Review: Disney Junior Play ‘N Dine at Hollywood and Vine

The Disney Junior Play ‘n Dine at Hollywood and Vine is located off of Hollywood Blvd. at Hollywood Studios.  It is a character buffet that currently features June from Little Einsteins, Jake from Jake and the Neverland Pirates, Handy Manny, and Special Agent Oso.

Ambiance

We had 8:15 am reservations, which was before the park opened that day.  I was a little apprehensive since I wasn’t sure how reservations before the park opened were handled, but as always, the cast members had it under control.  There is actually a sign for the Disney Junior Play ‘n Dine at Hollywood and Vine above where you should line up.  A cast member will then walk through the line with a tablet to confirm reservations.  When they are ready, the cast members will open the gates for guests with reservations and direct guests to Hollywood and Vine.

June was the first character to visit us.  My two year old daughter’s favorite part of Little Einsteins is when they pat their laps before they blast off.  June was super sweet and did that part with my daughter.  Next was Jake.  He was the most entertaining.  My husband was sitting with his back to the diner and Jake snuck up behind him and scarred him.  I don’t think my girls laughed that hard our entire vacation.  My 11 year old stepdaughter still teases him about it.  Handy Manny and Special Agent Oso followed Jake.  They were not nearly as engaging as June and Jake.  I hope that they replace Handy Manny and Special Agent Oso with Doc McStuffins and Sofia the First in the future.  Since Handy Manny is being retired in the park and replaced with Sofia the First, I hope they do the same at Hollywood and Vine.  My two year old is a huge Sofia fan.

There was also a dance area set up for the preschool aged children.  A cast member would call all the characters and any children and parents who wanted to dance to come up and join them.  My two year old had a blast.

Menu

This is a table service restaurant.  The food was breakfast cafeteria buffet type food.  Examples include biscuits and gravy, made to order omelets, Mickey waffles, pancakes, frittatas, casseroles, breakfast meats, corned beef hash, and pastries.

Food and Drink

Since this was a breakfast buffet, we sampled a little bit of everything!  Being from the South, I felt right at home and loved this buffet!  Everyone in my family loves biscuits and gravy and Hollywood and Vine’s did not disappoint.  One thing not to miss:  warm apple cobbler with vanilla soft serve ice cream.  Yes, you read that right.  You can have that for breakfast!

Service

We were seated immediately and our server brought our drinks right away.  After that, she was a little slow to return.  Our coffee cups stayed empty for about ten minutes before she returned to fill them.  I really don’t expect a lot of service from a buffet, but I do expect my drink cup to stay full.  I should give our server a little bit of credit however considering it was right when the restaurant opened and it seemed very hectic and crowded.

Overall

We all enjoyed the food.  This was my two year old daughter’s favorite meal at Disney World since it featured some of her favorite Disney Junior characters and she had a chance to dance with them to her favorite Disney Junior songs.  My 11 year old stepdaughter’s favorite part was when Jake snuck up on my husband.  For her, that made the whole breakfast worthwhile and worth going back again.  This was one meal that the whole family agreed is a must do again on our next visit!

Alexia is a fan of all things Disney, especially the food!  When she is not helping plan magical vacations you can find her on Facebook or Twitter.