As I mentioned before, I believe karma introduced me to Tiki, and it continues to swim in my bloodstream. I’ve seen many signs in my travels that have confirmed this for me. Here is an example of what I’m talking about.
Orlando FL, December 2008. Our first family trip to Walt Disney World. My wife Jess grew up a big fan of Disney; I did not. I was convinced that Disney was evil! The way they tried to get at every last dollar you had, through your kids, by bombarding them with their movies, their TV shows, their songs, their product placement, their marketing genius that targeted everybody, but especially children. No way in Hell did I ever want to go to WDW, but Jess was adamant, so I made a deal with the Devil (Disney). I would go to WDW, but under one condition: we would only stay at the Polynesian Resort. If Jess was going to drag me to WDW, she needed to trick me into believing I was staying in Hawaii. Grudgingly, she agreed.
As karma would have it, this turned into our best vacation ever. I was in my own little Tiki heaven, surrounded by Polynesian beauty at every turn: the music, the food, the drinks, the palm trees, the Tiki torches, the decor, and the amazingly helpful staff that attended to our needs with a cheerful “aloha” at every turn. Disney really impressed me with their service, which is second to none. Ironically, Jess probably enjoyed staying at the Polynesian as much as I did, for many reasons. It’s a deluxe resort on Disney property. It’s on the main monorail line to the Magic Kingdom. It’s right next door to the Transportation & Ticket Center (TTC), from where you can catch the monorail to Epcot or busses to all of the other Disney parks and resorts. It has the best restaurant, Ohana, in all of WDW. By accepting my condition, Jess was introduced to the perfect vacation spot. Karma. Mahalo, Jessica!
A. Panda's Tiki Lounge 
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