>Walt Disney World history is amazing!
 In my “Getting Goofy” post back at the end of June, I gave you this little tidbit:

In 1973, at the Contemporary Resort in Walt Disney World, President Nixon made his famous speech, “People have got to know whether or not their President is a crook. Well, I’m not a crook.”

Very Cool- but how about this tidbit from the Tikiman Pages *:

“…in December of 1974 John Lennon was at the Polynesian Village when he signed the paperwork to break up the Beatles on December 29th.”

That’s wild. To think that the Resorts at the fledgling Walt Disney World were the place to be in the early 1970’s is really cool. Of course, if you’re reading this, you still think that the Walt Disney World Resort is the place to be. And the Polynesian Resort is one of the most laid back places to be in Disney. The Resort itself is a really great place to be, just to relax. The ambiance makes you feel like you are in the islands.

In past posts I’ve talked about the Kona cafe and ‘Ohana both in the Polynesian. I’ve also talked about the Hoop-de Doo Revue, one of the dinner shows presented at Disney World. Today’s Unknown Magic combines the laid back atmosphere of the Polynesian Resort with the food and enjoyment of Kona and ‘Ohana and the Excitement and fun of the Hoop-de Doo. Today’s Unknown Magic is the Spirit of Aloha Dinner Show.

The Spirit of Aloha is a meal with awesome food and an outstanding show that can create Magical Experiences for your family. You need to make advanced Reservations for this show. I recommend looking into it as soon as you book your vacation. It is a little pricey, and is a show with a pre-payment required. But there are three different seating tiers to choose from. (When we went this past month we sat in the third tier- and the seats weren’t bad. If we do it again, I’d try to book in the second tier seats.) The show is presented at 5:15 p.m. and 8:00 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday. It takes place outside, so you must dress for the weather and if the weather is not suitable the show may be cancelled.
To get to the Luau Cove, you need to get to the Polynesian Resort and then basically follow the signs. Make sure you give yourself enough time to take this walk without rushing to get to dinner on time. It is a very pleasant walk through the Polynesian grounds. The landscaping here is wonderful and the Tikis and the Flowers make you feel as if you are in the Hawaiian Islands, there are some great places to take pictures and create Magical Experiences.

The show itself starts out when you first show up to check in. They give you a lei and take your group’s picture. Then when they open the gates, you make your way past the stage and you are shown to your seats. The first thing they do is take a drink order and then bring out the appetizer tray. This is a small tray for the group to share, as is everything during the meal, because it is all served “Family Style”. The Appetizer
consists of bar-b-que ribs, pineapple and a pineapple coconut bread. They also serve a salad with a mango dressing. The main dish is Hawaiian Roasted Chicken, fried rice and vegetables. Dessert is a Chocolate Volcano. YUM! And all except the desert is all you care to eat. When we were there, we were eating the ribs with the chicken right up until dessert was brought out.

The show itself is really enjoyable also. It starts under the auspices of being a going away party for one of the young ladies of the village. The actors all enjoy getting into
 the show and it is fun to watch and hear the banter and singing. There are a few hula
dancers and they have the audience participate. All this goes on while you are eating your meal.

As the dishes are being cleared from the table, the show takes a new path. It is now geared toward presenting the dances of the Tropical Pacific Islands. This is the portion

of the show that gets really neat, because they bring out all the different dancers in traditional dress from each of the islands from where they are presenting the dances. It is a very beautiful even exciting, to see these traditional island dances.

So, now you know, for the Magical Experience of a traditional Luau, while still in Walt Disney World, make sure you book early and get to enjoy the Spirit of Aloha Dinner Show. The Food is Great and the Show is Better!

The Tikiman Pages are a great site all about the Poylnesian Resort.