very touristy...watered down drinks---not much food
cheap activities-everyone is Cousin
overprices drinks if need more....tacky, tacky, tacky

I attended the Paradise Cove luau this past weekend for my 4th time. I have never had any issues that were brought up by the previous reviewers, and this time was the same way. I have nothing but good things to say about the experience!!

We purchased the Deluxe Luau Package (Royal Ali'i) -- it does cost the most of any of the packages, but includes "royal"seating (your choice of the rear box or the front rows), lei greeting, mai-tai greeting, seated dinner, 6 drink tickets each, a "souvenir" cup, and a free souvenir photo. I was never pressured to tip anybody the entire time I was there, though we chose to tip the bartenders each time we got a drink, and we chose to tip the ladies who helped us with our "Arts and Crafts" when we made headbands and bracelet lei's...

There is entertainment before the luau/dinner starts, and while it could be considered a little "hokey" by some, if you have an open mind and a drink in your hand, it's a fun time!! Not to mention, the grounds where the luau is held is gorgeous by any standards, and there are numerous photo opportunities with gorgeous backgrounds -- don't miss the sunset!!

The food at the dinner was great - a standard salad, rolls and butter, teriyaki chicken, mahi mahi, and of course the pulled pork from the pig you watch them unearth. Dessert is a plate of pineapple/coconut creations.

The show is entertaining with plenty of beautiful Hawaiian ladies for the men to ogle, and plenty of handsome tanned Hawaiian men for the ladies to admire. The cultural aspect of the show should not be overlooked, you can learn a lot about the Hawaiian history and culture from the show, and the fire dance is spectacular!

You have 2 transportation options for this luau - you can either take a bus out from Waikiki with a group, which I have done in the past, and is fun as long as you have a fun group of fellow travellers (and you get to participate in the "Cheer Competition" to see whose group is the loudest at the luau) or you can choose to drive yourself out to the luau instead.

Be prepared to pay extra to "upgrade" your drinks if you want something beyond the standard "Mai Tai" or "Blue Hawaii"...

I have been to 4 different luau's on Oahu (Germaine's, the Hale Koa luau, Paradise Cove, and the Ko Olina Fia Fia luau) and I think Paradise Cove definitely comes in as a close second to Fia Fia (however, Fia Fia is only on Tuesday nights, so Paradise Cove is the best option for any other night of the week)

My family and I attended the Paradise Cove Luau on friday July 22nd 2006. I would agree TOTALLY with the previous reviewer about being at a party where they were in your face, but strangely when it mattered most, they were nowhere to be seen.
I'll explain.
Firstly, back in Honolulu at the pick up point - we arrived early, to see the bus waiting , but despite the driver being in his seat, he wasn't letting anyone on the bus - no explanation given. Finally, 10 minutes past the time we were supposed to leave, another guy appears and starts letting people on the bus. I learnt he was our guide - Noah - after half an hour fighting peak time traffic (really annoying) he finally came "on air" and introduced himself. A whole lot of lame jokes followed. We eventually arrived at our destination an hour or so later. We were last off the bus, and last to get ushered through the "welcome drink" and photo area. We were given shell lei's but not floral ones, which I thought was a bit weird since everyone in front of us got both. When we got through the photo area, we asked Noah where we should go next. He looked puzzled and said "did you drive here yourselves?" and we replied "No! we were on your bus!"
He was shocked and I realised later it was because he'd given all the other people coloured stickers to wear on their shirts to identify them, but somehow he didn't give them to us. He ushered us over to a table and reserved it for us - it was at a side-on view of the stage - i.e. the worst table.
The "cultural" items - eg getting a tattoo, a lei made, a canoe ride around a tiny lagoon etc had such huge lines (almost as long as at Disneyland!).When you finished, the person expected a tip (see previous review!) It really put me off the whole thing.
When the time came to be seated, we had no idea what to do about getting our food - and of course Noah was nowhere to be seen. We asked another man standing around doing nothing what to do and he told us to just go and get some food! The food was OK but not outstanding. I found the pig cooked under the earth to be really stringy. With the amount of people there (several hundred) it was just really impersonal.
The show was good but went on for too long. We got a crick in the neck watching it from our angle. We couldn't wait to get back to the hotel and relax. A couple from Brazil sitting near us felt the same way. They were friendly towards us but others sitting on our table weren't. I was surprised since everywhere else people had been so friendly, we'd felt really welcome in the US as tourists from Australia. At the luau it was a superficial friendliness, calculated to get those tips out of you. I wouldn't recommend it.

Have you ever been to a party where you feel like everyone is being artificially nice to you because they want something from you? That is how I would describe the Paradise Cove Luau ... The food and performance is good -- not GREAT, but good. I guess maybe I was expecting much more. Be ready to be charged for the little things -- for example, the ice cream, the extra $1 - $5 for a drink from the bar in addition to your drink voucher. They are nice, but are always IN YOUR FACE about buying something - be it the ice cream, or the souvenirs, or the photograph they took of you at the entrance. You will be sure they will ask you if you are having a good time at least 20 times throughout your trip, and then they will not hesistate to remind you that since they have TAKEN CARE of you ... that you need to remember to TAKE CARE of them too -- that's right... they ask for tips. So while everything was good ... the in your face attitude kind of spoils it all for me and my fiance .... When it comes to service, I believe in serving with class ... and begging for tips leaves a really bad taste whatever the experience may be.