✅ Great character interactions overall. Ironically, Minnie was the highlight of this meal while she was bottom of the 4 the last time
👠Server was fine, and did her job well, but wasn't overly enthusiastic
🆗 Food selection, quality, and taste were generally okay. For me, a decrease in quality and selection compared to last year
We checked in through the My Disney Experience app and it suddenly started pouring with rain! Thankfully there are plenty of outside covered waiting areas (unlike Roundhouse Rodeo BBQ). We didn't have to wait long until we got called in and were taken to our table.
The buffet includes Breads, Salads, Soups, Sour Cream and Chive Whipped Potato, Caramelized Brussels Sprouts, Seared Salmon with Beurre Blanc, Oven-roasted Turkey Breast, Oven-roasted Herbed Chicken, Roasted Mushroom Farro Risotto (Plant-based), Crispy Tofu with Asian Glaze (Plant-based), Roasted Pork with Spicy Mustard Sauce, Macaroni & Cheese with Shrimp and Bacon, Olive Oil Herbed-crushed Potatoes, Herb-crusted Tenderloin Steak with Horseradish Cream, and more.
The food this time let me down a little bit. It felt like a step down in both selection and quality over last year.
I wouldn't say I'm a fussy eater, but a lot of the sauces and toppings they put on some menu items were not to my taste at all. Lorna on the other hand quite likes them and she said she quite enjoyed the food selection. I wouldn't say Hollywood & Vine is a "safe" bet on food, unlike Garden Grill, if you're a bit fussy. It wasn't bad by any stretch of the imagination, but I think I enjoyed it so much last time this step down (in my opinion) was just unexpected.
Last time Minnie was a bit off and Goofy didn't want to come near us, but this time all 4 characters were a lot of fun. As it was pouring down with rain we told Mickey we hope the rain goes away so we can see you in Fantasmic! We told Minnie as well we hoped to see Mickey up there, and she kept going to the window trying to blow the clouds away.
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Hollywood & Vine is far from the best character meal on property, but we still had a good time and enjoyed ourselves. Looking at that bill it can be hard to justify based on this experience, but there is a premium added to that price because of the Fantasmic package. This is definitely a place we wouldn't come to if the characters or the Fantasmic dining package wasn't here though. For example, I'd happily go to Garden Grill just for the food!
