My Ohana Story......

[PrincessTiffany]

Princess Tiffany, your reply is kind of funny to me, because I DO tend to overthink things. I just want everything to be perfect!!!!! Is that so wrong!!!!??

No, it's not wrong! lol! Many of us here on the Dis plan, plan, plan and when you see something negative it does make you want to rethink things. BUT, you have to remember, in reality all of this complaining here on the Dis only respresents a small part of the hundreds of thousands of people who visit WDW every year. A lot of us here visit frequently and have much higher expectations than most of the non-Dis visitors.

Ohana is a great restaurant. We have four kids and have eaten there many times over the years. The food and service, in my opinion, have always been good. Does that mean every single family that has ever eater there had that experience? Of course, not. Every single restaurant at WDW has had numerous bad reviews here on the DIS at one time or another. Your family might love it, you might hate it, but you won't know until you try.

 

[DisneyFamily123]

Thanks for the honest advice, all. I guess I have my husband on one side saying, "For $150 we could go to Shula's or Ruth's Chris and have a fantastic meal," whereas I am trying to explain to him that it is for the kids and it's an experience.

I think you are destined for disappointment.... It is expensive... and you have concern about the cost/worth. I'm here to save you!!!

If you're going to Ohana for the food...there's nothing divine about the food at Ohana. It's meat cooked on skewers. You can do that at home on the grill for about $25 and have leftovers.....

If you're going for the kids to have an experience, there's nothing thrilling about the "entertainment" at Ohana. Look at videos on youtube.com and decide for yourself. But, I can't imagine 2 young girls enjoying pushing a coconut with a broom for 2 minutes all the while your ears are hurting from the annoying voice going on and on about Ohana means family and we are all cousins... blah, blah, blah​

Here are some other suggestions that I think would be more of an experience for your girls....

You would be better off saving your money, getting some quick service at the park and go meet the princesses and fairies. For $150, go buy some fancy princess dresses and accessories in Magic Kingdom and let them wear them in the parks... or go to Bibbity, Bobbity Boutique... -- if that's not available, you can always go to the Main St. barber shop and get sparkles and fairy dust, etc. put in their hair.

Here are some other places you might try to get a dinner reservation --- you never know, there are often last minute cancellations if you keep trying... Maybe you are already going to these places...

1900 Park Fare Character Dinner
Cinderella's Round Table
Akershus
Crystal Palace

 

[GeorgiaHoo]

Personally, I think you are over-reacting and way overthinking this meal. After you get there and check-in and if you have to wait too long or your kids are getting upset, just leave. Go to your resort, grab something from the food court and get on with your night. I mean, your not on the dining plan and you don't have to worry about wasting your credits, so why on earth stress out about a meal. In all likelihood you will get checked in, get seated within 30 minutes and have a lovely meal.

I disagree. The point of having reservations is to get seated when you arrive. If I have reservations for 8:00 and am seated at 8:10 that's not a problem. If I have reservations at 8:00 and am seated at 9:00 that is a serious problem. Our family, like everyone else, is at Disney for a vacation and have limited time to do everything we want. When I show up for a reservation I have left something else, perhaps MK, the pool, etc. I am not paying thousands of dollars to go to Disney to sit at a restaurant for hours because Ohana doesn't have a competent seating/reservation system. I wouldn't tolerate that at a local restaurant and folks shouldn't tolerate it at Disney.

 

[PrincessTiffany]

I disagree. The point of having reservations is to get seated when you arrive. If I have reservations for 8:00 and am seated at 8:10 that's not a problem. If I have reservations at 8:00 and am seated at 9:00 that is a serious problem. Our family, like everyone else, is at Disney for a vacation and have limited time to do everything we want. When I show up for a reservation I have left something else, perhaps MK, the pool, etc. I am not paying thousands of dollars to go to Disney to sit at a restaurant for hours because Ohana doesn't have a competent seating/reservation system. I wouldn't tolerate that at a local restaurant and folks shouldn't tolerate it at Disney.

We have always been seated promptly, had great table service, fabulous food and a great family meal. Just because a small majority of Disers have had a bad experience at this restaurant, in no way means that it's a bad restaurant or people should avoid it at all costs. Let's get some perspective here people.

 

[PrincessTiffany]

I think you are destined for disappointment.... It is expensive... and you have concern about the cost/worth. I'm here to save you!!!

If you're going to Ohana for the food...there's nothing divine about the food at Ohana. It's meat cooked on skewers. You can do that at home on the grill for about $25 and have leftovers.....

If you're going for the kids to have an experience, there's nothing thrilling about the "entertainment" at Ohana. Look at videos on youtube.com and decide for yourself. But, I can't imagine 2 young girls enjoying pushing a coconut with a broom for 2 minutes all the while your ears are hurting from the annoying voice going on and on about Ohana means family and we are all cousins... blah, blah, blah​

Here are some other suggestions that I think would be more of an experience for your girls....

You would be better off saving your money, getting some quick service at the park and go meet the princesses and fairies. For $150, go buy some fancy princess dresses and accessories in Magic Kingdom and let them wear them in the parks... or go to Bibbity, Bobbity Boutique... -- if that's not available, you can always go to the Main St. barber shop and get sparkles and fairy dust, etc. put in their hair.

Here are some other places you might try to get a dinner reservation --- you never know, there are often last minute cancellations if you keep trying... Maybe you are already going to these places...

1900 Park Fare Character Dinner
Cinderella's Round Table
Akershus
Crystal Palace

Again, isn't that all a matter of opinion. I mean, I personally, would classify the Ohana bread pudding as devine and my 3 girls LOVE the coconut races, hula lessons and limo and all the silly singing. Aes74 said she really wants to try this restaurant. So, she should. Her family might love it like mine, her family might dislike it like yours. There's absolutely no need for her to stress out about trying to find another reservation for that night.

 

[DisneyFamily123]

We have always been seated promptly, had great table service, fabulous food and a great family meal. Just because a small majority of Disers have had a bad experience at this restaurant, in no way means that it's a bad restaurant or people should avoid it at all costs. Let's get some perspective here people.

I'm sure people have been to Ohana and had a great meal. I did in 2009... but I believe the well-liked Chef TJ left and our experience in 2010 was terrible. Reading reviews, it seems like the problem is more than just every once in a while. And I can tell you first hand... the Ohana management didn't care.

Of course, every restaurant will have some guests who don't like the restaurant or catch a waiter on a bad day. But the reviews of Ohana are really inconsistent. For $150, one shouldn't have to "roll the dice" to see if they are going to have a decent meal......

Other restaurants are VERY consistent in the reviews. If a restaurant is all over the place getting terrible, good, and great reviews.... there's a problem.

There's plenty of reviews and threads about Ohana, and videos on youtube... people can certainly make their own decision about the odds of having a satisfying dining experience.

 

[PrincessTiffany]

I'm sure people have been to Ohana and had a great meal. I did in 2009... but I believe the well-liked Chef TJ left and our experience in 2010 was terrible. Reading reviews, it seems like the problem is more than just every once in a while. And I can tell you first hand... the Ohana management didn't care.

Of course, every restaurant will have some guests who don't like the restaurant or catch a waiter on a bad day. But the reviews of Ohana are really inconsistent. For $150, one shouldn't have to "roll the dice" to see if they are going to have a decent meal......

Other restaurants are VERY consistent in the reviews. If a restaurant is all over the place getting terrible, good, and great reviews.... there's a problem.

There's plenty of reviews and threads about Ohana, and videos on youtube... people can certainly make their own decision about the odds of having a satisfying dining experience.

We ate at Ohana on December 14, so right at a month ago and everything was great. But, again, that's my experience.

Go to any Disney planning site and search out the numerous threads pertaining to "What's the best restaurant in WDW" and Ohana is going to be at the top, or close to the top, on all those threads. Go to the Walt Disney World Facebook page, they asked that same question just a day or two ago and Ohana had hundreds of positive replys - I don't know if a I saw any negative Ohana responses. So, I don't really think she's "rolling the dice" per se. In all likelihood they will have a great family meal, but nothing in life is a guarantee. You recommended Crystal Place. Personally, we really like Crystal Palace too, but it's one of the most consistantly panned restaurants on this board. 1900 Park Fare hasn't done too well on the restaurant reviews on this board either.

 

[DisneyFamily123]

We ate at Ohana on December 14, so right at a month ago and everything was great. But, again, that's my experience.

Go to any Disney planning site and search out the numerous threads pertaining to "What's the best restaurant in WDW" and Ohana is going to be at the top, or close to the top, on all those threads. Go to the Walt Disney World Facebook page, they asked that same question just a day or two ago and Ohana had hundreds of positive replys - I don't know if a I saw any negative Ohana responses. So, I don't really think she's "rolling the dice" per se. In all likelihood they will have a great family meal, but nothing in life is a guarantee. You recommended Crystal Place. Personally, we really like Crystal Palace too, but it's one of the most consistantly panned restaurants on this board. 1900 Park Fare hasn't done too well on the restaurant reviews on this board either.

I suggested the others because of the character experience. The food at 1900 PF was good, but nothing spectacular. But I've read reviews that say the food there is awful... so....

What really bugged me about Ohana was that we arrived on time, took forever to check in, by that time it was past our ADR time, and we were put into the computer as a "walk-up" but not told that. Then... when I talked to the manager about why we were waiting so long to be seated... he blamed us for supposedly being late... and just didn't get it.... Eventually, he gave me a very canned apology...

The whole experience was very undisney like. Maybe we caught Ohana on a very unusual difficult night for them. Maybe they overbooked ADRs. But the "I don't care" attitude of the manager was enough to make me not come back. Why should they care? People continue to flock into Ohana's. Same for Le Cellier... it gets so much hype... but there was nothing special about it for us.

I'll give Ohana credit for the bread pudding... (with ice cream on top). All the other food was just so-so...

But I'll also admit... that I like some restaurants that get a real mix of reviews. One of them is Restaurant Marrakesh. I liked the food very much, our waiter was excellent... and he was very attentive to DS4 making sure he was happy, posing for funny photos. The music and the decor really made it feel like we left Disney and stepped into Morocco. The belly dancer was fun, came to our table and held a pose while dancing (noticing I was fumbling to take a picture), and she invited some children to try bellydancing on the dance floor. BUT..... this is one of the easiest restaurants to get a reservation and many people will say the food is awful, seems pre-cooked and warmed up, etc.... So, maybe I'm the oddball!!!

 

[GeorgiaHoo]

I haven't been to Ohana so cannot speak from experience. We are staying at Polynesian next month and were on the fence re eating at Ohana for dinner (and paying out of pocket) but decided to do breakfast at CP and the Wishes Dessert instead. I don't have high expectations re the breakfast quality (although its hard to screw up bacon and eggs) but the chance to enter MK before everyone else (I know we cannot go on rides) and have a character breakfast is part of the appeal. I've read too many negative reviews about the food quality at Ohana (nevermind the service issues) to be too thrilled about going there and as the OP noted spending over $150 for 4 people. For a restaurant that costs that much you'd think the reviews would trend positive, when in fact they are mixed at best.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g34515-d426649-Reviews-Ohana-Orlando_Florida.html

 

[DisneyFamily123]

I haven't been to Ohana so cannot speak from experience. We are staying at Polynesian next month and were on the fence re eating at Ohana for dinner (and paying out of pocket) but decided to do breakfast at CP and the Wishes Dessert instead. I don't have high expectations re the breakfast quality (although its hard to screw up bacon and eggs) but the chance to enter MK before everyone else (I know we cannot go on rides) and have a character breakfast is part of the appeal....

Have fun at the Polynesian. I really like character breakfasts in the parks before opening... great opportunity for photos without people in the background.

If the Ohana breakfast has not changed (and I hope not), we dined their twice in 2009 and it was fun to meet Mickey, Pluto, Lilo and Stitch in their Hawaiian outfits. Mickey taught DS how to do the surfer shaka sign (hang loose). There were 2 breads brought to the table that were warm, moist, and delicious. If that and coffee were the whole menu, I would have been happy. One was a pineapple-coconut, the other a cinnamon-raisin.

The only reason I canceled our Ohana breakfast reservation this last trip was because we saw Lilo and Stitch in AK Park and at the Christmas Party. Stitch is a must do for DS5.

 

[Deb123]

paid oop at Ohana's this summer. Horrible, unacceptable service, and food and the restaurant had me in tears when we left, I was so let down. I sent an email to Disney, who then called me at home to do a followup. They were very apologetic and arranged for us to have Fantasmic VIP seats on our next trip. However, that is not the reason I complained to Disney was to get something in return. I complained so that they could look into our experience, speak to Ohana's management and fix things so another family wouldn't have to go through what we did. It wil be a long, long, time before you catch this family going to Ohana's again. And that is based on experience.

 

[rigs32]

I wish the OP had come back to update us on their conversation with the manager.

 

[GeorgiaHoo]

paid oop at Ohana's this summer. Horrible, unacceptable service, and food and the restaurant had me in tears when we left, I was so let down. I sent an email to Disney, who then called me at home to do a followup. They were very apologetic and arranged for us to have Fantasmic VIP seats on our next trip. However, that is not the reason I complained to Disney was to get something in return. I complained so that they could look into our experience, speak to Ohana's management and fix things so another family wouldn't have to go through what we did. It wil be a long, long, time before you catch this family going to Ohana's again. And that is based on experience.

Sorry to hear your experience was so poor. People expect a lot (and rightfully so) when they are paying $50 a person (or more after tax, tip and drinks). Basic and reasonable expectations include prompt seating at around the time of your reservation and friendly, prompt and attentive service. It sounds like Ohana, at least at times, is seriously lacking in this regard. Frankly, I'm struggling with the whole "not getting seated close to reservation" thing. What is the point of having a reservation system if people have to wait an hour anyway? It sounds like Ohana is simply overbooking.

For a bit more than I'd spend per person at Ohana, I can go to Bones in Atlanta and eat the best steak in the Southeast with over-the-top service.

 

[TinkerbellLuvr7]

I've eaten there 6 or 7 times since 2008 and have had horrible service each time for breakfast and dinner.

The CMs always seem to be running around like crazy even though its the same things they are making over and over again. They also have "helpers" with them so to me it doesn't seem like it should that hard yet it always is. The last dinner we went to in March 2010, we had our server, his helper, and another girl who walked around with the food for seconds yet the service was still horrible. We had our salad, apptez and were getting dinner before our soda even came.

In Dec 09, we ate there for breakfast, had an ADR, waited 1 hour before our pager went off and it was for another family. They had never checked us in, gave us a pager though yet had the number typed in for another family. I was livid and then we get a table that's seated for 6, there were 4 of us, and we had to stretch to get food. We were there for 2 hours before we saw all the characters even after we told our server at 1hr 45min that we were waiting for Mickey. She told us it can take an hr 1/2 to see the character, we told her its been nearly 2 hours, and she just said sorry and walked away!

It was a disaster needless to say so you are not the only one. We say we won't go back and then do..that's the problem haha!

 

[Rebecca924]

We were kind of wondering what had happened.....

We ate at O'Hana in September - it was okay. It did take a while to get seated, but not too very long. Funny thing is the first time we ate here (I think it was 2009 - might have been 2008) we absolutely LOVED it. I have a son who is allergic to peanuts so he can't eat the dessert. The chef was AWESOME and made my little guy such an amazing dessert that not only did he not feel left out, but my other son was kind of jealous! It was great for a peanut allergic little kid to be made to feel "special" as opposed to an outcast. I even told the manager it was the best meal we had our whole trip.

That being said when we went in Sept. - it just didn't seem as good. The food was okay but not spectacular, my son was looking forward to a special dessert but they gave him a bowl of ice cream with some strawberries I believe. It was nice of them to make it for him, but nowhere near as "special" as the first time.

I'd eat here again, but it's not a MUST DO like it used to be. Maybe things will pick up again soon. Here's hoping!

 

[Claire&TheBoys]

Interesting reading here. I made an ADR for our upcoming trip, for our arrival night, and it was the one I was most on-the-fence about. Wasn't sure if it was worth the trouble to get to Poly, wondering if the entire party will make it or have flights delayed, etc. Now I'm leaning towards cancelling it and just doing something low-key the first night and picking another TS for later in the week when we won't be travel-weary.

 

[jerlove]

I wish the OP had come back to update us on their conversation with the manager.

My apologies everyone. I got caught up with the real world and have not had time to fill everyone in. God I hate the real world why can I not just live at Disney… Oh well.

Quick update. Shortly after receiving the email response from Ohana’s manager that more or less missed the entire point of my concern, I received an email from Disney’s guest services.

It was a very well worded response and she was able to identify the true concerns I had with my dining experience and CM interaction. I was sure to respond letting her know that I had received a response from the Manager of Ohana and that I felt his email missed the point and focused solely on my wait time as opposed to the apparent lack of empathy and willingness to do what is right for the customer on the front end.

Guest relations assured me that they would address the issues I raised during my experience and I thanked them.

I will return within the next 12 months and see if anything has improved.

My goal from the onset of this post was not to say “piss on Ohana I am never going back!” my goal was to provide feedback on ways they can improve and encourage others to do the same. I do not want to discourage others from going either; most people will have a great experience. I just found that there were more and more people upset with the exact same thing I experienced and I am a true believer in the adage, “You can’t expect people or things to change if you do not provide feedback to help them get better.”

 

[Laketravis]

A couple of weeks ago I was in Dallas and we (4 of us) stopped at an Outback for dinner.

We were told there was a 15 minute wait. Gave my name and took the pager.

45 minutes later and after seeing multitudes of people be seated (weren't sure if they had gotten there before or after, we lost track because we were engrossed in conversation), I checked to see how much longer it would be.

The hostess checked her list and suddenly seemed extremely embarassed, although I wasn't sure why. She asked me to wait just a minute and left. She returned with a person who identified themselves as the owner.

He apologized that we had actually been overlooked and that was why we "still had not been seated, but we are getting a table ready for you right now, here's a gift certificate good for $45 at your next visit to any Outback, and I'm comping your entire meal tonight." (That was a heck of a risk on his part, since we hadn't even ordered yet!)

That was at an Outback. Compare to your experience at Ohana's and DisneyWorld, the "masters" of customer service and magical experiences.

I know I did at the time.

 

[jerlove]

A couple of weeks ago I was in Dallas and we (4 of us) stopped at an Outback for dinner.

We were told there was a 15 minute wait. Gave my name and took the pager.

45 minutes later and after seeing multitudes of people be seated (weren't sure if they had gotten there before or after, we lost track because we were engrossed in conversation), I checked to see how much longer it would be.

The hostess checked her list and suddenly seemed extremely embarassed, although I wasn't sure why. She asked me to wait just a minute and left. She returned with a person who identified themselves as the owner.

He apologized that we had actually been overlooked and that was why we "still had not been seated, but we are getting a table ready for you right now, here's a gift certificate good for $45 at your next visit to any Outback, and I'm comping your entire meal tonight." (That was a heck of a risk on his part, since we hadn't even ordered yet!)

That was at an Outback. Compare to your experience at Ohana's and DisneyWorld, the "masters" of customer service and magical experiences.

I know I did at the time.

That is an example of an excellent recovery. Yes mistakes do happen and when you as a company go above the customers expectations than you can rebound from a poor service experience.

They exceeded your expectations and as a result what could have been a negative has turned into a positive story.

 

[1hero2princesses]

We have been there 3 times and love it (we even went twice in one trip!) that being said we have always had to wait an insane amount of time for our table and yes we have always had ADR's. I believe we have waited an hour once and twice we have waited an hour and half past our ADR time. They clearly need to plan their timing better. The last time we were there was a year and half ago so I am a little surprised this has not been corrected yet.