Fantasmic: H&V or Mama Melrose?

[WallE]

We are in our final days before our reservation window opens for the F! Dinner Package. We have four adults and two kids (ages 6 and 3) going. Which restaurant do you recommend?

 

[DisneyRookie2007]

We are in our final days before our reservation window opens for the F! Dinner Package. We have four adults and two kids (ages 6 and 3) going. Which restaurant do you recommend?

I can't speak for MM, but H&V food was terrible when we were there last

 

[PrincessMomto2]

I have never been to H&V but have heard mostly negative reviews on here about it. I went to MM's years ago and it was ok, nothing outstanding. We will be heading out in June and I'm going to try to book MM's. I think it will be fine and I want to have the F! package. Otherwise I would avoid both and eat at 50's PT.

Good luck with your ADR's!

 

[mdelano4]

Have been to both.

MM twice and will try to get ressies there again this year. H&V was a one shot deal and I won't go again, ever. Food was terrible, service was worse and the place was actually dirty. I am sure this is only one of many poor reviews you will get on H&V. It seems to be a popular topic here.

PS - be prepared to be flexible with your date for Fantasmic, I hear they are filling up faster than usual.

 

[mama r]

We are in our final days before our reservation window opens for the F! Dinner Package. We have four adults and two kids (ages 6 and 3) going. Which restaurant do you recommend?

I wish you luck on making the ressie. I called at exactly the 90 day mark and was unable to get anything at either of the F! Package restaurants. They have cut down on the number of times Fantasmic is on during the week do make sure you ask when it will be on . I hope it goes well for you

 

[Jenny Wren]

H&V is awful. I wouldn't feed their food to my dogs. Thats the truth!

 

[KatMark]

We did H&V twice...you would think we would have learned after the first time, but we always try to give each place two tries. You couldn't pay us to go back to H&V. Mama Melrose is where we do the Fantasmic Package.

 

[colinsdad]

We are in our final days before our reservation window opens for the F! Dinner Package. We have four adults and two kids (ages 6 and 3) going. Which restaurant do you recommend?

I recommend Mama Melrose's.

My 90 day window was yesterday, and realizing there are only 3 Fantasmic shows during the week I'll be there, it was the first reservation I made (even though it will be the 6th day of my 8 day stay).

When making my ADR's, I usually start with the first day I arrive and go forward. Not this time. I figured I'd better start with MM F!, and I got it. Lots of people are posting they aren't getting it.

Tip for Booking:
First off, find out which nights Fantasmic is showing during your stay. Don't call and ask. That will just waste time while others are booking it. Know the dates before you call, and pick the LAST possible one you can attend(farthest from your arrival date). Call right at 7am Eastern (whatever that time translates to wherever you are) when WDW-DINE opens on the day your 90+10 day window starts. Make this reservation first!

The reason you should pick the LAST possible F! date of your stay is because the other shows earlier in the week will be within the 10 day window of people able to book up to 10 days before you! If you pick the last possible date, there are less persons who would be eligible to book this package based on the ADR rules. This will increase your odds dramatically and hopefully you'll get it. Good Luck.

 

[svalencia1]

I say Mama's, no question. I won't eat at H&V anymore. I have ate there 3x and it was awful each time. The last time it was my sons request because of Playhouse Disney and it was his birthday so I gave in. Mama Melrose was decent the last time I was there so hopefully I will be lucky enough to get the package.

 

[aubriee]

We did H&V twice...you would think we would have learned after the first time, but we always try to give each place two tries. You couldn't pay us to go back to H&V. Mama Melrose is where we do the Fantasmic Package.

Hey, you learned quicker than we did. We gave Hollywood & Vine three tries, before writing it off. We have also eaten at Mama Melrose and Brown Derby and prefer Mama Melrose.

A couple of weeks ago, I called at 90 days out at exactly 6:00 CT and the first ADR I asked for was the Fantasmic Pkg. The only thing available at Mama Melrose was at 3:55pm.

To the OP: if the only place available is H&V, I'd just skip the Fantasmic pkg, show up really early for Fantasmic, and get hot dogs there at the stand in the back and eat just before the show.

 

[Disneydonnam]

I say Mama's, no question. I won't eat at H&V anymore. I have ate there 3x and it was awful each time. The last time it was my sons request because of Playhouse Disney and it was his birthday so I gave in. Mama Melrose was decent the last time I was there so hopefully I will be lucky enough to get the package.

We have a resrvation booked here for 5/17. I read your review about the food but would you go again for the characters? Do they sing and dance and make it worth going for that?

 

[ROEDISNEY]

We like Mamma Melrose never been to H & V but the kids might like H & V for the characters.

 

[KatMark]

There are no characters at H&V for dinner (only breakfast and lunch).

 

[Princess Sleepy]

We just got back and ate at both restaurants. We did the Fantasmic package at H&V because we couldn't get in at MM for dinner. But we ate at MM for lunch.

1. MM was delicious. I would definitely recommend that as your first choice. We found the service to be good and the kids ate more there than almost any other restaurant all week.

2. H&V was not nearly as bad as people have made out. I was so worried about eating there after reading all the reviews on the boards. It wasn't the best food I've ever eaten, but it was acceptable. There was a good variety and what was there was cooked well. My DH liked it too and he is very picky. We had good service: our drinks were kept refilled and our plates were cleared promptly. As for cleanliness, I specifically looked around and I saw no problems and I worked in the food industry for 10 years so I know what to look for.

3. Find out if there is a second show for Fantasmic the night you're there. We had the package, but the first show got rained out. We asked the CMs about the second show and they said to stick around because it's always easier to walk right in to the later show. We did and they were right. Everyone left the park and we got seats right in the middle 10 minutes before show time, no package needed.

 

[WendyisDarling]

I recommend Mama Melrose's.

My 90 day window was yesterday, and realizing there are only 3 Fantasmic shows during the week I'll be there, it was the first reservation I made (even though it will be the 6th day of my 8 day stay).

When making my ADR's, I usually start with the first day I arrive and go forward. Not this time. I figured I'd better start with MM F!, and I got it. Lots of people are posting they aren't getting it.

Tip for Booking:
First off, find out which nights Fantasmic is showing during your stay. Don't call and ask. That will just waste time while others are booking it. Know the dates before you call, and pick the LAST possible one you can attend(farthest from your arrival date). Call right at 7am Eastern (whatever that time translates to wherever you are) when WDW-DINE opens on the day your 90+10 day window starts. Make this reservation first!

The reason you should pick the LAST possible F! date of your stay is because the other shows earlier in the week will be within the 10 day window of people able to book up to 10 days before you! If you pick the last possible date, there are less persons who would be eligible to book this package based on the ADR rules. This will increase your odds dramatically and hopefully you'll get it. Good Luck.

Where would I look to find out what days Fantasmic is showing?
TIA

 

[Tikihula]

Where would I look to find out what days Fantasmic is showing?
TIA

I need to know that, too. I can't find it on the daily calendar for DHS in May. Are there set days each week for Fantasmic?