July 29
Well today was the day that Lisa (from Magical Vacations) and I had started planning for 9 months ago. With the help of many people (friends, family, Disney and CMs from different parts of Disney World) it was finally time to do this.
I decided to hang out at the resort most of the day and make sure things were ready.
The first announcment of the event was done using the Tikifest page. Things grew as the year went by and we all added our ideas to the mix. Lisa got a great group rate for anyone who wanted to go during Tikifest and some even got the deal without going to the party (which was fine). The deal was so good that many went that would not usually go. Also some that never tried the Polynesian because of the price would now try it. The whole point was to celebrate our love for the Polynesian Resort and those who work there so it was good to give others the opportunity to stay at the resort. All year 
we were working on the prizes we would give away at the party and items for the gift bags. Also we got some special Tikifest bracelets so that we could identify others around the resort who were going to the party. Those going to the party got orange Tikifest bracelets and CMs attending the party got maroon bracelets. I had quite a few CMs contacting me right up to the trip that wanted to go and it was great to have them there to enjoy the party and to share their stories with the guests.
Guests were also given tickets for the event with the Tikifest logo.
Before heading over that evening to Epcot, I loaded up the tiki in my backpack and a bag of some of the give aways and headed over to the Contemporary with Sean to check out Len Testa’s 14th floor Magic Kingdom view concierge room.
I have wanted to try the Contemporary since the first time I visited Disney World and I usually make a visit or two over to the Contemporary when I am staying at the Polynesian. I know many think it is too sterile or plain but I like the feel of the place. It is very different than the Polynesian but I like different resorts for different reasons.
The concierge lounge was simple but comfortable with a nice view.
The room Len had was partly the new design and partly the old design. I guess the Contemporary is having the same issues with finishing the new design completely in all the rooms like the rooms in Tahiti at the Polynesian. I guess there are still some rooms that never got all the new design items and they are still waiting for the stuff to come in and be put in the rooms. The rooms look larger than the Polynesian but the strange part is that the original documentation I have from US Steel when they made the rooms for both resorts has them at the same dimensions as each other. The bathrooms are definitely larger than the Polynesian rooms and the balconies are huge.
Len, Hanna, Sean and I all headed over to Epcot. It was interesting trying to go through Security with a big wooden tiki in my backpack and Sean carrying a bag full of shirts and things but we got through with no problems.
Len got a little stuck at the gate and had to go renew Hanna’s pass at Guest services. He later messaged me saying he hopped the gate and was running from security (just a joke).
Sean met up with the family that were trying to get in a few rides before Tikifest. I decided to go over to an air conditioned area to hang out with all the stuff.
One of the CMs that contacted me before the trip was Jerry Applegate. He is a Technical Event Planner, Audio Engineer and Pyrotechnician for Disney. We had talked a few times before I got to Florida and he helped with the sound setup for the party. He was interested in attending with some other CM friends. I went to meet up with Jerry before the party along with his friend Darlene who was on the Dream Squad at the time (I think it is the only time I ever saw one) and she also is a coordinator for World Showcase Attractions. They were with two other CMs David (Crew Chief of Global Tech Training) and his wife Donna (Systems Admin of EISS).
There were so many interesting CMs at the party that I wish I had hours to talk with and hear their stories. Hopefully the next Tikifest will be longer and they will attend again. I also got to meet Duane and his wife and baby. We did not get to talk much at the party but we had some time to talk hanging out at the Polynesian pool another day. I wish I had time to have those types of conversations with all the Tikifest guests. Friendships I have made at Disney have been some of the best.
I got to the Coral Reef with my bag of goodies and met Lisa, Chris and the girls up in the VIP Salon of the Living Seas. The entrance was just before the Coral Reef restaurant and there was either stairs to get up there or this very nice elevator with illuminated glass walls. Once on the upper level there was a long inclined ramp with a large illuminated white wall at the end that was where you entered the room.
This room is not seen by many. They have wedding receptions and events there but even many of the long time CMs had never been inside this room before. The room was much larger and longer than I expected. There was plenty of room for people to mingle and a few large windows into the tank that were a hit with the kids. The food was getting ready to come out and Lisa and family were putting together the gift bags for everyone.
We were working hard to get the room together since people were starting to arrive outside.
Each Gift bag had an Adventures by Disney commemorative pin, a Hand made coconut soap from Hawaii, a CD from Ernest Puaa (The Barefoot Warrior). I want to say a special thank you to Lisa and Ernest Puaa for sending the CDs for the party. We are sorry they were not able to attend and visit Disney World with the family for the first time but they had to be home in Maui during the party. If you are ever in Maui make sure to try and see Ernest at the Barefoot Bar in Lahaina’s Whalers Village or check out his site and order his CDs. No Hawaiian music has made as much an impact on me as his does. www.dabarefootwarrior.com. Maybe we will see him and the family at Tikifest in Maui.
After they finished the gift bags and I put the give away stuff out along with decorating the room with leis given to us from the Polynesian they were getting the bar and food ready to come out. Everyone at Disney involved in setting up this event did such a good job that I would not have any worries when planning things through Disney again.
We got started a little late but it was time to let people in.
They went down and escorted them all up as Lisa and I met them at the top of the ramp with the check list.
For me the rest is a blur but I just wanted everyone to have a nice evening. The food all looked very good and people said it was all prepared very well. Some comments were even that it was not like 
buffet food since it was not cold or too hot and it was cooked perfectly. Everything they had out looked great and even the kid friendly stuff was good enough that many adults enjoyed it. I finally grabbed a plate but unfortunately all I got to eat with all that was going on was a few bites of the mac-n-cheese and one beer. I had some of the great 
looking beef on my plate but never got to have it. I heard it was very good. Well I guess I did not get my $70 worth of the food but it was still all worth it to me.
Price will be to go to Tikifest was something we worked hard on so it would not be to expensive that people would not go and Disney did their best to keep the cost down.
Adults were $70, kids (3-9) were $35 and kids under 3 FREE. There was a max of 150 people and a minimum of 100.
The Menu was Mixed Field Greens, Plum Tomatoes, Cucumber and Shredded Carrots Served with Assorted Dressing, Tri-Color Cole Slaw with Sweet Cream Dressing, Beef Flank Steak with Tomatoes, Peppers, Onions, Roasted Corn, Black Beans and Jalapeno Havarti Cheese Served with Flat Bread, Marinated Boneless Chicken Breast 
with Mint and Caramelized Onions, Macaroni & Cheese and Chicken Fingers (kid friendly stuff), Herb Roasted New Potatoes Fresh Green Beans with Crisp Bacon and Button Mushrooms Assorted Dinner Rolls and Whipped Butter
Desserts were Chef’s Selection
Drinks were Coke, Diet Coke, Sprite, Orange Juice, Cranberry Juice, Pineapple Juice, Dasani Purified Water, Perrier Mineral Water, Bud Light, Michelob Ultra, O’Doul’s, Corona, Heineken, Columbia Crest Chardonnay, Penfold’s Rawsons Retreat Merlot, Santori Pinot Grigio, Beringer White Zinfandel, Coffee,
Decaffeinated Coffee, Selection of Teas
The Kids and adults were drawn to the tank. One of the main reasons we wanted this room was for the view. 
There were sharks, sea turtles, divers and plenty of fish to watch in this 5.7 million gallon aquarium.
I was than notified that some CMs arrived and it was Kuulei, Auntie Kau’i and Sefa who all work at the Polynesian. 
Kuulei worked very hard to set this up for us and they entertained on their own time. In fact they had been at a hula competition for a few days and came to the event right from being at the competition all day.
They had lei making and hula dancing for the kids and even some lesions for the adults. They also entertained for much of the evening. It was such a great addition to the party. For me it was the highlight of the evening.
The kids loved the dancing and looks like some adults were enjoying it also, or was that just the open bar.
Kuulei can be seen singing and dancing on Disney’s Sing along songs video (or DVD) Beach Party.
Some of the kids recognized her from watching the video a million times so it was fun for them to meet her. I tried to walk around and talk to as many people as I could.
I can’t thank the three of them enough for making our event even more special. It all started because of our love for the Polynesian so it seemed fitting to have them all there to celebrate with us.
I 
met Aaron who’s wife Kim I met earlier in the pool.After talking a while I invited Aaron to go golfing with us the next day. We were excited and we though he was the perfect addition to our group that was Sean, Chris (Lisa’s husband) and I.
With all my running around time was running out to do the raffle for the stuff so we got everyone’s attention and Lisa made an announcement and thanked everyone. I did my best at saying thank you to not only all that attended but the CMs that were part of the party, those at Disney that put it on and everyone who contributed to the evening.
We were running out of time so we started the raffle for the gifts. I think everyone enjoyed the raffle even if they did not win something but I am sure even more if they did. There were quite a few items I wanted myself but I also enjoy knowing that someone will enjoy them and remember this event.
Items in the raffle were the Tiki carved by Mai Tiki who carved tikis for the Polynesian and many other locations, Pens and shirts from Tiki Steve, signed books and items from Lou Mongello of Disney World Trivia, Lunch with an Imagineer and me at Kona Cafe, a gift basket from 4 Ono Hawaiian 
Gift Baskets, and a limited edition Tikiroom Drummer from Disney Imagineering.
There were so many nice things to win that if you got some of them it would have been more then it cost to get into the party. I am still not sure how people got some of these things home but I only had to worry about how I was going to get them there. At least the tiki I picked up in Coco Beach.
I wish we did not need to rush the end of the event but time was running out. Everyone was having such a good time that they said they wished it lasted longer.
I do want to thank again the guys at WDWtoday (Matt, Mike S. Mike N. and Len) for talking about Tikifest on their podcast.
Lou Mongello for the items he sent to give away at the event including signed copies of his book and mentioning the party on his podcast at WDW Trivia.
Fairytale Dreams & Destinations, MousePlanet, The Dibb, Mousevine, Mousecents, Mousebuzz, WDWMagic, for mentioning or letting us mention Tikifest on their discussion forums without censoring my posts or banning me.
Wayno at Mai Tiki for carving up a great tiki for us.
Sean Robb at Imagineering for getting us the Tikiroom and doing the lunch with an Imagninner.
Tiki Steve at Tiki Steve for sending shirts and tiki pens.
Another thanks to Mike Scopa for putting together an article at MousePlanet about Tikifest and leaving some Dole Whip still in the machine at the Polynesian.
Len and Hannah for having faith I would try and put on a good party to come down to (I trust you will put on a good Van Halen show when I come out).
I also had to give a big Mahalo to Ku’ulei, Auntie Kau’i and Sefa for bringing the Aloha Spirit to the party. I cannot thank them enough for what they did.
Marilyn Turner for working hard to help us put this together even after leaving the Polynesian.
Allison Adams for working after hours on all the concierge Tikifest guests to make sure everything they needed was taken care of.
4 Ono Hawaiian Gift Baskets for donating their largest hand made gift basket.
All the CMs that showed up to share stories with the guests.
John & Nancy Pacey, Jennie Goddard, Jakki Cooper, Steven Cooper, Aodhan Cooper, Niamh Cooper, Jerry Applegate & Darlene, Donna, Krystal & Sadie Barlow, Lucas Ginn, Mike, Stephanie, Morgan & Ryan Boucher, Kevin Scarlett, Nancy, Erik, & Alexandra Gorham, Darby Davy, Aaron, Kim & Anna DelPrince, Ed, Maryann, Sam & Dean Byers, Lori Philben, Ariana Mattoon, Sharon Hurst, Jana Davies, Paul & Michele Spera & Family, Ann, Thomas & Claire Price, Theresa & John Brown, Duane, Jennifer & Tess Lingle, Reid, Jen, Kayla & Gaby Shelton, John, Deb & Steven Kusiak, Sean, Becki, Nicholas & Megan Robb & Kyle Blankenshain.
The biggest thanks goes to my family for putting up with me and helping me through every step of bringing this party together and to Lisa Wagner and her family for making all this possible and doing the best job of helping people with travel to Disney World. We all made a great team!!!
An additional Special Thanks to my wife Tara for running all the way back to the Polynesian, from Epcot, in the heat for the CD to play at the event, and for correcting my spelling on my pages.
I am sure I forgot someone so I might be editing this again.
The evening was wrapping up but Disney had one more surprise for us. Lisa was told by one of the event coordinators that they were giving us (at no 
extra cost) a VIP viewing of Illuminations. This is something we could have added to the event but it was going to be quite a bit of cost added to each ticket so it was extremely nice of them to do.
We were to be escorted through Epcot to a special viewing area at the United Kingdom. We all took a few group photos and than were escorted over to the VIP viewing area. This was a great location to view and I never even knew it was there. You could not get much closer. I think if we do this again we will have to find a way to add this!!!
Just before the show a few wondered into the bar at the Rose and Crown and things got a little crazy!!!
Before and after fireworks started I got to talk with many of the Tikifest guests but if I had one regret it was not having much more time to talk with every single person that was there. We had to limit the event to the time it was because of cost but I would have loved another hour to just get to know everyone as well as I did a few of the guests. I want everyone that was there to know how much I appreciated them trusting Lisa and I enough to spend the money to come to our event and I hope that they all felt the event was one of those magical experiences that often happens on a Disney vacation. I know that was what Lisa and I intended this to be.
I know some people said they saw me around the resort but did not want to disturb me but I would have been thrilled to spend time during the week with anyone that was there for the event or even quite a few that stayed using the Tikifest rates but did not go to the party.
I want to thank Disney again for finishing off a great evening with a perfect spot to view Illuminations and for our group to hang out and talk.
Things were better than I could have hoped for and did make us want to do this again. If we get enough interest way ahead of time we will shoot for a Tikifest 2009. If we don’t do this again I hope it is a great memory that we all will add to our great memories of Disney World trips.
I know many of the people I finally got to meet have shared their trip stories with me before. It was nice for us to all experience a trip together. Hopefully we can all do it again.
JULY 30 (Tikifest recovery)
I got up early and headed to the Lounge for a Mocha to take with me to golf. One of the other nice things about having a concierge lounge as part of your vacation. I relaxed with my mocha and paper for a while before heading over to the GCH.
We all met at the front of the Great Ceremonial House and as part of the golfing at Disney World they bring you to the course. We could have walked since it was a cross the street but we got a ride over. Chris, Aaron, Sean and I were golfing at Magnolia. This is one of the places we golfed for the guys trip in May (Magnolia course).
That morning the kids and the girls went to ‘Ohana for Character breakfast. The kids always enjoy this. The adults seemed to enjoy it also. I was not a big fan of it when I went before but I thought the food was just alright and I was not too happy when the watress spilled coffee on my new camera and did not say sorry.
It was a nice morning and not too hot yet. When we got started they warned us as always to stay away from bushes and water. There was even a reminder of the 10 foot 700 lb gator that wanders between Magnolia and Palm courses.
We all got along great and I can’t think of a better group to be with and relieve the stress of the week before. We were going to try and play Palm course since I had not tried it yet but it was closed that day. I do enjoy Magnolia because I can play with the Polynesian in the background.
We all had a great time and than headed back to the Polynesian. When we walked in with our clubs a manager was greeting people coming in the entrance of the resort. The manager asked us if we were going to play any more golf. When we told her we were thinking about doing Eagle Pines she told us that the next day was the last day it would be open. Eagle Pines was going to be removed and replaced by the new Four Seasons to go in. Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts will build a luxury hotel and 18-hole championship golf course along the northeast border of Walt Disney World. It is part of two expansion plans that will take eight to 10 years to fully develop and will include single- and multifamily vacation homes, fractional ownership homes and a 450-acre retail, dining and lodging district
Sean called to get a tee time for the next day and we were booked to play the last day we could.
That morning the kids and the girls went to ‘Ohana for Character breakfast. The kids always enjoy this. The adults seemed to enjoy it also. I was not a big fan of it when I went before but I 
thought the food was just alright and I was not too happy when the watress spilled coffee on my new camera and did not say sorry. This time they said they had a good time and the food was very good. Even the eggs were so good they all asked for more.
Later that day we were taking Aaron along with his wife Kim and daughter Anna to lunch at Kona. It was one of the prizes at Tikifest to have lunch for you and your family paid for and you could talk with an Imagineer (Sean who works for Imagineering in California).
They not only got to order what ever he wanted but he could ask Sean things about Disney and get a few secrets. We know Aaron won’t give away the secrets.
We all had a great lunch and I even got to try the new Plate Lunch, They are trying to be like the typical Hawaiian plate lunch but it was a little different but very good.
Later that night we had dinner at Kona. The food has always been good to me but our service was not as good at night as it was for lunch. After dinner we did a little shopping at Boutiki.
Some people asked me about my TIkifest shirt and if I was ever going to sell shirts. Well I finally can sell my designs. Click here and see my new page for selling shirts.
I will have many more designs up but this is what I have for now. If there is something different or a different front or back design than email me and let me know.
