Playing with Fire--Spirit of Aloha at Disney Polynesian Resort

Saying there are options when vacationing at Walt Disneyworld in Orlando, FL is a serious understatement. There are plethora of choices throughout the parks including parades, characters, exhibits and fireworks.

But one person's "Disney must-see" can be inadvertently overlooked by another. For years our family opted to go to the Hoop-De-Doo Musical Review as a special treat. Dinner and a show...fabulous dinner at that with Ribs, Chicken, Corn on the Cob...all you can eat family favorites and a very entertaining family venue in Disney's Fort Wilderness & Campgrounds.

It is a fun filled night but after seeing it a few times, we thought we would venture outside of the Polynesian to see that dinner show instead. For several trips our favorite Polynesian Resort restaurant was inside at Ohana but once we tried the Spirit of Aloha we were hooked. While the dancing is fun to watch and the food is not just tasty, it is awesome, the big thrill of the show is the fire dancers. They want everyone to remain seated during these performances and for good reason. They are playing with fire! Amazing tricks that I would expect to see only at a luau in Hawaii.

If you are on the Disney Dining Plan, you are in luck! The Spirit of Aloha show is an option on the plan if you use 2 table services. The dinner and show are included and as a bonus, your tip is included as well! This is only one of a very few restaurants where you will not have to tip separately on the Disney Dining plan. And if you think you might work up a thirst watching the dancing, enjoy a beer or glass of wine as that is also included in the price of the ticket.

The food is as good as Hoop de Doo...we still have awesome chicken and ribs but the pineapple bread fantastic! Be careful not to fill up on the bread appetizer or you won't have room for the chocolate volcano dessert! Yum!

Copyright 2011 Magical Mouse Tales

Can't Miss DisneyWorld Family Favorite Restaurants (And a Few to Skip Next Trip!)

We are well into the midst of planning for our seventh family vacation to Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida and of course that means making reservations for our favorite, can't miss WDW restaurants. After reviewing my earlier Can't Miss Disneyworld Restaurant article, I knew it was time for an update.


As noted in previous posts, we are big fans of the Disney Dining Plan. Often we upgrade to the Deluxe Dining Plan so we have three meal credits every day. This way we can go to the Aloha show AND Hoop De Doo without having to choose between the ribs and the pineapple bread. It is perfect because we don’t have to worry about the bill no matter which restaurant or menu items we select. If someone, or everyone, chooses to eat steak at Le Cellier, we don’t have to be concerned about living on bologna sandwiches and chips for the rest of our vacation
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At Disney World there are lots of great places to eat but only a few make our family's "must go to" list year after year. Here are the ones that make the cut and a few that didn't measure up.

Our Family's THREE Can’t Miss Disneyworld Restaurants:

1. Teppan Edo/Japan Pavilion Epcot (Entertaining Chef and AWESOME food!)
2. The Garden Grill/Epcot (The catfish is great and the characters make it FUN!)
3. 50’s Prime Time Café/Hollywood Studios (Great food but clean your plate or it could be fed to you!)
   
4. Aloha Dinner Show/Polynesian Resort (Fire dancers are astounding and the pineapple bread was a treat!)

Also worth noting:

• Hoop de doo Revue/Fort Wilderness Campground (Great food and awesome show!)
• Tony's Town Square/Magic Kingdom (Best Italian food at WDW!)

• Le Cellier/Epcot (Great place to have lunch but not worth 2 dinner credits in our book. We love the moose mousse dessert!)

Skipping next trip:

1. Chef Mickey’s/Contemporary Resort (Fun for kids, but our family remains unimpressed with the food and atmosphere.)
   
2. Mama Melrose’s/Hollywood Studios (Service and food were just okay...worth going if you get Fantasmic Priority seats.)
   
3. Tusker House/Animal Kingdom (We used to love this buffet for breakfast but found that the Cape May buffet at the Beach Club Resort was MUCH better!)

Copyright 2011 Magical Mouse Tales

Disney Dining Plan—Is it Worth It? You Bet YOUR Mouse-ears It Is!

Our first visit to WDW in the early 1990’s, we were on our honeymoon and we didn’t think ahead to what we might want to eat during our trip. We stayed offsite in a hotel with a fridge and a continental breakfast that consisted of a donut & glass of cheap (not fresh) OJ. Yeah, kind of disappointing since we were paying over $100/night and visiting Florida...the state full of sunshine and fresh oranges! To add insult to injury, we were bombarded with fabulous food choices all around the world from Magic Kingdom to Epcot; but oh, those prices. We just didn’t plan ahead.

When we took our boys for their first trip to see Mickey Mouse, we weren’t about to make the same mistake again. We stayed on site at the All Star Sports Resort and had a package that included 3 meals and 2 snacks for each of us in the family everyday. We economized on the hotel and splurged on the dining plan. It was fabulous! We were able to take our boys to several character breakfasts, lunches and/or dinners. We experienced FRESH squeezed orange juice on several occasions. There were even credits leftover at the end of the trip that we were able to use for souvenirs. Sadly, the souvenir option has been discontinued but after a decade of using the dining plan, our family remains sold!

In fact, we often upgrade to the Disney Deluxe Dining Plan so we can use two table services for the fabulous dinner theater shows; Hoop de Doo Review and Spirit of Aloha Luau. Last year, our family experienced dining in Cinderella’s Castle at the Royal Table with all the princesses…and even though my kids are teenaged boys they enjoyed both the food and atmosphere (i.e. beautiful princesses).

It works for us because we don’t have to say “no” to a Mickey-shaped ice cream treat or chance to eat dinner at Chef Mickey’s. Yes, it is a bit of “food overload” at times. We always seem to have a few extra dining credits at the end of our vacation, which do expire at the end of the trip. Yet, we still come out several hundreds of dollars ahead on the food.

The key is planning ahead…6 months ahead to be exact. It is much easier now with the online reservation option…but I still call in as talking one-on-one with a cast member can give insight into the best dining options. Have your dining reservations in place well in advance is essential to get the most from the Disney Dining Plan as the best dining venues in WDW fill quickly!

Copyright 2011 MagicalMouseTales