalows, at least in terms of price.

Screen shot and video are from dvcrentals.com.


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  1. I’m wanting book a overwater (for a couple) from Honolulu for 2 nights in November 2022.
    What is the instruction ? Could I contact you privately ?

    Reply

    1. Martine,

      We are simply an online guide to overwater resorts around the world and we don’t do bookings. We have links to the best source to book each resort on each of the pages. Best of luck! -Roger

      Reply

  2. I’m wanting to take my family to a vacation in a bungalow..over water.
    Swimming pool..I have 6 adults and 2 kids. Can u help?…send name of place or pics

    Reply

    1. Hank,

      Unfortunately there are no overwater bungalows that can accommodate 8 people. Most of them are built for 2 or 3 people and even the rare resorts with 2-bedroom units charge a fortune for those. You are best off looking for 3 separate normal overwater bungalows for your group. -Roger

      Reply

    1. Katherine,

      I cover most of this in my article on when to go to the Maldives. The short version is that there are pros and cons to any time of the year. It’s really only late May through early July when you might get hours of rain at a time. The rest of the year the rain tends to come quickly and usually end in 20 minutes or less. I think most people actually prefer to go to the Maldives when the weather is worst where they live, because it’s always warm and pleasant in the Maldives. -Roger

      Reply

  4. I’m just in the beginning stages of planning an anniversary vacation for around Sept if next year so I know it’s to early to book but wanted to know where I should be looking for the best rates on fights from atlanta Georgia. We want an over water bungalow all inclusive or mostly all inclusive lunch and dinner with drinks/alcohol included. And a few activities. If you know of 2 or 3 options that would be greatly appreciated. Thank you..

    Reply

    1. April,

      There are a few very expensive all-inclusive overwater bungalow resorts in the Caribbean, but none in Bora Bora or anywhere else in the South Pacific. If you really want all-inclusive then the Maldives is your best bet as they have about 25 resorts there that are all inclusive or offer all-inclusive options. You’ll probably get the cheapest flights from Atlanta to the Maldives about 5 months out. And you’ll usually get the best rates at a resort from 3 to 6 months out. Have a great trip. -Roger

      Reply

  5. Hi
    I am very interested to know how to build a bungalow and the conditions ex. Water deep , power of waves , etc
    Tnx

    Reply

    1. M,

      I get this question a lot and it always surprises me. I wish I could help, but we are an online guide to overwater hotels and we have nothing to do with construction of them. You might consider contacting construction firms in the Maldives, since most of the world’s overwater resorts are there and they keep building new ones. -Roger

      Reply