Dining with An Imagineer - worth it for these geeks! :)

[eeyore45]

We were lucky enough to score a reservations 180 days out to Dine with an Imagineer at DHS Brown Derby. There is a prix fix 4 course menu, and dd and I tend to be "picky eaters" The soup was a corn bisque with a corn and lobster fritter. The corn was the star of the dish without overpowering it at all. The fritter was light and crunchy, and didn't have a seafood taste. The famous Cobb salad was served next, then DD and I had the steak, and asked for it to be "plain", while dd had french fries, I stayed with the mashed potatoes, Dh had the fish, which he loved, a few people had the noodle bowls, no one complained. and the trio of desserts was just the right amount for the ending of the meal!

Our Imagineer was passionate about his work, and you could see the pride just emanate from him as he talked of his entire career at Disney! He started as a sweeper in the Magic Kingdom while he was in High School, and he worked his way up (basically, long story short of course, but it was fascinating trust me ) His latest project is the Frozen Attraction in Norway. He set the ground rules that he could not speak of anything new, or upcoming, nor could he hear any ideas, but he did mention that he was surprised at how much access the Wall Street Journal writer got - and wrote about - he said that article said more than he ever could!

ETA>
dd says I should give a Spoiler Alert concerning the article as it goes in to detail of the ride, the journalist saw the storyboards I imagine? Its very descriptive about how the ride will look and feel and sound....

http://blogs.wsj.com/speakeasy/2015...xclusive-look-at-disneys-upcoming-attraction/

I think we also appreciated how he mentioned that they pay respect, or "homage" to previous attractions, that the park is not stagnant, ever moving. For instance there is a picture in the pooh attraction of Mr. Toad handing the deed over to Owl, as well as a squid from the Twenty Thousand League ride... and he assured us that Norway will have something too...

He talked with so much joy and pride of how the 7 Dwarf Mine Train came to be, and he even mentioned a few hidden Mickey's, and talked about the one that surprised him (Its in Arial's ride queue) He made sure that everyone had opportunities to ask questions, and he put everyone at ease.

I felt very lucky that we had David take time out of his schedule to share his joy and passion of being a Disney Imagineer!

 

[wannabee]

So happy to read your review. We are booked for 7/22 and I cant wait.

 

[Lisann]

Thanks for sharing. It sounds like so much fun.

 

[aVASTGrl]

I would love to do this one day, thanks for your review! Just out of curiosity, how many people are in each group?

 

[Meriweather]

We love Dining with an Imagineer. We have been 3 times and hope to go back again next year.
Always very informative and the food is great!

 

[TwinPrincessMermaids]

Worth my whole dinner just to say... Pandora...simulator..whaaaaa

 

[eeyore45]

I would love to do this one day, thanks for your review! Just out of curiosity, how many people are in each group?

There are spots for 12 people.

 

[Number Six]

Cool

 

[BudgieMama]

Out of interest, how much does it cost?

 

[CMNJ]

My husband took his dad in May and I think it was about $80 per person with tax and tip
The imagineer at their lunch is currently working on the Disney Springs transformation but previously had been in charge of some different projects at MK -I think my husband said he was the art director at MK for a while
Anyway my husband and his dad LOVED the experience and said they would absolutely do it again

 

[britterbell]

So glad you had a great experience! That is what the magic of Disney is all about! I'm hoping to do this dinner one day as well!

 

[Quellman]

Will they still sign plates or menus?

 

[Dan Murphy]

Thanks for the review, 45. I did this several years back, when the souvenir plates were included (now extra). It was time well spent, very enjoyable.

 

[Orph]

Thank you for the Review! I have a lunch booked in Sept...SO EXCITED!

Btw...did you get a "name tag" and a souvenir plate? Other reviews are very vague about what you get.

 

[JayLeeJay]

Thanks for the review, 45. I did this several years back, when the souvenir plates were included (now extra). It was time well spent, very enjoyable.

I did this in May and the plate was not extra - it was signed prior to the meal and given at the end without an extra charge.

Thank you for the Review! I have a lunch booked in Sept...SO EXCITED!

Btw...did you get a "name tag" and a souvenir plate? Other reviews are very vague about what you get.

In May we got red name tags and a signed souvenir plate. One for each person.

 

[MakiraMarlena]

from what I understand the plates are included with the lunch but are extra at dinner which is held at the Flying Fish and is now done only occasionally if at all.

 

[Dan Murphy]

I did this in May and the plate was not extra - it was signed prior to the meal and given at the end without an extra charge.



In May we got red name tags and a signed souvenir plate. One for each person.

from what I understand the plates are included with the lunch but are extra at dinner which is held at the Flying Fish and is now done only occasionally if at all.

That's good to hear, plates still included!!!

 

[GATORinaZ28]

We have done this 3 times now and it has been worth it every time!

 

[MrsSkellington]

Would this be awkward for someone to go solo? I'd love to send my husband (I'd stay back with the 2 year old), but he's kind of shy.

 

[MakiraMarlena]

It's a small group (no more than 12) so he may not be able to "lose himself" in a crowd if he'd prefer. Would he want to join the discussion or just listen, because it's cool enough to just listen.