Christmas at the Resort
I had been to Disneyland many times when the Christmas decorations were out and thought it was a great transformation but I had never made it out to Disney World. We finally went in 2006 and while I was not a fan of the cold weather I was glad I got to see the resort and the parks decorated for the Holidays. The Polynesian might not go all out like some of the other resorts but they do a nice job of decorating and even change the music over to Hawaiian Christmas music (that you can hear some of on my main page). They also have some different events and activities going on around the resort. Here is the schedule for the live music that will be played on the second floor of the Great Ceremonial House.
Dec. 14 6:30 PM – 7:30PM Tenoroc HS Vocal Ensemble
Dec. 16 6:30 PM – 7:30PM LK Mary HS Singers
Dec. 17 4:45 PM – 8:45PM Holiday Mickey, MInnie, Goofy and Pluto
Dec. 18 6:30 PM – 7:30PM Freedom HS Saxophone quartet
Dec. 19 4:45 PM – 8:45PM Holiday Lilo and Stitch
Dec. 20 6:30 PM – 7:30PM Intone VCC
Dec. 21 4:45 PM – 8:45PM Holiday Mickey, MInnie, Goofy and Pluto
Dec. 22 6:30 PM – 7:30PM Freedom HS Saxophone quartet
Dec. 23 4:45 PM – 8:45PM Holiday Lilo and Stitch
Dec. 24 5:00 PM – 9:00PM SANTA
Dec. 26 6:30 PM – 7:30PM Victorian Carolers
Dec. 27 6:30 PM – 7:30PM Timber Creek HS Madrigals
Visit my Christmas page for some more into and photos and submit photos, information or even reviews of your visit to the Polynesian during the Holidays to my email tikimanpages@gmail.com .
Updates around the resort
Good news!! As many of you who read my news know that they have been going around to all 
the longhouses and fixing them up, looks like some of the updates to the rooms have included raising the shower heads so many people find hard to get under. Darrin was nice enough to send me a photo of the new showerhead and confirmed that it was this way in Niue and Rarotonga. I am sure other longhouse have been done or are in the process of being done. Many of the longhouses have been completed and I believe the next to be done is Tokelau.
Some other info coming out of the Polynesian is that the suites will be completely redone this next year with new rooms and a new lobby. Not sure when it will start or how long they will be closed but when I find out I will report it here.
The Polynesian’s main kitchen was refurbished but all work should be completed.
Don’t forget that the East Pool (aka Quiet pool) closes for a redesign January 10 – February 18.
Also ‘Ohana will be closed for a short time in January starting on the 17th and opening for dinner on the 20th.
Be good to your body
As some of you may know and many of you don’t, I suffered a heart attack December 3rd from a 100% blocked right coronary artery. I am very active (motocross, jet ski, snowboarding, etc.) and I eat well (not a lot of junk and almost never soda). I even felt fine the night I went to bed and woke up with pain. Coming within an hour of not surviving and having a stent inserted in my artery was a big wake up call for me.
I have modified my already good diet to be even better but I find it hard when we are out to find places that have food that is not harmful to my health. My next challenge will be when I visit Disney World again and need to find food that is not full of sugar, sodium, trans fats and saturated fats. As much as I love all food, none of it is worth dying for or leaving my friends and family behind.
Since the Polynesian is usually my home base there I will have to think about offerings there and what my choices are to eat healthy. Next (with a little help from my Disney community friends) I will have to look at locations throughout the parks.
Take a look at what you can order at the Polynesian that might be a healthier but delicious choice.
Breakfast
I find breakfast to be tough because I love all the bacon and sausage and looking at Kona for breakfast is tough to find a healthy choice. I can’t sit there and eat dry cereal while everyone is eating a nice hot breakfast but maybe get the fruit plate on the side instead of a side of bacon or muffin. Also if you are going to go for the Tonga Toast, ask for it to be baked and not fried. Get some fruit juice to drink instead of the coffee.
At the ‘Ohana character breakfast you don’t have as much variety but you can still get your fruit and back off on the bacon and sausage.
If you are in the Club level there is lots of fruit and the hot oatmeal is my favorite. Remember that a bagel and cream cheese is worse for you then a doughnut. Most bagels are equal to 3 slices of bread and the cream cheese alone is worse than eating the doughnut.
Lunch
Captain Cook’s has really improved its food offerings and is one of my favorite places to grab a quick bite. I have tried everything and few things there disappoint me. In the past I would have never found anything hot that was healthy. It was bad burgers and bad pizza. Now they have a nice variety of offerings . On the healthier side there is the multigrain turkey club and even the adult grilled cheese was made with a multigrain bread. They have salads and stir-fried noodles that I am betting are high in sodium but might still be a better pick over the Aloha Pork Sandwich or the double cheese burger. The Pizzas are now on flat bread so that is at least cutting down on the carbs. You will also find lots of fruits, salads, sushi and yogurt in the refrigerated section along with alternatives to drinking soda like water, juices and milk. After a not so bad treat would be the Pineapple Dole Whip.
Kona for lunch really has some good choices. There are many offerings I would consider much better than hitting the fast food places or most of your options in the parks. There are fish dishes, Asian Noodle bowls and even the Big Island tacos I would take over a Taco Bell taco or a burger . They even have a fish taco where the fish is seared and not breaded and fried.
Dinner
Kona for dinner is one of my favorites and you can order sushi from the Kona Sushi bar. The Sushi bar is the coffee bar that transforms in the evening over to sushi. The menu does change but there are often good healthy and tasty choices at Kona.
‘Ohana dinners have some healthy items but as we all know the dinner revolves around mountains of meat. If you are not a meat eater or you just want to eat healthier you can ask for a vegan or vegetarian alternative. I would make sure to ask about it when making the reservation.
If you are staying Club Level they usually offer some healthy and tasty offerings. I even remember some great soups that Chef Dick use to make that you can find on my Polynesian recipes page http://www.tikimanpages.com/tiki/dining-quick/136-polynesian-recipies
One thing to remember when eating at the Polynesian or any restaurant on Property (as Chef Dick reminded me) you can get alternative menus for vegetarian, Kosher meals or other dietary needs. Just ask the server or notify them ahead of time if you can. Even in the Club level lounges special offerings have been prepared when asked for ahead of time including desserts for diabetics (that are very tasty). Now keep in mind I am not a doctor or a dietitian and I am learning to eat even more healthy than I have in the past (which was not bad). Find out for yourself what is good for you to eat. I just want you to consider a better way to eat when it is not always that easy to find healthy choices.
Hopefully this information and my experience is helpful in guiding you to a healthier vacation because no one wants it to be your last. While your at it, go give your family and friends a hug because life can be short.
History at the Polynesian
Since putting in my Polynesian history pages the story of John Lennon being at the resort when he signed the paperwork to break from the Beatles I have had some requests for more information. Now you can hear from May Pang herself about the time spent at the Polynesian with John on Lou’s show. http://www.wdwradio.com/2009/01/show-103-jan-25-2009/
Photo from the article (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1069338/Lennons-adultery-pact-When-John-left-Yoko-year-reckless-debauchery-told-lover-too.html) at www.dailymail.co.uk.
