Location: Echo Lake Area in Disney Hollywood Studios Parking/Transportation Situation: General Parking available. Boat service available and/or walking paths from The BoardWalk, The Yacht and Beach Club, The Swan and Dolphin and the back entrance of Epcot. Bus service from all other resorts, The Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom and Downtown Disney.
Meals Served: B, L, D
Characters/Entertainment: At breakfast and lunch only, appearances are made by Doc McStuffins, Sofia the First, Jake of Jake and the Neverland Pirates, and Handy Manny. Multiple times an hour, entertainers appear and do a sing-a-long song and a dance with the characters. Kids are welcome to join in.
Type of Cuisine: American fare
Type of Menu: Buffet
Pricing/Dining Plan: $$$/ 1 Table Service Point Per Person
Full Menu: Hollywood and Vine Lunch Buffet Menu
Full Menu: Hollywood and Vine Lunch Buffet Menu
Atmosphere: An Hollywood themed cafeteria
Dress Code: Theme park casual
Guests Who Would Enjoy This The Most: Toddlers and Disney Junior fans
Level of Difficulty of Getting a Reservation: Moderate
Fun Stuff for Kids: Your kids will love meeting their Disney Junior friends, as well as singing and dancing along to the live performances!
Rating of Appeal to Kid-Diners: What rides?????
Rating of Appeal to Kid-Diners: What rides?????
Stand out dishes: Baked Chicken, Shrimp and Lobster Mac and Cheese, Roasted Pork, Chocolate Dipped Items, Key Lime Tart
Best Use of Dining Plan Point: The only option here is buffet, but generally speaking, any all-you-care-to-eat option will give you the most "bang" for your Disney Dining plan "buck"
Best Use of Dining Plan Point: The only option here is buffet, but generally speaking, any all-you-care-to-eat option will give you the most "bang" for your Disney Dining plan "buck"
Experience: So, this story starts off a little oddly. We did not have reservations for Hollywood and Vine, nor did we have the intention of eating there. We were at The Studios to play and had made a reservation for the 50's Prime Time Cafe for lunch. Well, let's say, it did NOT go as planned. We ended up having a really terrible experience with a server, prompting us to decide to cancel our order, and go elsewhere. Yes, I do realize the the 50's Cafe is meant to be "shtick-y", and sometimes it is in the server's "act" to be grumpy and fake-abrasive, but this server's attitude was clearly NOT part of his act. He seemed inconvenienced by everything from K's allergy, to having to explain menu items to us, and us asking for "too many substitutions". (The Hubs asked for no gravy and no vegetables, not for them to recreate his grandmother's casserole recipe.) When the server made D feel badly for wanting the salmon with a different side than what it came with, we decided we were done. Make me feel uncomfortable, no big deal. Make my kid feel bad, it's on like Donkey Kong! Rather than get upset, we notified the manager to cancel our order and headed out. I do want to make sure I am clear about this.... I am NOT saying that Prime Time is in ANY way bad. Any place can have a bad server and any server can have a bad day. We will gladly return to Prime Time in the future... as long as we are not sat with the same server.
After that experience, the kids were about to loose their minds. It had been about an hour since we first checked into Prime Time and the Littles were HANGRY. I checked the podium at Hollywood and Vine, but they were not taking any more walk-ins for the day. Well, the very gracious manager from Prime Time helped us out, due to our snag, and got us on the list. We were sat within 10 minutes. (NICE way to recover, Disney!)
We had actually done this same lunch with the kids the very first time we brought them to Disney and D loved it. K was too little to enjoy it, but now he's totally into Disney Junior, so he was excited to see some of his favorite pals. At breakfast and lunch, your little Disney fans can meet Sofia the First, Doc McStuffins, Handy Manny and Jake, (of Jake and the Neveraland Pirates), while you dine on a buffet-style meal. (It is important to note that THERE ARE NO CHARACTERS AT DINNER! Wouldn't want there to be any disappointed dudes and dudettes.) This is one of the ONLY places on Disney property to see these characters, other than their meet and greet locations, also in The Hollywood Studios.
The restaurant just sort of looks like a big cafeteria, with some campy Hollywood murals painted on the walls, but you're not really here for the atmosphere. You're here for the STARS! It's a huge bonus that the eats are delicious, as well!
When we were sat, the Cast Member explained the "flow" of the characters, so that we would not miss any incoming photo ops. Our server came right over and got us drinks, plus noted that the chef would be over to walk us through the buffet for K's egg allergy.
Before we even had the chance to get up for food, Jake came to our table. K and D greeted him with an, "Arrrggghhhh!", possibly startling him. He made a quick recovery and posed for some pics with them, and gave them a cuddle before moving on. Before Sofia could get to our row, the chef was over and he took me up to the buffet to tell me what K could have and what we needed to avoid. I got plates for the kiddos and myself, and then sent The Hubs up. All of the items looked fresh and items that were running low were quickly replaced. There was a large assortment of breads and salad items, as well as two soups. The meat options included pork, beef, baked chicken, salmon and ranch chicken. There were plenty of tasty sides, including a sweet cornbread spoonbread, lobster and shrimp mac and cheese and sauteed green beans. The kid's area had chicken nuggets, mac and cheese, broccoli and tater tots. Both our kids dug into the baked chicken and tater tots. The Hubs favored the pork and the meatballs, (he, of course, made tiny sandwiches, as he always does), and I liked the ranch chicken and the salmon. And you have to have some of the spoonbread. Mmmmm.... Good stuff.
As we were eating, Sofia came by. There was no way she was sneaking up on anyone, since her pearls of her dress were clanging on the metal chairs as she walked. K said, "Mamma, Fia's dress play dums?" Apparently it sounded to him like her dress was playing percussion on the furniture. Then again, EVERYTHING sounds like "dums" to K. I think this dude is gonna be a drummer. But I digress... Sofia is a favorite of both of my kids and they fawned over her amulet and her tiara and she was very patient and sweet with them. Then it was time for the "Play" part of the "Play and Dine" experience. Every 20 minutes or so, they play some favorite Disney Junior songs, like "Time For Your Check Up", or "Talk Like a Pirate", and two entertainment Cast Members come out and sing and dance with the characters. Kids are encouraged to come up to the middle and join in the fun, unlike most other character meals where the kids are asked to stay in their seats at all times. They even did a conga line through the dining room!
When the singing and dancing portion was over, Doc, who was supposed to be headed to our row next, went to a different part of the restaurant. We waited, figuring she'd come back, but she didn't right away. Since the people sitting next to us were about the leave and hadn't seen her yet, they let the character greeter know that Doc had missed our row. She apologized and said she'd send her over as soon as possible, and she did. Doc came over and spent a little extra time with us, letting the kids play with her stethoscope and giving them extra hugs.
After two rounds at the buffet, we were getting full. We got a quick greeting from Handy Manny, and then D and I went and picked out dessert. They have an awesome chocolate fountain at Hollywood and Vine, which made me think they would have a chocolate fondue-type of thing, but it was items that a chef pre-dips and serves up once the chocolate has hardened. Still good, but not what I was expecting. Since they dip everything from fruit, to pretzels, to brownies in the chocolate, K couldn't have any dipped items. There was too much of a risk that there would be brownie or cookie crumbs on his items. The chef did, however, give him a whole bowl of plain marshmallows and Mickey sprinkles, which he couldn't have been happier about. He could also have ice cream, so he was good. D filled a plate with chocolate covered apples, strawberries, and other goodies. The Hubs and I tried out some of the pastries, and were very happy with the options. I was shocked to enjoy the Key Lime Tarts. I'm usually not a fan, since I find Key Lime stuff to be too sweet, but these were just tart enough and didn't overdo it on the sugar. Perfect!
We were there long enough that we got second visits from Jake and Sofia. We left full, satisfied, and very pleased with our service. The server had done a good job of clearing plates quickly, and keeping our drinks filled. She was pleasant and interacted with the kids in a friendly way. Yes, our lunch ended up costing us almost double what we would have spent at Prime Time, but I'd always rather pay more and enjoy our experience, than pay less and leave unhappy.
Now, I can imagine that dining here WITHOUT small children would be a less than pleasant experience. It does get loud and crazy at times, and even though very few people would ever be unhappy with a hug and a visit from a character like Mickey, I could see an adult-only party feeling awkward about meeting characters who play to the preschool lot. With that said, if you're coming with toddlers, stand back! They'll be psyched out of their minds! But be prepared that they may not eat much due to their extreme levels of excitement. I mean, it is Sofia. SOFIA... THE FIRST!
Tink's Tots Try It Out: According to D (6 yo girl) Ok, D... So, were you happy with the way lunch turned out? "YES! I was so, so, so, SO happy to have lunch with Sofia and Doc and Jake! Oh, and Mandy!" You mean Manny. Handy Manny. "Yeah, Handy Mandy!" Alllllright.... and what about food? What did you like? "Oh, the salmon was delicious and the chicken was very nice and the marshmallows were chocolatey and good too." Fair enough. Do you want to go back there sometime? "YES! It was so, so, so, SO fun!" But was it fun? (super seriously, of course) "Yeah. It was fun. I said that."
After that experience, the kids were about to loose their minds. It had been about an hour since we first checked into Prime Time and the Littles were HANGRY. I checked the podium at Hollywood and Vine, but they were not taking any more walk-ins for the day. Well, the very gracious manager from Prime Time helped us out, due to our snag, and got us on the list. We were sat within 10 minutes. (NICE way to recover, Disney!) We had actually done this same lunch with the kids the very first time we brought them to Disney and D loved it. K was too little to enjoy it, but now he's totally into Disney Junior, so he was excited to see some of his favorite pals. At breakfast and lunch, your little Disney fans can meet Sofia the First, Doc McStuffins, Handy Manny and Jake, (of Jake and the Neveraland Pirates), while you dine on a buffet-style meal. (It is important to note that THERE ARE NO CHARACTERS AT DINNER! Wouldn't want there to be any disappointed dudes and dudettes.) This is one of the ONLY places on Disney property to see these characters, other than their meet and greet locations, also in The Hollywood Studios.
The restaurant just sort of looks like a big cafeteria, with some campy Hollywood murals painted on the walls, but you're not really here for the atmosphere. You're here for the STARS! It's a huge bonus that the eats are delicious, as well!
When we were sat, the Cast Member explained the "flow" of the characters, so that we would not miss any incoming photo ops. Our server came right over and got us drinks, plus noted that the chef would be over to walk us through the buffet for K's egg allergy.
Before we even had the chance to get up for food, Jake came to our table. K and D greeted him with an, "Arrrggghhhh!", possibly startling him. He made a quick recovery and posed for some pics with them, and gave them a cuddle before moving on. Before Sofia could get to our row, the chef was over and he took me up to the buffet to tell me what K could have and what we needed to avoid. I got plates for the kiddos and myself, and then sent The Hubs up. All of the items looked fresh and items that were running low were quickly replaced. There was a large assortment of breads and salad items, as well as two soups. The meat options included pork, beef, baked chicken, salmon and ranch chicken. There were plenty of tasty sides, including a sweet cornbread spoonbread, lobster and shrimp mac and cheese and sauteed green beans. The kid's area had chicken nuggets, mac and cheese, broccoli and tater tots. Both our kids dug into the baked chicken and tater tots. The Hubs favored the pork and the meatballs, (he, of course, made tiny sandwiches, as he always does), and I liked the ranch chicken and the salmon. And you have to have some of the spoonbread. Mmmmm.... Good stuff.
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| Mashed Potatoes, BBQ Chicken and Corn |
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| BBQ Meatballs and Green Beans |
 |
| Plantains and Roasted Pork |
 |
| Rice and Baked Chicken |
 |
| Ranch Chicken, Vegetable Pasta and Salmon |
 |
| Roasted Beef, Mashed Potatoes and Mixed Beans |
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| Mac and Cheese, Tater Tots, Chicken Nuggets and Steamed Broccoli |
As we were eating, Sofia came by. There was no way she was sneaking up on anyone, since her pearls of her dress were clanging on the metal chairs as she walked. K said, "Mamma, Fia's dress play dums?" Apparently it sounded to him like her dress was playing percussion on the furniture. Then again, EVERYTHING sounds like "dums" to K. I think this dude is gonna be a drummer. But I digress... Sofia is a favorite of both of my kids and they fawned over her amulet and her tiara and she was very patient and sweet with them. Then it was time for the "Play" part of the "Play and Dine" experience. Every 20 minutes or so, they play some favorite Disney Junior songs, like "Time For Your Check Up", or "Talk Like a Pirate", and two entertainment Cast Members come out and sing and dance with the characters. Kids are encouraged to come up to the middle and join in the fun, unlike most other character meals where the kids are asked to stay in their seats at all times. They even did a conga line through the dining room!  |
| Playing and Dancing with Doc and Sofia |
 |
| Manny gets down! |
When the singing and dancing portion was over, Doc, who was supposed to be headed to our row next, went to a different part of the restaurant. We waited, figuring she'd come back, but she didn't right away. Since the people sitting next to us were about the leave and hadn't seen her yet, they let the character greeter know that Doc had missed our row. She apologized and said she'd send her over as soon as possible, and she did. Doc came over and spent a little extra time with us, letting the kids play with her stethoscope and giving them extra hugs.
After two rounds at the buffet, we were getting full. We got a quick greeting from Handy Manny, and then D and I went and picked out dessert. They have an awesome chocolate fountain at Hollywood and Vine, which made me think they would have a chocolate fondue-type of thing, but it was items that a chef pre-dips and serves up once the chocolate has hardened. Still good, but not what I was expecting. Since they dip everything from fruit, to pretzels, to brownies in the chocolate, K couldn't have any dipped items. There was too much of a risk that there would be brownie or cookie crumbs on his items. The chef did, however, give him a whole bowl of plain marshmallows and Mickey sprinkles, which he couldn't have been happier about. He could also have ice cream, so he was good. D filled a plate with chocolate covered apples, strawberries, and other goodies. The Hubs and I tried out some of the pastries, and were very happy with the options. I was shocked to enjoy the Key Lime Tarts. I'm usually not a fan, since I find Key Lime stuff to be too sweet, but these were just tart enough and didn't overdo it on the sugar. Perfect!
We were there long enough that we got second visits from Jake and Sofia. We left full, satisfied, and very pleased with our service. The server had done a good job of clearing plates quickly, and keeping our drinks filled. She was pleasant and interacted with the kids in a friendly way. Yes, our lunch ended up costing us almost double what we would have spent at Prime Time, but I'd always rather pay more and enjoy our experience, than pay less and leave unhappy.
Now, I can imagine that dining here WITHOUT small children would be a less than pleasant experience. It does get loud and crazy at times, and even though very few people would ever be unhappy with a hug and a visit from a character like Mickey, I could see an adult-only party feeling awkward about meeting characters who play to the preschool lot. With that said, if you're coming with toddlers, stand back! They'll be psyched out of their minds! But be prepared that they may not eat much due to their extreme levels of excitement. I mean, it is Sofia. SOFIA... THE FIRST!
Tink's Tots Try It Out: According to K (3 yo boy) K, what about you? Did you have fun with Fia and Doc and Jake and Manny? "Ummmmm.... yeah, Mamma. I like Jake an Ein-signs." Einsteins? Little Einsteins weren't there. You mean you like to watch them on tv? "Yeah, I like them an rockit. BAST-OFFFFFFF!!!!!" That's right! They tell Rocket to Blast Offffff!!! What about the food? Was it good food? "Ummmmm..... yeah. Good food too." What did you like? "Ummmmm...... Mushellows. An Speen-kles." Mmmm, marshmallows and sprinkles. Tasty. Totally worth paying a $25 buffet price for, huh? "Yes! I like it!" Of course you do, dude.
Will we be back: We are actually booked for the Minnie's Holiday Dine special event that is coming up in November, so we will be back, but for dinner and with a different set of characters. If that were not booked, I would still be willing to return, but I think I'd try breakfast next time, just to mix it up.
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