The SATURDAY SIX Dines at Royal Pacific’s WANTILAN LUAU

Derek Burgan September 21, 2024 0 Comments

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Growing up, I was extremely lucky that my parents and grandparents took me on theme park vacations pretty regularly. Over the years I’ve stayed at pretty much every onsite hotel and done almost everything there is to do at Walt Disney World. However, there was one item on my Disney Bucket List that I always wanted to do: the Spirit of Aloha dinner show at the Poly. I’ve been obsessed with luaus ever since I was a little kid seeing reruns of The Brady Bunch and watching them enjoy a luau in Hawaii.

Back in 2020, I said to myself, “Enough is enough, it’s time to book this show.” I had family coming down to Florida and I figured it was something we could all experience together. So, here I was on February 16th, with barely a care in the world, finally getting the reservation I had wanted for years.

One month later, on March 17th, Disney closed the entire resort for Covid-19. The Spirit of Aloha dinner show was one of the only things at WDW that never reopened after the shutdown.

After wallowing in my bitterness for more than a little while, it was time to experience that theme park luau that I always wanted to do… I just needed to go to Universal for the Wantilan Luau.

# 6 – Where? Loews Royal Pacific Resort

The Royal Pacific is one of my favorite hotels at both Universal and Disney because of it’s Polynesian theming and the incredible Wok Experience. It certainly doesn’t hurt that the hotel is also within walking distance to possibly my favorite theme park of all time: Islands of Adventure.

Loews Royal Pacific Resort. In the background you can see several attractions at Islands of Adventure. (photo by Mike Sperduto)

The Wantilan Luau is something you can experience without staying onsite at Universal. Just park your car in self parking at the front of Royal Pacific…

…and at the Luau pick up a parking validation card. In fact, this is one of the “secrets” of the Universal Orlando Resort. You can park at ANY of the onsite hotels and get your parking validated by eating in the restaurants or shopping in the gift shops. The minimum is/was $25 (I’ll confirm what the number is now and adjust the article.) This is a stark difference to my experience taking the kiddos to Disney’s Art of Animation and being turned away at the parking lot.

The self-parking lot is directly outside the front entrance of the Royal Pacific.

For me, walking the bridge to get to the Royal Pacific’s lobby is one of the best entrances to any onsite hotel at Universal or Disney.

Love that the bridge is adorned with frogs playing musical instruments.

Once you get inside the Royal Pacific, you’ll need to make your way downstairs to the Wantilan Luau area.

The Wantilan Luau is #37 on the map below, right above the red star. The #1 in the picture is the front entrance to the Royal Pacific.

You will see some signage around the hotel directing you where to go as well.

The Wantilan Luau takes place every Saturday at 6PM. If you are staying onsite, you can book reservations through the hotel. If you’re staying offsite, you can book your tickets like we did through Eventbrite. Tickets for the show are $45 for children 3-9, $99 for 10 and up, and $119 for premium seating. Price includes gratuity, there are no annual passholder discounts, and children under 3 are free.

# 5 – Check In

The main entrance and lobby for the Royal Pacific is located on the 2nd floor of the hotel, so to get to the Wantilan Luau you’ll need to make your way downstairs. You can either take the stairs or the elevators. Eventually you’ll make your way to the small check-in hut. At 5:10PM, there were very few guests in the area, but by 5:30 there was a line from this tiki hut all the way back to the main building.

I showed our digital QR code tickets to the receptionist to scan, and she provided a business card sized paper showing the party name, table number, number of guests along with important times information on the back.

The receptionist explained that we were to proceed to the left where we would receive a lei and encouraged participation of games until the dining area opened at 6pm.

# 4 – Pre-Show

Most adult guests hung out on the side while the kids enjoyed the games with a variety of performers from the luau. There was cold water available for anyone who needed it.

Wantilan Luau greeter blowing into a conch shell.

For those who have never explored the grounds of the Royal Pacific, there’s some pretty cool stuff near the area of the Luau and it is worth checking out.

# 3 – The Pavilion

At 5:55 PM they started showing/leading guests to their assigned tables. We were the first group to go in, but our table number was randomly chosen on our printed card in advance. Other than getting settled in first, the timing of when you check-in may not have been important.

Like the Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue at Fort Wilderness, there’s not really a bad seat in the house, but those with premium seating will be seated closest to the stage.

The metal chairs were a bit awkward to sit in, and they didn’t slide in and out easily, but they were comfortable. There wasn’t a lot of elbow room and we were sitting right up next to other guests on either side. The table was pre-set with metal silverware, cloth napkin, a water glass and the souvenir tiki mug provided by the premium ticket.

Aside from the closer seating, the other benefit for premium seating holders is a tiki mug that you can take home with you. Some of the tiki mugs were purple, but ours were green.

Also like Hoop-Dee-Doo, there’s a good chance each show is going to be relatively full.

“They are literally hanging from the rafters.” – Gorilla Monsoon

We already had an amazing view, but for research purposes we asked if it was possible to change seats at the table. Our server said no, stating that the seats were already assigned.

Next, it was time to head up to the buffet area!

# 2 – The Meal

Everything looked beautifully presented and it was very relaxed atmosphere. There wasn’t any wait or lines to get food even with multiple trips. Plates were located at the end of several rows.

Water, fruit punch, and Mai Tais were delivered to the table. The servers come by often and you won’t have an empty glass at the table for long, if ever.

There were also selections of beer and wine. All drinks were included with your meal.

Dining with a vegan, there’s always the concern that there won’t be much for them on the menu, but I’m happy to report that the Wantilan Luau has a wide selection for EVERYONE. Let’s check out some of the items that the vegetarians/vegans in your party can have…

Island spiced vegetable medley. Delicious. No strong flavors, but fresh tasting and the orange bits were soft and creamy.

Fruit plate with hearts of palm. Paired great with the salad.

Macadamia crusted goat cheese, with kimchi Napa cabbage and shitake mushrooms. The cheese was so creamy like cream cheese, and it had a wonderful flavor. Kimchi was very mild and did not taste overly spicy. The cheese needed something special to spread it on like a crunchy little toast.

Arby’s aint got nothing on the Wantilan Luau when it comes to Who Has The Meat…

Fire-grilled tender beef. This is something you would find in many Chinese food places, and its tasty just like it is there.

Ahi Poke Salad, with cellophane noodles and ginger-soy vinaigrette. Refreshing.

Hawaiian teriyaki chicken breast. Unfortunately kinda dry. Heartbreaking because when something is flavored “Hawaiian” I’m generally All In.

Catch of the day from Pacific waters. I’m not a fish guy and this did nothing for me. It didn’t seem like anyone at my table was that fond of it either.

Toasted coconut jasmine rice. Love this.

A little bit of this and a little bit of that.

There’s also a selection of items for kiddos and “theme park food blogs” including chicken fingers…

Uncrustables, and mac & cheese…

…and both cheese and pepperoni pizza.

Uncrustables are one of the greatest foods of all time (and even make an appearance in our Halloween Horror Nights Food Hall of Fame), so when I was a kid this meal would have been a 10/10 as it had all my favorites.

The main event for any luau worth its salt is the pit roasted suckling pig.

The pineapple jam to mix with the pork was ::chef’s kiss::

Speaking of pineapples, the star of the dessert options was the pineapple upside down cake. Very soft and moist.

The Jell-O chocolate pudding squares were chilled, smooth and creamy. Enjoyed them. Wasn’t a huge fan of the mini-pie option.

There was live music during the dinner, but the acoustics were a bit off. They also brought some of the kids from the audience upstage to dance in a pretty cute sequence. Despite the overhead fans, by this point it getting hot just sitting at the table. Welcome to Florida.

# 1 – The Show

At 7PM the host of the Luau took the stage. He had a paper list of all the birthdays and celebrations in audience. I think every single group in the audience was celebrating something, as this took a while to get through. Unfortunately, the host was reading the list like my girlfriend would read off a list of the top 100 professional wrestlers of all time. It didn’t feel personal and more like he was just trying to get through the list. There has to be a better way to do this because it seemed many in the crowd were happy even just to hear themselves being acknowledged. I would suggest the Luau send a couple more people onto the stage who can basically “cheer” or celebrate each announcement rather than have it come across like some contractually obligated segment.

AFTER THAT, the show was amazing. I mean truly wonderful. This was exactly what I always dreamed the Spirit of Aloha would be like to see in person. It was about an hour long, had multiple segments, and very interactive as several times they brought guests on stage. Again, like Hoop-Dee-Doo, this was a total blast to watch from the audience. The fire dancer was saved for the finale, when it was darker outside, and this part was AWESOME.

Time for the main event of the evening…

Blow the conch, the fire dancer is straight up E-Ticket!

At the end of the show, there were photo opportunities with the performers. They were incredibly sweet and friendly posing in pictures for guests. It wasn’t a long line either. Guests weren’t rushed.

OVERALL THOUGHTS: The performers at the Wantilan Luau were absolutely incredible and worth going out of your way to experience. I had some pretty high expectations of what a luau show “should” be, and this delivered in a major way. The food options won’t blow you away, but the food is good (with some true highlights) and there is definitely something for everyone in the family. We’re also getting to a time in Florida when the nighttime weather makes the show more comfortable for the audience.

So there you have it: The WANTILAN LUAU at Loews Royal Pacific Resort! See you next weekend for the latest installment of the SATURDAY SIX, where we’ll look at something fun from the world of Disney and Universal. If you enjoyed yourself, be sure to check out the THEME PARK ENJOYMENT INDEX, giving a monthly recap of all the theme park news you need to know (and a lot more you don’t need to know, but we’re gonna tell you anyway). You can also follow Your Humble Author on Twitter (@derekburgan).

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Special Thanks to The Elite Brandon Glover, Digital Maestro Scott Walker, the bio-est of all reconstructs @bioreconstruct, Captain Cruiseline Scott Sanders of the world famous Disney Cruise Line Blog, my personal protege Hunter “Elvey” Underwood, artist @SonderQuest, the mighty maven of merchandise Hedgehog’s Corner, the SAT SIX Fun Squad of Parkscope Joe and “the Dadalorian” Nick, hot shot Michael Carelli, charter member of the Universal Four @Nitro230, the permit princess Alicia Stella, master cartographer Tommy Hawkins, and Hermione Granger’s tutor Megan Stump for their invaluable assistance with this article. Absolutely no help was added by SeaWorld Influencer @SuperWeenieHtJr. The SAT SIX is inspired each week by goofballs Aengus Mackenzie and LitemAndHyde and you Potterheads will enjoy Meg’s other blog work over at the Central Florida Slug Club.