Late Night Ohana ADR Questions

Araminta18

DIS Veteran
Joined
Mar 11, 2016
I have an 8:30pm ADR at Ohana for my husband and me on Wed Sept 19th. It's our first time at Ohana (heck, it's our first time visiting the Poly!), and I have a couple questions for all you experts :)

  • I know Ohana closes at 10, and there's been some mixed reviews of Ohana lately--I guess I'm vaguely worried about the freshness of the food if we don't get seated/start eating until 9:00pm ish? Am I just being anxious? I fully admit this may be a crazy thought :)
  • Fireworks that night are at 8:00 pm; is there a place to watch the fireworks from the Poly before we check in? I feel like I've seen people mention this, but I'm so unfamiliar with the Poly that I'm not sure where might be a good place
  • MK closes at 10 pm that night; if we don't finish dinner til after 10, how do we get back to the Boardwalk (we're staying there)? Still go back to the MK and catch a bus back to the Boardwalk?

Thank you for the help!!
 
I have an 8:30pm ADR at Ohana for my husband and me on Wed Sept 19th. It's our first time at Ohana (heck, it's our first time visiting the Poly!), and I have a couple questions for all you experts :)

  • I know Ohana closes at 10, and there's been some mixed reviews of Ohana lately--I guess I'm vaguely worried about the freshness of the food if we don't get seated/start eating until 9:00pm ish? Am I just being anxious? I fully admit this may be a crazy thought :)
  • Fireworks that night are at 8:00 pm; is there a place to watch the fireworks from the Poly before we check in? I feel like I've seen people mention this, but I'm so unfamiliar with the Poly that I'm not sure where might be a good place
  • MK closes at 10 pm that night; if we don't finish dinner til after 10, how do we get back to the Boardwalk (we're staying there)? Still go back to the MK and catch a bus back to the Boardwalk?
Thank you for the help!!


You will love the Poly and Ohana! I wouldn't worry about the freshness of the food. It is family style, not buffet, so the food is fresh for every table. Plus, I've seen them make reservations as late as 9:50 pm, so you should be fine.

Head for the beach for the fireworks. The Poly is directly across the lake from MK so you will have an excellent view.

As for transportation, this can get a little tricky. You could try to go to MK and grab a bus back to Boardwalk ... if the busses are still running. They will probably run through 11 pm if MK closes at 10 pm, but you may want to check on that. Otherwise, your options from the Poly back to Boardwalk are to take a bus to Disney Springs, then grab the bus to Boardwalk. Or you could call a cab or Uber. We found this out the hard way our last trip. I had no idea they stopped using the Transportation Center (next door) as another bus hub. :faint:

Hope you have a great trip! :thumbsup2
 
We have often had 8:30/8:45 ADRs at Ohana, and it’s never been a problem. Most of the menu items cook quickly so they’ll make it fresh for you. Trust me—there will be plenty of people eating then.

You can see the fireworks from the beach at the Polynesian. I have also seen posts that people watch them from the Tiki bar. For that matter, you can see them from the Tambu Lounge next to Ohana.

The buses should run at least an hour after the MK is closed. While that should give you plenty of time, if you’re seated late and prefer not to take a taxi or Uber, you can also take the bus from the Polynesian to Disney Springs and transfer to a Boardwalk bus there.

Have fun! Ohana is my family’s favorite Disney restaurant. Hope you and yours enjoy it as much as we do. :)
 
On September 19, MK has extra magic hours until midnight so return transportation won't be an issue. (That is our actual 20th anniversary and we will be at MK that night :) )
 


We'll be eating in the restaurant for the first time in July and will give a review after our return.
Eaten the same food via room service but expect the experience to differ somewhat at the actual eatery:).
Oh and our ressie is for 9:45 PM and I'm good for it.
 
You will love the Poly and Ohana! I wouldn't worry about the freshness of the food. It is family style, not buffet, so the food is fresh for every table. Plus, I've seen them make reservations as late as 9:50 pm, so you should be fine.

Head for the beach for the fireworks. The Poly is directly across the lake from MK so you will have an excellent view.

As for transportation, this can get a little tricky. You could try to go to MK and grab a bus back to Boardwalk ... if the busses are still running. They will probably run through 11 pm if MK closes at 10 pm, but you may want to check on that. Otherwise, your options from the Poly back to Boardwalk are to take a bus to Disney Springs, then grab the bus to Boardwalk. Or you could call a cab or Uber. We found this out the hard way our last trip. I had no idea they stopped using the Transportation Center (next door) as another bus hub. :faint:

Hope you have a great trip! :thumbsup2

Ooh, I didn't even think of Disney Springs--good idea! Thank you! And thanks for the reassurance :)

We have often had 8:30/8:45 ADRs at Ohana, and it’s never been a problem. Most of the menu items cook quickly so they’ll make it fresh for you. Trust me—there will be plenty of people eating then.

You can see the fireworks from the beach at the Polynesian. I have also seen posts that people watch them from the Tiki bar. For that matter, you can see them from the Tambu Lounge next to Ohana.

The buses should run at least an hour after the MK is closed. While that should give you plenty of time, if you’re seated late and prefer not to take a taxi or Uber, you can also take the bus from the Polynesian to Disney Springs and transfer to a Boardwalk bus there.

Have fun! Ohana is my family’s favorite Disney restaurant. Hope you and yours enjoy it as much as we do. :)

Oh good, sounds like lots of options for fireworks watching. And thanks! I'm very excited to eat there :)

On September 19, MK has extra magic hours until midnight so return transportation won't be an issue. (That is our actual 20th anniversary and we will be at MK that night :) )

According to the calendar right now, the EMH only go til 10 pm. Midnight will be pretty late for a night in September, but that would be awesome!

We'll be eating in the restaurant for the first time in July and will give a review after our return.
Eaten the same food via room service but expect the experience to differ somewhat at the actual eatery:).
Oh and our ressie is for 9:45 PM and I'm good for it.

Ooh, looking forward to your review! :)
 
Hmm, that is what I have in my notes. Maybe it has changed. Even so, I doubt transportation is going to be an issue. We have waited until Kiss Goodnight at MK and buses were still running until every last person has left MK which was well past an hour after closing, more like two hours. Also, I have been many times in the fall - every year since 2006, except last year we had to go in late August - EMH until midnight hasn't been unusual at all, although i realize we are in a time of Disney cutbacks so nothing would surprise me.
 



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