Does anyone here LOVE (or even like) Ohana???

[jcarter29]

I am posting here (and not the food board) because I value your opinions as the podcast faithful. I LOVE the poly resort and stay there most often. I love Kona and even Capt Cooks. I have NEVER gone to Ohana mainly because it has always seemed loud and crowded and then I found this board a few years back and let's just say, no one has been a huge fan of the place. So, we just booked a trip in late April with the 7 nights for the price of 4 special and added the dining (very cost effective with kids who want as many character meals as possible). I do this every time...sit and wonder if we should try Ohana for dinner. So, let me have it...your thoughts? (I can almost hear Kevin screaming NO! NO!)

We are a party of 4...me and the hubby, 2 girls ages 5 and 2 who will probably take the "alternative" menu at Ohana if we go there.

Am I better to eat dinner at Kona twice and just stay out of Ohana? Has there been any improvement since Kevin's review???

Thanks for all of your help!:thumbsup2
Kim

[UrsulasShadow]

Try everything once.

[jcarter29]

Try everything once. Words like those usually lead to me getting in trouble, lady :goodvibes

kim

[UrsulasShadow]

Words like those usually lead to me getting in trouble, lady :goodvibes

kim
Yeah, me too...but at least I can say I've tried everything once.;)

[Joshua_me]

I love the idea of Ohana's... I mean, I love The Poly and all things in it, and the thought of happy families having great times fills me with a warm, fuzzy feeling.

But.

The reality of it is... meh, it's just not all that great.

Now, keep in mind we have no kids, and if we did I'd be the first to admit that my opinion would quickly change. But, such as it is, Ohana's can be a loud, loud, loud and crowded experience with only so so attention from a rushed staff that often look like they'd rather be most anywhere else.

And the food. :sad2: Piles and piles of mediocrity that just keep coming. Lukewarm, over cooked spits of meat from fiery pits afar...

Needless to say, once was enough for us.

[pirateslifefourme]

me and my GF had a great time there. We loved in it fact. while it is not the BEST food we had, we had a Great time. we had a window seat and we were there during fireworks. some of the food was great, some was just good. the peel and eat shrimp were great i thought, there were a ton of them for 2 people. the meats were on and off, some were great, some i didnt care for. but the absolute highlight was that bread pudding and ice cream. i have NEVER liked bread pudding before, but this is INSANELY good. i would go to ohona just for that. I will be going back to Ohana on my next trip for sure. If I only had ONE choice for dinner at WDW, i probably would go to Narcoossees, or somewhere like that, but if you have to eat out for 7 nights, this makes a great addition i think. Its fun to see the kids having so much fun, its a great invorment i think. Its not perfect, but it sure was fun.

[msteddom]

I have enjoyed it the two times I have been there. The food is good (not great, but good), the atmosphere is fun, and I love looking across the water at the castle changing colors. I've even been lucky enough to be there for fireworks without specifically planning it. So, I say try it!

Melissa

[calypso*a*go-go]

Oh my goodness...I think I need to go to bed, when I first looked at the title of this thread I thought it said "Obama". My first instinct was to not even take a peek for fear it was going to turn into a hot and heavy political debate. But I did and then thought to myself "What the heck does the Poly have to do with anything?"

On that note, good night! :rotfl2:

[ms*mountaineer]

We enjoyed Ohana the first time we went. The food was good, not great. Our kids enjoyed the crazy dancing, it was all very festive, it was our first night - we had a good time.

My mother-in-law LOVED it, so we had to go back on the next trip (she paid for the trip for all of us, we go where she wants!). I didn't need to go back again, once was enough for me. I thought there were so many other places to try that we didn't need to go back.

Give Ohana a try!

[Mouse Skywalker]

I think you should give it a try. We liked it, and our girls had a lot of fun there too. Don't look at it as a meal that will make or break your vacation, but give it a try and see what you think.

[PrincessBelle39]

Our family enjoyed Ohana aswell, especially the kids 3, 5, 7, 8 and 11yrs (not all mine) I'm vegetarian although the rest of the family are meat eaters, and I found heaps to heap. Although the menu has changed since then.

[mrzrich]

I've had hit or miss experiences there, but it is something I would suggest you try at least once. Don't build it up too much in your head. Lots of people like it, thus, it's still a very hard ADR to get.

[wdw71]

We really enjoy Ohana. Now maybe it is because we have kids more than anything. The kids activities are great fun for them. Our 4yo pretended she was the "aloha lady" for two days afterward and still remembers doing the limbo at disney. The food is good though not great and watching all the kiddos is just plain fun.

[Rylee]

We went once and won't be going again.

DH thought it was just okay. As for myself, it seemed everything was covered in a sweet sauce, and left me wanting something, well... something else.

Our waitress was very pleasant, but her service left a lot to be desired. She also brought us the wrong check, (charged us for one less adult) and it took awhile to get the right check.

[jpeka65844]

We ate at Ohana for brkfst this past trip and liked it! That "Stitch" juice they gave us was super yummy. The food wasn't anything special, just your typical breakfast food but the character interaction was great.

It provided us with some good moments for our "normally shy around the characters" 3 year old.

I'd asked DH, after hearing Kevin's and Pete's review, if we should cancel. His response was "If the RoundTable told you to jump off a bridge, would you do it?" :p So, we kept it in the spirit of trying everything once.

DH and I are still not crazy about the Poly, though. The lobby was REALLY crowded, though, as it was last December when we ate at Kona (which we didn't like, by the way....). The Tambu lounge was packed with people waiting for a cruise bus and it just made that whole waiting area crazy. Also, I had to listen to the guy in front of me in line rant at the lady at the check in podium about why he couldn't get a walk-up seating for 13. Then he had to make a cell phone call to check and see if the time he could get was ok with various members of his party. Ugh....but I know that's not the Poly's fault....

Would we go back? Sure. Especially if we wanted to be close to the MK.

I will say what I know Kevin will say. Don't let any of his reviews deter you from eating at a specific restaurant. They are snapshots in time and his opinion only. He's RAVED abut some places that we've tried because of him and we thought they were awful and we don't hold it against him! ;) They're OPINIONS only!!

Hope that helps!

[Tissa]

We went once and won't be going again.

DH thought it was just okay. As for myself, it seemed everything was covered in a sweet sauce, and left me wanting something, well... something else.

Our waitress was very pleasant, but her service left a lot to be desired. She also brought us the wrong check, (charged us for one less adult) and it took awhile to get the right check.

Did we get the same waitress?

We ate there last week and I will say Never again! mainly due to the server. The food was ok but the waitress was a train wreck. We sat down at 5:30 and didn't get out of there until after Spectro started!

We were a party of 5 and two of us were on the dining plan. She didn't ask that and when she brought out the check it was one big bill, plus she charged us for 6 instead of 5 people. We had to track her down and tell her it was wrong, to make a long story short after three more checks and she still got it wrong we just asked for the manager. Manager apologised and that was it. We still paid the automatic 18 percent, grrrrrr! Never again.

[cocowum]

Oh my goodness...I think I need to go to bed, when I first looked at the title of this thread I thought it said "Obama". My first instinct was to not even take a peek for fear it was going to turn into a hot and heavy political debate. But I did and then thought to myself "What the heck does the Poly have to do with anything?"

On that note, good night! :rotfl2:

I think I need to go back to bed because I thought the exact same thing! :lmao:

[shannn]

My family loved Ohana. I wasn't planning to go back this trip, but they objected when I said that so I guess we will. My kids loved the dancing, my DH loved the meat, and I have to say that the dessert was amazing!! (and don't forget the Lapu Lapu...)

[IWISHFORDISNEY]

I thought it said Obama too. LOL.

OHana is OK. Some of the meats were fantastic and the sausage not so good. I didnt leave hungry and my son had a good time. That lady was sooo annoying though it gave me a headache. Great dessert!!!

[lttlmc3]

Oh my goodness...I think I need to go to bed, when I first looked at the title of this thread I thought it said "Obama". My first instinct was to not even take a peek for fear it was going to turn into a hot and heavy political debate. But I did and then thought to myself "What the heck does the Poly have to do with anything?"

On that note, good night! :rotfl2:

ME TOO!! That's so funny!

[Disney Khi]

Is this restaurant really loud? I have read that in many reviews. My dad has some hearing difficulties and lots of loud background noise is really bad for him, so we have to avoid places like Hard Rock that might have loud music or lots of loud background noises. Is this a place we should avoid? I have avoided it so far mostly for this reason.

[ADP]

I like the format of the meal....I like the restaurant decore and atmosphere....but the food has gone downhill over the years. What was once one of the best meal experiences at Disney has now become mediocre at best. Ohana used to be our families fav, but the mediocre food has made it just ok.

As Ursula said, trying it at least once is important so you can form your own opinion.

[Honeymooners1021]

we enjoyed it get a window seat at Wishes time it is wonderful. It is a break from everything and the kids get a chance to get all the wiggles out.

[crazydisneyman]

I would ask that you give it a shot. Everyone has different experiences, and you may like it. It is not gormet food, but it is a good overall experience. We thought that the food was really good and it is all you care to eat, so you could get your money's worth.

I agree with Mindy, "Try everything at least once."

[TXYankee]

Years ago, I thought the food was better.

Last time we went for breakfast and dinner (two different days). Both times We had good service. Yea, it was loud, but we had fun.

Now, I am not so thrilled with the food, however my Neices (4 & 7) LOVED it. (Maybe what they loved was the characters, games and loudness, but they left full and happy)

My nephews (16, 17, 18) are not picky eaters but love to eat ALOT. They has a good time too. (maybe because the little ones were busy so they did not have to rush and could eat their fill!)

The adults thought the food was OK, but we were just happy that everyone had a good time.

I would say, give it a try!

[mooneyda]

I went to ohana's for the first time last year with brother wife and his kids and it was awesome. The kids just had a blast. so much it is going to be a must besides it on every trip.

[HillPete]

First of all, we liked 'Ohana. We'll be going back next week for our first time at breakfast and we're looking forward to the meal.

Second of all, you asked about Kona. We love Kona!! We are not going this trip and are hoping we don't regret skipping it. We love the duck potstickers, crab cakes (not at all sad little crab cakes!), panko shrimp and desserts.

I think you'll be happiest if you do one meal at each restaurant. That way, you'll have a good sampling of the Poly.

--H

[cathie1327]

Oh my goodness...I think I need to go to bed, when I first looked at the title of this thread I thought it said "Obama". My first instinct was to not even take a peek for fear it was going to turn into a hot and heavy political debate. But I did and then thought to myself "What the heck does the Poly have to do with anything?"

On that note, good night! :rotfl2:

Yes, I believe you need some sleep my dear!!!!! :rotfl:

[exwdwcm]

Dh and I tried it for the first time on our free dining aug trip in 06 and we loved it. they had the yummy potatoes back then vs the noodles they have now. But he claimed it his favorite meal of the trip. We got a window seat for two and timed it to watch WISHES from our table. it was fabulous. it was loud, but we didn't mind. We enjoyed a pina colava while waiting for our ADR.

I plan to take my family on our Dec 09 trip- they haven't been. I think they will enjoy it, the kids too with the coconut races etc.

of course I am not a huge gourmet person, I am fine with meat and potatoes, so Ohana for dinner was right up my alley.

[Halloweenqueen]

It is one of our favorites. We haven't had a bad experience yet. We like the family style meals better. It works out best for my family. Buffets can be a nightmare with five kids.

[mommyceratops]

Try everything once.

I like their breakfast, they had good character interaction.

[chirurgeon]

I'm glad I wasn't the only one who read "Obama". :rotfl2: Never been to OHANA. Doesn't strike my fancy.

Kim

[DLBDS]

I agree with....'try everything once'.

We tried 'Ohana once. That's all we needed. The food wasn't awful, it was just ok. Pair that with the fact that it's noisey and crowded and we realized that it wasn't worth the cost to eat there.

That said, we DID enjoy the breakfast there (Lilo & Stitch).

To each his own. Go ahead and give it a try and maybe you won't struggle with the decision in the future.

[CHES94]

And that's about it. We paid for character interaction because the boys couldn't focus on eating once the characters came out. The food was ok breakfast food-the fruit and the mickey waffles were the best.

However, the pictures of the boys with giant smiles hugging the characters? Worth every penny:thumbsup2

[jcarter29]

Thanks for all of your responses about O'Hana...and for those of you who read Obama, please get some much needed rest!

I appreciate all of your feedback!
Kim

[chickie]

I saw Obama, too, the first time I looked at the title.:lmao:

We liked Ohana for dinner. They even brought our dd dessert from Kona, since she wouldn't eat the bread pudding, which we liked.

[jblrn2b]

We really like it - is it Cali Grill - no- but its so much fun. I could skip the meats and just eat dessert but that goes for just about everywhere! :) DH and I have eaten there without our two sons and had a great time. We like the breakfast and dinners.

Don't miss it.

[FairyGodmotherJen]

We really enjoyed it in 2007 (I believe the menu has changed a little since then). My father-in-law ate his weight in peel-and-eat shrimp, and my DD (then almost 6) loved the activities, including learning to hula with her daddy. :goodvibes Most of us gave it a good review. But my mother-in-law, it turns out, didn't like it much. I think it all depends on your tastes. Can't hurt to try it!

[Minnie Lor]

Oh my goodness...I think I need to go to bed, when I first looked at the title of this thread I thought it said "Obama". My first instinct was to not even take a peek for fear it was going to turn into a hot and heavy political debate. But I did and then thought to myself "What the heck does the Poly have to do with anything?"

On that note, good night! :rotfl2:

I did the exact same thing and then Poly? what?

[huntconn]

We enjoy 'Ohana but take it for what it is. It is not a fine dining experience nor is it a quiet, romantic spot. 'Ohana means "family" and I think it works best for families to enjoy, not to say that folks without kids can't enjoy it. It is loud, there are kids running around, and the performer usually borders on the obnoxious. But for some reason we always have a blast. If coconut races, yelling ALOOOO-HAAAA, and loudly sung Hawaiian ukelele music are not your thing, you may want to avoid it. To our family it is fun, but fun is a subjective thing, right? One complaint though: they do need to get better organized with the whole check-in and seating process. It's very disorganized. And now with Kaleo no longer entertaining outside of the Tambu Lounge, the wait will seem even longer. Hopefully they have replaced him with another performer but I heard that it was a cost cutting measure.

[IHeartTink04]

I actually love Ohana, call me crazy but I have enjoyed both breakfast and dinner there!

[jcarter29]

Thanks to everyone for your responses...we are going to give it a try!
kim

[AllyGirl_79]

While I've not enjoyed my dinners at Ohana, I do really like the breakfast. It's standard breakfast fare, but it's tasty. The setting is lovely, the view is great, and I really enjoy the character interaction at breakfast.

[Jennygt]

I like it. We did dinner with my parents and my Ds who was one. We enjoyed it, I did breakfast as well, to be honest beetween me taking pictures, video, and feeding my son I did not eat much! My mom was pleased. I would not say to go here for a quiet dinner, but it was fun, we also loved Cali Grille, very different place, with that in mind I say check it out.

[rotlex]

Despite the bad rap it seems to get, we love it! We have made it a point to eat at there at least once every trip for the past few years.

The food is good, and there is a TON of it, and the kids have a great time. Oh, and it has a decent view as well! What's not to like?

[Crystal824]

I like Ohana. I did dinner there many years ago, which I really enjoyed...granted I was on the college program so it was sort of like fine dining to me. I did Ohana for breakfast this past trip. While the food wasn't outstanding, it was a fun meal. Not quite as entergetic as Chef Mickey's but not as laid back as Crystal Palace.

[DWFan4Life]

We tried it once and we liked it. We had a fun and our kids enjoy dancing. The view is also nice. To those who haven't tried Ohana, just try it once then is up to you if you will like it too... :)

[OKW Lover]

While we don't love it, or hardly even like it, we will go back. Its a small matter of a 6YO grandson who really enjoys it. So, I know we'll be back sometime in the next couple of years. And I know that when we do, all its going to take is a Lapu Lapu, or a Backscratcher to make the evening tolerable.

[soupy11]

'Ohana's is this family's fave experience. It's a must-do tradition and we love it.

[WLfan]

We went to breakfast at Ohana's this past summer. It was my first time. I thought the breakfast was exactly the same as the one I had just had at Chef Mickeys. Nothing spectacular. I actually like the breakfast at Akershus less. BUT I have a then 20 month old and she loved Lilo, Stitch, and Mickey. I have to admit I loved the characters too. It was fun. I'd go again for the characters, but I LOVE Kona breakfast much more. Yum! Tonga Toast!!!

[Howdy Doodat]

we like it :confused3

i could do without the singing, etc., but hey -- it's a lot of meat, good sauces, what's not to like?

[NDM#1]

Oh my goodness...I think I need to go to bed, when I first looked at the title of this thread I thought it said "Obama". My first instinct was to not even take a peek for fear it was going to turn into a hot and heavy political debate. But I did and then thought to myself "What the heck does the Poly have to do with anything?"

On that note, good night! :rotfl2:

:rotfl:

[NDM#1]

I have only been to Ohana once (and that was four years ago), but it was my favorite meal experience during that trip. I thought the food was good (not top of the line, but I still liked it). The service we got was more than adequate. It was a very fun atmosphere for the kids (which made me enjoy it too). But it was loud. It was busy. I was with a very large group since this trip was for a family reunion, so this restaurant suited us perfectly in this instance. I definitely would like to return again sometime, but I can see how this restaurant would not suit everyone.