Having someone in our group with a developmental disability led me to seek out ways to avoid standing in long lines with large groups of people. Purchasing the Fantasmic! Dining Package so that we would have guaranteed seating at the Fantasmic show without waiting in a long line was something I thought would be helpful.
The Hollywood Studios restaurants which offer this package are 50’s Prime Time Cafe, Hollywood & Vine, Mama Melrose’s Ristorante Italiano, Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater Restaurant, and The Hollywood Brown Derby. I chose 50’s Prime Time because it was one of the least expensive options (only Sci-Fi is less) and it’s a family favorite. As of April 2, 2024 the price was $54.00 (plus tax & gratuity), however I see the price has now increased to $60.00 as of this writing (Dec. 2024).
Not long after checking in for our 12:10 reservation we were seated at a large table for our group of 7. If we had been a smaller group of 3 or 4 I would have requested to be seated at one of their TV tables because I love how they look. Oh, and I enjoy watching the popular 50’s shows they play on the tvs.
Here is a photo of the one closest to our table…
Anyway, our “Cousin” Kyra soon came by to let us know that we needed to set our own table and that we should mind our “ps and qs”. It was all part of the schtick that makes dining here so fun, especially with a group of fun-loving people.
So we started by ordering our included (with the dining package) non-alcoholic beverage. A couple of us ordered their Pomegranate Lemonade ($5.99) and the rest had a soft drink. Two of us requested and were able to get a Vanilla Coke (Coke with vanilla syrup added). There were unlimited refills on all of our drinks.
Next with our package we had our choice of an appetizer or dessert. About half of us chose dessert because our family favorite Peanut Butter & Jelly Milk Shake ($9.25) was an included dessert option. Unfortunately not one of us remembered to take a photo of our shake, lol. It is a pretty generous portion and easily sharable. This shake is always a 5 for me. While the others that got the shake liked it, they gave it ratings of only 3 1/2 or 4. So I will give the Peanut Butter & Jelly Milk Shake a group rating of 4.
I talked my husband into ordering the appetizer that I wanted, with the agreement that we would share both it and my PB & J Milk Shake…
Beer-battered Onion Rings served with Horseradish Sauce – $13.00
These were as good as I’d remembered. I was glad that I’d made the deal with my husband because then I got to have my “shake” and eat onion rings too, lol. We both gave the Onion Rings a rating of 4. Don especially liked the horseradish dipping sauce.
The other two of our group who chose an appetizer over a dessert both got the…
Cornbread Skillet served with butter topped with honey – $10.00
This was a new addition to their appetizer menu. I believe it replaced their Fried Herb and Garlic Cheese appetizer, which is a surprise since I think it was pretty popular. But anyway, this would have been easily sharable. Neither of them ate more than a couple of pieces of their cornbread. Both thought this was just slightly better than average and gave it a rating of 3 1/2.
Now for our entree selections. Emily asked what their Gluten-free options were and was told there were just three: Salmon, Caesar Salad (with chicken or salmon) and Meatloaf. Not being a fan of salmon or Caesar salad, that left the…
Cousin Megan’s Traditional Meatloaf – Blend of Beef and Pork served with Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes (hidden under the meatloaf slices) and Green Beans – $24.00 (price $25.00, Dec. 2024)
Emily said this was slightly below average and gave it rating of only 2 1/2. I remember trying this years ago and not liking it. It just didn’t come close to my own homemade meatloaf and Emily agreed.
The three guys (other than my husband) all chose the…
Mom’s Old-fashioned Pot Roast – Slow cooked ’til Fork-tender and served with Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Brown Gravy, Carrots, Celery and Onion – $26.00 (Price $28.00, December 2024)
The individual ratings for this entree were 3, 3 1/2, and 4, so the average rating for the Pot Roast was 3 1/2.
My favorite Prime Time entree (and Becca’s too) is their…
Aunt Liz’s Golden Fried Chicken served with Roasted Mashed Potatoes, Chicken Gravy and Seasonal Vegetables (Corn) – $26.00 (Price $27.00, December 2024)
I requested and received all white meat. As you can see from the photo below, I got two large breasts and two wings, which was way more than I could eat.
Becca did not make a special request regarding her chicken order and I think she received one piece each of breast, thigh, leg and wing. Anyway, I again really enjoyed the chicken. The crust was perfectly crispy and not overly heavy. The mashed potatoes, gravy and corn were nothing special though. Overall I would rate this entree a 4.
And that just leaves my husband, who couldn’t decide if he wanted the chicken or the pot roast so he ordered the…
A Sampling of Mom’s Favorite Recipes – Golden-fried Chicken, Fork Tender Pot Roast, and Traditional Meatloaf with Mashed Potatoes & Gravy, Green Beans, Carrots, Celery and Onion (everything that comes with the three entrees if ordered separately) – $30.00 (Price $32.00, December 2024)
The chicken he received was a wing and leg, however I bet he could have requested a breast. Since he prefers chicken breasts over wings or dark meat, he probably would have asked for one but since I had an extra one I just gave him mine. Anyway, he really enjoyed being able to have a little of everything with this platter. Overall he gave it a rating of 4 1/2.
So how did this meal come out money-wise? Don ordered the most expensive combination of items.
Lemonade – $5.99, Onion Rings Appetizer – $13.00, Sampler Platter Entree – $30.00 = $48.99
Since the Dining Package price was $54.00, we paid about $5.00 for his seat in the Dining Package reserve section for the Fantasmic show that evening. It was a bit more for each of the rest of us because we chose less expensive options. But overall we were satisfied with the total value received with the Dining Package. I would therefore recommend that anyone who is already planning to dine at any of the Hollywood Studios table service restaurants which offer this Dining Package (I believe all of them do except for the new Roundup Rodeo BBQ restaurant) and see the Fantasmic show, should consider purchasing the package. You just need to do some number crunching to decide if it’s worth it for you. Oh, and don’t forget that you need to make a special reservation for the Fantasmic! Dining Package at your restaurant of choice. Since each restaurant is limited on the number of packages they can sell, you can’t just make a regular dining reservation and then request the dining package once you get to the restaurant.
Taste of Disney 