Tip Tuesday: Spirit of Aloha Dinner Show

Aloha! Welcome to another Tip Tuesday!

As you can see, this week I'd like to talk about one of those special events at Walt Disney World - the Spirit of Aloha Dinner Show.

As the name suggests, the Spirit of Aloha Dinner Show is themed after a Hawaiian luau, complete with lais, Hawaiian cuisine, served family style, Polynesian dancers and the show-stopping fire dancer.

The show takes place at Luau Cove at Disney's Polynesian Resort Tuesday through Saturday nights. There are two show times each day: 5:15 and 8 p.m. The show and dinner runs around 90 minutes. There are different seating categories with different prices, ranging from $55 (category 3) to $64 (category 1) per person. I personally recommend the category 1 seating area (center, lower level) which offers the best views. Yes, it's more expensive, but the better view is well worth it.

But before we get to what you'll see, we need to talk about the food (as my good friend Lou Mongello would say).

The food is pretty good, especially if you're a fan of ribs, grilled chicken, Polynesian rice and vegetables, pineapple, salad with mango poppy seed dressing (which is really good!) and chocolate mouse volcano for dessert. Dinner is all-you-can-eat and is served family style on long, narrow platters. I found the chairs to be lower than normal, which made serving a little cumbersome, so if you plan to take in a dinner show, just be prepared to get up and down to serve you and others.

For kids, there is a limited dinner menu with hot dogs, mac-n-cheese and/or PB&J. Again, these are all-you-can eat. While we were at the Spirit of Aloha in March, I asked our server if any chicken nuggets were available (for my autistic son who is a pretty picky eater). The servers had a few orders of nuggets sent down from Captain Cooks, so parents, if you're in a jam with a picky eater, be sure to ask you server if they can make some alternate arrangements.

OK, I'm stuffed, so let's get on with the show!

And that means dancers, singers and much, much more!

Being the Spirit of Aloha, of course there will be plenty of Polynesian dancers. In fact female and male dancers perform routines representing several different Polynesian cultures including Hawaii, Samoa, Fiji, Tahiti, Tonga and more. You will appreciate splurging for the category 1 seating when you watch these excellent and amazing dances. And you never know, you just might get into the act!

But what's a luau without some fire!

The fire dancer at the end of the show is just amazing! How they do what they do with those fire sticks is unreal. This performance is worth the price of admission alone. You simply have to check this out - it's some of the most incredible sights with fire you will ever see.

One question some may ask: which seating is better? My answer to this question is that it really depends on your party. If you have kids, I would suggest the 5:15 p.m. show only because the kids won't get tired. We attended the 8 p.m. show and by around 9, I was working to keep my daughter awake so she could see the fire dancer at the end.

Personally, I like the 8 p.m. showing, especially during the summer months. At 5:15, the sun still is high in the sky and it's less like a show with controlled lighting and everything. Besides, at 5:15, it's still pretty hot outside. I don't know about you, but I have a hard time stuffing my face when it's still roasting.

Speaking of weather conditions, I do need to mention that this is an outdoor theatre. Yes, your seats are covered, but the stage is not, so the show is weather-dependent. As stated earlier, the summer heat might make a different in which show you want to see.

All-in-all, I recommend the Spirit of Aloha Dinner Show. Would I go see this show during every trip to WDW? No, probably not. It is a show that's worth catching at least once and maybe every few years. I'm not sure how often the show is updated. I won't get into the story of the show so as not to spoil it for you.

So Aloha cousins and enjoy the luau!