Tell me about the luau

[rjb123]

I am thinking of booking this for our upcoming trip in June. Considering the bazillion times I have been to WDW it is kind of shocking that I have NEVER done a dinner show. We love Ohana, and are going to be staying at the Poly that week so the location works. Just curious what the general experience is like, if it is "worth it" etc. Food pics are a bonus! TIA!

 

[CynBeth]

We went once years ago and really enjoyed it.

 

[DisneyHardin]

We went last fall and thought it was fine. The food was okay and the show is pretty hokey. I'm glad we went to cross it off the list, but I don't think we will go back.

 

[MomOTwins]

Did not enjoy the food, or the show, or the sitting outside in August, or the terrible views even in Tier I seating. This is a "never again" for us

 

[cobright]

The dancing was great. The 'show's was corny in the worst way. The food was good but eating in the dark was a hassle.

I'm glad we did it... but just barely.

 

[Scubadaddy32]

We are with MomOTwins on this one, it's hot and sticky outside in June the food is meh and the show isn't much better.
If you want to see a dinner show, go do Hoop Dee Doo. The show, the food and the atmosphere are all much better. IOO

 

[DISNEY1975]

We love it! Go almost every trip. We love the Polynesian food. The venue is small and every seat is a good seat! We are always on the dining plan, so get Cat 2 or 3. Never had a bad seat. Ambiance super tropical/outdoors but there are ceiling fans. People say the show is tacky, but I find it educational...a small skit teaching about the different Poly islands. During the skit, they invite up anyone with a birthday or anniversary for a quick hula lesson. After the skit, hula and fire dancers do a 10 or so minute show that is absolutely amazing. Included in price is beer/wine/sangria. To me, it beats HDDR by far!






pulled this one from the internet to show the size of the venue

 

[cgattis]

We enjoyed it also. After going to Hawaii two years ago and seeing a real (like all Hawaiians) luau, I still think the performers at Disney are quite good. The storyline of the show is hokey (graduation party), but the actual performances were good. We thought the food was fine also—about on par with most other Disney food. Good but nowhere near worth the price of the same food off-property. I say for the convenience and to fully soak up the Poly, try it.

 

[Marissa227]

We enjoy it! We did it in 2016 and I wouldn't hesitate to do it again if it worked in to our schedule. I would recommend doing the later showing if your trip is in June because it's outside and it will be cooler as the sun goes down.

 

[Ellie Webbs]

Imho it's a corny but lovely show. I prefer the show at hddmr but prefer the food here. And the fire performer is very good.

 

[sullyfam]

I recommend trying it at least once! We have enjoyed it here and there over the years. I would go back more but my husband wasn’t a huge fan of the food. He’s picky so don’t let that deter you. I think the show is decent as Disney shows go and the fire part at the end is really cool. Bottomless beer and wine and I’m usually always in, but all and all, it’s a fun night! It tends to get a lot of negativity on these boards so I’m pleasantly surprised at the warm reviews.

 

[disneydreamer1980]

We prefer HDDR. Not crazy about the luau

 

[illinidp]

Bad food, stupid show, and bad views for most.

 

[tzeitel]

We have gone to both the luau and HDDR twice. The luau is fine, we thought the food was good and yes, the show is corny but what Disney show isn't?
Personally I enjoyed HDDR much more than the luau so if you have not done either I would go with that one.

We do romanticize the luau since that was DH's first culinary job at Disney - he made the PB&J sandwiches for the kids!