REVIEW: We’ve Got Mixed Feelings About This Popular Dinner Show at a Disney World Hotel

There are hundreds of places to eat in Disney World, but very few of them offer dinner and a show. No, we’re not talking about character dining, though we love those too — we’re talking about an ACTUAL show.

Here at AllEars, we know all the ins and outs of Disney restaurants — including where you should definitely eat, and where you should skip. If you’ve been searching for a dining experience that’s going to be unforgettable in Disney World, because it doubles as a whole show, you may want to check out Hoop-Dee-Doo-Revue at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort. It’s not for EVERYONE, though, which is why it’s important to know what you’re getting into before you book that reservation!

Background

Hoop-Dee-Doo-Musical-Revue is a two-hour long dinner show that’s been running in Disney World since September 5th, 1974. It’s one of the country’s longest-running dinner shows, and has presented thousands of incredibly talented performers over the years.

While you sing, dance, laugh, and potentially even become part of the show, you’ll also get to dine on southern comfort food served family style, meaning you can ask for more of whatever you’d like! Complimentary draft beer, wine, and sangria are available for guests 21+, and for those who are too young to drink, or prefer not to, complimentary soft drinks are also available.

Here’s what you need to know about dining at this restaurant.

Atmosphere

There are three different seating types for the show. Level 3 is located upstairs, and is the most affordable tier ($70 for adults), Level 2 is located on the outskirts of the main floor ($74 for adults), and finally, Level 1 sits you right in the middle of the main floor, at the heart of all the action ($78 for adults).

As this show is interactive, we recommend sitting in Levels 1 or 2 for the best chance to be chosen to be part of the show, but it is possible to be involved on Level 3! Due to the nature of the show, you’ll find that tables are close together, but not right up next to one another, as there needs to be space for everyone to move through the restaurant.

We also really appreciated that there was food on the table the moment you’re seated, as it does take some time for everyone in the restaurant to sit down. This way, if you’re REALLY hungry right at the start of your meal, you can already dig in.

But enough about that, what are we eating?!

Food & Drinks

As this meal is served family style, a lot of it comes out at once! We started out with the Hoop Salad, which was fine. It was a pretty standard house salad with a vinaigrette dressing, but there was LOTS of shredded cheese, which we appreciated. The cherry tomatoes and cucumbers tasted fresh, along with the lettuce. The vinaigrette was slightly sweet, but still plenty acidic from the vinegar, but we think a berry salad or something similar may be a better fit here.

We can’t forget about the House-made Cornbread, which is a staple! This had good flavor, but it was definitely on the dry side. The whipped butter was a nice addition because it helped keep things moist. It tasted like your standard Jiffy cornbread — slightly sweet, lots of corn flavor. We would have liked to see some actual pieces of corn or jalapeños to give it a little more depth!

Cowboy Beans are also served with your meal, and these tasted straight-up like Bush’s Baked Beans from a can with some bacon pieces added in for pizzazz. They were a bit on the tomato-y, acidic side with a hint of sweetness, and we feel they could have used more salt and pepper. We would have loved a smokier flavor, but they did pair really well with the macaroni and cheese!

One of the main entrees is the Smoked Barbecued Pork Ribs. We were worried these would be dry, but they were far from it! The meat was juicy, had great smoky flavor, and the rub was both salty and sweet with just a hint of spice. Folks who like sweet, brown-sugary barbecue sauce will definitely like adding some onto their ribs!

The Macaroni & Cheese will be a great choice for kiddos and picky eaters. It was creamy, but it was a bit lacking in flavor. We would have loved a hint of spice or even pepper, because it was a bit on the bland side. It reminded us of Stouffer’s mac and cheese, which is a super familiar flavor for a lot of people, but not overly cheesy, so keep that in mind.

You can also enjoy the Creamy Coleslaw, which was your basic, mayo-based slaw. We’d compare it to the coleslaw at KFC, just not chopped. The cabbage was incredibly fresh and stayed crunchy despite the amount of dressing on it, which was sweet and creamy. It was a bit on the boring side, but it was solid!

The Crispy Fried Chicken is also a staple, and this had excellent flavor and was SUPER juicy, but was just on the cusp of being too salty. However, we’d prefer that to having no seasoning, and these were DEFINITELY seasoned enough! It was slightly peppery with a hint of garlic, and just had some really savory flavors going on. The breading was SUPER crispy and crunchy, which was very satisfying. It also paired really well with that sweet barbecue sauce!

It’s not a complete meal here without the Mashed Potatoes! These were our favorite out of all of the sides. They were skin-on red potatoes, so if you’re averse to skin-on potatoes, keep that in mind. They had a really great flavor — super buttery and perfectly seasoned with salt and pepper. They were definitely on the soupy side, though, as opposed to a chunky mashed potato — closer to whipped potatoes than mashed, but we loved that you could taste they were made with real potatoes.

For dessert, you’ll get the Strawberry Shortcake, which we really were happy with! It wasn’t anything spectacular or knock-your-socks-off, but we think strawberry shortcake is best when it’s kept simple. There was a mix of fresh and macerated strawberries, which were the perfect combination of sweet and a little tart. The shortcake itself reminded us of a regular yellow cake, but it was perfectly moist and sweet with a hint of buttery flavor. The whipped cream was pretty standard, but when each element is added together, it is a great dessert. 

As for the drinks, the Red Sangria was unfortunately the weakest sangria we’ve ever had.

It was definitely from a bottle, not homemade. It tasted pretty watered down, and more like grape juice than anything. There was barely a hint of any alcohol in it whatsoever, which is probably on purpose since they’re not shy about refilling it (we were asked if we wanted a fourth glass while we were just working on our third!).

Magic or Tragic?

This Disney World restaurant is a must-visit if…

• You want one of those “this is SO Disney” nights that doesn’t require a park ticket. This is a classic, high-energy dinner show in rustic Pioneer Hall, with the Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground charm turned up to eleven. It’s bound to be an entertaining night!
• You like built-in value (especially if you drink alcohol). Pricing is fixed by seating category, and the cost includes tax and gratuity. Also, for guests 21+, unlimited draft beer, wine, and sangria are included, with soft drinks included for everyone. That’s a pretty rare Disney math win!
• You’re feeding a family, a group, or a small army of hungry adults who believe calories don’t count on vacation. Dinner is all-you-care-to-enjoy and very “comfort food rodeo,” and if that’s your jam, you’ll LOVE it here!

You should skip this Disney World spot if…

• You’re on a tight budget or prefer to pay only for what you eat. Adult pricing is currently listed in the $70 to $78 range (kids 3–9 are $40 to $45), depending on seating category, and prepayment is required. This is definitely a splurge, so it’s not great for those trying to save money.
• You want quiet, intimate, or “date night where we whisper and stare meaningfully into each other’s eyes.” This is a rowdy, interactive, laugh-out-loud kind of evening. If your dream meal is low lighting and soft jazz, this one is more “applause cardio.”
• You hate planning around transportation time. Disney explicitly calls out that there’s no direct resort-to-resort route, and if you’re driving you may need extra time for internal buses from parking. Coming from Magic Kingdom by ferry can take up to an hour and a half. In other words: build in travel cushion, or you’ll arrive sweaty and emotionally fragile.

Overall, if you’re staying at Fort Wilderness, we think this is a fantastic activity, but while the show is fantastic, the food is mostly just okay, so we’re not sure if the trek over from a park or another resort would be worth it in the end. We do think it’s something great to do once, especially if you come to Disney World pretty often and you haven’t gotten a chance to do it just yet, but for a lot of people, it’ll be a one-and-done.

In the meantime, we’ll be on the lookout for more restaurant updates from Disney World and beyond. Make sure you stay tuned to AllEars for the latest Disney news and more!

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Have you eaten at this Disney World restaurant before? Tell us in the comments.

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