Hibiscus & Holly At The Poly 2017 / WDW Trip Report Index
Home » Everything Disney »Welcome to my 6th Disney Trip Report – Hibiscus & Holly At The Poly 2017! So named because we were staying at our DVC Home Resort – Disney’s Polynesian Villas & Bungalows (that’s the hibiscus), and we were going at Christmas time! (That’s the holly.)
It’s been a while since I wrote out a Disney Trip Report Index – mainly because it took me two years to finish my WDW-40, 2016 report. At this rate, it’s looking likely to be the same for this 2017 report!
In years gone by I have also written a pre-trip planning report, detailing all the things I was doing to plan for our upcoming trip. However, 2017 went by in a bit of a blur due to family issues, and so many things fell to the wayside, including the upkeep of my blogs and writing posts.
That all said, I did start writing a sort of 2017 pre-trip report, and I’m now making a start on the actual trip report so you’ll find everything out anyway!
This is the Index for all of the days of this trip report – And I’m going to preface it with the following, just in case!! It may also take me a while to get this trip report written, but I ALWAYS finish what I start when it comes to my Disney Trip Reports.
Why not bookmark this page so that you know where to find it to catch up with the latest report, or better still, join The Pumpkin Patch to get the reports direct to your inbox!
Visiting Walt Disney World for the first time? You need my Top Tips For Your First Walt Disney World Summer Holiday!
Cast Members
Me – Michelle, 41 on this trip – you’re never to old for Disney! When it comes to our holidays, anywhere in the world, I am the planner/organiser, trip report writer, photographer, and driver. I’m a plus-size woman, and have been to Walt Disney World at various sizes through the years from size 24 – 34. On this trip I am the biggest I have ever been, and I’ll be outright honest from the get-go, it was tough going. I write about [some] of the rides, and experiences as a plus-size guest, and often receive emails from readers that are concerned about fitting in rides, in plane seats, and other questions. I am always open and honest – my size is not something I can hide, and I’ve learned to embrace it somewhat in being able to help others. You can always email me with your personal concerns, and I will do my best to help you out.
Him – Steve, celebrated his 45th birthday when we were there! He’s the pack horse, videographer, chief keeper of documents, and money manager when on hols. He keeps a track of every dollar and cent that we spend. He also loves to eat! I’m not sure where he puts it, but he knows his way around a Disney buffet!
The Boy – Liam, 18 years old on this trip, (not so much a boy any more, but The Man just reminds me too much of the character in Z-Nation!!) my son, and Steve’s step-son. This is Liam’s return holiday to Walt Disney World as he didn’t come with us in 2016. As soon as I told him we were thinking of going for Christmas and would he like to come with us this time, it was an immediate yes! I’ve always been lucky that I don’t have a moody teenager on my hands – he has as much fun as we do when meeting characters, and going on rides! He loves a good American hamburger, and he exists on those and steak when we go out for dinner! He was gutted that he couldn’t drink beer as the drinking age is 21 in the USA.
We became Disney Vacation Club (DVC) Members in 2015, and our home resort is Disney’s Polynesian Villas & Bungalows. You can read more about DVC in my trip report here.
Hibiscus & Holly At The Poly 2017 / Disney Trip Report Index
My trip reports are photo heavy! I include single images, or smaller galleries – either way, pages may take a little longer to load depending on your internet connection speed. You can click on gallery images to enlarge them. You will also be able to find all of the images from Hibiscus & Holly At The Poly 2017 in my Flickr Collection of albums from this trip.
I start at Day 0 – I always have for my trip reports! This is because it’s the day before we fly, and not really part of the holiday (although, it kinda is!) This report ends on Day 15 – the links below will become active as I write each day. Please allow me 6 – 12 months to get this finished!! If I can get it written sooner, then of course, I will!
Oh, and one more thing, in the blog post titles, I will be shortening down the name of this trip report to: H&H@TP 2017
- Day 0: Headed South » Hilton London Gatwick Airport (South Terminal)
- Day 1: Here We Go Again! » Travel Day – LGW-MCO / Check-in: Disney’s Polynesian Villas & Bungalows / Dinner from Captain Cook’s
- Day 2: Tonight We Feast! » Magic Kingdom / Character Breakfast at Crystal Palace / Polynesian Twilight Feast (In-Room Dining)
- Day 3: Disney Resort Christmas Tree Trail Part 1 » Art of Animation / Pop Century / Caribbean Beach / Old Key West / Port Orleans French Quarter / Lunch at Sassagoula Float Works & Food Factory / Port Orleans Riverside / Wilderness Lodge / Dinner from Captain Cook’s
- Day 4: Night Blossom & Gingerbread » Animal Kingdom / Breakfast at Tusker House / Pandora – The World of Avatar / Snack from Satu’li Canteen / Drink from Pongu Pongu / Gingerbread House & Christmas Tree at Grand Floridian
- Day 5: Festival of The Holidays » Epcot / Epcot International Festival Of The Holidays / Happily Ever After Fireworks from Poly
- Day 6: Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party » Disney Springs / Lunch at Planet Hollywood / Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party
- Day 7: Disney Resort Christmas Tree Trail Part 2 » Breakfast at Kona Cafe / Polynesian / Shopping at Super Target / All Star Sports / All Star Music / Dinner at Liberty Tree Tavern / Happily Ever After Fireworks
- Day 8: Hubby’s 45th Birthday » Disney Springs Christmas Tree Trail / Lunch at Chef Art Smith’s Homecomin’ / Dole Whips from Pineapple Lanai / Christmas Wishes from Poly
- Day 9: Disney Resort Christmas Tree Trail Part 3 » Beach Club / Lunch from Beach Club Marketplace / Yacht Club / BoardWalk / Ice Cream from Ample Hills Creamery / Animal Kingdom Villas – Kidani Village / Animal Kingdom Lodge – Jambo House / Coronado Springs / Dinner at Maya Grill
- Day 10: A Star Wars Kinda Day » Breakfast at The Wave / Contemporary / Bay Lake Tower / Hollywood Studios / Magic Kingdom
- Day 11: Easy Like Sunday Morning » Sunday Brunch at California Grill / Disney Springs / Drinks at Trader Sam’s Grog Grotto / Christmas Wishes from Poly
- Day 12: Fire & Water » Pool Time / Lunch at Oasis Pool Bar & Grill / Hollywood Studios /Jingle Bell, Jingle Bam! Holiday Firework Show / Dinner at Yachtsman Steakhouse
- Day 13: Disney Resort Christmas Tree Trail Part 4 » Saratoga Springs / Animal Kingdom / Lunch at Flame Tree Barbecue / All Star Movies / Tree of Life Awakenings
- Day 14: The Story of Christmas » Epcot / Lunch at Biergarten / Candlelight Processional with Neil Patrick Harris
- Day 15: ‘Ohana Means Family » Breakfast at ‘Ohana / Travel Day MCO-LGW
Previous Disney Trip Reports
- WDW-40:2016
- Christmas at Disneyland Paris 2015
- Halloween in The Wilderness 2015
- Dine Around Disney 2014
- Back To The Magic 2013
- The First Time 2011
- Disneyland Paris 2010
I have included links to my camera equipment.
If you purchase via the links I may earn a small commission.
As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
The camera I use for my Disney photography is a Canon EOS 70D.
The two main lenses I use are Sigma 18-300mm F3.5-6.3 DC Macro and Sigma 30mm F1.4 DC Art. Both of these lenses will also fit Nikon and Sony DSLRs.
I also take some photos on my iPhone7 for sharing on social media – follow my Disney Instagram account – LoveDisneyPhotos.
Pool photos are taken with a Panasonic Lumix DMC-FT5. A similar model is the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FT30EB-A.
Videos are taken with a Panasonic HC-V720, although the newer model is the Panasonic HC-V770.
Any photo editing is done with Photoshop or with Instagram editing features and filters.