How to Score Great Seats at Disney’s Spirit of Aloha Show!

The Spirit of Aloha is one our family’s favorite shows at Walt Disney World.

The food is great, the show is fun and well done, and the location – on the grounds of Disney’s Polynesian Resort – harkens to the tropics in a way that puts you at ease (just imagine all that stress melting away…).

The show itself takes place in an open air theater and is full of dancing, drumming, and fire – yes, fire.

Seen from the front row!

The food is plentiful and includes what you might see at a real Hawaiian luau, slow-roasted meats and ribs as well as fresh fruits and vegetables (and chicken nuggets for the kids, of course). For adults, beer and wine in included in the price of the show.

Yum…dessert!

There are plenty of reviews of the show online, just Google Spirit of Aloha reviews (make sure to check out the videos, too). What we want to tell you today though, is how to score a great seat at the Spirit of Aloha. The general advice works for other Disney dinner shows as well.

Another shot from the front row!

The best advice when arranging any Disney trip:

Plan Ahead!

What are the advantages of planning ahead?

Price – Disney prices almost always increase as dates of departure grow nearer. Planning ahead will almost always garner you lower prices.

Flexibility – most people don’t plan far in advance, if you do, you’ll have more flexibility with the dates and activities you choose.

Stress Reduction – we modern folk have almost unlimited choices in every corner of our existence. Making all of those decisions is stressful. Settling on the major details early will make for a better trip – we promise.

The same advice works for planning a visit to the Spirit of Aloha.

If you’re booking with Southern Girl Travel, we’ll be happy to make all of your reservations for you, and give you personalized advice/instruction on dealing with show seating.

If you’re booking yourself though, here are a few tips:

Make reservations as far in advance as possible

How far ahead can you make Spirit of Aloha reservations?

180 days!

Like many Disney shows and meals that require reservations, you can make Spirit of Aloha reservations six months in advance. You can calculate the 180 days to the minute and call or go online to make reservations.

Choose category 1 seating

Seating at the Spirit of Aloha is arranged in three categories – 1, 2, and 3, with 1 being the best and most expensive (as of March 16, 2013 category 1 seating for ages 10 and up ranges from $69.99 to $73.99 and from ages 3 to 9 ranges from $35.99 to $39.99).

Category 1, front row seating

We believe category 1 seating is well worth it at the Spirit of Aloha.

Another perspective on category 1 seating

With category 1, if you play your cards right, your chances for a front row seat will be high. Category 2 seats are decent, category 3 less so. See the chart on Disney’s official website for details (it’s near the bottom of the page).

I’ve made my category 1 reservations 180 days in advance, what do I do next?

And, another category 1 perspective

Relax, you’re covered.

You don’t need to do a thing until you arrive at Disney.

Pick up tickets as soon as you step foot on Disney property

While your seating category is reserved, your specific seats will not be assigned until the days leading up to the actual show you’ll be attending.

The seats are assigned when the tickets are issued.

As soon as you arrive at Disney go directly to any Walt Disney World Resort Guest Relations, Guest Services or Resort Concierge desk and tell the cast member at the desk that you would like to confirm a reservation for the Spirit of Aloha.

Have a photo ID ready just in case.

If you arrive on a Monday and your Spirit of Aloha reservation is not until Friday, still confirm ASAP on Monday. You’re likely to get a great seat if you do.

Don’t hesitate to give us a call or drop us an email if you have any questions at all!

Don’t forget to take a stroll on the Seven Seas Lagoon beach after the Spirit of Aloha!