Over the weekend, my in-laws celebrated their 40th anniversary. Seeing as though they really enjoy Disney, we got the family together at Disney’s Hollywood Studios (formerly known as MGM). Here’s my review of the day at DHS and subsequent dinner at Ohana (the restaurant inside the Polynesian Resort).
We started off the day a little later than normal, arriving at the park at 11 AM. We figured that it is the middle of February, so there won’t be too many people hanging around. When we pulled into the parking lot, I was a bit surprised that we parked so far away that using the tram was necessary (usually at DHS [and Epcot] the tram isn’t very useful).
After the tram drops us off at the front gate, we realize that there is some sort of cheerleading competition taking place at the park over the weekend. Now the parking lot congestion makes a bit of sense. All these families and cheerleaders are taking up all the spots.
After entering the park, we make the decision to go to the Indiana Jones Stunt show first. It’s nothing spectacular but it is worth watching occasionally. Anyway, the time guide for DHS informed us that a show should be starting up at 11:20 AM. So, we could walk right in and watch the show. Once we got to the theater, though, we learned that this is where the cheerleading competition was being held. There were no shows of Indiana Jones for the day.
Next up, we stopped by Star Tours. It’s a decent ride but horribly outdated. Anyway, we get in line. The unusual thing for today being that the line actually went out into the Ewok Village. I can’t recall another time the line was this long (except for Star Wars Weekends, naturally). It seems that the cheerleaders not only are competing but also riding the rides.
After Star Tours, we grab some lunch (by the way roast beef sandwiches with horseradish is one of the greatest lunches). After lunch we go to get fast passes at the two big DHS attractions (Rock’n Roller Coaster and Tower of Terror). The RnRC’s fast pass return time is at 5 Pm, and we have dinner reservations at 5:15. So, that ride is out of the question (the stand-by wait time was 90 minutes). Tower of Terror was a little bit nicer with a 3 PM fast pass return.
After the fast passes, we head off to Lights, Motors, Action: Stunt Show. I’ve seen it a couple of times before. It’s pretty cool the first time but each time after that it is fun but runs a bit too long.
Next on the agenda is the Great Movie Ride. When we got to the entrance, we find out that they have closed the ride for whatever reason. So, we stand around playing hula hoop and looking at the different celebrities foot/hand prints.
Next, we hit up the Tower of Terror. It was as fun as always. One of the truly must see attractions at all of Disney World. Then we head out to Ohana.
My overall DHS experience wasn’t too hot yesterday. It was too busy because of annoying cheerleaders. Two of the parks attractions were closed (Indiana Jones and Great Movie Ride). The back road was closed off as they work on constructing Toy Story Mania. Due to the increased number of people and the decreased number of attractions, rides had longer waits than they should have (90 minutes for RnRC, Star Tours line out into Ewok village). It is obvious that DHS needs to finish Toy Story Mania very soon. As it stands right now, there isn’t too much to do and there tends to be overcrowding.
Anyway, continuing the journey, we next went to Ohana Grill. It is a Hawaiian themed restaurant. It is set-up in an all you care to eat style. First they bring the bread to the table. The bread is an interesting pineapple and coconut flavor. After getting your drinks, the waiter brings out a salad. The salad is okay, but the dressing has a weird after taste (kind of like red onions). Shortly after the salad, the table gets a barrage of side dishes. The ones they brought to us were; dumpings (like mini eggrolls), potatoes (scalloped, I think), broccoli and snap peas (they had too much ginger flavoring for my taste), and chicken wings. If I stopped there, it would probably be considered a pretty good meal, but they continue to the main meal. They bring out long skewers with various grilled meats on them. First up they brought out the turkey. The piece I had was a bit too burnt, so it was nothing special. Next they brought out the pork and steak skewers. I couldn’t really tell the difference between the pork and the turkey. The steak was a bit tough. The last set of skewers was full of shrimp. This was bit far the highlight of the meal for me. The shrimp had a slightly spicy, somewhat sweet flavor to them. They were really delicious. Before I knew it I had eaten a dozen of them (by the way, when I make shrimp at home I eat about a dozen of them, a couple of sides, and that is dinner. So, I’m way overeating at Ohana). Next they bring over the anniversary cake as well as Ohana’s own dessert. I have a bit of each. It was pretty insane.
Overall, Ohana is a decent meal. Some of the courses weren’t to my liking, but the shrimp and a couple of the sides more than make up for it. I wouldn’t say it is my favorite Disney restaurant, but it is a solid place to eat if you are looking for a little fancier fare than say Disney Dogs or Hamburgers.
Posted by Mikey 
