See You at Ohana!

To any who know me it’s fairly obvious of where I rank good food on the hierarchy of important things. For those of you who don’t know me, well it’s pretty high up there. I love food. I can plan my entire week around good food. So it should come to no surprise that I am very big on Disney dining. It is one of my favorite things about planning our Disney trips (also the same as baseball stadiums but that’s another blog in itself.). I try to mix in my favorites while always trying to catch something new.

Typically when you think of theme park food (which is what people who have never done Disney think about when I say this) you think the same one overpriced hamburgers and hot dogs. Now I’m not knocking hot dogs one bit, in fact, Casey’s Corner on Main Street is the best hot dog that I have ever eaten. But I bring you here today not to talk about hot dogs. I brought you here to talk about one of my favorite dining spots on all of Disney property. Now I could have gone with a lot of different restaurants because I have a lot of favorites (I told you. Food is important) but I narrowed my Disney food craving down to the right sweet spot and arrived and Ohana at Disney’s Polynesian Resort.

Ohana is one of my favorites for several reasons. First off the food is amazing. Ohana is a family-style dining option which I love because it’s honestly it’s just one less thing think about. Basically, you sit down they take your drink orders and the magic of Hawaiian cuisine begins. Just stop right there and take a moment to soak in the atmosphere to the fullest. Everything about this restaurant screams Hawaii. From the ever expansive decor, the music, and the overall tranquility you suddenly feel transported by the tone and mood of Ohana. If I wasn’t so scared of drowning this place would seriously make me want to take up surf lessons. But this is a food blog so let’s get back to the food.

Once seated your table’s meal is prepared. You are kinda hit with this meal in waves so pace yourself as your table is adorned with pineapple bread, sweet & sour chicken skewers, grilled shrimp, and steak as well as amazing dumplings, stir-fried vegetables, lo-mein, and salad followed by ice cream and bread pudding. When I tell you that every single piece of this meal is absolute amazing please believe me. And the best part of this fantastic feast is that it is an (as Disney calls it) “all you care to enjoy Polynesian-style cuisine”. Now I usually bring my appetite but have yet to even make a dent in what they provide.

         It is a ton of delicious food accompanied by a highly talented Disney cast member absolutely owning the ukulele. There has been more than one time that I have had to stop eating to really take in how talented these cast members really are. But this all plays into the ambiance of what I really love about the Polynesian Resort as well as Ohana. I’ve been to Hawaii and I’ll tell you that this place is very close in terms of capturing the beautiful Hawaiian culture. Throw in storytelling and games for the kids this is always a must do for us when it comes to dinner. The kids have the best time with the coconut races and my absolute favorite part of this restaurant.

We always try to get a late reservation at Ohana because of its location. The Polynesian Resort is beautifully located across the Seven Seas Lagoon from the Magic Kingdom giving you a prime viewing spot for the Magic Kingdom fireworks show “Happily Ever After” if you can time it right.

Great food, amazing atmosphere, and magical views. With all that it’s no wonder with all that why this is one of my favorite dining spots on all of Disney property. And as you can tell this is not going to be your typical dining experience but to me, that is what makes it so great. I can get pasta anywhere, what I can’t get is Ohana.

If you are under 21 this blog appears to be over. I hope you enjoyed the ride and please exit to the left. If you are over 21, OH MY GOD! Ohana, as well as the Polynesian Resort, as some of the best drinks on the planet. This is one of those places that you can enjoy an amazing adult beverage in a pineapple or coconut which just adds to the allure of this place. Maybe you a fan of the Dole Whip because let’s be honest who isn’t? Well here at the Polynesian you can get Dole Whip enhanced with rum which let’s face it makes everything better.

After dinner, I highly recommend heading downstairs to Trader Sam’s. Think Disney does tiki bar and you got it. Trader Sam’s is a riot and the drinks are hands down amazing with each their own unique classes to boot. Just imagine for a second drinking some coconut/pineapple/other fruit/rum drink to of glass shaped like Kraken. Always a fun time at Trader Sam’s and the Polynesian. So if you stayed with us til the end, first off THANK YOU, and more importantly, SEE YOU AT OHANA!!!!

If you are ready to experience Ohana on your next Disney Vacation, we can help you with that. Contact us today! We would love to hear your experiences at Ohana, and also any restaurants you would like a review on, comment below or let us know on facebook.