Dining dilemma for HS day....

[PosadaGirl519]

BD is my favorite restaurant on WDW property!!!

 

[JimmyV]

I think that getting "your choice of seats" at F! Is overrated. Anywhere you sit is fine. On all but the craziest days (pmEMH plus F!) You can get in the back of the line 15-20 minutes before they let in the crowd and you will get a side seat with a perfectly fine view. I find the package dinners to be a combination of poor food with lots of downtime. They will book you in for dinner at 4:45 for an 8:00 show. Is a "preferred seat" worth that time lag? Not to me. That's a lot of waiting around. And as stated before, if there is a later show, go to that one. People tend to over plan for F! Last time I was there, people lined up for the later show immediately after they finished seating the early show. Really? You're going to stand in line for two hours to get a seat to a show that opened to a theater that was 1/3 empty? People who showed up 5 minutes before the show got terrific seats.

 

[sydneysmom]

I think everyone has me sold to forget the dinner tickets and just go to either the early show a bit early or wait for the later one. I like not being tied to that dinner package, especially since MM hasn't gotten great reviews. I really appreciate everyone telling me your experiences.

 

[tarheelmjfan]

I like the idea of a later show.....

I didn't know that there was a price fixe menu at these places if you were doing the Fantasmic! tickets. So even if you are doing the dining plan ( we're going to do the deluxe plan) you have to pick that and not off the regular menu? I'm not sure I like that a whole lot.....it might be better to skip the package?

It is prix fixe, but you can order any appetizer, entree, & dessert on the menu at HBD. MM offers a dessert sampler, but you can still order an appetizer & entree of your choice. Prix fixe for the F! package just means you pay a set price regardless of what you order. There isn't a separate menu.

I see you've decided to skip the package. I still don't think you can do better in any park than Hollywood Brown Derby. The Epcot resorts have few restaurants that are as good or better as well. I would still suggest you dine there. If food quality is your top priority, the other DHS restaurants can't compete. There are some fun themes though. It depends on what is most important to you. Without the package, you can dine later.

 

[sydneysmom]

It is prix fixe, but you can order any appetizer, entree, & dessert on the menu at HBD. MM offers a dessert sampler, but you can still order an appetizer & entree of your choice. Prix fixe for the F! package just means you pay a set price regardless of what you order. There isn't a separate menu.

I see you've decided to skip the package. I still don't think you can do better in any park than Hollywood Brown Derby. The Epcot resorts have few restaurants that are as good or better as well. I would still suggest you dine there. If food quality is your top priority, the other DHS restaurants can't compete. There are some fun themes though. It depends on what is most important to you. Without the package, you can dine later.

We may do that and try the Brown Derby either for that day or maybe come back in the week since it seems worth going....the menu looks wonderful. We had a bad experience at Sci-fi last time, so that's why we were thinking 50's PT as a substitute. I actually was excited for MM until reading everyone's reviews. That was a bummer.

 

[princessanj]

Had this same issue when planning for our upcoming trip this month! We decided that none of the HS restaurants were really what we wanted, so we are going to head over to the Beach Club for supper at Cape May we are seafood lovers and I was also worried about all the bad reviews for the HS places. We are doing an early lunch at Pizza Planet that day also! Going to the second Fantasmic! show would work!

 

[sydneysmom]

Had this same issue when planning for our upcoming trip this month! We decided that none of the HS restaurants were really what we wanted, so we are going to head over to the Beach Club for supper at Cape May we are seafood lovers and I was also worried about all the bad reviews for the HS places. We are doing an early lunch at Pizza Planet that day also! Going to the second Fantasmic! show would work!

That's a great idea!!!! . Great, now another decision!

 

[lync]

We actually enjoyed MM. I did not get anything with a red sauce, though. I don't love Italian. I think I ordered salmon or something. We all thought the food was good. It just took a long time to eat b/c of all of the courses.

We aren't even eating at dhs this trip. My girls don't love F! So we are eating dinner at Sanaa since we are staying at AKL.

 

[RyMacJ]

Had this same issue when planning for our upcoming trip this month! We decided that none of the HS restaurants were really what we wanted, so we are going to head over to the Beach Club for supper at Cape May we are seafood lovers and I was also worried about all the bad reviews for the HS places. We are doing an early lunch at Pizza Planet that day also! Going to the second Fantasmic! show would work!

We're doing this exact same thing! The only HS TS meal that looked appealing was 50's, but we're on DDP and really want to try and get a bit more bang for our buck. DH wanted to eat at Cape May anyway, so, two birds w one stone.

I was worried about the walk though, as it's been 5.5 years since I was at Disney and I can't remember how far it is.

 

[JerseyJanice]

We really enjoyed our dinner at Mama Melrose in 2009. I would do it again if on the Dining Plan, and I wouldn't hesitate to try the lunch.

That said, while the dining package is nice, but it's not essential. If you're certain that you like 50's Prime Time, you could choose that and make sure you line up early for the show.

I've never been to the Brown Derby, but honestly, the menus I've seen from it are not appealing to me at all. The food does not sound upscale enough for a 2 credit restaurant, and if you're not on a Dining Plan, you'll get hosed with those prices. It's way at the bottom of my list of restaurants to try at the World, and let's face it--the food quality at the Studios is not known for its greatness. Can the Studios pull off a decent signature restaurant? I have my doubts.

 

[JerseyJanice]

I was worried about the walk though, as it's been 5.5 years since I was at Disney and I can't remember how far it is.

It's a hike--take the boat! It's a bit time-consuming, but very scenic and enjoyable.

 

[RyMacJ]

Thanks for the tip! How time consuming though? 30 minutes?

 

[JerseyJanice]

Thanks for the tip! How time consuming though? 30 minutes?

Yes, it's about that, but if you consider it a ride, it's time well-spent. And I think the Cape May Cafe is better than anywhere you can eat in the Studios.

 

[RyMacJ]

again, thank you! I'm sure my DD's would love the boat ride

 

[tarheelmjfan]

I've never been to the Brown Derby, but honestly, the menus I've seen from it are not appealing to me at all. The food does not sound upscale enough for a 2 credit restaurant, and if you're not on a Dining Plan, you'll get hosed with those prices. It's way at the bottom of my list of restaurants to try at the World, and let's face it--the food quality at the Studios is not known for its greatness. Can the Studios pull off a decent signature restaurant? I have my doubts.

In our opinion, they absolutely have. You should try it for yourself. We pay OOP & think it's a great value. It's the cheapest signature restaurant, but the food is on par with the others. I have a feeling the fact that it's in a park affects the prices a little. Like every WDW run restaurant, it can be inconsistent. That is the case at all the WDW signatures though. HBD is not alone in that. Even on a bad day, the quality is better than the non-signature options (not only in the parks, but anywhere).