Today is Foodie Friday at Focused on the Magic and I would like to welcome a very special Guest Blogger! Sarah, from Gluten Free & Dairy Free at WDW is sharing with us her tips, tricks and dining review of The Spirit of Aloha at Disney's Polynesian Resort at Walt Disney World. Sarah is an amazing blogger, event planner and reviewer. Her site is a great WDW dining resource filled with valuable information so I was very excited when she agreed to share her thoughts on The Spirit of Aloha Dinner Show with us.
One of my favorite resorts for dining at Disney is the Polynesian. I
love the atmosphere and well, just everything about it! But one of my most
favorite things is the food. Ohana and Kona Cafe remain two of my hands down
favorite restaurants on property. But believe it or not, I’d never been to the
Spirit of Aloha Dinner Show. I recently went with my family and discovered what
a fun experience it was and how surprisingly good the food was too! I thought I
would give you a brief recap of my experience there, which includes some tips
and information about dining with a special diet.
For those that aren’t familiar with the Spirit of Aloha Dinner Show, it
is located in an open air theater at Luau cove at the Polynesian Resort. It
offers the sights, sounds, and tastes of Polynesia. Billed as a classic
Hawaiian luau, guests are treated to a feast of traditional island fare, as
well as authentic entertainment from various regions of Polynesia. As we found
out, this is an excellent show and not to be missed!
My visit to the Spirit of Aloha (SoA) was in June, which is a bit of a
busy time at Disney World. Normally, SoA is sold out during peak times, but we
were really lucky and were able to secure a reservation for the 8 p.m. show in
a Category 3 seating area. When you reserve dinner shows, table assignments are
given in the order in which tickets were purchased. So, it really pays to book
as early as possible in order to get the best view. Shows also frequently sell
out during both the regular and busy times of year. But, with cancellations,
you may get a last minute reservation if the show is not full. That’s
particularly true during Value Season.
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).
When we arrived at our seats, we noticed that they had 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 GNI rolls which are gluten, dairy, egg, and soy free! I had gluten free
tamari (San-J), a salad with honey lime dressing and two GNI rolls. My family's salad was segregated in another
area (they had pasta salad and slaw, etc.)
As a special diets diner, I received my own platter of food. I had
gluten free & dairy free rolls, plain white rice, gluten free soy sauce,
marinated chicken, vegetables, pulled pork and the ribs. It was definitely a
feast and very filling.
The food at SoA is plentiful! While not 100% authentic, Spirit of Aloha
definitely offers a variety of Hawaiian inspired fare--from Aloha pulled pork,
BBQ pork ribs, and Jasmine rice with nori. You won't go hungry with this
tropical feast! And don't forget the famous pineapple-coconut bread. It's
a SoA favorite! Save room for dessert. You'll want to enjoy the warm pineapple
bread pudding with caramel sauce. For children, PB&J sandwiches, hot dogs,
and macaroni and cheese are also available on a limited kids menu. As a special diets diner, I
got the fresh fruit plate, plus our server brought out a sugar free fruit bar.
Overall, guests are sure to enjoy this fun-filled Hawaiian luau. From
the food to the entertainment, there's something for everybody. It's a true
Polynesian Resort classic and and a show that you and your family are sure to
enjoy and remember for Disney trips to come. Make it a tradition or visit for a
once in a lifetime experience. We had a blast. It's definitely a new family tradition for us!
Thanks so much Sarah! What a great review! I've had SoA on my bucket list for a long time. I'm glad to know there will be special diet items we can choose from on the menu and they'll take great care of our special needs.
Have you dined at the Polynesian? What did you think?
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This post is linked up to the Favorite Food Friday Blog Hop hosted by my Disney Foodie Friend Sean at Disney Day By Day. If you didn't get here from there hop on over and find out about more fabulous Disney foods!
Thanks for stopping by. Bon Appetit!
Just another example of how Disney caters to people of all needs. It's great! Thanks for such a thorough review. We have yet to see this version of the show. Hopefully we can someday!
ReplyDeleteWow, great post Sarah, so awesome to see how Disney will go out of there way to ensure you can still experience all the magic with your family. We have been to this show and enjoyed it along with the food. Thanks so much for linking up today!
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome Sean! I love your blog hop! I cannot wait to try the SoA Dinner Show! So, did they get you to do the hoola? I think that would be hysterical!
ReplyDeleteIt is just so nice that people can visit Disney and know that their dietary needs will be taken care of. I haven't seen SoA yet either but I can't wait it sounds delicious and fun!
ReplyDeleteThe food looks amazing! I love how Disney always goes out of their way to make sure every single guest has a fabulour experience. I haven't tried SoA yet, but it's definitely on my list!
ReplyDeleteIt sounds that Disney is getting very used to having to accomodate special dietary requirements. We had to ask once about an item at a quick service and a Cast Member pulled out a 5 in binder with the ingredients of every item on the menu. It was very impressive.
ReplyDeleteWow, I'm amazed at how easy Disney makes this! Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Sean! We had a great time, and now I want to go to all the dinner shows!
ReplyDeleteWow great post Sarah and Deb! I have always known how great Disney is when it comes to accommodating special food requests and will need this for my son next year. Thanks for this information and fun post!
ReplyDeleteSuz
Great review, Sarah! We went to Spirit of Aloha last fall and really enjoyed it! Our only dietary need is no nuts, so we were able to enjoy most of their standard fare, which was delicious! We did have to trick our youngest--the one with the nut allergy, who is also a picky eater--that the mousse volcano dessert was "Hawaiin ice cream." :)
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