I've always liked Hollywood & Vine. I accept it for what it is, and I've always enjoyed eating here.
Yes, the tables and chairs are all-metal and not entirely comfortable, yes, they got rid of the delicious corn-bread, and yes, this is priced at $50 per person ($30 for kids) before you even think about tax and tips.
We visited when the characters were in their halloween costumes. Last year we caught them in their summer gear, but the halloween costumes were much better. The characters here were Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Daisy & Goofy. Minnie greeted you as you walked in to have the picture taken with her in front of a backdrop, something that appeared to be new this year. Mickey was dressed as a vampire, which was awesome.
Donald was dressed as part of the Space Team, which is pretty much Buzz Lightyear.
We had some fun with Donald. He was very playful. We were messing around with his chest keypad box, and he was trying to use it and it wasn't working. We asked him who broke it, he'd look around, he spotted Mickey and pointed at him. When he came and took a picture with me, he wasn't happy with my Mickey Mouse tshirt. He kept trying to make me cover it up before we took any pictures. I told him my Donald one was in the wash but he wasn't having it! We were messing around and then he turned and smacked me in the face with his beak. It made Tee laugh so hard she completely messed up the picture.
The aftermath was funny. He knew what he did and looked to the camera.
Such a poser. He rubbed my head better afterwards.
We liked Hollywood & Vine even before they introduced characters. A couple years ago, a cast member came to us and said they were adding characters and they were going to make it a 2-credit restaurant. Thankfully, that didn't come to pass. They increased the dollar price of the meal a little, but kept it at 1-credit. I think at 2-credit this restaurant would completely die. But, the fact characters are there now make us like it even more.
The food selection is great, you have your regular Disney buffet favourite like salads, breads, meats, mac 'n' cheese, a carvery station and a delightful dessert station.
They are now serving cocktails, too!
At $50 a person this is beyond what you would call value for money. But, we love it nonetheless.
Even though it's far from the best restaurant on site, we really enjoy going here and always make sure to visit here each time we go to Disney World. As we usually take advantage of the dining plan, we always make sure we get the Fantasmic Dinner Package, as those seats are top-notch.
