During our latest trip to Disney World, I knew we wanted to try the Fantasmic dining package in Hollywood Studios. It had been YEARS since we saw the show, and there are lots of updates and changes to the storyline. We all loved it!

In this blog post, I’m sharing my review of the actual dining package, where we ate, and if I think it’s worth the cost.

My Guide to Hollywood Studios is LIVE. Get it here!

How the Fantasmic Dining Package Works

You’ll need to make an advanced dining reservation for one of the restaurants from the Fantasmic Dining Package page.

It will ask for a credit card number as a guarantee, but your card won’t be charged until the night you dine (yay.)

When you get to your reservation, you’ll be given a pre-priced menu and a special voucher that will admit you to the reserved seating section in the Fantasmic amphitheater.

At least 25 minutes before show time, head to the theatre’s entrance with your pass and a cast member will direct you to the reserved seating in the middle of the theatre.

Fantasmic! Dining Package in Disney World

The way the dining packages work for Fantasmic is you choose between 5 locations:

Hollywood Brown Derby, Hollywood & Vine, Mama Melrose, 50s Primetime Cafe, or Sci-fi Dine-in Theatre.

This part is a big deal because you don’t necessarily have to do dinner and go straight to the show; you could dine for lunch (or even breakfast at Hollywood & Vine), go back to the room for some nap and/or pool time, then back to Fantasmic at night.

This is great for younger kids because on nights where there is 1 showing, it will be at 9PM which can be rough for the littles when they skip a nap.

Fantasmic Dining Package Pricing

There are different pricing tiers depending on which restaurant you choose in Hollywood Studios:

• Hollywood Brown Derby ($73/adult and $29/kids 9 and under)
• Hollywood & Vine ($54/adult and $36/kids 9 and under for breakfast, $71/adult and $47/child for lunch and dinner)
• Mama Melrose ($54/adult and $22/kids 9 and under)
• 50s Primetime Cafe ($51/adult and $22/kids 9 and under)
• Sci-fi Dine-in Theatre ($49/adult and $22/kids 9 and under)

The price includes 1 entrée for each person, plus the choice of an appetizer or dessert, and a non-alcoholic drink. If it’s a buffet, it would work like a regular buffet and include a drink.

Note that kids under 3 are always free – they assume they are just “picking off” your plate. If you want an individual meal for them, though, they’ll be charged at the kid’s price.

My review

We had dinner at Hollywood Brown Derby at 5:55pm. Our meal was good, not anything I need to go back for, but it was good enough. My husband reaalllyy liked his Manhattan, which I’d say was the star of the night.

We got to the theatre 30 minutes before showtime and thought the seats were great, right in the center, although I wouldn’t say there are a lot of “bad” views because of the way the show is set up.

Now…do I think it’s worth it?? I would only book the Fantasmic dining package in Disney World again if:

• We were planning on eating at one of the restaurants anyway.
• It was a busy time of year, like Spring Break or Christmas.

Hollywood Brown Derby was the most expensive option on the list and didn’t seem worth it for the price for what it was. Dinner (after 2 cocktails and a tip) ended up costing $279. Ouch.

Next time we watch Fantasmic, I’ll probably do a less expensive spot — like Mama Melrose — OR grab a popcorn to snack on before we grab a seat 45+ minutes before the show starts.

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