Questioning Luau PS ~ Looking for Input

[enchantedpixiedust]

Hi All

I've been reading a rash of negative reviews on the Luau lately and now am questioning our Friday night plans and the $98 tab. Anyone with good experiences lately/anyone standing firm with the not worth it opinion, etc? Two 30-somethings, no kids.

Thanks!

 

[goofy4tink]

We did the Luau last summer. We knew going in that there was a lot of negative press here regarding it. So, here are my thoughts....the show was a little shmaltzy. But it was pretty good. We all enjoyed the different types of polynesian dance. The food was mediocre. A lot of it tho. I don't eat chicken with bones in it so that was an issue for me, but I knew that going in. Wine/beer/soda was free flowing. That was quite nice. The bread and fresh pineapple was terrific. We had good seats. Now, would we do it again? Not right away. We want to try all the different offerings at WDW so we'll be doing HDDR in two weeks. So go but don't have preconceived notions about it. Yes, it's expensive but isn't everything at WDW? We certainly don't tell people we hated it and they shouldn't go. Nope, that's just not the case. We had a fine time.

 

[jarestel]

Quite honestly, I found it a bit on the dull side. Having said that, we were there with friends who thought it was great. So everyone's opinion is different. If you're interested in the Spirit of Aloha dinner show, I would recommend that you go and experience it for yourself. As goofy4tink said, everything at WDW is expensive anyway, so give it a shot. Good luck, and have a great trip!

 

[dansyr]

We are also 2 30 somethings and we did the luau last March. I really liked it. My dbf loved it. . One of his few requests were that we do it again this time.
The show is cute. I really enjoyed the fire dancers. The food is good..not great. I enjoyed it. My dbf really liked it ...especially the ribs.
Take a stroll along the beach afterwards...very romantic.

 

[F1Julie]

I was there in May and will not go back. I thought the food was okay, but the show was pretty lame. The plot, if you can call it that, is very hokey. The hula dancing at the end is okay, but if you are looking for an entertaining dinner show, I'd look elsewhere. I wish I would have spent the $ doing something else. I've only heard good things about HDDR. I've done Dixie Stampede and much preferred that to SOA. On our next trip, we're trying Arabian Nights. It looks great and with discount coupons, it's almost 1/2 the cost of a WDW dinner show.

 

[flyball]

Originally posted by F1Julie
I was there in May and will not go back. I thought the food was okay, but the show was pretty lame. The plot, if you can call it that, is very hokey. The hula dancing at the end is okay, but if you are looking for an entertaining dinner show, I'd look elsewhere. I wish I would have spent the $ doing something else.

Ditto here. Not only was I disappointed that we spent the money, but I was annoyed at how much time we wasted here. It was extremely corny. Our family did it last August and we were 40, 41, 10 (DD), and 11 (DD). The only way to find out if you think it's a waste of time/money is to try it yourselves! Good Luck!

 

[wilderness01]

Another person who thought it was a waste of $/not worth it at all. There were 11 of us, 4 adults and the rest kids. The food was bad, except for the pineapple, salad and bread. Our waitress was never around to refill drinks and I was only drinking pop! The dessert was truly terrible. Glad we saw the fire dancer but for the $/time it was not worth it at all. Sorry for the strong opinion.

 

[JMac29]

I've been wondering about the Luau too. It sounds like it should be so much fun, but that is not what I'm hearing. My DH definitely would not be down with the hokey storyline either. Maybe I'll just get a PS at Ohana instead, and cancel the Luau Any thoughts on Ohana?

 

[memymomonica]

OK, we went and had a great time. It was me (32), DH (32), Mom (52), Dad (52), DD (6), Brother (16). We had so much fun. My daughter loved it. The food was yummy. My Dad and husband got there money's worth with free flowing beer. I think it is what you make of it. I thought it was interesting to here people say the show was "hokey" or "lame". Isn't sitting in a little boat going through a world of fake children singing lame? How about sitting in a fake elephant going in circles? There are a lot of things that when you look at them, seem lame. Don't get me wrong, I love all of Disney. But part of the fun is enjoying the simple things. The show has a message that I thought was very nice. Maybe some didn't get it?

 

[wmarsich]

I don't have any 1st hand experience with the luau, but I was in your position a couple of months ago. I made PS's to the Luau as soon as we knew we were going to Disney along with the HDDR. After reading this board I decided against it. It just sounds like a lot of time to be captured in one event that we all (including our DD6) might not enjoy, particularly because it's our first "real" trip to Disney. We opted instead to do PS's at Ohana. We plan to go to the opening ceremony at the Poly at 6:00 (I guess in includes the lighting or torches, drums, and a story teller) and then to our PS and hopefully followed by watching Wishes on the beach. I hope it's OK to attend the opening ceremony if we're not staying there?! We wanted to get the Poly experience in order to see if we would want to stay there on our next trip!

 

[jkovick]

Originally posted by JMac29
I've been wondering about the Luau too. It sounds like it should be so much fun, but that is not what I'm hearing. My DH definitely would not be down with the hokey storyline either. Maybe I'll just get a PS at Ohana instead, and cancel the Luau Any thoughts on Ohana?

I would definately choose Ohana. Better food, inside (air conditioning, no bugs) and half the price!

 

[jarestel]

Originally posted by memymomonica
The show has a message that I thought was very nice. Maybe some didn't get it?

It's great that you enjoyed the show, but to imply that people who didn't care for the show are somehow lacking in perceptive ability is a bit arrogant, IMO. But as I said, it's nice you had a good time.

 

[memymomonica]

Originally posted by jarestel
It's great that you enjoyed the show, but to imply that people who didn't care for the show are somehow lacking in perceptive ability is a bit arrogant, IMO. But as I said, it's nice you had a good time.

Never did I say anything like......people who didn't like the show lacking in "perceptive ability". Those are your words not mine. Without getting all philosophical, I think people getting a message has a lot to do with where they are in life. If they are open to receive it. Intelligence has nothing to do with it. I was being sincere. Unlike you with "It's nice you had a good time". Ending a jab with IMO, doesn't make it any less of an attack.

 

[mirlow]

We're going on Friday. I'm glad we are giving it a try. We have stayed at the Polynesian a number of times and we have never gone to SOA. I find it interesting how there are many of you who like it and others who don't. We are going as a family to celebrate our anniversary. I just don't see how that could be a bad time.

 

[ElizabethB]

Another vote for the luau. We really enjoyed it and thought it compared favorably to much more expensive ones we've done in Hawaii. We would do it again.

 

[BadgerBruce]

We went to SOA in April for the first time in several years. The story line wasn't that great, but the dancing & costumes were at least as good as I remember from before. We thought the food was very good-with the grilled veggies, bread & pineapple excellent. I don't know that I would do the show with kids, but I thought it was a nice time for adults. Only thing we missed from the previous shows was the tropical drinks-they now offer beer & wine instead.

 

[flyball]

Originally posted by memymomonica
Never did I say anything like......people who didn't like the show lacking in "perceptive ability". Those are your words not mine. Without getting all philosophical, I think people getting a message has a lot to do with where they are in life. If they are open to receive it. Intelligence has nothing to do with it. I was being sincere. Unlike you with "It's nice you had a good time". Ending a jab with IMO, doesn't make it any less of an attack.

Just wanted to let you know that we were among those who did not find this show very entertaining. I don't know what you're implying when you state that "people getting a message has a lot to do with where they are in life," but we're in a great place in life, are receptive to "nice messages," and still found the show boring, stiff, and humorless (not to mention that the food was only average). If they had stuck to the dancing, the show would have had a more authentic feel. Everybody in our party, on the other hand, loved the Hoop De Doo, which is notoriously corny, but manages to be VERY funny and entertaining. To each his own.

 

[ryansmom]

After reading positive and negative reviews about this, we still decided to give it a try. We have done HDDR and enjoyed it. But we wanted to try something different. I say go, just sit back and relax......who knows maybe we'll both enjoy it!