‘Ohana Breakfast Review (The Best Friends Breakfast with Lilo and Stitch)
Any reason to visit Disney’s Polynesian is a good reason. So when my friend Denise invited me to join her family for breakfast at Ohana, I accepted without hesitation. My son and I visited Ohana for the same character breakfast a few years ago, but unfortunately, that visit didn’t go so smoothly.
We dined at ‘Ohana on a holiday morning and waited almost an hour and a half past our reservation to be seated. Frankly, it was such a bad experience that I had no plans to return anytime soon. But plenty of time has passed since that last visit, and I was hopeful things had improved. So, the question is, have they?
We’ll discuss that and more in this breakfast review of ‘Ohana, also known as the Best Friends Breakfast with Lilo and Stitch. We’ll examine the check-in experience, the meal, and the best part of it all–the characters.
Ohana is on the second floor of the Great Ceremonial House at Disney’s Polynesian Resort. It offers two different dining experiences. First, the ‘Ohana Best Friends Breakfast is offered each morning from 7:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. This meal period is considered character dining.
Secondly, ‘Ohana serves dinner each evening. Dinner is an all-you-care-to-eat skillet meal with Hawaiian flavors featuring noodles, various meats, and veggies. Characters are not present at dinner. We have a separate review of dinner at ‘Ohana if you want to learn more.
‘Ohana is a Hawaiian term that means family. So you can expect cast members to provide a feeling of ‘Ohana when you dine here. Don’t be surprised if someone calls you “aunty” or “uncle” during your visit. It’s part of the culture. Breakfast is served family style. You’ll receive bread service and a bowl of fruit upon arrival. A little later, a large skillet or two will arrive at the table containing various breakfast items. During breakfast, you’ll receive a visit from the following characters:
- Pluto
- Mickey Mouse
- Stitch
- Lilo
When we arrived at Disney’s Polynesian Resort for breakfast, I noticed most of the seating area off Tambu Lounge was full. Tambu Lounge is adjacent to Ohana and services the resort’s second-floor lobby.
Our reservation was for 9:50 a.m. We checked in a few minutes early and were told to sit in the lounge. Within a few minutes, we received a text notification that our table was ready–so far, so good. I was hopeful that we might get a window seat. ‘Ohana’s entire back wall has a row of windows that look out to the Lava Pool. In the distance, you can see the Magic Kingdom.
Unfortunately, we were seated toward the front entrance of the restaurant. Since character dining involves more than the typical dining experience, you’re usually placed near other guests. It’s not uncommon to see large groups of tables empty. Disney uses a system where guests are seated in rotation to see the characters in a particular order.
You could request a specific area. However, your request might not be granted, and you may have to wait longer to see the characters. From my experiences with character meals, it takes an entire hour on average to see every character. When a buffet is involved, cast members will often warn you not to leave your table when a character is nearby. If you miss one, they say it can take a long time for them to return to that area.
On our way to the table, our server stopped at a window that looked into ‘Ohana’s kitchen. He picked up a plate of freshly prepared pineapple-coconut breakfast bread.
Here is a better look at the delicious pineapple-coconut breakfast bread guests rave about.
It is a light and airy style of bread with a sweet glaze over the top. While it looks like a large serving, I would describe it as something that tends to disappear quickly. On our previous visit, my son was given an allergy-friendly cinnamon sugar donut made by Erin McKenna at Disney Springs. This is now part of the plant-based menu at ‘Ohana’s character breakfast. He forgot and took a bite before even thinking about the picture. But I want to mention this for anyone with a food allergy.
Back to this visit. Immediately after being seated, we were brought a bowl of fresh fruit that included grapes, strawberries, cantaloupe, and pineapple. Our server then took our drink order.
In addition, our server brought out POG juice, which is a mix of Passion Fruit, Orange Juice, and Guava. If you’ve been following along, we’ve also had this juice at Boma: Flavors of Africa and Tusker House Restaurant.
Related: Boma, Flavors of Africa Breakfast Review
The meal includes regular coffee, fountain drinks, and water, in addition to the POG juice. However, other drinks are available at an upcharge. You can also order Kona-sourced coffee, which comes to the table in a French press and serves two.
Other non-alcoholic drinks include a Lilo Smoothie, Stitch Smoothie, Moana Smoothie, and a specialty character drink. Specialty cocktails include the Polynesian Red Eye, Lapu Lapu, Warped Hula Hoop, Wasabi Bloody Mary, and a Mimosa.
Breakfast offerings are brought to the table in an all-you-care-to-eat style. Each breakfast skillet has scrambled eggs, pork breakfast sausage links, Hawaiian-style ham topped with a pineapple compote, fried island-style potatoes, Mickey-shaped waffles, Stitch waffles, and biscuits.
Since there were five of us, we were brought three skillets. One skillet had Stitch and Mickey waffles, while the other two had a little bit of everything else.
Here is the Mickey-shaped waffle.
Here’s the one with Stitch imprinted on the waffle.
The rest of the offerings were piled high in our skillets. If you run out of something or would like to request a specific item, a server will bring out a new skillet of that item.
For reference, when I last dined here with my son, we were given individual skillets due to his food allergies. Allergy-friendly waffles come in the standard Mickey shape and are cooked separately to avoid cross-contamination. (They will do the same for anyone who orders a gluten-free or plant-based breakfast.)
They also brought my son a selection of ham, sausages, and potatoes since he couldn’t have eggs.
The food served at ‘Ohana’s breakfast is pretty generic. We all agreed that the ham with the pineapple compote was the star of the meal. Additionally, all of our food was good. However, I want to point out that most of these items, except the ham and special bread, are the same things you can order at a quick-service dining location.
For instance, if you went to Captain Cook’s at the Polynesian for breakfast, you could get the Bounty Platter for approximately $15.00. That platter comes with scrambled eggs, French toast, bacon, sausage, breakfast potatoes, and a biscuit.
In comparison, breakfast at ‘Ohana can be considered fairly expensive. So, going into this breakfast at ‘Ohana, know you’re paying the costs of having characters present at the meal. You can check the current price of breakfast at ‘Ohana on Disney’s Site. (Breakfast Menu with Prices) Now, about those characters.
‘Ohana Breakfast Characters
One of the reasons the Best Friends Breakfast at ‘Ohana is so popular is that you can meet one exceptionally rare character and a few other favorites. This character breakfast is one of two places on Disney property where you can meet Lilo from Lilo and Stitch. The other place to meet her is at Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon, which is rare. Not long after we were seated, Lilo came by our table. She is a wonderful character to meet.
When Lilo appeared, Leo, the toddler in our group, immediately became shy. He’s a big fan of the Lilo and Stitch cartoon series. It was endearing to see his reaction. His family will have that memory for years to come.
These special moments often remind us why we decided to spend our vacation time at Walt Disney World. (And it’s why we shell out the big bucks for character meals!) After Lilo’s visit, we were able to start enjoying our meal. But before we knew it, Mickey Mouse popped in to see us! He is decked out in a fabulous Hawaiian shirt. I figure the shirt probably came from Bou-Tiki downstairs in the lobby.
I might be a bit of a fan. Meeting characters is fun, but sometimes it can be a little intimidating. I mean, Mickey Mouse is a BIG DEAL. (I wonder if Walt would chuckle after all these years over his little cartoon character’s continued success?) Before long, we had a visit from our old pal, Pluto. He loves to make silly poses with his ears.
Lastly, we received a visit from Stitch. Isn’t he adorable?
While at the Best Friends Breakfast, we witnessed two celebrations where the characters grouped to parade through the restaurant. An announcement was made over the intercom that it would start soon and that guests were to remain in their seats.
Moments later, the Hawaiian Roller Coaster Ride blasted in the background, and the characters joined together and paraded through the restaurant. This small break was pleasant and allowed everyone to see the characters. However, there’s no need to worry if your table is next. As soon as the music stops, the characters return to where they left off.
Cast members are specifically assigned to the characters and keep a watch on them while they’re visiting. Toward the end of the meal, you can expect someone to stop by your table and confirm that you’ve met all the characters. If you’ve missed someone, they’ll ensure the character gets back to you. However, you might have to wait a little longer.
Before we wrap things up, I wanted to touch on two other items–photos and autographs. Unfortunately, there are no PhotoPass photographers at this character meet. So you’ll want to have your camera out and ready to take photos or a video when the character comes to your table.
We received a character autograph card on our visit, which is always a nice touch. However, the characters do hug and sign autographs. So, if you are collecting autographs, have your book and a pen ready to sign. Here is the front of the card. It shows the characters that are present at the meal.
Each character’s autograph is printed on the back of the card.
Final Thoughts
Our return visit to ‘Ohana for breakfast was a success. We were seated within moments of arrival and received excellent service and outstanding character interaction. Regarding the food, remember we’re not talking anywhere near a five-star quality menu. However, everything we had was tasty, with a few highlights, like the ham with pineapple compote.
Overall, if you visit Ohana for the characters, you will have a wonderful time. This breakfast provides an excellent opportunity to enjoy a leisurely breakfast, meet a handful of Disney characters tableside, and spend some time at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort. For more on the resort, try the following:
- Disney’s Polynesian Resort Review
- Restaurants at Disney’s Polynesian Resort
- Captain Cook’s Review at the Poly
- Disney’s Polynesian Club Level Review
- Preview the Moana Rooms at Disney’s Polynesian
- Where to Refill Rapid Fill Mugs at the Polynesian
For more on character dining at Disney World, you might enjoy the following:
- Cape May Cafe Breakfast Review
- Crystal Palace Breakfast Review
- Tusker House Restaurant Breakfast Review
- Topolino’s Terrace Breakfast a la Art Review
- 1900 Park Fare Breakfast Review
You might also enjoy our Disney World Dining Guide.
In the Comments
What are your thoughts on this Ohana Best Friends Breakfast review? Would you plan a meal here? Which characters would you like to meet? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.