Hoop-de-doo for adults

[bellefromboston]

How is Hoop-de-doo for adults? Is there a lot of audience participation? None of us like a lot of attention. Also, how is the food? Is the experience worth choosing over a signature? TIA!

 

[DVCconvert]

Oh it's "A HOOT"!!

You should go and try it...it's great! And don't worry about being dragged into stuff...they take their que's very well and can tell who to 'involve' or not. You'll love it...corny and funny!!

The cornbread is about the best on the planet, the ribs are great as is the chicken...all you care to eat & drink!

It's a personal choice between a fine dinning experience (ie. sign rest) or a dinner and a show...but this has been continually performed since 1971 for a reason...it's great!

HTH

 

[ccigliano]

We love it and just did it in March for our Kidani trip. We love the food, sangria, and the entertainment.

 

[pepperw23]

Oh it's "A HOOT"!!

You should go and try it...it's great! And don't worry about being dragged into stuff...they take their que's very well and can tell who to 'involve' or not. You'll love it...corny and funny!!

The cornbread is about the best on the planet, the ribs are great as is the chicken...all you care to eat & drink!

It's a personal choice between a fine dinning experience (ie. sign rest) or a dinner and a show...but this has been continually performed since 1971 for a reason...it's great!

HTH

You are right!! It is totally fun!!!! But be careful about them taking thier que's ha ha. My Mom shook her head no and was referred to for the rest of the night as "Ms. don't wanna be social" . It was all in good fun though and they did not really point her out again. Just the chubby one every once in a while would comment about "Ms. don't wanna be social". Then at the very end he waved and smiled. It was a blast though.

 

[Marine Mom]

Oh it's "A HOOT"!!

You should go and try it...it's great! And don't worry about being dragged into stuff...they take their que's very well and can tell who to 'involve' or not. You'll love it...corny and funny!!

The cornbread is about the best on the planet, the ribs are great as is the chicken...all you care to eat & drink!

It's a personal choice between a fine dinning experience (ie. sign rest) or a dinner and a show...but this has been continually performed since 1971 for a reason...it's great!

HTH

I second that!!!!

 

[texasdisneygal]

I like HDDR, and would do it again -- but over a signature restaurant?? Ummmmm, no. It's good, but it's not that good, IMHO! In all honesty, I don't see how one could compare the two dining experiences.

 

[imthatgirl]

Best thing we have ever done at Disney!!!
And yes it's more for adults then kids.

 

[inmyis]

Well next Sunday night will be our 11th time, so we do love it. The show is corny and fantastic. Book category 3 on the balcony and you will not be pointed out. The food is good down home grub and plenty of it! Bottomless beer and Sangria too. We have used DDP for it but this time, while we are on the plan, we have paid cash and saved our Table service for other things. Did I mention DW and I love it!
"That's nothin Ma'am. It's what us legends do."

 

[HardShell]

I haven't been since I was a 12yo kid there with my own folks (30+ years ago) but I still remember loving it.

Now I'm trying to talk my own wife and kids into doing it our next trip... which will be our first stay at FW, so it seems like a no-brainer to me.

Now to sell them on the idea...

 

[wolf29]

Really an apples & oranges situation comparing HDDR & the other Signature dining opportunities. HDDR is a lot of fun, the food is pretty good and the show is very entertaining. We will pass this year, since we have seen it before and would rather not use up 2 credits on it, but I'd certainly recommend it if you've never been.

 

[Tara]

After giving it the cold shoulder for years, we tried it last year and loved it! My husband is very anti-attention (he won't even stop to watch street performers for fear of being singled out) but he gladly did HDDR again later the same year when we visited again with family. The food is decent - nothing out of this world, but honestly, as good as most 1TS credit restaurants. As others mentioned, the cornbread is good, but SWEET (but I forgive them this sin). We'll probably go again sometime in the next year or two.

To put my review into perspective, we're mostly a signature dining family.

 

[Hopefully]

We love HDDR. We went with a party of all adults in October and we had a blast. The food is very good "down home cooking". It is not gourmet by any means.
There is no comparison between HDDR and a Signature restaurant. They are totally different experiences and each is wonderful for what it is. Don't go to HDDR expecting that kind of food or atmosphere.
But for what it is, it is great.
We will do both again on our next trip.

 

[iloveeeyore]

I responded to this question on a different thread, so you may not want to consider my response twice, but I will add some thoughts here.

We are a family who LOVES fine dining, and we also LOVE HDDR. It is one of our favorite dining experiences in all of the world, not just WDW. I agree with the others, that it cannot really be compared to the signature restaurants, as it is a completely different experience. It is much more about the experience than the food. If you are doing mostly signature restaurants, then I think HDDR would be nice for something different, to shake it up a bit. If you are arriving in the area early in the day, HDDR makes a nice first night "welcome to the vacation" kind of celebration. Be careful, though, because you must pay in advance, and there is a 48-hour cancellation policy (or no refund), so if you have transportation issues, you lose out.

In terms of being singled out, there really isn't THAT much audience participation, and the odds of being singled out are pretty slim. In the beginning of the show, the players come into the audience and ask people where they're from (it's part of a song they sing, and no big deal for the participant), and later will point out people celebrating birthdays or anniversaries (don't note any celebrations on your ressie if you want to be ignored). Later, they grab a FEW people and bring them up on stage as part of a little skit, but they wouldn't take someone against their will.

Toward the end, all members of the audience are given washboards to play with spoons. It's loud and corny, with napkins twirling and hooting and hollering, and knee-slapping laughs. We do it again and again and find it worth it every time. The food is very simple and plain, and served in metal buckets. If you think the members of your party would not appreciate this venue, then skip it. If you think they could get into it, go for it!

 

[PatsMom]

We've done the HDDR several times and always enjoyed it. So much in fact that my DH has chosen it for his 65th birthday dinner next month. It will be our first time in Tier one seating - he decided to spend the extra since its his birthday!

The food is good, but not fancy. The show is funny. Just an over all feel good experience. But no comparison to a signature if you are looking for fine dining. The two are very different.

 

[bellefromboston]

Thank you so much to everyone who replied! It seems like a fun show and I think we may try it. Thanks for helping me make my decision!!!

 

[Luv4Disney]

DH and I do it quite frequently. We have a lot of fun!

 

[iloveeeyore]

Here is a link to The Dis Podcast archives from 2009. If you listen to the one from February 4th (scroll almost all the way down the page), you'll hear a great review of HDDR, with lots of info from the cast members, too. I'm a little technologically challenged and I can't figure out how to fast-forward it on my computer, so I can't find the exact spot for you. If I remember correctly, it's about in the last third of the show. Enjoy!

http://www.wdwinfo.com/disney-podcast/archives-2009.htm