Credit: DisneyAs low crowds cause advanced dining reservations to appear more frequently, many Guests are taking the opportunity to test out popular Walt Disney World Resort restaurants. From character dining to luxe personalized meals, there’s a Table Service meal for every family!
Related: You Can Order Chicken Nugget Sushi at Disney’s Kona Cafe!
But those planning to test out ‘Ohana at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort might want to make separate reservations. The deluxe/Disney Vacation Club (DVC) Resort hotel, located on the Magic Kingdom Monorail line, is known for its tropical amenities and relaxing environment. Guests often traveled from other Resort hotels to experience ‘Ohana dinner and the Best Friends Character Breakfast.
Once one of the most beloved family-style restaurants on Walt Disney World Resort property, known for its pork dumplings and delectable shrimp, Guests allege severely reduced benefits at ‘Ohana. Some say it “sucks.” So what’s changed?
What is ‘Ohana?
‘Ohana opened at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort in 1995, years before Walt Disney Animation Studios’ Lilo & Stitch (2002) popularized the term. The restaurant’s name reflects the importance of families in Hawaiian culture and the family-style service.
“Ohana means family, and family means nobody is left behind or forgotten.”
“Start your day with a bountiful breakfast or sit down to a Polynesian-themed dinner—both served family-style,” Walt Disney World Resort’s official website states. “ʻOhana offers 2 distinct dining experiences: Best Friends Breakfast featuring Lilo & Stitch [and] an all-you-care-to-enjoy dinner featuring Hawaiian-flavored specialties, including our legendary ʻOhana Noodles (Characters do not appear at dinner).”
Best Friends Breakfast featuring Lilo & Stitch
Greet your favorite fuzzy alien, his human friend, Mickey Mouse, and Pluto before your day at Magic Kingdom Park!
“Lilo and Stitch, along with other friends, invite you and your ʻohana to an American breakfast influenced by Polynesian flavors,” Disney writes. “Feast family-style as Disney Friends visit with Guests, sign autographs and pose for photos. Breakfast selections include scrambled eggs, breakfast potatoes, Stitch and Mickey waffles, ham with pineapple, a variety of fresh fruits and assorted breads.”
‘Ohana and Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon Water Park are the only places on property to meet Lilo!
Dinner with Hawaiian Hospitality
Relax after a long day with a family-style dinner… but come hungry!
“Enjoy an evening of Hawaiian-flavored specialties, music and fun,” the Walt Disney World restaurant description reads. “Unwind in a dining room brimming with tikis and tropical greenery as you savor delicious dishes like grilled teriyaki beef, spicy peel-n-eat shrimp, grilled chicken and ʻOhana Noodles. Plus, you can satisfy your sweet tooth with pineapple coconut bread pudding and vanilla ice cream. It’s a tantalizing taste of the South Pacific!”
‘Ohana’s Food
Once beloved for delicious noodles, meat options, bread pudding, pork dumplings, and more, Guests say ‘Ohana no longer satisfies their hunger. Though they indeed left full, hundreds of Guests didn’t feel their meal was worth $60 per adult.
“I’m not a picky eater at all and I couldn’t even eat it, the saltiest meal I’ve ever had I have no idea what happened there,” Reddit user u/lilymarbles said.
“The noodles were sweet and heavy to the point where they weren’t pleasant,” u/Tweezus96 recalled. “The steak was med-well to well done, and the chicken was fine but nothing spectacular… $260 for three people. I would give it a 4/10.”
“Ohana means family, and family means rubber steak at ridiculous prices,” u/softballgirl931 quipped.
Some fans long for the pre-COVID days, when Disney Cast Members served Guests meat freshly off skewers.
“Without servers walking around with fresh cooked meat on skewers, Ohana isn’t Ohana,” u/asha1985 commented, receiving hundreds of upvotes.
Others expressed concern about food waste.
“The dinner service is wasteful and over portioned,” said u/Zentraedi. “We got way too much food and had no choice but to let it go to waste. I wish there was an option to let them know how hungry your group is, we would have taken half of what they brought us.”
The Service at ‘Ohana
Most Disney Cast Members work hard to please Guests and receive few benefits in return for their employment. Though Disney Parks fans overwhelmingly sympathize with overworked and underpaid employees, Guests say service at ‘Ohana is unacceptable.
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“They expedite service but not [in] a good way,” u/urbangentleman wrote. “People say breakfast is where it’s at but it’s the same basic fixings but with Stitch and Mickey. Yay?? Vastly overrated.”
“The one and only time we ate there we were rushed through our meal and it left a bad taste in my mouth,” u/FoggySnorkel agreed. “The food was okay but we just felt completely unwanted and a burden.”
On the bright side, Guests say that Walt Disney World Resort is receptive to hearing negative ‘Ohana feedback.
“I emailed Disney a month or so after my last trip to let them know how disappointing the Ohana experience was,” u/ColonelBungle said. “We had been there 7 times over the years and this last time was like going to a bad Applebee’s. They refunded it entirely without me even asking.”
Have you eaten at ‘Ohana since 2020? Share your experience with Inside the Magic in the comments.
Please note that the story outlined in this article is based on personal Disney Parks Guest experiences. No two Guest experiences are alike, and this article does not necessarily align with Inside the Magic’s personal views on Disney Park operations.