Spirit of Aloha vs. Hoop Dee Doo

[Doopey1]

I'm finishing out the last few details of my family's big November trip. I'd like to do one of the big dinner shows, but I'm wondering which one is more highly recommended. I recall doing both some 20+ years ago when I was a kid, but I don't remember much about them. I have 3 kids myself now, ages 6, 4, and 2, and I want them to enjoy it too.

I'm leaning towards Hoop Dee Doo, but I can be persuaded either way. Thanks in advance for any feedback.

[nbodyhome]

Hoop De Doo, if it's available. (November is pretty close, you may not find much availability). Definitely call ASAP!

[mikeland]

I've never done the Spirit of Aloha show, but I LOVED Hoop Dee Doo.

[BrerBrian]

My Wife and I loved the Spirit of Aloha!

[sealsm]

Hoop Dee Doo rocks. I first saw the show when I was 4 and remember having a blast. I think your kids will enjoy it. Just like nbodyhome said, call today and get a spot.

[Risa]

Hoop Dee Doo is so much fun! Try to book it!!

[Risa]

The Spirit of Aloha is also a beautiful (and tasty) dinner.

Since your kids are on the young side, I would go for Hoop Dee Doo.

[Doopey1]

Thanks to everyone who responded.

I got a 9:30 seating for Hoop Dee Doo, but they told me with the Dining Plan I can only get Category 2 seating, not Category 1. Does that sound right?

[mikeland]

Thanks to everyone who responded.

I got a 9:30 seating for Hoop Dee Doo, but they told me with the Dining Plan I can only get Category 2 seating, not Category 1. Does that sound right?

Sounds good to me. You should do fine with a Category 2 seat, as long as you're not way in the back. Have a great time!

[Doopey1]

I did some online searching and discovered that DDP should be able to get Category 1 for 9:30 shows, so I called back and asked them to change it. Time consuming but they were friendly about it. I've always had good experiences with the Disney Dining folks (and I've spent alot of time on the phone with them the last couple of months).

[Sweetie]

You made the right call. I like Aloha, but Hoop Dee Doo is amazing!

[DisDancer]

Hey y'all! This is my first post here, althought I have spent WAAAAY too much time on other Disneyphile boards.
Based on the same info you got, Doopey, I tried to call Dining today to switch my 9:30 DDP Cat 3 seats next week to Cat 1 and was told that was not an option-- period (and yes, there were Cat 1 seats available if I wanted to pay OOP). Of course there is NOTHING on the official WDW site. So-- may I ask,-- how exactly did your conversation go? Any tips for me for when I call back tomorrow? They just gave me the usual line about UNOFFICIAL boards being unreliable, yada yada....

TIA!
Dancin' my way to Disney

[Doopey1]

It is apparently a change in policy that occurred very recently. The first time I called and made the original reservation they knew nothing about it. When I called back and asked them to change it, the person I talked to said it was a new change so the first person probably wasn't aware of it. If the person you get connected to doesn't know about it, I would just politely ask them to check with a supervisor, or just try to call back and get a different DDP rep.

Good luck!!

[frdeb1999]

We have done both. And I can honestly say that we all love HDD alot more. Spirit of Aloha was wonderful also. But HDD was just alot more fun overall. And the food was fantastic along with the service!!

[seenoevil]

This thread got me excited to try and make reservations for Hoop Dee Doo for my trip in December. I'm going with a big group and was able to get Cat. 1 at 7:15. Yay! Here's the part I didn't realize 'cuz I didn't read all the info on the website. I had to pre pay the whole thing! That was going to be around $600, so I had to forget about it. *sad*