Paint a Tiki Mask: Painting with a Polynesian Twist
Here’s a new reason to visit Polynesian Village! Their “Paint a Tiki Mask” activity is a wonderful way to spend the afternoon hanging out by the beautiful Seven Seas Lagoon! This activity is located at the Seven Seas Marina, which is also where you’ll find motorized boat rentals, guided fishing excursions, specialty private fireworks cruises, where guests can borrow volleyballs for use on Polynesian’s sandy volleyball court, and the boat dock for the water taxi over to Magic Kingdom.
I suggest showing up right at the beginning of the activity’s scheduled time, as you’ll really need that full hour to be able to take your time and pay attention to details as you paint. When I arrived, I visited the Seven Seas Marina window to purchase my wooden mask. These are $30.00 each, and the masks all bear exactly the same carvings. There were a few examples of finished masks displayed in the window, and it was really helpful to see an example of the finished product before I got started.
After I paid, Recreation Team Cast Members welcomed me over to to the activity table. They had a ton of different paint colors available, and let me choose up to six colors to begin with. They were sure to mention several times to be careful because the paint was not washable and they did not have any aprons available (although they did mention that aprons were on order and would be available in the future). They set up a plastic tray with some paintbrushes, a water bucket to rinse the paintbrushes, some napkins, and put my blank mask on a paper plate to catch any spills.
A station was set up for me to work at a nearby table, and they brought over a paper plate with my paint selections. There was only one long work table there, so you will be sharing the table with other guests if anyone else happened to join the activity at the same time. The big negative for me was that there were no chairs, so I couldn’t use the table to stabilize my elbow while I painted and I had to kind of hunch over a low table to paint. That made it made it tough to take my time with the project and do a good job (although children doing this project would definitely have an easier time working at such a low table).
However, the wooden mask was really cool and it was such an interesting thing to paint! The carving on it was just detailed enough to make it a fun project but not too difficult. The Cast Members were very helpful and offered some tips as I painted - like to get the same washed-out look the example masks in the marina window had, dip your paintbrush in the paint and then the water, so it’s more diluted. And the view of Seven Seas Lagoon from the paint table was gorgeous!
One good thing about painting outside while it was so hot - the paint dried quickly! When I was done, they gave me a clean paper plate to easily transport my completed mask. This project includes paint only, no sealant, but you certainly could spray it with sealant at home if you wanted to. The mask is very lightweight and the perfect size (about 8” x 6”) to easily fit into my luggage.
I really loved how unique this activity was, and being able to paint with that incredible view was unforgettable! If you’re planning your next Walt Disney World vacation, this activity could be part of a fantastic afternoon break from Magic Kingdom. I’d spend the morning and early afternoon at Magic Kingdom, watch the 3:00PM Festival of Fantasy Parade, then take the water taxi or monorail over to Polynesian around 3:30PM. Then you can cool off with a Dole Whip from Pineapple Lanai, maybe put yourself on the waitlist for Trader Sam’s Grotto, go paint your tiki mask, and grab dinner at ‘Ohana if you’re lucky enough to snag a reservation (or if not, don’t forget that Tambu Tambu Lounge has ‘Ohana’s famous noodles, pot stickers, and wings available off-menu - just ask!) You can easily head back to Magic Kingdom for the fireworks after dinner, or if you’re looking for an extended escape from the crowds, you can have a pretty magical evening just relaxing on the Polynesian beach and watching Enchantment and the Electrical Water Parade from there. It’s so cool how one activity can inspire an entire evening of fun at a Disney resort!
Paint a Tiki Mask | Tuesdays and Saturdays from 4:30-5:30PM | Polynesian Village | Seven Seas Marina
*Activity dates and times listed here were accurate at the time this review was published. Resort activities and activity schedules may change month-to-month, so be sure to check the current Polynesian Recreation Calendar for updated times/dates when making plans to participate.
