Mele Kalikimaka
Welcome to the Polynesian during the Holiday season. While tropical islands might not be the first thing you think about when thinking of the Holidays the Polynesian does get into the spirit of the season every winter.. Main image from http://www.easywdw.com/
I have visited the Polynesian during the Holiday season and it was a nice experience. There were some pros and cons about visiting in the winter and I will try and share with you what I discovered.
Christmas time in Disney World is much different than any other time of the year. Years ago I had never been to a Disney park around the holidays. I always thought of it as a summer destination. One year I was down in Orange County California for training and after the last class we decided to shoot over to Disneyland since it was so close. We got there about 2 hours before closing and when I walked in the park with the Christmas music playing and all the decorations I was very surprised at the transformation. After that I decided that going during Christmas was a different and fun experience.
We had gone down to Disneyland a few times during Christmas but we still had never made it to Disney World during Christmas. In 2006 we finally decided we would plan a trip in December to Disney World. We would go the second week of December to hopefully miss some of the crowds and it was still value season. We stayed at the Swan for part of the trip and then the Polynesian. For years people would send me info and photos of the Polynesian during the Holidays but I had to see it for myself. I do have mixed feelings about the trip but I will say it was worth seeing in person. To read about my trip click here.
So what does the Polynesian do during Christmas? Well as you might expect it puts out Christmas decorations. Large Christmas trees are placed in different locations in the Great Ceremonial 
House and in the Lounge of the Hawaii longhouse. Decorations cover many different areas and wreaths are placed on many of the walls. All the shop windows had stuff decorated and the music around the resort is Hawaiian Christmas music.They also do different gingerbread displays each year somewhere in the Great Ceremonial House.
The parks and resorts transform into the Holiday theme just after Halloween and run through New Years. If you want to go around the time they shoot the Christmas day show then you need to be there the first week of December. 
They had shot it the week before we got there.
The other great thing about going to the Polynesian during the holidays has more to do with the parks. All the fun activities that go on at each park is what I liked about going at that time of the year. It was nice to be so close to our room after the Christmas Party in the Magic Kingdom.
Now I will give you my honest opinion but just like with any opinion you have to try it for yourself. I felt that if this had been my first trip to the Polynesian I would not have enjoyed it as much. It was the first time I ever went to the resort and never went in the pool. For me enjoying the pool and watching the castle from it is one of my favorite things. It was sunny out but just too cold to go in even though the pool was heated. Also I missed enjoying the warm nights walking around the torch lit paths or walking the beach during the day. I also had to pack a lot more clothes then I ever did going to Disney World but then I would have to staying at any of the resorts.
I think that the Wilderness Lodge, Grand Floridian and some of the Epcot resorts might be a better theme for the colder months but then again that is just how I feel. If you have been to the Polynesian and like it but have never seen it during the Holidays then I think it is well worth a visit.
