Hollywood & Vine or Brown Derby?

[chrisreeder]

Hi Everyone,

In your opinion, what restaurant is better for the Fantasmic dinner show?
Hollywood and Vine or Brown Derby? I will be visiting in early December,
so lines should be someone short. Is it worth the money for the reserved
area (is the view bad)?

Thanks for your help (it's invaluable to get advise from people who are in the know),

Christine

 

[jordanyosh]

The reserved section for Fantasmic Viewing is off to the side and about 1/2 way up. It still is very good seating and it affords you the luxury of not having to wait in line. You still need to allow yourself some time before the show to get your seating. When it gets really close to showtime they can give up the reserve sction to allow folks to get seating.

I really like the Brown Derby. The Cobb Salad is the best. Everyone has different tastes however. I hesitate trying to sway your choice. Check out www.allearsnet.com and check out the menus...

 

[SeiraB17]

As far as food goes the Brown Derby hands down! It's the best meal i've had at disney world. but as far as the dinner package goes....well I guess it would depend on how many people you are traveling with. When it was just me and my brother we opted to eat dinner and then head over to Fantasmic about an hour ahead of showtime. we got GREAT seats, better than the reserves, and took a nice break too

 

[Mom's the word]

We loved the buffet at Hollywood and Vine! There were 5 adults in our party, everyone was impressed by the variety and quality of food, we were so stuffed. The seating was okay, my brother said he got seats that were just as good if not better by just going early to find his own a few days later. However, if you really want the full experience go for it, the meal won't disappoint and the seats for Fantasmic are fine.

 

[Smee]

We've done the package at Brown Derby a couple of times and loved it. The reserved seats are good, you can move if you see something better. The good thing about the package is you have a seat waiting for you.

One thing about the package, everyone must order an entree. You can't just go and have a drink and/or appetizer.

 

[DizneeFanatic]

Brown Derby definatley. And when your there you ust get the Cobb Salad, one of their signature entress. Also try there Leg of Lamb and Chesscake for dessert. Its a must for MGM.

 

[Nicole]

We were extremely impressed by the food at the H&V and it's considerably less expensive than the Brown Derby.

I didn't love the seating area for Fantasmic, it's way off to the side, but it was very nice not to have to get there hours early!! So it's a trade off.

 

[epcotfan]

I would definitely go to the Brown Derby. Why? Well I ate at Hollywood and Vine a few years ago and it was disgusting. The food wasn't hot and the server we had was a bit strange. It is also extremely noisy in there with all the aluminum furniture. Our waiter wouldn't leave our table. He talked to us for about 10 minutes straight while our lukewarm food got colder. It was very awkward and uncomfortable. We like talking to Disney castmembers, but this guy was weird. :veryconfu :lookaroun
At the end of the night I spent the evening reliving what I'd eaten



Needless to say I won't go to H&W or buffets anymore.

 

[wannabeBelle]

I have done Hollywood & Vine in the past for breakfast and thought it was good, I havent ever done that location for dinner though. It is a buffet and because of that, it is dramatically different from the Brown Derby. BD is a very upscale sit down type of restaurant. If you are looking for something a bit more laid back and fun, especially for kids, Id say go ffor the Hollywood & Vine. If you are into a more upscale dining experience, then the Brown Derby is the right choice. they are so different as to not really be compared. As previously mentioned, check out the menus and make a choice based on what you like!! Have fun!! Belle

 

[ClemsonTigger]

As usual, Belle has summarized better than I could. It really depends on your tastes, travel group conditions, budget etc.

For the Fantasmic dinner package, we always take that route when we are seeing the show as it saves at least 1/2 hour of wait time, and the seats are fine. We usually choose Brown Derby and sit down's in general. The hussle (and bussle) of the buffet dining and the temptation to overeat are things we usually avoid.

 

[Empress Room]

Hollywood Brown Derby

The Hollywood Brown Derby is a fairly memorable nice sit-down restaurant with an excellent Cobb salad and creative entrees. Feels like "Old Hollywood" with white linen service and nice (and somewhat expensive) menu offerings. You will not be disappointed in the quality or ambiance.

Hollywood and Vine is also nice, but in a much different way. It's a buffet - which means that the quality, ambiance and experience isn't going to be that of the Hollywood Brown Derby. Having said that, the food there is also excellent and it's much less expensive.

 

[imamouse]

Like EpcotFan, our family experienced a case of food poisoning from H & V. Our 16 yr old son became so ill that we had to take him to the ER! Now that's sick!!! Because of this, we had to cut our trip short and leave early. He was too sick to travel for another day, but we wouldn't leave him and go to the parks, so we stayed with near-by relatives while he recovered enough for the drive home. Never again!
The BD is very nice. Good food, quiet, dark, relaxing. I highly recommend it over H & V.

 

[nemobruce]

Brown Derby