Which to choose for Fantasmic?

[mouseketeer mom]

Thinking of doing the Fantasmic dinner package. We haven't seen Fantasmic in about 4 years! I know I don't want to worry about getting there early, or standing in line for it, so we were thinking the package was the way to go. We ate at the Hollywood Brown Derby in August, and we really liked it, but don't want to repeat it this trip. Soo..that leaves Mama Melrose's and Hollywood and Vine. Which to choose? We would like good food in a fun/nice enviornment. It doesn't have to be fancy, but worth going to. Wish other choices were on the package., but picking from those two..which one??

[KatMark]

Personally, we will never step foot in H&V again after two horrible experiences (lousy service, filthy conditions, bland, lukewarm food). We always do Mama Melrose--it's not gourmet, but we have always had good food and great service.

[wdw_bound]

I've never been to Mama Melrose (I fell in love with Brown Derby last month), but I would pick it sight unseen over H&V. I am not exaggerating when I say that our local Golden Corral is far superior to H&V. We went for dinner - DS dropped his napkin, and when I reached down to get it, there were scrambled eggs on the floor :sick: The food selection was not great, and the service was lackluster. I am a big fan of buffets at WDW as they work well for our family (kids, adults, adventurous eaters, picky eaters, etc.), but this is one place in need of a serious overhaul.

[Cheloconnell]

Hollywood and Vine is terrible :sick:

Definitely Mamma Melrose's. We go there almost every trip :mickey:

[Natazu]

Mama Melrose's (Table Service) ☺☺☻
For flatbread and dessert, Mama’s is fine. The prices are acceptable and there’s rarely a long wait. If you’re looking for a great Italian dinner, this probably isn’t the place. The menu isn’t very diverse and very little of it is fresh. The staff has admitted to me that they are more concerned with getting people fed and back out to the park than providing a true dining experience. Mama Melrose’s is a stereotypical theme park sit-down eatery.

Hollywood & Vine - Dinner Buffet (Table Service) ☺☺☻
The menu isn't vast but as far as buffets go, H&Vs dinner is ok for the money. You don't have to deal with Davey and Goliath or whoever and the food is acceptable. If you have to dine at the studios and HBD is out, you might as well just go here.

[mouseketeer mom]

Jym,
How would you say Mama Melroses compared to Tony's Townsquare? Is it like that?

[Natazu]

Jym,
How would you say Mama Melroses compared to Tony's Townsquare? Is it like that?
They're both canned Italian. Mama's is a little better than Tony's and the menu is more diverse. If I was forced to go to one of them, it would be Mama's.

[mouseketeer mom]

Sounds like I'm picking the lesser of the two evils for this Fantasmic package. I like the idea of doing the package, but I feel like I'm surrendering one of our dinners!

[KylesMom]

Sorry, but I'll have to disagree with Jym on this one as far as Mama's or H&V (not often I'd even attempt to do that)!!!

We've been going to Mama Melrose for the past eight years, and it's become one of our family's favorite eateries. We always schedule no less than two dinners here (Fantasmic Dinner Package at least once) and a nice lunch break for flatbreads & a cold beer during our trips. I particularly enjoy their tomato/mozzarella appetizer, butcher tender steak and sangria, while DH appreciates the calamari & sausage/pepper dish. DS likes the breads & spreads and pepperoni flatbread for dinner.

Maybe it has to do with all of the memories that the restaurant brings back for us, but hands-down we'd choose this restaurant over H&V and Tony's. We've never had a bad meal here, and service has never been a problem. In fact, this trip it was stellar. I can't say the same with our H&V and Tony's experiences in either the food or service category.

I asked DH where he wanted Father's Day dinner this year. Without skipping a beat, he answered, "Mama Melrose, of course"! This is over LeCellier, Ohana and a myriad of other family favorites.

Unfortunately, it seems that many here on Intercot have lamented that they had a lousy meal and poor service. That is the exact opposite of every experience we've had at Mama's! :mickey:

[KatMark]

Sorry, but I'll have to disagree with Jym on this one as far as Mama's or H&V (not often I'd even attempt to do that)!!!

We've been going to Mama Melrose for the past eight years, and it's become one of our family's favorite eateries. We always schedule no less than two dinners here (Fantasmic Dinner Package at least once) and a nice lunch break for flatbreads & a cold beer during our trips. I particularly enjoy their tomato/mozzarella appetizer, butcher tender steak and sangria, while DH appreciates the calamari & sausage/pepper dish. DS likes the breads & spreads and pepperoni flatbread for dinner.

Maybe it has to do with all of the memories that the restaurant brings back for us, but hands-down we'd choose this restaurant over H&V and Tony's. We've never had a bad meal here, and service has never been a problem. In fact, this trip it was stellar. I can't say the same with our H&V and Tony's experiences in either the food or service category.

I asked DH where he wanted Father's Day dinner this year. Without skipping a beat, he answered, "Mama Melrose, of course"! This is over LeCellier, Ohana and a myriad of other family favorites.

Unfortunately, it seems that many here on Intercot have lamented that they had a lousy meal and poor service. That is the exact opposite of every experience we've had at Mama's! :mickey:


We too have always had great service at Mam Melrose--outgoing, friendly, efficient. Our last meal wasn't the best--but we attributed that to the fact that we were very hot and very tired (we had been up since 4:00 a.m. that day for our flight into Orlando). We will definitely be back next year.

[Natazu]

Sorry, but I'll have to disagree with Jym on this one as far as Mama's or H&V (not often I'd even attempt to do that)!!!
S'ok. We're still friends. ;)