Just back, bitterly disappointed in Ohana's.

[beachclub]

was your party a party of just 2 by chance regarding this seating an hour after check in .

Each of the 6 times we have eaten here in the last 10 years This is exactly what has happened to us. They claim this happens due to the very limited amount of 2 seated tables in the dining area.

once we had a 5pm seating, along with like 30 other parties...so we were all checking in and waiting for the calls or pagers to go off...
the two of us witnessed, no lie, the waiting area empty out to where it was just us and because we are not complainers we waited and waited and still didnt get sat at 530pm, we did shortly after though...

we dont really go anymore here for this reason itself but i think my other half may have decided to give it one more shot next month

I agree with you, I dont know what the hype is...the food is nothing to get jazzed about, exept the dessert which is incredible...we were seated an hour past our reservation time and then the service was terrible, other diners were getting food before us and we were seated well before them.

Not a place we would go back to anytime soon...unless they have a huge menu change

 

[beachclub]

In all honesty he was sorry for that moment only..
If he was a true manager and really was sorry he would have taken your complaint, as well as my 6 suggestions to the ohana manager and prob countless other complaints and would do something about it...
Only then will or should you say that he was genuniely sorry...This is not a stab at you it just shows that they are complacent at this restaurant and no matter what we say to them they just deal with it then and there without permanantely clearing up the problems....I dont know what it is about this place that they have been practicing these standards for so long now unnoticed and nothing done about them.

my other half i think, booked here for next month and I will too for the very first time possibly not pay if this happens to us. and i swear to her that now matter how mcuh we LOVe the environment here we just cannot go back.

2) The manager, Joe (forgot his last name) was wonderful in assisting us and I think he was genuinely sorry that he would not get the chance to correct our dissatisfaction.

 

[quirty30]

Yikes. We have an ADR for 'Ohana tomorrow (Sunday) night. We had a dreadful meal there last year and I had to beg my kids to give it another chance. Our problem was quite the opposite of the OP. We had a rushed meal. Appetizers & sides brought out before we even got drinks and the meat was all overcooked. But I LIKED the concept and chalked it up to a bad server and an off night.

We just happened to dine at Garden Grill tonight and it was everything we had hoped for 'Ohana last year. Food was brought out with proper timing; waiter even apologized when a reorder of meat took longer than he thought was acceptable (we were perfectly fine with the timing.) All the food was warm and delicious. The kids were wowed (and that's saying a lot for my picky, opinionated kids.)

I'm toying with cancelling 'Ohana tomorrow and heading for Kona.

 

[Maleficent's Dad]

I've never understood people's obsession with this place...

The overcooked, dried-out meats, the chaotic atmosphere, and the poor service (in our experiences) have placed 'Ohana on our "must skip" list.

I always thought it was that we hit it on an "off night." Well after our third horrible experience there in a row, I was convinced that it was not our bad luck. I think the OP had the same experience(s) that my family's gone through.

 

[Mamu]

Boy, am I so disappointed. We had dinner Wednesday night at Ohana's, it was our last dinner at the world and it was a disaster.



I don't know guys, I'm not a big fan of disney restaurants, I think their are mediocre at best so I was not going to complain but any time my 2 teenage sons think the meal sucks (they basically inhale any thing that they can cover with ketchup) its bad.

This is the first time I've asked to speak to a manager and refused to pay for any meal I've eaten

So sorry to hear about your disappointment with Ohana's, and I have to agree with you on this restaurant. I wanted to love it, it get such great reviews, tried it twice and both times service was awful and the meats were very dry. We will not be returning.

 

[kshattuck]

I am so sorry to hear of your bad experience. I think it's great that you contacted the manager and that you both handled a bad situation in the most appropriate way.

We have been at 'Ohana on two separate trips and loved it! My parents have also been on their other various trips and have always had a great experience. My poor sister and her family, going only because we raved and raved, had just about the worst dining experience imaginable (ending with the server spilling an entire pitcher of water onto her backpack, with her camera inside).....so it happens.

I won't even pretend to understand the planning and management that must go into serving tens of thousands of people in a single restaurant each year, but it is good to know that you had a decent resolution to a bad experience.

To the PPs who may now consider changing your ressies.....don't! One important thing I learned after my first Disney vacation after discovering these boards is that you will drive yourself CRAZY changing resorts, changing meals, adding park hoppers, etc, from reading various reviews on these boards. Everyone has different taste, different experiences, different attitudes. Just try it! There is no singular "right" way to enjoy your Disney vacation.

Anyway, thanks to the OP for posting and I hope next vacation, all of your dining is glorious!

 

[LBlovesM&WDW]

I'm sorry you had a bad experience and I'm so glad they manager was able to help a little. We went once and it was fine, but nothing to write home about(except dessert was delish). We enjoy Kona so much more.

 

[JimmyV]

Eliza: I've followed your posts and I think that you and I are cut from similar cloth. I am not surprised that Ohana disappointed you, but your meal sounds particularly awful. I cannot understand the love for Ohana's food. Yes, the atmosphere and experience are unique, but the food? Food can never be "great" if it is not cooked to order, and I think your experience highlights why. And mystery meat pranced around on skewers? No thank you. All in all, you found 2 silver linings. First, you didn't have to pay, and second, you didn't actually have to eat the meat!

 

[marivaid]

We gave 'Ohana three tries.

First time : rushed out of the place, our whole meal was about 30-40mns tops. We said "no" when asked if we wanted MORE, since we had tons of food on the table, and within seconds the table was cleared. We were stunned. Not overly impressed with the food that time (at least the food we were "allowed" to eat).

Second time : Amazing. Had an early ADR, were seated on time, our server was great and our meal lasted about an hour. The meats and shrimps especially were great. We left stuffed and happy and of course it was on our list for the next trip. Which brings me to...

Third time : Very late ADR, last people seated that night. Right in front of the A/C so we were freezing. The food was cold when it came to the table and the A/C didn't help. Only hot food was the shrimp. Everything else was slimy and tasted reheated. Made us sick for most of the next day. Only positive point our server was great and no one ever made us feel rushed.

It's disappointing because we know that 'Ohana can be great. But there are too many restaurants we enjoy at WDW to waste our time and money on a restaurant that in our experience is off more often than not.

 

[SPOERLX3]

Oh WOW! I hate it for you and your family that this was such a horrible experience at O'hana. I have seen and read so much decline in the Disney restraunts and it is my thought that it has gone down hill since the DDP was introduced and then offered free several times per year. Eventhough this has been one of our very favorite places to eat during our past 3 trips, we are using the QSDP this trip and are excited to have more flexibility during this trip since we will have a party of 6 (3 of them being our 11 yr old grandchildren). DH and I have a date night for just us 2 at O'hana since my DD22 offered to take the kids for the evening but we may decide against this date with all that I have read recently on this thread and others.
I know how disappointing something like this can be, we have NEVER had a good experience at 50's PT in all 3 of our trips, so we marked them off our list after the 3rd strike in 2009.
I hope the rest of your trip and ressies were better

 

[Peter Pirate 2]

I don't think this experience is a negative reflection on the food, per se, at 'Ohana but is certainly a most egregious failure in service to extents that we seldom see around here. Disappointing to the nth degree, I'm sure.

But it obviously is not the norm so I agree that the review need mostly be a preliminary warning to all of us to see if this is a trend.

To Jimmy V, i understand your not liking the food but I'm a carnivore all the way and know and love food. 'Ohana may not be GREAT food but it is a great meal for those who like skewered meats and shrimp, which I do. As for the "can't be great if it's not cooked to order" comment, I don't understand? I get my steak medium rare & my pork medium everytime simply by asking.

 

[JimmyV]

As for the "can't be great if it's not cooked to order" comment, I don't understand? I get my steak medium rare & my pork medium everytime simply by asking.

What I mean is that at Ohana, asking for medium rare meat and getting it may mean that server "A" goes over to server "B" and says: "Hey Fred. The guy at table 53 wants mid-rare. Can you go carve him a slice?" So you get what you asked for. But that doesn't mean that the meat just came off the grill, or that Fred might not have to visit a few tables before he gets to you resulting in a serving temperature colder than what you want. Not always. But this type of service model builds in too many variables that can result in a loss of quality. I think the OP really brings this into focus. In the restaurant business, the best food is served when there is a direct pathway between customer, server and kitchen.

I think that we agree that the food is not great. I never said that it was flat out bad. I just never can understand how many people hear trumpet the "great food" there. You and I are in agreement that in our opinion, it is not great.

 

[Peter Pirate 2]

What I mean is that at Ohana, asking for medium rare meat and getting it may mean that server "A" goes over to server "B" and says: "Hey Fred. The guy at table 53 wants mid-rare. Can you go carve him a slice?" So you get what you asked for. But that doesn't mean that the meat just came off the grill, or that Fred might not have to visit a few tables before he gets to you resulting in a serving temperature colder than what you want. Not always. But this type of service model builds in too many variables that can result in a loss of quality. I think the OP really brings this into focus. In the restaurant business, the best food is served when there is a direct pathway between customer, server and kitchen.

I think that we agree that the food is not great. I never said that it was flat out bad. I just never can understand how many people hear trumpet the "great food" there. You and I are in agreement that in our opinion, it is not great.

Thanks for the clarification. We're in the same ball park but not totally simpatico, I guess.

I'll ask for med rare, whatever, but I'll never accept nor eat food that's less than "hot" when we receive it (and I always check). We've just never had any freshness concerns here (maybe we've been lucky).

While I agree the food "isn't great" I'm saying it doesn't compare to my chef prepared meal at Bluezoo or California Grill but I personally would eat at 'Ohana over a regular bistro (Rainforest Cafe, etc.) or buffet's (Boma, etc.) anytime. But I totally accept and would validate your opinion.

 

[icc2515]

I am sorry to hear about you bad experiance. I wonder if it is a timing issue. We always make our adr's for 5:00. Never have to wait for anything and food is always hot. Of course that is when they open for dinner so you expect everything to be fresh and hot. We always stop at the bar and get one of those fruity tropical drinks. Since I usually don't drink, I am sloshed for dinner. Come to think of it maybe that's why I have never had a bad experience there.

 

[MikeOhio]

The last two times I was at Ohana in 2010/2011 I was way too rushed. I like the restaurant but they clearly have major timing issues.

 

[Peter Pirate 2]

The last two times I was at Ohana in 2010/2011 I was way too rushed. I like the restaurant but they clearly have major timing issues.

In this regard, simply politely refuse the service until you're ready, ask them nicely to come back in five minutes. This has always worked for me. If you server disappears for awhile (as sometimes seems to happen) simply wave down another server and explain your server is MIA and you're hungry. Sometimes you'll effectively get another server, sometimes you're server will be paged immediately.

 

[marielynn724]

horror stories from ohanas keep showing up on these boards... i've never been but i'd still like to try it for myself.

 

[boydstcher]

Oh that stinks. I will say the first time we went there is was out of this world good but we were also starving. We had a great waiter too. The last time we went the food and service were just okay. I think our expectations were too high. I would have been upset if I had been your shoes too.

Boy, am I so disappointed. We had dinner Wednesday night at Ohana's, it was our last dinner at the world and it was a disaster.

Check in was fine, we were seated within 10 minutes of check in. that was the best part of the night.

After we were seated and got our loaf of bread, which was good, it took 25 minutes for us to see our server for drinks. Ok no problem, place is packed. 25 minutes later out come our wings and dumplings. stone cold. well of course now we are very hungry so we suffer through them. 20 minutes later out comes the brocolli and noodles, they are also cold. STOP!! now I'm a bit peeved, so I flag down a random server to speak with a manager. while waiting our server finally shows up and we explain that we don't like cold food. so another 20 minutes later out comes some hot stuff. well by now its 7:45ish (we had a 6:15 reservations) and we're a little worried we'll miss wishes at this speed. also manager never stops by.

Since server is not removing any old plates, sitting on our table, we've got pans full of cold wings, dumplings and brocolli with the new platters. It's now ~8:10 pm and I've had it. I tell my husband and kids to head over to MK and I'll stay and speak with the manager. no way am I paying 30 bucks a head for this. Let me ask, is it supposed to take 90 minutes before the food gets to you? We haven't even gotten our skewers yet?

Resolution: We did not have to pay for the meal and was offered an adr for next day (thursday) but of course we couldn't (nor would we would have) make use of it as it was our last day.

I don't know guys, I'm not a big fan of disney restaurants, I think their are mediocre at best so I was not going to complain but any time my 2 teenage sons think the meal sucks (they basically inhale any thing that they can cover with ketchup) its bad.

This is the first time I've asked to speak to a manager and refused to pay for any meal I've eaten

 

[handinpocket]

We did 'Ohana last trip and it was a dismal affair.
Our ADR was for 8:45 but we got there at 5:00 to try and get seated early. There were MANY walk ups and they were getting seated in about 1 hr. tops. At 7:30 my husband walks to the podium and asks them WHY are walk ups getting seated and we have been waiting and waiting and waiting (yes, we do understand we are walk-ups too, but we should have been seated when they were or around that time). The girl at the podium say "OHHHHHH, you want to be seated BEFORE 8:45?" Well, no **** sherlock!

So, we are seated about 30 minutes later and it is just downhill from there (if it could get any worse). The noodles, wings and dumplings are stone cold. The meat took FOREVER to get to us and when it did, it was charred and just tasted like a burnt grill, yuck. I was so annoyed. Our server was absolutely horrible and was absent for the whole meal....I hope he enjoyed that 5 dollar bill, he didn't deserve that!

 

[mom to 3 angels]

We ate there in Oct '08 & Oct '09. We LOVED it in '08, but were really disappointed in the food in '09. Our service was GREAT! The table next to us spoke to a manager about their terrible server/food, and they were quite rude. So we spoke to the manager to boast about our server. She was truly great! I am just not at all thrilled with the food anymore. I feel the same way about Whispering Canyon. The atmosphere is great, and entertaining, but I'm just not loving the food. We're planning a trip Sept '12, and I know O'hana won't be a repeat, and I'm thinking WCC won't be either.