Is Hoop Dee Doo worth it?

[teachmedis]

It seems clear it's worth the money/2 dining credits as it's reviews are almost all overwhelmingly positive. However, are the logistics worth it? I realize I'll have to get to mk then hop on a boat, then walk, then afterwards hop on a boat, maybe go to mk maybe go back to AofA. I love the menu--fried chicken is my all time favorite. I'll have a 4 year old and a 7 year old, my DH, and my mil who is deathly afraid of water--however she'll make sacrifices and not complain if she has a great experience.
To give some idea of what I have patience for in way of travel, Ive only been to DW once, I didn't mind the trip to Chef Mickey's but was ready to pull my hair out trying to get to Disney Springs and back--that was exhausting!
I'm wondering if I'll be wishing I'd spent those credits elsewhere for even better or more convenient experiences.

 

[Hopefully]

It seems clear it's worth the money/2 dining credits as it's reviews are almost all overwhelmingly positive. However, are the logistics worth it? I realize I'll have to get to mk then hop on a boat, then walk, then afterwards hop on a boat, maybe go to mk maybe go back to AofA. I love the menu--fried chicken is my all time favorite. I'll have a 4 year old and a 7 year old, my DH, and my mil who is deathly afraid of water--however she'll make sacrifices and not complain if she has a great experience.
To give some idea of what I have patience for in way of travel, Ive only been to DW once, I didn't mind the trip to Chef Mickey's but was ready to pull my hair out trying to get to Disney Springs and back--that was exhausting!
I'm wondering if I'll be wishing I'd spent those credits elsewhere for even better or more convenient experiences.

Only you know what you can tolerate and whether the trip is "worth" it to you.
Fort Wilderness is more difficult to get to than Disney Springs.
It will require at least one transfer to get to Pioneer Hall.
It is worth it to us, maybe not for you.

 

[mdelano4]

It's a hokey, corny show, but one of our favorites. I agree with PP, worth it for us, maybe not for you. Your 7yo should like it, not sure the 4yo will. Mine would not have if we went when they were that age. It is a bit of a trek to get to it. Since you have only been to WDW once I would consider this. What are the chances you will be back in the next 4 or 5 years? If the answer is none, I would bite the bullet and go this trip. Otherwise, you can put it off until next trip. That goes to the next question, is it something that MIL will enjoy and do you want to be nice to her if the answer is yes? I don't mean to offend, but some people do not care for in-laws and only travel with them out of necessity (or some other reason). My kids only have 1 grandparent left, so if it were me, I'd do it now to guarantee the memory. Just my 2 cents.

 

[Storminion]

Do it while the kids are young. When they get older, it will be too "dorky" for them. I feel that it is a "must do" Disney event.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

Personally, I will only consider going to Hoop Dee Doo if we are staying at CR, WL or Ft. W. That way we are either already at the resort or just need to take a boat back and forth. If you are thinking of going from AoA to MK to Ft. W and back again, yeah, I don't know if it's worth it. Maybe consider doing it on an MK evening since you will already be in the area? Or, if you are comfortable taking a cab or uber, take the car to Ft. W and then take the bus to Pioneer Hall. That would eliminate the boat ride. It is a fun show, but if you are just looking for fried chicken, maybe go to Art Smith's Homecoming at DS?

 

[lorileahb]

We went - the food was good and my parents and I enjoyed the show... my kids, not so much... a little disappointed for all those credits that mickey wasn't there. I'm glad I went once (with my parents)... and we were staying at Contemporary so we could take the boat (which kids did enjoy). That said, I'm not sure I'd do it again with kids or from a different location.

 

[Branflakes]

We love it. We go nearly every trip. It is a great campy show with really surprisingly good food. Amazing fried chicken, amazing ribs, mashed potatoes, corn, salad, corn bread, baked beans, Sangria both red and white, wine and beer, usual sodas etc, coffee and strawberry shortcake with whipped cream. I have celiacs and they grill me chicken or salmon, my choice, bring me gf corn bread that is outstanding, and make me a separate dessert. The fried chicken is the only thing I cannot have.
A fun show, great service, gratuity included and a family photo. And older relatives that we have taken always love it! If the boat is an issue, and logistically difficult, consider hiring an UBER. It not very expensive (UBER is fast becoming a common mode of transport at WDW for this very reason) and will drop you at the buses at Fort wilderness then board one to pioneer hall just a few minutes ride from there.
You won't regret having this memory with a grandparent and the kids.
DO IT! It's fantastic.

 

[rosiebean]

I'm not going to comment on the value of going to HDDR, just on the transportation...consider getting a taxi or using Uber to get from your resort to FW to see HDDR.

My family (extended, so usually 8 plus in our party) use taxis often to get from resort to resort for ADRs, with costs averaging $12 to $18 per leg...so $24 to $36 round trip, plus tip. Uber is much cheaper, though we usually use the taxi service at our resort given our party size (there's always a taxi van than can hold us all that is waiting and rearing to go). It's an added cost, but the time savings makes it worth it to us. That additional cost might be worth it to you in this situation as well. I highly recommend it if it's in your budget.

Five or so years ago, when my extended family first started going to WDW together, we had a somewhat early ADR at 'Ohana. I was staying at YC with my kids, while my extended family stayed at Swolfin. Instead of getting up at the crack of dawn to take WDW transportation to Poly for our ADR, my kids and I slept in a little and took a cab and were at Poly in under 15 minutes. The rest of my family...were cranky by the time they got to Poly because they'd gotten up really early and had spent over an hour getting there using WDW transportation. When they heard how quickly we got there and how relatively inexpensive the taxi was (given how much we value our time), they were hooked.

Since then, we taxi when it makes sense. Friends of mine use Uber and love it. Either option is definitely worth a look.

 

[Megsmachine]

If you take the boat from MK once you get off the boat, the walk is short. We love HDDR. I guess I would go into it as, enjoy the whole experience, from the moment you get off the bus at MK, enjoy the boat ride, it's nice, and your very short walk to Pioneer Hall. After it's over enjoy the boat ride back to MK to hop on your bus. We feel its worth it for the experience.

 

[DaisyDuck001]

I went once a long time ago and didn't much care for the show. The food was OK but I wasn't crazy about it either. So overall, not worth it for me. YMMV.

 

[teachmedis]

Thank you for all of your responses! Lots of varied opinions...We may consider a cab or Uber if it's not a day we plan on doing mk. We do plan on going to DW again in 2020, so it may be worth the wait. I was thinking of doing it on our water park day since we'll probably be done with that early--but from what I've read that could be 2 transportation headaches in one day. You've all given me a lot to think about, thank you!

 

[Hopefully]

Thank you for all of your responses! Lots of varied opinions...We may consider a cab or Uber if it's not a day we plan on doing mk. We do plan on going to DW again in 2020, so it may be worth the wait. I was thinking of doing it on our water park day since we'll probably be done with that early--but from what I've read that could be 2 transportation headaches in one day. You've all given me a lot to think about, thank you!

Just understand though, that even if you decide to cab or Uber you still need to take an internal FW bus from the front where the cab or Uber has to drop you off, back to Pioneer Hall where the HDDR is held

 

[teachmedis]

Just understand though, that even if you decide to cab or Uber you still need to take an internal FW bus from the front where the cab or Uber has to drop you off, back to Pioneer Hall where the HDDR is held

Yes, thank you! I might pick something at one of the monorail resorts instead, I don't mind the monorail as much as I mind bus transfers.

 

[Laurieannc]

We love Hoop Dee Doo. We went with DD who was 6 at the time and she loved it too. The boat going from MK to Ft. Wilderness takes you right near the area where they do the dinner. You will have a short walk to get there once you are off the boat. There is a large playground in the area where your kids can play. DD loved it there. We got there early, DH and I grabbed two drinks from Trails End--also right over there--and then DD played on the playground while we watched her and sipped our drinks. The show is great and we all had a fun time. The food was delicious too!

 

[disnut8]

As stated, taking Uber will only get you to the front of Fort Wilderness, Hoop Dee Do is in the back so you will have to take a bus back there which could make multiple stops. Taking the boat from the Magic Kingdom is the best way. You simply get off the boat and walk a short distance and relax.

Not sure of this but I think you can take a direct bus after the show to your resort. Someone correct me if I'm wrong because we've always just gone back to the Magic Kingdom via the boat since we like the ride and caught the bus back from the Magic Kingdom.

 

[caliope]

We've done HDDR 3 times with our DS, who is now 4.5. First time, he was 2.5 and we were staying at POR. We had our car, which you park at the main entrance to Ft. Wilderness, similar to where a taxi or Uber would drop you. The internal bus made multiple stops on its way back to Pioneer Hall, which made the ride seem long to me. However, once we were there, we had a fantastic time. DS was enthralled with the show, even without recognizable characters. The journey back to POR took a while, but DS snoozed on DH's shoulder for the bus ride and it didn't detract from the experience. Second and third time we went, DS was 3.5 and 4.5 and we were staying at the Poly both times. To get to HDDR those trips, we took monorail to MK, then boat to Ft. Wilderness. Even with the relative proximity of the Poly, this was a multi-step transportation destination, and it takes time. Despite that, it's still a must-do for us. We really enjoy it. So, I would say for us it was worth it, even with the transportation headaches.

 

[Betty Rohrer]

I'm not going to comment on the value of going to HDDR, just on the transportation...consider getting a taxi or using Uber to get from your resort to FW to see HDDR.

My family (extended, so usually 8 plus in our party) use taxis often to get from resort to resort for ADRs, with costs averaging $12 to $18 per leg...so $24 to $36 round trip, plus tip. Uber is much cheaper, though we usually use the taxi service at our resort given our party size (there's always a taxi van than can hold us all that is waiting and rearing to go). It's an added cost, but the time savings makes it worth it to us. That additional cost might be worth it to you in this situation as well. I highly recommend it if it's in your budget.

Five or so years ago, when my extended family first started going to WDW together, we had a somewhat early ADR at 'Ohana. I was staying at YC with my kids, while my extended family stayed at Swolfin. Instead of getting up at the crack of dawn to take WDW transportation to Poly for our ADR, my kids and I slept in a little and took a cab and were at Poly in under 15 minutes. The rest of my family...were cranky by the time they got to Poly because they'd gotten up really early and had spent over an hour getting there using WDW transportation. When they heard how quickly we got there and how relatively inexpensive the taxi was (given how much we value our time), they were hooked.

Since then, we taxi when it makes sense. Friends of mine use Uber and love it. Either option is definitely worth a look.

if you use taxi/UBER you will still have to use the internal bus as there is no car parking near HDDR and that includes handicapped. from where you are dropped off it is about a mile walk if you decide to walk. you should add 30 minutes plus your taxi ride. Fort Wilderness is a campground which is different from other resorts. you can not do what you did at Poly

 

[SoundofMusic]

How much does HDDR cost?

 

[Branflakes]

How much does HDDR cost?

Category 1: $72 adults, $43 children ages 3–9.; Category 2: $69 adults, $39 children; Category 3: $64 adults, $34 children. Prices include tax and gratuity.

 

[TheBigErn]

Or just take a bus.