Dining located in Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort
Ohana at the Polynesian resort is top on my top list of Disney table service restaurants. This location is not without its flaws, which I’ll highlight at the end. This review covers the dinner service.
All the staff was friendly, and I didn’t get a weird feeling eating there as a single person. When on Disney property, there are a lot of families and couples. The smallest table size is plated for three guests, when you arrive at your table, the greeter will remove the unused plates and utensils. The food is served family style, so you risk over eating and not saving room for dessert. If you would like to try the food but without the full dine experience, a majority of the food can be ordered at the nearby bar with no reservation requirement for those last moment plans.
The positives:
It’s true what they say about location! The restaurant is on the second floor with cinderella’s castle in the distant background across the lake. During the dinner, a musician will play Polynesian style music and provide some light entertainment for the kids. This is an all-you-care-to-eat style with all the food being brought to your table. The open cooking area allows you to watch as the beef, chicken, and shrimp are cooked, proving a delightful smell but a potential for some mild smoke. If you have ever been to a Brazilian steakhouse, you will notice some similarity in the serving style. The meats are bought to you about midway through your meal to your table. I also would like to give a shout out to those noodles and pot stickers, truly the part of the meal that look forward to the most.
The negatives:
So here is that part where you find out about it now you don’t don’t feel stressed later. You will be seated later than your dining reservation. Ohana is popular and guests may take their time leaving you which means you end up waiting longer. Give yourself some flexible plans after so you don’t have to feel stressed about ‘getting to the next place’. Also, I always come out very full and don’t feel like doing much anyway after eating!
The time to get drinks from the bar can vary, if you know you are going to order multiple drinks, I would suggest to put the drink reorders early so you never run dry!
Ordering food to take as a doggy bag/ to-go is not allowed.
Your Turn:
How was your experience going to Ohana?