Wow, I think I officially have to cross Ohana's off my list!

[DznyDreamz]

We tried O'hanas on our trip and won't be going back either. Our service was just okay, but more importantly, I thought the quality of food was lousy. We were not seated in the main seating area which I can handle, but it certainly took away from the overall experience. The steak was extremely fatty which I find disgusting. I had to ask for the turkey several times which I was pleased to discover was the most appealing item on the menu. O'hana is now a "must not do" on my list. There are so many other fantastic places to chose, I won't bother with this one. It is interesting to see so many extreme variations in the experience people have had here.

 

[SomDayMyPrnceWillCom]

Our experience at O'Hana dinner wasn't terrible but it didn't stand out either. We ate here our second night which was our first table service dinner. My DD11 wasn't impressed at all. But I think she was a bit tired and moody after our first full day and wasn't very hungry, which surprised me.

I have to say that I enjoyed the appetizers, but they weren't fantastic. The meats were ok but nothing to rave about. I had been formerly warned not to even try the pork so I didn't. We ate the steak and turkey and it was ok.

I think our server was probably the biggest disappointment. He just acted like it was a bother to wait on us. And the second server was running around so much he reminded me of Flash. This was our first trip to Disney and we didn't really have anything to compare it to yet. We had breakfast at Norway with the Princesses that morning and enjoyed it. Again, nothing spectacular but we loved the princesses. After eating at Le Cellier, Coral Reef (DD11's favorite), Boma, Crystal Palace and Chef Mickey's later in the week, O'hana just could not compare.

We are hoping to make it back in May again, and I will give it one more shot but we are going to do the Breakfast this time.

 

[krissylynne]

Ditto SnowWtch! We love Ohana's. We've yet to have a bad experience there over the years. We've been before and after the menu changes and we will keep going. Yes, we miss the old menu but this one is pretty good too. Our family thinks the food's fantastic. Sorry you had a lousy time. It is inexcusable about the peanut allergy mistake and the spotty service. But I'm sure while you were having a lousy time there was another family there like mine having a blast and planning there next Ohana visit.

I am with you too. Ohanas is one of our favortites. I hate to hear that some are not enjoying it. We will continue to go back.

 

[krissylynne]

I have mentioned this before, but I will say it again. I LOVE Disney, and I LOVE the DDP. However, I do believe that since it has come along that the food has gone a little down hill. I can tell a difference in all the restaurants. They are still good, but not the same. It seems that more of it is mass produced and the attention is not there.

 

[WildGrits]

We never did dinner at Ohana but breakfast was always a staple for our family when we went.

After our last visit in September, Ohana has left our list also. We where a table of 8 and they brought a skillet with 3 biscuits on it.

The sausage is a cheaper sausage thats why it is so dry. My uncle who was with us actually makes sausage and chili meats from various critters and he explained to us why it was so off. Something to do with using boar meat. It made since at the time but the reason totally escapes me now.

I too liked Kona much better. But in my group I was pretty much alone in liking it. I wish I could afford that coffee for home.

 

[AussieDisneyFan]

With all these complaints has anyone ever spoken to a manager or contacted WDW about the poor food and service? If everyone that complained here, did so at the restaurant maybe something would be done about it.

 

[LindsayDunn228]

Sorry to hear of all these bad experiences. We ate there in 2005 and loved it. We are going back in less than 2 weeks.

 

[boomhauer]

First 2 times we went to Ohana it was fantastic. Last few times, it's been average at best. We're still going in December in hopes they get back on track.

I still miss the bread there.

 

[Nom]

I have mentioned this before, but I will say it again. I LOVE Disney, and I LOVE the DDP. However, I do believe that since it has come along that the food has gone a little down hill. I can tell a difference in all the restaurants. They are still good, but not the same. It seems that more of it is mass produced and the attention is not there.

ITA! Even before DDP, there was hemogination (sp) in the stores and the restaurants, but DDP has made it much worse unfortunately. I think that Disney is relying on people that never experienced these restaurants prior to 2000 to not know what they are missing, and keep coming back.

With all these complaints has anyone ever spoken to a manager or contacted WDW about the poor food and service? If everyone that complained here, did so at the restaurant maybe something would be done about it.

I never did before, as it was really just slightly decining each time I visited. But I sure plan to now!!!

I still miss the bread there.

Me too! And the salmon, the pineapple with caramel, the old appetizers that were served on the lazy susan, the shrimp skewers, the lo mein... I could go on and on. But I guess things change, not always for the better... but there is no excuse for the service issues I had this time around, which I why I plan to write the letter.

Does anyone know the contact address to write a letter of complaint? TIA!

 

[Jasminetigger]

Wow, I guess I am in the minority here but we have always had good meals and service here.

We just ate here last Friday and had a wonderful experience. We had tried all day to get an ADR and after several calls were finally able to get in at
6:30 p.m. We got there about ten minutes early and were seated right away. Our server came over within a few minutes and introduced herself and said that she and two other servers would be taking care of us tonight. Drinks were brought out promptly. All the food was delicious. All of our meats were very moist. Refills were brought out within minutes of us asking. Our servers were really wonderful. It was the best meal we had all week. Lapoa came over as we were leaving and talked to our dd's for a few minutes and did the hula with them and put leis on them and even put leis on their stuffed animals. My youngest dd thought that was so funny. We will definitely be going back.

 

[meway]

I have to admit, The peanut allergy thing baffles me. I know of no one in my family or cirle of freinds with this allergy. yet I know it is out there. While I do not condone people with this allergey trying to ban planes of peanuts or schools of peanut butter and jelly sandwhiches....I do expect that if you tell a server of the allergy, they should make sure the dipping sauce doesnt come to your table.

QUOTE]


This statement caught my eye and I just have to respond. You say you don't know anyone with a peanut allergy, so it's understandable why you wouldn't get why there's sort of a movement going to rid airlines and school cafeterias of peanut products. A person with peanut allergy does not have to eat/ingest peanut products to have an allergic reaction. Skin contact or even breathing in peanut dust can cause an anaphylactic reaction, causing a person's respiratory system to completely SHUT DOWN . If you can't breathe, you die. An epipen can slow down the reaction for a few minutes until the person can receive medical attention, but what do you do if you are in the middle of an airline flight? What if school personnel in the cafeteria don't immediately recognize the signs of a reaction in a child, delaying a call to 911? What if you are dining at a theme park restaurant surrounded by inept restaurant staff who don't know how to properly deal with a crisis? Will medical help reach you or your child in time? This is a scary scenario for someone with a peanut allergy and (as it affects my child) , the parents of a child with this allergy. Imagine if this was your child at risk... Is it that important for peanuts/peanut products to be available to the general population if it could cause another person to have a fatal reaction? Eat your peanuts when to get to your destination or fix a pb & J for your child when he/she gets home from school.

Sorry if I sound preachy...I do realize most people who are not personally affected by this allergy just don't know the reality of it and aren't necessarily being callous, just questioning the logic of it. The statement struck a nerve with me and I just wanted to take the opportunity to possibly educate others. To be honest, I didn't know a darn thing about food allergies until my family was personally affected by it.

Okay, having gotten that off my chest, I'm hoping our visit to Ohana in February will be an enjoyable one. I'm definitely going to be on guard after reading these posts. I appreciate so much everyone reporting the good and bad comments. It just helps you prepare. I would defnitely take a minute to call Disney if I had a bad experience, particularly when a food allergy is involved.

I must say, however, that our visit in September 2006 was quite enjoyable and we found everyone to be so helpful, accommodating, and knowledgeable regarding our DS's peanut & egg allergy. We commented after our trip that it was easier to eat out at WDW than it is in our own hometown!

 

[Mermaid_Ariel]

With all these complaints has anyone ever spoken to a manager or contacted WDW about the poor food and service? If everyone that complained here, did so at the restaurant maybe something would be done about it.

I was wondering that myself. Quite frankly, I would've been mortified by the server bringing peanut sauce to my table. Did you complain to the manager? If anything, that warranted a complaint! I know things will always be hit or miss - and despite the negative things I've read here for a few months, I'm still willing to try it. It just baffles me why a serious issue like that wasn't taken directly to management.

Be proactive! Complaining on the Internet won't make improvements to the places we've always loved.

 

[blondemom]

'Ohana was always our favorite place to eat. We would sometimes do it twice in one trip. Our last visit, a few years ago, it was just so-so. We figured it was an off night, so we tried again. However, this past June we, too, had very poor service. Another poster mentioned almost having the plates taken away before they finished... that happened to us as well. Our food was dry to the point where we could not even cut it. The server never refilled our drinks, even after asking several times. He kept saying, "Oops, I forgot." We ended up asking another server for refills. It took about 1/2 hour for us to get more than just sausage. I'm not a cheap person, but for the amount of money you pay for this dinner, you should not have poor service and dry food. And, to top it all off, when they did come around with the steak and pork, they came with one piece on each skewer. Three of us ordered the meal. Were we supposed to share each piece? It was beyond frustrating. I did ask to speak to the manager, and told him our situation. He apologized profusely, but then added, "It's raining outside and we have more customers than usual." I don't know what that was supposed to mean. He offered us free dessert, but at that point, we just wanted to leave. We were there for TWO HOURS and most of that time was just waiting for our food (and drinks). Sadly, we have always really enjoyed this restaurant. Perhaps in a few years I will try again. But I will be reading reports like these to see if anything changes for the good.

 

[KevinYee]

Another vote here for liking the new menu less than the old one. And finding service less than it used to be.

 

[OneBadApple]

I know this is a bit off topic, but how much is 'Ohana for dinner? One site says 25.99/11.99 and another says 26.99/12.99.

TIA

 

[Patti O'Furniture]

We were so disappointed in this restaurant. It was our first time and it will be our last. DH loves any kind of meat and when he didn;t like it - not to good.

Service was UNORGANIZED. We were brought chips and drinks and no other starters. 3 tables seated after us got chips/salad/wings etc. After asking twice they came with the food. We rarely saw the meat servers - but the meat was pretty inedible.

Food: We are picky - we like mcDonalds once in a while and also enjoy fine dining ... not too many things we won't enjoy at some level.

Chips - so salty the kids wouldn;t eat them. Sent them back because I thought they were double salted .... Nope next batch just as bad.

Sauces - Good.

Wings - not properly cooked - had to bite through flabby fatty skin. It was not rendered off before saucing.

Salad - Very good

Peel and eat shrimp. Very good - we made a meal out of these. Refilled several times.

Potatoes - Good ( I love potatoes ) - but they were on the salty side and were mushy.

Turkey - OK - but dry
Steak - OK - I've had better
Pork - Inedible - too tough to chew
Sausage - hmmm what was this made of ghastly.

Dessert - very good.

So - we found stuff to eat - but not enough to ever go back.

 

[DeeCeeSW]

You say you don't know anyone with a peanut allergy, so it's understandable why you wouldn't get why there's sort of a movement going to rid airlines and school cafeterias of peanut products. A person with peanut allergy does not have to eat/ingest peanut products to have an allergic reaction. Skin contact or even breathing in peanut dust can cause an anaphylactic reaction, causing a person's respiratory system to completely SHUT DOWN . If you can't breathe, you die. An epipen can slow down the reaction for a few minutes until the person can receive medical attention, but what do you do if you are in the middle of an airline flight? What if school personnel in the cafeteria don't immediately recognize the signs of a reaction in a child, delaying a call to 911? What if you are dining at a theme park restaurant surrounded by inept restaurant staff who don't know how to properly deal with a crisis? Will medical help reach you or your child in time? This is a scary scenario for someone with a peanut allergy and (as it affects my child) , the parents of a child with this allergy. Imagine if this was your child at risk... Is it that important for peanuts/peanut products to be available to the general population if it could cause another person to have a fatal reaction? Eat your peanuts when to get to your destination or fix a pb & J for your child when he/she gets home from school.

Sorry if I sound preachy...I do realize most people who are not personally affected by this allergy just don't know the reality of it and aren't necessarily being callous, just questioning the logic of it. The statement struck a nerve with me and I just wanted to take the opportunity to possibly educate others. To be honest, I didn't know a darn thing about food allergies until my family was personally affected by it.

Okay, having gotten that off my chest, I'm hoping our visit to Ohana in February will be an enjoyable one. I'm definitely going to be on guard after reading these posts. I appreciate so much everyone reporting the good and bad comments. It just helps you prepare. I would defnitely take a minute to call Disney if I had a bad experience, particularly when a food allergy is involved.

I must say, however, that our visit in September 2006 was quite enjoyable and we found everyone to be so helpful, accommodating, and knowledgeable regarding our DS's peanut & egg allergy. We commented after our trip that it was easier to eat out at WDW than it is in our own hometown!

Thanks for posting. This sums it up in a nut shell, pun intended. I am always amazed by how we must defend ourselves when it comes to this issue. Lives are at stake, pure and simple. How this became an epidemic? Who knows. But it's here, and so let's stop debating the issue and deal with it as best as we can. It helps a lot when others who, fortunately, do not have to go through this at least make an attempt to be understanding and caring when it comes to our childrens' plight.

 

[krissylynne]

Thanks for posting. This sums it up in a nut shell, pun intended. I am always amazed by how we must defend ourselves when it comes to this issue. Lives are at stake, pure and simple. How this became an epidemic? Who knows. But it's here, and so let's stop debating the issue and deal with it as best as we can. It helps a lot when others who, fortunately, do not have to go through this at least make an attempt to be understanding and caring when it comes to our childrens' plight.

I have a question. I totally understand the allergy thing, I truly do. I myself have horrible allergies, but I am not sure how I stand on one issue. We have a child in school that has such severe peanut allergies that they have asked that no child bring in ANYTHING with peanuts. His reaction would be death if he was exposed. Definately a sever allergy. My question is, is it fair to ask 1,000 kids not to have pb&j , tons of chips, peanuts and other items that have high concentrated amounts of food. They do not want anyone in the school to bring any of these items for fear that he comes in contact. That is a lot of kids to limit there peanut consumption, I could understand a class, but the whole school? What do you think?

 

[Nom]

I have a question. I totally understand the allergy thing, I truly do. I myself have horrible allergies, but I am not sure how I stand on one issue. We have a child in school that has such severe peanut allergies that they have asked that no child bring in ANYTHING with peanuts. His reaction would be death if he was exposed. Definately a sever allergy. My question is, is it fair to ask 1,000 kids not to have pb&j , tons of chips, peanuts and other items that have high concentrated amounts of food. They do not want anyone in the school to bring any of these items for fear that he comes in contact. That is a lot of kids to limit there peanut consumption, I could understand a class, but the whole school? What do you think?

I think it is a fair request, because it is a child's life on the line. I heard a story on my local news about a school where a child just died from a peanut allergy. His classroom was peanut-free, but his school was not. They figure that someone in the school must have eaten peanuts somewhere, touched a bathroom door knob (he was in the bathroom when it happened), and left some residue there. He died alone in the bathroom- they found him after he did not come back to class.

I would hope that parents who think it is over the top to have peanut free schools hear about stories like this one. How terrible. I am lucky that my dd's peanut allergy is not that bad- she can touch peanut, as long as she does not touch her mucous mebranes or put her hands in her mouth before she washes them- but some children are so allergic that just touching peanut residue can effect them. So, yes, I think it is fair to have peanut-free schools when an effected child is in the district- and it may even enlarge the food horizons of the families in that district!

 

[DeeCeeSW]

My son's peanut allergy is not airborne, however there is a child in his school with a severe airborne allergy. Peanut products are not banned from the school. We have a "peanut-free table" on one end of the cafeteria (for those with the allergy and they can invite a friend or two to join them) and a "peanut-lover's table" on the opposite end (those with PBJ sandwiches). Kids without any peanut products sit in the middle. The lunches are separated at the beginning of the day, and anyone with PB&J or peanut products has to put their lunchbox/bag in a separate bin that is then put outside of the classroom. Children are required to wash their hands with soap and water or with a wet one after lunch, prior to recess.

The new nutrition guidelines/mandate here in NJ does not allow us to bring in certain foods (mainly what is considered "junk") and the list of approved snacks (mainly baked chips, certain cookies and things like fruit snacks and popcorn) rarely contain peanuts so we do not have an issue there (so far). The PTA is made aware of who has what allergies and coordinators act accordingly when it comes to class parties, etc.

So far (knock on wood) there have not been any incidents regarding my child's allergies and the severly allergic child has not had any problems in the three years he has attended the school.

Your specific question of what do I think about peanut products being banned completely from school, is that, of course, it makes things safer for my child and others with the allergy, so "it works for me," HOWEVER I DO see both sides of this issue. I know that there are some parents who may only be able to afford PB&J for their kids and/or perhaps their child will "only eat PB&J," etc. One the one hand, parents should have the right to send their kids to school with PB and peanut products, HOWEVER, if doing so will cause a serious threat to the life of another child or children, then I feel that it is appropriate for the school to take whatever action they see fit. If the school administration feels that this is the safest and most logical thing to do for your kids, then so be it. In our township, it is actually up to each individual principal to decide what their peanut policy will entail, we do not have a statewide policy.

Again,we are talking about LIFE THREATENING consequences here when it comes to exposure for someone with a peanut allergy. Possible death. NO ONE is exaggerating this issue, it CAN and DOES kill. So ask yourself, is it WORTH it to debate this? What if it was your child? There are children I know who have allergies to strawberries and kiwi, and eggs, and countless other things. No, these items are not banned at school. But peanuts are a whole different ballgame. Again, WHO KNOWS how this became such an epidemic. I don't recall hearing anything about peanut allergies when I was growing up. It's here, we need to get used to it, and we ALL need to figure out a way to live with it and be understanding and TOLERANT of others.

On that note, I will not say any more on this topic as peanut allergy discussions tend to get pretty heated here on the DIS and I don't need the aggravation!