Dinner buffet without characters

[eeyorefanuk]

hi

Just wondering who has done this

Would you recommend

Is alcohol included

Many thanks

 

[DisneyMommyMichelle]

Liquor is never included and yes we have done it as there are buffets on property that do not have characters. Our favorite is the Biergarten in Germany and we always get beer, the bigger the better (although the beer is not included in the buffet price).


Other locations that are all you can eat without characters:

Ohana dinner (soooooo good!)
Boma (addicting once you try it!!!)
Cape May Cafe dinner (never too crowded and very good)
Trails End (Very good, we like to pair this one with a holiday season so that we can drive and look at everyone's decorations!)

 

[nkereina]

I think OP was inquiring about Aulani. We had dinner at Makahiki after the character portion was done. Any dinner seatings 6:30pm or later are $2 cheaper and do not have characters. The food is the same. Alcohol was not included. The buffet is expensive but on par with what you'd might pay at WDW for a buffet, or even a Vegas buffet. We thought the food was very good and it was half empty when we got there at 6:30, so it was much more quiet and enjoyable than the character dinner appeared to be.

 

[ktlm]

We were there this past summer and they were not doing the characters at dinner any nights then- they were only there at breakfast. We booked the dinner buffet at the last minute (well during the late afternoon) during our stay when one day we decided we would rather stay in the pools later and just eat at the resort instead of having to go get cleaned up to go somewhere else at a decent hour. We were pleasantly surprised. We thought the food was good and we really enjoyed it. It is definitely a good choice for a night where you want to spend as much time as possible in the water and then go to dinner, but not have to be too dressed up for dinner like you would want to do at Ami Ami. Alcohol is a separate price. I would say that we liked Ami Ami and Monkey Pod (across the street from the resort) better, but we would definitely go to the buffet again.

 

[nkereina]

We were there last week of September, and the Menehune Mischief Dinner was offered on certain nights of the week. I don't believe it was daily.

 

[ihearthawaii]

hi

Just wondering who has done this

Would you recommend

Is alcohol included

Many thanks

We did it during our trip a few weeks ago. Alcohol is not included. I personally thought it was not good at all for what you pay. All the cooked fish were dry and tasteless. There were flies/gnats hovering around. I sampled one items of almost everything and nothing was outstanding. I actually ended up with food poising that night and was a mess for a good 12 hours. Besides the buffet, all I had that day was malasadas and a fruit cup from the Ulu Cafe as that was our resort day so whatever made me sick came from the resort. My husband only ate the crab legs as he was afraid to eat anything else. A lot of other people had good experiences there but unfortunately I was not one of them.

 

[eeyorefanuk]

Hi
Well we did the meal
We had 9pm sitting
Food good quality
Only "moan" was that the staff were brushing up the floors and just noisy
I know our meal was late but I did not expect that around us and was a bit disappointed especially for the cost

 

[ktlm]

Sorry you had to deal with them doing the floors around you. I think our dinner was around 8:30. The staff wasn't doing anything around the tables, but as we were leaving, I did notice someone cleaning in the buffet area itself. I'm surprised they were doing the floors in the dining room before all the customers had left. I'm glad the food was good at least!

 

[eeyorefanuk]

I hope it didn't sound like I am a moaning Minnie

 

[mrswillson]

Been to Makahiki three times after the characters have left. Anytime after 6:30 is preferable, but I find 9:00-9:30 best as it is typically not as busy later on in the evening, plus if you're lucky local Hawaiian artists will start playing music right outside of the Olelo room around that time as well (next door to Makahiki's inside seating and adjacent to the lanai seating). Food is good - good range of pasta, freshly carved meat, sushi and fish dishes, fresh fruit, and great dessert options. Will be going back for breakfast before my husband and I leave the island.

 

[SpaceEngTM]

We did the dinner buffet this summer without characters and did not think it was worth it at all. Too expensive, the food was just okay and the popular items were not replenished quickly. However, I am not a big fan of lunch or dinner buffets. Somehow this type of food just doesn't do well under heat lamps.

 

[CaliAdventurer]

We thought the buffet was nice. Good enough but expensive. It has a lovely ambiance on the patio at sunset. I'd recommend it once but not as staple of the trip. Ama Ama is fabulous and you will have trouble getting dinner there if you dont make reservations but not for breakfast which we ate at nearly daily. Gorgeous fruits. We leave in a month and I'm anxious to see whats gone into the Four Seasons for dining.