Is a Hawaiian Luau Worth the Money? KA WA’A Luau Review

My family visited Hawaii in 2015 and again a few months ago for Spring Break 2018. Before our first trip, I researched various luaus on Oahu to determine if we should attend one.

Many reviews on Hawaii travel forums actually discouraged people from going to luaus. People complained that the food was never good, the shows were too long and boring, and the tickets were overpriced. Many who went said that a luau is a “one and done” activity.

Based on that feedback, we decided to forgo a luau on our first trip to Hawaii. Disney’s Aulani Resort had a free Hawaiian show (the Starlit Hui, which has since been discontinued), so we figured that was like the equivalent of a luau without the food. It turns out that my two younger kids could never stay awake late enough to see dancing, and twice they fell asleep during the show.

So this time around, with our kids being 3 years older than our last trip, I wanted to book a luau and see for ourselves if it was worth the money. We booked the KA WA’A luau at Disney’s Aulani Resort and Spa. (See my Aulani overview post and tips for saving money at Aulani).

Booking KA WA’A Luau

About four months before our trip, I booked our tickets for the KA WA’A luau online. We opted to get general admission tickets instead of VIP.

The cost was $129 for adults (and kids age 10 or older) and $79 for kids ages 3-9. With taxes, the total for my family of five was around $600.

This was one of the most expensive things we did on our Hawaii trip. But I figured we wouldn’t be returning to Hawaii soon, so we made it one of our splurges.

Arrival and Pre-Show Activities

We got in line around 4:45 p.m. VIP ticket-holders went in a separate entrance at 5:00 p.m. Around 5:15 p.m., general admission guests could enter. We got in line early because I heard we would get seats closer to the stage if we were towards the front of the line.

Once the line started moving for general admission guests, it moved very slowly. Each person was given a necklace (kids were given a Maui hook necklace), and each family posed with dancers for a photo.

After we made it past the photo, we waited in another short line to be escorted to our table. A cast member offered us a welcome drink and then seated us. We put our drinks down and headed to check out some of the pre-show activities.

We all got some temporary tattoos:

My son did some taro grinding:

My daughter made a wrist lei:

A band played music during all of this. Look at the details of the stage!

Food at KA WA’A Luau

Around 6:00 p.m., the buffet dinner started. The VIP section got to get in line first, and then cast members called other tables. Since there were other activities going on, I didn’t think the wait was too bad.

The food at the KA WA’A luau was AMAZING! I was shocked at how good it tasted. I was expecting the food to be just ok, not spectacular. My entire family loved the food.

The buffet was split over several different sections, so there were about 6 lines we could choose. Several piggies were displayed:

The pork was served all kinds of ways, but I loved the shredded pork the best. The buffet also had fish, chicken and prime rib. And the sides were all delicious! I wish I would have taken more food photos.

There was a separate buffet with kid-friendly offerings, like corn dogs, chicken nuggets, pizza, etc. Look at these cute bowls of marshmallows and fruit:

Of course, no kid could resist these Moana cupcakes!

There was a separate dessert bar that had a wide selection of desserts. There were a lot more choices than I envisioned.

Near the dessert table, there was a table with the free drinks, including water, iced tea, coffee, hot tea, etc. We could also buy other drinks at the cash bar.

The Show

The show was about to start! I took this photo from the back. None of the tables had a bad view.

Before the show started, my 13-year-old asked me, “How long is this gonna last?” I told him I thought the show would last about 90 minutes. He told me that he was going to stay for a few songs and then he’d probably be bored and go back to the room. Uh, what?!?!

It turns out, I didn’t need to worry about that, because we were mesmerized the whole time. The show wasn’t just a collection of random acts and songs; it was a story that was cleverly developed throughout the night.

The show wasn’t “cheesy Disney stuff.” Sure, at the beginning, there was an opportunity for people to go to the front to learn a hula dance. Mickey and Minnie did the hula onstage, and Moana made a brief appearance. But the show wasn’t about the Disney characters, and there were no opportunities for character photos.

The story was about the history of the land we were sitting on and a celebration of the local people. The songs and dances were varied and interesting. Some of the performers danced atop a smaller stage in the middle of the audience, so even the VIP section had to turn around for that.

And of course, we all loved the fire dancing at the end of the show.

After the show, all of the performers came around for photos. My younger kids wanted their photo with every.single.performer. So we were there awhile.

From the time we first lined up until the time we went back to our room, we were there almost 4 hours.

Tips for Attending KA WA’A Luau at Disney’s Aulani Resort and Spa

Book early. The luau does sell out for certain nights. You do have to pay at the time of booking.

Book a date toward the middle to end of your trip. That way, you’ll have time to get used to the time difference and you won’t have as much trouble staying awake for the show. If you book on the last night of your vacation, be aware that the show could be canceled due to rain and you won’t have a chance to reschedule for later in your trip.

Stick with general admission, unless you are a big drinker. The venue is not very big, and the performers also go to middle and back mini-stages.

Don’t worry about arriving so early. Honestly, there are no bad seats. Even people who got seated long after us still had plenty of time for the pre-show activities and the buffet. Since we got there so early, we had more time than we really needed.

Talk to your table mates! The tables are big, so several families share the same table. My daughter made a new friend, and we enjoyed meeting families from different places. We talked to a couple who had been to all of the Hawaiian islands so many times, and they gave us some great advice for our next trip.

Sneak out for a sunset photo. If you walk out of the luau area, the sunset view is just around the corner. I slipped out to make sure I got a few good photos.

So…Is a Hawaiian Luau Worth the Money?

Well, I can only speak from this one experience. But I say YES! It was the most memorable night of our trip. The food, the ambiance, the performance…wow.

If we ever go to Oahu again, I would book the KA WA’A luau a second time. I could honestly eat that food and watch that show again.

Have you been to a Hawaiian luau? Do you think it’s worth the money? Would you go again?

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