Fantasmic Pkg-Mama's or Hollywood

[abcangie87]

I've got a Fantasmic dinner package booked at both Mama Melrose's and Hollywood and Vine for our upcoming trip.

We've never seen Fantasmic and don't really want to wait in line for 90 minutes, so we were glad to get the dinner pkg.

Now i'm on the fence about which ressie to keep?

The menu for Hollywood and vine is pretty vague on allears. Anyone have any fairly recent information for dinner there?

We're not super-adventurous eaters (except on the cruise where you can get one of everything if you want to! ).... and I can totally see us both just ordering Chicken Parm at Mama's.

So....what would you choose? And is one more 'laid back' atmosphere than the other? Yeah, I know it's disney... i'm jsut thinking in terms of my two girls, ages 4 and 8.

Help me decide!

 

[LJSquishy]

I can only say that we really enjoyed Mama Melrose's. I think the majority vote will be for MM also. The calamari app is wonderful, as are the flatbread pizzas. We did the Fantasmic! Package here and service was very fast and although the restaurant is noisy, it wasn't enough to be irritating...even after a full day in the parks.

I had read that the Fantasmic! Pkg seating was all the way over on one end, not exactly prime seating, BUT when we went they seated us in the Scar section which is right smack dab in the middle. So, I don't know if that is a recent change to make it more "preferred" or if it was a fluke. This was just a few weeks ago. At first I though we were seated there because it wouldn't fill up, but it was a full crowd.

 

[Hopefully]

I've got a Fantasmic dinner package booked at both Mama Melrose's and Hollywood and Vine for our upcoming trip.

We've never seen Fantasmic and don't really want to wait in line for 90 minutes, so we were glad to get the dinner pkg.
Now i'm on the fence about which ressie to keep?

The menu for Hollywood and vine is pretty vague on allears. Anyone have any fairly recent information for dinner there?

We're not super-adventurous eaters (except on the cruise where you can get one of everything if you want to! ).... and I can totally see us both just ordering Chicken Parm at Mama's.

So....what would you choose? And is one more 'laid back' atmosphere than the other? Yeah, I know it's disney... i'm jsut thinking in terms of my two girls, ages 4 and 8.

Help me decide!

And since you have booked the dinner package at both Mama's and H & V , another family has none.
Please make up your mind and cancel one ASAP

 

[Hopefully]

We do not enjoy H & V

 

[jamaka66]

We have done both. Had a wonderful meal at MM made perfect by our waiter. He had great suggestions and really made it a good time. The food was very good and we had an almost 3 year old with us who sat there for 1 1/2 hours good as gold. At H&V I believe they share a kitchen with Primetime because I remember some of the items from that menu in the buffet. The food was OK, desserts were not alot but they had icecream which was a big hit. My issue there is the noise. It sounds like a high school cafeteria at lunch time. But both were worth it for the back entrance to Fantasmic which we loved!

 

[shannonstar]

Mama Melrose!

H&V is only acceptable as a breakfast.

 

[abcangie87]

And since you have booked the dinner package at both Mama's and H & V , another family has none.
Please make up your mind and cancel one ASAP

Um, since I made the MM reservations at the 180 day mark four months ago and just made the HV last night when on the phone discussing options with them, I think I can take 48 hours or so to think about what I would like to do. We're about 2 months out from our trip or so, and there was an HV surpringsingly available, it's not like I'm sitting here booking a bunch of stuff to inconvenience someone else.

 

[stephmarty]

Um, since I made the MM reservations at the 180 day mark four months ago and just made the HV last night when on the phone discussing options with them, I think I can take 48 hours or so to think about what I would like to do. We're about 2 months out from our trip or so, and there was an HV surpringsingly available, it's not like I'm sitting here booking a bunch of stuff to inconvenience someone else.

The cancellation rules Disney has in place ensure that another family WILL get to enjoy the one you cancel. Even if you cancel in the final days before your arrival. That's why they require credit card holds and cancellations in advance. Take your time to finalize your plans, gather the info you need from the DIS, and don't be rushed or shamed by Grumpy dwarf.

 

[kathy884]

Haven't tried H and V. I was disappointed in Mama Melrose, though, -- found the food overpriced and mediocre with the package (wouldn't do it again). Dinner took an hour and a half too, plus having to wait 30-40 minutes to be seated, even though we had the reservation. We were there on a busy spring break day (crowd level predication 10).// Liked the Fatastmic fast pass, but in reality I spent as much time waiting for food as the extra time I would have spent in the Fatasmic line without the package.

 

[TwiddleDeeTwiddleDum]

We have done H&V fantasmic but not MM so can only comment on H&V. DS is not adventurous eater but manages to find plenty to choose from at H&V and everyone gets full.

There are usually several cold salads, peel/eat shrimp, breads, several sides like green beans, mashed potatoes, fish, turkey, something with pasta and a person carving roast beef & pork. Also kids choosings are chicken nuggets, mac'n'cheese, fries. About 3-4 different bite sized desserts, like carrot cake, spice cake, cheese cakes, brownies & varying things like that plus the make your own ice cream bar.

If you don't mind eating at buffets, there is a lot to choose from but if you don't like buffets, then this isn't for you. It's certainly overpriced IMO, but most disney restaurants are but getting the fantasmic vouchers is what brings us back. We love fantasmic, don't mind the seating off to the side but really like not having to wait in the lines to get in the theater.

As far as the new credit card policy, I'm pretty sure we've always had to secure the fantamic package with a credit card with a 48 hr cancelation policy so this is nothing new.

Keeping another family from getting an ADR is a non issue IMO because when you cancel, someone will be tickled to get that reservation, be in 2 months in advance or last minute.

The former problem with booking 2 ADR's in the same time slot prior to the credit card policy was for non-fantasmic or other dinner shows when people did not bother to cancel because there was no penalty. In that case, you would be preventing someone else from getting a reserved table. In your case, you won't be doing that

ENJOY your first trip

 

[TiggerTrigger]

While I have only done H&V for breakfast, I would say Mama Melrose. I asked a similar ? several yrs ago and everyone steered me away from H&V for the F! pkg. The reviews all seemed to support this. We had a very nice meal at Mama Melrose- even if it took a while to be seated and the service was slow. It was also nice that it included an appetizer. After seeing the crowds and people being turned away- we were VERY happy we got the preferred seating. Our kids would have never tolerated waiting hours to get in...plus, I hate to waste time in line when I could be having fun

 

[apostolic4life]

Ok, here it goes, and please do not flame me here!!

We ate a Hollywood & Vine last night for the Fantasmic Package and were quite pleased with the meal. I think there are too many food snobs on here sometimes.

I am a professional chef and write a food column so I do believe I have some credibility here. We put off going to dinner here for years because of the poor DIS reviews...shame on me!!!

It seems too many folks want to bash it more for the fact it is a buffet as opposed to a table service restaurant. Oh, and you can't compare the two styles of eatery in the same breath:table service is made to order and prepared to your specifications, buffets on the other hand are a "you get what they have" with no input.

As for the food, there were many great options. Some I liked more than others, but there was nothing I found poorly prepared or of low quality in the ingredients used. I thought the salmon they offered on the buffet was the best buffet salmon I have ever eaten. Was it prepared exactly as I would have ordered it in a table service restaurant, no, but I wasn't in a table service restaurant either. Other items we found to be very tasty: the roasted beet & apple salad with goat cheese crumbles, broccoli slaw, chilled mussels in champagne vinaigrette, pastrami crusted pork lion with pickled apples, asiago ranch chicken breast, sun dried tomato & garlic polenta, spoon bread, kids meatballs, kids mac & cheese, dark chocolate mousse, apple cobbler and red velvet cake squares.

There were a few items that I didn't care for, but those few things did not ruin the meal for me....if I didn't care for them I didn't have to eat them!

I know everyone has different tastes, but I assure you, you will find something to eat that is good and well prepared if you eat at Hollywood & Vine. Does this restaurant compare to my experiences in restaurants like California Grill, Raglan Road, The Hollywood Brown Derby or Le Cellier....of course not, but neither will Mama Melrose's.

Do not let the opinions of people who do not know you steer you away from something that may very well please you. The only advice I have is decide what best suits you and your family and enjoy your dinner. If you decide the restaurant is not for you then do not go back, but you may very well have an experience you remember for years!!

Remember, every restaurant has it's supporters and detractors. The problem is more often, those who don't like something spout off about it when people who thoroughly enjoy something hold there tongue.....especially on the DIS because they don't want to get flamed for their opinion.

There is no meal on property that will ruin your day or vacation, unless you let it. So enjoy the meal, which ever way you go, and make some Disney memories that last longer than the meal itself!




Howard