Aha Aina, a Royal Celebration

This is a different experience than other luaus on the island and the luau you might be expecting.
The performances are short acts that show different periods in Hawaiian history. In a nutshell, this isn’t an hour of hula and fire dancing. That said, the performances are excellent, and yes — there is fire dancing — but there is a lot more to it.
The food is awesome. By far the best food of any luau we’ve been to and we’ve been to a few in Oahu and Maui. The spread is amazing and you can go up as many times as you want and get as much food as you want. There is high-​quality poke, tako, kalbi, kimchee, roasterd pig, poi, salads, desserts, chicken, etc.
The flow is something like this. You line up inside the Royal. Seating is pre-​arranged so make any special requests at the time of booking. Once the grounds are opened, there are demonstrations of traditional creations — rope, paper, cloth prints, poi. It is interactive so go up, get a cocktail, and talk to the performers and try it for yourself. Then you go back and sit for dinner with welcome drinks, and you help yourself to food. A little while after dinner starts, the performances start. I recommend you grab as many plates as you think you’ll want before the performances because you’ll want to watch as you are eating.
It is outdoors so rain is a possibility. It’s a small, intimate space so folks if there’s a chance of rain, you may want to consider a scarf for your hair, but not an umbrella.
I love that seating is limited and that it’s not a mob scene. The quality is spectacular and while it’s pricey, it’s worth it. Also, we got regular seating (not premium). Every table has a great view and IMO, premium seating is really not necessary. Actually, I think you get a better view when you’re not directly in front of the stage.
Visited December 2015

Beautiful, classy, historical luau right on the shores of Waikiki beach. We celebrated my wife’s birthday here so sprung for the premier tickets and we were not disappointed. Excellent fusion of traditional Hawaiian and Asian food with ~12 first rate theatrical acts recreating historical Hawaiian traditions. Best 3 hours on Oahu so far and the front row tickets were well worth it!

I would expected a great show from RoyalHawaiian with this kind of price $ 175 for per person. Royal Hawaiian was very unoraganize. They did not check the waether. After my family and I were seated, ½ late, it started to rain. All the guest got wetand held to seek shelter. After realizing the rain was not going to stop, they decided to move the show indoor, which cause another 1 ½ hour of delay. I have been to quite a few Luau, this show was nothing spectular. The food wasn’t great. The service was B-​. Maybe if we were to get to see the show on the lawn as it was orginally supposed to be, I might have rated 3 stars. But, I find it very disappointing!

Price is very expensive but worth it if you are a drinker, open bar. The food portions are very tiny but you get 5 courses. The Show itself wasn’t as ‘traditional’ as others I’ve been to but its more of a historical version rather than the ethnic version. The atmosphere is amazing as the show is on the lawn of the hotel not ON the beach/​sand. The staff is very accommodating and great service.
Pros: walking distance from any hotel in Waikiki, Luau is on the beach (not a rooftop like the Hilton), unlimited alcohol if you like to drink.
Con: price, food portions

Pros:
Excellent food, a beautiful location right on waikiki beach, friendly staff, and great and plentiful drinks (The polynesian cultural center is a dry luau, but from what I hear more traditional and larger portions of food). Great performers, the hula dancers and the «fire knife» dancer were amazing. The singers and musicians were also quite good. The MC was a charming older chap, but also laid on the cheese a little thick.
Cons:
Not as traditional as it sounds — it showcases Hawaiian history but focuses a lot on modern history, great performers but the performances themselves aren’t always that exciting. The food portions are miniscule. I’m not joking. The appetizer is an amous bouche, literally 1 small bite of each thing on the appetizer menu.
Note: After reading the other single review on here, I have to say that I agree that I wish there were half stars because i would give this a 3.5 as well. But, I also want to point out that his comment about Wagyu beef is misleading. First of all, Wagyu and Kobe are the same thing. Wagyu is a type of cattle, Kobe is a region in Japan where Wagyu are raised and technically according to Japanese law, Kobe beef can only be labled such if it comes from Japan, however, the US is not allowed to import Kobe beef and just ignore the naming law cause we’re Americans and apparently we can do what we want. That being said, braised beef is not tenderloin or ribeye, it comes from a tough cut of meat, which, believe it or not Wagyu do still have, and therefore Wagyu beef can be braised. It would be stupid to braise a Wagyu filet, but I’m sure that’s not what they braised. These chefs knew what they were doing.

This is another instance where half stars would be helpful. Overall the Aha ‘Aina is a 3 ½. That isn’t a knock on the quality of the show or the food, both were pretty good, probably worthy of 4 stars for the quality of the food and 5 stars for the entertainment, but the lack of variety in the entrees and the rather high cost knock it down to no better than 3 ½ stars.
The Hawaiian food, poke, Kalua pig, lomi lomi, etc. come as amuse bouches not appetizers that you can really appetize (for lack of a better word) on. The tastes are nice, but not sufficient.
The salad was a rather ordinary green salad dressed up with some interesting dressings and a bit of duck, but again, not sufficient imagination or quality for the price being charged.
The entrée was Wagyu beef «braised» and I am not sure why you braise Waygu beef, that is like putting ketchup on Kobe beef. It was fairly tasty, but I would have preferred a grilled Waygu. The lobster tail was overspiced. It was well cooked, but like the beef, I would have preferred it more simple with sauces on the side.
The highlight of the meal from a food standpoint was dessert, chocolate covered cheesecake «lollipop», what a great idea, I am surprised no one has started a stand alone business selling them. Or maybe someone has and I just don’t know it.
Now, the show itself. No criticisms here, it was a great show. The dancers did a great job and the narrator was excellent and very informative. If there was a $ 65 cocktail only show, we might do it again, but as it stands, paying for for the Aha ‘Aina than we do at Alan Wong’s or Orchids is just not going to happen again.