Hoop Dee Doo Review or Mickey's Backyard BBQ

[JELBoggio]

Hello there! Looking for advice. For our first night at WDW, I wanted to do either the Hoop Dee Doo Review or Mickey's Backyard BBQ. I have a 6 year old and a 4 year old as well as my parents coming too. We will have not spent the day in the theme parks so this will be my kids first introduction to WDW. What do you think? We are going in May. Never too early to plan, right?

 

[WDW LOVR]

We have been to both and enjoyed both. That being said, we have been to the BBQ once and the HDD 7 times with trip 8 coming in June.

My kids absolutely love the HDD. The food is good (and it's food the kids will like) and the whole sing along, crowd participation part of the HDD just seems to hook the kids.

Don't get me wrong, we had fun at the BBQ, but it was just different. If you're into country music, line dancing stuff and want some character interaction, consider the BBQ. But the BBQ is out doors so there is no AC, the characters get attacked by the kids (which is not terribly controlled) and the seating is first come first served. With the HDD, the earlier you call, the better the table you get.

Overall, if you've never been to either, my opinion is to go to the HDD. It's just better in our eyes. Save the BBQ for another time.

 

[wanna-b-Tink]

Hoop Dee Doo

I will NEVER (and I mean that) go back to the BBQ EVER again. Cold food. Picnic tables that are hard to get in and out of. Just a bunch of dancing and country music. And I like country music, but this is not particularly good country music. My husband left as soon as he ate and left me with DS to stay and "get our money's worth". Also, the bus system to get to it is a NIGHTMARE.

Hoop Dee Doo is just great. We've been to it many times. You are entertained the whole time, but have time to eat between acts. Just a great show. Great audience participation. It's not 5 star food, but beats the BBQ by a very long shot!

And if you don't like the food at HDD, they'll whip up something else for you. My MIL, being a vegetarian, was only eating the salad and corn. When the waitress noticed, she asked if there was a problem, and upon finding out, came out with a lovely pasta dish. I personally think the food at HDD is very good and filling.

 

[JujiD]

The first time we took our kids to WDW we did BBQ on our first night there. DD1 was 4 and DD2 was almost 3. They had a ball! We wanted the kids to meet characters ASAP so we thought this was a good way to do it. Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Chip and Dale were there. I thought the autographs were very orderly. There were lines in front of each character and there was plenty of time to get autographs from all of them. Got some great pictures too. We're not country music fans but the kids had a great time dancing. Chip picked DD1 to dance with and they were the front of a conga line. The food was OK, not bad, not great. But then, food is not a big issue with me. We were in line towards the end so we didn't get great seats but after we ate, we didn't sit much. As for getting there we took the boat over from MK, pretty easy and the kids liked riding on the boat. IMHO we had a great time.
Then again, I have never been to HDD so I have nothing to compare it to. Just giving you my experience.

 

[ccw]

Have never experienced the BBQ (because the reviews never made it sound great for my family) but have done HDDR several times and always get a kick out of it...plus I overdose on strawberry shortcake which i really love! I think what Disney does so well with HDDR is that they appeal to both kids and adults in the script and antics of the HDDR...there's "suggestive" humor which will go over the heads of kids and kids humor that even sullen teens/adults will laugh at! Certainly money well spent for an evening of "stick to your ribs" food and lively entertainment!

 

[kimwim8]

Are there characters at HDDR?

 

[disneydiz]

There are no characters at HDDR.

 

[jarestel]

I'm just not a fan of the BBQ. We tried it once but I honestly find the character buffets better ( and cheaper ) than the BBQ for getting face time with the characters since they come to your table, whereas at the BBQ the kids need to stand in line and deal with pushing, shoving, line cutting, etc.

I'd pick the HDDR anyday over the BBQ, but you know your children better than we do. If they would prefer characters, you'd be better off with the BBQ or a character breakfast/dinner.

Good luck and have a great time!

 

[dgaston]

We have done both, HDD more often, but I think with the ages of your children they would enjoy Mickey's BBQ better. The jokes are corny at HDD, but you need to be able to understand puns to "get" them. We thought the food was fine at BBQ, autograph lines orderly, and enjoyed the line dancing (even tho we're not particularly into country music). Transportation is the same to either HDD or BBQ. I do miss the strawberry shortcake at the BBQ. BBQ is $10 cheaper for adults.

 

[danny1649]

Much prefer HDDR,it is a real hoot that we enjoy on each trip.Going on Sunday December 4th on next trip.

 

[littlestix]

I've done the HDDR and it was a blast. This year I'm taking my son to the BBQ. He's 3 and I think he will really enjoy seeing the characters dance. I hope it's not a mistake. I'm also on the FREE dinning plan so I'm not paying for it.

 

[JELBoggio]

Thank you so much for all of you who took the time to respond. I think I'll do the Hoop Dee Doo Review since I plan to do 2 character breakfasts. Plus, I have a weakness for Strawberry Shortcake...

 

[Donnaksmj]

We did the BBQ with our son who was 2 at the time and he absolutely loved it! He did not stop dancing the entire night! He was right out there on the dance floor dancing with all the characters..we got the best video there.
The food was alright...bbq food...nothing special but watching him dance was worth every penny. It's just fun!!