Need help choosing our one "special" TS meal (Ohana vs Boma)

[Anniefrances]

We will be spending Dec. 26 -30 at WDW and due to budget (we now are counted as 3 "adults") and will have only 1 TS meal. I'm trying to decide between Ohana dinner (never been there) or Boma breakfast (been there before and we love it).

I understand that comparing dinner vs. breakfast is like apples and oranges I'm hoping that someone can help me decide if Ohana (the unknown) is an equally good (or maybe better) choice in terms of food quality and value. I do think that the quality and value of Boma are on the higher side. At around $180 for a single meal (not including tip) I don't want to make a bad decision!

 

[IrishNYC]

We love Boma (dinner), but are doing Ohana dinner for our first time this trip, instead.

 

[Lisa F]

I did both on my last trip (last week lol). Boma is an old favorite of mine and we made sure to go there for breakfast but honestly I felt the breakfast at Tusker House was much better than Boma. Boma was good, don't get me wrong, but did not bowl me over and I felt the buffet at TH actually had more variety. it's only something like $24 a person so it would be a lot less than $180 before tip though.

I also did 'Ohana dinner and it was great! It's one of those places that gets the mixed reviews but it was perfection when we were there. The meats were all cooked perfectly - chicken was moist and flavorful, the steak was tender and pretty much a perfect medium (I prefer it more rare in more expensive cuts but for cheaper steak I prefer medium) and the shrimp were the best seafood of the entire trip, perfectly cooked and sweet with a little smoky flavor. The bread pudding is pretty much the only dessert I truly enjoyed. My kiddo ate his weight in steak and got a side of kids mac and cheese. We had an ADR right at 3:30 when they opened and we had an awesome window table for 3 (only 2 of us) with an awesome view of the castle and service was pretty much spot on (we had a server and an assistant both making sure we had what we needed). The veggies and noodles and potstickers were all fabulous too.

So I would do Ohana for a special meal. IMO Boma wasn't quite what it used to be (but it was still very very good) but 'Ohana felt a lot more festive and special and everything was truly fabulous.

 

[ibela]

For us, Boma has been hit or miss in the past (dinner, not breakfast) but Ohana dinner is my one must do every trip.

 

[jdisnut]

I'd pick 'Ohana for a few reasons.

First, I think there's great value in trying something new. You know you enjoy Boma, and it will still be there on your next visit. You may return from your trip with a new favorite restaurant.

I know 'Ohana tends to receive mixed reviews, but my experiences there spanning at least a decade have all been positive. It remains one of my favorites on property. For a special meal, there's something nice about having it at night instead of at breakfast. Maybe that's just me.

 

[ryukage]

I've done both 'Ohana for dinner and Boma for breakfast over this past year. Both were great, but 'Ohana still rates higher. The location, the multiple courses, the bread pudding, it all just added to a better overall experience. I'm also comfortable with eating a breakfast in our hotel room rather than spending the money at a restaurant.

It's also great to stick around for the fireworks, either in 'Ohana or from the terrace.

 

[yaddakal]

O'hana hands-down. We went to Disney just two weeks ago and we spent the week trying new restaurants .. only to come home upset that we didn't do ohana this time .. it's definitely my favorite . Guess I have to go back !
It's more of an experience and food keeps coming at you , it's fun but when we were there it was the best food we ever had a property as well.
We went to Boma and we did like it but we had to keep getting up and down and it wasn't my favorite . I do love it and I would go back but I would not need to do boma every trip ..
It is much harder to get a reservation at Ohana them Boma too...

 

[jlnten17]

Are you staying at either resort? Convenience is key for me. I am all about trying new places so that would be Ohana. However, for us, it didn't live up to the hype. We waited about an hour after our already late evening reservation and the food was just ok. It is definitely a quantity over quality place imo. We couldn't eat nearly enough to feel we got what we paid for. The view can be great depending on the table you get. I'd save the $200 grab a bite at captain cooks and a dole whip at pineapple lanai and watch wishes from the beach. I love The Poly!

 

[Lisa F]

Are you staying at either resort? Convenience is key for me. I am all about trying new places so that would be Ohana. However, for us, it didn't live up to the hype. We waited about an hour after our already late evening reservation and the food was just ok. It is definitely a quantity over quality place imo. We couldn't eat nearly enough to feel we got what we paid for. The view can be great depending on the table you get. I'd save the $200 grab a bite at captain cooks and a dole whip at pineapple lanai and watch wishes from the beach. I love The Poly!

I definitely think an early ADR is key here. They get backed up as the evening goes on, people get cranky waiting for a table... The servers get tired and more frazzled, they are juggling more stuff in the kitchen. First seating definitely rocked though, seated right away, seated at a window table, food was fast, hot and fresh and servers were VERY attentive. I will say as I am writing dining reviews how tired and hungry I was really impacts my experiences above and beyond just food.

as far as eating enough to get your money's worth, there isn't a restaurant at disney where I feel I can do that. I eat enough to be satisfied and the price is the price. I have seen reviews with massive piles of shrimp shells. I ate 4. it's all good though!

 

[jlnten17]

I absolutely agree on the timing of the meal. If you could get the first seating of the evening I'm sure the experience would be much better than ours. I believe we were seated a little after 9pm for an 8pm reservation. We were very hungry, tired and the restaurant was packed and a bit messy.

 

[aristocatz]

You can't go wrong with either, but I would personally change it to Ohana dinner or Boma dinner.

If you do Ohana dinner, try to time it so you can watch Wishes from the beach afterwards.

If you do Boma dinner, head out to the Savannah look out areas afterwards and ask a cast member for some night vision goggles and enjoy a cool view of the animals.

 

[Anniefrances]

I did both on my last trip (last week lol). Boma is an old favorite of mine and we made sure to go there for breakfast but honestly I felt the breakfast at Tusker House was much better than Boma. Boma was good, don't get me wrong, but did not bowl me over and I felt the buffet at TH actually had more variety. it's only something like $24 a person so it would be a lot less than $180 before tip though.

I also did 'Ohana dinner and it was great! It's one of those places that gets the mixed reviews but it was perfection when we were there. The meats were all cooked perfectly - chicken was moist and flavorful, the steak was tender and pretty much a perfect medium (I prefer it more rare in more expensive cuts but for cheaper steak I prefer medium) and the shrimp were the best seafood of the entire trip, perfectly cooked and sweet with a little smoky flavor. The bread pudding is pretty much the only dessert I truly enjoyed. My kiddo ate his weight in steak and got a side of kids mac and cheese. We had an ADR right at 3:30 when they opened and we had an awesome window table for 3 (only 2 of us) with an awesome view of the castle and service was pretty much spot on (we had a server and an assistant both making sure we had what we needed). The veggies and noodles and potstickers were all fabulous too.

So I would do Ohana for a special meal. IMO Boma wasn't quite what it used to be (but it was still very very good) but 'Ohana felt a lot more festive and special and everything was truly fabulous.

Thanks for your reply - it's good to hear that Ohana felt festive and special.

 

[Anniefrances]

Are you staying at either resort? Convenience is key for me. I am all about trying new places so that would be Ohana. However, for us, it didn't live up to the hype. We waited about an hour after our already late evening reservation and the food was just ok. It is definitely a quantity over quality place imo. We couldn't eat nearly enough to feel we got what we paid for. The view can be great depending on the table you get. I'd save the $200 grab a bite at captain cooks and a dole whip at pineapple lanai and watch wishes from the beach. I love The Poly!

We are staying at ASMu - this is a low-budget trip, so only 1 TS meal during the trip for us. My boys can eat a lot when it's food that they like so that's why I'm thinking a buffet for when we splurge. We do have 3:35 PM ressie so that may improve the experience.

 

[Anniefrances]

I definitely think an early ADR is key here. They get backed up as the evening goes on, people get cranky waiting for a table... The servers get tired and more frazzled, they are juggling more stuff in the kitchen. First seating definitely rocked though, seated right away, seated at a window table, food was fast, hot and fresh and servers were VERY attentive. I will say as I am writing dining reviews how tired and hungry I was really impacts my experiences above and beyond just food.

as far as eating enough to get your money's worth, there isn't a restaurant at disney where I feel I can do that. I eat enough to be satisfied and the price is the price. I have seen reviews with massive piles of shrimp shells. I ate 4. it's all good though!

Thanks for your reply - we have a 3:35 PM ressie, so hopefully that would improve the experience

 

[Anniefrances]

You can't go wrong with either, but I would personally change it to Ohana dinner or Boma dinner.

If you do Ohana dinner, try to time it so you can watch Wishes from the beach afterwards.

If you do Boma dinner, head out to the Savannah look out areas afterwards and ask a cast member for some night vision goggles and enjoy a cool view of the animals.

Thanks for your reply - we have had Boma dinner the past 2 visits so I was thinking of trying Ohana for something new. Our usual routine is to also have Boma breakfast on the departure morning but this trip is low budget so I want to keep our dining expenses down by sticking to only 1 TS. Based on all the feedback, it seems that Ohana dinner is the way to go.

 

[Anniefrances]

I absolutely agree on the timing of the meal. If you could get the first seating of the evening I'm sure the experience would be much better than ours. I believe we were seated a little after 9pm for an 8pm reservation. We were very hungry, tired and the restaurant was packed and a bit messy.

Yes this makes sense. A 3:35 PM ressie opened up the other night so I booked it figuring that I could take a few days to decide whether to keep it or keep the Boma breakfast ressie.