If an endless stream of mai-tais is your thing, then you'd love this. Unfortunately I was expecting more. Other beverages were available, but you had to request them, and sometimes the waiters forgot. The buffet was small. Some of the dishes were tasty, but it lacked variety which could be very problematic for people with dietary restrictions. I was expecting to see the whole roast pig and some sort of a ceremony surrounding that, but there was nothing like that. I'd seen in the comments something about seeing manta rays, but there was nothing like that either. The performers were talented, but the cast was small, so the whole experience felt quite underwhelming. The whole thing was over in just 2 hours. On top of that, they had the nerve to charge for photos and parking.

It was a great way to start our visit to hawaii. We got off the plane, booked into our resort and went straight to the Laua just like in the movies.

We stayed at Royal Kona Resort and saw a long line for buffet at night, then realized the hotel offers this great Luau. We quickly reserved the seats for the next day. They have general admission and VIP admission tickets. VIP tickets come with a premium seat, early access to dinner, Tiki mugs, Kukui nut lei, and one complimentary photo. We got VIP tickets and I think it was worth it. We sat right in front of the stage and did not wait for the buffet line. The Tiki mug was super cute and the leis were beautiful. We decided to have our photo taken before the dinner started, and the photographer was super friendly! The photo he took came out great!! Our waiter was very attentive and we had endless Mai Tai. The dinner was tasty, and the show was great. The only thing I would say is that for the price we are paying, the plates didn't look good. The plates they use are like cafeteria plates. We paid $212 per person for VIP seats, so maybe they can provide a bit upgraded plates??