Has Anyone Ever Dined with a Disney Imagineer

[Kim in PA]

My 12 year old twin daughters both want to be artists, so we are considering signing up for this. Has anyone ever done Dining with a Disney Imagineer at the Brown Derby?

I would like to find out if the imagineer is an artist or some other profession (engineer, etc.) The girls would only be interested in meeting with an artist.

I would love to hear from anyone who has done this.

Thank you!

 

[kaytieeldr]

There are about a dozen different Imagineers - I'm relatively certain you can't schedule a specific one.

In addition, the minimum age is fourteen, and there are reports of CMs stressing that to the point of not allowing Guests with children younger than that age to make reservations.

 

[fires_grumpy]

DW got our ADR for lunch with the Imagineer. And sorry to say 1 of the 1st question they ask her was any one under 14. It sounds like they stick with this rule on no one under 14. There are so many gifted kids under this age limit.

 

[Esmerelda]

I find that age question odd as we are getting booked by the concierge for our upcoming stay. My youngest son will be just 1 week shy of being 13 and the concierge knows their ages and never questioned this.

I have researched this topic on here and if the child is at least 10 or over, it doesn't seem as though its been an issue.

just my 2cents worth...

we fully intend to have a great time!

 

[Mister Disney]

Hi there we had lunch with an Imagineer 2 years ago and did a review on it if you want to read it.

Lunch with an Imagineer Review

{putting on flame suit}
With regards to the "age" issue, it comes from people bringing children that are not prepared for this sort of event and ruining it for all the others seated around the table.
{readjusting flame suit}
Remember when you sign up, you are not there alone, but other people have also paid to be there also, and while some may think their child is mature enough to handle the meal, some children just are not.
{adding second flame suit, just in case}
I am not talking just about sitting and begaving properly, but also with regards to questions asked etc. Disney has set this program up as a teenager / adult option because of previous issues.

Sorry

 

[lovetotravel07]

Haven't done it yet. But if you call disney dining they will read you the details. It is for either 14 or 16 and up. They only take 8 people at a time. It's only on certain days. When we go in June it's only offered 2x per week at Brown Derby. It is $60.99 per person plus 6.25 tax and 18 percent gratuity, and includes lunch, question and answer session with an imagineer, (could be any aspect of Disney, rides, lighting, animation, etc.), and some kind of behind the scenes tour/info of their expertise. You can only book 60 days in advance. So it opens up this week for early June!

Hope this helps.

Thinking of booking it for my almost 19-year old daughter. She is a graphic design student in College.

 

[BCV23]

I think Mister Disney put it very well.

We were on the Sunrise Safari a little over a month ago. Our vehicle was almost all adults but there was one family with a boy and girl in maybe the 10-12 range. The little girl was quite precocious but just wouldn't be quiet. She asked and answered questions, talked over the guide, etc.. He handled it very well and eventually she settled down. But I was glad we were at the back of the truck and she was at the front. She was very bright but just didn't quite have the nuances of adult behavior down yet. I would not have enjoyed sitting around a table with an Imagineer having her dominate the conversation.

Esmeralda, I can imagine your case might be an example of the system not being perfect. The concierge CMs can probably book it themselves without interacting with the dining CMs who have the restriction listed. It might not hurt to email the concierge and check on the age restriction.

Our son and now DIL greatly enjoyed the Lunch with an Imagineer about 4.5 years ago. The Imagineer they dined with was a designer of some type. But as someone said, it's not as if you can pick. From what I've read, they all do a fantastic job.

 

[Scornelius]

Oh Mr Disney, thank you for phrasing that so delicately. My answer would have been 'There was a 10 year old brat when I went, and the little crap head monopolized the whole conversation with inane Zac Ephron and Kingdom Hearts blather and I had to restrain myself from stabbing him with a fork'.

OP, please don't take this to mean I think your child is a brat who will end up with 4 identical puncture wounds in their hand. Not at all. I know there are oodles of children who would be nothing but perfect in a situation like this, and would get so much out of the experience. I was raised by my grandma and had unbelievable manners, and by the time I was 10 I'd dined with heads of state and members of the royal family without ever having broken into a chorus of 'beans beans the musical fruit'. So I know it is possible.

The only other issue is there's no way to guarantee which imagineer you'll be with. Last time we had a gentleman who was in charge of things like staging and perfecting the atmosphere for rides. He was really nice and interesting, but the whole thing really was ruined by Bobby the Kingdom Hearts junkie.

If you do chose to go, I hope you have a terrific time!!!!

 

[jennifer6800]

I surprised my boyfriend with this meal a year ago, and it is one of our favorite things we have ever done at Disney. When we attended there were only four of us, and we spent hours talking.

I agree that it depends on the guests, our partners were the crazy Disney types. We love Disney, but they spent the entire time trying to one up the Imagineer with things they knew or had.

We are planning to do it again in December with my boyfriend's parents.

 

[Esmerelda]

Yes..I too would be QUITE upset to have lunch at $65.00 a head with someones child whom was immature and asking stupid questions. I would NEVER spend that kind of money if I thought this was the case with my not quite 13 year old. At this time in life, he and his older brother are trying to decide what career path they wish to chose. They are both musicians and very good but I'm not sure how this will fit into their future. Its alot for a teen to think about. Anyhow, I thought this would be a great experience for them and they are both extremely excited. But as I stated, you are correct, if a parent would bring a child not appropriate for the lunch/dinner, I would have to pull someone to the side and make a comment. Having a 10 yr old ask questions about video games and Zac whatshisname is NOT my ideal lunch! (and his parents should have known better!

I'll let you know how it goes for us! I am very excited as I have been to Disney many times but never dined with an imagineer.

 

[vanillarum]

We did this this past Aug., mainly for my DS (16) who is obsessed with becoming an Imagineer. There were the 4 of us (DS, DW, myself, and DD 10), along with 4 other people we did not know. The Imagineer was Kevin James, a Senior Graphic Artist. It was informative, fun, and very informal. When we made our ressies, we were not asked about age, but maybe this has changed. Before lunch, Kevin asked each person at the table, individually, including my DD, about their favorite Disney memory. The rest of the lunch. my DD said 0. When we asked the kids about their favorite parts of our trip, both said lunch with the Imagineer was one of their top 3. So if age is not an issue, it obviously depends on the individual. And obviously, it is the parents responsibility to make sure their children are well behaved. Just my opinion. Have fun.

 

[angwill]

Oh Mr Disney, thank you for phrasing that so delicately. My answer would have been 'There was a 10 year old brat when I went, and the little crap head monopolized the whole conversation with inane Zac Ephron and Kingdom Hearts blather and I had to restrain myself from stabbing him with a fork'.

Sadly, I could could say the same thing but change the 10 to an adult age. You know the adults who need to be the center of attention and monopolize the imagineers time with their stupid questions and statements. I do understand how a lot of younger kids might either disrupt or be very bored at this event though.