Spirit of Aloha - keep or cancel

[TinLizzy90]

So, I was super excited to find Cat 1 seats for the Spirit of Aloha dinner for our April trip. I booked it, but have since been reading troubling reviews. This was one of those things that I have been wanted to do at WDW, and have never had a chance to. But, if it really isn't "worth it", then I'll cancel and rebook something else. I know that HDD got much better reviews, but I kind of wanted the Aloha feel, and also wanted to see the fireworks from the beach at the Poly that night.

Thoughts on this dinner show?

 

[HunnyJar]

Honestly, you will never know if you like it or not unless you do it. It is one thing to read the reviews of others and to actually experience it for yourself. While I use these boards as a guideline, I prefer to make the decisions on my own. We have done the Spirit of Aloha show and LOVED it, but we went in wth NO expectations. We happened to like the somewhat corny beginning of the show and we thought that the fire dancer was amazing. We also really liked the food. We would have missed it all if we let the negative comments stop us.

If you think you and your family would enjoy it, try it. If it turns out you don't like it after you have tried it, at least you know and you can say you tried it. But only you know what you and your family like.

 

[MidgeD79]

Our family loved it.The kids were 6,11,and 13. We went on the 4th of July and the fireworks over the lagoon were great.

 

[jennylyn_b]

We love this show! We have gone twice in the last 2 trips. We love the show, the island feel and the food! YUM!!! I'd say go and have fun and judge for yourself.

 

[WVParkfan]

Not to hijack the thread, but can I ask a couple of questions?

How long does the show run? If it starts at 5:30, are we looking at a 2 hour show, or less?

Is there really a big difference in seating? It's pretty expensive for a family of 4, so I think I'd lean towards the cheapest seating area. Is that a mistake? Will my kids be able to see everything from the cheap(er) seats?

Thanks!

 

[pauly's girl]

I also debated on doing it because of the reviews but everyone has different tastes and I decided I wanted to experience all that I could in Disney. This is the only show I havent done so I am going for it!! Good luck with your decision as well!!

 

[vicki_c]

I have only had Cat 1 seats in the front, but IMO, I wouldn't want to sit in Cat 3 - I am short and I don't think I would have had a good view. Cat 2 seats might be okay.

The show will take about 2 hours from starting to finish -- a little less, but not much. I think show 2 starts @ 8 PM.

 

[TinLizzy90]

Not to hijack the thread, but can I ask a couple of questions?

How long does the show run? If it starts at 5:30, are we looking at a 2 hour show, or less?

Is there really a big difference in seating? It's pretty expensive for a family of 4, so I think I'd lean towards the cheapest seating area. Is that a mistake? Will my kids be able to see everything from the cheap(er) seats?

Thanks!

Hijacker!!!! LOL. Just kidding. I'm curious too...did I shell out too much when Cat 2 seats would have been good enough?

I am hoping to get out of the show in time to catch Wishes on the beach - hope we are not cutting it too close. Does the show go right up till the end? Don't want to miss fire dude.

 

[LovinmyDisneylife]

Spirit of Aloha is definitely my favorite dinner show. I highly recommend it. I've sat in all three categories and I was just as pleased with Category 3. DH and I don't have children so it's not an issue as to where we sit. I personally don't think it's that big of an issue so I would go with saving money. The food is exquisite and all you can eat. I never get tired of the dances from all the islands. The show is very entertaining. Give a try

 

[Eeyorerocks!]

We haven't beento Aloha for years, but I do think it's worth experiencing once.

In our opinion, the food was mediocre, but, really, you're not going for the food at these shows; you're going for the experience. Having done it once, we don't feel the need to repeat it, but you might feel differently when you go.

 

[SuzieN]

I, personally, did not care for the show or the food, BUT, if it's truly something you've always wanted to do then you should go. Just because i didn't like it doesn't mean you won't. I tried 2 restaurants that usually get pretty bad reviews on my last trip (San Angel Inn and Tony's) and liked them both very much! Go - I hope you enjoy it!!

 

[bobbie68]

Hi,

I did the Luau in Sept. and my DH,DD(8) and I really enjoyed it. We also went without expectations and it was fun. We thought the food was real good especially the bread and salad. My daughter is on a gluten free diet and they cooked all her food separate and plain. We had cat.3 seating and it was fine, she was able to see everything. Don't worry about the negative reviews if you and your family want to do it then go for it, at least you can say you tried it.

 

[redlawyer]

My kids loved the show, especially the fire eater. They also loved the food, me not so much. Roasted chicken and pineapple. Good, but not great. We did it once but I don't think we'll do it again. When we were there it was in June and very hot. There are fans to help circulate the air, but it was still very warm and humid as we sat for dinner.

 

[Joshua_me]

It's worth experiencing.

Once.

My personal grades:

HDD: A+

SoA: B-

MBYBQ: F-

But, as mentioned before, that's just MY opinion. If you want to go, then certainly, GO.... You have good seats and there's nothing really wrong with a "B-"

 

[disneygrammy1]

We went in 2009 and liked it, but I would not do it again!

 

[iloveeeyore]

Go for it!! We loved it the first time (Cat 1), so much so that we really wanted to go back...didn't love it as much the second time (Cat 2). Don't know if it was because of the seats or more to do with a "been there, done that" attitude. You have to try it once to see for yourself! It sounds like an all-Poly night is a great idea! Enjoy!

 

[TinLizzy90]

Great! Thanks all! I think I am going to keep the reservation for the time being.

Part of the reason I thought it would be fun is because we had wanted to go to Hawaii this spring, but the timing was just not working out. So I figured this would be a kind of fun thing to do (even though it's not like a real luau) and an evening at the Poly would be a "taste" of Hawaii for us that night. =) Not that there won't be breakfast at Kona earlier in the week - I mean, Tonga toast and presspots, people!

 

[TinLizzy90]

I just wanted to update on our experience! We did the Spirit of Aloha on Tuesday night, our last night at the World. It was excellent! We had a great table for two in the front, since we were in Cat. 1. I really enjoyed the energy of the show and the dancing. We loved the food! It was hot and fresh and delicious! The chocolate mousse was delicious with the pineapple sauce. We had the Chardonnay, which was nice, and a good server. The pictures were a bit of a racket, but I bought them anyway since they turned out so nicely, and with the leis on it was kind of festive - good gift for Mother's Day!

Thanks for all the advice. It was nice to do, but I would probably only go back again if we were traveling with family who haven't seen the show. I am interested in doing HDD on our next trip!

 

[jjwampler]

Thanks for the update, Tin Lizzy! We are going in June for the first time. I know the reviews aren't always great, but it is a WDW thing I've always wanted to do!

Jackie