Cast Members at Island Tower at Disney’s Polynesian Villas & Bungalows Move Forward and Build on Past

When the Island Tower at Disney’s Polynesian Villas & Bungalows opens on December 17, 2024, it will have nearly 1,600 cast members making magic for Disney Vacation Club members and guests who stay there. Two of these cast members are Iosefa “Sefa” Leapai and Ervin “E.B.” Bracy, who have worked at Bell Services at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort since the 1970s.

Both of these cast members will be welcoming guests when the Island Tower officially opens on December 17, 2024. This week, Disney shared their story. Read it below!

Bringing the Aloha Spirit 

In 1978, Sefa came from Hawaii to the mainland to visit his brother who was working in entertainment at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort. At the time, Disney was holding auditions for dancers, and while Sefa is not a dancer he said to himself, “yeah, why not?” To his surprise, he was hired and his leaders quickly learned just how talented Sefa is. He soon started performing dances with the added element of fire, as well as singing and playing the bass.

Over time, Sefa found his true home with Bell Services, where he has remained ever since. As a “magical moment,” he still makes music for guests and cast alike. Sefa will often entertain guests with his Hawaiian songs to celebrate birthdays or honeymoons. 

Weekly, Sefa brings the islands to life for his fellow cast members, playing ukulele for all of the resort’s new hires during their resort orientation class. This is the moment where the team learns what it means to be part of their new resort family. “It comes from the heart. It’s about being kind, going above and beyond, making people feel special,” Sefa explained. “That’s one of the biggest ways we try to represent the culture here: Aloha spirit.” 

And now the Aloha spirit is expanding! Even more guests and cast members will get to share in this unique bit of magic with the opening of the tower. “We’re all quite excited about the new opening,” Sefa said. “Everybody keeps asking about it and it’s fun to talk with guests and get excited with them.”

Even when the spotlight of this story was on Sefa, he spent much of our time praising his fellow cast member E.B., embodying the Aloha Spirit he spoke of so deeply: “I tell you, it makes me almost cry when I talk about E.B. He’s a good man. I’ve learned so much from him and I follow his example: we go out of our way and expect nothing in return. I love that man—he’s my brother.” 

A Lifetime of Vacations 

E.B has been creating magical experiences since 1973. He’s always worked in Bell Services, but he also jumped in anywhere he was needed throughout the resort. E.B. describes coming to the Polynesian as love at first sight. “The lobby was just mesmerizing. I hadn’t seen anything like that other than on television. It made you feel like you really were in Hawaii. It has changed over the years, but it still has that same effect.”

That effect carries through to the tower, too. The whole resort overflows with the adventurous spirit of Polynesia and will captivate guests in the same way that E.B. was captivated all those years ago. From the tower’s exterior, adorned with art inspired by Polynesian tattoos, to the lush terrace gardens for relaxation with a view, this is a place that celebrates island storytelling. It calls you to make memorable stories of your own – voyaging on the resort monorail to explore Extended Evening Hours or enjoying the night sky with favorite Disney classics during a Movie Under the Stars. 

“I use the phrase a lot: The Island Tower addition is giving people not only a vacation of a lifetime, but the opportunity for a lifetime of vacations. That’s what this resort means to me. I do my job so that you’ll want to come back and see us again.”

Sailing Forward with Aloha Spirit 

Both recipients of the Walt Disney Legacy Award, Sefa and E.B. exemplify what it means to truly be a Magic Maker – creating life experiences that will be remembered forever. We are so grateful for their Aloha Spirit, and we can’t wait to see how far they’ll go as we voyage into this next phase of Disney’s Polynesia Resort, the Island Tower addition.

What do you think of the story of these two cast members? Are you looking forward to checking out and staying at the Island Tower? Share your thoughts and opinions in the comments below!