*This dining experience took place in June 2013.
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| This way to Luau Cove! |
Talofa! That's "hello" in Samoan! It's one of the many things I learned from my first visit to the Spirit of Aloha Dinner Show (SoA) at the Polynesian Resort. As a first timer for any dinner show at Disney (can you believe that?!), I wasn't sure what to expect, so this was completely new territory for me as a Disney vacationer and a GF/DF diner. However, I was pleasantly surprised at the way Disney handled my food and the options that I had. It was also a really fun experience for the whole family.When I first found out that my family was booking the Spirit of Aloha dinner show, I really had no idea what to expect. I also didn't really find any other reviews out there for gluten & dairy free--other than people mentioned that they had been. So, I was really interested in seeing what they would have available. When we booked the reservation (we did it in person at the concierge desk at the Polynesian), they noted my special dietary needs. However, one thing they didn't mention was that I needed to contact Disney no later than 48 hours in advance. Thankfully, I had emailed the Special Diets Department and they let me know that I needed to let the SoA catering kitchen know ahead of time. They said I could call them or have them call me. Knowing how that can go, I had them call me by giving Special Diets my reservation information. Two days later, they called and we discussed the menu. Now, I will say, the CMs were very nice but unless you talk to a chef, they may or may not know all of the complete details for what you'll get for dinner. They noted that I needed to have gluten & dairy free items, but they really only knew much about the gluten free. They said that the chicken was marinated in gluten free soy sauce and that they had it available. They also noted that they would have rolls. They mentioned brownies but as I discovered when I arrived, the brownies are gluten free but not dairy free (I think they are the OMG It's Gluten Free brand).
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| Keep walking past the marina to Luau Cove! |
So, once we were set ahead of time, it was a matter of waiting. We made our reservations a week in advance which is pretty late considering, but we were OK with that. We also booked a category 3 which are essentially the "cheap seats in the back." Note if you are using the Disney Dining Plan (DDP), the dinner show will require 2 TS credits per person for Categories 2 and 3 only. For guests not using the DDP, tickets range from $73.99 to $58.99 per person for adults and $39.99 to $29.99 for children ages 3 to 9 depending on the seating category purchased. Categories are based on seating areas in the theater. Category 1 seating is located on the main floor and lower level. It offers a premium view and is also the closest to the performers. Category 2 also offers a small amount of main floor and lower level seating (located to the right and left of the Category 1 seating area). It also offers seating on the upper level with a direct view of the main floor and stage. Category 3 offers tables on both the lower and upper level that are to the extreme right and left of the stage. None of us personally felt the need to do the category 1 or 2 (at that time only 2 was available).
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| We were in a Category 3 seating area--in the far left, close to the SoA sign on this image. |
Shows are held Tuesday through Saturday with shows at 5:15 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. Pre-payment for the dinner show is required and includes all tax and gratuity. Refunds are given if cancellations are made 48 hours before the show. We chose the 8pm show because it had a Tables in Wonderland Discount. 20% off the entire bill including tax and gratuity. For us, we had a party of 5 in a Category 3 seating area and it cost:$314.95 with tax and gratuity. With a 20% discount it is $251.96. That’s a savings of $62.99 which is the cost of 1 ticket! So, it really pays to ask about discounts. Depending on the season, you can get Annual Passholder, Disney Vacation Club or even Disney Visa Card discounts in addition to TIW. It's not a bad deal!
Another important thing to think about is the weather. If it's summer time or even winter--you'll want to check to see if they are going to cancel. They don't usually b/c the theater is covered, but still. Better to be safe than sorry. They do give you a full refund if they cancel for any reason. But then you have no reservations and that could be a tricky thing. We had rain that day but it had stopped thankfully by the time 8 pm came around.
Before you go to the show, you get your tickets from the Concierge desk. Then you check in to the show 30 minutes prior to the show and dinner starting. We ended up there around 7:40 pm. After checking in, we ducked out of any photo opportunity (they do Photopass there--you've been warned!!) and waited. Then they start seating. You have assigned seating, so there's no need to bomb rush the front of the line. We saw a lot of people doing that thinking they'd get a better seat--yeah not so much.
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| Seating area--we were all the way in the back. |
Once you get find your seat, you'll notice that they have food already set up. And at our table, I noticed that there was a special section for me. You can always tell the special section when you see those GNI rolls! I had GF tamari (San-J), a salad with honey lime dressing (hallelujah, I missed this from Ohana!!) and two GNI rolls. My family's salad was segregated in another area (they had pasta salad and slaw, etc.)
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| Mine is the plate in the front. |
The person who seated us was not our server, but they noted my allergy and explained that our server would bring the other items out. This was good. I forgot to mention that when we arrived, they actually walkie talkied the kitchen who told them I had a dietary restriction and then they stamped my ticket. Good that they check in even before you ask. But back to the food. I knew immediately that this was the true Honey Lime Dressing from Ohana. Oh how I've missed that honey lime dressing. It's seriously addicting. And yes, I have the recipe to make it at home :) I was so glad they were extra generous with it too. This meant dipping those poorly heated GNI rolls in lots of dressing. Yum!
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| Closeup of my salad, rolls, and tamari |
Our server, Manny, came out and greeted us. He then talked about my dietary needs and explained that the kitchen had it all prepared on a separate plate. He also mentioned dessert which was going to be a fruit plate b/c of the dairy issue. He also took our drink orders and off he went. I will note, I've heard a lot of people say that their server wasn't very attentive or good on refills. Ours was the bomb! Manny kept our drinks rolling in (and only my brother ordered a specialty drink and that was later in the night) and offered refills on the food, so we had a great server.In the meantime, we were busily taking pictures and hanging out while some of the intro entertainment began. Here are some of the funny gems from the meal. My mom took a lot of the pics with my iPhone and it was pretty hilarious to see some of the ones that came out.
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| This is me, trying to explain how to use the iPhone! |
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| So half of the family isn't looking! |
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| Self-portrait...err not much better! |
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| View of the stage |
So onto the main dinner! Our food came out fairly quickly, I must say. I had a plate that had plain white rice, roasted chicken on the bone, BBQ pork ribs, pulled pork, and veggies. Then I had the GF tamari to add to the rice and such.
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| My dinner plate |
As far as taste-wise, it actually wasn't bad at all! I still prefer Ohana when you get right down to it, but this really wasn't bad. I think it kind of gets a bad rap. I also know that they've changed the menu recently, so maybe things are improving for the better. The rice was actually cooked really well. Last time I had rice at Ohana it was really gummy. The veggies were also really good. They were really garlicky which is how I liked them! A little crunchier than I would have liked for my Crohn's but really good. The chicken was probably my favorite thing on the plate. It was really well cooked and super seasoned. Delicious!! I also like the pulled pork as my second favorite thing. The ribs? I could have done without those. Mine wasn't sauced like everyone else's so maybe the sauce helps, but I found them way too fatty and bland tasting. The rest of the table got those.For dessert, I got the fresh fruit plate, plus Manny brought out a sugar free fruit bar. It is sweetened with splenda though and I avoid artificial sweeteners so I shared that with the family. I personally loved the fruit though. I could eat pineapple for days and it was really ripe and delicious!! The grapes and strawberries were also good. Melon isn't my fave so I didn't really eat that much.
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| Fruit platter |
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| Not my cup of tea, but at least nice they offered an alternative! |
Once dinner is over the show begins. It's a little corny, but you expect that from Disney. It gets really cool once they start the traditional Hawaiian dancing. The best part was probably the fire dancers. And if you go at the 8pm show, it's even better because it looks really cool in the dark!!Meanwhile, my brother got himself a little coconut monkey friend that I thought I would share for those who like cocktails. If you order the Pele's Fire Punch, you can get a real honest to goodness coconut monkey!! that you get to take home!! Pretty cute, and efficient, they add a plastic cup with your drink in the monkey so he doesn't get all nasty! And I believe it doubles as a coin bank. Gotta hand it to Disney for the inventive marketing. My brother had been wanting one for a long time, so this was his opportunity at the bargain price of $18.95! My brother named is Manny in honor of our server...go figure!
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| Isn't he cute?! |
When you're done with the dinner show, if you time it right, you can go right out on the beach and watch the MK fireworks. It's an amazing spot to watch them, if you've never done it.Overall, we had a really fun time and with the discount I think it wasn't a terrible price. To have a show and a meal, it wasn't really that bad. If you can have wine to drink, you can score with the unlimited wine refills (same with beer but that really is a GF no-no, and I don't think they had Redbridge--though I may have missed it). We talked about the DDP, and I don't think any of us would have wanted to part with two credits, so that would be something to consider. The show was definitely not 100% authentic, but it wasn't bad either. It was def. a Luau Disney style, but we still loved it.As far as the allergy accommodation, I was also surprised. Not only did I get a fair amount of food, but it also was pretty good. It definitely is important to follow through and contact them ahead of time; otherwise you might not be eating much or have limited options. Also, for vegans and vegetarians, I'm not sure what options would be open, but I would hope that they could accommodate by adding in some other interesting dishes with some protein sources like tofu. If anyone has been vegan or vegetarian, I'd love to hear what you got!Overall, I'd give this an 8 out of 10! I wouldn't expect everyone to like this but for our family, we enjoyed it.Have you been to the Spirit of Aloha Dinner Show? How did it go for you?
