Dine with a Disney Imagineer???

Hey all I know this was going on like a year ago, but did anyone do it??? Also is it still going?

J

It is still going. I think it just got extended until August.

Last I heard it was still going. I was going to do it in Novemeber but decided not to. It can be rather expensive since you do pay for the imagineers dinner as well (from what I can remember). The cost from what I recall was about $80 per person but I may be wrong. Hope this helps some!

Have a magical day!

One time when I was out at Disneyland, I ran into Tony Baxter. I tried to talk him into joining me for lunch. I told him I would pay for his meal. He said no, and that he had to get back to Glendale. What a bummer.

It was ridiculously expensive. When I called to dine last November, it was $99 dollars per person (dinner rate, however, dinner was the only meal offered on the day we were going). Er...no.

[Sorry - it has not been discontinued!]

I did lunch with an Imagineer over Easter this year. It was kind of expensive ($60/plate) though you didn't have to pay for the Imagineer's lunch (unless it was included in the $60). It was really cool to talk with a real Imagineer. I have to go now, but I'll be back soon with details and a picture.

Ok, I'm back

As I said, I really enjoyed the Lunch with a Disney Imagineer program. Anyone willing to part with the cash should really consider it.

Lunch is served in the private bamboo room of the Brown Derby restaraunt. The menu was very similar to This, except that the appetizer was a corn oyster chowder with cobb salad, and I believe the dessert was different. I would be able to tell you for sure, but I seem to have misplaced the menu. My family was one of two there that day, making five people, plus the Imagineer. That's about all the room can hold, so it's guaranteed to be a small group.

The Imagineer was, I believe, a principal concept designer. I would be able to tell you for sure, and would have his name, but that was also written on the menu. He has done a lot of artwork for use in the parks, like the billboards on Hollywood Blvd. in the studios. He's also done art for the Port Orleans guest rooms.

It was fascinating talking to a real Imagineer, and I asked him a lot of questions about current projects, like Everest. He said that there has been a lot of research put into the Yeti AA and that it will be very apelike. All sorts of details have been taken into consideration, like his nose which would be the right structure to be able to warm the arctic air. He is also heavily involved with the Big City Street project. Unfortunately, I didn't think to ask him about what is going into the 20,000 Leagues lagoon.:brick:

At the end, both parties were given a really nice plate to take home and the menus. The Imagineer signed both of these items. I've attached a picture of my plate here:http://photoalbums.wdwmagic.com/showphoto.php?photo=9885&password=&sort=1&cat=500&page=1

If you have any more questions, feel free to ask.

Did he go into any details of Big City Street? Any mention how how the Osbourne Lights would be implemented?

Still the beans

Yikes ! It's how much and you don't get a one on one? You got to share with another family? Oh gosh, Disney really knows how to make money. I would love to chat over dinner or lunch with an Imagineer but not if it was in a group setting like that. Maybe 2 people but not 2 families. I still bet it's interesting though. I would be more into knowing an Imagineers background and how they got to where they are. Some of their likes and dislikes. General thoughts on todays theme parks. I'm more a teach them to fish type anyway... :brick:

Thanks for the post hcwalker16.... cool info !

Did he go into any details of Big City Street? Any mention how how the Osbourne Lights would be implemented?

Click to expand...

He said that he was very much involved with the design of the murals, but didn't go into much more detail than that. Also, I didn't think to ask him anything about the Osborne lights.:brick:

I really should have made a thread like the one asking for question ideas.

As for it being too many people, it really didn't seem like that many people. There were only one or two real Disney enthusiasts in each party, so they were the only ones actually asking questions. It really didn't seem like a big group at all and felt very close to a one-on-one.

Sounds cool. Was it an unrestricted conversation? Or were there questions the Imagineer wasn't allowed to answer? Also, if I were interested in doing this, how do I make a reservation? Is it like Priority Seating where I call WDW DINE or do I need to wait until I get to the park?

The one thing was that they asked us if any of us were from the press. I guess it's more restricted if someone is from the press. There wasn't any question that he said he couldn't answer. Of course, I wasn't prying too much.

You'll have to make reservations through WDW DINE. It's reservations only and you need a credit card to reserve your place. They'll take the name of everyone in the party so they can personalize each menu.