We went to the Polynesian Resort on Thursday evening (August 12, 2010) for the 5:30 pm Luau show. I made the reservations 5 months ago, but we were worried after reading such bad reviews here. Well, we had a wonderful time and would recommend it to anyone.
As with any dinner show, they take your picture when you get there and try to sell it to you later. We declined.
When you arrive, you get a lei and your picture taken, and then you head down the path to the garden waiting area. When it is time to be seated, they have servers guide everyone to their table. It was a very quick process.
We had a front-row seat, and were very close to the stage. I was very worried about the heat, but it was quiet pleasant.
On our table was a pitcher of ice water, a plate with a delicious salad with Mango Poppy seed dressing, a loaf of Cuban bread, and a fresh pineapple that had been cut up. We devoured the tray and asked for more! By that time, they took our drink orders and began to bring out our food. The ribs were good, but the chicken was fabulous! The rice and veggies were also good, and we had a second plate of the ribs and the rice. The dessert was delicious, but hard to explain the "chocolate volcano." Kind of like a mousse/ pudding on a cake base.
The drinks were plentiful, and my wife and I chose beer. I never had an empty glass the entire evening, and felt that I got my money's worth.
The show was fun, and the dancers were incredibly talented. The costumes were beautiful! The theme of the show is that "Auntie" is going to provide an authentic Luau for her niece who is going away to college on the mainland. The niece's friends (the dancers) help to put on the show. There is also a nephew who helps to MC and provide some comic relief.
The dancing isn't all Hawaiian. Instead, they do native dances from several South Pacific countries. The costumes are beautiful, and each dance is well performed. We were extremely impressed. As everyone points out, the end of the show with the fire twirler is the best part. Not only was he very talented, but he interacted really well with the crowd. He received a standing ovation.
The dinner show was very expensive. It was $28 per person (regardless of age), and they added a $60 gratuity to our bill. So, the total was $238.96 for the four of us. We paid in advance 5 months ago, so it wasn't a surprise. The only surprise was to see it how much the gratuity was when the bill was broken down. I can only assume that it was split with the performers.
In summary, we really enjoyed the food and the performance. Ultimately, we felt it was worth the money. It was our only "big" meal, and we did the Luau instead of a character meal on this trip. We would recommend the show and dinner to anyone who asked, and we would certainly go see it again.
