Scareactor Dining Experience

[Annchristine65]

Has anyone done this? Is it worth it?

 

[flortlebap]

I haven't, but the scare actors at HHN are awesome so I bet it would be really fun.

 

[schumigirl]

From friends opinions who I trust and regard, food isn't great.......Monsters Cafe isn't known for great food at the best of times though.........

But interaction with characters can be excellent. Have read some reviews who don't rate it at all though. People who were singles felt they were overlooked.

Some seem to enjoy the food though.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

We did this meal in 2015, and really enjoyed it.....enough to book again for this year. The food wasn't gourmet by any stretch, but there were lots of options (something for every taste) and food was plentiful. The servers and staff were all very friendly and fun, and our biggest complaint about the food portion of the event was that the line moved very, very slowly. Other than that, we couldn't really complain. We both found lots that we liked, and neither of us left hungry. That said, we're pretty easy to please for the most part.

Here's a shot of our tray:

We thought the character interaction was SUPERB. All of the scareactors were wonderfully in character, and the one-on-one interaction was worth the price of the meal alone. Here are some photos of the various scareactors that were present during the meal:

My Universal Photo photographers were at the restaurant, taking photos of each party as you entered and then random shots throughout the restaurant. Each party gets one free digital download from the meal (though we didn't use ours, as we had the annual photo card).

 

[Annchristine65]

We did this meal in 2015, and really enjoyed it.....enough to book again for this year. The food wasn't gourmet by any stretch, but there were lots of options (something for every taste) and food was plentiful. The servers and staff were all very friendly and fun, and our biggest complaint about the food portion of the event was that the line moved very, very slowly. Other than that, we couldn't really complain. We both found lots that we liked, and neither of us left hungry. That said, we're pretty easy to please for the most part.

Here's a shot of our tray:

We thought the character interaction was SUPERB. All of the scareactors were wonderfully in character, and the one-on-one interaction was worth the price of the meal alone. Here are some photos of the various scareactors that were present during the meal:

My Universal Photo photographers were at the restaurant, taking photos of each party as you entered and then random shots throughout the restaurant. Each party gets one free digital download from the meal (though we didn't use ours, as we had the annual photo card).

Thank you so much, this was so helpful.

 

[schumigirl]

Thank you so much, this was so helpful.

I do hope the food is better for you this year.........

You have to come back and tell us how it was for you......always nice to hear everyone`s opinion on it......

 

[Metro West]

We did this meal in 2015, and really enjoyed it.....enough to book again for this year. The food wasn't gourmet by any stretch, but there were lots of options (something for every taste) and food was plentiful. The servers and staff were all very friendly and fun, and our biggest complaint about the food portion of the event was that the line moved very, very slowly. Other than that, we couldn't really complain. We both found lots that we liked, and neither of us left hungry. That said, we're pretty easy to please for the most part.

Here's a shot of our tray:

If I ate that much food I would be asleep in no time.

 

[Chuckers]

I, honestly, don't think I would be able to eat anything with those characters walking around... ::shudder::

 

[macraven]

I did it twice and that was enough

Food so sub par when i went

Going solo you are frequently over looked by the scare actors

For that reason alone, not worth it



Those in a group at SA dining
do receive a lot of attention and character interactions

 

[Chumpieboy]

Add me to the "food was so-so and character interactions were bad" list.

Went the first year (2015). Food was OK.

Last year the food seemed worse. Some of the character actors were good. Chance ignored us (table of two) like 5 times. And this was at the first seating of the night. It's not like the place was full. There were two other tables in our section of the restaurant and they both got all the attention. We complained about being ignored, and got some kind of photo card for free photos. The photos did not make it to the photo pickup location at the park exit.

Not doing it again this year...

 

[macraven]

Both times I had the first seating and empty tables near me

 

[keishashadow]

Do they not have handlers to steer the scareactors properly? Some people are more forward and will make sure to get their fair share of pictures, but you surely shouldn't have to approach the scareactors @ this sort of event!

Seriously, the food @ monsters is the scariest thing in the park, HHN or otherwise. 'Attempted' to eat there last in October during HHN, solely by default. what can i say? it was open, friend was starving. We left hungry.

A shame it's been this way for years. It's a great concept & the site is well designed, they could tweak it and have a gem on their hands.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

If I ate that much food I would be asleep in no time.

It wasn't all for one person.

The photo was more to give the OP an idea of some of the buffet items that were offered the year we attended than to debate the extent of our appetites.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Do they not have handlers to steer the scareactors properly? Some people are more forward and will make sure to get their fair share of pictures, but you surely shouldn't have to approach the scareactors @ this sort of event!

When we went in 2015, there were no handlers with the scareactors. Each moved around the room on their own accord and went table to table. If one of the scareactors overlooked your table for some reason, there were plenty of event staff on hand who ensured they looped back to see you. All you needed to do was let someone know.

 

[macraven]

Of course I let staff know that the SA by passed my table

It did not change the situation

Was told they already made the rounds and it would be another 30 minutes for their return


What is advertised does not always happen especially if you are a solo diner

I tried it twice, two years in a row
My choice not to attempt it again

Reason I did the SA dining was for the characters

 

[Metro West]

It wasn't all for one person.

The photo was more to give the OP an idea of some of the buffet items that were offered the year we attended than to debate the extent of our appetites.

Your photo looked like a single meal.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Of course I let staff know that the SA by passed my table

It did not change the situation

Was told they already made the rounds and it would be another 30 minutes for their return


What is advertised does not always happen especially if you are a solo diner

I tried it twice, two years in a row
My choice not to attempt it again

Reason I did the SA dining was for the characters

I am not disagreeing that you had a poor experience.

My posts have been to provide the OP with our experience, which was almost entirely positive (and very different, thankfully, from yours).

I think these boards become the most helpful when all members are welcome to share their thoughts and first-hand accounts, even if they differ from others. So many variables at play, everything from expectations to personal tastes to dates of each visit. I know I appreciate feedback on both sides of the equation when I'm trying to decide whether or not to add something to my vacation itinerary.

 

[keishashadow]

When we went in 2015, there were no handlers with the scareactors. Each moved around the room on their own accord and went table to table. If one of the scareactors overlooked your table for some reason, there were plenty of event staff on hand who ensured they looped back to see you. All you needed to do was let someone know.

All well and good but the onus shouldn't be on the guest to summon a scareactor. JMHO but if plenty of event staff, why not have one trail the scareactor. You'd think for liability reasons they'd want one close at hand anyway

Perhaps they changed things around in 2016 & more could chime in with a more recent reviews.

Of course I let staff know that the SA by passed my table

It did not change the situation

Was told they already made the rounds and it would be another 30 minutes for their return


What is advertised does not always happen especially if you are a solo diner

I tried it twice, two years in a row
My choice not to attempt it again

Reason I did the SA dining was for the characters

I'm not the type to make the first move, even for a scary monster. Reading so many posts like yours (combined with the food issues) has kept me from booking this.

OT we really enjoyed a similar experience at Knotts Berry Farm. Puzzling U can't up their game in this regard.

 

[Chuckers]

Sad to hear about solo diners and the scareactors. I have solo'd many character meals at Disney and was never ignored. Most characters made just as big a fuss over me, a middle aged+ man, as they did for the 3 year old at the next table.

 

[Raeven]

We've actually gone both years, and are going again this year.

2015

We booked this for our first HHN so we wouldn't have to sit in the holding area.

Food:

To be honest I thought the food was not good/average. I didn't feel like they had many choices that appealed to me, but I was also sick and stuffy and couldn't taste much. My favorite was the chocolate banana bread pudding dessert, and my boyfriend (Josh) didn't really have any complaints so there was enough gluten free food for him to have a variety.

I thought the scareactor interactions were really good. They kept sneaking up behind Josh and it was pretty funny. I wasn't sure if we got to see all of them (I kind of felt like they mostly stuck to certain areas), but I think there's only 4-5. We really liked the event in 2015, and felt it was well organized and better than waiting outside so we decided to do it again the next year.

Scareactors:











2016

Food:

(Josh's plate)

(Mine)

I thought the food improved this year, but not by too much. I really liked the NY strip steak and the roasted potatoes they had, and Josh really liked the beef medallions. The one I got was dry and overcooked, but he really liked his so I must've grabbed an overcooked one. I thought they had more choices last year that had a wider appeal (like pasta that was a little plainer where the previous year it had sausage and veggies in it). They removed my favorite dessert from the year before but the cheesecake was pretty good.

I have to say that I think the overall character experience was far better in 2015. I don't know if it was the location of our table (one side being against the wall), but the characters didn't just come up and interact with us like last year. They didn't even bother to stop at the tables unless you had a camera out and were flagging them down. Also the same characters kept coming around (our area had Chance and a geisha with a chainsaw). Michael Myers did stop at a few tables in the beginning though. Before we left I went to the bathroom and that's where I saw a different character then had been in our section. As far as I could tell it was only those 4. We didn't even end up getting a picture with Chance because she wouldn't stand still at the table despite talking to us long enough for us to take one, which was a bit frustrating. But looking back at the pictures now I do think we had some pretty decent interactions with the other characters.

Scareactors:

I also thought the organization was a little off this year. As the year before it felt like the event came to a close and they dismissed people (I think we had early access to a house of our choosing), but this year we noticed people had started leaving at a certain time, so we left too. We also had a problem scanning our ticket to get in because the kiosk was on the fritz when we printed it. This isn't the fault of the staff at the dining experience, but they were really unhelpful. The guy at the door basically acted like we had fake tickets and implied even if we got it sorted out we'd completely miss dinner. (Guest services sorted it out rather quickly and we didn't).

At the end going back this year was kind of up in the air. I wasn't sure if it was worth it, but Josh really likes having a place to wait indoors and I do love air conditioning so I wasn't sure.

Because we decided to do multiple nights this year though we did ultimately decide to book this on the first day of the event so we'll be going back again. So to answer the question of "is it worth it", I think that depends. Food and character experiences can vary, but overall I think it's a fun way to eat/stay out of the heat while waiting for HHN, and you can get some good character interactions. I also feel like they are trying to improve the food choices every year, and the food choices do not stay the same from year to year. From the 3 houses they've announced already this year, I'm hoping for some fun characters for the dining experience.