Spirit of Aloha - who's been?

[Picabo]

We'll be staying at Poly and I'm tempted by the Luau however it's awfully expensive for the food they offer. Is the show part really THAT good? Is it a good show for toddlers? (Kids will be 2 1/2 and 3 1/2 when we go). Does anyone how pix (of food or the show)?

What about seating? Is it still enjoyable if you don't book the most expensive seats??

THANKS!

 

[tgropp]

I did it once in December. I was glad that I did and will go again but not for awhile. I am sure that your children will like it. Having said that, the one thing that I didn't enjoy was that when I went in December and it was cool, the plates were some sort of a metal and once the plate got cold, so did the food.

 

[Picabo]

I did it once in December. I was glad that I did and will go again but not for awhile. I am sure that your children will like it. Having said that, the one thing that I didn't enjoy was that when I went in December and it was cool, the plates were some sort of a metal and once the plate got cold, so did the food.

Ahhh, I hadn't even thought of that!!!! We'll be going in December also. And with the necessity to book ADRs so early...no way to work it around the weather! YIKES!

What do they do if it rains???

Melanie

 

[ntsammy5]

We've been and it's good. Like a PP we've been twice in 1996 and 2006 so every 10 years! I think the kids will like it but even in 1996 our kids were teenagers so I have no experience with that.

 

[Disney_Angel]

We went last September and it was hot while waiting to get into the open air theater.....they sell soda and water while waiting OR you can bring your own.
However once the sun went down the weather seemed pleasent and cooler. There were ceiling fans in the open air theater however if it was really humid I am not sure it would help.

My hubby and I attended with our dd age six. We all LOVED it!!!
Those singers and dancers were very talented and the fire dancer at the end was AMAZING....talk about talent, agility and plain old bravery!
The menu was ribs (unlike any I have ever had A+) and baked chicken...salad....some kind of unbelievable pineapple bread....fresh pineapple and a Volcano chocolate mousse/cake at the end. Beer and wine are included.

We enjoyed ourselves so much and the Dh and DD asked to go again this year. So I made sure to fit in the Luau and the Hoop-Dee-Doo musical revue.

 

[mickeynut1]

We went for the first time last September and we loved it.....the food was great and the show good, as well . We won't go every year, but we will go back sometime in the future as we had a great time . I think your kids will love it.....it's very entertaining, IMO .

 

[PrincessDisney96]

We went a few days ago, and we were glad that we tried it, but will not be returning. The food was not very good, and the entertainment wasn't that good eiether. The first part of the show was very bad (I was about to fall asleep ). The second part was okay, the dancers were good, and the fire dancing was very fun to watch! My kids weren't so crazy about it, and prefer Hoop Dee Due as of I do. So.. in my opinion I wouldnt do it, it's so not worth the price and 2 credits. But then again it's always good to try somewhere new to get your own perspective on it.

 

[Luv2Roam]

Oh we really like the luau food.
However, I would probably not go with kids that small. Just me. I don't think they will get much out of it and will probably be restless.
We have seen small children there. But it is a long haul for kids. Me personally I would take them instead to Mickey's Christmas Party.

 

[unionville]

We went on Thanksgiving day with a 7 year old. He loved it and so did we. We were staying at the Polynesian and felt like it was a must do. The food was good (maybe not as good as Kona) and we like the entertainment. We also did the Hoop Dee Doo on that trip and preferred the Luau over Hoop Dee Doo.

 

[tigger813]

We did it in July 06. It was really well done and the food was great. We won't do it again for awhile as it was expensive. We were glad we did it. We videotaped it so we can watch it again.

 

[Clotho]

Literally one of the worst WDW experiences we had. Wish the search function worked, because I have posted reviews in many places on here.

 

[RazorFace83]

I believe I can help you regarding the seating categories. Back in Feb 2007, I took several pics of the seats' view to show some perspective on how you would actually see the stage.

Here's a seating chart from Disney:

This is the Category 1 seating area (Center):

The view of the stage from the first table:

The view of the stage from the last table(same area):

I believe this section is Category 2 except the last table to the left, that one might be a Cat 3 :

Another Category 2 from the front tables(Upper Level Center):

Now these according to the seating chart, the tables in the front are considered Cat. 2 and the last ones in the rear are Cat. 3:

This one I think is a Cat. 3 seat:

Here's another Cat. 3 seat, waaaay back:

I that same day (Feb 13, 2007) I attended the 8pm show and I thought it was great! The first hour is a little tedious but thats when we were mostly eating anyway, so we did't care about it that much... The second half was really amazing especially the big finale with the fire dancer(AWSOME!). Food was pretty good too, service was okay. I might go back again someday. BTW I had Cat 1 seats and they were worth it!

 

[jenjersnap]

The fire dancer was great. Every other thing was mediocre to bad. A real disappointment. My kids were bored stiff and restless, unlike HDDR.

 

[ElizabethB]

We enjoyed the show and would do it again except we were recently in Hawaii and did a luau, so we're not feeling the urge at present. I think older kids would do better than toddlers, although they do have the kids come up on stage at one point.

The dancing is spectacular and, from my perspective, the men don't wear much and look great!! No complaints there.

I think any front row table would be fine, even over on the side. I would not, however, want to be in the second row.

As for the price, you get a full meal plus a show for $50 or so. I think it's a bargain. Nice luaus in Hawaii are now about $85 - $100 per person.

We're doing HDDR this year on the free dining because we were able to book Category 1 seating for the 9:30 p.m. show. We couldn't do that at the luau. And, I wouldn't enjoy sitting in the back for either show.

We'll enjoy HDDR, but having seen both, I think the luau has better food and a better show. (I'm in the minority, though.)

 

[Picabo]

I believe I can help you regarding the seating categories. Back in Feb 2007, I took several pics of the seats' view to show some perspective on how you would actually see the stage.

WOW! Thanks for taking your time to give me all the info!!! That's great. I can see that if you aren't in cat 1 - it could be a little frustrating to try to see everything.

I think, based on the iffy weather in December and my kids ages, we'll hold off for another visit.

THANKS!

 

[suedaisy]

It is fun. I COMPLETELY agree with the posts that the second half of the show is great. The first half is just okay. Part of my group had to leave early (they have an infant). They missed the best parts!!! I suggest that if your little ones need to take little walks or breaks that you do it during the first half, because you will not want to miss the second half!

 

[GoldenAfternoon]

How far in advance do you have to book in order to get category 1 seats? Thanks

 

[LAS321]

We are going in a couple of weeks. I'm glad to hear some positive reviews because previously we had read some that were getting us depressed. My DD (23) and I have been going every August for awhile and wanted to do something different this trip....sounds like it could be fun!

 

[twoeeyy]

not counting the food how would you base the entertainment part comparred to the HDD.

 

[LISAMWDW]

We really enjoyed it! We went 3 years ago and my DD was 8 and she just loved it! She begged to go back again so we are going on our upcoming trip! We thought the food was really good. We've been to Hawaii about 2 years ago and enjoyed the one at WDW better! Other of course than the ocean view! hehe


Good question about the rain though? What would happen?