dining with an imagineer?

[like2workout]

has anyone done the dining with an imagineer at the brown derby at hollywood studios? i'm scheduled to try it 1/7 and just wondering what to expect? thanks!

[Strmchsr]

I did it Nov 07 and had a wonderful time. Honestly, the food was a little "fru-fru" for my taste but it was a great experience. We had a private room at the Brown Derby with about 10 other folks. The Imagineer spoke in general about what he did and projects he was working on that he could disclose (at the time it was Toy Story Mania and the rehab of Spaceship Earth). He talked a lot about the process creating attractions at WDW then we were able to ask questions. He wasn't able to drop a lot "inside" information but he did discuss some of the rumors that people asked questions about - why certain projects were on hold, etc. He did say about 70% of the rumors on the internet about WDW are total garbage. They read them just for laughs. However, the remaining 30% can sometimes be amazingly accurate if you can just figure out which is the garbage and which is real. So, expect this to be about a 3 hour look into the life of an Imagineer and the Blue Sky process. If you get any "inside" tips that's great, but don't expect it.

Hope that helps!

[Crow]

I did it at AP (1 of my fav places) and it was great. good food, a corner blocked off for just the group, the imagineer was nice & talked about things he worked on, how he started w Disney and what things he could. Also mentioned some Hidden Mickeys. Everyone got a signed plate also.
I think its worth it for something different.

[SAHDad]

I did it a few years ago. We had a small room instead of a corner, and I think there were six of us, plus the imagineer. It was pretty cool, but they only did one signed plate per reservation, not person - so the married couple opposite us got one, and my SIL & I (who went together) got one to share, which was somewhat more problematic.

Would I do it again? Probably, but it is more time-consuming than probably any other meal (other than V&A), and I would want to ensure that I got a signed plate out of the deal. ;)

[Strmchsr]

It was pretty cool, but they only did one signed plate per reservation, not person - so the married couple opposite us got one, and my SIL & I (who went together) got one to share, which was somewhat more problematic.

I'm not sure if they've changed the policy, but when I did it last year both me and DS got a plate. I think it's now 1 per person (which is good since we're all paying the same).

[like2workout]

thanks to everyone for the information! i wasn't even aware of getting a plate, so now i'm even more excited!

[SAHDad]

I'm not sure if they've changed the policy, but when I did it last year both me and DS got a plate. I think it's now 1 per person (which is good since we're all paying the same).

They may well have changed policy. I'm pretty sure that I did the lunch about 3 years ago. (Actually, it would have been the 2006 marathon weekend, since DW, 2 SILs and I were all running the half, and that's why we were there.)

If everyone gets a plate, I might do it when we go back in October.