Keep wondering if I should cancel Hollywood and Vine??

[dmea10]

SO I booked Chef Mickeys, 1900 Park Faire, Hollywood and Vine, CRT, Garden Grill, Akershus, Ohana, Be Our Guest, Tusker House, Boathouse, and Kona Café. I keep hearing bad reviews for Hollywood and Vine and I really want to just cancel it. The dilemma I have is my 4 year old Granddaughter loves those characters. I have heard we can meet them in other places is that true? I also booked the Fantasmic package but I could easily switch to Brown Derby or Mama Melroses. I know Chef Mickeys get so so reviews also but it is a tradition or sorts with us and I think she will enjoy it. I hated Hollywood and Vine when we went years ago but I think it had more to do with the waitress than the food.

 

[Disneylover99]

We had lunch at H&V last year. We also booked it for the Fantasmic package. We had no expectations going in, but it was one of our best meals. We were pleasantly surprised. We enjoyed it more then all of the restaurants on your list, except for the Boathouse and Kona which we have not tried yet.

 

[robndani]

We actually love the food there. A little more variety for a buffet. They have seafood mac and cheese, a nice carving stations and lots of other options.

 

[JerseyJanice]

I couldn't make myself do it even though I think it can't be that bad.

After years of reading how terrible the food is plus the high price--I just couldn't.

If you do, though, please report back.

 

[Skippyboo]

You do know that breakfast at H&V is Disney Jr and the other times is a seasonal dinner with Mickey Minnie Donald Goofy. So it's basically the same character to chef mickey's and tusker house in different outfits

 

[dismomkc]

We ate there on our trip in December and I booked a Fantasmic package for our trip in November. The breakfast buffet was pretty good, lots of options. My husband is not an adventurous eater so he liked all of the simple options.

 

[Allie B]

H and V breakfast was good with a wide variety. That is the time disney junior characters such as doc mcstuffins, Sophia, and jake are there. I think it's a must for children 5 and under.

 

[Chrelaine]

We loved breakfast at H&V. I can't speak for lunch or dinner, but we wouldn't hesitate to eat there again for any meal. Will I call it gourmet food? Of course not, but for a buffet the food was good and the character interaction and entertainment for our DD was totally worth it. It also kept us from having to wait in line to meet Sofia, whom DD loved at the time.

 

[ENJDisneyFan]

I have heard we can meet them in other places is that true?

Yes, you can meet Disney Jr characters at HS in the Animation Courtyard.

 

[Nancyg56]

I think that you have booked a lot of buffet and AYCTE meals, so that is what would make me revisit my dining plans. I don't worry about reviews because I like Chef Mickey's and most people don't, but I do try to schedule a wider variety of dining choices .

 

[Praying Colonel]

We're H&V contrarians--we've always liked it. The last time we ate there it had just changed to a character meal for dinner and we probably wouldn't go back now because it feels hectic with all the character interaction. But if you're looking for character meals I think it would be a good choice.

 

[bumbershoot]

I think that you have booked a lot of buffet and AYCTE meals, so that is what would make me revisit my dining plans. I don't worry about reviews because I like Chef Mickey's and most people don't, but I do try to schedule a wider variety of dining choices .

That is a lot of sit downs. I hope the op's trip is 11 days so it's one per day or that 4 year old might get cranky. Especially since little kids often don't eat at character meals (or it becomes a difficult time getting them to eat, which makes grownups cranky).

Our one breakfast years ago at H&V was fine for food but the characters were meh.

 

[OasterP]

I think if the characters are something you want to see then it's worth it. As for the food - it's a buffet. I've heard the terrible reviews and I personally do not enjoy buffets due to the "gross factor" and food just being ok... But really I didn't notice any difference between this buffet and any others that we went to really as far as cleanliness or food choices. We went for lunch so I can't speak personally for the breakfast. It was a bit louder than some of the others with all the others, but my son was also acting like a little butt nugget that day, so that added to my annoyance, and I STILL thought it was fine.

 

[tyandskyesmom]

We love H&V for breakfast (even with a 13 and 18 year old!) but we do not enjoy it for lunch or dinner...although there are only a few buffets we do for dinner (Cape May, Tuskerhouse, Boma).

 

[dvcHammer]

Ended up at H&V last year as a walk up and was pleasantly surprised. the food was good, not great. The experience was fine and we enjoyed it

 

[Nancyg56]

That is a lot of sit downs. I hope the op's trip is 11 days so it's one per day or that 4 year old might get cranky. Especially since little kids often don't eat at character meals (or it becomes a difficult time getting them to eat, which makes grownups cranky).

Our one breakfast years ago at H&V was fine for food but the characters were meh.

My DGD would have been fine for plenty of TS meal options. All the character meals would have been overwhelming for her though.

 

[mdelano4]

I have always bashed H&V, after a couple of really bad meals. As many have said before, the only thing consistent about dining at WDW is the inconsistency. My advise always is go and enjoy, you might like and you might not, but you can say that about any restaurant there. You have to draw your own conclusions. I hope your meal is great.

 

[DisneyFansInNYC]

We ate there last year for our DDs birthday with 4 of her friends. We went because she loves Minnie. We had read all the bad reviews as well and didn't expect much. We all really enjoyed it. We had an issue with the time we booked (our fault) and the manager was lovely and allowed us to come back later. It was not as crowded with the seating as Chef Mickeys. I wouldn't cancel it. Enjoy!

 

[twoplustwins]

We had H&V breakfast. It was just okay. The character interaction was good.

 

[PrincessArlena'sDad]

Sophia and Doc can be seen elsewhere at HS.
Jake and Handy Manny can only be seen at Hollywood and Vine for breakfast.

As others have said, they are switching lunch to Minnie and Friends (dinner is already Minnie and Friends). However, I believe the switch is in September (forget the exact date). If you are going prior to then, lunch would be Disney Jr.

Does your 4 yr old want to do Jedi training? If so, a PPO ADR at H&V gives you early access to Jedi sign ups.