Hoop De Doo Review/worth all the $$??

[mudman]

Thanks everyone for your responses. Still not sure If we'll go, but I'm better prepared to make a decision now.
Thanks again. This place is the BEST!

 

[michelleiada]

YES! Worth every penney. We have seen it twice. The first time my kids were very young and it was great. Last year we saw it again and my kids are now teens and...we were with a group of 20 people. It was so much fun! Many laughs, the food is great! It is really a fun show. I would recommend advanced reservations so that you get a good table on the main floor. The closer to the stage the better. I would absolutely do it again!

 

[Candice30]

i definitely think that it is worth it and can't wait to go again. turns out i like that corny joke stuff and the food was good too. i am not one who likes fried chicken or ribs all that much and they were really good as were the sides. the kids and i had alot of fun and kept singing the tune all night.

 

[mel&me]

We saw it a couple weeks ago, Good show, good food. Was driving around wondering what to do for dinner, (trying to decide which resort we were going to eat at) Made a wrong turn and ended up driving by the Fort Wilderness. Pulled in 25 minutes before show. Stopped at check in they had 1 table left. Sat down 5 minutes before it started.

 

[Clotho]

WOW! Talk about fate! That is not an easy dinner to "stumble upon"! Cool.

We saw it a couple weeks ago, Good show, good food. Was driving around wondering what to do for dinner, (trying to decide which resort we were going to eat at) Made a wrong turn and ended up driving by the Fort Wilderness. Pulled in 25 minutes before show. Stopped at check in they had 1 table left. Sat down 5 minutes before it started.

 

[disneygirl1971]

We were going to do HDDR for our upcoming Dec. trip but when I tried to book it the CM at DD told me that on the DDP we could only go to the 9:30 pm show??? I haven't heard anyone else mention this. They said it was just changed to that policy for the holiday period only. I thought no way was I going to the 9:30pm show and use two DD credits. Has anyone else been told this? The said it didn't apply to the luau at the Polynesian though. I didn't bother trying to book it after she told me this.

 

[Smooshdog]

My family does the HDDR every visit and we love it!! Totatlly worth the money. I happen to be a big fan of the food, can never have too many ribs! I also think that cat 3 seating is the best in the house. I love the balcony view...and having sat at the very front table as well as all over the place there really isn't a bad seat in the house.

 

[hmillerbarilla]

We had never ever been to FT Wilderness in our 15+ visits and FINALLY did the HDD this September.

WE LOVED IT!!!!!!!!!!

The food was good, it entertained my kids, and we all have great memories of it. My poor mother (had too much to drink) and had to play the washboard. Those pics are the best!

Our waiter was a blast, and even brought out soy ice cream for my DS who can't have dairy. Really a special evening and I'll be making these ressies again for sure!!!!!!!!!!!

Worth the $$$$? YES!

 

[Clotho]

We did the 9:30 when we went last time. Would do it that late again, but unfortunately are dining with friends who tend to be early eaters. So the 7pmish one is a compromise. We are night owls and prefer to eat late (I teach dance until 10pm three nights a week, and can't eat before I dance, so we eat dinner together at about 10:30pm most nights--I am sure that sounds horrifying to many, but works for us)

 

[pepe of ohio]

If there was only one dinner show on property it would be the Hoop for us. We've done it at least 15 times in all our visits and it doesn't get old, but better. Great show, audience participation, great food all you can eat and drink, all you can hold. We have thought of Mickeys Back yard BBQ but its outside in a covered area and with the bugs and humidity, we'll take the A/c'ed indoor Pioneer Hall every time, well worth the money.

 

[choirfarm]

Well, I guess I am the dissenter. We went for 8 nights in September this year and we all agreed that this was our WORST meal of the entire trip. The show was fine, but worth 50 dollars a person, so 250 for our family, NO!!!!!! (But it was free with free dining.) DH really wished we had kept our Coral Reef and Chef Mickey reservations instead of trading it in for this. We saved this for our last night since everyone said it was great and a fabulous way to end the trip. We went to the 7:15 show. The show was fine as I said. Entertaining. Our waiter was hideous. He didn't smile or talk and the kids nicknamed him Mr. Grump. Our fried chicken was chewy...YUCK!!! The ribs were awful compared to the ribs we had had the night before at Whispering Canyon. (Those were fabulous!!! Just fell off the bone..YUM) My beans were crunchy...how do you make crunchy beans??? The best thing was the strawberry shortcake. We all agreed that we would never, ever do Hoop de Doo again!!!

Christine

 

[toostsmom]

Well, I guess I am the dissenter. We went for 8 nights in September this year and we all agreed that this was our WORST meal of the entire trip. The show was fine, but worth 50 dollars a person, so 250 for our family, NO!!!!!! (But it was free with free dining.) DH really wished we had kept our Coral Reef and Chef Mickey reservations instead of trading it in for this. We saved this for our last night since everyone said it was great and a fabulous way to end the trip. We went to the 7:15 show. The show was fine as I said. Entertaining. Our waiter was hideous. He didn't smile or talk and the kids nicknamed him Mr. Grump. Our fried chicken was chewy...YUCK!!! The ribs were awful compared to the ribs we had had the night before at Whispering Canyon. (Those were fabulous!!! Just fell off the bone..YUM) My beans were crunchy...how do you make crunchy beans??? The best thing was the strawberry shortcake. We all agreed that we would never, ever do Hoop de Doo again!!!

Christine

Wow, sorry about your bad experience... I guess everybody has an off night once in a while. I've never had anything but good times and great food there!

 

[ElizabethB]

Someone asked why the food is awful. Well, the ribs had almost no meat on them -- all bone a bit of fat and very poor quality. The ribs at Chef Mickey's were much, much better. The chicken was very dry -- we could barely chew it. The strawberry dessert thing is nothing but a gloppy mess. The salad is a run of the mill iceberg thing, but is edible -- about the level of a salad on an airplane. I liked the cornbread and beans. Unfortunately, cornbread and beans do not a dinner make. I've been three times in three years with different family members. My view of the food has not changed with any of those visits, so I do not consider that we were there on a "bad night".

We go for the show, which is excellent. My nephew was chosen to play the Indian in the last part of the show, which was great fun.

We understand the food falls somewhere between inedible and okay, knowing the meat is a disaster. Since we're used to paying much higher prices for shows ($120 or so), $50 seems cheap for a show even if we don't eat the meal.

 

[ROEDISNEY]

Oh yeah! Definately worth it

 

[maraki527]

It is a little corny, but we had so much fun there. The food was good and the whole trip we were singing songs from there.

 

[DISNEYNY]

I'm planning for my free dining trip next August and have this as a must do. This will be our 10th trip and I have never done HDDR. I don't think I would pay OOP for it, but will try it on the FDP.

 

[dizneydiva2005]

Considering a reservation there. Is it worth the $50+ per person?
What does a reservation require in advance (full payment?)
Does it include gratuity?
Is it hard to get a table?
I have pre-teen kids, wondering if they'd enjoy it?

we finally, after 10 years gave the Hoop a shot. It was free dining so we figured here's our chance.
Would I pay $50 + per person? Never!
We enjoyed it more or less, but it wasn't OH my word, I'm so glad we did that and can't wait to do it again.

 

[Tinker'n'Fun]

Here is a copy of my review of our recent trip to the Hoop De Doo. Please remember I am trying to be witty with my words, and if I was asked again, I definetely loved this meal. Our seats were not the greatest, and we were a bit rushed because we were defnetely into the show. Even though we were served about last, our food was hot!! Watching the show was our choice though!! I loved seeing my family happy. As per the food, we had tons of meat on the ribs, trust me I had to debone DS's. The chicken was very moist and good. The potatoes were to die for and DS' loved the beans, so much that we teased him... Well read the review and ask any questions you want. Diane.

Hoop De Doo Review​

**sidebar - when someone on the disboards says it takes at over an hour, trust them, not the concierge**

Running up the hill with tickets in my hand, I paused only shortly to see all the wonderful sights around me... Yeah right, I was running while screaming at DH and DS who conveniently lost track of time in the game room, so we were oh so close to being late!! Just in time we checked in with the pretty lady with the red and white checked dress, took the worse pictures possible, and the dinner bells was ringing....

Enter the "failure" family, table for 4, category 3... heres a little diagram...

Picture 4 sets of tables for 6, no swivel needed, straight view of the stage!​

x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x

STAGE​

x

Okay we are sitting in the red area, upstairs, and food is distributed first by the stage where the lime green X is....

So now you have the floor plan, our chairs swivel so we can turn around and see the show. Our waiter comes over and takes our drink order. DH orders a beer, first and only one of the trip... Now the show starts and we struggle a bit to see, but it is great. I quoted Larry Gelbart in my title and he is also known for saying "One doesn't have a sense of humor, it has you". Slapstick humor belongs in the hearts of everyone. To just sit in laugh is far worth the price, and food was not too bad to boot...

First drinks and cornbread, salad, and drinks in Mason Jars...

Then came the ribs and chicken...

With sides of beans and mashed potatoes...

Okay I know, Where are the mashed pototoes ? In the container in front of DD with a deathgrip. Beware, you failures, they are all mine... WE ordered seconds on those, the beans, and the ribs. Since I am the Mom, I deboned the ribs for DS which didn't leave me much time to each my own dinner. But it was all very good. We even did a bit of slap-stick humor on DS about the beans ! We all enjoyed the show very much. Enough to forget the stress of the day. It was a very cherished memory for DH and I to watch both kids laughing so much. I hate all the stress they have in their lives. So sad, they are so young. Kids need to be kids...

Now my only real complaint. Since we were the last table served, we did not have time to eat even a bite of the dessert. It was placed on the table and the show ended at the same time. I wish I had the wisdom to ask for it to go. I would have gotten a cup of coffee and enjoyed it outside while waiting for the boat. I tipped above and beyond the amount included and we will go back as many times as we can. I love to see my family laugh, and not be in seperate rooms in the house.