Welcome to our Featured Blog segment here at Upon a Star Travel! We aim to bring you the most fun, most informative, sometimes random topics on travel, theme parks, crusing, all mixed with humor, fun, pop culture and more! This week, we kick off the Featured Blog page with one of our lead writers, Susan Burks, taking a look at the legendary Hoop de Doo Revue!
Head on over to Fort Wilderness to check out Hoop De Doo Review! This dinner show will make you laugh, stomp your feet, and clap your hands while feeding you delicious barbecue, fried chicken and sides and a huge strawberry shortcake for dinner!
Hoop Dee Doo Review, commonly referred to with its acronym HDDR, has been performing since 1974.
Six singers and dancers accompanied by a pianist and a banjo player entertain you with antics, music, and dancing. Lots of audience participation here and some fun country and Southern accents and mannerisms that’ll transport you back to a simpler time.
The food is served family style, and it is plentiful and delicious!
You start with salad and cole slaw along with cornbread when you arrive at your table. Complimentary drinks include sodas and several alcoholic options including a few wines and beers and a pretty yummy Sangria. Other options, including some mixed drinks, are available for an upcharge.
Then the real food comes out! Platters of fried chicken, ribs, and brisket along with sides of mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese, and cowboy beans. If you have young children (or picky adults!) with you, they’re also happy to bring out chicken nuggets and fries. This was some of the best mashed potatoes I’ve ever had! Drinks are frequently refreshed, and as you eat, the show continues.
Once you’re finished dinner, the strawberry shortcake arrives are your table, and the finale of the show takes place on stage. Four audience members are chosen at random to help— a park ranger, a can-can dancer, a hero, and a fairy godfather? Typically the park ranger is a man, can-can dancer is a woman, the hero is a young boy, and the fairy godfather is older gentleman which makes for quite a funny grouping of people. The show ends with metal washboards (and wooden sticks to “play” them) being handed out to the tables and the option to parade around the restaurant. Hand these washboards and sticks to your children (or your Disney Adults) at your own peril. This is a fun noisy finale!
This is a price fix meal, or it uses two table service credits if you’re on the Dining Dining Plan. It does have a discount for DVC and Disney Visa card holders. Regardless, it’s well worth the price, and it’s a great option for a down day out of the parks. During the fall or holidays when Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom close early, it could be a great dinner option after those park days as well. (We also discovered that it has a holiday overlay near Christmas!)
Getting here can be a challenge! Take the boat over from Magic Kingdom to Fort Wilderness or use the boat that makes a loop in the evenings between Contemporary Resort, Wilderness Lodge, and Fort Wilderness. Pioneer Hall is close to the boat dock at Fort Wilderness. If you have a vehicle, you can drive to Fort Wilderness and park in their main parking lot. Make sure you have your reservation ready to show to the gate guards!
Once you park, walk to the bus stop and take the internal bus to Pioneer Hall. If you take the bus from another park, or Uber/Lyft/rideshare to Fort Wilderness, you’ll still end up at this bus stop here at the front of the resort. There is NO PARKING at Pioneer Hall (nor any rideshare drop offs here), so this is the only option if you drive! Allow plenty of time because the line to enter the resort can get long, and then you still have to wait for the internal bus! Finally, you can utilize a Ride Share or a Minnie Van. They have the ability to drop off (and pick up) right in front of Pioneer Hall.
This is a super fun option especially with a group or large family party. We were a party of 8 and had a large table in the back, and we had a blast singing along, clapping, and enjoying our meal.
OK, yes…it’s kind of cheesy. The jokes are slapstick humor, and the songs are folk and American music genre—think vaudeville and comic relief! It’s the kind of show that Grandpa and grandson will both enjoy. And yes, it’s a little expensive, so it’s not the kind of thing you do every trip. That said it’s a great show that will likely please everyone in your group!
At Upon a Star Travel, our Travel Advisors are happy to help you with you vacation planning, including dining reservations and dining assistance - and Hoop de Doo too!! Reach out here for more information!!!
