Fall time at Disney World is its own magic with seasonal decorations, Halloween parties, and autumn-themed food options. We were there to attend Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party and wanted to include Minnie’s Seasonal Dining (Halloween Dine) at Hollywood & Vine as part of our holiday fun.
Minnie’s Seasonal Dining offers Hollywood Studios guests a buffet with classic characters. Halloween Dine, Holiday Dine, Silver Screen Dine, and Springtime Dine are offered throughout the year, with characters wearing different outfits for each different dining season. Halloween Dine offers characters in Halloween costumes, a Halloween backdrop for pictures at the entrance of the restaurant, and Halloween music to add to the atmosphere.
Food
The characters are a major part of the fun, but no one wants to pay for an experience that involves bad food. The food was not outstanding. My husband’s favorite items were the chicken noodle soup and bread service. He did not care for much else on the buffet, but he did feel that he could eat soup and bread there and leave happy. If this applies to you, this buffet might be worth it when you consider the character interactions you will have with the special seasonal outfits that you cannot see anywhere else in the park. These are different outfits than what they wear at Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party. You can read how to prepare for that party here.
Some of the items available on the buffet included baked marinated chicken, whipped potatoes, olive oil crushed potatoes, roasted mushroom farro risotto, broccoli and carrots, cumin rice, beef stew with root vegetables, Mexican street corn, roasted pork with spicy mustard sauce, roasted butternut squash, macaroni and cheese with shrimp and bacon, oven-roasted chicken, and beef meatballs with barbecue sauce and pineapple. An assortment of bread and salad options were available. A children’s selection of foods was also available. Desserts included seasonal bread pudding, Mississippi mud pie, and a variety of mini desserts.
I ordered my meal through an allergy chef as a guest with special dietary requests (no wheat, dairy, or strawberries), and I disliked my meal quite a bit. On a recent visit to this restaurant, I ordered salmon that had a crispy texture that I enjoyed. I asked the allergy chef if the salmon was already prepared or if she was cooking it to order because I wanted to request it as crispy as possible. Maybe I misunderstood her, but I thought she stated it was a popular item and it was being cooked constantly, and that she could cook it to order for me. It was not crispy. It was less crispy as a special request than it was on the last visit when I did not request it to be cooked longer. My potatoes left a lot to be desired. My slice of turkey tasted satisfactory, but I would not especially order it again. My husband said it tasted like typical turkey. I liked the gluten-free pasta with marinara sauce the best. If I went again, I would order the pasta and some gluten-free rolls, which were not offered to me. I requested dairy-free ranch, which I used on the potatoes to force myself to eat enough food so I would not be hungry after we spent a lot of money on this dining experience. I really did not have a good meal, and I was disappointed. The allergy chef accommodated my needs and was friendly; I just did not care for the taste of the food.
I struggled to find things I wanted to order from the chef, and even if I could have eaten from the buffet, I would not have found much to eat. The types of food offered did not seem appealing to someone with average tastes and had more of a trying-to-be-a-little-fancy feel to it. I do not believe this is the restaurant for you if you or anyone in your party is a picky eater.
Characters
The characters included Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, and Pluto. Pluto was dressed up minimally with a vampire-like collar and a nametag in the shape of a bat. His collar was difficult to see, and it mostly looked like he was not wearing a costume. Minnie’s seasonal dining used to have Donald and Daisy, but this is no longer true, and it is a major setback for this experience. The character experience otherwise was typical for interactions and pictures during a character dining experience.
Picture Opportunities
Cast members were available to take pictures of my husband and me together and offered to assist us without us having to ask. The characters visited each table for pictures. A major complaint I have regarding pictures at this buffet is the lack of a PhotoPass photographer at the entrance with the decorative background. A cast member will take a photo for you, but for the price of this dining experience, I expect this to be included. It had been included previously. Please read my Chef Mickey’s review explaining how the family picture opportunity was much better there.
Overall Atmosphere
It was too noisy to hear the themed music. I heard it briefly for a few seconds once or twice. This buffet is advertised as a special Halloween atmosphere with music, but this was not delivered, and I left feeling that we paid for some ambiance that we did not get. Overall, I found this buffet in need of improvement in food, availability of professional photos, and atmosphere. This restaurant has lost some of its magic over time. It has declined over the years in the quality of food and the excitement of character costumes. Pluto’s very plain outfit has replaced Donald’s outstanding space-themed costume over the years, and his minimal-effort costume stands out in a negative way. There are certainly better character buffet experiences at Disney World.
If you do not have a dining reservation and must eat at a sit-down restaurant at Hollywood Studios, and no other restaurant is available, you can eat here and take pictures with characters and find something to eat. However, I recommend making advanced dining reservations at another restaurant to enjoy while in this park and saving your money for a different character meal or doing quick service at the park rather than eating here.
Disney has some work to do to bring this experience to the same level of guest satisfaction as its other holiday offerings. For now, I recommend enjoying some of those opportunities instead.
