Honest opinion of ohana

[Nikki0401]

We stay at the Poly and want to love Ohana but sadly the two times we have been there were a huge disappointment. We love the atmosphere and the type of food served but the food was cold and the service was terrible, it looked liked all of the tables around us were having the same issues. Could have been two off nights but we don't go anymore. Last year we figured on a non park day we would give Kona a try for dinner, sadly the food was awful, service was great but that was all. We have favorite restaurants that are must do's at the parks that are always great, we really wish the Poly table service restaurants were as good as everything else at the resort. We love the food at the Oasis Pool Bar and Captain Cooks.

 

[DaisyDuck001]

What time were your reservations that you felt so rushed?

Actually I didn't feel rushed.

 

[travelgirl77]

What are your other ADRs? What does your family really enjoy? By that I mean, is your family really into quality, delicious food? If yes, I would absolutely skip O'hana, as there are many other restaurants that can deliver at a fraction, or at least less than the cost of O'hana. If your family is really into the theme or the atmosphere, O'hana might fit the bill, depending on what you like, BUT in my opinion, other places execute much better. You just have to decide what factors really drive your family to have a good meal, and go from there. We visited O'hana last August, primarily because I felt that a lot of people were saying how much they loved it, the reservation was hard to get, and I love the Poly. It did not live up to our expectations in the least. Our reservations were for 440 pm and we waited at least 20 minutes beyond that. It was really chaotic and loud. Our server was meh and the food was meh. I think someone mentioned a local Asian restaurant may be better, and I can concur with this statement. There were coconut races and a ukulele player. Someone was on a microphone. My kids were not interested in the coconut races and their heads were live swivels on sticks, watching all of the action....and not eating. It was one and done for us as well.

BUT, I would never ever tell someone not to go to a restaurant based on our experience, as your expectations may be different. We had much better meals at the Wave, California Grill, and from kiosks throughout Epcot. That is also how we roll though...quieter, understated eating atmosphere.

I also want to touch on one more thing because I can almost feel it in your post. Please do not put too much pressure on yourself to make everything perfect. That will undoubtedly stress you out and the perfect moments often come in the imperfect circumstances. I can relate to wanting to ensure that everyone has an amazing time, especially at the Disney price tag. Just make sure to enjoy just being together and if the food stinks somewhere, lament together, try to joke about it, and carry on. One of our absolute worst meals was at BOG and even today we have to laugh over the wilting lettuce, my kids playing with their droopy fries, and my daughter legit freaking out at the thunder in the rose room....oh and some guy refilling his water bottle at the guest water jug...you know, putting the lip of where he drinks on the tap of where the water comes out for everyone else. Memories...good times. Have an absolutely wonderful trip!

 

[KenHutch]

During our last 4 trips we have eaten there 7 times and I have 2 ADR's for our June trip. We love the place but have to take these reviews with a grain of salt. There are some posters here who reviews I just love to read but their opinion is completely different from mine. For whatever reason they deplore Ohana and love for example Le Cellier which I refer to as the restaurant that is a legend in its own mind. Are both correct? Yep, for many of these places you are going to have to try them and make up your own mind. On reviews I read more closely about service than anything else.

 

[DaisyDuck001]

Please do not put too much pressure on yourself to make everything perfect. That will undoubtedly stress you out and the perfect moments often come in the imperfect circumstances.

This is a very wise comment.

 

[gillep]

One, done and never again for us. To be honest DH and I both feel that 'Ohana was the worst meal we have had at any restaurant period. This is the only restaurant that when bringing friends and family to WDW we will not dine with them, and will just meet them after, if they choose to go there. Our salad was overdressed and just swimming in dressing, the noodles were bland and unremarkable, potstickers were fine but I have had better from the freezer section of the grocery store, and the meats were all overcooked, bland, and dry. After any disappointing meal, we always laugh that at least it wasn't 'Ohana.

That said, everyone has different tastes, and if you think your family would enjoy it, then go for it! We have never tried to keep our friends or family from booking it if they expressed interest, they may really like it even if we didn't. Also, I agree with a pp, perfect is not going to happen. It just won't. You will likely have a bad meal or dish, the crowds may get to you at times, and you just have to go with it and make the best out of it.

 

[NYCgrrl]

This trip will be our first dinner at 'Ohana's but not our first time eating the food from there as we've ordered the meal from room service 3 or 4 times.
It's not fine dining but it sure is good eats from one course to the next.

So far no problems with any of the proteins as far as over cooking (you can tell them how you want the beef cooked via private dining and hope that's true in the restaurant) or quality of the beef . We always ask for the dressing to be placed on the side and then mix it into the noodles and stir fried veggies.
None of us are big bread eaters so can't say anything about the much loved bread service. The pot stickers were OK and the kids fight over the chicken wings.
I wish they would serve more vegetables but guess that can easily be remedied at the restaurant. The dessert is smushy mushy fun to eat and I'm looking forward to the addition of ice cream which isn't included in the room service version. Oh right and the guava fruit juice drink is divine and worth every drop of sugar, LOL.

Here's hoping the restaurant seating lives up to the room service version.

 

[Lovetherodent]

Look at it this way, if Ohana were horrible, Disney would be offering all sorts of "packages" in order to get people to eat there! It's not in a park, so really no captive audience, either. While certainly not at difficult at the old CRT breakfasts (before MDE), it's not a reservation you can snag a shortly before your trip and still have the choice of many times. I would say, in spite of the negative reviews on the Dis, more people probably love it than hate it.

If you think you might like something, you have to try it. Last trip, I tried Coral Reef, another place with a lot of love/hate reviews. One of my party had the best entree of the trip there. The rest of us fell in the "hate" category (just for the food; the atmosphere is great). I live where the cows get turned in to food. I'm pretty sure I'd be unhappy with the steakhouse experiences in Disney, so I don't book them. However, if I'm unsure, if I think I might like something, I have to give it a try and ignore the reviews.

 

[sanapp]

I have done Ohana for both breakfast and dinner and the breakfast was the only meal we enjoyed. My family of 3 were seated at a table for a party of 2, so we were very cramped and the service was bad and the food sub par. I would much prefer to go somewhere with a better quality of food. If you are paying out of pocket (oop) I don't really think it is worth it. I would much prefer to spend that money at California Grill or another signature with much better food.

 

[SarahC97]

I've done dinner and breakfast at Ohana and enjoyed the dinner a lot more. The food is pretty good at dinner -- breakfast, not so much. But the characters are great at breakfast. So -- I think it's worth a try!

 

[lynch34]

O'hana is a must for us if we have free dining. The last two times I've gone the food has been a bit "off" but it's still very good.

There's literally no way in the world I would pay out of pocket for it. No way is it worth that.

 

[Jadyreen1282]

Ohana is the most subjective TS on Disney history. We love it. You hate it. Just no pleasing everyone...anywhere...for anything. Except a Dole Whip. Or not.

 

[Shelleyfs]

I think it's usually worth trying again. The last time we were there, it wasn't great. The meats and shrimp were very dry and our waitress wasn't have a great night. My husband isn't a Disney fan and he goes to Disney for our family and the food. He has no problems saying what he does and doesn't enjoy, he did not like 'Ohana last time and I won't be reserving it this trip coming, maybe the next one. I wear rose coloured glasses when it comes to Disney and I want to give restaurants a chance over and over again. I remember first trips, birthdays, and I connect events to these restaurants. I shouldn't do that considering how much we are paying to eat at them. We will try again maybe in 2019 or 2020.

 

[BEASLYBOO]

ohana. I'm looking for some honest input. I want this trip to be as perfect as I can get it and this is honestly one of the bigger struggles I've been having. It seems like a really cool experience, but it's expensive, especially if the food is subpar. What do you guys think? Help me make up my mind and thanks in advance.

What you like compared to what I like, it's all subjective. My point of view, it's one meal, not a lifetime commitment. Go with an open mind, enjoy the ambiance, sure it expensive (it's Disney )but it's not 5 star nor will it ever be. The worth of it can only be determined by you once you experience it, for me most Disney buffets aren't worth it, my kids are grown, I don't need character buffets anymore. Some people do Ohana's over and over, and thoroughly enjoy it, me not so much, but that should never deter you from trying it at least once. Some things are only worth doing once. With that said, report back and tell us of your experience!

 

[Dis703]

I've only done breakfast, but it was bad enough I hesitate to ever give dinner a try. This restaurant seems to have an awful lot of "off" days as people seem to have really bad or really amazing experiences but I never read much in between.

 

[DaisyDuck001]

I think it's usually worth trying again.

After a disappointing experience there three years ago, I tried again this month. Didn't enjoy it this time, either. Giving it a second try made sense to me, but I think I'm done with it this time.

 

[wootejl]

Ohana is always a must do for us (for my husband it's actually his favorite part of our trip each time)! On our most recent trip this past March 2018 our server was extremely slow and inattentive, but that's never happened on any other trip (out of about 5 or 6 Ohana trips total) so we just chalked it up to one bad server that we hopefully won't get again. The food was still delicious though so it didn't ruin our experience by any means. After hearing some of the more recent negative reviews, I'm a little nervous that maybe our last experience wasn't a one-off after all, but we're going again in October and will hope for the best! Personally, we can't do a Disney trip without Ohana!

Oh, and I forgot to mention that we always go for dinner. We've never done a breakfast so I can't speak to that.

 

[richmo]

Like any restaurant, you're going to see varied reviews of Ohana, as can be clearly seen from the prior posts. The only way you're going to find out whether you're going to like it is to try it yourself, and I'd certainly encourage you to do that.

Personally, I'm an 'Ohana fan. I've probably eaten there a dozen or so times over the years and I can't ever recall having a bad meal there. We try to get an ADR there just about every trip. As one that often stays offsite, that isn't always the easiest thing to do.

 

[Nancyg56]

I also want to touch on one more thing because I can almost feel it in your post. Please do not put too much pressure on yourself to make everything perfect. That will undoubtedly stress you out and the perfect moments often come in the imperfect circumstances. Have an absolutely wonderful trip!

Excellent advice!

What you like compared to what I like, it's all subjective. My point of view, it's one meal, not a lifetime commitment. Go with an open mind, enjoy the ambiance, sure it expensive (it's Disney )but it's not 5 star nor will it ever be. The worth of it can only be determined by you once you experience it, for me most Disney buffets aren't worth it, my kids are grown, I don't need character buffets anymore. Some people do Ohana's over and over, and thoroughly enjoy it, me not so much, but that should never deter you from trying it at least once. Some things are only worth doing once. With that said, report back and tell us of your experience!

I agree. What a wise way of putting this into perspective.

 

[birthygirl]

We had breakfast there last August and waited for over 30 minutes past our ADR time. Then the restaurant was half empty so no clue why the hold up. Service was slow (and rushed when they were at the table) and food was not hot and mediocre at best even considering we ate basically these same things many mornings on our trip. I had read rave reviews so I wanted to love it, but it was really not great. The view was fantastic though. We're getting ready for another trip in June and that's the one place my kids have as a must-do this time. They remember it a lot differently, so we're going to try it again.