Hoop De Doo Review... how's the food?? Yes there's other questions.

[GOOFY4DONALD]

weve been to WDW 5 times and never went to the HDDR... even after staying at FW cabins twice. Now everyone I know tells me to go.. the show is great and so much fun... however we are traveling with very moody teens. Did I say moody teens? My bad... theyd make kurt cobain and Daria look like illegitimate osmonds. I'm interested in the flavor and quality of the food. My DH and I have decided to go to places we would like and hopefully after dinner our kids don't want to take their revenge on us. So basically this has turned in to a 2 part question. Is HDDR.... some place that I want to go to...a place teen boys could tolerate?

Also what would you suggest for 3 very cynical teen boys?
UGH... empty nest is going to be a breeze... yes I already know we should leave them home. Yet I'm still clinging on to the few minutes per trip that are magical.

 

[Shanti]

weve been to WDW 5 times and never went to the HDDR... even after staying at FW cabins twice. Now everyone I know tells me to go.. the show is great and so much fun... however we are traveling with very moody teens. Did I say moody teens? My bad... theyd make kurt cobain and Daria look like illegitimate osmonds. I'm interested in the flavor and quality of the food. My DH and I have decided to go to places we would like and hopefully after dinner our kids don't want to take their revenge on us. So basically this has turned in to a 2 part question. Is HDDR.... some place that I want to go to...a place teen boys could tolerate?

Also what would you suggest for 3 very cynical teen boys?
UGH... empty nest is going to be a breeze... yes I already know we should leave them home. Yet I'm still clinging on to the few minutes per trip that are magical.

The HDDR players are pretty over the top & assertively hokey. Your cynical boys will probably laugh at their outfits and at their schtick, but you'll likely also catch them laughing with it once in a while, too. The actual show parts (on the stage) are fairly funny, but then some time (probably a total of 10 minutes of the show) is spent with them going around the room, calling out birthdays, anniversaries, etc. But the players even do that in an aggressively funny way, like cornball stand-up comedians. It's a hard vibe to explain until you've seen it. I'm a teacher & experienced with middle schoolers. I wouldn't hesitate to take teens to HDDR, but only you know your sons. The show isn't sentimental: that's the main thing to avoid with cynical teen boys. My hunch is that they'd likely enjoy it as much as teens who "make Kurt and Daria look like Osmonds" will enjoy anything at Disney World.

The food is tasty, btw.

 

[Betty Rohrer]

weve been to WDW 5 times and never went to the HDDR... even after staying at FW cabins twice. Now everyone I know tells me to go.. the show is great and so much fun... however we are traveling with very moody teens. Did I say moody teens? My bad... theyd make kurt cobain and Daria look like illegitimate osmonds. I'm interested in the flavor and quality of the food. My DH and I have decided to go to places we would like and hopefully after dinner our kids don't want to take their revenge on us. So basically this has turned in to a 2 part question. Is HDDR.... some place that I want to go to...a place teen boys could tolerate?

Also what would you suggest for 3 very cynical teen boys?
UGH... empty nest is going to be a breeze... yes I already know we should leave them home. Yet I'm still clinging on to the few minutes per trip that are magical.

do they like fried chicken or ribs? if so all they can eat. my 15 and 12 year old grandsons both love the show but they have been a number of times.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

If you are just looking for good food, HDDR isn't the place to go, IMHO. It's good, but HDDR is more about the show. Based on the description of your teens, I think they may eat you alive if you take them to HDDR. I'm bringing DS9 in August and I'm already expecting eye rolls. You mention they are teens which means, possibly, they could spend a few hours by themselves? Maybe you and DH could go while your teens do something else? Could they go to MK while you are at the show and you could just meet up later?

 

[safroim]

Your teens are going to think the show is hokey. Everyone else will thinks it's fantastic. The food is good, not memorable, but there's a lot of it if your teens are big eaters.

 

[danikoski]

The food is good, and there is free booze for parents...it might make the teens bearable
The kids may like the show...it is corny, but good. Plus, they can eat as much food as they want.

 

[disnut8]

We took our just turned (then 13 years old) teenage son to Hoop Dee Do and he vowed he would hate it. Just would hate it. Absolutely positively hate it. He grumbled on the bus over. He grumbled when we decided to go to the beach and wait until the doors opened. He grumbled at seeing the folks out and walking around when we approached to wait for the doors to open. He grumbled when we were seated. He grumbled when our drink orders were taken ("I'm going to hate this place"). He had the entire slooping down seating posture going when the drinks were served. He grumbled when the first course was served. And then he started to eat and the show started.

Um, at the end of the night, HE grabbed the washboard from me and he and his father were yelling, er, I mean, singing as loud as they could. I was flung a tamborine and we had stuffed shortcake into our mouths as fast as we could. Nothing was wasted at the table and we had second on most things.

And now, well, it's a must for us with three grandkids.

 

[ZebraDomeCrazy]

Well, I am 51 years old, and turned into a miserable teenager at hddr! I literally could not take it,lol! The hokeyness wore on my last nerve after about 15 minutes! The food was meh, which I was prepared for, but it seemed to just go on and on and on!! I actually convinced my husband to leave as desert was served, lol. I love Disney, and silliness as much as the next girl, but this was just too much! I hated it. Good luck!

 

[Dayzy]

We enjoyed the food when we went last month. It's not the best food in WDW, but no complaints. DS9 ate the entire bucket of ribs by himself. As for moody teens- I don't know how many I saw are normally moody, but I didn't see a single one being pouty while we were there.

 

[seashell7290]

I brought my younger brother and cousins who were 3 difficult to please teens at the time. They were not looking forward to the show but between the comfort food and washboards, they were hooked. Biggest smiles I saw on their faces the whole trip!

 

[cruisin5]

I'd try it. Worst case is they are miserable but there's an excellent chance they'll give in and have a great time. Plan what you would like to do and hope they enjoy it - sounds like you are really trying to find things they will like but try not to let their mood affect your trip!

 

[Tiffany_m15]

I like the PP's idea of letting them do their own thing for a few hours, even if it's just to hang out at the pool...but if you want to give it a try I think they may end up liking it. There is some "adult" humor that will go over little kid's heads but it may be perfect for teenage boys. I liked the food a lot. One tip: Pay the extra couple of dollars and sit in the floor seating area. The setup for the balcony is just bizarre. You face away from the stage on high top chairs...it was so uncomfortable for us we asked to be moved and we were willing to pay but they didn't have any floor seats available. We had a great time, the music was fun/hokey and I was humming it all night. Hope it works out for you!

 

[bffdisney]

Even if they hate the show they will like that it is all you can eat! Ribs and chicken -- as much as you want!

 

[GOOFY4DONALD]

Thanks for all the replies. They do love chicken and ribs... and even occasionally let their "oh great Mom" attitude subside at Disney. Like everyone said all you can eat for them and booze for me and dad...haha.

 

[gydell]

My grandson is almost 16 and that is one of two dinners he always request. He loves it and do do his friends!

 

[Mazz519]

Really Good Fried Chicken...my kids love it there.. I like the ribs.... the show is what its all about there...very entertaining