Read on for all the info about the Hoop-Dee-Doo Revue, and my experiences with this dinner show:
The dining experience at Hoop-dee-Doo Revue is like none other in Disney World. It’s not just a dinner, but a show! The fun goes down at Fort Wilderness, and I’ve now visited three times. And I have a feeling I will be back in the future, too!
All about the Hoop-dee-Doo Revue
First, I’ll provide a bit of background and info about the restaurant, and then get into my Hoop-dee-Doo review. Here are some of the basics:
Type of restaurant: table service + dinner show
Meals: Dinner
Dining plans accepted? Yes – 2 table service credits
Location: Pioneer Hall at Fort Wilderness
Price: $78 for category 1 seating, $74 for category 2 seating, and $70 for category 3 seating (for adults)
Discounts: Annual Passholder 10% discount
Accepts reservations? Yes, and highly recommended – but you must pay in full at time of booking
Times: Shows are available to book at 4:00pm, 6:15pm, and 8:30pm
Seating categories
Hoop-dee-Doo Musical Revue is unique in many ways, one of which is that when you book, you choose a seating category. Since it also involves a dinner show, where you are seated matters more than at other restaurants.
Category 1 seating is on the main floor and closest to the stage. Category 2 is the back of the floor and some of the balcony, and category 3 seating is the sides of the balcony.
I have done both category 2 and category 1 seating. The actors do a fantastic job of using the entire room for the performance. They are constantly out in the audience and up on the balcony, so being further from the stage isn’t always a bad thing.
That being said, I personally would go for category 1 seating as it’s not too much more, and I did feel like I got the best interactions and views there.
How does dining at Hoop-dee-Doo work?
Food here is all-you-can-eat and served family style. That means they bring platters out to your table and you can eat as much as you like. If you want more of anything, just ask!
Because the show is going on while you eat, you’ll have a few courses throughout the night. The cornbread is out on the table when you first arrive, and appetizers will be brought shortly after that. There will be a break in a show when they serve the main course, and then towards the end there will be dessert (complete with song!).
You’ll have a server for your table who will bring out the food as well as take drink orders. Your ticket to Hoop-dee-Doo includes unlimited beer, wine, and sangria, plus the usual soft drinks. There are some specialty drinks also available for purchase.
The atmosphere
Disney requests that you arrive half an hour before the show start time to check-in. You then wait in line until the doors open, which will happen right at your scheduled reservation time.
Once you are in and seated, you are immersed in the themeing of the Hoop-dee-Doo. The venue itself is full of rustic charm, though the stage is, of course, the main thing to look at. The whole building is full of lots of wood, red white and blue bunting, checkered napkins, and old-timey chandeliers.
But my favorite thing is the chairs! They are wooden swivel chairs, which is very helpful for this show. Since the actors run all around the venue, sometimes the action is behind you, sometimes it’s to the side, and sometimes it’s in front. The chairs are fun and make it easy to insure you don’t miss any of the fun.
After about 20 minutes of getting settled in and starting to eat, the show begins! The 6 actors and a talented band do a series of songs and short skits throughout the night, with lots of audience interaction and some breaks for food. It’s the sort of show that’s cheesy and has you laughing, and also makes you want to clap along (more on the show itself later on!)
Since the food here is served family style, that means you get a little bit of everything! Be sure to check out the full menu here to stay up to date with any changes. Here’s a look at what you can expect during your meal at the Hoop-dee-Doo Revue:
- Cornbread with honey butter
- Salad
- Baked beans
- Coleslaw
- Macaroni and cheese
- Mashed potatoes
- Fried chicken
- Ribs
- Strawberry Shortcake
This is one of the few Disney restaurants which doesn’t have a separate kids menu (most of these foods are pretty kid-friendly!). Like any place, they can accommodate any allergies you might have.
There is a vegetarian menu also available upon request. This includes many of the same things on the regular menu which don’t have meat (cornbread, salad, coleslaw, etc) but replace the fried chicken and ribs with plant-based sausage and BBQ jackfruit.
Food
Let’s get into some of the specifics of the food at Hoop-dee-Doo Revue! Overall I would say that the food is good, but nothing spectacular. I am definitely not going here for the food, but it fills your belly while you’re enjoying the show. And it’s good comfort food – sometimes you just need that!
Starters
The 3 things available first are the cornbread, coleslaw, and salad.
The cornbread here was definitely a highlight for me. As Jenn pointed out, it’s sweet cornbread. That’s good for me and bad for her as I prefer a sweet cornbread. But what makes it even better is the honey butter. I love anything with honey flavor so I was very happy with this!
The salad was just okay. It’s a pretty basic salad but I ate some just so I could say I had some vegetables during the meal.
I am not a coleslaw fan so I didn’t try that, but here’s a picture of it!
Entrees & Sides
In general I am not a big fan of this type of food, so you should probably take my review with a grain of salt. The sides included mac and cheese, mashed potatoes, and baked beans. I’m not big on baked beans, but I really liked the mac and cheese. The potatoes were good too.
I don’t really like ribs, but the first time we visited my companion raved about them (I think we were really hungry at the time too though). The fried chicken is surprisingly good! Better than I would have expected.
That being said, there’s nothing particularly unique about the food here and the quality is average. If you’re interested mostly in the food, I’d recommend Round Up Rodeo BBQ instead.
I had a little bit of chicken, but most of my meal was cornbread, mashed potatoes, and mac and cheese. What can I say – I like carbs! And I was good with that 🙂
Dessert
There is one dessert here, but they really get you hyped for it with a little song and dance! And that’s the strawberry shortcake.
I’d say it matches the other dishes in terms of quality. It’s good but nothing great. I love strawberries so I would eat that with just the whipped cream – no shortcake needed. But it’s a nice dessert to end the evening, and after a lot of heavy food I appreciate something a little bit lighter with fruit.
Drinks
The Hoop-dee-Doo Revue also includes beverages in the cost (both alcoholic and non-alcoholic). At one point I believe they had an asterisk on the menu that said two drinks per person, but that no longer seems to be the case (I can vouch from personal experience). Of course if you push it they would cut you off – but stay in good shape and you can get some bang for your buck!
Of course, the included alcoholic drinks are nothing fancy. You can choose from beer (Bud Light or Yuengling), wine (a basic chardonnay or merlot), or sangria (either red or white).
I’ve gone with both the red wine and the red sangria, and both are perfectly fine. I do enjoy the sangria, even if it is the pre-bottled kind. And if you’re a beer drinker – being from Pennsylvania, I can say that Yuengling is decent enough.
There are a few specialty beverages you can pay extra for. They include the Gold Rush Cocktail (bourbon, lemon juice, and honey), Specialty Character Drink (Lemonade with flavors of Cotton Candy served in a souvenir Character cup), and an assortment of local craft beers.
You also have your typical non-alcoholic options, such as fountain drinks, lemonade, iced tea, milk, coffee, and tea.
The first time I went we got there very early, and they had a stand setup outside of Pioneer Hall selling some of the local craft beers. They had a good selection and we did get one while we waited. I can’t recall if that was the case on this more recent visit, as we weren’t really looking to kill time so I didn’t check for it. But I liked the variety of options!
The Show
There is so much I can say about the show at Hoop-dee-Doo Revue. It’s definitely a particular kind of humor, but if you enjoy a sort of hokey, cheesy, fun, up-beat, and funny sort of show, you’ll love it.
Basically, expect to laugh a lot, feel like you want to stomp your feet and clap our hands (it’s encouraged!), and yell yee-haw. It also has a great energy to it. The performers are fantastic, and they are constantly running around the room while singing or doing their bits.
I feel like I could go on and on about the show, including all of the characters, their personalities, and the different acts they do. That might be a different post though because I think it could get quite long (along with the history of the Hoop-Dee-Doo, perhaps? It’s one of Disney World’s oldest attractions!).
So I’ll just give some of the basics here. There is a cast of 6 characters – Jim Handy, Flora Long, Johnny Ringo, Claire DeLune, Dolly Drew, and 6-Bits Slocum. During the evening they perform a number of songs (perhaps around a dozen), many of which involve audience participation.
Some of the songs are always the same each performance, but others vary – I believe based on the actors playing the parts, most likely. And it’s hard to say, but I think there’s a fair bit of improv going on at times too. That is inevitable when you have audience participation, of course, but even some interactions between the actors felt very off-the-cuff and their reactions seemed genuine.
The first time I saw the show, Dolly Drew got her sleeve caught in her hair, which was certainly a wig. So that added a hilarious bit since she had her hand stuck on top of her head, and they really played it up. I don’t think you get that in every show!
The singing and dancing are top notch, but it’s really their comedic timing and the chemistry that the performers seem to have that really sells it.
Overall thoughts
I greatly enjoyed the Hoop-dee-Doo Revue the first time I saw it, but I didn’t think it was something I’d want to do all the time. After my second visit, I might have become more of a dedicated fan. I could see this being something I do somewhat regularly. Probably not every year, but maybe every 2-3 years?
The food is nothing special, but for me it’s all about the show and the fun. If you have a good family, group, or partner with you who are into it, I think it will be a blast. Though honestly, I suspect I could have a great time dining solo here too.
Really the only problem is hoping that future visits live up to how great these first two were!
Hoop-Dee-Doo Revue FAQs
Is the Hoop-Dee-Doo Revue worth it?
If you’ve read this review, you probably have a good idea if the show is something you’ll enjoy. It’s not for everyone, but I think most people will find it a ton of fun! If you enjoy cheesy comedy, corny jokes, and improv with a western twist I think you’ll love it.
If you’re just interested in the food, I think you’re probably better off elsewhere. That being said, you can really get your money’s worth if you’re a big eater with the all-you-can-eat approach (not to mention the unlimited drinks).
And in case you are worried about being drawn into the show – they are never going to force anyone to do anything they really don’t want to do. For the most part they are looking for people who are already clearly into it. If they do pick you for something and can sense that you are not comfortable, they’ll typically make it one short remark or joke and then move on to something else. On the other hand, if they can tell you are getting a kick out of it, they might drag out that moment!
We were Disneybounding as the 3 female characters from the show, and we knew we got their attention right away with that. But I am the type of person that is always hoping they will involve me or bring me up on stage! So I wasn’t surprised when we were roped into one of the bits.
We loved it and were toot-tooting in our golf cart all the way back to our cabin!
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Do you have your own Hoop-Dee-Doo Revue experience to share in the comments? What do you think of the show? I’d love to hear!
TOOT TOOT!