Luau-Paradise Cove vs. Aulani

[Jemwillow]

We are headed out on 6/27 to Aulani. Debating which luau should I book. Seems there is only a slight difference in cost between the "orchid package" and the Aulani luau. So wondering which one has better food/ show.

 

[littlebearfan]

I haven't been to Aulani, so I can't speak to the luau there. We did Paradise Cove luau in 2011. We really were not impressed. It was okay, but I would rather try a different luau if we are ever on the island of Oahu again.

We have been to luaus on several islands and most of them serve the same foods, and have pretty good entertainment. Our all time favorite is Feast at Lele (on Maui). We always end up comparing every Luau to that one.

Be sure to try the Poi - we found out years ago to dip the pulled pork into it. Don't eat it by itself!

 

[Elima2015]

We went to the Paradise Cove luau and watched the Aulani luau from our balcony in February. First, we had a great time at Paradise Cove. We especially enjoyed the fire dance. I didn't care for the food at all. I left hungry.

We obviously didn't get to eat the Aulani luau food, so I can't comment on that. But I can say that I really enjoyed the pre-show music and the show itself (though we couldn't see everything through the palm trees). The Aulani one also just seemed a touch nicer - I liked the set-up on grass instead of sand. The chairs looked more comfy than the plastic lawn chairs at PC. It is a smaller, cozier set up than PC which can accommodate like ~500+ people per evening. If you are tired or have young children, it is nice to be right at the hotel when it ends.

If I were to choose between those two, I would try Aulani's luau. But if you end up at Paradise Cove, I think you will have a great time. It is definitely entertaining.

 

[DieHardJoe]

We were at Aulani last month but since the luau was indoors we went to Paradise Cove and we both loved it. The time seemed to go by fast. We both thought the food was very good, but then we have nothing else to compare it to. As for the show, we thought it was excellent. I'm not sure if this is a fair comparison, but we thought the food and entertainment were better than the luau at the Poly in WDW. We paid the cheaper price for the seats on the side and were fine with the view, though I can see why the ones in the middle would be better. If you'd like, you can get up any time and walk to the back if you wanted to stand and watch from there or to maybe take some pictures. I will say that there were a number of open chairs the night we went which gave us some room, but if every chair was filled at the table, you would be elbow to elbow with your neighbor.

 

[SuzanneB74]

We were just at Aulani last week. We did the Paradise Cove and the Orchid package. We had a great time. My kids (12 and 14) really enjoyed the pre-show activities. We all thought the show was great, very entertaining. We thought the food was good, my kids got up and got seconds. We were one of the very first tables to get food, so we didn't wait in line more than about 15 seconds. I think that is another perk of the Orchid package. I recommend getting there as close to 5 as possible to get seated at the best table (within the package your purchase) and to enjoy all the pre-show activities.

 

[jerseygirlmk]

I am curious to see if the aulani luau is better now in their new location! Looking forward to hearing reviews!

 

[cgattis]

The Aulani luau grounds are certainly swankier, but we had a blast at Paradise Cove. The food was buffet food, but I thought the BBQ chicken and the pork we're both quite good. I also thought the mai tais were delicious. I can't imagine a show being any better--the dancers were fantastic and the house band was really, really good. I didn't do Aulani because I wanted all the pre-show activities and on principle, because we already had reservations at Aulani when they took away the free Hui. I felt like Paradise Cove was worth what I spent.

 

[thornton0511]

We were just at Aulani last week. We did the Paradise Cove and the Orchid package. We had a great time. My kids (12 and 14) really enjoyed the pre-show activities. We all thought the show was great, very entertaining. We thought the food was good, my kids got up and got seconds. We were one of the very first tables to get food, so we didn't wait in line more than about 15 seconds. I think that is another perk of the Orchid package. I recommend getting there as close to 5 as possible to get seated at the best table (within the package your purchase) and to enjoy all the pre-show activities.

I'm just curious how this works with the table arrangement if you purchase the orchid package. Do they direct you to your table when you get there and does it seem to be based on how early you arrive based on the package group you are in?

 

[smudgemass]

I'm just curious how this works with the table arrangement if you purchase the orchid package. Do they direct you to your table when you get there and does it seem to be based on how early you arrive based on the package group you are in?

Based on when you arrive.

 

[MouseOfCards]

We did the Aulani luau a few months ago. We received notice and phone call before the luau that it was pushed back one hour due to another event (wedding?). The food was good and the show was alright, but seemed to drag on into the night. We saw lots of people leaving before the end; even the 3 little ones in our group all fell asleep halfway through. The fire dancing at the end was very short (much shorter than the Spirit of Aloha) - don't know if that's normal or cut short due to the schedule change. Will not do it again. Really miss the Starlit Hui.

 

[Jemwillow]

Just to update: we ended up doing the Paradise Cove Luau. Aulani was not even an option. On our first day we tried to book and they were sold out through the day after we were due to leave. So conceierge offered to book it for us. The paradise cove show was amazing. The food was really good also. And we had fun with the activities making crown and lei's. I can't imagine that the Aulani show would have been just as good. The lady did mention people like it because the characters show up, but she mentioned it's only for a few short minutes. And you get to see the characters throughout the resort anyways. I had a perfect viewing spot right from my balcony most days

There were about 800 people sitting for dinner but everything ran smooth and quick. They had multiple stations for the food so it goes by super fast

 

[cgattis]

Just wanted to let recent visitors know that the survey you get from Aulani after your visit does NOT have any space at the end for "any additional comments." There was never a spot to indicate why I didn't do some of the activities (like the luau). So if you have things you want to say, just wedge them in wherever you get a comment block LOL. I've noticed the WDW surveys do that now as well, so I should've anticipated that but forgot. (Makes you wonder who is making the survey forms and whether they really want feedback on certain things......)

Glad you enjoyed it!!

 

[MouseOfCards]

Just wanted to let recent visitors know that the survey you get from Aulani after your visit does NOT have any space at the end for "any additional comments." There was never a spot to indicate why I didn't do some of the activities (like the luau). So if you have things you want to say, just wedge them in wherever you get a comment block LOL. I've noticed the WDW surveys do that now as well, so I should've anticipated that but forgot. (Makes you wonder who is making the survey forms and whether they really want feedback on certain things......)

Glad you enjoyed it!!

Thanks for the info regarding the commenting. It does make you wonder.