Marvel Character Dinner at IOA

[danno561]

We are taking our two grandsons at the beginning of June for seven nights at Hard Rock. I wanted to get some thoughts and info from those that have done the Marvel Character Dinner at Cafe 4.

How was the overall experience? The food actually looks pretty decent. Do we need to book in advance and if so, how far in advance? It looks like reservations are in 15 minute increments beginning at 5:00. Are you allotted a certain amount of time?

Thanks!

 

[chimoe]

Interested in this also. I was hoping to book a day or 2 prior. Not sure how far in advance they sell out..

I watched a Youtube review and it seems OK. It didn't look up to par with the Disney character dining experience. Can only go off vlog reviews.

Universal only has a few character dining options. Minions breakfast, which is only on Saturdays, and the Marvel.

 

[lebeau]

I haven't done it myself but I have read several reviews and watched YouTube videos. The general consensus is that the food is okay but not remotely worth the money. What you are paying for is the character interactions which everyone I have heard from described as exceptional. Yes, you can see these characters in Marvel Superhero Island without much trouble. But here they come to your table and spend a lot of time with you. They all talk so the interactions are more engaging than just a hug, photo and autograph. Everyone I have heard from has recommended the Marvel meal based on the characters.

The biggest complaint I have heard is that actually getting into the meal can be a bit chaotic. (Tim Tracker did a video review of the meal where they illustrate this.) You are given a return time and then wait outside Cafe 4 for your table. Once you get in, things operate just like a typical character buffet. But apparently you really need to pay attention during that pre-seating stage.

As is typical with Universal, you don't need to book 180 days in advance. I think you can probably get a seat same-day except during the busiest times of year. Once you have made up your mind, I'd go ahead and book it but it's not something you need to commit to weeks or months in advance.

Here's a couple videos:

Orlando Informer
Tim Tracker

At $50 per adult, it's just a bit pricey for us. My girls don't care all that much about the Marvel characters. If they did, I would definitely give this a try at least once.

 

[danno561]

Thanks for the insight, lebeau. Since we are there for a week, I think that we will wait until we arrive for reservations. I am okay with the price. I generally don’t eat meat, dairy or gluten so I will just take one for the team.

 

[lebeau]

Thanks for the insight, lebeau. Since we are there for a week, I think that we will wait until we arrive for reservations. I am okay with the price. I generally don’t eat meat, dairy or gluten so I will just take one for the team.

Let them know about your dietary requirements. I believe I read somewhere that they will accommodate you to the best of their ability.

 

[Sehsun]

We did the Marvel character dinner, and it was an awesome experience. I thought the food was good. Really good character interactions. We went at the beginning of February, and it was not crowded, which I think contributed to the quality of our character interactions. As far as I know, you can stay as long as you want (although I believe the experience ends at 7:00). Like @lebeau said, it's not something you would have to book months in advance. I would recommend it!

 

[GoofyDad_4427]

I'd recommend the Marvel character dinner. The food was better than I thought it would be. We went in expecting a cafeteria style experience, and that's pretty much what I got with the food, but it was all just better quality that was expected. The character interaction was great, as they came around to all the tables, interacted for quite some time, and took multiple pictures if needed. I saw a few kids with special needs around us, and they did a phenomenal job with them. My only complaint was the waiters/waitresses take your drink order, bring you drinks, and then you never see them again.

We did not experience the "pre-seating" problem someone described a few posts above. We showed up, waited outside for about 5 minutes, and then were seated. It operated exactly how I would have thought.

For reference purposes we did this the week after Thanksgiving, 2018.

 

[GoofyDad_4427]

Posted twice by accident.

 

[mcjw2011]

I've seen a couple of the vlogs about the dinner. Wolverine is pretty hilarious and one of the reasons I would give the character dinner a try.

 

[GoofyDad_4427]

I've seen a couple of the vlogs about the dinner. Wolverine is pretty hilarious and one of the reasons I would give the character dinner a try.

Now that you mention it, Wolverine was particularly great.

 

[hechris]

We booked our dinner months in advance, didn't want to take any chance on missing out. My boys are big Marvel fans and loved the whole experience. I thought it was pretty relaxed as far as character meals go, and they didn't try and rush us out which was nice. The food was better than I expected, there were lots of options and the desserts were amazing. That being said, you really won't eat your money's worth. You'll be paying more than double what you would pay for a comparable meal elsewhere. You have decide if the character interaction time is worth the extra money. While the characters were amazing, I thought we had better photo ops meeting characters in the parks. You'd definitely be doing it for the memories!

 

[danno561]

We booked our dinner months in advance, didn't want to take any chance on missing out. My boys are big Marvel fans and loved the whole experience. I thought it was pretty relaxed as far as character meals go, and they didn't try and rush us out which was nice. The food was better than I expected, there were lots of options and the desserts were amazing. That being said, you really won't eat your money's worth. You'll be paying more than double what you would pay for a comparable meal elsewhere. You have decide if the character interaction time is worth the extra money. While the characters were amazing, I thought we had better photo ops meeting characters in the parks. You'd definitely be doing it for the memories!

I see that annual passholders are given a 10% discount on “day of” booking. I think that we will try this on our first day and if they are completely booked, we will advance book for later in the trip. Gambling that it will not be completely booked for the entire seven days.