9 Unspoken Rules for Dining at Ohana at Disney World

If you’ve ever heard someone talk about restaurants at Disney World, you’ve probably heard “Ohana” in the conversation. But there are a few things you need to know beyond this restaurant, aside from the menu and where to find it, if you really want to dine at this popular restaurant!

While it’s true that this is certainly one of the most popular restaurants when visiting Disney World, there’s more to this place than just making a reservation here (but that’s half the battle). We’ve compiled a list of unspoken rules for dining at Ohana that you probably haven’t followed…until now!

Before we talk further about this restaurant, some of you may be wondering: “Where?” “Ohana is named after the Hawaiian word for “family” and plays a prominent role in the film Lilo and Stitch. In fact, they’re so close-knit that the breakfast food even features some of the characters from the film!

You can find this restaurant in the Great Ceremonial House of Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort, just up the stairs in the far corner. They are open for breakfast and dinner here and it has become a fan favorite restaurant as it offers all-you-care, family-style meals at both meal times.

Your waiter may call you this at the restaurant “Cousin” In keeping with Polynesian culture, you might experience a bit of live music and singing, and if you time your meal just right (and sit in the right seats), you might be able to see the nightly fireworks over the Magic Kingdom from its giant windows!

But as popular as this restaurant is, there are a few things we’ve learned over the years about eating here that no one seems to talk about. That’s why we decided to let you know some “rules” to make your dining experience here as smooth and enjoyable as possible.

Be prepared to get a little messy

The family-style menu also includes meat!

Back to the perfection of the wood fire grill

While you may feel like this is the opportunity to put on your best clothes, you may want to hold off on that meal. Due to the unique nature of cooking over an open flame, the meat is often a bit messy due to the spices and glazes used to season it. If your fingertips get a little dirty and you forget, if you’re not careful, you could end up with the same combination of sauce, spices, and grease all over your formal outfits.

Don’t think you can take home the “everything you need to enjoy it” leftovers

Although there is a chance, based on your meal time, that your waiter will be kind enough to allow you to take some of your meal home in a take-away box, these cases are currently rare.

Just like our first point, you don’t want to be that person trying to shovel greasy, spicy noodles into your bag to lug around the Disney World parks in the blazing sun. For this reason, you are offered so much food during the meal that you can eat until you are full.

Oh, and don’t worry about the leftovers – they’ll be put to good use! They are recycled and turned into fuel used in Disney World transportation, so nothing ever goes to waste.

Don’t fill up on snacks before dining here

This is definitely NOT a meal you need to prepare for. Given the high price of over $60 per adult, one would at least hope so. This family-style meal is served at your table, with as much of each offering available upon request.

If you eat all the courses before you get here, you may not eat the entire meal and end up getting sick. We recommend you try this meal on an empty stomach if you are worried about making money from it!

Get your fair share of POG juice!

This actually only applies to breakfast time, but this is one of the few restaurants in Disney World where you can order the popular POG juice (and it’s included in the price of your meal)!

Standing for a blend of pineapple, orange, and guava juice, POG has become a staple that people have been looking forward to trying for generations, and we’d wholeheartedly advocate for as much of it as possible when eating here to take.

Be cautiously optimistic when it comes to fireworks viewing seating

A good rule of thumb for any table reservation is that when you make a seating request, it is actually a request and never a guarantee. Think of it as an unexpected event.

If you want to dine here around the time the Magic Kingdom’s nightly fireworks display begins and are hoping for a window seat to see the best, then you may already be too late. To have the best chance of getting a window seat, be aware that people tend to request these seats hours before the fireworks (and in most cases wait a while) and that they intentionally delay their eating time , hoping to stay seated during the show.

We wouldn’t recommend you expect a walk here

Once again a very popular restaurant with reservations being made months in advance within minutes. If you don’t have a reservation, keep checking the My Disney Experience app and website as other people’s plans and vacations change.

If you’re actually still up for a similar experience but without a reservation, consider visiting the adjacent Tambu Lounge to try out the menu. You can often order pasta, chicken wings, and bread pudding as long as you’re willing to wait for a seat or arrive right when the lounge opens!

Make sure your opening is one of your first (if not THE first reservation you book).

This is a VERY popular Disney World restaurant during both dining times, so demand is accordingly high. Before you book your ADR (Advance Dining Reservation), you should understand how this ongoing reservation system works and how quickly you can make these reservations for your upcoming trip.

If you are staying at a Disney World hotel, you can make reservations online as early as 6:00 a.m. (EST) and at 7:00 a.m. (EST) up to 60 days prior to your check-in date for the entire trip (up to 10 days’ worth). :00 p.m. (EST) by phone. If you are staying elsewhere or visiting as a day guest, you can make these reservations up to 60 days in advance for the day you would like to dine at the same early times. However, please note that your preferred dining times may already be taken and in some cases you may find yourself dining at an extremely strange time of day.

There is an ongoing controversy over which meal time is better

Every popular Disney World restaurant has die-hard fans, and this restaurant is no exception. While public opinion of the restaurant as a whole has fluctuated in the past, there are some who remain very loyal to both the breakfast and dinner menus.

However, keep in mind that both meals are equally popular and you will most likely enjoy the menus, atmosphere and entertainment at both meal times. However, keep in mind that the characters are ONLY available for breakfast.

We’re constantly talking about how we can help you prepare and facilitate your trip to Disney World. Stay tuned with us at AllEars for the latest tips, tricks, and more!

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Are there any unspoken rules about eating at Ohana? Leave your list in the comments below!

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